Here’s a recent surprise, there is once again a Polaroid instant film camera on the market. We have them in stock and I was wondering to what audience do these devices appeal?
Well it is very easy to use, light weight, fun and produces 10 2×3 instant images per film pack. So with digital cameras in just about every household why do we need instant photos? Good question. Needless to say, getting that photo immediately in your hand as in “now” does beat just looking at the image on the back of a camera or screen on your phone. And I suppose if you were on a trip you could leave a copy of the image with someone you were visiting with; or just for the fun of it- pointing, shooting and handing out the prints as we did on a dinner cruise one evening. It is entertainment- like card tricks, magic stunts, playing the ukulele and handing out instant photos- all part of the reason you are in demand at parties. That’s not such a bad reason for having the camera with you, although the cost of those instant images adds up. At about 90 cents there is a cost for the fun convenience and novelty of this “print-in-your-hand”camera. However, for the person who has everything, they need this camera.
That led me to the next thought sequence which is looking at the ways you can make photographs. You can print at home on an HP, Canon or Epson printer. You can go to your local photo lab or CVS, Walgreen or Walmart. You can order online, or you can just “share” the image electronically with friends and family and let them print it since they want it so badly-( I see grandparents here).
Since Arista Camera is similar to Ritz and other camera stores we have an in store lab and believe that our prints are faster, way better and cheaper. Plus you get extras like free CD or second set of prints. In addition at Arista Camera & Imaging we personally view, edit and correct all images to enhance their visual appeal. The online solutions are many such as Shutterfly, Kodak Gallery, etc. The quality is generally good and the pricing is excellent. Online is generally cheaper than in store labs. For instance at www.aristacamera.com online prints are always volume discounted where in the store there is a pricing scale depending on number of prints. The online orders are processed in the store so the quality is the same- online since you do the work, the cropping and ordering, you get a better price.
This gets us back to Polaroid. In all the above, although you see the image immediately, you can’t’ get a hard copy for a few hours or days (online). The only rival to getting prints when you want them is printing at home. A few years ago this was a major business model; however, as you will soon see the cost of the printer, paper, inks and your time, do not make this the mass market winner it started out to be. If a 4×6 on average costs 20 cents in a camera store lab and even less -10 cents online, you can’t justify the print at home option where the cost of media and inks brings your 4×6 to 50 cents plus your time.
The NY Times wrote in their technology review of this process: “ …after the initial investment, you are going to pay at least 28 cents if you believe the manufacturer, but in reality it will be closer to 50 cents if you trust the testing of product reviewers at Consumer Reports”. More information is found at www.articlesbase.com/print/1550195. Here are some highlights from the article by John Dow:
• “The time it takes to print each photo is brutal. 30 prints could take over an hour”
• “Printing photos at home with your inkjet printer can get expensive…you will pay up to 5 times the cost of getting them at some retail photo lab.”
• “..It doesn’t take a brain surgeon to see that you can save about $1 per print if you wait for a few hours to get your print.”
Well, there you have it. Can’t wait for those prints, do it at home or invest in a new Polaroid and have it anytime and anywhere you want it. And with Polaroid, those who need to keep that personal image under wraps, won’t have to worry since there is no digital file to get out on the internet. Wow, just like the good old days.

Quoting from the book On Photography, (Susan Sontag), which I wrote about last week, I found another quote from the book that I think speaks as well today as it did over 130 years ago.

The quote is from Macmillan’s Magazine, London, 1871, and gets at the power of family images.  To understand why we work hard, struggle and put up with all sorts of difficulties and hardships in the name of love of family, the portraits that we cherish and hold dear remind us of those that matter most and make it all seemingly worthwhile.

“Any one who knows what the worth of family affection is among the lower classes, (this is 1871 after all), and who has seen the array of little portraits stuck over a laborer’s fireplace, (now the refrigerator),….will perhaps feel with me that in counteracting the tendencies, social and industrial, which every day are sapping the healthier family affections, the sixpenny (now 15 cents), photograph is doing more for the poor than all the philanthropists in the world.”

How we all mange to get through our day, and put up with what we do, all for the benefit of what we love, for many make life worth living.  Photographs immortalize the person or time so we can be easily reminded of what truly matters for us.  Other than music, (that other universal language), that we hum in our heads or whistle to or actually sing, photographs of family and friends enliven our souls and our day. Sharing an image of someone we love gets us through the toughest of times and keeps us going.  What a gift this medium has proven to be, especially since anyone and everyone can participate. In this new digital world we now achieve wonderful satisfaction and memories to boot; images that can be shared and passed along. I feel better already.

