Have you ever tried taking some landscape and winter scenery photographs just to have them all come out dark and gray or blue.
I know I have and I can tell you what causes that and better yet how to fix it.
So what exactly causes the photo above to be dark and gray. It is a mixture of a couple of things. The first is how the camera meters the lighting. Since the snow is bright white the camera is thinking this is a light source and then adjusts the camera to expose as if the snow is a huge light. Now that explains why it is under exposed and it can also explain why the color can be off by so much. In a lot of P&S cameras and base DSLR's there is a snow setting which compensates for the exposure as well as the white balance. I know most people think well the snow is white how hard should it be for the camera to tell that.
Well the camera sees things a little differently then we and our eyes do. One thing is our eyes and brain automatically WB correct. The next is a camera is always trying to balance to 18% gray. Now this is where we come up with either blue, gray, or some other off color pictures and it will vary from camera to camera and the settings you are trying to photograph. Some cameras will see things literally. So on a clear day the camera will see the blue reflecting off the snow. Thus allowing your photo to have a blue tint to it. Realistically taking pictures in snow can be some of the most challenging situations for a camera. The first thing to do if you realize by reviewing your photos that they are dark or if your camera has a histogram and it is bunched up to the left is to add exposure. Once again this will vary from camera to camera but it is not uncommon to have to add +1EV to get a proper exposure. As for WB this will depend on if the sky is clear or over cast or a mixture. However, a good rule of thumb is in between 5500k to 6500k that should be your daylight and shade or cloudy WB. So do not be afraid to take control of your photos and change things. Auto on the camera is not always right and some times it is just way wrong.
So it is always a good idea to slow down take your time and make sure you get as much right in camera vs trying to fix it later and losing so much of your quality and detail.
I hope you find this helpful and as always feel free to leave your comments and feedback
Thanks and God Bless
Corey Brown (Glory 2 Jesus 4 Photography)
Clang, Bang, Bounce coming from the bathroom. Sabrina And I jump up making a dash to the Bathroom as Sabrina rounds the corner laying eyes on the bathroom door she just starts rolling in laughter.
My mind goes from racing What in the world in fear to shear confusion. Then I see
my precious oldest daughter jumping in to mom's arms with her first self done make up job. While mom and dad had our backs turned Bella had gotten into the bathroom and gotten into mom's makeup to administer her first make over.
Enjoy and God Bless
Corey Brown (Glory 2 Jesus 4 Photography)
This photo was taken on the Iowa River of of HWY 63 on the south side of Tama Iowa.
This is one of those photos that is familiar to you if you look at many photos. Granted that is not what I usually want to go for in my photography. However, in this case it is a photo that I never tire of. I will do a little write up about photography in the snow here soon so I will cover this photograph and others like it.
Thanks for reading and God Bless
Corey Brown (Glory 2 Jesus 4 Photography)
As a kid I remember always having a fascination with icicles. Even after "growing up" I still have certain fascinations with winter and the beauty that comes with it.
Here in central Iowa (Tama / Toledo) We have some very cool winters. Giving the ability to find things like this ice flow outside your back door. This shot was taken
rite before sunset and the sky was just breath taking, so I had to incorporate that into the photograph. To do this I used the on camera flash to fill on the ice set the shutter speed at 250th and this allowed me to run an aperture of in between F10-F13 all at ISO 100.
Enjoy and God Bless,
Corey Brown (Glory 2 Jesus 4 Photography)
That is right this is my youngest daughter already 4 months old and growing like a weed in ever way. I took
This photo was taken while Jenna was playing in her exersaucer. I did use flash with an Omni style defuser and just bounced it. She is great to photograph with endless expressions and very happy.
Thanks for reading and God Bless
Corey Brown (Glory 2 Jesus 4 Photography)
I am going to start a Picture of the day series just to help share some of what I am shooting and how I practice my photography.
