The Fuzzy Slug » photos

Photos: Things from Another World

Natalie — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 23:28:42 +0000

Photos: Dave and Irene

Natalie — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 17:00:37 +0000

A fantastic wedding for a fantastic couple. I’m honored that they asked me to photograph their wedding. They have such fun personalities – just look at that bottom capture on the first set. How great is that?

I do have to admit the lighting was abysmal. Thank goodness for a father-in-law with access to some nice photography lights!

Photos: Day at the Beach

Natalie — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 17:00:12 +0000

At Ecola State Park, near Cannon Beach, Oregon back in November.

Photography Calendar 2012

Natalie — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 19:14:08 +0000

… is now available! There’s a preview of the images at the product page if you like to peek at the calendar months ahead of time. I assure you though, it’s all good stuff – although, I may be a bit biased. :)

Tips and Tricks: Jack-O’-Lantern Photography

Natalie — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 13:44:11 +0000

It’s that time again when pumpkins are sacrificed in the name of spooky glowing decorations. While there are plenty of interesting subjects to photograph this time of year (costumes, fall colors, holiday festivities), photographing jack-o’-lanterns can be a little tricky especially if you want to capture them in the dark.

Low light photography is a bit more complicated, but don’t let that deter you from experimenting. The results are well worth the extra effort. And, in truth, so long as you keep a few key things in mind, it’s not very difficult to achive that great glowing photo.

Hold Still

No, not the pumpkin, they are pretty stationary by default. Well, unless they’re sentient wandering jack-o’-lanterns, but that’s an entirely different topic.

With any night time or low light photography, the more steady your camera the better. Even if you think you are pretty good at holding still, really, nothing beats not holding your camera at all. This means go pull out that old tripod, or if you don’t have one of those, finding a nice spot on the ground or table, or even pressing your camera body up against a stationary object. This will afford you the opportunity to get a greater depth of field, minimize any camera jitter that would cause fuzziness, and not have to use the flash.

Experiment

Now that your camera is nice and still, play around with the composition. Get close, use the rule of thirds, fill the frame, and try different angles and perspectives. If your camera will allow tweaking of the aperture settings, try using a small depth of field (low number for aperture - like 3 or 4). You’ll never know if there is a cool shot hiding in your subject if you don’t try different things. In the world of digital photography the only thing this will cost you is a few extra minutes.

Flash

I for one am the first one to say “Argh! Yuck flash! Blerg. Evil evil awful flash!” That’s not to say that it has its time and place. If you are able to adjust the strength and/or position of your flash, this can actually add an interesting lighting element to a low light photo. Sometimes a little flash actually does work, just remember to keep it gentle. Bright harsh flash will drown out the wonderful orange glow of jack-o’-lanterns and destroy the creepy otherworldly atmosphere of the photo. Again, experiment.

Have fun this Halloween, and happy spooky photo shooting.

Photos: London, A Small Tour

Natalie — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 16:08:25 +0000

Photo: The Guardian

Natalie — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 14:00:23 +0000

Technical Details
Aperture Value: f/10
Focal Length: 105mm
ISO: 200
Shutter Speed Value: 1/500 sec.
Location: International Rose Test Garden, Portland, Oregon

Photo: Tomatillo

Natalie — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 14:54:18 +0000

Technical Details
Aperture Value: f/5
Focal Length: 50mm
ISO: 200
Shutter Speed Value: 1/80 sec.

Photo: Dimpled

Natalie — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 14:30:11 +0000

Technical Details
Aperture Value: f/2.5
Focal Length: 50mm + macro filters
ISO: 200
Shutter Speed Value: 1/4000 sec.

Photo: Spike

Natalie — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 14:39:07 +0000

The purple cone flowers in my garden are still going strong despite this being their first year in the ground.

Technical Details
Aperture Value: f/7.1
Focal Length: 50mm + macro filters
ISO: 200
Shutter Speed Value: 1/600 sec.
Location: Home

Technical Details
Aperture Value: f/7.1
Focal Length: 50mm + macro filters
ISO: 200
Shutter Speed Value: 1/100 sec.
Location: Home