The 2011 FMB Bash in the Boro

For many Bikers in South Carolina many know what the FMB before Bash means. FMB actually means Forget Myrtle Beach. This was created after tough legislation was passed in Mrytle beach, SC that made riding a motorcycle there almost impossible. Because of this event organizers brought the bash to the Boro under the token that Walterboro, SC is a biker friendly community. The two day event boasted many vendors and bikers the same. Eyecatcher Photography was on scene from the set-up of the first vendors to the closing of the event. The very photogenic crowd and entertainers made my days at the event enjoyable. Many names where in the lights on the FMB stage like Joe Santana's Kingfish, out of Flordia, Otis Brown, and the Head Shop Boys. They provided the background music for most all of the event. Walterboro's own fire breather Jordan performed two shows for the crowd of bikers with thousands of miles under their belts. Even these bikers cringed at the sight of fire, and were curious if it hurt. All in all The Bash in the Boro was an extremely enjoyable event to work. For more information about next years bash please visit: http://www.fmbbash.yolasite.com/
Eyecatcher Photography, Event and Portrait Service was the official photography service for this event.

What Camera is Best for Me?

A question I hear most from friends, client's ,and family member's is, "What Camera should I buy?"

This blog will take you through some of the terminology salesmans sometimes use, and you think your getting a good deal until you get to the checkout counter. With a few steps this blog will take the headache out of your next camera purchase.

First Ask yourself these few questions and answer them, Keep this questions in mind when looking for a camera.

* each of the questions will be explained below the question*
Q1.)What am I using this camera for?
Q2.)Where will I be using this camera?
Q3.)How much am i willing to spend?
Q4.)Do I want a high end name brand camera or a equally camera with the same capabilities for less the price?

Explanations
A1: Do you plan to take simple photos throughout time for photo albums, family photos; Do you wish to take a more serious approach to photography like learning to use various settings to make professional quality photos, or do you want to take photos of a wide variety of things with one click and it's ready to print.

A2: Do you plan to use the camera indoors mostly, outdoors, at the beach, in higher altitudes, or a camera that can go anywhere easily etc.

A3: The amount of money you are willing and able to spend on a camera and possibly accessories

A4: Would you want a camera that does everything that is a high-end trusted brand does or a camera that has the same capablity that may not be known as much.

Camera Types Explained:

Point and Shoot Cameras:

Nikon P100

Nikon Coolpix S3000

     

Pros: campact size and light enables you to carry the camera anywhere, Has many of the same settings as the larger DSLR Cameras which allows you to take many photos at many different locations like the ones listed above, records low quality video 

Cons: Some have lower mega pixel counts and may run off regular batteries, shortening the amount of time you are able to take photos.

Manual Lens Cameras:

Pros: Ability to control your picture, completely change any setting within the camera to produce almost perfect images
Cons: Must know how to change and control lighting, change camera settings seemlessly, must use a tripod/monopod to stabilize the camera so not to distort the image.
CPU/Manual Cameras(DSLR)-

Nikon D3100

Nikon DX3

  

Pros: Has the capabilities of both the Manual Camera and the Point and shoot camera, Records video. Can take up to 700 photos on a single charging under normal use, runs off Rechargeable batteries. Offers many ways to share photos  Cons. Some may have a bulky and heavy design

DSLRV-

D300S

Pros: offers all of the features the above camera's do along with the capabilitiy to take HD quality video and record sound
Cons: Extemely Expensive and has a somewhat bulky and awkward design

Lenses Explained

What lens you use with a camera depends on the type of image you are trying to produce for this post I will cover the basic lenses

* Check your camera's owner manual to be sure a lens is compatible with your camera before purchasing a lens*

Disclaimer- You DO NOT have to purchase a lens that is the same brand as the camera, many other brands are compatible with other cameras (Sigma lenses are compatible with Nikon DSLR Cameras)

18-55 mm Lens-

 Perfect for the point and shoot photographer

 gives a wide angle veiw at 15 mm

Auto Focus and Vibration Reduction aides the untrained photographer but can be turned off if desired.

Slower shutter speeds ( up to 250th of a second)

55-200 mm Lens

 

Has all the capabilities as the above lens except it produces a crisper image
It also allows for a faster shutter speed ( up to 4,000th of a second on Shutter priority)
Ideal for photos being taken from far away and photos that are being taken of moving subjects to give the effect of stopping let's a say a runner in their tracks or slowing the shutter speed a little to give a creative blur

400 mm+   Lens more or less follow the same standard.

Shutter speeds and the distance you can be away from the subject as well as the price of the lens increase with every lens size you move up.
However the Larger the lens gets the more distortion gets involved in your image, Trained photographers are able to compensate for the distortion to produce crisp images, Not recommended for the point and shoot photographer.