I was rereading “On Photography” by Susan Sontag, (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1977),

Susan Sontag

recently and although the concepts expressed in the book are interesting, what I found most compelling was the quotes collected in the back from famous and not so well known photographers and celebrities since the invention of the medium. I’d like to share some of these with you and here is the first one from the Agatha Christie novel Mrs. McGinty’s Dead (1951).

“Why do people keep photographs?”

“Why? Goodness knows! Why do people keep things-junk-trash, bits and pieces.  They do-that’s all there is to it!”

“Up to a point I agree with you. Some people keep things.  Some people throw everything away as soon as they have done with it.  That, yes, it is a matter of temperament.  But I speak now especially of photographs.  Why do people keep, in particular, photographs?”

“As I say, because they just don’t throw things away. Or else because it reminds them-“

Poirot pounced on the words.

”Exactly. It reminds them.  Now again we ask-why? Why does a woman keep a photograph of herself when young? And I say that the first reason is, essentially, vanity. She has been a pretty girl and she keeps a photograph of herself to remind her of what a pretty girl she was.  It encourages her when her mirror tells her unpalatable things. She says, perhaps to a friend, ‘That was me when I was eighteen…’ and she sighs…You agree?”

“Yes-yes, I should say that’s true enough.”

“Then that is reason No. 1. Vanity. Now reason No. 2. Sentiment”

“That’s the same thing?”

“No, no, not quite. Because this leads you to preserve, not only your own photograph but that of someone else… A picture of your married daughter- when she was a child sitting on a hearthrug with tulle round her… Very embarrassing to the subject sometimes, but mothers like to do it.  And sons and daughters often keep pictures of their mother especially, say, if their mother died young, ‘This was my mother as a girl.’ ”

“I’m beginning to see what you are driving at, Poirot.”

“And there is, possibly a third category. Not vanity, not sentiment. not love-perhaps hate -what do you say?”

“Hate?”

“Yes. To keep a desire for revenge alive.  Someone who has injured you-you might keep a photograph to remind you, might you not?”

It’s hard to image our lives without photographs.  As we travel this relatively short timeline of our personal history- all that we do, all that we cherish and love is in the photographs we collect. We keep them to remember. Each visit, journey, trip, event is quickly over, and without the photos to recall and to pass on, many of us would feel like we have not lived at all. The passing on is the real foundation for our children and their children.  Knowing about our family, where we came from and what transpired in the past is the tie to our family ancestors.  Because people everywhere are documenting their lives on a daily basis, connections are made for the future generations that firmly establish who they are.

How much of the scene you will capture in the camera is the job of the lens. Of all the 4 “L” words, misuse of this one, the lens selection, is the biggest culprit of weak images.  With the advent of digital cameras the lens is automatically going to be a zoom lens.  That is, a lens that will cover both wide angle  (large scenes), and capture images in a distance, ( the telephoto lens).  If you remember in the film days there was a lens for each situation and so a photographer had at least thee lenses to carry.  Now it’s simpler to use but the decision as to what focal length lens setting to use is still important and that’s what we will cover in this segment.

When you are preparing for a photo you usually choose the scene mode- that is, using the icons on your camera you can choose portraits, the man in the hat; a close up macro, the tulip; a broad scenic view, the mountain icon and the action sports mode shown  as a runner icon.  After making that choice the next most important decision is what lens setting will you choose-  a wide angle- anywhere from 18mm to 35mm,  a normal eye view around 35mm-55mm, or a telephoto setting usually 75mm to 200mm.  Each of these setting provides a different effect and produces a very different image. Most folks  completely misuse the lens settings, or  not pay attention to what lens setting they are using.  They take portraits of people with a wide angle standing about 10 inches from their faces; they use telephoto settings when they are trying to capture a scene that so large it can’t fit in their viewfinder.  So right here and right now let’s just make a simple rule and then we can break it later…if taking portraits of individuals, couples, pets or animals at the zoo or in the woods use the telephoto setting- anywhere between the 90 to 200mm lens setting that you have will produce better results and here’s why:

1. The background will be soft and out of focus because the effects of the long lens compresses the background .  You’ve seen those highway shots where the telephone poles look like they are literally right next to each other when they are probably 50 feet apart-  that’s lens compression from a telephoto.
2. The depth of field, i.e. the distance in focus in front of and behind the subject that you are focusing on will be very narrow.  Actually, the only part of the image that will be sharp and in focus will be what you focus on- so a face will be sharp but the background will be blurred- perfect to accentuate your subject. Note-iIn low light the extreme may happen – because the lens opening ( aperture) is wide open  (f.2.8 or f. 3.5) if the eyes are in focus , the nose and ears may not be.
3. Your portrait subject will look more natural using a longer telephoto lens. The face will have correct proportions and the nose will not look exaggerated which you would get with a wide angle.  Remember that with the telephoto setting on your lens you need to be a few FEET away from your subject to be able to use it.

(2)

The other part of the rule is that anytime you are photographing landscapes, city views, tall buildings, and working in tight space where you can’t move back such as at a party or in a restaurant , the wide angle setting  ( 18mm to 40mm) should be used.  To get all those folks at the table or standing by the bar, you will need to use a wide angle setting, plus indoors you will probably need to use your flash . The attributes of the wide angle lens are:

1. The depth of field is very large.  Unlike the telephoto where a very limited area is in focus, the wide angle lens provides overall sharpness in the foreground, subject and background.  The entire scene will be in focus.
2. In a scenic shot with daylight the wide angle lens provides for a higher aperture or lens opening such as f.8 or f.11. and thus greater depth of field ( more of the area in front and behind the subject that is in focus).  The amount of light allows the lens to keep all the image in focus; conversely less light means less depth of field.
3. If your space is small and you can’t move back to get the scene in, you will need to use the wide angle setting. Same if you are trying to photograph a tall building or large sculpture.  With the telephoto lens you will need to be a block away, but with the wide angle you can be pretty close.

Ok, so we covered the big differences in the two ends of the zoom lens wide angle at 18mm to 35mm and telephoto for distance shots or portraits at 75mm to 200m; just a note, portraits are best made at the middle of the telephoto range 95mm to 125mm.  Simply look down at the lens barrel or in the viewfinder to see what setting you have, think first about what you are going for and adjust the lens accordingly…is it a scene; portrait; subject in the distance?

OK, this concludes our 4 part series on the secrets revealed of great photos, however there is one more “L”  word that can’t be left out- and that is LUCK.  How many great images have you seen that you know the photographer was in the right place at the right time.  Hey, this stuff happens but being prepared for it, and the ability to act instantly with the right setting and focus, is to their credit- that’s the 20% they provide and  the other 80% is credited for just being there with a camera.  So picture this- you are driving to the top of a hill on an overcast gray day.  You pull over to the scenic view stop and suddenly the sun breaks through a segment of the clouds and shines down on a red barn below.  It illuminates this structure bringing the saturated color that only the sun can provide to an otherwise drab scene,- my goodness who was the art director here?  Or you are walking down a street and turn the corner and right there in the middle of the sidewalk three characters are juggling milk cartons; or a famous sports figure or celebrity steps out of a hotel.  Luck can make you great, just don’t plan on it.  However, being ready for the unexpected and being comfortable with your camera and what the particular image calls for, takes practice, thinking and ok a little luck.

• Introduction
• Light
• Location
• Look
• Lens [This Article]

Let’s see if we can come up with a way to describe the way an image looks.  Some terms come to mind:Confrontational –staring right into the camera and daring the viewer.  Romantic- soft light depicting beautiful people in a romantic setting or an idyllic scene by a lake.  Mysterious evening scene, moon light, shadows. Comical- it makes you smile, heartwarming.  I think you get the idea.

Using lines can help you direct the viewer’s eye- they can be real lines like railroad tracks or fences or walls or implied lines such as having the subject pointing or facing in a direction.  Mixing shapes such as geometrics, triangles and circles- elements captured in these configurations add great interest.  Space around the subject helps draw attention to the main detail or point of your image by isolating against a plain non-distracting background- picture a runner at the edge of the water- putting the subject at the lower left or the far right gives two different meanings.  This involves using the rule of thirds principle- i.e. keeping the subject either in the lower or upper thirds or in the left or right third of the frame. Color carries an emotional message such as red or orange as opposed to blue or green.  B&W totally changes the image and message and is a primary way to affect the LOOK of your photo.

