The Power of the Tripod

I've been doing a lot of low light shooting these past months, messing around with light trails, sunsets, blue hour, and time lapse.  The most important tool after the camera is a good tripod.  I have recently switched over from the admittedly cheap Manfrotto Compact Action to a 3 Legged Thing Brian.  I have a review of the Brian on my list of upcoming posts.  I'd like to spend a little more time with it before I give my grade.  Anyway, so this isn't about my tripod, it's about tripods in general and how they can revolutionize photography.

Original Here

While most people think of them as a low light tool, they can come in handy during daylight hours.  Lately I've been putting a 10-stop ND filter on my lens when I head out to shoot landscapes during the day.  The nice thing about filters is that they allow me to take a long exposure to smooth out water and clouds (and hide people) no matter how bright the sun is.  Without a filter, these shots can only be done in low light.  So, with my tripod and an ND filter I was able create the shot on the left from one I took at 1:00pm on a bright sunny day.  Pretty nifty.


Tripods are also necessary for HDR (High Dynamic Range) photography.  Many people think that means photos that have blown saturation and a surreal look.  That's a really popular style right now, but it actually means multiple exposures are combined and blended to create a scene where shadows and highlights are brought to a similar level.  I do this a lot, mostly to keep the detail of the sky and foreground evened out, especially for shots taken in the evening where the subject is backlit.   Getting multiple exposures of the same exact shot is impossible without a tripod.  When the shots are blended they have to line up exactly or else there's a lot of noticeable ghosting.  A tripod ensures that the camera doesn't move between shots.  The scene below was created by taking several different exposures, then combining them in post.

Original Here

A tripod is also necessary for night and blue hour photography.  Any camera shake will turn a shot taken in low light from crisp and clean to a blurry abstract creation.  Sometimes that's cool, most of the time it's not.  The shot below is a single exposure of the Louvre Museum courtyard.  In order to keep the lines clear and sharp in the low light of blue hour, I needed my tripod to hold the camera still.  Taking a long exposure in this instance also blurred out the people walking in front of the pyramid, leaving just the stationary group to the left appearing in the final shot.

Original Here

A tripod has to be used for capturing light trails or experimenting with light painting.  Once again, a long exposure is what captures the paths of the light.  The only way to keep the scene sharp, but the light source in motion is to use a tripod.  Lastly, of course, they are required for time lapse videos.  Once again the camera has to be perfectly still for the frames to blend seamlessly in the final composition.

Original Here

Now, of course, a tripod could be bypassed for all of these shots.  As long as the camera isn't moving in any way all of these pictures can be taken without a tripod.  How?  Using some other stationary object.  For example, I could have taken the picture above by setting the camera on the ground.  The one of the bridge in the park could have been taken using a bench or fence post.  But, such stand-ins aren't always available.  There wasn't a bench or fence post in the park where I took that picture and, as you may notice, the ground was pretty muddy.  I wouldn't have wanted to set the camera on the ground to take that shot of the Arc de Triomphe either.  The cars going by mere feet from me caused a lot of vibration on the cobbles.  My tripod absorbed that vibration.  So, while something may do in a pinch, a tripod is a necessary piece of equipment.

But, there's one more reason to lug one around with you.  It gives you respect.  Seriously.  When you whip out a tripod in front of the Eiffel tower at sunrise, all those other tourists step back a little (even more so if you unfurl that thing with panache).  You're not holding up your tablet or phone, man, you have a tripod.  You mean business.  People get out of your way.  They defer to your superior skills.  They stare in awe a little.  Sure, some may giggle and call you a dork under their breathe, but that's just jealously talking.  You're getting the shot.  They're getting a noisy mess.  If there's anyone else shooting with a tripod, they become a kindred spirit.  At the very least you'll get a nod of acknowledgement, but most of the time you'll strike up a conversation.  It's like meeting another cyclist of the same variety (MTB, road, etc) on a ride.  You're in a club now and the tripod is your badge.  Lately, I've noticed another bizarre effect.  Random people on the street see us, tripod over one of our shoulders, and apparently think that we must know all sorts of things.

"Why, yes, I do know where the train station is, obviously. "

"Yes, the museum is currently closed."

"Um, no, I actually have no idea where Dr. Junker's office is.  Shall I Google that for you?"

Well, a tripod can't solve everything.  But, when it comes to photography, it can solve a lot.  Many shots are impossible without a tripod; it doesn't matter how expensive your camera is, how big its sensor is, how many megapixels it has, or what brand it is. Tripods open a lot of creative doors.  Their power may very well blow your mind.

