JWPhotoworks: Blog https://www.jwphotoworks.ca/blog en-us (C) JWPhotoworks [email protected] (JWPhotoworks) Mon, 29 Apr 2024 18:13:00 GMT Mon, 29 Apr 2024 18:13:00 GMT https://www.jwphotoworks.ca/img/s/v-12/u783444413-o330584298-50.jpg JWPhotoworks: Blog https://www.jwphotoworks.ca/blog 120 69 Action Camera or Underwater Housing for your Mirrorless/DSLR https://www.jwphotoworks.ca/blog/2024/4/action-camera-or-underwater-housing-for-your-mirrorless/dslr I found this great video from Premium Beat that outlines the differences between shooting underwater footage or photos using an action camera like a GoPro, or Osmo action cam versus using a good quality underwater housing for your mirrorless or DSLR camera. Now, I've never really shot anything major underwater, but I have taken my GoPro to the beach and dunked it in the rivers, and captured some cool stuff with it. I can see the benefits of both, like Zach in the video points out, and hopefully, it will give you all some insight into whether you should be using either/or...or maybe both! 

 

Enjoy! 

 

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[email protected] (JWPhotoworks) camera gear camera housing cameras dji osmo gopro. photography tips premium beat underwater housing underwater photography underwater videography https://www.jwphotoworks.ca/blog/2024/4/action-camera-or-underwater-housing-for-your-mirrorless/dslr Mon, 29 Apr 2024 18:09:34 GMT
Stabilize Your Action Sports Footage with Davinci Resolve https://www.jwphotoworks.ca/blog/2024/4/stabilize-your-action-sports-footage-with-davinci-resolve Got some shaky footage from your phone or GoPro or video camera? No worries, check out this tutorial I posted up to my YouTube channel to help you get the wobblies out of your footage and take it to the next level. 

 

 

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[email protected] (JWPhotoworks) content creator davinci davinci resolve davinci resolve tutorial resolve skate video skateboarding skateboarding video slow motion tutorial sports photography sports video sports videography stabilize footage stabilize your video tutorial videography youtube tutorial https://www.jwphotoworks.ca/blog/2024/4/stabilize-your-action-sports-footage-with-davinci-resolve Mon, 22 Apr 2024 19:15:23 GMT
Easy Slow Motion for your Sports Videos in Davinci Resolve https://www.jwphotoworks.ca/blog/2023/8/easy-slow-motion-for-your-sports-videos-in-davinci-resolve I put up this easy step by step tutorial on how to convert your 120fps or 60fps sports footage into super smooth 24fps video in Davinci Resolve. Check it! 

 

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[email protected] (JWPhotoworks) content creator davinci davinci resolve davinci resolve tutorial resolve skate video skateboarding skateboarding video slow motion tutorial sports photography sports video sports videography tutorial videography youtube tutorial https://www.jwphotoworks.ca/blog/2023/8/easy-slow-motion-for-your-sports-videos-in-davinci-resolve Wed, 16 Aug 2023 18:27:25 GMT
GoPro Cameras as just "Video Cameras"? https://www.jwphotoworks.ca/blog/2023/8/gopro-cameras-as-just-video-cameras You have a GoPro camera? If so, what do you use it for? What do you shoot with it? Be honest, do you actually strap it to your helmet, surfboard, skateboard, bike, motorcycle, or dog and capture that super awesome POV GoPro footage you see in all those super awesome promo videos? Or do you just use it as a small handheld video camera when you're on vacation like, I would hazard a guess, most of us do? Have I strapped my GoPro onto moving objects? Of course! Do I do it very often...alas, no. 

What I DO use my GoPro for is to capture footage when I'm at sporting events, and since the majority of sporting events I go to are cycling and skateboarding events, the GoPro camera is a perfect little camera to get the epic footage that I'm looking for, whether it be a cool close up of a skater blasting out of a bowl, or a mountain biker launching off of a jump, or a cyclocross racer sloshing through the mud. The little GoPro is perfect size for me to carry in my pocket when I'm on site, and allows me to pull it out and shoot some footage while I have my SLR in my other hand. I have a good SLR camera that shoots good 4K footage, but really, unless I have a 10-20mm lens on it, the 70-200mm I usually have on it, is not THAT conducive to shooting footage. I find that the GoPro has amazing capabilities to shoot what I need, and if you have one of the latest models, like anything from the Hero 8 Black to newer, you can dial in the right lens "look" (super wide, wide, linear, etc) and frame rates (up to 240fps) to get the look you want. For my stuff, I almost ALWAYS shoot in 2.7K, Wide, 120fps. I'd shoot in 4K 120fps, but I use the Hero 8 Black and the highest frame rate it does in 4K is 60fps, which will STILL get you good slow motion footage, but 120fps is SO MUCH FUN!  2.7K is still high enough resolution to allow you to crop in, or do some moving around of the footage in post if you want, and since 99% of my stuff is going up on Stock Footage sites, or Youtube, I export it in 1080p anyway. 

Here are some examples of some of the stuff I've shot with my GoPro:

On a very wet and soggy day out shooting a cyclocross bike race. I figured if the racers have to race through calf high water, then I might as well get in there with them. Good thing I brought my boots. ;) This is a perfect example of why the GoPro cameras are great for using as just video cameras. You can shoot in pretty much ANY weather conditions. 

 

A great example of how shooting at 120 frames per second allows me to slow the footage down to 24fps and achieve super smooth action. A photographer at the same event was using a handheld Godox strobe while he shot photos, and this produced the "happy accident" of my footage capturing his flash, allowing me to freeze my footage for a super cool "pause" in the frontside air the skater was doing.

 

For this one, I had my GoPro on a Zhiyun action camera gimbal and ran backwards as these cyclocross racers headed to, and over, the little jump ramp on the course. The beauty of the small gimbal and compact nature of the GoPro, makes it super easy to get these sorts of shots. 

 

So as you can see, I am a firm believer in using my GoPro camera as "just a video camera" when I'm out and about at these sporting events. If you attend sporting events as a photographer, either "on the job", or just for your own enjoyments, I highly recommend either bring your GoPro, or picking one up to shoot footage and add to your personal portfolio, stock offerings, or to your clients as another asset. They are super easy to use, very portable and produce great footage.

 

Now grab your GoPro and get out there and shoot! 

 

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[email protected] (JWPhotoworks) action photography action sports content creator gopro gopro video jwphotoworks photography sports photography tutorial videography https://www.jwphotoworks.ca/blog/2023/8/gopro-cameras-as-just-video-cameras Sun, 06 Aug 2023 22:24:44 GMT
Gastown Grand Prix - 2023 https://www.jwphotoworks.ca/blog/2023/7/gastown-grand-prix---2023 After a 4 year hiatus, the legendary Gastown Grand Prix, in the historic area of Vancouver, Canada known as Gastown, returned in 2023. This was the 50th anniversary of this amazing Criterium bike race and judging by the number of photographers lining the course, it appeared that a lot of us were SUPER happy that it was back in action.

I've covered this race as an earnest photographer going back to 2016, and have come away with some pretty good photos, some prints of which I sell in my Etsy Shop and here on my website, and this year, I went out to try and capture the race a little differently. Meaning I wanted to try and capture the ambiance and the "feel" of the race, and went out of my way to include the crowds, the locale, and the general "feeling" of what was happening in front of my lens. For this endeavou, I packed my trusty Tamron 70-200 f2.8, my Sigma 10-20 f4-5.6 and my Pentax 50 f1.8. I shot with the 70-200 mostly, to try and get shots "through the crowds", from a bit of a distance, and to try and isolate some of riders from both the foreground and the background. For this, I shot at mostly f2.8-f4 max with that lens. 

Here are some of the images that I think came out pretty well. I've got a full gallery of photos from this race in my Portfolio section of my site, feel free to check it out!

For more insights and stuff, be sure to check out my Youtube Channel

Thanks for reading, now get out there and SHOOT! 

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[email protected] (JWPhotoworks) bike photos bike race bike racing criterium cycling photography gastown gastown grand prix jwphotoworks race photos sports photography https://www.jwphotoworks.ca/blog/2023/7/gastown-grand-prix---2023 Wed, 19 Jul 2023 17:37:41 GMT
Go Skateboarding Day - 2023 https://www.jwphotoworks.ca/blog/2023/6/go-skateboarding-day---2023 You've heard of Go Skateboarding Day, haven't you? No? Well, lemme explain it to you. Go Skateboarding Day grew out of the All Star City Skate Jam in New York, back in 2002. It was renamed to Go Skateboarding Day in 2004, and is, in  nutshell, when a whole whack of skateboarders get together in their respective communities and, well, go skateboarding! Local organizations put on events throughout the day at skateparks, plazas, bowls, or wherever they want to skate. As the day progresses, the mass crowds of skateboarders skate from spot to spot, having a grand ole time doing what they love doing; Skateboarding!  

I'm an old skateboarder who still likes to get on the board every now and then (when my fragile ankles will allow it), and skate around. But what I REALLY love to do is photograph skateboarding. Coming from a skateboarding background, I like to think I know how to capture the action as it's unfolding and knowing where the sweet spot of the trick is going to be, so I can be in the right position to get the best shot I can. 

Go Skateboarding Day in Vancouver this year was a blast. The skaters were awesome, the weather was great, and the skate spots were some of the most iconic spots in the city. 

Here are a few of the shots I managed to come away with:

False Creek Curbs

 

False Creek Curbs (parking lot)

 

Victory Square

 

Victory Square

 

Victory Square

 

Vancouver Art Gallery

 

Vancouver Art Gallery

 

Queen Elizabeth Theatre

 

If you've never tried photographing skateboarding, I highly recommend it to not only hone your skill set as an action sports photographer, but to maybe get out of your comfort zone and try something new. The action is fast and sometimes unpredictable, but trying to capture these things will help you understand your camera bit more, make you play around with your settings and ultimately make you a better photographer. 

 

Now get out there and shoot! 

 

All of these images and more are available for digital download Here.

 

Be sure to check out my YouTube channel for more awesome stuff!

 

 

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[email protected] (JWPhotoworks) . action sports action sports photography go skate day go skateboarding day jwphotoworks photography skate photography skateboard skateboarding skateboarding photography sports sports photography https://www.jwphotoworks.ca/blog/2023/6/go-skateboarding-day---2023 Thu, 29 Jun 2023 16:48:25 GMT
Whirlwind of a Summer! https://www.jwphotoworks.ca/blog/2022/9/whirlwind-of-a-summer Whew! Things are just about slowing down this time of year (I shouldn't say that as there is a Cyclocross race I'm covering tomorrow), but man, what a busy summer I had, shooting tons of really cool events and stuff. 

I also realized I hadn't updates this blog since the Spring, but dang, i was pretty much busy shooting and editing nearly every weekend over the past few months! So awesome that sporting events are back in full swing after pretty much being non existent for the past couple of years! 

 What did I get up to you ask? Here's a whack of photos from my summer:

 

First off, here are a few shots from the Canada Skateboard Open Series put on by Canada Skateboard and Slurpee Canada. These were shot at the legendary Hastings Skatepark in Vancouver and the PoCo Skatepark, respectively:

 

Next up was the 7 Generations Cup skateboard event out at the Langley Events Center. A super awesome event combining awesome skateboarding and indigenous culture. So good! 

Grinding the LedgeGrinding the Ledge Waiting to DropWaiting to Drop Grinding the LedgeGrinding the Ledge Grinding the LedgeGrinding the Ledge Grinding the LedgeGrinding the Ledge Freestyle SkateboardingFreestyle Skateboarding

 

From there it was on to the Vans Bowl Series at a variety of local Vancouver area skateparks. These events are always a great time showcasing the talents of a lot of local Vancouver area skateboarders. 

 

 

Then it was up to Whistler, Canada to snap photos and video of both the Air Downhill and the Canadian Open Downhill bike races during Crankworks. If you dig, mountain bike stuff, Crankworks is THE place to be for all things mountain biking. 

