Author Archives: wdferris1@gmail.com

Classic Beauty

Looking east inside the Wisconsin Capitol. Two glass mosaics (pendentives) are seen: Liberty (left) and Justice (right) (Bill Ferris)

There is just something about classic, old world architecture. I love it and, best of all, so does my camera.

Built during the early 1900’s by George B. Post & Sons of New York, the Wisconsin Capitol building in Madison is a fine example of Renaissance Revival architecture. It features the largest granite dome in the world, a rotunda constructed of marble from Greece and the classical lines and archways one would expect to find in a European capitol. At 284 feet, 5-inches tall, the Capitol is three feet shorter than the nation’s capitol in Washington, DC. In 1988, the state of Wisconsin began a major renovation project to modernize the infrastructure while restoring the original 1917 appearance of the building. Completed in 2002, the result of that work is shown in the photos accompanying this article.

Architectural photography and landscape photography have a lot in common. The most significant commonality is that a good wide angle lens and tripod are key to capturing dramatic images filled with rich color and detail. All the photos in this article were taken with a Nikon D600 and Nikon 16-35mm zoom lens. All were shot at 16mm. To capture as much detail as possible, I used small apertures (f/16 to f/22), which deliver great depth of field. To minimize noise and preserve the detail of the exposures, I selected an ISO of 200.

I visited the capitol building on a late November day, finding an interior illuminated by wonderfully soft natural sunlight. Because I was shooting with small apertures, my exposures needed to be quite long. The above photo, for example, is a 0.8-second exposure. As you look through the other images, you’ll see captures from 2- to 5-seconds in length.

Looking southeast from beneath an archway in the Wisconsin Capitol building, three pendentives are seen: Liberty (left), Justice (center), and Legislation (right) (Bill Ferris)

This is a 2-second exposure shot at f/16. The dome interior was overexposed by a full stop but the arches and corridors were properly exposed. Shooting in RAW made it relatively easy to correct the overexposed dome in Photoshop. I opened the original RAW image, making subtle adjustments in exposure and color saturation to optimize for the arches, corridors and pendentives. (Pendentives are the colorful glass mosaics between the arches.) This file was then saved as a TIFF. I then re-opened the original file, this time bringing the exposure down by a full stop to optimize for the dome interior. I copied this into a new layer in the TIFF file and used a layer mask to reveal just the dome interior.

This is the beauty of working with RAW files. Because they are uncompressed and contain the widest dynamic range of any format, RAW files allow you the greatest latitude in adjusting exposure, brightness, contrast and color saturation without loss of detail. I can often decrease or boost exposure by two full stops without significant degradation of the image.

A view from the Wisconsin Capitol second floor balcony up toward the dome. Three pendentives are visible. The pendentives are glass mosaics representing the three branches of government: Justice (left), Legislation (center) and Executive Power (Government – right) (Bill Ferris)

The graceful curves and lines make this building perfect for a photographic style that emphasizes balance and symmetry. While setting up, I noticed a small patch of sunlight illuminating the dome interior so, I framed the shot to include this detail, which anchors the upper boundary of the image. This, again, is where a tripod is essential gear. Shooting with a tripod allowed me to carefully compose each shot. I used the D600’s virtual horizon to get the camera level along the horizontal X-axis. Tilting in the vertical Y-axis would still preserve a symmetrical view.

After composing the shot, I used the camera’s AF-S (Auto Focus-Single Servo) mode to set focus on a distant detail. I had also assigned focus activation to the AE/AF lock button. With focus set, I could then pay attention to any final framing adjustments before taking the exposure. To minimize the chance that vibration would introduce shake during these long exposures, I used the camera’s self-timer to delay shutter actuation by 10-seconds from the moment I pushed the shutter release button. This delay allowed the camera body to settle and capture crisp, detailed photos.

The only drawback was that, on several occasions, people would walk into my frame during the 10 second delay. Oh well. When that happened, I would wait for them to leave the frame before starting another exposure count down. Patience, is a valuable asset to have as a photographer.

