Rest assured this is only temporary. When we are finished, Vivid Visions Photo and Vivid Visions Pix will be better than ever!

Unfortunately, the baymen, who also must make a living I grant you, use this time to patrol the beaches and just fill their buckets with them. No, horseshoe crabs are not a delicacy in some far off nation’s cuisine. Instead, they are bait for a delicacy here on eastern Long Island-eels. It is the eggs of the horseshoe crabs that are most appealing, so the baymen gather up what they can. During spawning, it is like shooting ducks in a barrel.

So while it was heartbreaking to see the buckets full, it was wonderful to see the hundred or so crabs furiously working to continue the species. See the collage board below.

But first, let me also share with you the other life’s goal I accomplished this week-a ride in a helicopter. When I tell you that I have been trying to accomplish this since I was a teen, I am not exaggerating. But, for one reason or another-weather, timing, cost-I just never made it off the ground. Well this time around, my photographic skills were needed to assist in the Southold Relay for Life, by way of an aerial photo of the event. So, just before sunset, I climbed aboard a crop duster type chopper, strapped myself in, and got ready to shoot. It was one of the best 10 minutes I have ever been airborne! I have also included a collage board of some of that, too.

As a photographer I can appreciate Uncle Bob’s perspective. Photographers are artists, and each one has a different creative vision. It is only natural to want to capture a special event like a wedding with your own style and vision. And perhaps Uncle Bob will have a perspective or vantage point to capture some great images.

Quite frankly, I welcome the participation of photographer guests at the weddings we cover at Vivid Visions Photo-Graphics. They are more familiar with the unique personalities and relationships among the guests, and will often recognize a once in a lifetime photo opportunity that the hired pro may miss. If they can capture such a moment in a photograph, I hope they will, and that they will share it with bridal couple.

However, I do hope, and if necessary will ask, the Uncle Bob of the day to respect my role as a fellow photographer, and more importantly, the hired pro, so I can do the job the bride and groom are expecting of me and my staff. We do our best to not interfere with the activities, but rather record them, and we ask Uncle Bob not to interfere with our work by jumping front of us to grab a shot or distracting the subjects while we are trying to work through the formal portrait session.

In the end, after all, we are all after the same thing-capturing images that reflect the emotion, style and beauty of this once in a lifetime event. If the hired pro and the photog guest worked together, the results can be wonderful.

Brides and grooms, do you have an Uncle Bob coming to your wedding? Tell us how you will prepare your hired photographer for him.

Beeb taught me how to be a bird-watcher. He showed me how to make our yard an environment that is welcoming to birds and wild life, and he taught me to enjoy the seashore without damaging the fragile eco-system it supports.

As an adult I can fully appreciate what I learned at Beeb’s knee, and I now understand how he marveled at the simple beauty of our natural world. From the sparrows at the feeder to the bluefish on the end of his fishing pole to the deer grazing in our flower garden, Beeb understood how they all had a role to play in this terrarium we know as planet Earth. To him, the opportunity to observe, and sometimes participate in, the activities of the wildlife surrounding us was a gift from God. A gift, he would remind us, that we must cherish so it will be here for the next generations to enjoy.

Taking care of a special gift is not a once a year endeavor. It is an everyday task, privilege even, to make sure that our human activities do not unnecessarily harm our natural resources. At Vivid Visions Photo-Graphics we take this privilege seriously, and are pleased to be certified as Premier level members of Greener Photography.

As a Greener Photography member, we seek every opportunity to conserve our natural resources while we undertake the just as important business of preserving our clients’ special memories. And you know what? It’s easy and it feels good.

I hope you, dear reader, will take a few moments today to think about how you can leave the world a better place. Then tomorrow, next week, next month, next year, please do just one thing to lessen your impact on this planet. Celebrate Earth Day every day.

Beeb would be so grateful.

I’ve said it before, and I’m sure I’ll say it many more times. The one wedding expense you should not cheap out on is your photographer. And now a survey by online photo lab Shutterfly has the results to prove my point:

“ Should’ve spent less on the dress; more on the memories. Of survey respondents married within 12 months prior to the survey, 28 percent felt they didn’t spend enough money on the honeymoon; 22 percent felt the same about the photographer. 19 percent of the same sample reported spending too much on the bridal gown and food.”

Your wedding day is one that you have carefully planned, with every detail carefully considered. Perhaps it is even the day you have dreamed of since you were old enough to dream. Why would you put the job of capturing those memories into the hands of an inexperienced amateur? Would you go to a butcher to have a cavity filled? Or to a seamstress for heart surgery?

With the dawn of digital photography, everyone who can afford an SLR thinks that wedding photography is an easy way to make some extra cash, but I assure you, of all the photography specialties, capturing weddings on film is one of the most difficult to master. We are capturing a once in a lifetime event while keeping track of exposure, depth of field, and a myriad of other factors. Our photos must come out right the first time, because with weddings, there are no “do-overs” (we hope!)