Canadian Open Downhill 2022 - Whistler, B.C., CanadaCanadian Open Downhill 2022 - Whistler, B.C., CanadaA collection of photos I took at the Canadian Open Downhill mountain bike race in Whistler, B.C., Canada - August 2022. A fantastic day of downhill mountain bike racing with Elite top seeds Tracey Hannah and Troy Brosnan taking the top spots on the podium. Canadian Open Downhill 2022 - Whistler, B.C., CanadaCanadian Open Downhill 2022 - Whistler, B.C., CanadaA collection of photos I took at the Canadian Open Downhill mountain bike race in Whistler, B.C., Canada - August 2022. A fantastic day of downhill mountain bike racing with Elite top seeds Tracey Hannah and Troy Brosnan taking the top spots on the podium. Canadian Open Downhill 2022 - Whistler, B.C., CanadaCanadian Open Downhill 2022 - Whistler, B.C., CanadaA collection of photos I took at the Canadian Open Downhill mountain bike race in Whistler, B.C., Canada - August 2022. A fantastic day of downhill mountain bike racing with Elite top seeds Tracey Hannah and Troy Brosnan taking the top spots on the podium. Canadian Open Downhill 2022 - Whistler, B.C., CanadaCanadian Open Downhill 2022 - Whistler, B.C., CanadaA collection of photos I took at the Canadian Open Downhill mountain bike race in Whistler, B.C., Canada - August 2022. A fantastic day of downhill mountain bike racing with Elite top seeds Tracey Hannah and Troy Brosnan taking the top spots on the podium. Canadian Open Downhill 2022 - Whistler, B.C., CanadaCanadian Open Downhill 2022 - Whistler, B.C., CanadaA collection of photos I took at the Canadian Open Downhill mountain bike race in Whistler, B.C., Canada - August 2022. A fantastic day of downhill mountain bike racing with Elite top seeds Tracey Hannah and Troy Brosnan taking the top spots on the podium. Canadian Open Downhill 2022 - Whistler, B.C., CanadaCanadian Open Downhill 2022 - Whistler, B.C., CanadaA collection of photos I took at the Canadian Open Downhill mountain bike race in Whistler, B.C., Canada - August 2022. A fantastic day of downhill mountain bike racing with Elite top seeds Tracey Hannah and Troy Brosnan taking the top spots on the podium. Canadian Open Downhill 2022 - Whistler, B.C., CanadaCanadian Open Downhill 2022 - Whistler, B.C., CanadaA collection of photos I took at the Canadian Open Downhill mountain bike race in Whistler, B.C., Canada - August 2022. A fantastic day of downhill mountain bike racing with Elite top seeds Tracey Hannah and Troy Brosnan taking the top spots on the podium. Canadian Open Downhill 2022 - Whistler, B.C., CanadaCanadian Open Downhill 2022 - Whistler, B.C., CanadaA collection of photos I took at the Canadian Open Downhill mountain bike race in Whistler, B.C., Canada - August 2022. A fantastic day of downhill mountain bike racing with Elite top seeds Tracey Hannah and Troy Brosnan taking the top spots on the podium. Canadian Open Downhill 2022 - Whistler, B.C., CanadaCanadian Open Downhill 2022 - Whistler, B.C., CanadaA collection of photos I took at the Canadian Open Downhill mountain bike race in Whistler, B.C., Canada - August 2022. A fantastic day of downhill mountain bike racing with Elite top seeds Tracey Hannah and Troy Brosnan taking the top spots on the podium. Canadian Open Downhill 2022 - Whistler, B.C., CanadaCanadian Open Downhill 2022 - Whistler, B.C., CanadaA collection of photos I took at the Canadian Open Downhill mountain bike race in Whistler, B.C., Canada - August 2022. A fantastic day of downhill mountain bike racing with Elite top seeds Tracey Hannah and Troy Brosnan taking the top spots on the podium.

 

Then to top things off, I got the DM of a lifetime, asking if I wanted to be on the back of a motorcycle shooting riders taking part in the RBC Gran Fondo, an epic 122km ride/race from Vancouver to Whistler. Umm, yes please. 

 

Now, it's cyclocross season, so i gotta go charge up my batteries and make sure all my waterproof gear is good to go.

 

Later!

 

Be sure to check out my YouTube channel for more awesome stuff!



 

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[email protected] (JWPhotoworks) bike cycling jwphotoworks photography photos skate skateboarding sports https://www.jwphotoworks.ca/blog/2022/9/whirlwind-of-a-summer Sat, 24 Sep 2022 23:57:33 GMT
Shooting a Mountain Bike Race https://www.jwphotoworks.ca/blog/2022/5/shooting-a-mountain-bike-race Shooting a mountain bike race is hectic. A ton of fun, but hectic. Why hectic? First off, they are generally somewhere remote, like in the woods, on the side of a mountain (duh), and as such, require you, the photographer, to get up early, pack your gear (the night before would be a good tip), hop in whatever means of transportation you have access to, get to the venue, walk the course to see where to get the best shots are, shoot the race running from awesome spot to awesome spot and hope you got a few keepers. 

 When I go out to shoot a mountain bike race, I like to try and scope out at least 2, maybe 3 good vantage points to shoot from. This is why walking the course before hand is super important and will help cut down on the amount of walking around, thereby missing shots, you have to do. 

 Take these shots I took while covering the 2022 B.C. Provincial Mountain Bike Championships in Abbotsford, B.C. on the May long weekend. I walked the course, found a few good spots (and one that a lot of people were shooting from that I didn't really care for), and varied my shot list, capturing images from these spots at different times of the day, as the different classes of racers did their laps. Walking the course and scoping out a few good spots to shoot from will save you time and energy and allow you to get as many good shots as possible in the limited time you have during the race(s). 

The first spot I shot from was from slightly above the apex of a high speed corner on a decent somewhere in the middle of the overall course. This spot got me quite a few really good photos due to being up slightly above the racers and showing the flow of the course lines. For a few of them, I slowed my shutter speed down and managed to get a few "panning" style shots. Panning shots in bike racing are the "Holy Grail" shots, IMHO, as they show the speed at which the racer are going and can really add to the "value" of the shot. 

  2022 BC Provincial Mountain Bike Championships1/125 sec. f/2.8 70 mm

2022 BC Provincial Mountain Bike Championships1/200 sec. f/2.8 70 mm

 

From here I moved up the path to shoot this same corner from a different angle and little further away. I wanted take advantage of the Tamron 70-200 f2.8 that I had brought with me to create some shallow depth of field looks by shooting through the foliage and framing the racers with the lush greenery. Here a few examples of what I'm talking about:

2022 BC Provincial Mountain Bike Championships1/800 sec. f/2.8 115 mm

2022 BC Provincial Mountain bike Championships1/640 sec. f/2.8 88 mm

2022 BC Provincial Mountain Bike Championships 1/800 sec. f/2.8 108 mm

 

And from there I went up a little higher to capture this corner when the sun was a little higher in the sky and lit it up just perfectly.

 

2022 BC Provincial Mountain Bike Championships 1/100 sec. f/7.1 70 mm

  2022 BC Provincial Mountain Bike Championships1/125 sec. f/5 70 mm

2022 BC Provincial Mountain Bike Championships1/60 sec. f/6.3 70 mm

Keep in mind that I shoot mostly (99% of the time) in Aperture Priority and adjust my ISO depending on the lighting conditions. Taking this full day of shooting, from morning to late afternoon, my ISO fluctuated between 100 and 1600. Quite a range. 

So there you have it, a little insight into a day of shooting a mountain bike race and some tips and pointers on what to expect and how to get the most out of your day.

Big thanks to Cycling BC, Glenridge Acres and Norco Bicycles for putting on this awesome event!

Now get out there and shoot! 

 

 

Be sure to check out my YouTube channel for more awesome stuff!


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[email protected] (JWPhotoworks) bike bike photography content creator cycling cycling photography jwphotoworks mountain bike mountain bike photography mountain biking photography sports photography tutorial https://www.jwphotoworks.ca/blog/2022/5/shooting-a-mountain-bike-race Thu, 26 May 2022 19:16:31 GMT
Shooting Video at Sporting Events https://www.jwphotoworks.ca/blog/2021/12/shooting-video-at-sporting-events I was washing dishes the other day, thinking up ideas for a blog post and since I've been shooting at  a lot of the local Cyclocross bike race events here in the Vancouver area, I thought I'd touch on, and do a post about shooting video while you're out shooting photos at sporting events. 

 Now, yes, shooting video is different than shooting photos, as the settings are different, the aspect ratio is different, the frame rates can all be varied, etc, so it's a bit of a thing to get your head around, but adding video footage to your repertoire can do a couple of things. It can add value to your offerings, especially when it comes to promoting your products and services on social media platforms, video streaming platforms and the like. It seems like people like seeing moving pictures (video) over stills on Twitter, Instagram, Tik Tok, Facebook these days, so it only make sense to shoot video, if only for using it to promote your stuff. Another benefit to shooting video at sporting events is for commercial purposes as well, like selling it on stock video websites like Shutterstock, Dreamstime, and Pond5. I upload SOME of my video to Shutterstock, and not all of it, because they don't pay as much as they used to for video footage. Pond5 is my go to and most lucrative stock video outlet when it comes to generating revenue from my video footage. 

 Now, here's the kicker, if you're going to upload your stuff to the stock footage sites, you HAVE to upload it as Editorial footage. If you don't upload it as editorial, it will get rejected because you don't have releases for the people you are capturing on your video. Editorial still sells, but you just have to keep a few things in mind when shooting the video, like what you're capturing, who you're capturing, the mood, angles, commercial value, etc. I've touched on this in a previous blog post, but it bears repeating here: shoot things that have editorial commercial value. Example: if there are older people competing in the sporting event, capture them. News outlets, blogs, lifestyle sites, LOVE seeing older people still partaking in sport, and there is great  commercial value in that. 

 Take this clip for example. This is a clip from a cyclocross bike race here in the Vancouver area, that features a group of older men running and riding over the set of barriers at the race. I shot this with my GoPro camera at 120fps and slowed it down to 24fps using my editing program of choice: Davinci Resolve. Not only is a great looking clip, shot from down low, with a wide angle lens, but it also has editorial commercial value in the fact that it features the older men's category of the race. 

 

  You could also use a shorter version, or snippet, from a clip like this to use to promote your work you've uploaded to the stock footage websites, or Youtube, and post that snippet to Twitter, Instagram, etc. Hell, even if you don't shoot video to use as commercial product, you could alwys shoot little clips like this to use as promo clips for your still photography work. The benefits to shooting video footage at sporting events far outways the reasons not to. Hell, even if you don't want to use your still camera (all of which shoot FANTASTIC video these days), you could just use your phone to shoot little clips to upload to the Socials. I do that WHILE I'M AT the event, just keeping my followers in the loop as to where I'm at and what I'm shooting. It always gives them a little taste of what to look forward to in the coming days with regards to what I'm shooting. 

So there you have it. If you're out a sporting event, snapping photos, make sure to take the time to shoot some video while you're at it. People love video, it's taking over the social media formats, and can really add value to your portfolios.

Now get out there and shoot! 

 

Be sure to check out my YouTube channel for more cool stuff. 

 

 

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[email protected] (JWPhotoworks) documentary film making gopro jwphotoworks photography photography tutorial sports sports photography sports photography tutorial video shooters youtube https://www.jwphotoworks.ca/blog/2021/12/shooting-video-at-sporting-events Thu, 02 Dec 2021 01:58:10 GMT
How I Shot It - Long Exposure Landscape https://www.jwphotoworks.ca/blog/2021/10/how-i-shot-it---long-exposure-landscape So I went out the other day to one of my favorite Urban Nature spots to shoot some nature related B-Roll type footage and photos for my various Stock Footage and Photo portfolios, and, since I was there in the late stages of the afternoon, the light was waning enough for me to make use of my 3 stop ND Filter and shoot some long exposure images of the little creek that flows through the forest. 

After looking through my photos and doing some edits, I figured I would make a blog post about How I Shot these images and go over the details of how I achieved these results and how you too could get these results. It's pretty simple after all, all you need is a camera, a 3 stop ND Filter, a tripod, and a creek. Now, in case you're wondering what a "3 Stop ND Filter" is, it's a filter that essentially makes your camera think it's 3 stops darker than it is. For example, if you set your F-stop to f22, putting a 3 Stop ND Filter on stops it down another 3 stops to f25. There are Variable ND Filters that can stop your camera down further, like 8 stops, which is great if you're trying to shoot long exposure stuff during the bright sunlight, but for this purpose, and for where I was shooting (in the woods where it was already darker than out in the bright sunlight), a 3 stop ND Filter was all I needed. Plus, Variable ND filters are around $100 and up, depending on filter thread size, and 3 Stop ND Filters can be had for around $20. If you're just getting into long exposure daytime photography, start with a 3 Stop, hone your skill, and if it's something you want to take further, get a Variable later on. 

Ok, on to the photos. After finding a cool spot and shooting some video footage, I was kinda digging the location and the flow of the creek that I was shooting, so I popped on the ND filter, and did some test shots to dial in the settings. I'm shooting with a Pentax K-3 Mark III, and a Sigma 70-300mm. After a few tests, I settled on the following settings to achieve this result:

150mm (230mm in 35mm equivalent)

2.5 Second Exposure

f5.6 (add 3 stops for the filter, so like f11?)