Looking up from the ground floor toward the center of the dome of the Wisconsin State Capitol. With east at bottom, south at right, west at top and north at left, all four pendentives (glass mosaics) are visible: Liberty (bottom left), Justice (bottom right), Government (top left) and Legislation (top right) (Bill Ferris)

This image was taken at 16mm, f/16, ISO 200. It is a 5-second exposure. I intentionally overexposed the dome by two full stops to capture enough light to allow the arched ceilings to show good color and detail. As with the other images in this set, I used the exposure adjustment tool when opening the original RAW image to create multiple layers in the final Photoshop composite. The base layer was optimized for the architectural details in the corners; the next layer, for the arches; then third, for the glass mosaic pendentives; and the uppermost layer exposure was optimized for the dome interior. Exposure was decreased by nearly two stops, which shooting in RAW makes possible.

The real fun of photographing a structure such as this–with its graceful lines, European flourishes and classical beauty–is having the time to play with composition. After capturing a frame featuring one detail, you might move the camera just a few degrees to reveal another detail that serves as the focus point for the next exposure. There is almost no wrong way to work a subject like this. Of course, this assumes you’ve brought your camera along for the trip.

Now, get out an shoot.

Bill Ferris | December 2013

Sports Photography

Wide angle zooms reach infinity focus within 2 to 3 meters, allowing you to freeze motion and achieve good depth of field even at the widest aperture. This image was shot with a Nikon D600 full-frame DSLR using a Nikon 16-35mm wide angle zoom lens at 16mm, f/4, ISO 4000, 1/500-second. (Bill Ferris)

Sports and wildlife photography are extremely demanding of you, as a photographer, and your equipment. You are often shooting in low light, farther from your subject than you’d like–when it comes to wildlife, sometimes too close for comfort–and trying to capture a moving target. These are situations where your photographic technique and your equipment’s ability to make good images are pushed to the limit. In this blog entry, I’m going to focus on sports photography, offering some tips on how to capture compelling, dynamic images under challenging circumstances.

Battling for position beneath the basket. This image was captured at 70mm, f/2.8, ISO 2500, 1/800-second

Battling for position beneath the basket. This image was captured with a Nikon D600 and Tamron 70-200mm zoom lens at 70mm, f/2.8, ISO 2500, 1/800-second. (Bill Ferris)

Basketball is a sport which allows photographers to be relatively close access to the action. This doesn’t make the sport easy to shoot but it does make basketball easier to photograph than other sports. I used a Nikon D600 to capture all the images in this article. Sports photography is one area where a full-frame sensor, such as that in the D600, can give you an advantage over a digital camera with a smaller crop-sensor. The pixels on a full-frame sensor are larger than those on a crop-sensor DSLR body offering similar resolution. Larger pixels are more efficient. In other words, they do a better job of capturing light than smaller pixels. As a general rule, A full-frame DSLR will deliver at least a full stop of improved high ISO performance in comparison with a similar resolution crop-sensor body.

Why is this important for sports photography? If your objective is to capture a moment, your objective is often to freeze motion. (Please, note that freezing motion is not required for good sports photography. It is, however, a common practice.) To freeze motion, you need to take really short exposures, typically using shutter speeds between 1/500 and 1/1000 second. To make a good quality image at such fast shutter speeds, you’ll need two things: a fast lens and a camera with good high ISO performance. (Since flash photography is prohibited on the field or court, you’ll need to rely on your lenses and sensor to make the most of the available light.) Most sports photographers shoot with lenses offering fixed apertures of f/2.8 or faster. ISO settings are typically in the 1600 to 6400 range…sometimes faster.

In the above image, I was shooting at 70mm, f/2.8 using an ISO of 2500 and a 1/800-second exposure. If you zoom in to 100% on the full-size version of the image, you’ll see a slight touch of blur on NAU player’s right eye. Also, the reflected lights on his cornea are slightly elongated. Even shooting at 1/800-second, the image does not completely freeze the motion.

