Pretty & Pink

No long story behind this picture, just a pretty girl holding a beautiful flower. My daughter Kaitlynn agreed to be my assistant so I could photograph my wife’s Pink Orchid – the very one that just keeps blooming and blooming. She got all dressed up in her favorite dress for the occasion.

Putting the Geese before the Horse

 

Has this ever happened to you: You’re fixing yourself a bowl of cereal, and without thinking, you put the milk back where the cereal came from…and the cereal? Yup, in the refrigerator it goes. It happens sometimes when I’ve got the flu and my head is all stuffed up.

For me, the normal way I blog works like this…first – I come up with a subject to blog about…then, conceptualize it…then shoot it…and only then…blog it.

Todays picture has me working the blogging process backwards, and I don’t even have the sniffles.

Last night I was at a friends house enjoying a bonfire and delicious BBQ (shout out to Shawn and Sonja…thank you!!!). Turns out, they had a horse…a beautiful horse…in a field…a field that, when the Sun sets, will be illuminated with beautiful early evening light. You know the kind…twilight; perfect for horse pictures.

So I ask the young lady who owns the horse if perhaps I could photograph him and her together; she agrees. I had waited until just before Sunset, and as if on queue, the western sky started to glow with pinks, oranges, deep reds, simply breathtaking late evening light. By now I’m starting to shake with excitement because I’ve been wanting to photograph a scene like this for years.

While setting up for the shot of Caitlyn riding the horse bareback across the field, my ears pick up a familiar sound; the squawking of Canada Geese flying overhead. I spin around and see the familiar ‘V’ formation of at least a dozen or so geese approaching from the north. Since there’s no reason to expect getting any details in the birds themselves, it made more sense to expose for the sunset instead, which of course causes the birds to became silhouettes against a beautiful sky. I find the perfect settings, wait for the shot then take it. Perfect!

By now Caitlyn and her horse were ready for the shot, in fact so ready that I could already feel the rumble of the ground behind me as the horse started it’s run. Furiously resetting my camera settings, I aim, focus and fire off 10 frames in under two seconds…just long enough to capture 3 good frames.

Sometimes doing things in reverse works out for the best. and sometimes they don’t, like the time I was sick and I tried putting the cat in the refrigerator and the my cereal in the kitty bowl. Hey, now there’s something to conceptualize!

Kevin Kratka

Let’s Talk High Tech

 

We live in a Facebook world. Need an answer to a question? Google it. News seems to travel faster than it can develop, and what used to take days or weeks now takes mere seconds…or less. Reporters in the field needed to find a phone in order to get their reports to their employers, now they just tweet it.

During the Vietnam conflict, war photographers would send thousands of canisters of film back to the states for development and publication. Now they whip out the satellite phone and upload them from middle of nowhere.

Our high tech world comes at a price though; the lack of human touch. Our cell phone and our laptops allow us to talk with all of our closest friends without ever having to see them. Instant movies on our TVs means no more trips to the video rental store. The internet and a credit card is all that is needed to order up anything from groceries to replacement parts for our cars. Even the UPS guy seems like a phantom when a box bearing our name shows up from Amazon. When was he even here?

In our high tech world, there are pros and cons. As with anything, balance is needed. The photo in this post is my latest stock image, created specifically to promote a high tech world. From concept to shooting to marketing…there was no human contact needed. I suppose I’m doing my part to fuel our high tech world.

Even rainy days provide “Kodak Moments”

If your old enough to remember what a ‘Kodak Moment’ is, then you know that they are moments when you wish you had your camera with you…but don’t!

So where is it, huh? What!? You left it…home? Because of a little rain?

Never let the rain stop you from taking your camera with you. Many camera manufactures make rain gear specifically for your camera and can provide a great deal of protection from the elements, some even let you go swimming and even diving with your camera!

On the other hand,  even if you own these cool accessories, you may not always have them when the rain starts. Plus…they can be a little pricey, sometimes exceeding the price you paid for your camera in the first place! So what’s a soggy photographer to do? Improvise of course!

The last thing you want is to get your camera wet –digital or otherwise. One trick I’ve come up with is to take a large freezer bag, gently create a small slit in the plastic just big enough for your lens to fit thru. Before trying it on your camera, reinforce that slit with some duck tape to prevent it from getting any bigger!

Next, place your camera in the bag with the lens poking out through the slit. Now, gently cover over any exposed areas with copious amounts of either more duck tape or perhaps electrical tape (because of it’s stretchy qualities). The idea here is that if any water or spray gets anywhere…it gets on the very very front of the lens only. I keep a chamois in my back pocket and gently wipe my lens clean when this happens. Cool…your lens is cleaner now then when you started!!!

Depending on your camera type, you may have to fiddle with your camera settings since some  camera lenses might move in and out during focus and/or when the camera is powered on and off. Check your settings to see if you can disable or otherwise manage these settings.