ISO 100

 

 

 

 

 And here's another one shot at the same location, but zoomed out a bit to 93mm (142mm in 35mm equivalent) to get a little more creek in the shot. The settings for this one are as follows:

1.6 Second Exposure

f4 (add 3 stops)

ISO 100

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And here's another one that was a bit more challenging since I didn't have my Variable ND Filter with me. Challenging in that it was still pretty light out even though the sun was setting in early evening down by the river, but I waited a bit and managed to squeeze out a few shots before the sun completely set. It would have been advantageous to use a Variable ND Filter for these conditions, but this is a good example of how you can make a 3 Stop ND Filter work if that's all you have in your camera bag. Just gotta wait a little longer for the light to diminish and you'll be good to go. For this one, I wanted get the river as "glassy" as I could so a longer exposure of 30 seconds was needed. Perfect effect against the wood and concrete pilings in the river. The settings for this one were:

50mm (77mm in 35mm equivalent)

30 Second Exposure

f16 (add 3 stops)

ISO 100

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This last one was shot at a different location; Bridal Veil Falls in the Fraser Valley region of B.C. Normally, the Falls are raging with a torrent of water flowing over them, and this little waterfall off to the side is usually MUCH more dramatic, with a lot more water flowing over it, but in late summer, it was just a cute little flow coming over the logs, and I thought it looked cool, so I set up and snapped off a few frames to see what it looked like. Came out pretty decent if you ask me, and I was lucky to get it, seeing that there were A TON of tourists milling about and almost standing in front of my camera while I was shooting. ;) The settings for this shot are as follows:

75mm (115mm in 35mm equivalent)

2 Second Exposure

f11 (add 3 stops)

ISO100

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So there you have it. A few examples of how using a 3 Stop ND Filter can help you get those cool long exposure photos showing flowing water as smooth and glassy. And as you can see, there really isn't a "one size fits all" approach to the settings you need to achieve these results. Some photos have a 30 second exposure time, some are 2 seconds, some are 1.6 seconds, etc. Some are f4, some are f11, f16, etc.  You'll need to get to your location, set up, do some tests, and dial in the settings you need to achieve the results you're after, really taking the time of day, the amount of light there is, and the lens you're using to get the results you're looking for. Now get out there and shoot! 

 

Be sure to check out my YouTube channel for more awesome stuff!
 

   

 

 

 

 

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[email protected] (JWPhotoworks) 3 stop nd filter content creator jwphotoworks landscape photography long exposure long exposure landscape nd filter pentax pentax k-3 mark 3 pentax k3 mkiii photography sigma tutorial https://www.jwphotoworks.ca/blog/2021/10/how-i-shot-it---long-exposure-landscape Tue, 05 Oct 2021 06:00:28 GMT
How I Shot It - Stacking Sports Photos https://www.jwphotoworks.ca/blog/2021/8/how-i-shot-it---stacking-sports-photos You know those cool photos you see that show a sequence of action shots all stitched together? Those are pretty cool huh? In this Blog entry, I'll go over one of my shots that show this sort of action and explain how I Shot it, and how I achieved the finished result. 

Let's go.

Ok, so here's the shot I'm referring to to:

 

Skate StyleSkate StyleIt's always cool to walk into a skate shop and see original skateboarding artwork capturing the essence of what the shop is all about on the walls. This 3:2 ratio photo captures that essence and is suitable for printing up to 36in x 24in for your space.

 

This one was pretty simple, and pretty easy to do. Actually, this sort of photo is pretty easy to do come to think of it. You can do this sort of photo with pretty much any camera that shoots in "burst" mode. Hell, even a decent smart phone can shoot in burst mode. Now, I shot this with a DSLR that shoots a pretty high frame rate, so I had a good amount of photos to use for the final image. You will need Photoshop and will know how to use layer masks to cut out the parts of the images that you want to place on top of the main, base image. 

Once you have all your shots, you'll need to import them in Photoshop and select one of the images as the "main" image, meaning that the main image will be the one that is the base layer that you will then place the other sequence images on to. Here's the main base layer image before I added the other sequence image onto it:

 

 

 

 

 

And from here, you add the other sequence images on top of the main image. This image shows the one of the action sequence images before and after I added a layer mask and masked out the skater from the rest of the image. 

Before:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After:

 

And from there, you just add another sequence image, add a layer mask, and mask out the skater from the background. Here's the next image I added to this image sequence.

Before:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After:

 

And from there, you have your finished image. Now, I masked out and Content Aware Filled out the background people and stuff just to clean up the image a bit, but if your image doesn't need it, no worries, work with what you have. 

 

 

So there you have it, that's how I shot this image...or images...and put them all together to achieve this result. 

Happy shooting!

 

Be sure to check out my YouTube channel for more awesome stuff!
 

 

 

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[email protected] (JWPhotoworks) jwphotoworks photo stack photo stacking photo tutorial photography photography tutorial sports sports photo sports photography sports photos https://www.jwphotoworks.ca/blog/2021/8/how-i-shot-it---stacking-sports-photos Sat, 14 Aug 2021 23:40:37 GMT
How To Make Money With Your Sports Photography https://www.jwphotoworks.ca/blog/2021/8/how-to-make-money-with-your-sports-photography Yep, the title says it all...almost. Here's what it SHOULD say: How To Make Money With Your Sports Photography...*As a Hobbyist. Y'know, side hustle sort of cash. 

I was gonna write out a big long Blog going over this topic, but I did a YouTube VLOG instead. Much easier to follow along, and worth your while to watch it, I might add. :)

 

Enjoy!

 

 

 

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[email protected] (JWPhotoworks) jwphotography pentax. photography side hustle sigma sport photography sports sports photography https://www.jwphotoworks.ca/blog/2021/8/how-to-make-money-with-your-sports-photography Sat, 14 Aug 2021 22:24:59 GMT
How I Shot It - Panning With A Slow Shutter https://www.jwphotoworks.ca/blog/2021/7/how-i-shot-it This is going to be a first in a series of Blog posts I'm gonna do going over how I shot a particular image. As a hobbyist photographer who occasionally gets commissioned to shoot stuff for people and organizations, I'm always interested in how other photographers achieve the results that they get for their shots so I figured I'd go into how I achieve the results I get when I go out and shoot. For the most part, I'm going to feature and concentrate on my sports related photos since they offer up the most diversity in results. 

 

Take this photo as my first example. This was shot during the Gastown Grand Prix, a criterium style bike race that is held in the historic Gastown area of Vancouver, Canada. The Gastown Grand Prix is part of a week long series of races that make up what is called B.C. Superweek and is held every July. It's a super awesome race; it's fast, it's rough, and a fantastic opportunity for photographers to get awesome shots. 

For The Win - Bike RacingFor The Win - Bike RacingRoad bike racing is intense, especially Criterium racing. Racers speed around the course at breakneck speeds, jostling for position and trying to lead each lap until the end. This 3:2 ratio photo captures the concentration and intensity of the bike racers and is suitable to be printed up to 36in x 24in for your space.

 

Now prior to getting this particular shot, I shot a ton of photos from various vantage points around the course. Some super wide (10-20mm) overhead style shots, some low angle, "under the fence" style shots, some head on and "back of the pack" style shots, and about half way through the race, and since I had my trusty 70-300mm Sigma still on, I wanted to see if I could get a panning shot that isolated a particular rider. I had shot some panning shots earlier on using either my 10-20mm or my 18-55mm, and they were cool and all, but I wanted a more intimate panning shot showing one rider and hopefully, with a little luck, isolating the effort, the grit, the facial expression and the speed of the action. A very important aspect of getting a good panning sports shot is making sure you have a background that, when you are panning against it, shows the motion and speed. Being closer to action is better as well, and for this shot, I was about 25ft from the rider. Now, since I shoot with an APS-C sensor sized camera, shooting at 70mm is the equivalent to shooting at about 105mm. 25ft away from a subject at 105mm focal length is about perfect to get the rider filling the frame, capturing enough detail, and getting enough background to show the motion and speed. According to me at least. ;) 

So, in order to get this shot, I positioned myself about 100ft from a corner that the riders had just come around and were starting to accelerate down the back straightaway. This meant that most of the riders were out of the saddle, stamping on the pedals, exerting maximum effort to get up to speed. As the riders were accelerating I would follow them with my lens, matching my panning motion to their speed and, in burst mode, fire of a series of shots as the sped past. Again, shooting at 70mm, I was able to get all of the rider filling my frame which made it easy to keep my eye on what I capturing. Now, while shooting in burst mode while panning, you are bound to get some bad, out of focus, blurry, or just weak shots, but there's bound to be at least one good one in the mix. They don't call it "spray and pray" for nothing. ;) 

My settings, after some trial and error, for this shot were as follows: 

70mm

1/100sec (not as slow as you thought it would be huh? this rider was MOTORING!)

F6.3

ISO 3200 (this was shot in the evening and in the middle of the city, where there was VERY little sunlight or ambient light available)

Now, of course, my settings for this shot are VERY particular for THIS shot and really can't be duplicated over and over again to get the same results for every panning sports shot, and this highlights the need to do some work in order to get the results you want. You have scout your location, pick your spot, picture the result in your mind, do some test shots, and set up/test/change/lock in your settings to reflect to type of shot you want to achieve. I just want to re-iterate that the settings are the LAST thing you should dial in. Your positioning, your spot, and your vision should be the most important thing when setting out to get shots like these. 

I really hope this helps you all in achieving the results you're after when it comes to your slow shutter, panning sports shots. Now get out and shoot! 

 

P.S. This photo, and a host of others, is available as a print or digital download in my shop: JWPhotoworks Shop

 

Be sure to check out my YouTube channel for more awesome stuff!
 

 

 

 

 

 

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[email protected] (JWPhotoworks) bike photos content creator cycling cycling photography cycling photos gastown grand prix jwphotoworks long exposure panning panning photography photography slow shutter sports photography tutorial https://www.jwphotoworks.ca/blog/2021/7/how-i-shot-it Wed, 28 Jul 2021 18:28:25 GMT
Super Resolution Feature in Adobe Camera Raw and Lightroom https://www.jwphotoworks.ca/blog/2021/6/super-resolution--adobe-camera-raw I'm going to preface this blog with this: The Super Resolution feature in Adobe Camera Raw and Lightroom to me, is a game changer. 

 

For me, it's a game changer for one simple reason. Offering larger print sizes from photos shot on a APS-C (or even micro four thirds) size sensor camera(s).

Think about it. You have an APS-C sized 16MP sensor on your camera and yeah, it shoots pretty high resolution RAW images, like say 4928 x 3264 at 300ppi, which is high enough resolution to print at 24inch x 36inch without any issues, but now, with the Super Resolution and Enhance feature in Adobe Camera Raw and Lightroom, you can bump up that up to 9856 x 6528, essentially doubling the size with no loss of quality and turning that image into a 64MP file. Amazing. Now if you wanted, you could print 4ft x 6ft prints no problem. That's huge. All from your APS-C sensor camera. Which, to me, begs the obvious question, at least obvious for me, since I'm in the new camera market and have had my eye on the new Pentax K-3 MK3 since it was finally made available in March of this year. I've been struggling with whether I need to fork out the extra dough to get a full frame camera since I'm selling more prints these days, and since I also shoot video, I need something besides my GoPro and iPhone that shoots 4K. I was waiting to see if Pentax was going to be updating the K-1 to add a 4K video feature to it, but alas, no. The new K-3 MK3 does shoot 4k and has a bump up in the sensor quality, so it's the most obvious choice. The only thing that was holding back my decision was the APS-C sized sensor and now that Adobe has this new Enhance and Super Resolution feature, I think my decision is made. I mean geez, i can increase the size and resolution of photos I shot YEARS ago, AND, I can increase the size and resolution of photos I am going to take with the new camera if need be. Game changer and winner all around. 

Check out these examples to see what I'm talking about:

This first screencap shows a RAW file with a little editing done to it in it's native size and resolution: 4928 x 3264 at 300ppi.

 

And here it is at 100% magnification:

 

Here's the same RAW file after Enhancing it and applying the Super Resolution treatment to it, ending up with a 9856 x 6528 at 300ppi image:

 

And here is the Enhanced RAW file at 100% magnification.

 

Here is a Side by Side comparison of the 2 images, cropped in on a particular section at 100% so you can see the difference. Here's the Non Enhanced one:

And here's the Enhanced one. You can clearly see the difference, especially when you look at the Vans logo on the back of the heel of the shoe. 

 

So as you can see, this new feature in Adobe Camera Raw and Lightroom is super awesome and I know I'm going to take advantage of it every opportunity I can. I mean geez, I could make 8K timelapse videos using this feature. Crazy! 

Anyway, I'm off to do some shooting, so take this info, run with it, enhance your photos and have a great day! 