This image was taken with a Tamron 70-200mm zoom at 200mm, f/2.8, ISO 6400, 1/800-second

This image was taken with a Nikon D600 and Tamron 70-200mm zoom at 200mm, f/2.8, ISO 6400, 1/800-second. (Bill Ferris)

Another advantage of a full-frame sensor is its comparatively shallow depth of field. This advantage is due to the fact that crop-frame sensors effectively extend the focal length of a lens. Nikon’s DX format sensors have a 1.5X crop factor. In other words, any lens used on a DX format body will have an effective focal length 50% longer than it will on a full-frame or FX format Nikon body. The lens I used to take the above image was set to 70mm on my full-frame Nikon D600. On my crop-sensor D90, that same lens would have an effective focal length of 105mm and a correspondingly greater depth of field. The pleasing bokeh in the above image would not be as dramatic in images made with the D90. Objects in the distance would be more in focus, reducing the separation between the subject and the background.

This photograph was taken with a Tamron 70-200mm at 135mm, f/2.8, ISO 3600, 1/640-second

This photograph was taken with the Nikon D600 and a Tamron 70-200mm at 135mm, f/2.8, ISO 3600, 1/640-second. (Bill Ferris)

Here’s an image that does a nice job of freezing the action. If you zoom in to view the image at 100%, you’ll see the NAU player’s eyes are in focus. This is the number one rule of good photography: focus on your subject. When shooting basketball or another sport where the athlete’s face is in view, you should focus on the eyes. How do you know if you’ve succeeded? Look at a 100% view of the the eyes in the original image. If light reflected off the cornea is sharp and well-defined, the image is in focus. If the eye is soft or fuzzy, the image belongs in the recycle bin.

A technique I use to achieve good focus is called, Back Button Focus. Back Button Focus (BBF) moves the auto focus function of your DSLR from the shutter release button to the Auto Exposure Lock/Auto Focus Lock (AE-L/AF-L) button, typically found on the back of a DSLR body. Why do this? Most DSLR shutter release buttons allow you to activate auto focus with a half-depression of the shutter release button. To take a picture, depress this button fully to actuate the shutter. When shooting sports, there is an advantage to separating auto focus from shutter release.

Taken at 200mm, f/2.8, ISO 6400, 1/800-second. (Bill Ferris)

In the above photo of NAU men’s basketball head coach, Jack Murphy, he was squatting while speaking to his team. The distance from him to my camera wasn’t changing. In that situation, I used the AE-L/AF-L button to set focus on his eyes, then waited for him to turn and face me before taking the exposure. If the Shutter release button also triggered the camera’s auto focus function, taking the picture may have reset focus on another person in the frame, ruining the picture.

Another advantage of moving auto focus to the AE-L/AF-L button is the potential to extend the battery life of your camera. If you shoot with vibration reduction (VR or VC) lenses, that half-depression of the shutter release button will activate the vibration reduction motors. The VR motors draw additional power from your camera’s battery. Using the AE-L/AF-L button for auto focus allows you to wait longer before engaging VR, which will extend your battery life.

D600 with Tamron 70-200 at 200mm, f/2.8, ISO 5600, 1/800-second. (Bill Ferris)

So, how do I set up my camera for a sports photo shoot? First, I put the camera in full Manual mode. Why? Well, I know there are two factors over which I want total control. The first, is aperture. I want to use my lens’s widest aperture. This maximizes the amount of light falling on the sensor, which allows me to make a good image using short, fast exposures. A wide open aperture also delivers images with beautiful bokeh, creating clear separation between the subject and surrounding environment. The second factor I want to control, is shutter speed. If I’m trying to freeze the action, I’ll choose an exposure of 1/500-second or faster. You’ll notice many of the images in this article were taken with exposures of 1/800-second.