Shooting the Soulless City

Last weekend we prepared for the inevitable frustrating experience that is going to Frankfurt.  We don't go to Europe's financial capital very often.  To be very frank, we don't like it.  But, occasionally we have to go, to catch a train (the station is very nice), eat at Chipotle, see a movie in English, go to a social gathering, or to visit a museum.  We've visited the museums we want to see.  Social gatherings in the city are just a few times a year.  Very few movies are worth going to the theater (any theater) for anymore.  We've gotten to the point we can go through life without Chipotle.  So, really we only go into Frankfurt to get a train.

There are a number of reasons why we don't like Frankfurt.  The biggest reason is that it is a pain to navigate.  We don't have a local train in our town so we either have to take the bus to Aschaffenburg then a train from there, ride our bikes across the river and catch a train in the opposite town, or drive.  A train journey can take anywhere from 1-2hrs.  It takes 20 minutes to get to Frankfurt by car.  So, we always drive.  But, the nightmare begins after one has arrived in Frankfurt.  There is no parking.  Anywhere.  Between the enormous construction projects near the financial and historic districts the majority of the central parking decks are closed.  We spent an hour and a half last Saturday trying to find a place to park.  It was either risk the deck near the red light district where crime is at its worst or park outside the center and hoof it several blocks.  We opted for the second option, vowing we wouldn't bother with the center again unless there was a really valid reason to come back.  Thankfully, Chipotle is outside the center.

Another reason we don't care for Frankfurt is that it really doesn't have any attraction.  It was bombed to smithereens during the war.  The "historic" district is only about one square and is completely reconstructed.  It is filled with poor quality tourist restaurants and junk shops.  The cathedral and area around it are one giant construction mess.  Outside of this area, it's just a city composed of ugly cement buildings hastily thrown up in the postwar years.  The one attraction is the skyline, but it looks best at night from the opposite bank of the Main or from one of the bridges.

Lastly, the center on a good day is, well, edgy.  On a bad day like today, it gets downright unstable.  As I write this post, this is going on.

www.rt.com

I wish I could say that this protest is a rare occurrence, but sadly this sort of thing is becoming more and more common, as it is around the world.  Every time we've been in Frankfurt center there has been some sort of demonstration.  Thankfully, nothing ever escalated to this level.  But, there was always the feeling that it could at any moment.  The center gives off a vibe that makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up.

So, why the heck did we go last weekend?  Fotographie Forum Frankfurt is currently hosting an exhibition on the history of Leica Cameras called "Eyes Wide Open!  100 Years of Leica Photography."  I don't shoot with a Leica, obviously, but I'm fascinated by early photo journalism, documentary, and street photography.  The shot above from RT's website is made possible by the development of compact cameras like Leica.  I've become even more interested in these styles since learning that they are coming under threat and possible extinction in Europe thanks to over reaching privacy laws.  Candid shots of modern everyday life cannot be legally exhibited or even taken in some countries.  While future generations will have shots from newsworthy events like the one above, there's more than a strong chance that a normal scene on this same street may not be allowed to be taken let alone viewed by the public.  We will lose a sense of real life in the world of the early 21st century if these laws aren't reigned in.  The only visual heritage will be selfies and news photos.  That's a pretty sobering thought.  The exhibit at FFF not only talked about the history and development of the Leica Camera, but also how it revolutionized photography and gave us the images that defined the last century.  Seeing this excellent exhibit seemed worth the hassle of Frankfurt center.  It definitely was.  If you are anywhere near Frankfurt before the end of May and have an interest in photography in general, I recommend popping in.

Of course, if we were going to go through all the hassle of driving and parking, dodging the occasional antagonistic protestor (I think they were upset about something else on Saturday), and navigating through the Saturday shopping chaos all for a couple hours at a photo exhibit, we might as well stay longer and do some photography of our own.  I'd shot the skyline and Main bridges last year.  I wanted to get into the center this time and see what we could come up with when night fell and those big glass buildings were lit.  During the afternoon while we were trying to locate some good scenic shots, I snapped some street scenes, well aware of the ever present police and private security guards.  Frankfurt, like any city, is great for street photography, but keep an eye out for the guards and cops who may not permit you to photograph certain areas, let alone them.  But, when the sun went down, just like everything else in Frankfurt, shooting scenic photography turned out to be a frustrating task.  Part of it was the weather, drizzle and low clouds.  Blue hour never really happened, it just went from grey to black.  Another problem was the construction, which made composing a shot without a garish crane or glaring spotlight almost impossible.  Sometimes I could see where I wanted to be, but I couldn't get there because the sidewalk or the road was closed.  It was like one of those dreams when you're trying to get somewhere but just can't.  Anyway, it wasn't the most successful excursion.  But, I was pleased with this shot.

It was raining (and I forgot the umbrella) so I was having trouble getting the long exposure before raindrops covered the lens.  The street lamps are incredibly bright, which is good for pedestrians, but not so great for photographers.  It took a lot of finagling in a rather precarious location.  But, I was satisfied with the light trails in contrast with the stationary people on the opposite corner.  I spent a little more in post than usual editing out the water drops.  I also changed the color temperature quite a bit from the harsh yellow caused by the street lights to a cooler tone.  Most cities are yellow at night, but to me some, like Frankfurt, have a cold, soulless feel that call for a cooler palette.