 

Pentax K-3 MK3

 

Be sure to check out my YouTube channel for more awesome stuff!
 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[email protected] (JWPhotoworks) adobe adobe camera raw adobe enhance adobe lightroom adobe super resolution content creator jwphotoworks lightroom pentax pentax k 3 pentax k-3 photography raw photos sports photography super resolution tutorial https://www.jwphotoworks.ca/blog/2021/6/super-resolution--adobe-camera-raw Sat, 19 Jun 2021 19:39:58 GMT
New Year, New Stuff - Time Lapse Extravaganza https://www.jwphotoworks.ca/blog/2021/1/new-year-new-stuff Hey everybody! A little late, but yay! Happy New Year! 

Ok, now that that's out of the way, let's get down to it. What have you all been shooting over the winter months where you are? me? I shot a few cycling events in September and October, and I kinda laid low over November and December since not much was happening sports wise (Covid 19 is still KILLING organized sports events) and the weather was absolute shit here on the West Coast of Canada. Not the most motivating for getting out and creating content. Oh sure, I shot some stock related product stuff in my garage studio but that stuff isn't SUPER exciting, unless you're into metal soup cans, coffee beans and VHS tapes and VCR's. If you are, be sure to check out my Shutterstock portfolio! ;) 

On the creative side of things, it's only been recently that the weather has been decent enough to get me off my ass and out of the house to shoot stuff. Here in the Vancouver area of the West Coast of Canada, there are a couple of little regional parks I like to head out to for waterfront and nature related shoots. One is called Barnet Marine Park and the other is Fraser Foreshore Park. They are both waterfront parks, but differ in many ways mainly due to the facts that Fraser Foreshore Park is on the Fraser River and faces South, and Barnet Marine Park is on Burrard Inlet (ocean) and faces North. Both of them are on the water, but they offer up completely different views and scenery which makes for great photo and video opportunities, all within 20 minutes of my house. 

I've shot a few Timelapse videos at both parks over the last week or so and in this blog post I'm gonna break down  a couple of them, shot with both my DSLR and my GoPro cameras, just to give you a look at what 2 different cameras systems can achieve. 

The first shoot was at Fraser Foreshore Park on a cold, but mostly clear evening with a few clouds forming off the south. I set up the camera facing mostly West, just getting the setting sun off the left of the frame. I shot this sequence in Aperture Priority mode to try and maintain the light levels since the sun was setting. 

Here's a still from the DSLR using the following settings:

Sigma 10 - 20mm at 10mm

Aperture Priority at f/7.1

ISO 400

And here is the Time Lapse video made up of 194 stills. I use Lightroom Classic to do the post processing of the stills, then run them trough Time Lapse Deflicker to take the flicker that pretty much every timelapse video shot with either Aperture Priority or Shutter Priority seems to suffer from. It's a good program and does a really good job at "de-flickering" timelapse videos. From there, I use Davinci Resolve to crop, maybe do some more color grading if needed, and export in various sizes and bit rates. 

This is the video at 720p:

 

Whenever I shoot Timelapse videos with my DSLR, I try to shoot one with my GoPro at the same time, just to have a back up and a different perspective.

Here's a still from the GoPro using the following settings:

3mm Gopro lens (15mm equivalent)

f/2.8

ISO 111

DCIM\100GOPRO\G0031313.JPG And here's the resulting video. Again, since the GoPro shoots in RAW format, i process the stills in Lightroom Classic the same as I do with my DLSR.

So, as you can see, VERY different results from 2 different cameras. Of course, you can do alot more with a DSLR, but the object of this game, at least for me is, to get different results from the same opportunity. If I've got the cameras, might as well use them, correct? ;) Oh, and the GoPro video is longer because I was shooting other stuff with my DSLR while the GoPro was shooting the Timelapse stuff. 

At Barnet Marine Park, facing the North Shore Mountains on the West Coast of Canada, there are relics of the old logging mill operation that was there in the early 1900's and as such, they make for great photo opportunities. 

Here's a still from the GoPro featuring one of these relics, which I believe is from the main logging building where they loaded the logs into to be milled once they came off the ships. It's a very cool structure.

The setting for this image are as follows:

3mm (15mm equivalent)

f/2.8

ISO 100

 

DCIM\100GOPRO\G0021962.JPG

And here is the resulting video comprised of 124 images played at 24 fps. Funny thing is, this video is short because I spotted a bald eagle in the trees above me and wanted to get some shots of it, so I stopped shooting the timelapse, grabbed my DSLR which had a 10-20mm Sigma on it, and then realized I hadn't brought my 70-300mm with me. Can't really shoot a bald eagle in a tree 40ft up with a 10-20mm ultra wide angle lens...

Anyway, here's the timelapse video using the GoPro:

 

At the same park, facing North West I got an awesome timelapse video of the clouds moving from south to north while the sun was setting. Y'know, shooting timelapse videos this time of year is awesome, 'cause the air is clear, the clouds are cool, and the weather is generally moody but man, you really gotta get moving 'cause the sun sets really early and really fast! 

Here's a still from that shoot and the settings are as follows:

10mm

f/6.3

ISO 400

Aperture Priority

And here's the video comprised of 388 stills (1 shot every 3 seconds) played at 24 fps:

So there you have it. 4 timelapse videos shot by 2 different cameras in a couple of really cool locations producing really cool results. If you have any questions about my set up or any tech specs of the shoots, please let me know in the comments, or contact me directly through my website. 

If watching Youtube videos about this sort of stuff is more your jam, then check out my Youtube channel and the videos I put up there going over Time Lapse editing, tips, and basic tutorials on how to get the best out of your Time Lapse video projects

 

Thanks for your time reading this, now get out there and make your own cool photos and videos!

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[email protected] (JWPhotoworks) burnaby canada jwphotoworks photography photography blog photography tutorial slr lounge time lapse timelapse tips tips and tricks tutorial vancouver https://www.jwphotoworks.ca/blog/2021/1/new-year-new-stuff Sun, 17 Jan 2021 08:21:53 GMT
Time Lapse - Gotta be Quick https://www.jwphotoworks.ca/blog/2020/10/time-lapse---gotta-be-quick Raise your hand if you shoot time lapse stuff. I dig shooting time lapse stuff. I love the challenge of it, like figuring out how many photos it's going to take to get the result I want, to figuring out the interval, to setting the camera up regarding shutter speed, ISO, aperture, etc. All of these things can be super challenging, and I totally dig that part of it. What I DON'T like is sitting around waiting for the sequence to be shot! But that's a small part of the big picture right? 

One of the biggest challenges of shooting time lapse stuff is coming up with ideas on what to shoot. Weather? Traffic? People? Stars? My problem, and I'm sure others have the same issue, is, I usually figure out what to shoot with very little time in which to shoot it. I find myself sitting around the house, usually watching TV, and then all of a sudden, I'll see some awesome clouds outside and think, "Hey! What the hell am I doing sitting around the house when there are awesome clouds floating by that I could be shooting!" So I grab my gear, head out to a cool spot and hope that I've got enough time to shoot it. It usually works out, mind you, but man, I really gotta work on planning stuff out better. ;)

Here are some examples of some of the time lapses I've shot over the years featuring a wide range of subject material.

 

First one is a cool nature one featuring a lake, some clouds, and a mountain range in the background. The photo info on these is: 

1/250 sec

ISO 100

F7.1 @18mm

Here's another I shot at night featuring some traffic coming to a stop at a traffic light on a busy downtown street. I added a bit of panning in post production. 

This one was fun to do and is a perfect example of taking advantage of what you have right in front of you. This was shot on my lawn, in summer, just as the sun was going down. I wanted to see if I could shoot a time lapse of a flower closing up as the sun dipped, and I think it turned out pretty well.  

Photo info is:

1/500 sec

ISO 400

F2.4 @ 35mm

And this one was fun to do. I headed out to shoot some star trail photos during the Perseids Meteor Shower a few years ago and came away with this cool time lapse video. 

So there you have it, some cool time lapse info, a few ideas to hopefully get you motivated to get out there and shoot your own time lapse video. Lots of things to shoot for sure, you just need to decide what to shoot, when you want to shoot and how to get off your butt and go do it! Like me...lol.

 

Oh, and some of this stuff is available for licensing on my Pond 5 Portfolio if you are in need of such material. Give it a look see if you want! 

Till next time!

 

 

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[email protected] (JWPhotoworks) content creator jwphotoworks long exposure nature photography star trails stars time lapse timelapse tutorial https://www.jwphotoworks.ca/blog/2020/10/time-lapse---gotta-be-quick Sun, 18 Oct 2020 18:51:46 GMT
Mountain Biking Photography https://www.jwphotoworks.ca/blog/2020/10/mountain-biking-photography I've done a fair bit of mountain bike photography, mostly for race coverage, but some for my portfolio of prints that I sell through this website and other online purveyors of Wall Art for sale. I love snapping photos and shooting video of people ripping around on fat tires, launching off jumps and tearing around berms. But you know what? Shooting mountain biking comes with a ton of challenges. First off, you're trying to shoot someone speeding by you at a high rate of speed, or launching off a jump 20 feet in the air, and more often that not, all of this is happening in some dank woods on the side of a mountain, miles away from anything. When you set out to shoot some mountain bike stuff, you better be prepared for anything that comes your way and be ready to capture any and all action. 

On that note, and since I'm not the guy to find himself in FRONT of a camera, here's a video from The Loam Ranger that goes over some of the more simple techniques on how to achieve awesome shots next time you're out in the woods. Hope this helps!

Here are some examples of what using the above techniques can get you. All of these shots were shot by me, at various mountain bike events.

And here are a video clip using a GoPro camera trackside I shot for a larger video project I am working on. Super wide angle, panning along with the rider, and slowing the action down at the peak of the action for a super cool, dramatic effect.

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[email protected] (JWPhotoworks) action action photography action sports bike content creator mountain mountain biking photography sports photography sports video sports" tutorial videography youtube tutorial https://www.jwphotoworks.ca/blog/2020/10/mountain-biking-photography Sat, 10 Oct 2020 04:09:34 GMT
Simple light painting tips https://www.jwphotoworks.ca/blog/2020/9/light-painting-objects---photography-tips Light painting is cool. It's a really neat way to light up your subjects when flash or strobes just don't, or won't cut it. Granted, most of the light painting photos you'll see are long exposure, text writing, light tubes and those sorts of things, which are amazingly cool, but you can use light painting techniques to light up just about anything and create a really neat, and unique lighting effect. I use light painting as opposed to strobes, or continuous light every now and then for lighting up small objects in my studio for the sole purpose of trying to get a different look for my photography. 

Here's an example of a shot I took of one of my vintage cameras using light painting with a small LED flashlight. This photo is a 6 second exposure, f8, ISO 100 at 35mm. I processed this photo in Photoshop to go from a color image to black and white 'cause I think it makes this camera look that much cooler. 

Vintage Camera - Light Painting 6 Second Exposure F8 ISO 100 35mm
 

Here's a short video of the light painting process to show you how simple this technique is. Once you set your camera settings, turn on your light painting source, hit the shutter button and paint away! Just remember to shut your light off after you're done so you don't have any light leaks getting into your shot.  

 

See? Easy. Light painting is a really cool way to light your object if you are looking for a different look to your photos, or even if you don't have fancy strobes or LED light panels. All you need is a solid tripod and a light source as simple as a flashlight. 

Get after it!

 

Oh, and if you dig my photography, check out my Etsy Shop!

 

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[email protected] (JWPhotoworks) content creator etsy light painting long exposure photo photo lighting photography photography lighting photography lighting techniques tutorial vintage camera https://www.jwphotoworks.ca/blog/2020/9/light-painting-objects---photography-tips Fri, 25 Sep 2020 18:59:12 GMT
Take Your Mobile Phone Film Making Skills To The Next Level. https://www.jwphotoworks.ca/blog/2020/9/take-your-mobile-phone-film-making-skills-to-the-next-level Let's face it, as much as we love to shoot video on some big fancy DSLR, or dedicated 4K video camera, we don't all have access to said fancy equipment all the time. Nor do we always want to lug it around with us all the time. What we do have on us at any given time are our smart phones, and most modern smart phones have pretty decent cameras and video recording capabilities these days. Couple that with any of the really great inexpensive gimbals designed for action cameras and smart phones, and you've got a pretty wicked film making set up. I know I've made really good usage of my Zhiyun Smooth Q gimbal with my GoPro Hero cameras to create some great footage. Here's an example of a video I shot last year after a heavy snowfall usign a Hero 3 black and The Zhiyun Smooth Q. Pretty great. 

 

Here's another great video from Learn Online Video that shows you how to achieve 10 awesome gimbal moves to, hopefully, take your mobile phone film making skills to the next level. Check it!