So maybe your Uncle Bob has a beautiful Nikon kit, and he has many gorgeous images of his vacation in Tuscany hanging on his wall, but those are not wedding photos. As the saying goes walk a mile in the wedding photographer’s shoes before you take on this very important task. It is a big job, and entails quite a bit more than it seems.

When you have spent the better part of a year or more planning everything from the color scheme to the flowers to the menu and seating arrangement, you want to make sure the images captured that day preserve the details and evoke the emotion of this day of days.

Skip the sushi bar and hire an experienced photographer. You won’t regret it.

Since wedding photography provides the physical, visual record of the day, it is a great way to preserve the traditions that your families have developed. However, it is important for the photographer to know that something has a special meaning, so it can be captured on film. One family I worked with took special care to tell me about how the wedding album in each generation had finished with a photo of the matchbook, with the bride’s and groom’s first names followed by “a perfect match!”  Of course once we knew about it, we made sure we captured the matchbooks in a couple of different set-ups so the new couple’s album would finish with that too.

Does your family have special traditions? Share them here with us, but also remember to tell your photographer!

In fact we at Vivid Visions Photo think it’s great thing.  This isn’t a debate about global warming, but reminder that conservation of our resources, environmental and financial are the smart and right thing to do. As a photographer, I want to see the beautiful vistas of seascapes, landscapes and wildlife remain as the backdrop for my photos. And conserving our natural resources is the way to do it.

There is a TV personality who likes to say “Just One Thing” when referring to the difference we can make as we figure out how to minimize the negative impacts of human activity on our natural environment.

Vivid Visions, we have done a few things, such as using recycled content materials for our products and supplies, and recycling our used materials. In fact, we have positioned ourselves as leaders in this effort to green the way we conduct business, and we are very proud to be certified members of Greener Photography, and the Green Bride Guide. For details, look for the badges in our sidebar.

So as you plan your wedding or your next family portrait sitting, I hope you will consider taking a walk on the greener side with us.  You’ll see how easy it is to be green.

And what are those settings? So glad you asked:

• ISO at 400
• If possible, don’t use “auto, “ use “P” if available.
• Set White Balance (WB) to auto or AWB
• Set image quality, sometime referred to as resolution, to the highest, or best, setting available.

If this list is Greek to you, or you would like to learn more about digital photography, The Cameras, Computers and Cyberspace courses still have some openings for private and and (small) group lessons.  In January and February 2010, we are offering a 2 for 1 special—bring a friend and pay the single student price.

Call or email now to reserve your preferred time before the prime dates are filled! Just click the contact link in the menu bar.

As a professional photographer, I know that a photograph that takes the viewer back in time will evoke the emotions of the day it was captured, and allow for hopefully a pleasant stroll down memory lane.  But as I recently was reviewing my own archive of images, I was taken by surprise at just how much of an impact such photos can have. And it reinforced for me just how important it is to preserve in photographs not only the milestones in life, but the little things that make up the fabric of that life too.

I’d like to share some snapshots of scenes that make up the fabric of our life here at the Viv Pix home. Our favorite images are of our dear pets. Some have gone to wait for us at the Rainbow Bridge, and others are now senior citizens who don’t have the strength to frolic like they used to. But these shots certainly make me smile as they take me back to a time when they did.

Little Spook up a tree–she loved to climb anything–trees, ladders–often ending up on the roof calling for rescue.

And Hogan, still a swimmer, will go anywhere to retrieve a stick, especially if he has to swim for it.  In his prime, he would leave quite a wake!

And as badly a Boris wanted to steal the stick from Hogan, the last thing he wanted to do was actually swim! Wading was ok, but absolutely no swimming!  That’s why we gave him the nickname “Coast Guard.”

I’d like to emphasize that although these are not the best for captures for many technical reasons, they are among my favorites. Yes there is a time to call upon the pros to capture images of life’s milestones, no matter how humble, and you will be very glad you hired a photographer for those moments.  But don’t allow yourself to miss these little moments so fleeting, but as time goes by, so precious too.

This year, the best gift I have received is the blanket of snow that Mother Nature tossed on eastern Long Island.  We don’t often have a white Christmas, so I have not had many opportunities to capture the beautiful Christmas lights and decorated homes with a snowy landscape as the backdrop. There is just something magical about a Christmas tree in a village green that has a fresh covering of fluffy snow.  I long for the chance to capture snow-covered holiday images, and this season I had that chance in spades.

I’ve posted a few of my favorites below.  I hope they help bring the Christmas spirit to you.  Merry Christmas!

Christmas Tree at Cutchogue Village Green

Manger and Menorah –Cutchogue Village Green

Decorated Home-Southold

The cutest front porch guard

What’s the answer?  Well first let’s talk about why the lights on the tree are lost in the photo.  Quite simply, the on camera flash is responding to the need for light to properly expose the shot.  Properly expose according to the settings in the camera, that is.  The camera is set to give the scene lots of light. It doesn’t know that you actually WANT to have a moody, soft glow to capture the pretty lights on the tree.  So we have to trick it. 

