Canon 5DMkIII, Canon 70-200mm f/4L IS lens, f/8 at ISO 200
Exposure blend of three images (30 sec, 4 sec and 1/20 sec)

I photographed the “supermoon” on Saturday night at Gasworks Park at the tail end of a Google+ photowalk here in Seattle. I wasn’t expecting to get too much, especially with a hoard of photographers on the same hill alongside (basically photographing the same thing) but I think I came out with a pretty cool image.

Photographing the moon can be challenging, since it’s a ball of light that is significantly brighter than the surrounding foreground and sky. So to balance the exposure of this scene I created three exposures: one for the houses and water (30 seconds), one for the sky and clouds (4 seconds) and one for the moon (1/20 sec). Then I used Photoshop to mask and blend the images by hand.

If you’re in the neighborhood, join me for an evening photowalk in downtown Salt Lake City, Utah on Saturday, September 3rd. This is the last photowalk I’ll be leading in Utah and I thought I’d be all sentimental and lead the same walk I led just over two years ago when I first moved to Utah. Here are the details:

Who: Anyone and everyone! All levels of photographers are welcome, from beginners to seasoned pros.
What: A photowalk! :)
Where: Downtown SLC, near the Exchange Plaza
When: Saturday, Sept 3rd at 6:30 PM (we’ll start walking at 7:00 pm)
Meeting Location: Northeast corner of S Main St and W 400 S (map). We’ll group up in between the buildings for a group photo and then start the walk.

Rumor has it that there might be a few giveaways at the start of the walk, too … Brian Matiash, EDU manager at OnOne software will be at the walk (with the software giveaways), and we’ll have some Peachpit books as well! Hope to see you there!

This weekend is the fourth annual “Photowalking Utah Studio Lighting Workshop” in Draper, Utah. It’s free, there’s no sign-up (just show up) and there are some really amazing setups this year, so if you’re in the Salt Lake area come on down and check it out! More details are over at the Photowalking Utah website. Hope to see you there. :)

Canon 7D, Canon 50mm ƒ/1.4 lens, 1/60th sec at ƒ/3.5, ISO 160

I photographed this on the Worldwide Photowalk on Saturday … Sarah is one of Rich’s two beautiful daughters (and a wonderful model, I might add). I’m a sucker for faded lens-flare shots so I couldn’t resist this shot when I saw the sun peeking through the trees. :)

This past weekend (Saturday, July 24) was the third annual “Scott Kelby Worldwide Photowalk” … this year I led one of the Salt Lake City, UT walks starting at City Creek Park and we walked our way up through Memory Grove Park to the State Capitol. We had more than 50 people participate and it was a really great walk—the weather was perfect and there was a ton of stuff to photograph.

It’s really great that so many people can come together worldwide in one day in the spirit of photography and community. Our local photowalking group, Photowalking Utah, organizes several walks each year and I always have a great time … this one was no exception! :)

If you’d like to see some of the photos from this walk take a look at the Flickr group.

Photowalking is a really fun way to socialize and get some awesome photos in the process. Here are some quick tips to help you out, especially if if it’s your first photowalk.

Know what to expect. Take a look at the info before you arrive so you know what you will be doing. Take note of the meeting location, route, time, etc. … some even have meet-ups afterward the walk and it’s good to know all of this info in case you get separated from the main group during the walk.

Get the group photo right away! If you’re leading a walk make sure you get the group photo before you start walking! People spread out and leave early, so if you get it right away then you won’t have to chase people down or miss out on the group shot altogether.

Keep yourself safe & comfortable. A photowalk typically involves walking and moving around (yes, it’s true). ;) Be sure to wear comfy shoes so your feet stay happy. It’s also a good idea to bring or wear sunscreen if it’s a sunny day, wear appropriate clothing and bring a good water bottle if you think you’ll get thirsty. Most photowalks don’t provide these things for you so you’re on your own … just know your needs and be prepared.

Any camera is fine! Photowalks are not just for “photographers” … these events are for anyone with a camera! You don’t need to be a “professional” with a huge SLR to attend a photowalk. Bring any camera you have, even if it’s the camera on your phone. :)

Minimize your gear. Now, this is just a personal preference, but I like to usually bring only one camera and one lens. Sometimes I’ll carry around a few small lenses, but I don’t tend to bring my entire camera bag. I do see some people toting around lots and lots of gear, and there’s nothing wrong with that, but if the walking distance is pretty far then all that gear can really weigh a person down. Plus it’s fun to be challenged creatively to only shoot with one lens.

