shooting in BULB

ok... so how do you shoot using BULB....

the idea of shooting in BULB is that the shutter is left wide open the whole time until you manually shut it.  it records everything within that time frame.  that is... everything the camera can see.  this is how photographers capture the stars moving at night and how i did that last picture in the previous blog.  to use BULB you click the shutter once and this opens the shutter.  it remains open until you click it again (to close it).


you will need:

• a dark place to take  your pictures (try not to wear light clothes)
• a flashlight or some source of light
• a tripod -- or somewhere to set your camera
  
• if you have a remote for your camera it would be very handy for this project

what to do:

• on my camera i can get to this setting via manual mode.  on manual mode you can control both the aperture and the shutter speed.  
• set the aperture to the desired number (you want something high so that everything is in focus)
• set the shutter all the way to the lowest setting --- after you get past all the numbers the lowest setting is BULB.
• place your camera on a tripod or something steady (i set it on a wall).  
• select an area that is DARK.  have a flashlight or some form of light handy.
  
• with your camera setup you can go ahead and click the camera
• take your first pose and using your flashlight PAINT yourself with the light.  take it slow or make it fast.  but turn it off before you strike another pose then turn the light on again.  you can have someone flash the light at you with each pose so you don't have to paint yourself.  
• when you are done with all the poses... click the camera again to close the shutter.

the camera only records what it sees which are the poses where you were lit up.  this is why you need to be in the dark and preferably in dark clothes so the camera can't detect you as you move.  dark beaches with no moon is perfect for this.



there you have it!  have fun and show me what you end up with!




just wanted to share with you the project i worked on for my inner vision photography class.  i took the class to push the envelope on creativity.  i actually story boarded this whole photo session before setting out for the shoot.  it turned out pretty well i think.  

miela and JC are my cousin's theater friends.  thanks guys for helping me in this shoot.

 

shooting on auto

the first time i learned how to drive a car i was 15 going on 16 and i had a mitsubishi lancer at my disposal. it had a manual transmission. the family driver was given the task of teaching me how to drive. the poor man would make the sign of the cross at the start of every lesson. he would take us to the 2nd steepest hill in our neighborhood, park the car half way up the hill using just the hand brake, make us switch places and then he'd say, ok, pull the brake down and go from here. as if! it was my first week!!!! i left A LOT of tread marks on that hill. my neighbors would count the tire squeals they heard and would name the 13th one either a success or my quitting point. he was convinced that if i could make it past that hardest task, then the rest would be easier. when it came time to teach my mom how to drive, the woman with the legendary temper, they gave her the car with the automatic transmission and sent her to driving school. the only difference in the lessons we got were the extra steps i had to take to accomplish the same goal.

recently i've been getting feedback from friends about this blog and how they are inspired to pick up the camera again. for some it's their first round with photography. i'm so humbled and so glad that i can inspire anyone! welcome to the obsession!

some of you have been asking for tips on camera stuff and i wanted to share some of the things i've picked up on the photo journey. i've been to a few photoshops with some really awesome and incredibly inspiring photographers and each one (quite naturally) has a different take on the art. jasmine star, one of my favorite wedding photographers, is a hardcore manual setting user. she knows her settings and nails it for the shot every time. she is incredible. she believes that photographers should take the time to work those manual settings as much as possible. i'm trying jasmine! and when i trip i go back to your blogs for inspiration.

david jay, another favorite, believes that the camera is pretty intelligent and will trust the camera's auto or half auto settings (like aperture priority or time value priority). his photos are full of life and awe inspiring. if i could be even a third as good as he is i would make a bigger dent in this industry.

i'm by no means an expert on the field but from my own experience i have come to believe that each person should know their strengths and use the tools available to help them thru the rest. be ok with using auto. especially if it's your first time. be proud of the pictures you took on that setting. the camera isn't the only one doing the work. it's your eye that frames the picture. i spent a lot of time on auto (and still do) and while on auto i worked on composition, story telling and creativity. when i was ready to venture out i set some goals to try the other settings. there are just some shots that i can't figure out and instead of getting frustrated i go back to the brilliant mind that invented auto, get my shot and figure out what i missed later. it's not often that i'm confident enough to pull a full manual shoot. to be honest, as far as comfort goes for full manual, that only extends to a studio environment where i have control over the lighting.

i wish i could say that i planned every shot i took and that all my favorites were intentional. the truth is, some of my best pictures were shot from the hip or taken by accident. i think you'll find that there's a world of awesome photographers out there that feel the same way.

here's some shots we took using the auto setting on my olympus sw 1030. i hope you find this post helpful. i'll try to post more tips in the future. also, we would love to see some of the pictures you've taken. use the comment box and send us a link to share what you've been up to.

p.s. click on that sunset shot and view it large. i absolutely love how it turned out. i used a fun tool on photoshop to stitch a bunch of shots together. if you ask nicely i just might share how i did it :D