 


 

 

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[email protected] (JWPhotoworks) content creator dji. gimbal gimbal mobile phone inspiration jwphotoworks mobile phone film making photography tutorial video video editing video tutorials videography work youtube tutorial https://www.jwphotoworks.ca/blog/2020/9/take-your-mobile-phone-film-making-skills-to-the-next-level Thu, 24 Sep 2020 04:09:22 GMT
Tips on how to make your video more cinematic https://www.jwphotoworks.ca/blog/2020/9/tips-on-how-to-make-your-video-more-cinematic So you've got yourself a DSLR and want to make epic, awesome, cinematic films with it. Cool. Only problem is, while DSLR's are capable of shooting fantastic footage these days, they pale in comparison to an actual, purpose built, video camera. The main reason for that is, they lack in the amount of dynamic range that is needed to produce epic cinematic footage. Ya, you can push the footage a bit in post production, but in general, they just aren't as good as purpose built video cameras. Sad, but true. 

Luckily, there are few things you can do to make your footage look more cinematic that are pretty simple and very straight forward. Things like using vintage lenses, using a simple top mount handle, etc. I came across this video from filmmaker Mark Bone, who goes over some of these super simple and easy ways to achieve just that. Check it out:

 

 


 

 

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[email protected] (JWPhotoworks) cinematic content creator film making filmmaking gimbal inspiration photography tutorial video video editing video tutorials videography work youtube tutorial https://www.jwphotoworks.ca/blog/2020/9/tips-on-how-to-make-your-video-more-cinematic Thu, 17 Sep 2020 01:41:32 GMT
New Garage Studio Lighting Set Up https://www.jwphotoworks.ca/blog/2020/9/garage-studio-set-up I posted a blog the other day regarding a really cool home Vlogging studio set up from DSLR Video Shooter and ever since I saw that video, it's totally inspired me to update my little studio I've got set up in my garage for shooting small stuff for my Stock Photo and Stock Video portfolios. Most of the stuff I shoot for those portfolios are small items that I can put on a seamless backdrop and shoot multiple angles of. Stuff like coins, tools, tech items, jewelry, food, etc. Pretty much anything that fits on a 2ft square space. 

 After watching that video, I started to ask the question; what aspects of his set up could I incorporate into my set up. The LED light panels really caught my eye, along with the extendable monitor arms and the little ball heads that attach the light panels onto the monitor arms. I didn't need the set up to be movable, and I didn't want to spend $80 CDN on a monitor arm/post (x2) so I figured I'd go for a more permanent solution regarding the posts the monitor arms would attach to and just get a post that attaches permanently to the table and monitor arms that would fit around that post. At first, I thought I'd just pop down to Home Depot, pick up a couple of 1.5 inch threaded metal base plates and some 2ft threaded pipes to screw into the plates and then screw the plates on to the table. Simple, easy. Uhh...expensive. A 1.5 inch metal threaded base plate at Home Depot is $18 CDN. A 2 ft threaded 1.5 inch metal pipe is $30 CDN. I needed 2 of these set ups, and for that price, I could just get a monitor post and arm from Amazon. I wanted something less expensive. When I was putting the threaded pipe into the base plate at Home Depot, I was looking at it and thought to myself, "Hey, that looks JUST like an Ikea table leg turned upside down!". So, I looked at table legs on Ikea.ca and lo and behold, I got EXACTLY the posts I was after for $5.00 each. I got the rest of the stuff from Amazon though. The Neweer LED panels are fantastic, perfect size for my needs and space. The ball heads are "ok", they work for now, but one of them is a little "iffy" and I might spend a few bucks extra and get ones that are a bit beefier. The monitor arms are perfect for my table size, but if you have a slightly longer table, you might want to get ones that extend out a little more if you're doing any over head type shots where you want the light to be directly over your items. So far so good, and I'm totally jazzed on how it all came together and what I'm able to do with this set up so far. 

Here's a complete list of what I got and how much it all came to for this awesome set up.

Neewer Stainless Steel D Shaft D-Ring 1/4" Mounting Screw - $10.99CDN

 

VIVO Steel Universal Full Motion Pole Mount Monitor Arm with Removable 75mm and 100mm VESA Plate - $29.99CDN each

 

UCEC 1/4" Screw Tripod Mini Ball Head Mount - $10.89CDN each

 

Neewer Foldable LED Light Panel Mat on Fabric 5600K 256 LED Lighting Panel - $72.99CDN each

 

Ikea Adils Table Leg  - $5.00CDN each

 

So there you have it, a new and improved DIY Home/Garage/Desk studio set up for shooting small to medium sized items for just under $250.00CDN or, at today's exchange rate: $190.00USD. 

Here are a couple of shots of the set up and a shot of some coffee beans I shot for my Stock Photo Portfolios

 

 


 

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[email protected] (JWPhotoworks) adobe stock content creator DIY Studio Lighting garage studio home photo studio home studio jwphotoworks led light panel photography photography lighting pond5 shutterstock stock stock photography https://www.jwphotoworks.ca/blog/2020/9/garage-studio-set-up Wed, 16 Sep 2020 05:14:33 GMT
Cinematic Footage Using Your DJI Mavic Mini Drone https://www.jwphotoworks.ca/blog/2020/9/cinematic-footage-using-your-dji-mavic-mini-drone A drone has been on my list of things to invest in for quite some time now, but I seem to suffer from some form of FOMO, where I think that if I buy one now, a cooler, cheaper version of it will come out in 2 months. I know, I know, that's just the way consumer electronics world works, but you get what I'm saying, right? Hmmm, maybe that's why I still have a 10 year old Panasonic Plasma TV. Pssst, the picture quality is still amazing. ;) Anyway...Drones! Ya, I'm gonna get one soon, I promise.

The reason I want to get a drone is primarily to give my Stock Footage portfolio a boost by adding some amazing cinematic drone footage to it. We here on the West Coast of Canada are blessed with an over abundance of amazing natural landscapes and I figure it would be to my advantage to capture some of it with a Drone. The DJI Mavic Mini seems to check all the boxes regarding what I need in a drone for now; 2.7K at 30fps, 1080p at 60fps, 3 axis gimbal, decent flying time, etc. Everything I would need to get going I think.

I found a cool video from Jeven Dovey, who has a great Youtube channel if you're into adventure photography and film making. He's got some really good tips and tricks he shares, so if you feel inclined, give his channel a peek. This video goes over his thought process on how to get some killer cinematic shots using your DJI Mavic Mini Drone. Check it!

 

 

 

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[email protected] (JWPhotoworks) cinematic drone cinematic footage content creator dji dji mavic drone drone footage gimbal inspiration mavic mini photography tutorial video video editing video tutorials videography work youtube tutorial https://www.jwphotoworks.ca/blog/2020/9/cinematic-footage-using-your-dji-mavic-mini-drone Thu, 10 Sep 2020 17:30:02 GMT
Star Trail Photography Using A GoPro Hero 7 Black https://www.jwphotoworks.ca/blog/2020/9/star-trail-photography-using-a-gopro-hero-7-black So here's the deal, I've done all of my long exposure and Star Trail photography using my DSLR. Point it at the sky, set it to a 30 second exposure, put it in time lapse mode and let it do it's thing for an hour or so. I picked up a GoPro Hero 7 a while back and ya, I use it for pretty much everything it's capable of doing, from filming cool action sports videos, to hyperlapse, time lapse, night lapse, etc, but I've never used it for Star Trail photography. It never dawned on me that I could use it for the same thing I'm using my DSLR for. I mean, it's fully capable; it shoots long exposure, it shoots in RAW, I can adjust the ISO, I can adjust the interval in between shots. All using the Night Lapse mode. I just never put the 2 and 2 together and realized that I could do the same thing I use my DSLR for. Duh. 

Now that I know these things, I'm definitely taking it with me when I head out to shoot some more star trail photography and see what I can come up with and how it compares to my DSLR. Either way, it shoots in a much wider field of view compared to my widest angle lens I have for my DSLR, so it should be kinda cool. 

Speaking of cool, here's a cool video from What Alex Did that goes over settings and whatnot to achieve a cool Star Trail image using your GoPro Hero 7 Black. 

 

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[email protected] (JWPhotoworks) astro astro photography content creator gimbal gopro inspiration long exposure photography star trails time lapse timelapse tutorial video video editing video tutorials videography work youtube tutorial https://www.jwphotoworks.ca/blog/2020/9/star-trail-photography-using-a-gopro-hero-7-black Wed, 09 Sep 2020 22:14:10 GMT
GoPro Hero 7 Time Lapse Set Up https://www.jwphotoworks.ca/blog/2020/9/gopro-hero-7-time-lapse-set-up Do you have a GoPro camera? I have a couple of them and I LOVE them. I've got a Hero 3 Black and a Hero 7 Black and use them both for Time Lapse video creation. I mainly use my DSLR for Time Lapse stuff, but the GoPro cameras are a great option for grabbing Time Lapse footage too because they produce top notch quality video, are super compact, and are super easy to set up. 

The Hero 7 has some awesome features that the Hero 3 doesn't have regarding the Time Lapse features, like Night Lapse mode, exposure control, shutter speed control, ISO control, along with other features usually reserved for DSLR cameras. Sure, you don't have lens options like you do with a DSLR, but with the GoPro, you can switch between their "signature" wide angle field of view, or their "linear" field of view, which gives you less of a "fish eye" look. Heck, you can even switch between 4:3 ratio and 16:9 ratio for the video. Which brings me to point out that yes, you can shoot time lapse stuff with the GoPro Hero 7 in either "video mode" or by shooting a bunch of RAW photos that you can edit in Adobe Camera Raw or Lightroom.  The Time Lapse Video mode in the Hero 7 does pretty much all the work for you if you just want to create time lapse videos without all the set up. If you want more control over your finished product, you can shoot in Time Lapse Photo, or Night Lapse mode and capture a whack of photos to edit later. 

I found a great video from MountMedia that goes over all the great Time Lapse settings the Hero 7 offers, so check it out and get shooting! 

 

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[email protected] (JWPhotoworks) content creator gopro gopro time lapse gopro timelapse jwphotoworks mount media mountmedia time lapse timelapse tutorial videography youtube youtube tutorial https://www.jwphotoworks.ca/blog/2020/9/gopro-hero-7-time-lapse-set-up Wed, 09 Sep 2020 18:09:04 GMT
DIY Desktop Studio Set Up https://www.jwphotoworks.ca/blog/2020/9/diy-desktop-studio-set-up Y'know, I'm not one for doing Youtube tutorial videos featuring my face, as I prefer to just make videos that show the finished product. I've been thinking about maybe changing that up in the future though, but I'm still not sure about putting my mug on camera. ;) I totally appreciate people who are comfortable enough doing so, but I'm not there quite yet. I've been thinking about how I can show my work flow when I shoot small objects and stuff for Stock Agencies like Shutterstock, Adobe Stock and Pond5, or products for my Etsy Shop in my little garage studio which consists of a basic work table/bench on which I set up either a white seamless backdrop, or use a variety of bases and backgrounds to create the look I'm after depending on the product or object I'm shooting. 

I stumbled across this awesome video from DSLR Video Shooter on Youtube that features an amazing desktop set up for filming Youtube style videos. It's got everything you'll ever need for setting up your own little home desk studio, including lighting, mic stands, capture devices, tripod mounts, etc. The kicker is that it can be set up for a relatively low amount of money; under $400 for equipment excluding the camera. I was watching this video and I immediately thought of how I could incorporate most of this set up to shoot my work flow scenes in my garage studio. The monitor stand, swing arms, lighting and tripod extension are what really caught my eye and could be adapted to my work bench/table set up very easily. 

 If you, or some one you know is looking to set up a desktop/workflow/Youtube style video studio, check this video out, it helped me, and maybe it can help you. 

 

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[email protected] (JWPhotoworks) adobe stock diy dslr video dslr video shooter etsy shop garage studio home studio jwphotoworks photography pond5 shuterstock video shooter videography youtube youtube tutorial https://www.jwphotoworks.ca/blog/2020/9/diy-desktop-studio-set-up Wed, 09 Sep 2020 16:31:59 GMT
Shooting Handheld Video - Stabilize That Footage! https://www.jwphotoworks.ca/blog/2020/9/shooting-handheld-video---stabilize-that-footage Nope, no gimbals here, just good insight regarding how to shoot good, solid, stabilized footage by adjusting your camera handling techniques to achieve solid, smooth footage. Mark Bone goes over some super easy and simple tips on how to get those results. I know I've used a few of them over the years, like bracing your camera on your hip, cradling the camera, and walking as softly as possible, but if you haven't, or need some pointers on how to achieve smooth handheld video footage, this video will most definitely help you out.

 

Check it! 