Don’t be shy! A photowalk is not just about the photos, it’s about meeting up with friends and meeting new ones. I sometimes get wrapped up in the people aspect that I forget I’m there to take photos. :)

Stay with the group. Photowalks, especially big ones, will mean that there are a lot of people heading in the same direction and should end up at the same place in the end. The groups usually spread out, but it’s a good idea to stay near the main group or at least be sure you are with a few other people and not out on your own. Safety is always the top priority in any photowalk, and there’s always much more safety in numbers.

Take lots of photos. Photography is, of course, the main reason for the get-together. It’s up to you to snap away … the majority of photowalks are not training events, you will mostly just walk around and take photos of whatever you like. A fun way to find things to photograph is to give yourself a theme, and then try and find things that fit the theme.

Share your photos. After the walk it’s always fun to see what everyone took photos of. A photo site like Flickr is a great place to share the photos from the walk … just create (or join) a Flickr Group where all the walkers can post their photos. Groups like these are also great places to share upcoming photowalk events.

Have fun! This is pretty self-explanatory, but the whole point of a photowalk is to have fun doing what many of us love … photography! Try not to take it too seriously and just go with the flow.

The Salt Lake City, UT Worldwide Photo Walk site is posted. There are only 50 “official” sign-up spots for this walk … click on the link below to sign up!

http://worldwidephotowalk.com/walk/salt-lake-city-ut-usa-city-creek-park/

Date: July 24, 2010
Time: 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Meeting Location: South-West corner of City Creek Park, at State Street and E North Temple.

We will be walking North to Memory Grove Park, then up the stairs to the Capitol building. Then we’ll head South down State Street back towards the park. There should be a variety of subjects to photograph and we’ll have the evening sun to light the way.

Note: If the walk fills up and you don’t make the list then don’t worry, you can still come along and join the group. You won’t be eligible to enter the photo contest after the walk but I won’t turn anyone away that shows up to just hang out and enjoy the photo walk. :)

Canon 7D, Canon 50mm ƒ/1.8, 1/500 sec at ƒ2.8

So, dav.d and I were being a bit goofy at the Ogden Photowalk on Saturday, but little did I know we would get an accidental “photobomb” during the process. Beautiful timing, little girl … whoever you are.

BTW, if you’ve never seen it before you have to check out “This Is Photobomb” … but only if you like to laugh. :)

Canon 7D, Canon 50mm ƒ/1.8, 1/500 sec at ƒ1.8, ISO 100

The Photowalk on Saturday was awesome … I had never been to Ogden before so I didn’t know what to expect. In the area we were walking around there were several antique stores and other cute shops along the walk and now I want to go back during the week when everything’s open!

The above photo is my favorite shot of the day. I like to photograph people so I’m always asking random people if I can take their picture and they usually say yes (it gives me a chance to talk about Photowalking Utah, too!). :) This guy was a character … there were several other photographers standing around photographing him and he for some reason for this brief moment he looked right at me. I only took three shots of him and this one was just perfect. I edited it in Lightroom and used a Nik Color Efex Pro film grain effect to add some noise and make the colors pop a little bit more.

Canon 7D, Canon 50mm ƒ/1.8, 1/2000th sec at ƒ/4, ISO 100

Yesterday the speakers and some of the staff from the upcoming Photocamp Utah got together at the Moran Eye Center to go over our presentations and some other info, and I decided to get there early and go on my own little photo-walk. I didn’t just walk around randomly taking photos, I gave myself a theme to look for – angles. I didn’t know what I was going to find and initially got some mediocre shots, but as I walked around I looked up and saw a beautiful reflection on the windows on the front of the Moran Eye Center’s building. I didn’t see just one angle, but several lines and angles going lots of directions (along with some nice color in the mix, too!).

Composing this shot was difficult and I took a lot of photos before I found one I really liked. It was a challenge since there were lines and angles going in every direction. I eventually decided that the curve of the building was the most important part and went with the composition that favored the curved lines but still balanced well with the other aspects of the scene.

I think I’m going to do this more often and give myself a specific theme when I go on photo-walks in the future. I’m also going to try real hard to bring my camera with me everywhere. I usually shoot with a battery grip and a 24-105mm lens, but I just acquired an old 50mm f/1.8 from a friend who upgraded and it looks real nice (and is much easier to haul around) on my battery-grip-less 7D. :)

BTW sorry for the delay in posting all this week … I was without internet for a week after moving to a new place. All is back to normal again so I’ll be posting regularly again starting next week! :)