Having selected the aperture and shutter speed, I will then engage a setting I rarely use: Auto ISO. When doing landscape and portrait photography, I generally select a low native ISO setting of 100 or 200 to reduce noise in the resulting photograph and maximize image quality. Sports photography is one of those scenarios where you need to use–and trust–the camera’s high ISO capability. Selecting Auto ISO allows you to concentrate on framing, focus and when to push the shutter release button. You can choose to manually control ISO and, to be honest, many photographers are able to make ISO changes on the fly without missing a shot. Personally, I prefer to keep things simple and Auto ISO reduces the number of critical variables I have to monitor. Of course, this technique is only as good as your DSLR’s ability to meter and select a proper ISO.

D600 with Tamron 70-200mm at 200mm, f/2.8, ISO 5000, 1/800-second. (Bill Ferris)

With the manual settings in place, I’ll then double-check my camera’s auto focus setting. For landscapes and portraits, I use Nikon’s Auto Focus Single-Servo (AF-S) mode and choose a single auto focus point. In a nutshell, the AF-S mode tells the camera to set focus just once and lock that in place until the shutter is actuated. Landscapes don’t move and, in many portraiture settings, your subject is not moving. So, AF-S is a mode that allows you to precisely set and hold focus. Choosing one auto focus cross-point gives you further control over these critical factors.

Sports photography is a different animal, altogether. Since your subjects are moving, it’s generally better to select Auto Focus Continuous-Servo (AF-C) and a cluster of cross points where your subject is most likely to be within the frame. With AF-C selected, my D600 offers options of 9, 21 or 39 cross point clusters to predictively track and follow focus. This illustrates another advantage of assigning auto focus to the AE-L/AF-L button. With my right fore finger resting atop the shutter release button, my right thumb is able to depress and hold the AE-L/AF-L button to engage continuous auto focus. When I’m ready to take an exposure, I press the shutter release button.

D600 with Nikon 16-35mm at 16mm, f/4, ISO 5600, 1/640-second. (Bill Ferris)

Burst rate is another setting I’ll adjust prior to the game. Again contrasting sports photography with landscapes and portraiture, shooting constantly moving subjects is a scenario where your camera’s high speed burst rate is a real asset. Over the course of one or two seconds, a basketball player can go from the top of the key to leaping and finishing with a layup kissed off the glass or a monster dunk. My D600 has a maximum continuous burst rate of 5.5 frames per second. That’s one frame about every 0.2-second. If you have any doubt about how much can happen in two-tenths of a second, review a short burst sequence. In that collection of 5 to 10 images, there may be one where the player’s face is visible, the ball is visible, focus is pin sharp and framing is perfect. The other images may be soft in focus, poorly framed or have some object obscuring the subject’s face. I don’t recommend holding down the shutter release for seconds on end. But a well-timed, one-to-two second burst at your DSLR’s fastest rate can go a long way towards ensuring you get the shot.

Nikon D600 with Tamron 70-200mm at 200mm, f/2.8, ISO 6400, 1/800-second. (Bill Ferris)

Let’s talk about subject matter for a moment. Certainly, the primary objective of your photography will be to capture the critical moments and plays in the game. But sports are about more than just the action on the field or court. It’s also about what’s happening on the benches, in the stands and on the sidelines. The above image has nothing to do with the final score. But it captures a genuinely personal moment among the players on the Northern Arizona bench. If you didn’t attend the game, you probably don’t know what the final score was. However, seeing this image, may give you a clue. NAU dominated. They led by twenty or more points throughout the second half and won by that same margin. Hence, the players on that bench felt comfortable sharing a light moment–a bit of humor–before the final buzzer sounded.

200mm, f/2.8, ISO 4000, 1/800-second. (Bill Ferris)

Finally, I’ll share a few thoughts on lens selection. I brought three lenses to this shoot: Nikon 16-35mm, f/4; Tamron 24-70mm, f/2.8 and Tamron 70-200mm, f/2.8. All are zoom lenses with vibration reduction. The two Tamron lenses are fast, with fixed f/2.8 apertures throughout their zoom ranges. The Nikon 16-35mm is one stop slower at f/4, which would normally be a significant limitation in this setting. However, the excellent high ISO performance of the Nikon D600 body allowed me to freeze the action with this ultra-wide angle zoom.