 

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[email protected] (JWPhotoworks) content creator gimbal inspiration photography tutorial video video editing video tutorials videography work youtube tutorial https://www.jwphotoworks.ca/blog/2020/9/shooting-handheld-video---stabilize-that-footage Wed, 09 Sep 2020 01:49:48 GMT
How to Edit Your B-Roll Footage Into Your Video https://www.jwphotoworks.ca/blog/2020/9/how-to-edit-your-b-roll-footage-into-your-video I don't usually post up videos from other Content Creators on my blog, but I think that's going to change over the next little while. What I'm going to do is this: I'm going to use this space every now and then to promote tutorials, insights, and tips and tricks from Content Creators that I find inspiring, insightful, and who have something awesome to offer both me and other visual medium creators. Sound good? Good. 

 This video I found on Youtube is from Jeven Dovey, a video maker who uses his love of adventure to make awesome videos and short films. His insights into equipment and video editing are great and in this video he goes over the basics of how to shoot, and incorporate B-Roll footage into your main video footage. Very straight forward, very insightful and super easy to get a handle on.

Enjoy!

 

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[email protected] (JWPhotoworks) adventure b roll content creator photography sports photography tutorial video video editing video editing tutorial videography work from home youtube https://www.jwphotoworks.ca/blog/2020/9/how-to-edit-your-b-roll-footage-into-your-video Tue, 08 Sep 2020 18:49:59 GMT
Best Camera Settings For Light Tube Painting https://www.jwphotoworks.ca/blog/2020/8/best-camera-settings-for-light-tube-painting Light tube painting has always fascinated me, and although I've done my fair share of "long exposure light painting" sort of of photography, I've never done, or had the opportunity to do any painting with light tubes. 

Eric Pare is a master at this craft and this video he posted to YouTube goes over the basics on how to set up your camera for light tube painting. The set up is relatively simple, so take a peek at this video, get some sort of a light tube and have at it! Maybe one day I'll give this a go myself. 

Enjoy!

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[email protected] (JWPhotoworks) light painting light tube light tubes long exposure photo tutorial photography Tutorial https://www.jwphotoworks.ca/blog/2020/8/best-camera-settings-for-light-tube-painting Tue, 25 Aug 2020 16:16:06 GMT
Bike Racing - The Right Shot at The Right Time https://www.jwphotoworks.ca/blog/2020/8/bike-racing---the-right-shot-at-the-right-time You like bike racing? Road, mountain, cyclocross? All of the above? Yeah, me too. I pretty much grew up on a bike, and can vividly remember being so stoked when I rode my little brown tricycle all the way up a neighbors steep driveway when I was about 4 years old. Ever since then, it seems I've always been on a bike, around bikes, selling bikes, fixing bikes...you get the idea. I like bikes. 

So, naturally, I take a lot of photos and videos of bike related events, as there are a lot of them here in the Metro Vancouver area, on the West Coast of Canada. 

Shooting stuff at these events is super fun, and challenging, as you have to be in the right spot at the right time to get the desired result you're looking for. For road racing, the most exciting style of racing is the Criterium, which is a race consisting of a closed loop course where the racers complete a certain number of laps. The action is fast, flat out and changes from lap to lap. Perfect for sports photography. A cool benefit of the races being a series of laps on a closed course, is that you can walk around the course, getting shots from different vantage points. I usually walk around the course to see where the best action is possibly going to be, and then, as the races progress, move to those spots to snap photos. I've found that the best spots for Criterium style races to be are just at the exits to the corners, particularly the slow corners. Why these spots you ask? Well, as the racers exit the corners, they then put all their effort into accelerating out of the corner to make a move on their opponents, which makes for great photos and videos. Here's an example of that type of shot:

A dramatic shot of the bike racers accelerating out of the corner. Settings for this photos are: 1/1600 sec. f/4 70mm ISO 200

    

Another awesome type of shot that you can get at road races is the Panning shot. This one can be tricky, as it involves using a technique known as "dragging the shutter", and to do this, you typically need to set you camera on manual, adjust your ISO as to your light conditions, open up your aperture, and slow you shutter speed. There is no "one size fits all" setting for his, as it totally depends on where you're shooting, so you'll have to play around with your settings to get the right levels you need for the shot you're trying to accomplish. Here's an example of that type of shot:

A panning shot of a bike racer speeding past the camera. Settings for this shot were: 1/100 sec. f/6.3 70mm ISO 3200

As for Mountain Bike races, the challenge is a bit different, as the course are usually, well, on the side of a mountain. The courses are all very different, but can be broken into two main categories: Downhill and Cross Country. Downhill involves racers racing one a time, speeding as fast as they can down a track made specifically for the racing. These tracks usually involve jumps and high speed corners which, as a photographer, is where you want to be. So, you have to scope out the course before hand and see where the best jumps are, and where the best corners are. For jumping shots, it's kind of cool if you try for a wide angle panning style of shot to add some jazz to the image, along with a slightly slower shutter speed to add that motion to the shot, but if you're shooting a jumping shot head on, you're probably going to want to shoot with a wider aperture, and faster shutter speed to get that shallow depth of field and a sharp, crisp shot. For high speed cornering shots, they are like the panning shots. You want to create that aspect of motion in the shot to make sure the viewer gets the sense of speed. Bottom line is, make sure you are in the right spots to ensure you can get the desired results you are after. Here are a couple of examples of those types of shots:

Downhill Mountain BikingDownhill Mountain BikingSettings for this photos were: 1/320 sec. f/4.5 18mm ISO 200

Downhill Adaptive Mountain BikingDownhill Adaptive Mountain Biking1/800 sec. f/4 93mm ISO 1600 Downhill Bike Racing - Head on ShotSettings for this photo were: 1/800 sec. f/4 120mm ISO1600   Downhill Mountain BikingDownhill Mountain Biking High Speed Corners1/60 sec. f/4.5 190mm ISO 100

Shooting Cross Country Mountain Biking is like the criterium road racing style of shooting, the course is a closed loop and you pretty much do the same thing; scout the course for the good spots where there will most likely be some good action. In cross country, or XC, mountain bike racing, there will be some cool stuff like drops, hills, jumps, and steeps, so make sure you make note of where the cools spots are and shoot accordingly. Here are some shots of some XC racing taken at cool spots along the course. 

XC Mountain Bike Racing Settings for this shot were: 1/1000 sec. f/4 70mm ISO 1600 XC Mountain Bike Racing Settings for this shot were: 1/800 sec. f/4.5 170mm ISO 1600

XC Mountain Bike RacingSettings for this shot were: 1/1000 sec. f/5.6 21mm ISO 3200 And that brings us to Cyclocross. Cyclocross racing is like mix between road and mountain biking. It's super popular in Europe, particularly amongst the Dutch, and is growing in popularity here on the other side of the world. Any climate that has cold, wet Autumns and Winters is perfect for Cyclocross. Ha! No, seriously, the wetter, colder and muddier the course, the better. I think one of the major challenges of cyclocross racing is to see if you can stay upright long enough to make it around the course ahead of your competitors. Just imagine riding your road racing street bike with skinny knobby tires on slippery mud. A challenge, right? That's Cyclocross, and it's SUPER entertaining to watch, let alone shoot photos and videos of. 

I would say one of the major challenges of shooting Cyclocross racing is keeping all of your equipment clean and dry throughout the course of the day. Rain gear for you and your gear is a must. Covering the race is just like XC mountain bike racing and road racing. Closed course again, so scout the good spots and shoot away. Now, since there aren't alot of jumps and wild riding stuff going on in a Cyclocross race, you have to catch the action that is cool, like racers doing drops, hurdling over barriers, cornering through mud, that sort of thing. I've found that it's more of an intimate sort coverage, looking for details and textures. The action is slower, so it offers up shooting opportunities that reflect that. Here are some examples of what I mean:

Cyclocross Bike Racing - The GritSettings for this photo were: 1/800 sec. f/4 70mm ISO 800 Cyclocross Racing Settings for this photo were: 1/640 sec. f/4.5 190mm ISO 1600 Cyclocross Racing Settings for this photo were: 1/1000 sec. f/4 120mm ISO 400 So there you have it. Of all these styles of races, I find that the most fun to shoot would be Cyclocross. The environment, the crowd, the weather, and the effort these racers put out just makes for a phenomenal day of bike racing. 

Go out and shoot some Bike Races!

 

Oh, and some of these photos are available in my shop, so if you're looking for Cycling rlated artwork for you space, please check it out: JWPhotography Online Shop
 

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[email protected] (JWPhotoworks) action bike bike photo bike photography bike race bike racing biking" criterium cycling cycling photo Cycling photography cyclocross cyclocross photo mountain mountain bike mountain bike photo sports sports photography https://www.jwphotoworks.ca/blog/2020/8/bike-racing---the-right-shot-at-the-right-time Sun, 23 Aug 2020 04:11:12 GMT
Star Trails - A Quick and Simple Turorial https://www.jwphotoworks.ca/blog/2020/6/star-trails---a-quick-and-simple-turorial Full caveat: I have not had my morning coffee yet, so bear with me. You see, I started doing the "intermittent fasting" thing a few weeks ago, and as such, I can't have anything to eat or drink until noon. Well, I mean I could have black coffee, but ewww, no thanks, I can wait. Anyway, yes, the fasting thing is going ok, I'm down a few pounds, thank you very much. 

Now, about that Star Trail quick and simple tutorial you came her for. I'm going to make this really simple and lay out my technique on how to achieve this result:

It's really easy, all you really need is a DSLR that allows manual control, a tripod, a remote shutter release, and time. Oh and a lawn chair, VERY IMPORTANT!

Now, I mention a remote shutter release, which is great, and they are very handy for lots of things and inexpensive, but if your camera has a built in intervalometer (the ability to shoot time lapse), that's actually better. Either way, whatever you have or what your camera has that allows you to snap photos without touching the camera will work.

First thing you should do is find a good spot to set up that is kind of away from city lights, to reduce the amount of light pollution that might creep into your photos. You don't need to be a million miles away from civilization though. The image that I'm showcasing in this tutorial was shot atop a local small mountain/hill here in Vancouver, that houses Simon Fraser University. It's smack dab in the in the middle of Greater Vancouver and surrounded by urban sprawl.  As long as there are no major lights immediately around you, you should be fine. 

Next, set up your camera on your tripod and your lawn chair. I like to point my camera as straight up as possible, and maybe, as in the case of this photos, frame the image with some foreground objects like trees, or a structure of some sort. From there, you'll need to set your camera on manual focus and focus your lens (I use an 18-55mm) to "infinity". That's the little symbol on the end of the lens that looks like a figure 8 turned on it's side. That way, all the stuff in your photo will be in focus, you know, 'cause it's super far away. Stars...am I right?  

Now come the settings. After shooting a few of these things, I tend to use the same settings for most of them, because, well, they work. The settings I use are as follows: 18mm, f4, 30 second exposure, and ISO 400. Now, my camera has a built in time lapse feature, so I set it to shoot 1, 30 second image every 30 seconds so I don't need to use a remote shutter release, but if your camera doesn't have the time lapse feature, you'll just need to hit that remote button after every 30 second exposure has completed. Same result, different technique. 

What you will end up with is a bunch of 30 second exposures. How many will depend on how long you want to sit outside shooting them. The more you shoot, the longer your star trails will be. For this image, I shot 57 images, which was about a half an hour of shooting. Next thing we have to do is process them in either Photoshop or Lightroom. I usually process my time lapse and multi exposure projects in Lightroom, because I think it's better for working on projects that involve a lot of photos that are of similar nature. I do a few little tweaks and what not to the images, but there is no "one size fits all" approach to how the individual photos should look. Everyone has their preferences, so I'll leave that up to you. The most important thing to do is, if you are shooting in an urban environment, is to "cool" the images down, because you'll probably have some "warm" cast to the photos from the light pollution in the area. Here's an example of the tweaks I did to one of the images for this project:

Once you've processed your images, you'll need to put them into a folder so that Photoshop knows what to do with them. Once you have them all in a folder, in Photoshop, go to File - Scripts - Load Files Into Stack and select the folder and photos you want to stack. Photoshop will them load all the photos as layers, like this: 

From there, select all the layers and change the "mode" (the drop down menus above the list of layers) from "normal" to "lighten" and you should have something like this:

 Cool huh? From there, you can save your image as a JPG and share with all your friends!

Simple, easy, and fun to do! 

Thanks for reading, and for more cool Adobe Lightroom tutorials, check out SLR Lounge

 

 

 


 

 

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[email protected] (JWPhotoworks) astro astro photography jwphotoworks long exposure photography star trails stars https://www.jwphotoworks.ca/blog/2020/6/star-trails---a-quick-and-simple-turorial Thu, 18 Jun 2020 18:25:02 GMT
Time Lapse Projects https://www.jwphotoworks.ca/blog/2020/5/time-lapse-projects Time Lapse. I love time lapse. It's such a cool form of photography that gives me so much joy seeing the end results. The process? Not so much.  Time lapse photography can be, and I'm sure anyone who's reading this and has done it understands, a bit tedious. 