Depending on the features your camera has, you can simply turn the flash off and expose for the lights on the tree, or you can use the night portrait feature.  But bear in mind that this low light setting may also require a slow shutter speed, so be prepared to put the camera on a tripod or steady surface and activate the shutter remotely or with the self-timer setting.

So, this year, your holiday photos will actually show off the beautiful lighting you worked so hard to display.

Happy Holidays!

Regardless of what cool features your chosen model has, they will mean nothing if they don’t produce good images.

Here are a  few tips to keep in mind as you shop for the camera that will be the best value.

1. When it comes to megapixels, more is not necessarily better. In the early days of digital photography, improved resolution was essential to producing images that would print well at larger formats such as 11×14 or 16×20. But that additional resolution, measured in megapixels, also can impair the quality of low-light images by producing digital noise—those ugly red, green and blue speckles that you usually will find in the darker areas of the image. Plus, the higher megapixel count fills the memory card faster. Models in the 5 to 8 megapixel range will provide more than enough resolution to produce good quality enlargements, so go for the lower count, even if you can’t find anything as low as 8 MP.
2. Optical zoom is the only zoom that matters. Forget the digital zoom.  You know the big sticker on the box that reads 3x optical zoom, 10X DIGITAL ZOOM? Well that digital zoom is really just the camera’s best guest at what a close-up should be, based on the information it receives from the 3x OPTICAL zoom.  You may get lucky once in a while, but most of the time, the digital zoom range will produce pixelated, soft images that won’t be worth the paper it’s printed on when you enlarge it.
3. Choose a model with an Optical Viewfinder. In the race to produce thinner, smaller cameras with larger LCD screens, one of the unfortunate casualties is the optical viewfinder.  That large LCD screen is great for reviewing your captured shots, but when you must rely on it to compose a shot in bright sunlight, you’ll be guessing at best. Do you want to leave that once in a lifetime shot to a best guess in an LCD viewfinder you can’t see? Optical viewfinders are increasingly more difficult to find, especially on the smaller, less expensive models. If you find a model with one, seriously consider buying it, no matter when the other features, becausewhen all is said and done, it is about getting the shot.
4. Look for manual override options. It is quite possible that you may never want or need to switch away from the automatic mode, but at the very least you want to be able to disable the flash for those situations when flash is not permitted.  Also, if you find this camera ignites the shutterbug in you, then the ability to take control of the settings will allow you to express your creative side as you learn and grow as a photographer.
5. Buy a spare battery and memory card. When you finally find the right camera, you don’t want to be stopped dead in your tracks by a dead battery or a full memory card just as the good stuff starts happening. So, spring for an extra battery, rechargeable of course, and a memory card, and keep them ready to use.

It’s easy to be confused and overwhelmed when you start your search for a digital camera, so try to keep in mind that ultimate goal for your camera is to capture images that will preserve your memories. Don’t let the gimmicks trick you into choosing a model that will leave you wanting more in the end.

Happy shopping!!

Once we removed the wall that divided that wonderful, vibrant city, and the world for that matter, it was marvelous to see everyone come together in the name of peace, freedom and democracy. I met a friendly Iranian there, too, and I found that the  interaction between us of two people whose governments have a very uneasy truce, personified what the absence of the wall represented.

Well done Berlin!

Photos at this link: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/11/08/berlin-wall-photos-a-look_n_350263.html

We’ll be doing things a bit different next year, with the biggest change that the classes will be held at the Recreation Center instead of the Southold High School.  We have been grateful for the use of the High School’s computer room, but as the course has evolved to meet the needs of the students, it has become less than ideal.

The first four week session will cover the real basics—downloading images to the computer, organizing and tagging image files, and sharing to social networking sites or online galleries. We’ll use Picasa, the free program offered by Google. The second four week session will cover the basics of the digital darkroom using Photoshop Elements and Picasa to perform basic editing and retouching.

Classes fill up very quickly, so mark your calendars and keep an eye out for the Southold Recreation Dept. brochure.

Hope to see you next year!

Here on Eastern Long Island, a local pumpkin farmer has made a tradition of carving some jack o’lanterns out of the left over squashes, and displaying them for the revelers to enjoy as they pass by. It has always looked to me like a Halloween party for the ghosts and goblins.

To capture night images, a photographer must do three things:

1. Find a tripod or other method of keeping the camera steady, besides holding it in your hands (shutter speed will be too slow for hand held images-even you folks with image stabilization)

2. TURN OFF THE AUTOMATIC FLASH

3. Set your shutter speed to around 1/8 or 1/4 second. Or if your camera will not allow you to set the shutter manually, use the night mode—just make sure the flash is disabled.

Here’s Krupski’s Pumpking Farm 2009 Halloween: