How to Photograph Fireworks

The best part of Independence Day are the fireworks. The whole concept of playing with fire and blowing stuff up intrigues me. As a kid, I made sure to buy as many Black Cats and M-60s just to tie them to my toy soldiers and indians. I would set them up for battle and then light them up one by one. Living in the city, we were limited to certain fireworks going in the air, but bottle rockets were another of my favorite. It wasn't until I caught fire to a grass field next to the highway that I wasn't allowed to buy them anymore.

When photographing fireworks there are four things that you should know. Understanding how to shoot in manual mode, ISO, shutter speed, and aperture will make your photograph stand out. You should use a tripod when photographing. A tripod will keep your camera steady, and a remote to your camera will help you from having to stand behind the camera the entire time.

It's always best to take some test shots to make sure your lighting is correct. If not, this is where shutter speed, aperture, and ISO make a difference. I would suggest starting at ISO 100, aperture at 10 (f.10), and shutter speed an 1/4. From here, you can adjust your aperture and shutter speed.

A few things to look for: if your shutter sheep is too long, say at 1 second, then your fireworks will trail like in the 1st and 2nd picture. 

If your aperture is too high, say at f.29, then your picture may be too dark and you will loose detail like in the 3rd picture. 

You will have to adjust your settings during the first part of the firework show, but after that you should be good. Remember to continue checking your images to make sure lighting is correct, or the way you want it look. During the grand finale, you will have to make more adjustments being that there are more fire works at one time. Therefore your camera will be capturing too much light and your pictures will be over exposed. 

Enjoy and have a safe Independence Day. 

Easter Pictures

Easter is my one of my favorite holidays. The fact that our Savior, Jesus Christ, was resurrected brings promise to everlasting life. I also enjoy the tradition of Easter. The egg hunts, bunnies, cracking confetti eggs on friends are always fun. The air is filled with the smell of smoke from families grilling hamburgers and hotdogs.
Easter is also a time where parents take their kids for pictures. Here are a few images and ideas I captured while photographing this wonderful little girl.

Veronica

Veronica was such a great subject to photograph. A friend of mine was the one who met with her through Model Mayhem and let me in on the shoot. Through the cold wind she held her shivers in and kept her face and pose focused on the camera. 

Terry and Jon's Engagement Photos

It hasn't been long since these love birds said I do. With their requests to capture certain memories from Jonathan's mother's necklace to "Roland feel free to pose us however you want" this couple was fun and willing to try weird poses I suggested. 

Hilda's Maternity

Hilda is the type of person that is filled, to the top, with joy and excitement. If you're happy she'll be happy with you, and if you're sad she'll be sad with you too, but help to lift you up. We are all happy to know that the Hernandez' baby is healthy and growing fast.

iPhoneography

In today's society we have so many devices. There are MP3 players, tracking devices, and handheld game consoles. My personal favorite of all that continues to improve is the iPhone. It lets you talk to people face to face, you can surf the internet, play games, listen to music, make videos and of course, take pictures.

Since the iPhone, there have been many applications to make its camera even better. To name a few: camera+,   snapseed, hipstamatic, there's even a photoshop app. However, someone should see your pictures, if you're going to make a big effort in making them look better, right? Instagram was the number one app of 2011. Instagram is where I enjoy sharing my pictures. It's like twitter except with pictures.

Let me share a little tutorial on iPhoneography. First off remember the rule of thirds. Determine your subject and shoot.

If you were to draw a tic-tac-toe diagram, you would notice that each subject is placed so that it crosses a vertical and horizontal line. It's that simple. Let's get into the wow factor. You want your pictures to pop and that is where those apps can come in handy. Find a free, or a cheap app. If you want to spend some money, that's up to you. The examples I mentioned range from free to $4.99. Here is an example of a before and after picture I took of my wife and our dog.

                                    BEFORE                                                     AFTER     

In this picture I did a very simple edit, but made sure that the colors in it popped. I used camera+ and by adding a bit of clarity, and about 36% of the HDR effect I was able to get the wow shot I was looking for.