First things first, you gotta think up a good idea for what you want to achieve with your time lapse, then you have to source out the right objects, location, etc., then you have to work out how long you want your finished product to be, do some math regarding how many shots per minute you'll need based on how smooth you want your video to be, and then set up your equipment.

Simple.

Not. 

All time lapses are different, and there is no "one size fits all" approach to achieving a cool finished product. I'm showing you all several different time lapse's I've shot over the last few years to give you examples of how the time lapse technique can achieve a variety of cool results. 

 

First one is a time lapse I shot at night using both long exposure and time lapse techniques. I wanted to get the look of the light streaks of the cars tail lights as they come to a stop, combined with a panning motion, done in post production. The result is a pretty cool short video that makes for great urban B-Roll stock footage. 

 

This second one is a Cityscape Time Lapse I shot at night again, this time on the waterfront, with our local sport stadium as the main focal point. The cool thing about this shot are the water taxis skitting along the water. I shot this like the one above, using long exposure and time lapse techniques. I used 3 second exposures, every 5 seconds. These settings gave just the right amount of exposure and movement to the video. 

 

This third one is one that I did on my lawn. I was about to cut the grass, and noticed that there were a lot of Buttercup flowers on my lawn so I decided to set up and shoot a time lapse that shows the flower closing as the sun was going down. This is the type of video that you see in nature documentaries and B-Roll in videos, etc. I normally shoot time lapse videos an full manual, but because the light would be changing so much during this shoot, and I wanted to maintain the same exposure level throughout the video, that required me to shoot in Aperture Priority mode. I shot this at f2.4 to get a cool shallow depth of field look and an ISO of 400. Now, because of the changing of shutter speed throughout the video to compensate for the changing light levels, I got a bit of flicker throughout the video. I fixed that in post using a program called TLDF 2.1 which analyzes each frame and outputs both de-flickered image files and video files. It's a great program, and is available for both Mac and PC. 

 

And of course, there's clouds. Everyone loves a good, emotive cloud time lapse video. They can be used for so many things, and they sell quite well through my various online stock footage portfolios, like JWPhotoworks ShutterstockJWPhotoworks Pond5and JWPhotoworks Adobe Stock.

The settings on this particular one go as follows: Full manual, f6.3, ISO 200, 1/2000sec at 93mm. As with the above video, I ran it through TLDF 2.1 to de-flicker it. 

So there you have it. A few examples of different kinds of time lapse's and how to achieve the results. I don't get into super detailed specifics with how to achieve these results, as I believe you just need to go out, shoot some stuff and see what you get. Bottom line is,use your imagination when it comes to shooting time lapse videos and you'll be ok in the end. Practice makes perfect. 

Oh, and invest in a good tripod. ;)

If you're interested in more online photography tutorials and courses, check out SLR Lounge

 

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[email protected] (JWPhotoworks) jwphotoworks long exposure long exposure tutorial night shooters photography photography blog photography tutorial slr lounge time lapse timelapse tips tips and tricks tutorial https://www.jwphotoworks.ca/blog/2020/5/time-lapse-projects Sat, 23 May 2020 19:50:16 GMT
I Love Skate Photography https://www.jwphotoworks.ca/blog/2020/5/skate-photography

Skate photography has always been a passion of mine. I started shooting skateboarding as a hobby back in the late 80's, if memory serves me correctly. Come to think of it, snapping photos of skateboarding and skateboarders was one of the first things I shot when I got my first real SLR camera, the legendary Pentax K1000 from Kerrsidale Cameras in Vancouver.

 I remember hanging out at the Vancouver Art Gallery steps and the Granville Island waterpark, in the Fall, after they shut the water off, and in the Spring, before they turned in back on. Both locations were havens for people getting their stoke on, and there was always great action going on.  

Here's photo from that 80's era down at the Granville Island waterpark. I have no idea who the skater is. This was probably 1987 or 1988.

 

The Art Gallery steps are still, to this day, one of the prime spots for street skating due primarily to the fact that the steps and ledges are made from granite, the best material for grinds and slides. I headed over to the Art Gallery recently to snap some photos and came away with some cool shots of the benches and ledges there, complete with those dastardly "skate stoppers".

These were shot on my Pentax K-30 with the Pentax 35mm F2.4 wide open at 2.4. since these were shot in the evening, I set the ISO between 800-3200.

Here are a couple of shots:

The Vancouver area has such a vibrant skate community, and during the summer, that are no shortage of skate related events going on. Here are a few photos from some of the local events. Most of these were shot with either an 18-55mm or a 70-200mm. No matter what lens I'm using, I always shoot as wide open as the lens is capable of, to try and get that separation between subject and background.

Vans Bowl Series - Seylynn Bowl - 2018Vans Bowl Series - Seylynn Bowl - 2018

Dave Hackett - Seylynn Bowl - North Vancouver

 

The GapThe GapThis gap is huge. To get that much speed to clear it is a feat unto itself. Andy Anderson made it look easy. After a few attempts of course...he he.
Taken during a skateboarding contest at the New West Skate Park in New Westminster, B.C.
Good times.

Andy Anderson - New West Skatepark - New Westminster

 

Keegan Palmer - Vans Park Series - 2017Keegan Palmer - Vans Park Series - 2017Keegan Palmer at the Vans Park Series skateboard competition at Hastings Bowl in Vancouver Canada - 2017.

CJ Collins - Hastings Skatepark - Vancouver 

 

CFGT_360CFGT_360

Alex Sorgente - Hastings Skatepark - Vancouver

 

Uknown Skater- Seylynn Skatepark - North Vancouver

 

So ya, I love photographing skateboard event, they're always a good time. Great people, great community, great vibes. If you are a photographer who shoots sports related stuff, and have never shot skateboarding related events and shindigs, I highly recommend it! (once this Covid 19 stuff is all over, I might add...)

Later!

 

 

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[email protected] (JWPhotoworks) extreme sports hastings skatepark jwphotoworks photography seylynn seylynn bowl skate skateboard skateboarding sport sports photogrpahy vancouver vans https://www.jwphotoworks.ca/blog/2020/5/skate-photography Sun, 03 May 2020 21:49:05 GMT
Down Time Sucks https://www.jwphotoworks.ca/blog/2020/4/down-time-sucks Well, this bites, and ya, I'm kinda feeling a bit sorry for myself these days, not being able to go out and shoot sporty related stuff, but I know it's for the best, and I know we all need to stay put, stay inside, and stay safe if we're all going to do our part in making sure this Covid 19 beast doesn't take us all out. How are you all coping with this? Finding other things to shoot? Working on your backlog of projects? Me, I'm forcing myself to be creative and find other things to shoot, mostly focusing on adding content to my various Stock Photo and Video portfolios. Trying to come up with ideas and projects that can be found within the confines of my own home. It's a bit of a struggle, 'cause I really like shooting outside! 

 Anyway, there are some interesting ideas and things to shoot that can be found in and around my place, and maybe you too can find some interesting things to shoot like these. For instance, this whole Covid 19 thing got me thinking about whether or not I had some "medical" related items lying around that I could shoot, and lo and behold, I just happened to find some expired cold and flu medicine in my cabinet that worked perfectly. I guess it was a good thing that I don't clean out my medicine cabinet that often...? 

Here's an example of what I was able to come up with using this old medicine:

 

 

In addition to this sort of content, and more in line with what I really like shooting, I grabbed my board and snapped a few photos of it, more for stock, than artsy, although I do have some really cool artsy stock footage of my board, so rest assured, I'm still striving for cool angles, cool lighting, and a slightly different take on stuff. It's my achilles heel when it comes to shooting stuff.

 

 

 

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[email protected] (JWPhotoworks) covid19 creativity cycling jwphotoworks photography self isolating skateboard sport sports photography stock photo https://www.jwphotoworks.ca/blog/2020/4/down-time-sucks Wed, 29 Apr 2020 06:30:41 GMT
Washing Dishes https://www.jwphotoworks.ca/blog/2019/9/washing-dishes Ok, full disclosure, this post doesn't have anything to do with washing dishes...not really. Well, maybe a little bit.

You see, I, like some people who have a "blog" section on their website, struggle to come up with ideas and topics to write about on a regular, consistent schedule. What does that have to do with washing dishes, you ask? Here's the thing, I find that when I'm washing dishes, it gives me time to think, and what I'm usually thinking about while washing dishes is what I'm going to photograph or shoot video of next, where I'm going to shoot, how I'm going to shoot it, what camera and lenses would be best to achieve what I'm after, what to write about, that sort of thing.

I came up with the idea of this blog post while i was washing dishes this morning. Surprise! 

Here's the meat of this post. I shoot both photo and video and think I'm equally suited to do both as well as the other. I love photography and I love videography and get enjoyment out of both; from the concept, to the execution to the post processing. What that means is, when I'm out of the house shooting "in the field" as they say, I bring both my video equipment and still photo equipment. But here's the thing; I don't like carrying a ton of stuff, I try to keep things as light, simple and easy to tote as possible. What this looks like is usually my DSLR, a few lenses, my GoPro, and a compact tripod. All of this fits into and onto a "sling" style camera bag. All in all, it makes for a very compact and easy to manage set up and allows me to switch easily from camera to camera, lens to lens, etc. This set up doesn't hinder me from using the equipment that I want for the shot or keep me from getting into position to get the shots I want.

Having everything I want at my disposal when I want it, allows me to create what need. Here's a couple of video examples of what I'm able to capture during a cyclocross bike race.

This video was shot with my DSLR and 35mm f2.4  

Here's a video using my GoPro:

You don't have to be a genius to see that these are two VERY different styles of videos. The DLSR one is cool, artsy, with it's shallow depth of field, and the GoPro one is slick with it's ultra wide angle, aggressive framing and smooth slow motion capturing the mud flying off the rear tire.

Both are awesome videos and both in my portfolio because I had access to the equipment I wanted and needed when I wanted and needed it. 

 

Thanks for reading, and thanks for your support. Now get out there and make something. Or go wash the dishes...whatever.

 

;)

 

 

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[email protected] (JWPhotoworks) bike bike race cycling cyclocross DSLR extreme GoPro jwphotoworks pentax photography sport sports photography sports video tutorial https://www.jwphotoworks.ca/blog/2019/9/washing-dishes Fri, 27 Sep 2019 22:11:26 GMT
Stock Photography Insights https://www.jwphotoworks.ca/blog/2019/4/stock-photography-insights I've been at the stock photography game a while now, and after looking over my sales statistics across all platforms I sell or license my photos and videos through, there are a couple of little tidbits I'd like to pass on to people thinking of shooting photos for Stock Photography purposes. These insights are my opinion and are based solely on my results, taking my portfolios in mind. 

First thing is; SHOOT THE PHOTOS WITH THE IDEA OF SELLING THEM AS STOCK PHOTOS IN MIND RIGHT FROM THE GET GO! Really. Shoot them with this purpose in mind right from the start. Don't think too much, don't get too artistic or fancy with them. Get into the habit of thinking of things to shoot that you wouldn't think of taking photos of. I know most people who get into photography want to shoot the next great piece of art and what have you, and yes, that's great, go for it, but for Stock Photography, you have to approach it from a different angle and a dedicated mind set. Think of these photos from a buyers' viewpoint; what do advertisers need? What obscure, overlooked items and subjects are not well represented in Stock Photography outlets? Find these kinds of  things to shoot. My most popular photos that I sell are, in fact, pretty mundane objects. Things like electrical power meters, batteries, fire hydrants, industrial waste, and gas meters. Boring right? I know. But you know what? Photos and videos of those things sell REALLY well! 

 

Second thing is; Make sure you frame your objects (or subjects) off centre in the photo so the client who buys them has space to add their text or title or whatever they want to them. Take photos with the objects to the right, the left, at the bottom and the top of the photo to cover all aspects. I have photos of the same objects off to the left, the right and centred, and I can tell you that the off centred ones sell MUCH better than any of the ones where the object is in the middle. 

Take a peek at some of my top sellers on Shutterstock and you'll see what I'm talking about. None of these are high art by any stretch of the imagination, but they were shot with the sole purpose of selling on Stock Photography outlets, and I've been very successful with them.

 

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[email protected] (JWPhotoworks) adobe stock fire hydrant industrial jwphotoworks photo work photography photography job pond5 power meter professional shutterstock stock stock photography tips and tricks https://www.jwphotoworks.ca/blog/2019/4/stock-photography-insights Wed, 17 Apr 2019 18:27:20 GMT
Crankworx - Whistler - 2018 https://www.jwphotoworks.ca/blog/2018/8/crankworx---whistler---2018 Another awesome summer event has come and gone. Crankworx made it's annual stop in Whistler, Canada this August and as like years before, it was a huge success with great weather, an awesome setting, wicked tracks, and record crowds to take in all the incredible action. I was up there for just one day this year and although it was only one day, I managed to be up there on the day the Fox Air DH was on, so I snapped some photos and shot some videos of that, along with getting some content from the guys practicing for the Redbull Joyride Slopestyle event. This whole event gives me a chance to revel in one of my favourite pastimes, mountain biking, and allows me to hone my skills as a photographer shooting the fast moving and high flying action. A win win for me! 

