Maybe you’ve heard of it, maybe you haven’t, but NaNoWriMo is National Novel Writing Month. The idea is simple… set aside a month and write a novel. You can jump into the organization and take advantage of the community support, or you can just do it. And the month that is set aside for this undertaking is November.

This year, I have at least two friends that participated specifically in NaNoWriMo. One actually sent me a copy of his manuscript Saturday night, and hopefully in the next few days I will have read it and given him some constructive feedback. The other will get a message asking how he is coming. Read More

For a very long time I have been on FaceBook and Twitter. I joined them decades ago.

I soon tired of Twitter. The feed rolled too fast for me to really pay attention, and it was dominated by just a few voices and fewer real views. I maintained a presence, and actually have several accounts for different purposes, including @LaneBailey where I post updates of this blog. Read More

Back in the film days, I was a professional photographer. It was a lot of fun and a wonderful challenge. It is only in the last few years that I have dived back into photography as a more serious hobby, though… this time through the medium of digital imagery.

I have also added Photography Merit Badge Counselor to my list of hats. I help Scouts learn about photography and earn the merit badge. That, on its own, is a load of fun and challenge.

It is through the work in teaching photography that I have come to see how much power photographers have in image creation… more than at any previous time. Technology has truly unlocked the ability of photographers to realize their vision and create what had only existed in their mind’s eye.

To understand, let me first give a (very brief) introduction to exposure… Read More

There are three things that determine exposure

• Shutter speed
• Aperture (lens opening)
• ISO (film speed or media sensitivity)

Photographers can use shutter speed to enhance the image a variety of ways. Fast speeds “freeze” motion, while slow ones allow it to blur. Both can added to the desired outcome of the photo.

The aperture that a photographer selects will also affect the way the image comes out. If a small aperture (high “f number, like f22) is used, the image will be sharper from the foreground to the background. That is awesome for landscapes and things like that. If a wide aperture (like f2.8) is used, the focus area will be shallow. That is great for portraits or times when the desire is to separate the subject from the background.

The ISO or sensitivity is the game changer… Back in the days of film, one might load up a roll of 400ISO film. That was it… for the next 24 or 36 shots, that was in the camera. Now it can be adjusted for each individual shot. Low numbers (like 100) have less grain or pixelation and better color, while higher numbers (like 1600) need less light for the proper exposure)

There is a relationship between each of the elements. Without too much depth, the ISO determines how much light is needed on the sensor, aperture determines how much light comes through at a time and shutter speed determines how long the light will strike the sensor.

Aperture is how big the hose is. Shutter speed is how long the water will run. ISO is how big the bucket is that has to be filled.

The upshot of the digital world is that a photographer is no longer constrained by available film speed (ISO) and can decide on the shutter speed and aperture that will deliver the desired image, while adjusting the ISO to meet proper exposure.

Back in the day we took a guess at what film speed we would want for the next group of pictures, and then only worried about calculating our shutter and aperture. Now all of those choices can be made with each picture.

The only drawback is that it is another choice for the photographer to make. For some, that makes it harder… for others, it is a welcome choice.

But in the days of film, on a bright day, it was tough to shoot wide open apertures (letting in lots of light and giving a shallow field of focus) while using a slow shutter speed (letting in lots of light and allowing items in the frame to motion blur) unless using a VERY slow film. Espcially if the latter part of the roll of film might need to be shot during the evening with fading light, and/or need small aperture (less light, more depth of focus) and faster shutter speed (less light and freezing motion).

Imagine shooting a landscape, and in the foreground there is a leafy branch. The gentle breeze moves the branch during the exposure. You need a small aperture to capture the depth of focus needed… but you also need a fast shutter speed to stop the motion of the branch. In the old days, you hoped for the best… now you can dial up the ISO and fire away.

Cool stuff.

Image via Wikipedia

This is the 3rd part of a series on taking better real estate pictures.  The series is intended for those that really want to produce high quality photographs of their listings, as opposed to just grabbing a few shots and dumping them on the MLS.

In Part I, we talked a little about the basics and the focus of the series (pun intended).  In Part II, we talked about a few options for get, ranging from under $1000 to REALLY expensive.  You don’t actually need to spend a grand to get great shots, but it doesn’t hurt.  Feel free to jump back and review.

Exposure Basics…

Exposure is broken down into several factors.  Each one affects the whole.

The first, and most basic is ISO (film speed/sensitivity).  This is a measure of how sensitive the sensor or film is to light.  The higher the number, the more sensitive it is… and the less light is needed to create an image.  But, that also means that the image is likely to be grainier.

Back in the old days… when people shot film… it was pretty easy to figure out what speed film you were shooting.  It was printed on the box when you bought it.  Now, with digital cameras, it is built into the camera… and most cameras offer a variety of film speeds, ranging from 50 or 100 up to around 800 or 1600.  Some will offer a little more, others might offer less.  Generally, for what we are doing, the lower the speed, the better.  Usually, lower film speeds yield images with less noise.  Doubling the number represents one full step in exposure.  Examples of traditional speeds are 50, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600 and 3200.

Generally to control the film speed, you have to be shooting the camera in a mode that isn’t “easy”.  It might be the P mode, or it could be S, A or M.  Usually, the camera will be in an “Auto Sensitivity” mode.

If we are being real serious and shooting in a fully manual mode, shutter or aperture priority, it would be good to set the sensitivity to something like 100.  It would be a pretty good way to learn the rest of the exposure variables.

The next one we need to learn about is Aperture.  This might be the toughest for most people to “get”.  Usually that is because the term is unfamiliar, rather than the concept being that rough.  Simply put, aperture is the size of the hole that the light comes through to hit the sensor (film).  The higher the number, the less light is coming through the lens. Multiplying the number by 1.4 represents one full step.  On SLR cameras, full steps are generally 2.0, 2.8, 4.0, 5.6, 8, 11, 16, 22, 32, 45 and 64.  Often there will be an “F” in front of the number, like F8 or f11.