The last element is pattern- this is so wonderful when it works-  a sea of people walking down the street all with black umbrellas except one who has a yellow one, we see  patterns  every day.  Going to an outdoor bandstand when there is no concert and look at the random pattern of all the folding chairs- isolate just on them- the stark black against the lighter concrete. Everyone enjoys these looks when viewing images because they like the surprise or the cleverness of seeing someone else’s take on everyday sights.

• Introduction
• Light
• Location
• Look  [This Article]
• Lens

When you look at a photo what do you get from the visual-  is it a romantic interpretation?  A raw and brutal display?  Heart warming?  Disturbing?  Does it invits you to discover where it is or what it is?  The location of the image plays an important role in this visual message. Here we will discuss how the place you decide to photograph can make an impact on your image.  Most folks just worry about what they want a photo of and not pay attention to the setting that would make it more interesting or more dramatic. Of course, if you are just looking for a great scenic to photograph, well then I  hope you are thinking about or looking for something that is visually interesting , exciting or unusual.  But since most photographs are made up of a foreground, subject and background, location is a key piece of the ultimate composition. Paying attention to the selection is an easy way to vastly improve your work, and as per my L words- it doesn’t require any camera controls for you to operate.

First off, a pretty setting, a beautiful vista, mountain, skyline, ocean etc will always

Richard Restiano - Locations in Photography

delight the viewer of your work, along with paying attention to what we covered in part one light.  These two elements together create outstanding photographs. However, just because it looks great to you as you see it, capturing that same effect is what will make you a great photographer.

To begin, set the camera to the function you are after- is it a portrait of a person, pet or couple?  Just a beautiful scene of a garden or property? A view of a harbor, beach or lake?  Use you scene dial on the camera- you know the one with the icons for a person (head with hat icon); a scene, (mountain icon); close up, (tulip icon); sports action, (runner icon).  That’s all the camera control you need to know or do.  Managing the elements of the scene is something only you can do.  Not putting the subject dead center is the first thing to consider.  Is it a horizontal image or a vertical- this is dictated by the subject of the photo.  Should you position the shot from a low angle or a high position? Is this the best time of day to make this photo?  What we are getting at here is that the subject doesn’t exist alone- it is part of the scene, (friends in front of a store); it relates to the scene, (you are showing this person as having something to do with the foreground or background) or it is the only element you see in the image?  Location must be considered because it is part of the story that you are telling.

Location works as well when it is not a beautiful scene, instead you have chosen a gritty urban cityscape.  Now the message to the viewer is influenced by the surrounding background and foregrounds.  This can be used- such as fashion photographers do- to present a stunning model in brilliant colors against the drab concrete and grime of an abandoned building- here it is choice of location that drives the impact of the image.  Think about what’s important- the subject, the location, both? Then compose the elements to that end.    Whatever you do don’t take the shot for granted- how many photos have we seen of fabulous locations that are dull, boring and uninteresting.  Combine part 1 and part 2 and your success rate will improve by 50%.  Next L word is Look.

• Introduction
• Light
• Location   [This Article]
• Look [Next Article in Series]
• Lens

Light

PART 1-  LIGHT

Light creates drama

• Introduction
• Light
• Location
• Look
• Lens

• Light
• Location
• Look
• Lens

Each week I will disclose another concept and technique that you can start using right away to improve you photographs 100%.

Here’s what I will cover-

Light - the ability to actually see it and see what it is doing before you snap the shutter. How to position yourself and your subject to get the most pleasing shot or the most dramatic.  Again, it’s all in your head not in the controls.

Location – understand that where you are, and where you plan your photo as well as what is the foreground, middle and the background combine to create that great shot.  Yep, you guessed it, this is also all in your head. We will get you to Think- shoot- enjoy.

Look - what the photo conveys to the viewer- what the emotion or feeling is that you want to express- it is all in the final “look” of the shot or what the viewer sees when looking at your image.  Is it fun, whimsical, mysterious, dramatic, romantic, majestic, peaceful, disturbing, etc.  Creating the look using angles, perspective, perhaps a simple filter and using the light will evoke just that special effect you want.

Lens - ok so here’s one part that actually needs a piece of camera equipment.  Most cameras however, point and shoot and those with interchangeable lenses- the upscale models, all come with a zoom lens anywhere from 18-70mm or 55-200.  They cover the wide angle and the telephoto close ups.  How to select the correct lens setting- when and where- is the simplest effect you can use.  I’ll tell you how. If you can see you can master this secret.

So, stay tuned and look for part one coming next week, from the image maestro, Richard Restiano sr.  right here at Arista camera.