Finally your ready to take some pictures. With the back of the freezer bag open, it’s easy to slide your hands inside and make adjustments to settings, viewer screen, etc. and best of all…you can still take perfect pictures without the fear of the elements. In fact, you can even darken the bag with additional tape as this makes it easier to see your pictures on your cameras screen!

Of course, commonsense prevails. This little trick is not for heavy downpours or for standing out in the pounding waves trying to get a shot of the surfers. But for those occasional drizzly days of summer where you want to photograph the beads of water on a blooming tulip, it’s perfect.

There you go…weather gear for you camera on a budget. The next time the weatherman is calling for rain, consider this little trick and see what kind of images you can create, and never kick yourself again for missing that perfect ‘Kodak Moment’.

Kevin Kratka

The day goes pop.

 

If you’re a parent, then you know the joys that come from watching your children grow up. As a parent of three children, I’ve had the privilege of watching my babies grow and grow and…grow. My youngest is now 7 and as much as I plead with him, he , like his siblings before him, refuses to slow down his growth spurts. Every couple of months, *pop!* new clothes, or  *pop!* a new personality trait emerges, most of the time for the best.

I present to you, muscle man, aka, Fireman Robbie.

This young man goes nowhere without his ‘fire gear’. Shopping, the park, grandma & grandpas house…Ok, I draw the line at bringing his gear into the Kingdom Hall.

Today he brings me outside to photograph him in his fire gear. It doesn’t take much convincing to get daddy to pick up his camera. 

Within minutes, out comes the lights, the soft box, extension cords, sandbags, uh….am I going over board here? Hey, these are my kids we’re talking about! Now where are those wireless strobe triggers…

However today will turn out to be one those days…one of ‘pops’, Today Robbie pulls a fast one; in the blink of an eye, he goes from fireman to just Robbie.

As I am prepping my camera for the picture I have in mind, testing the lights, taking some test shots…I slowly become aware that my 7 year old is taking off all his ‘fire gear’. He’s suddenly not interested, in fact, he’s walking away from the whole thing. Walking away…my picture was walking away!

‘Hey buddy…where ya heading?’ I ask, ‘I don’t want my fire gear on, I’ve changed my mind’ Robbie says, his voice trailing off as he drops his helmet onto the green grass at his feet.

“Oh no you don’t young man. Daddy didn’t pull out all this gear for nothing!” I think to myself

“Hey there, show me those fireman muscles before you walk away” I quip

Right away a he flexes for me, poses for a second, then walks away. I didn’t quite catch the smile, but I captured the pose.

“Ok daddy, no more pictures” Robbie says, his back already turned towards me, ‘you’re embarrassing me’.

For Robbie, it was just another day with daddy and his camera, but for me, I watched my son take the next step, one of many ‘pops’ yet to come, on his way to becoming more than just my little boy.

Kevin Kratka

Name that bug, win cool stuff!

 

WE HAVE A WINNER! Thank you everyone for your participation. Let’s do this again real soon!

 

Answer: Firefly Larvae

 

Spring is here! And while 55 degrees in the middle of the day – in the second week of May – may not seem like Spring, trust me, it’s here. Just ask the Black Flies.

So in honor of all the bugs who wake up and come out to play this Spring, I have decided to do a giveaway! All you have to do to win is:  IDENTIFY THAT BUG!

What to do:

The first person to email me the correct answer (just the common name will do), Wins!

The Prize:

The winner receives:

• Set of 5 hand made, photo greeting cards from the Kratka Photography
• Each card comes in its own protective plastic sleeve with matching envelope
• Each card features a different photograph of a Maine scene
• Cards are blank on the inside…perfect for any occasion

$20 value

Here are the five images that are included, one on the front of each card:

 

 

Aren’t they pretty? All five are included, one per card. A $20 retail value!

Ready? NAME THAT BUG and WIN!!!

Have fun!  (ok ok…one more hint….your kids love these things!)

The View from Above

 

If you’ve ever visited Maine, you’ve likely seen some of the ‘standard’ tourist sights; Cape Elizabeth "Two Lights", Portland Head Light, Pemaquid Point, L.L.Bean.

Ok, assuming you got seeing those sights out of your system, and you have some time to kill…are you ready to see some real beauty?

From Portland, hop on Rt.1 for a leisurely cruise up the coast, and depending on weather or not you stop for lunch at Moody’s Diner, in a couple of hours you’ll arrive at one of the hidden gems of Maine; the Midcoast Region. Ah, the Midcoast, my home-sweet-home and your chance to visit places like the Rockland Breakwater (bring comfy sneakers and sunglasses), and, amongst other things, Mt. Battie.