Not every thing I share will be professional work and some will be from my private family life. My Family is one of the biggest reasons I love photography so much. So it is no wonder that they are my most photographed subjects. Not all photos are going to be from that day and some will have as much as a 14 day delay for the simple fact I do try and keep my skills sharp by shooting film manually. This Picture was taken In between the Meskwaki Indian Settlement and Tama / Toledo Iowa.
In the distance you can see the Meskwaki water tower as the January sun sets in Tama Co Iowa.
Thanks And God Bless
Corey Brown (Glory 2 Jesus 4 Photography)
Smugmug has long announced that they were going to be integrating a new Pro lab. In fact they have been saying this for about a year. Well it looks like it may come to pass. A few clues have been given to me by David Jay and Andy Williams. The first clue is:
That they met in California last week for a few hours. The next clue is that they will be with the new pro lab at WPPI Feb. 14-19. Well if you look at the floor plan of WPPI booth 1525 is Smugmug right next to it is 1519 which happens to be a Pro Lab. This same lab is located not too far from the physical address of Smugmug. One is in Santa Cruz, the other in Mt. View. If you do not know where they are here is a map
View Larger Map
So you want to know what Pro Lab is in Santa Cruz, CA? It is Bay Photo. Now keep in mind this is pure speculation and I am only going by clues and could be wrong but we will see before the 14th of Feb.
Thanks and God Bless
Corey Brown (Glory 2 Jesus 4 Photography)
Last time I discussed how passion for your camera can tie in to the passion of a photographer. In part 2 I am going to discuss your photographic passions and putting them to work.
How does a photographer use their passion to make money?
A lot of professionals become professionals because they have a passion for photography. However, not many professional photographers have a passion for the photography they do. (I know this sounds confusing but stick with me.) Most “professionals” do not have any passion for the field of photography they try and make money in. Have you ever seen a wedding photographer that can charge $5,000 + per wedding? (Yes) How about the photographer charging $500.00 to do weddings and giving all the photographs on a CD for their client? (yes) I can tell you that the average bride hiring a photographer would love to know why one photographer can charge 10x the amount than the other guy. The answer is fairly simple.
A photographer charging 10X the amount has mastered something the other guys have not. The funny thing is, it is not all skill that makes the price increase. In fact the technical skill level between the two is not that big of a gap some times let alone a 10X price gap.
Just because a photographer is doing weddings or portraits or what ever their money making photography is, does not always mean they have a passion for that field . Does this mean that all photographers who do not have a passion for their field are bad photographers? (NO) What it means is some/(Most) photographers find an area to make money to support their passion.
Lets go back to the wedding photographer that charges 10X the amount and why this is justifiable. The first reason could be that their passion of photography is wedding photography. Another reason is they have managed to establish their passion and incorporate it into their wedding photography. The latter here is harder to find, however, they are a very skilled and diverse photographer.
Just because some one is passionate about photography does not mean that they are a successful photographer. On the contrary, most people who have a passion for photography ever become successful. Realistically most fail. It can become a stumbling block when all your focus is in an area of photography that you have no passion for. However, the photographers that are passionate and successful look at things in a different light.
I will use my self as an example to help illustrate what I am trying to say. I do a lot of portrait, life style and environmental photography to make my money. However, I am passionate about landscape scenery and in the moment people photography. The reason people hire me to do their portraits is not because I am a better portrait photographer per-say. The reason is I have to include my passions into all of my photography to be able to produce my best photography.
Here is an example. This is an on location portrait.
This is another taken on location.
So what makes these photos special? It is the style. I am not only taking a portrait. If you look at the first photo I am taking a landscape photo that happens to have a portrait in it. Since landscape photography is one of my passions I always try and mix my passion with my business photography. If you look really closely to the very first photo in this article, to the family portrait, you will notice that this is the same location. This is also one of my favorite spots for wildlife trails and scenic photography. Most people who visit this location never see it the same way my photographs show it. The is because I am mixing my passion with my work. I am willing to shoot at dusk and dawn because I know at those times what kind of scene will come out.
