Kodak Homepage's Posts
In the Blink of an Eye
In the blink of eye, the crucial moment has come and gone. Have you ever been at a sporting event, ready to capture the goal winning picture, snap - too late? As the photographer, you have to be ready, anticipate the moment and act before the moment has arrived in order to capture it.
We teamed up with sports photographer June Harrison to give us tips for taking action photos. June Harrison has photographed athletes, celebrities, leaders, legends, performers, and VIPs for more than 35 years. Not a day goes by that June does not pick up her camera to capture what is right in front of her.
Below are a few of the tips from June.
Plan Ahead
© June Harrison
Know where to be when the action comes by. Get as close as you can and then be patient as you wait in the perfect place to capture the bike riders coming into view. Shoot to tell the competitive story. The tilted wooden slats of the Velodrome gives a clean background for this duel and a shutter speed of 1/1500 of a second stops the action cold.
Go for the Dramatic Moment
© June Harrison
As every horse and rider comes leaping over the jump in Steeplechase, they all have to stick the landing. Rather than shooting the sprint to the finish, I chose to focus on that dramatic and tense moment for a race or two.
Making Action Portraits
© June Harrison
Whether done by a pro or someone sitting on the sidelines of a school soccer game, action portraits require a fast shutter speed and accurate focusing on the interplay of athletes - whether 2 or 4 legged. Even at a distance - and much of Polo and Soccer are seemingly played in the next county - you can watch through the lens so you are ready when the action comes closer and it's Game On. Learning the game and what the athletes are required to do to come up winners, is important.
© June Harrison
Be ready for the unexpected. Stay with the action until the athlete is down and out. If they are still pushing themselves, so should you. When they turn their board into ballet, you will be there.
More from June:
June's tips can be found within our Tips and Projects Center
Visit June's web site to learn more about her and see more photos www.juneharrison.com
Patience Rewarded
What makes a great portrait? Lighting, viewpoint, the subject - all of these elements combined with the photographer's eye for detail.
Here are a few tips I have found helpful over the years:
Relax. And help your subject to relax. Have them do something they enjoy. Talk to them. If they are camera shy and fidgety give them something to hold in their hands.
Observation. Watch the mannerisms of the subject, watch their body language, what makes them comfortable. Then start taking pictures.
Lighting. Try using natural light to set the mood of the portrait.
Background. Look for backgrounds that will add interest to the photo. This week's photos kept the backgrounds clean, without distractions. It helped to keep the focus on the person.
Interesting angles. Climb a tree. Lay down on the ground. Try various photos at different angles.
Once your subject is relaxed they will start to do what comes natural to them. You will be able to have a genuine expression and capture their true essence.
What do you think makes a great portrait? Share your thoughts and tips with us.
Title: Laura's Window
Photographer: Angie Chauvin
Description: This was taken at our cottage in Northern Ontario. It was my daughter's 6th birthday and she was enjoying her new Window Writer markers. The sunlight shone in through the window, illuminating her. This photo really caught her creative character and grace.
Title: Up in the Air
Photographer: Wendy Bristol
Description: This is my daughter on the swings at a park that is across the street from our home. She seems to have no fear, and will even close her eyes as she is swinging - because she loves the feeling of flying.
Title: Those Days
Photographer: Susannah Benjamin
Description: I like the green of the grass and the light behind her. I thought it was really interesting because it was shot from above. :)
Title: Pondering
Photographer: Traci Bender
Description: This is my little girl pondering the life of a three year old...such as which teddy bear should I snuggle with tonight, should I have regular milk or chocolate, pigtails or braids, peanut butter and jelly or grilled cheese...and so on and so on! :) You know deep thinking life questions.
It's Time to Smile!
"Every snapshot a person takes or keeps is a type of self-portrait, a kind of "mirror with memory" reflecting back those moments and people that were special enough to be frozen in time forever." From PhotoTherapy Techniques by psychologist and art therapist Judy Weiser, Director of the PhotoTherapy Center.
Throughout the summer Kodak has been doing some pretty cool things in support of our new marketing campaign - It's Time to Smile! What's the campaign about? Relationships with friends and family are more important than ever, technology has made it easier to keep in touch, yet the quality of our relationships with friends and family is declining causing many people to feel lonely and disconnected, yearning for richer, deeper relationships with friends and family. We believe in the emotional connection images bring to our lives. It's time to smile.
Here are the things we have been working on:
Our facebook page is the center of our activities. We are continually updating interesting facts, discussion topics about relationships, tips & tricks and photo challenges. It is the place to be! Come join us for some engaging conversations and of course, a few smiles!
We teamed up with The Compliment Guys, their mission - to give out as many compliments as they can. The Compliment Guys are two college kids from Purdue who started giving out compliments on campus to brighten others days - what a great idea!
On the homepage we also wanted to have some smiles. We teamed up with the Kodak flickr group What's Your Story? to see what we could come up with. Every month there is a discussion thread based on a theme, members are encouraged to share their photos which best represent the theme. In June, we tried something a little different for the theme:
Smile! - We're trying something new! We would love to showcase some of your images on our web site.
The theme is Smile. But we want something unique, not your everyday posed portrait. What makes you smile? Where do you see a smile? Be artistic, show off your creative side, have some fun.
What would be really cool - tell us the story about the photo. What about the photo makes you smile? What was happening when you took the picture? Don't be shy; more than 140 characters are encouraged!
How will we showcase your images? We will select 5 to place on our homepage (www.kodak.com). We will contact you before we present them on our homepage. Look for the discussion group below!
We were absolutely amazed and excited by the number of photographs that were uploaded.
What do you think?
Title: Me Happy
Photographer: Parks925
Photostream: http://www.flickr.com/photos/parkeedoo/
Title: Hazabina
Photographer: Joker 74
Photostream: http://www.flickr.com/photos/joker1974/
Title: Young Photographer
Photographer: combinatorial
Photostream: http://www.flickr.com/photos/combinatorial/
Title: I Heart U
Photographer: Deepa
Caption: The Valentines Day fever is all over the place, even my office caterer didn't want to be left behind. Today's menu: Tomato Soup, Green Salad, Dal Dilruba, Sajini Pulav, Tawa Veg, Paneer Tikka Masala, Flooda
Photostream: http://www.flickr.com/photos/51886699@N00/
Title: Shawna - Smirk or Smile? What's the story?
Photographer: Lady Ducayne
Caption: This photo was not planned or posed. I just happened to capture the moment at Disneyland. But, is that a smile, a smirk, or something else? I feel that this photograph tells whatever story YOU would like it to tell...is that prince charming?
Photostream: http://www.flickr.com/photos/goodladyducayne/
You may have noticed my plea for stories above...have you ever noticed how challenging it is to get photographers to chat about their photos?