Image via Wikipedia

But, there is a little more to aperture than just how much light is shining through.  It is a concept called Depth of Field.  As the aperture gets smaller (larger number), the other change that is taking place is that the field of focus is stretching.  Objects closer and farther away from the point of focus are getting sharper.  This may be great… or it may be distracting.  Portrait photographers often use shallow depth of field, throwing the background out of focus, to keep the viewers eye on the subject.  Landscape photographers often use the opposite effect.

The third leg in the exposure triangle (I know, I said 4 things affect exposure) is Shutter Speed.  Simply put, this is how long the shutter stays open to allow light to hit the sensor (film).  Usually the numbers are represented as a fraction like 1/60 or 1/500.  Traditional full steps are 1/2000, 1/1000, 1/500, 1/250, 1/125, 1/60, 1/30, 1/15, 1/8, 1/4, 1/2, 1sec, 2sec, 4sec and 8sec.

There are a couple of things to keep in mind here as well.  To start with, for general photography, hand-holding the camera only works down to about 1/60sec with a normal lens and 1/30 for a wide angle.  A telephoto might need 1/125 or even 1/250 to be steady.  If you are shooting close-ups, you need a tripod or faster shutter speed.  If you are well-practiced, you might be able to hand-hold the camera at a little slower speed.  Allowing a little motion in the shot isn’t always bad, you just need to understand the result.

Image via Wikipedia

The 4th leg on this stool is Flash Exposure.  I will likely have an entire post devoted to flash… but the basic rules to remember are:

• Shutter Speed doesn’t have much affect on flash exposure.  The flash happens faster than the shutter.
• The only ways on the camera to adjust the exposure from the flash are with ISO and Aperture.
• Many flashes allow power to be adjusted.
• The light from the flash falls off as it gets farther from the flash unit.  Half as much light makes it to 28 feet as made it to 20 feet… that is why the background often looks dark in flash photos.

If you really want to learn about this in more depth, I HIGHLY recommend The Camera (Ansel Adams Photography, Book 1) (affiliate link) by Ansel Adams.  He has a tremendous amount of detail on cameras and exposure basics.  It is continued in The Negative (Ansel Adams Photography, Book 2) (affiliate link).  The Camera deals primarily with lens angles and other things relating to the camera, as well as a lot of technical things relating specifically to film cameras… and especially large format cameras.  The Negative is all about exposure, and is an EXCELLENT read.  If you are just going to get one, get The Negative.

Related articles

• ISO Control (nikonusa.com)
• A Basic Look at the Basics of Exposure (nikonusa.com)
• Photography 101- Shutter Speed (stoneandrose.com)
• Understanding ISO Sensitivity (nikonusa.com)
• Learning about Exposure – The Exposure Triangle (digital-photography-school.com)
• Are you smarter than your camera’s exposure system? (presqueisle.org)
• Taking Pictures at Dusk and at Night (nikonusa.com)
• The Lost Art of Real Estate Listing Photography (grayflannelsuit.net)

Image via Wikipedia

In real estate photography, there are three ways to go about showcasing listings.

• Hire a professional photographer to capture the images
• Do it yourself
• Skip that whole thing and list it without pictures

In this series, we’ll be talking mostly about doing it yourself.  However, in many cases, it would be advantageous to hire a photographer.  If you are so busy with other parts of your business that you don’t have time to do it right, get a pro.  If you don’t have the skills (and/or you aren’t willing to take the time to learn them), get a pro.  If you don’t want to dedicate the time to get it right, get a pro.  These aren’t meant to be mean… but to let you know that the pictures on a listing are one of, if not THE most important marketing tool you have.

There is no shame in hiring a pro… I have better than a decade in professional advertising photography behind me, and I have hired photographers to shoot some of my listings.  I did, however, go back and shoot more supporting images.  And that is a GREAT way to transition from hiring out the photography to handling it in-house.  Bring in a pro to shoot the major scenes, then shoot the details yourself.  It will save a little money, and not compromise the marketing of the listing.

Image via Wikipedia

There are a few things that you need to know in order to get started in handling your own photography for your real estate listings.  Over the next few weeks, we’ll be covering them in more detail, individually…

• Cameras (you don’t NEED to have a big, expensive camera to shoot great pictures, but it doesn’t hurt)
• Lighting (this is where the action is)
• Aperture and Shutter speed combinations (the mechanics of taking pictures)
• Composition (framing it up to make it work)
• Tricky Details (those little things that catch us off-guard)

Photography isn’t hard, but it does require attention to detail.  The techniques are all pretty basic, but stacking things on top of each other is where things can get a little tricky… for example, combining flash and ambient lighting, or balancing inside and outside light.  And one of the greatest aspects of modern digital photography is the ability to see immediately the results… in time to correct the images BEFORE breaking down and going back to the office.

I will try to get specific as often as I can, and the tips will be related to shooting real estate.  Of course, some of them might also jump over into your vacation shots and family pictures.

Stay tuned…

Related articles

• Unusual Sunset Shoot: Indoor Photography (dashamones.wordpress.com)
• Top real estate photographer of 2011 awarded (agbeat.com)
• Take More Photos – Keep Less (digital-photography-school.com)
• Lighting Guidelines For Photography (tfollowers.com)
• Photography 101- Aperture (stoneandrose.com)
• Photography: Just Like Flying (captainkathymccullough.wordpress.com)
• A Basic Look at the Basics of Exposure (nikonusa.com)
• Zoom Lens Maximum Aperture: Fixed and Variable Apertures (nikonusa.com)