One of the tricks to being a passionate and successful working photographer is to incorporate your photographic passion into your"work" photography. If you can not incorporate what you love about photography into the type of photography you make a living with; you should go out and shoot at least once a week just for yourself. Why shoot once a week for yourself? Simple, to keep doing what you love and to keep growing in the area of photography that you love. This in turn will make it easier for you to find a way to mix your passion with your work; making your photography natural and something you love to do. Your clients and future clients will see this and want to work with you just for those reasons.
Thank you and God Bless,
Corey Brown (Glory 2 Jesus 4 Photography)
Photography can be a Passionate art. However looking around at how many people have cameras and how many passionate photographers there are, the numbers do not even come close to matching. In today's world of photography I do not see very many photographers (Professionals included) that do have a passion for photography. So to start this series off I am going to go over a few different Passions in photography and the first one I am going to discuss is one that very few people know even if they rely on it. It is
the camera experience. Now stay with me because some things may be revealed to you. What is the camera experience? Lets take a look at 1st how we use our cameras. It is hard if not impossible to use a camera that is uncomfortable in your hand as well as up to your eye. So how much conscience thought does one person put into how the camera feels. I think the more passionate photographer either puts a lot of time or very little. Let me explain, If someone is upgrading to a different model they may dwell on the feel of the camera a very long time. If it is a purchase of a camera that has been designed to feel like an old friend then it is only a quick once in my hand I know you (the camera) and we have already been through a lot before I even take a photograph with you. So the feel of a camera will make the difference between I always want you in my hand VS. were can I sit this down or it is always in my pocket. If you like having the camera in your hand you will take more photographs and in turn become a better photographer. The next thing is sound. Sound you say? That is right, the sounds of a camera are part of your experiences with your camera. Lets start looking at a few examples. Take the Olympus E-1 for example, it is a 4 year old digital camera and by today's consumers standards the E-1 is obsolete. However the Olympus E-1 has a very strong following of people who have not and will not upgrade because they feel the upgraded models are not adequate updates. The first thing is the feel which I covered above. The next though is the sounds. If you ever hear an E-1 shutter it is very unique and very quiet, just a soft click whir. None of the Olympus models since have had a shutter as quiet or as short. The Olympus E-3 is different by feel and shutter sound it has a soft ca click however not as soft as the E-1. How do I know shutter sound is that important to a passionate photographer because when the Olympus E-3 came out many people were doing shutter comparisons for others to hear. This is one of many examples on the web if you just google the camera model you are interested in followed by shutter sound will usually bring up some audio as well as some video files for your enjoyment.
There are other sounds that we can become attached to. If you look at Leica, they manufacture some of the most expensive cameras and lenses. They are also some of the most coveted cameras and lenses available today. So what all makes a Leica so sought after. It is not the general image quality, However Leica and their lenses have an ability for unique qualities in their images. Leica also tries very hard to keep each upgrade in a series familiar to the previous models. Leica's have a unique shutter sound as well as having other sounds the aperture is on the lens and has a soft yet solid click for every step in its range the focus is always looked at as class leading and is done by hand / one finger on the lens. Usually the owner of a Leica will only buy another Leica to replace it. So This is a video done by Wim Wenders that really shows the Passion of a photographer.
So how does this relate to the average photographer. Well if you find a Camera the plays to your senses as much as to your image quality needs, you will find your self using it that much more. Keep in mind That not all cameras are developed with this aspect of the camera being a priority. Then there are other manufactures that spend 100,s of hours and a lot of money to ensure it. So next time you go to purchase a camera it could be something as small as the sound of the shutter or the lens having an aperture ring that improves your photography.
I hope you find this interesting, feel free to leave your feedback and comments.
Thank you and God Bless,
Corey Brown (Glory 2 Jesus 4 Photography)
11:30 P.M. I here whoo whoo and think that is an Owl but I live in town. In the past two years of living in Toledo, Iowa I have never seen or heard an Owl around here. So I jump up Throwing my boots and jacket on and grab my Trusty E3 with 50-200 swd lens attached and throw the FL 50 R flash on top.
I run (walk) out the door and listen. Sure enough I hear Whoo Whooo and then a little further south Whoo Whooo. There was not just one owl but two. After just a minute I was able to locate
the one closest to me. So I get a good focus and start to slowly walk closer. He knows I am there and checks me out once in a wile but does not seem to concerned that I am getting a little closer. 
As I aproach the tree that the Owl is in he starts showing sings of being nervous at about 20 yards from the tree. He knows that I am there so I take a shot. Drats it is a little to dark so I push the flash 2 stops to help with the reach and adjust the Iso to 640 giving me a little more room and shutter speed. This way I was able to keep the shutter at a 250th. I take another photo, not a bad shot just he was not looking at me. Then he shows He is really uncomfortable and starts to ruffle his feathers. So I quickly take another photo (the top one) and sure enough he said that is enough and leaves. Swooping down the first 15 feet leaving me very little chance to get an in-flight shot. I really would have liked to been able to get a owl in flight at night but no such luck. Maybe Next time.
Thanks for reading and God Bless
Corey Brown (Glory 2 Jesus 4 Photography)
What do you do when you are feed up with being in the house all day watching the kids and trying to get work done. (If anyone does not know getting work done with kid is usually a losing battle on all fronts.) So as soon as I could get out of the house I did. Unfortunately this was after dinner around 7:00 P.M. In a small town such as Toledo Iowa where I live every thing is pretty dead in the evening. 
With the streets being empty gave a great opportunity for some long exposure night photography. So that is
exactly what I did. Night time street photography can be a lot of fun. However there are some challenges that do come with it. One is the street lamps and the color cast they put off to me is just ugly and if you WB (white balance) correct for the lights the scene can look unnatural. That is why B&W can be nice in this kind of shooting not only can it give you more leniency with your WB but it also can give your photography a more dramatic feel.
To achieve the photo above it has to be a long exposure night shot. by shooting it this way instead of a high ISO shot I get a very clean photograph that you can see the light on the snow all the way up the street. Giving the photo above a lot of depth.
This photo has a lot more light to the overall scene. As you can see there does not seem to be as much depth however it has other benefits. The lights in the garland are not blown out and ugly they to me have a very nice timeless feel. I also used a unique composition to draw more effect out of the lines not only with the strings of lights but the single middle of the street traffic light as well as the building behind. In photographs like these it is hard to get the full impact at such a small size so feel free to visit the Gallery and check them out in full detail.
So next time you go for a walk take your camera. If it is after dark then grab the tripod as well Image Stabilization will not work for this kind of photography.
I hope you have learned a something and feel free to leave your feedback and comments.
God Bless,
Corey Brown (Glory 2 Jesus 4 Photography)
Last week a friend of mine & I went to Lake Red Rock in Pella Iowa to try and Photograph eagles. Usually Lake Red Rock is a Very popular place for many birds this time of year. However This particular day there were no eagles to be found anywhere. The wind had came in on our way down from Grinnell and was blowing at 30+ mph with gusts of 45mph. However the birding was not a complete loss from across the river south of the damn some birds spotted us.
And came over to visit. So we proceed to try and take photos in such high
Winds. As you can probably tell from the water in these photos that it was very windy.
After coming across the river it did not take long for them to come on up and check things out. I do not know the particular breed of these birds They have some similar markings of a white-fronted goose however they do not seem to have enough black on their breasts and their bills look different. 
After coming a shore they started looking for food. Since this is a public park area it is not unusual for people to feed the birds. However something a little unusual happened a pair found a piece of bread and stood side by side taking turns eating the bread. They did not honk charge or show any aggressive behavior to one another. I found this very intriguing. 
After a few minuets of searching for food and successfully clearing the area they started to do their normal cleaning. It was not long before they were comfortable enough with us that they were almost posing.
The sun came out just enough for a nice back lighting making some very nice portraits.
All in all not bad for 30+ mph winds and what was beginning to look like a bust for shooting.
If you would like to see more photos and larger then the above you can check them out HERE.
Thanks and God Bless,
Corey Brown (Glory 2 Jesus 4 Photography)
On a recent mission to photograph eagles at Pellas Lake Red rock had come to the point of calling it quits a bit of light started to poke out. It was soon pointed out to me that we were on the wrong side of the damn and quickly running out of sun. 