All of these were shot with my Pentax K-30, and most were shot with either a Sigma 70-300, a Pentax 18-55DA, or a Pentax 50mm 1.8. In most cases, and just the way I like to shoot, the majority of these were shot wide open, and usually at an ISO of 400...maybe 800, depending on the light available. 

Here are a few of my photos from the day, and of course, there are more in the Sports gallery section of my Portfolio. 

Enjoy. 

Downhill Mountain BikingDownhill Mountain BikingYou gotta be fast when snapping photos of downhill mountain bikers racing. Speeding past you at speeds up to 60km/h makes for challenging photo opportunities, but every time I go to an event or race, I manage to come away with some keepers. Enjoy! Downhill Mountain BikingDownhill Mountain Biking Freestyle Mountain BikingFreestyle Mountain BikingThese guys and gals are nuts, no doubt about it. Super talented, but nuts. Capturing a freestyle mountain biker doing his or her thing is a blast. Enjoy these photos!

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[email protected] (JWPhotoworks) a-line bike bull canada crankworx cycling downhill extreme joyride jwphotoworks mountain mtb photography red sport sports whistler https://www.jwphotoworks.ca/blog/2018/8/crankworx---whistler---2018 Wed, 29 Aug 2018 21:00:00 GMT
Local Skateboarding Contest https://www.jwphotoworks.ca/blog/2018/6/local-skateboarding-conttest You know, here in the Vancouver area, there is no shortage of local skateboard events and every now and then, my schedule permits me to head out and snap some photos of the some of the local rippers doing what they do. 

I went out to Pitt Meadows (a suburb of Vancouver) on Pitt Meadows Day for just this reason. The action was awesome. From little rippers to seasoned local amateurs, the competition was pretty intense. I managed to snap a few good ones too. The full gallery is up in the Gallery portion of the site, so feel free to check them out. Here are a few samples:

 

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[email protected] (JWPhotoworks) https://www.jwphotoworks.ca/blog/2018/6/local-skateboarding-conttest Thu, 07 Jun 2018 06:34:22 GMT
An Awesome Light Painting Tutorial https://www.jwphotoworks.ca/blog/2018/2/an-awesome-light-painting-tutorial I discovered Eric Pare's light tube light painting photography featuring Kim Henry a couple of years ago and was completely blown away by what they were creating. Now, I've done some light painting stuff in my time, and continue to do so, but never to the extent of what these two are doing. It's absolutely stunning. 

When you look at what they create, you think, "oh man, there's no way I'd ever be able to do that!", but you know what, according to this tutorial from Eric Pare, it looks pretty straight forward (minus the travelling to stunning, exotic locations that is...he he.)

Check it out and if you dig what you see, subscribe to his Youtube Channel for more tips, walk throughs and tutorials.

 

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[email protected] (JWPhotoworks) eric pare kim henry dance light painting light streaks light tube long exposure photography tutorial https://www.jwphotoworks.ca/blog/2018/2/an-awesome-light-painting-tutorial Wed, 07 Feb 2018 19:57:45 GMT
Vans Park Series at Hastings Bowl - 2017 https://www.jwphotoworks.ca/blog/2017/7/vans-park-series-at-hastings-bowl---2017 Well, another year gone by for the Vans Park Series skateboard competition at the legendary Hastings Bowl here in Vancouver, Canada. I've been frequenting this event for the last 5 years and every year it gets bigger and better, attracting more people to come out and watch the best bowl and park skaters in the world. This year was no exception with the likes of Pedro Barros, Alex Sorgente, Curren CaplesTom SchaarIvan Federico, and a whack of other top skaters. 

I showed up early enough and managed to get a decent seat from which to shoot some photos and video which is a challenge because of a couple of reasons; 1) the event is free and always fills up to max capacity by the time the finals start, and 2), it means I have to get up early on a Saturday... ;)

 

Here are a few of my photos from this years event. 

CFGT_360CFGT_360 Jack Fardell - Vans Park Series - 2017Jack Fardell - Vans Park Series - 2017Jack Fardell at the Vans Park Series skateboard competition at Hastings Bowl in Vancouver Canada - 2017. Karl Berglind - Vans Park Series - 2017Karl Berglind - Vans Park Series - 2017Karl Berglind at the Vans Park Series skateboard competition at Hastings Bowl in Vancouver Canada - 2017. Keegan Palmer - Vans Park Series - 2017Keegan Palmer - Vans Park Series - 2017Keegan Palmer at the Vans Park Series skateboard competition at Hastings Bowl in Vancouver Canada - 2017. Pedro Barros - vans Park Series - 2017Pedro Barros - vans Park Series - 2017Pedro Barros at the Vans Park Series skateboard competition at Hastings Bowl in Vancouver Canada - 2017. Steve Van Doren - Vans Park Series - 2017Steve Van Doren - Vans Park Series - 2017Steve Van Doren at the Vans Park Series skateboard competition at Hastings Bowl in Vancouver Canada - 2017. Tom Schaar - Vans Park Series - 2017Tom Schaar - Vans Park Series - 2017Tom Schaar at the Vans Park Series skateboard competition at Hastings Bowl in Vancouver Canada - 2017. Tristan Rennie - Vans Park Series - 2017Tristan Rennie - Vans Park Series - 2017Tristan Rennie at the Vans Park Series skateboard competition at Hastings Bowl in Vancouver Canada - 2017. Willy Lara - Vans Park Series - 2017Willy Lara - Vans Park Series - 2017Willy Lara at the Vans Park Series skateboard competition at Hastings Bowl in Vancouver Canada - 2017.

 

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[email protected] (JWPhotoworks) extreme hastings bowl pentax sigma skate skateboarding sport sports photography vancouver vans vans park series https://www.jwphotoworks.ca/blog/2017/7/vans-park-series-at-hastings-bowl---2017 Thu, 13 Jul 2017 18:14:26 GMT
New West Skate Park Contest https://www.jwphotoworks.ca/blog/2017/5/new-west-skate-park-contest Skate Park HistorySkate Park HistoryA beautiful old skate park in New Westminster, B.C. Built sometime in the late 1970's/early 1980's, this gem of an old school park is on it's last legs and is slated for demolition to make way for a high school expansion. Fear not though! The city of New Westminster will be building a new park to replace it, albeit, somewhere else in the city.
It'll be sad to see it go though, as it's a real throw back to what was the flow, smooth skateboarding style of the day.

 

I had the pleasure of heading out to the New West Skate Park a couple of weeks ago to snap some photos of the locals doing their thing all in support of the eventual building  of a new skate park. 

You see, the old skatepark in New West at Mercer Stadium is going to be demolished. Sad, yes. But fear not! The city of New Westminster is going to building either a new skatepark, or a bunch of smaller skate spots, whichever the consensus dictates. Either way, the result will be super cool, and benefit the local skateboarder population. 

I'll still be sad to see the old skatepark go though. It's a real throwback to the old school, flown, stylish, not so technical, style of the time that the park was built in the late 1970's, early 1980's. 

After shooting this contest, and seeing the beauty of the old skatepark, I am taking on a new project. To travel around the lower mainland and capture some photos of the older skateparks that still remain. Watch this space for more. 

In the mean time, check out some of the photos from the contest in the gallery.

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[email protected] (JWPhotoworks) new west new westminster skate skate boarding skate park skateboard skateboarding sport vancouver https://www.jwphotoworks.ca/blog/2017/5/new-west-skate-park-contest Wed, 17 May 2017 18:33:16 GMT
Create a shallow depth of field effect in Lightroom https://www.jwphotoworks.ca/blog/2016/12/create-a-shallow-depth-of-field-effect-in-lightroom Found this cool tip on the ole youtube the other day and wanted to share it with you guys and gals. Its a cool tip on how to add a shallow depth of field effect in Adobe Lightroom to photos that were shot with settings that don't necessarily lend themselves to having a lot of depth of field to them. You know, when you shoot a cool image, but it turns out a little flat, and nothing in it really stands out at all, but you wish that the main thing or subject your were shooting stood out a little more? Yeah, this tip will help that. It's pretty easy and straight forward, so take a peek at this tip from Kelbyone and have at it!

 

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[email protected] (JWPhotoworks) depth of field photography shallow shallow depth of field tips tutorial youtube https://www.jwphotoworks.ca/blog/2016/12/create-a-shallow-depth-of-field-effect-in-lightroom Sat, 03 Dec 2016 20:32:33 GMT
How to shoot jewelry on a budget https://www.jwphotoworks.ca/blog/2016/11/how-to-shoot-jewelry-on-a-budget During my daily rounds of the Youtubes looking for cool DIY videos on how to improve my shooting ability and set ups, I found this helpful one from Photigy. In this video, Alex shows us all how to do a jewelry shoot with very simple, inexpensive materials. Many of which we probably all have laying around the house. I've done similar set ups like this in the past, but this one takes it to a much simpler level, and even though he's shooting jewelry, you could use this set up for a lot of different items like toys, tech items, food, etc.

Good stuff!

 

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[email protected] (JWPhotoworks) DIY jewelry jwphotoworks macro photography stock photo stock photography tutorial https://www.jwphotoworks.ca/blog/2016/11/how-to-shoot-jewelry-on-a-budget Thu, 01 Dec 2016 02:04:32 GMT
Stock Photography https://www.jwphotoworks.ca/blog/2016/10/stock-photography So I've been shooting stock photo and stock video for quite a while now. I started off in the Stock content world not shooting photos, but video. Kinda backwards. Most people start off with photos and MAY get into video, but I did it the other way around. I looked at the Stock content market and saw that the photo side of it was kinda saturated so I ventured into video. Video sells really well, but I have a pretty strong stock photo portfolio too and this image is one of my most popular ones that sells on a  consistent basis.

Kids, it pays to hang onto all your old tech. :)

Pile of Old Cell Phones on Shutterstock.com

 

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[email protected] (JWPhotoworks) cell phone jwphotoworks stock photo stock video tech technology https://www.jwphotoworks.ca/blog/2016/10/stock-photography Thu, 27 Oct 2016 07:06:34 GMT
Van Doren Skate Invitational https://www.jwphotoworks.ca/blog/2016/10/van-doren-skate-invitational Ever since it's inception, I've made my way to the Van Doren Invitational skateboard contest at the legendary Hastings Bowl in East Vancouver. Such an awesome event at such an awesome venue. I've got a whack of photos from these events in the Sports section of my portfolio; http://jwphotoworks.zenfolio.com/p321888828, so check them out if you're feeling so inclined. :)

 

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[email protected] (JWPhotoworks) hastings bowl skate skateboard skateboarding van doren vancouver https://www.jwphotoworks.ca/blog/2016/10/van-doren-skate-invitational Wed, 26 Oct 2016 01:55:59 GMT
Gastown Grand Prix https://www.jwphotoworks.ca/blog/2016/10/gastown-grand-prix By far, one of the best bike races to watch. Criterium style, short course, flat, fast and fantastic for spectators. 

Pretty darn good for Photography too. :)

Gastown Grand Prix 2015

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[email protected] (JWPhotoworks) https://www.jwphotoworks.ca/blog/2016/10/gastown-grand-prix Fri, 17 Jul 2015 01:00:00 GMT
Focus https://www.jwphotoworks.ca/blog/2015/7/focus So after some deep thought and contemplation over the last little while as to what direction I wanted my photography focus to go in, I decided to give sports photography a go with a main focus on the sorts of sports that are prevalent here on the West Coast of Canada. You know, sports that are pretty accessible to photograph. 

Now, I've been shooting stock photography and video work for awhile now, and that's all cool and neat and makes me some cash, but that sort of content really doesn't lend itself to being showcased on a "portfolio" style website like this one. So the main focus of this website is to showcase my more non "stock" photo and video work. Work that showcases more of my personal interests and artistic creativity, and if this sort of work leads to some more paying gigs, huzzah! 

Those who are familiar with this region of the world will deduce that mountain biking, road cycling and skateboarding are kind of everywhere. When winter hits, I'll be hoping to shoot some skiing and snowboarding stuff. So ya, voila, that's gonna be my focus with regards to what I set out to capture when I grab my gear and snap pix for this site. 

Enjoy. 

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[email protected] (JWPhotoworks) https://www.jwphotoworks.ca/blog/2015/7/focus Thu, 02 Jul 2015 00:45:00 GMT