Despite the great things it offers, there is only so much you can do with your iPhone. Photojojo.com has some camera lenses that stick magnetically to your iPhone (don't expect to use your flash when using these lenses because it's covered by the lens). The only thing that can hold you back from having great iPhone photos is not taking any. 

The fisheye lens is meant to create a wide panoramic, or hemispherical image. In this photo, I am able to see more of the sky and ground. Without the fisheye lens, I would probably see the building and only some sky. 

This wide-angle lens allows more of the scene to be included in the photo. 

(Wide-angle Lens)

The macro lens is close up photography of small objects.

(Macro Lens)

The great thing about all these applications is that it makes any ordinary photo into an amazing one with just a few quick selections. You can become a pro in no time! Have fun!

Teresa and Adrian

Brides and Spring Weddings

The time is right around the corner. The weather is getting warmer, and the days are getting longer. Birds start singing their love song and ladies begin to flutter their eyelashes while men flash their masculinity.

I'm talking about spring.  And spring is the season for weddings.

If you're a bride, I want to help you get ready for your spring wedding.

You want to start off with a plan, and the best way to do that is with a wedding planner. I'm not talking about a professional wedding planner. I'm talking about a fabricated construction of your own wedding day. This can be bought, or even have your personal notes jotted in a notebook. This will allow you to write down the wedding date, your budget, guest, set up appointments, and much more. You can find a free planner at weddingwire.com

Try to decide on a date quickly. Once the date is resolved, the next thing to figure out is the budget. If you don't set a budget you will easily spend what you never intended to spend. costofwedding.com states the average wedding cost is $26,542!! That's too rich for my blood.

My wife and I had a budget of $10,000. With the help of friends and family we were able to pay it off cash. The greatest thing about having a wedding is not taking the bill to the honeymoon. When paying cash for your wedding, you take the worry of financial dilemma away while you are carried over the threshold by your groom into your new home.

Location would be the next step. Do you want a destination wedding in Hawaii, or something simple in a small chapel? Choosing the location will allow your childhood dreams become a reality. You'll begin to see how flower placement would look, the colors of your bridesmaids dresses, and your father walking you down the aisle.

At this point you have probably decided your colors. You probably decided these as a young girl, or you and your fiance decided them after the engagement. You know the color of bridesmaid dresses, flowers, bouquets, and probably what you would like to see your prince wearing. (My wife allowed me to pick the color for my best men and myself, but she picked the color of my grooms men vests and morning ties.)

Here is where you may want to take into consideration of hiring a professional wedding planner. You can always google wedding planners if you don't already know one. (Facebook is also a good place to look for wedding planners as well.)

A wedding planner will help you organize your wedding. From working with the colors you provide to coaching the wedding party in what to do and when.

Wedding planners also have great sources for photographers, videographers, and disc jockeys. They sometimes have contracts with freelancers and use them frequently, and have a good relationship sharing business references. Photo, video, and disc jockeys are where most couples will spend more of their investment.

Being a photographer made my decision in hiring a photographer a priority. We hired a friend of mine named Enrique Alonzo (enriquealonzo.com) He did a phenomenal job on our wedding pictures and the extras that came in our package were remarkable.  Photographers, videographers, and disk jockeys can all be googled as well, and if you're looking for a photographer, I hear Roland Photography (rolandresendez.com)  does a great job with his clients and makes them feel important and takes much interest in them!

The most important thing to remember: your wedding day is a very special day. It's the one day in your whole life, when you can completely be selfish and get exactly what you want....and get away with it. Congratulations!

Christine's Bridal Portraits.

The day the San Antonio River was dyed green, Christine came downtown to take some bridal portraits. The luck of the Irish must have been with her, because the lighting was absolutely perfect, and she looked beautiful. Even though there were a lot of people there, Christine didn't seem to mind. And she definitely didn't mind the attention that came with it!