I hit the beach early to see if I could get in a few frames on this potentially stormy day. Shooting directly into the sun was too contrasty to capture all the values in one shot so I did a little HDR.

Canon 50D
10-22mm Lens
f22
Normal exposure, +_ 2 EVA

Sunrise Under the Pier


Sunrise @ Dania Beach

Diagonals, Leading Lines Triangles and Circles (Ovals) are all other types of compositional elements frequently use by artists and photographers, though seldom discussed by photographers because some of them are more difficult to use.

Lightroom is by far the easiest and fastest program I've used. The learning curve is short and the work flow is fast. The results are superb. I've used Picasa, Photoshop Elements, Corel Paint Shop, Photo Shop CS2 thru 5 and at least half a dozen more that I don't remember at the moment. A major plus is that Light Room is by Adobe so it can port to Photo Shop when you need the masterwork of photo editing. (PS is the only software that really does it all.) Another plus is that, since it is Adobe, there is a ton of Light Room how-to information available. Enjoy!

No humming birds around here, but for similar situations I use a procedure similar to KG's. First, I select the highest shutter speed I can flash-synch at and choose a low ISO. The purpose here is to kill the ambient light so the exposure is totally reliant on flash. A slow shutter speed defeats the purpose of the flash. Second, I set the flash unit(s) as close as I reasonably can to the subject area. Third, if the flash is a dedicated TTL unit like your 580, I set it to Manual Mode; and adjust flash power to the lowest output, which yields the shortest exposure time. Now I set the lens aperture for about f8-f11 for max sharpness. Finally, I shoot test shots and adjust my flash-subject distance or ISO as required to get a good exposure. Try not to mess with the other settings or you lengthen the exposure time or loose sharpness. Now wait for the birdie!

It might seem to be a drawn out affair, but do it once or twice and you can set up in a couple minutes. Needless to say, off-camera flash works best. This will work well with any flash.

Jim, What color is your hair?

You might define it as vibrancy, saturation and contrast combined to make the color(s) stand out.

Nice shots! Might also be a good subject for HDR to bring out a little more of the horizon and foreground and add dimension and relation to the sun.

The trouble with most of the suggestions is the cameras use rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, a great choice most of the time, but not for leaving in your car. These will discharge themselves in a week or so and you may not be able to use the camera when you need it. Think about one of the choices that use standard AA batteries. They have a shelf life of years...ever-ready when you need "em. Look at Canon SX-130 or Nikon L-120, for example.

#3 is your Ansel Adams shot. Good composition, sharp focus and a full range of values from black to white. Nicely done.

Don"t go out and buy a new lens just because someone recommends it. You can take beautiful portraits with the one you have. Just pay attention to lighting and work relatively close to your subject (This will tend to throw the background out of focus). Try shooting head and shooulder shots at a focal length near 60mm. Vary the f stop to control depth of field until you find a setting that looks good to you; then use that as your basic setting (Av) and set the camera figure out the rest. After you've exhausted your options with this basic lens, analyse your photos to see what you think they lack...maybe you'll want to invest in another lens...maybe not. Great glass enables you, but great glass and great cameras don't take great pix. Great pix happen between your ears. Work on that first.

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