So we Ken Norton and I quickly crossed
The damn and set up not only putting our faces to the sun but the 30+ mph winds that were coming right off the lake.
Even with the wind and quickly fading sunset I managed to get a couple reasonable sunset photos. With the cloud deck being so low and the thin opening for the sun to peak through made for a very dramatic scene with the frozen lake adding just that much more to it.
The opportunity did not last long as we knew it wouldn't. However in this case it was fine because be the time the sun went below the tree line and bluff on the other side of the lake I was cold enough I was not to worried about getting one last photo.
If you would like to view these as well as other images in a larger size you can visit the gallery here.
Thanks and God Bless,
Corey Brown (Glory 2 Jesus 4 Photography)
What do you do when you have a photo that is just OK. You know that photo that just really lacks the drama and punch you were going for. You go EXTREME. 
The photo above was not processed in Photoshop or any layered graphics program. It was achieved in Capture One 4. Most of us have seen presets for other raw converters and how they work for them but when the normal person tries to copy it something goes wrong and you can not achieve the same kind of punch. I will give you the setting to the above photo first and then we will discuss how and why this is working.
EV: 0, Contrast: +14, Brightness: +1, Saturation: -29, Shadow: 0, Highlight: 16, and Levels: Black: 4, Mid: +0.16, and White: 253. Curve: from left to right, input first then output. A: 6, 6 B: 35, 44 C: 86, 106 D: 155, 159 E: 208, 69 F: 242, 224.
WB: Kelvin: 11100, Tint: +16
A friend of mine (Ken Norton) and I were discussing conversions the other day and how it is difficult to get a repetitive conversion VS film. So I started to play. Below is the same image as above that has been converted using Capture One 4.2 and you can see it is not terrible but just lacks anything that grabs your attention. It has been sharpened, curves applied and so on.
This last image is just straight in and straight out only applying the Capture One camera profile.
So how do you go from this image to the first one. well it is not that hard. First you apply a funky curve. A curve set to hold the shadow detail and highlights. If you look closely at the screen shot below it relieves some secrets. Age old I am supposed to kill you if I tell you secrets. 
First I place a mark at ma shadow to hold it where I want it then one just to the right of it we will call them A and B just for lack of better creativity. Now the point of mark A far left is to keep my black point stable. B will work for my shadow detail. Now lets go all the way to the other end of the spectrum to the highlights Z will be the mark far right and Y is the one to the left. Now Z will control the white point the highlights and some cool back lighting effects on certain extreme conversions. Y will control the cool darks and colors you see in the sky. Now every point in between is just as important to keeping your photo together so to speak. By now you should have the basics of how with one mark it will cause the curve on the opposite side of any mark on either side to move in the opposite direction. So play with these even after the WB stage.
Then you saturate or desaturate as needed I usually end up desaturating a photo more often then saturating one for this kind of conversion. With the photo above and any that you want to give a look like you used a type of ND or split filter with desaturation is key. It works with the curve and WB because on the scene at hand I wanted to increase the sky's drama and that is mainly in the upper mid tones so that is where the curve is set for and will cause the most abstract when you shift the WB
Now the Biggest trick is WB (White Balance) yes that is correct. WB will play a vital role in the look you are going for more then just color. It will give different tones, contrasts and gradations to an image that can not be had any other way. That is why (My Theory) is that digital is so inconsistent when trying to make a B&W or other conversion for that matter. Your WB is always changing. With Film you got the WB for that whole role. You did not go back and forth and constantly changing for the environment you were in. Now just adjust highlight and shadows to taste.
Keep in mind you should not be trying to copy a style or a cookie cutter preset, Play with your image and make it how you think it should look.
That is it. I hope this is helpful and feel free to ask any questions and leave your comments & feedback.
If you would like to see the images larger and some others you can go to the gallery Here
Thanks and God Bless
Corey Brown (Glory 2 Jesus 4 Photography)