We also had some fun creating our own light trails when counting on others didn't work out.  We spent most of the time near the Alte Oper building for that and the result is now up on the website.  I decided to shoot this one in mono because of the intense, sickly yellow look of the light on the building.  It was probably my most satisfactory result of the evening and shout out to my husband for creating those wonderful trails for me.

Would I shoot in Frankfurt again?  Perhaps, but right now I'm not feeling positive about the place.  While we spent hours trying to maneuver through closed off streets or avoiding the seedy night crowds, there were only a couple shots I felt good about.  Combine that with the hassle of getting there and the tension, not to mention the frustration of finding a decent place to spontaneously grab dinner, and I won't be rushing back anytime soon.  While we've had some pleasant evenings in the Sachsenhausen and University neighborhoods, I can't say the center has a lot going for it.  It is a frustration for scenic photography.  For going out, it's not worth the trouble.

But, if you are stuck there on a long lay over, do check out the Leica exhibit.

Captured Glimpses: The Blog

Hi!

Welcome to my photo blog.  This little spot of the internet is where I'll be tossing up some more information on the stories behind the photos on the website, the occasional gear review, and exhibiting a few extra images.  Here are a few explanations/introductions/whatnot before I get started.  My friends on Twitter know the story, but I thought a little review may be helpful for those who are new.

My husband and I are from Akron, Ohio, U.S.A, the Rubber City.  We both went to the University of Akron which is where we met.  My degree is in Cultural Anthropology & Archaeology and he is a Doctor of Polymer Engineering.  When we graduated I worked in archaeology doing the odd contract or consulting job for a while before taking on a position with the local historical society.  My husband was hired as an engineer for a global corporation (The Company).  We bought a house in one of Akron's old neighborhoods.  I biked to work and discovered a passion for cycling.  Life was good.  Then, out of the blue, The Company said, "Hey, would you guys be up for relocating to Luxembourg for a few years?"  After about 30 minutes of discussion we said, "Sure, what the heck! Let's do it."  Chances like that don't come along everyday.  So, we sold the house a year after we bought it, The Company packed all our stuff into a shipping container, we hopped on a plane with our dog and two cats, and moved to Ettelbruck, Luxembourg.  We lived there for exactly two years, had some adventures and met some fabulous people.  Then, The Company said, "Hey, how about you move over to Germany now."  Once again, we acquiesced.  Today, we're in Bavaria, Unterfranken to be a little more specific.  Now, life is crazy and unpredictable, but still good.  That's the story.

Cycling and photography quickly became the ways I divided my time since we moved (cuz, you can't just take up archaeology anywhere).  As time passed, my answer changed from just "riding my bike" to "taking pictures" when someone asked what I did.  I started selling some photographs through the Twenty20 service.  I had some mild success.  It encouraged me to learn more, keep pushing to try new things.  As time passed, I stopped thinking of myself as an archaeologist or historian.  I hadn't researched a bottle fragment or excavated in years.  I started thinking of myself as a photographer.  When I wasn't riding my bike, it was how I spent my time.

Twenty20 suddenly stopped producing physical products in February, forcing me to find a new platform.  It was time to take a leap .  So, I've opened a brand new shop through Smug Mug under the name of Captured Glimpses.  It is stocked with scenic and travel shots which can be purchased as prints, wall art, or as photo gifts.  The quality of the products is several steps above Twenty20's and the service is top notch for customers and photographers.  I'm really looking forward to working through them.  I feel like we're only scratching the surface, catching glimpses, so to speak, when we visit a place.  We'd need the rest of our lives and endless vacation time to fully explore this beautiful and diverse continent.  We don't know how long we'll be staying here.  It won't be forever nor will The Company see the light and give my husband more vacation time.  So, I use my photography to capture those glimpses.  That's where the name comes from.  It's nice that it works well with the CG initials too.

I'm not in this for money or notoriety or whatever.  I take photographs because I love taking photographs.  I love looking at light, shapes, and the air differently.  The world changes so quickly, so the historian that is still in me is thrilled to lock a moment or place in time.  It is not only the artistic aspect that captivates me, but the documentary side of photography as well.  I love trying something new and getting a good result, or not and learning from it.  I find myself shooting mornings and evenings on the weekends, planning our travel activities around the good light, obsessing about the weather, spending the week editing, sorting, printing, planning, reading, and researching- you know, treating it like a job.  The process is what I enjoy.  If someone happens to fancy one of my images enough to bring it into their home or office, that's a bonus.

This is the companion blog to the website, and as always I'm on Twitter and Instagram.  The links are on the right.  Thanks for joining me on this next journey!