In order to make space for upcoming events, I have decided to place expiration dates on my galleries. Please note that in general, you will have 30 days after the gallery is posted to place an order. I do keep images on file, so if the gallery you want to purchase from as expired, please contact me because your images are still around. However, do note that there is a $25 reinstatement fee which will go towards the purchase of your photos if you place an order within 10 days of the gallery being reinstated. As with the original gallery, reinstated galleries will only be available for 30 days.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Monday, September 29, 2008
Take Me To the River
Yesterday, David and I (along with our dog) spent the day hiking around a couple of the state parks in our area. We were thrilled to discover Cataract Falls, which neither of us had been to before. Cataract was the site of an old mill and covered bridge. The mill no longer exists, although the foundation of the building is there, along with the space carved in the rock where the mill wheel once turned. The covered bridge, which was built in 1876, still stands and is in fabulous shape!
What is so exciting about going to the site of where a mill once stood? Waterfalls! I love shooting waterfalls because I like to get the opportunity to show motion. There is a LOT of motion at a waterfall and everyone seems to love those shots with water streaming along. But how do you get them? There are two keys to achieving these kinds of shots: exposure time and being motionless.
Exposure Time
Once again, we're going to delve into the manual settings on the camera for this type of shot. You don't need any special lenses for this. Your standard "kit" lens will work great. What you do need is a camera in which you can adjust the exposure. On a Canon camera, this is the Tv mode, where Tv stands for Time Value. The number being shown is actually a fraction of a second, so if you're in Tv mode and it says 500, your shutter will only be open for 1/500ths of a second. Therefore, the larger that Tv number is, the shorter the exposure time will be. Of course, just the opposite is true: the smaller the Tv number, the longer the exposure time. I find that to get shots that show the motion of water over a waterfall (a very fluid look), that setting my Tv to 10 (or 1/10th of a second) will achieve this look. However, you have to be careful about hand-held motion.
Being Motionless
Most of the time when we think we're holding our cameras still, we really aren't. No where is this more noticable than when you slow down the shutter speed. And really, unless you're going for something artsy fartsy, for a waterfall shot, or a river current shot, you really want everything that is stationary in the image to be in crisp focus. So what can you do? I recommend taking a small tripod with you. This is the best way to keep your camera stationary during longer exposure times. They aren't very expensive (especially on eBay) and are a good investment for a photographer. What else can you do? While I do not recommend this, I have been known to use the natural environment as my tripod. In the pix below, I set my camera on the rocks or ground in order to stabilize it. Again, I don't recommend this because if you're not careful, your camera could end up in the river, or getting stepped on, etc. You have been warned!
As with most of my advice on learning about different setting for your camera, the best thing to do is go out and practice. Find a scenic view you like, take 10 pictures of it with different settings on each shot. If you're shooting digital, all of the setting information will be available to you when you look at your photos on the computer. Then, you'll be able to determine which settings you prefer based on your own results.
Finally, here are a few examples from the weekend. They are available as stock photography by clicking here.
The below images were shot at the following settings:
What is so exciting about going to the site of where a mill once stood? Waterfalls! I love shooting waterfalls because I like to get the opportunity to show motion. There is a LOT of motion at a waterfall and everyone seems to love those shots with water streaming along. But how do you get them? There are two keys to achieving these kinds of shots: exposure time and being motionless.
Exposure Time
Once again, we're going to delve into the manual settings on the camera for this type of shot. You don't need any special lenses for this. Your standard "kit" lens will work great. What you do need is a camera in which you can adjust the exposure. On a Canon camera, this is the Tv mode, where Tv stands for Time Value. The number being shown is actually a fraction of a second, so if you're in Tv mode and it says 500, your shutter will only be open for 1/500ths of a second. Therefore, the larger that Tv number is, the shorter the exposure time will be. Of course, just the opposite is true: the smaller the Tv number, the longer the exposure time. I find that to get shots that show the motion of water over a waterfall (a very fluid look), that setting my Tv to 10 (or 1/10th of a second) will achieve this look. However, you have to be careful about hand-held motion.
Being Motionless
Most of the time when we think we're holding our cameras still, we really aren't. No where is this more noticable than when you slow down the shutter speed. And really, unless you're going for something artsy fartsy, for a waterfall shot, or a river current shot, you really want everything that is stationary in the image to be in crisp focus. So what can you do? I recommend taking a small tripod with you. This is the best way to keep your camera stationary during longer exposure times. They aren't very expensive (especially on eBay) and are a good investment for a photographer. What else can you do? While I do not recommend this, I have been known to use the natural environment as my tripod. In the pix below, I set my camera on the rocks or ground in order to stabilize it. Again, I don't recommend this because if you're not careful, your camera could end up in the river, or getting stepped on, etc. You have been warned!
As with most of my advice on learning about different setting for your camera, the best thing to do is go out and practice. Find a scenic view you like, take 10 pictures of it with different settings on each shot. If you're shooting digital, all of the setting information will be available to you when you look at your photos on the computer. Then, you'll be able to determine which settings you prefer based on your own results.
Finally, here are a few examples from the weekend. They are available as stock photography by clicking here.
The below images were shot at the following settings:
Camera: Canon 20D
Aperture: f/22 - Shutter Speed: 1/10 - ISO: 100
Aperture: f/22 - Shutter Speed: 1/10 - ISO: 100
Camera: Canon 20D
Aperture: f/32 - Shutter Speed: 1/10 - ISO: 100
Aperture: f/32 - Shutter Speed: 1/10 - ISO: 100
Sunday, September 28, 2008
ISR Oldenburg
On 9/17, I shot the ISR Oldenburg inspection at Silver Lining Horse Farm in West Middlesex, PA. We couldn't have asked for more beautiful weather. The owner of the farm, Susann Jones, converted the upstairs of her old barn to an art gallery. It has a rustic charm about it that created a wonderful atmosphere. The sculptures and paintings were a really neat addition to the beautiful horses that we saw presented. I'm thrilled to have been there to capture the beauty of it all. Be sure to check out the art gallery in the ISR/Oldenburg inspection proofs for images of the paintings and sculptures.
Monday, September 15, 2008
IAHC ProAm Horse Show
I spent the weekend in Rochester, IN shooting the Indiana Arabian Horse Club's ProAm horse show. It was the first time that I had been to the Fulton County Equestrian Center. It is a very nice 4-H complex with multiple large rings as well as a covered arena. It was a good thing that they had a covered arena because we received quite a bit of rain throughout the weekend. In fact, on Sunday, the remnants of Hurricane Ike blew through town.
The breed shows are always interesting for me. They're very different than the sport horse shows that I'm used to. Although, with the Arabians, they do have sport horse classes, which requires a USEF Sport Horse judge. Other than that, they are judged by an USEF Arabian judge. I've also thought that these "rail" shows (where the horses work on the rail) were so very subjective and if you didn't have the type of horse that the judge liked, you might as well pack it up and go home. I have seeen subjective judging like that at open shows. However, I was pleased to see that the judge this past weekend was really very interested in giving the best horse and rider the blue ribbon.
Pictures are up in the proof gallery, so be sure to take a look: IAHC ProAm Show
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Busy Week Ahead
This coming weekend I'm shooting an Arabian breed show up in Rochester, IN. It is the 29th Annual IAHC Pro/Am Horse Show and is sponsored by the Indiana Arabian Horse Club. I'm excited to be the official photographer for this event. Hopefully, the weather holds out for the show! It is scheduled to be in a large ourdoor arena with a covered arena for backup. Again I'll say it: hopefully the weather holds out for us! Right now, the forecast is calling for highs in the mid-70s (very comfortable), but scattered Thunderstorms. The shows is scheduled for two days: Saturday & Sunday and will probably run all day both days. It is going to be a long weekend. I have all of the folders ready for the online proofs, so the photos should be posted and ready for ordering on Monday 9/15.
My normal support at the show isn't going to be available and so i've recruited a friend to help out. She is a horse lover and it should be an interesting experience for her. I don't know that she knows much about Arabians, so I think she'll enjoy learning about them.
On Tuesday, I leave for Pennsylvania to cover the ISR/Oldenburg Show at Silver Lining Farm in West Sussex, PA. SLF is owned by my friend Susann Jones, whom I met a couple years ago at a GOV inspection in Ohio. She has been trying to get me to come out and shoot pictures of her horses for a couple years now and I think we'll finally have an event where I can justify the fuel to do so. I'm looking forward to spending a few days at her farm.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Advertising
One of the things I've started doing a little more recently is advertising. I just wanted to put in a quick plug for my current ad for all you horse lovers out there. Its in the Sport Horse Marketplace, which is a free mailer that goes out to over 10,000 horse owners and lovers around the central US. It is a fabulous resource if you're looking for a horse (or an equine photographer) and is not to be missed. You can visit them online here: www.SportHorseMarketplace.com
Friday, September 5, 2008
New Look and soon a New Name!
The summer is winding down and I must say that this one was rather fabulous. I have really enjoyed all the shoots I've done so far this year. I've met some wonderful folks and had some really good learning experiences.
If you've been here before, you know that this was a primarily black and white looking website. It was fairly plain and boring. I am thrilled to unveil this new look -- especially as I am about to change my name! That's right, I'm getting married and so Amy Brachthauser Photography will soon become Amy Latka Photography. Different name, but same great service. I think I'll also choose an easier domaing name...something like www.LatkaPhoto.com? We'll have to see what is available. I figured it was easier to get this all done now rather than wait until closer to the wedding date. I'm looking forward to the scheduled shoots I have for this fall as well as in 2009.
Keep in touch and let me know what you think of the new look!
If you've been here before, you know that this was a primarily black and white looking website. It was fairly plain and boring. I am thrilled to unveil this new look -- especially as I am about to change my name! That's right, I'm getting married and so Amy Brachthauser Photography will soon become Amy Latka Photography. Different name, but same great service. I think I'll also choose an easier domaing name...something like www.LatkaPhoto.com? We'll have to see what is available. I figured it was easier to get this all done now rather than wait until closer to the wedding date. I'm looking forward to the scheduled shoots I have for this fall as well as in 2009.
Keep in touch and let me know what you think of the new look!
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