Now stick with me, because this next part is difficult, but trust me, it’s worth it. Continuing north on Rt.1, drive thru the towns of Rockland, then Rockport then Camden (about a 15 minute drive) and then...don’t… stop in Camden. Be strong. Just stay on Rt. 1 another mile or so out of town, and you will arrive at the Camden Hills State Park. Pay the small entrance fee, take make the quick jaunt up the motor road and you’ll arrive at the 800’ summit overlooking Camden Harbor and the town of Camden. Make sure to bring your camera and a lunch. The last thing you want to do is get hungry up there (because that would mean you would have to come back down!!!).

Enjoy the views. When your down ingesting all the natural beauty and fresh air, you can now go back into Camden. When you get into town, take a glance back up at Mt. Battie…see? Wasn’t it worth the drive? Don’t forget to update your Facebook friends and show everyone the pictures you took!

Kevin Kratka

 

Interstellar Road Trip

Canon 20D     f/7.1    2002 sec (33.36 minutes)  ISO 400

 

Remember when you were a kid and your parents dragged you along on some really long road trip? And do you recall that sitting in the back seat for all that time would almost always result in one of your siblings getting car sick and ralphing all over your coloring books? Yuck!

 

Sad to say, that car sick sibling would have been me, except I was quick on the draw and somehow my parents always managed to pull the car over just before I....well, you know the rest.

 

One of the things my Dad would tell me was to lay down on the back seat and close my eyes and that I should feel better. Sure enough, Dad was right...laying down in the back seat of my parents Buick somehow always brought much needed relief from the car sickness. I don't know if it was the gentle rumble of the road noise, or if it was just the power of suggestion, but laying down and closing my eyes always helped to keep my lunch where it belonged and my brothers coloring books clean.

 

It was during these long road trips that I also discovered something else; if I wasn't looking out the window at the passing scenery, I found it impossible to judge how fast the vehicle was moving. As far as I was concerned, we could have been sitting idle in at a red light. Since everything inside the car was going the same speed, like the seats (thank God!) my kid brother and sister, my parents...everything.....it made the notion of movement almost impossible to detect, that is, of course until I sat up and looked outside the window. Oh...don't do that! Lay back down!!!!

 

*whew!* close one!

 

Today we take for granted our interstate highways and byways. We hop in car, crank it over and off we go. Need gas? No problem, there's a Texaco and hot coffee at every exit.

 

So just what in the world does all of this have to do with my picture post today?

 

Consider this...

 

Just like that kid in the back seat who could not judge the speed of the car when his eyes were closed, so it is with the humans today living on Earth. Without so much as a hint of speed, we wake up, start and end our days without every stopping to think that we are all moving very quickly as Earth rotates and travels through space.

 

At the equator, the Earth is spinning 1,675 km/hr, and you along with it! But do you feel anything? No of course not. And yet space agencies take advantage of this fact by launching rockets into space as close to the equator as possible so that when the rocket lifts off the ground, it's already in effect traveling that fast...which helps it along as it speeds up to the needed 28,000 km/hr needed to reach orbital velocity. Pretty fast eh?

 

Just like that kid looking out the window of his parents car and watching the world go by, a camera can, in effect, stare at the stars above and actually watch them go by. Because a camera is stationary -mounted on a sturdy heavy duty tripod- which is in turn 'mounted' to the Earth...each pin point of light is dragged across the cameras film plane, leaving a streak. Given enough time, a stationary camera with an open shutter can capture the movement of light traveling past it. Depending on the speed and distance of the object, you either need a great deal of time to capture that movement, or you need very little. In this example, the stars are very far away so they appear tiny. However the Earth is rotating (in the Western Hemisphere) from right to left at 1,675 km/hr. Despite such fast speeds, it still takes a long time to convey motion simply because of our distance from the stars we are photographing.

Canon 20D,    f/7.1    7 seconds   ISO 400

 

To contrast this, consider fireworks. They explode quickly and loudly. Want to take a picture of them? You will drag the shutter here too, expect the subject is much closer and much faster. A 30 minute minute exposure would be useless, so instead we aim for somewhere around 7 seconds. Yes...seconds. Hopefully you'll be a fireworks show that fires off plenty of rockets, this will give you time to experiment with your cameras settings. First and foremost, get yourself a sturdy tripod. And secondly, mosquito repellent!

 

For this picture at the top, I aimed my camera roughly in the direction of the North Star and left the shutter open in my Canon 20D for 30 minutes which I went inside to watch TV. The time the shutter was open allowed the streaking of the stars across the camera's film plane, forming semi-circles as the Earth rotated 'below' the North Star. Our eyes and our brains do the rest by filling in the missing data and giving us the sense that they are moving overhead when in fact it is us that did the moving.

 

You following all of this?

 

Now it's your turn! Make sure your batteries are fully charged, then grab your tripod and camera and find yourself a nice clear view of the night sky. I highly recommend bringing something to entertain yourself if you plan on making long exposures (I just went inside and watched Star Trek). I'd love to see your work, so please feel free to contact me!

 

Now go take some pictures!

 

Kevin Kratka