Of the three, if I had to choose just one to bring to a basketball game, it would be the 24-70mm, f/2.8. It’s wide enough to frame players, head-to-toe, beneath the basket and long enough at the 70mm end to isolate a player from the waist up. The 70-200mm, f/2.8 would be next in my bag. The reach of this lens allows me to get up close and personal, filling the frame with the face of a coach or player. It also allows me to follow action on the far end of the court. In fact, if I were limited to just one lens for all sports shooting, it would be the 70-200, Sports like football, baseball and soccer are played on larger fields that demand a longer zoom range to bring the action closer to you, the photographer.

This photo was taken with a Nikon D600 and Tamron 70-200mm combo at 200mm, f/2.8, ISO 4500, 1/800-second. (Bill Ferris)

In summary, the key to successful sports photography is freezing the action. The tools that allow you to do this are a camera body with very good high ISO performance (advantage: full-frame sensor), fast lenses (f/2.8 or faster), and an auto focus system that accurately tracks and predicts focus on moving subjects. Shooting in manual allows you to control at least two critical settings: aperture and shutter speed. Using the camera’s Auto ISO feature can simplify things for you. Using your camera’s continuous auto focus setting and moving control over auto focus to the AE-L/AF-L button are an asset to achieving accurate focus. Focus on the eyes of your subject. If the eyes aren’t in focus, the image belongs in the recycle bin. When you’re ready to shoot, a well-timed short burst will help to ensure you get the shot. And finally, capture images that tell the full story of the event, including action around the court.

Now, get out and shoot!

Bill Ferris | November 2013

Hit the Street

It’s a busy Friday night at “The Sweet Shoppe” in historic downtown Flagstaff, Arizona. (Nikon D600, Tamron 24-70 at 70mm, f/2.8, ISO 6400, 1/250 sec.) (Bill Ferris)

Street photography is all the rage. Candid images of unsuspecting people capture the personality of a community. On a recent Friday night, I roamed the streets of Flagstaff looking for scenes of real life to photograph. The above image of a friendly exchange between a customer and employee in a downtown Flagstaff business, captures a touch of the good feeling that filled the streets on this particular evening. It was the first Friday of the month. People were out and about having dinner, buying a dessert to share with a friend and enjoying out the diverse collection of art and artists on display. It was wonderful to be out and in the midst of such a positive vibe.

Often, street photographers seek out subjects that challenge our senses or sensibilities. There is nothing wrong with taking that approach unless it crosses a line and becomes exploitation. Homelessness is a real problem in America. At the very heart of this problem is a healthcare system that leaves far too many people without access to needed professional medical treatment for mental illness or addiction. Mental illness and addiction make it incredibly difficult for a person to function in society. As a result, far too many people suffering from these illnesses are out on the streets–homeless.

Homelessness is tragic. It is all around us and easily recognized. I suppose this explains, in part, why the anonymous homeless person is a favorite subject for some street photographers. What the photographer sees, is the person’s circumstance: homelessness. What is missed, is the person’s condition: illness. Personally, if I never see another black & white photograph of an elderly person in tattered clothes, blankly staring and oblivious to the passing world, it will be too soon. There is a good chance the person in that photograph is suffering some form of illness. And that, in my opinion, makes the act of photographing the person a form of exploitation.

It seems to me there is a misguided notion that photographing the homeless carries on a tradition begun during the Great Depression. What most people don’t understand is the fundamental quality that made homelessness during the Depression so different from today’s version. During the Depression, the underlying condition or cause of homelessness was not a physical or mental illness. The underlying condition was a global economic collapse that had destroyed the very foundation of society.