Camera Terminology
VR- Vibration Reduction: automatically compensates when the camera shakes to reduce if not do away with blur from normal hand held use.
AF- Auto Focus: Automatically focuses your lens to produce the best possible image to reduce blur
Face Recognition Technology- Recognizes faces in a photo under the portrait setting (On Nikon Cameras) and focuses on each face more than the rest of the image. This produces a well formed photo with everything in perfect focus with a little more focus on the face(s)
Red- Eye Reduction: Firmware built into your camera to reduce the light bounced back to the Camera's image sensor eliminating the red eyes you sometimes get when using external flash.
Firmware- The program that your camera uses to perform the various functions
MP's: Mega Pixels- Dots that form your photo, the higher the MP count the more defined your image will be and the more colors the camera is able to recognize giving a brighter more vibrant result.
SD Cards (Secure Digital): External portable cards that are able store your digital photo files; making it easier to transfer, edit and share your photos
* SD Cards come in different sizes*

 I recommend a 2 GB Card and I use this size in my camera personally

Finally research the camera you want to buy, sometimes online stores have a better deal on a camera then a regular department store
Also look at the Manufacturer's Warrenty
Nikon offers 5 year protection under normal use and "errors in workmanship" on some models

If the store where you purchase the camera offers a warranty, do yourself a favor and buy it.
Think of it as a small investment to protect your new very expensive investment plus if anything goes wrong that isn't covered under the manufacturer's warranty, you are covered and it won't cost you a thing to have your product fixed.

If you have any other questions please feel free to comment and I'll get back to you as soon as possible
Happy hunting!


I Do Not Endorse a specific Brand I just prefer Nikon and know the most about that brand

So Many Features So Little Time

If your like me when I got my newest addition to my camera collection, you were scratching your head wondering what all of these buttons do. Months later I'm still perfecting and learning what all of those buttons do. For months I shot photos on the auto button which does exactly what the name states. Basically I was on "Camera Auto-Pilot", the images I created were great but never got fantastic results I was looking for. One day I became brave and ventured to an unknown feature on my camera, and have never looked back! My Camera, a Nikon D3000, in total has 13 feauture selections on the dial. Which are:

1. Guide-helps you get used to using the camera
2. Auto- Great for fast snap shots
3. No Flash- obviously No flash
4. Portrait- Perfect for taking shots of people
5. Landscape- Nature Shots or Architechture
6. Soft Ambiance- Ideal for snow shots, on the beach, or newborn portraits (lower ISO Settings)
7. Action- Ideal for taking pictures of fast moving objects
8. Close-Up
9. Night Portrait- uses flash but has a slower shutterspeed ideal use is with a tripod
10. Manual- Tripod Mandatory (used with Manual Lenses)
11. Appeture- Priority- This Tells the camera the Color and Exposure of your images are more important than everything else.
12. Shutter- Priority- Allows you to adjust shutter speeds to create blurs or make moving objects stand still
13. Programmed- Auto- Perfect for snapshots

We will have future blog posts that shows you how to use the various settings and what they can create, until then experiment with your camera and drop us a line if you have a specific camera you want to know what a odd button does.

Why Use Larger Millimeter Lenses for Portrait Photography?

Many people ask us why do you use a 55-200 mm Nikkor Lens rather than using the smaller 18-55 mm Nikkor Lens for Portraits? The answer is the larger lens allows for better quality photographs. This means for one the composition in your photograph is better because less of the background is showing in the photo. It's simple technology, smaller lenes are typically wide-angle lenses that have a wide angle of veiw, capturing a larger amount of unwanted material in your photograph. Larger lenses have a small or short range of veiw which only captures what is desired. Smaller lenses often distort an image by making people's noses or other body feature look larger than they are, and unless you are trying to make something stand out on your client, then this is not what you want. Smaller lenses also make you have to get closer to your client which can get very uncomfortable not only for them, but for you. Remember your clients enjoy their personal space as much as you do. The larger Lenses allow for you to stand back from a distance and shoot full body shots, quarter shots, 3/4 shots, and headshots, all while standing in the same place. This is not only more effective, but can give you excellent candid shots in between times that the client or model thinks you are not taking shots. Even though I prefer larger lenses to take most of my client's photographs I have used smaller lenes for some of them. When It comes to choosing which one is best, go with what's comfortable for you and your client of course. Great photographs can be created by using both lenses, it just takes a little practice to perfect the technique for using the various lenses. Now grab your camera, and give it a shot, leave a comment about your results.

Eyecatcher Photography's Humble Beginings

Eyecatcher Photography was an overnight dream that after several months of hard work became a reality in 2009. Locally owned and operated in Walterboro, South Carolina we bring you the very best image possible for your events. From our stratigic planning of the perfect shot to the ordering process Eyecatcher is here to serve you thoughout the entire process.  Our fresh eye for new and exciting shots are what sets us apart from the older generation of photographers. Through intergration of technology we are able to shoot, edit and show your images before everyone has left your event adding a memorable touch to a special evening. Our prices are highly competitive because we believe photography should be a service everyone can afford, however,we never sacrifice quality for price.
We offer a variety of  photography services for events, birthday parties, family portraits, Seniors, Weddings, etc. All images taken are photo finished and lab corrected for the absoulute best quality photo. Don't be stuck buying those one size fits all photo packages.  We give you the option to build your own photo packages.A full price list of these services and products can be found at www.eyecatcher-photography.webs.com