The catastrophic economic disaster which produced the Great Depression sent tens of millions of Americans out of their homes and onto the streets. By and large, these were not folks struggling with mental illness or addiction. They had been fully-functioning members of society–working, raising a family and being neighbors. But the physical institutions that served as the foundation for American society had been hit by an economic tidal wave. With entire industries destroyed, there literally was no societal framework within which a person could function. There was only chaos, a maelstrom engulfing millions who lost their jobs, their homes…everything.

The families and individuals featured in the most iconic of Depression-era photographs were just like you and me with one significant exception: They were homeless. An economic collapse was sweeping across the nation like a plague. Jobs had not been lost as casualties of a dreadful addiction or a debilitating mental disorder. The jobs had simply gone away. Not given to another person. Just…gone.

You could see the despair in people’s eyes in those photos. You could also see the determination and the dignity. These were people who had all the potential and ability in the world. In any other circumstance, they would have been the neighbors we met at the local super market, joined in worship on Sunday or socialized with at the next school open house. What made the Depression-era homeless so admirable, was that look in their eyes. They had been stripped of every physical element of dignity. But that circumstance did not touch their inner sense of dignity. They were survivors and they were determined to regain what they had lost.

In the 1930’s, homelessness was a random act of cruelty. Today, homelessness is more preventable and treatable. This makes the act of photographing a homeless person different. Depression-era photos are evidence that a person can lose every worldly good, and still retain their resolve and dignity. Photographing the mentally ill and addicted exposes people at their weakest, at a time when dignity and resolve are rare commodities. It is a means of objectifying a person in need of medical attention. It is exploitative. We may not be able to rescue every homeless person from the addiction or illness that has sent them to the curb. But we can, at the very least, treat that person as more than a compositional element in a photograph.

A patron sits lost in thought at a downtown Flagstaff cocktail lounge.in a different circumstance altogether. (Bill Ferris)

So, while out walking the streets of downtown Flagstaff the other night, I wasn’t looking for homeless people to photograph. Instead, I looked for every day people. People like you and me. People who share the same dreams, struggle with similar worries and who, on a Friday night, were seeking a brief respite from their work-a-day lives. I looked at the man in the above photograph and wondered, “What is he thinking?” I suppose he could have been contemplating some great world problem. Or maybe, he was thinking what I would have been thinking in that situation, “Should I go home or have another beer?”

When I got home that night, I did enjoy a cold beer. But I didn’t head home, right away. I had my camera, a fast lens and a downtown full of interesting people to photograph. People like you. People like me. Good street photography reveals the qualities that make a town a community. It celebrates the people, their dignity, their compassion for others and their ability to enjoy life’s simple pleasures. Like a bag of chocolates or a cold beer.

Get out and shoot!

Bill Ferris | November 2013

What’s Old is New Again

Featuring old school design and a premium full-frame digital sensor, will the Nikon Df bolster sales for a leading manufacturer of consumer and professional cameras? (Photo used courtesy Nikon USA)

Nikon has gone retro. With the introduction in November 2013 of the Df, Nikon hopes to recapture a level of dominance in high end consumer and professional photography the camera manufacturer enjoyed during the 1970’s. Nikon revolutionized 35mm photography in 1959 with its introduction of the Nikon F. The F was Nikon’s first single lens reflex (SLR) camera body and the first camera body to incorporate a host of new technologies in one compact frame. Strong sales launched Nikon to the top of the 35mm pyramid, a position it enjoyed well into the 1970’s. Nikon F, F2 and F3 bodies were standard issue gear for photojournalists, and set a high bar for both quality and durability in the industry.

Nikon’s position as king of the 35mm SLR hill was challenged in 1975 when Canon introduced new autoexposure technology in its consumer model, AE-1 body. Canon’s rise continued in 1978 with the introduction of the A-1. This body’s programmed autoexposure technology and other advanced features made it an instant best-seller. Advances in autofocus technology dominated the next ten years, culminating with Canon’s introduction in 1987 of the EOS system. EOS autofocus technology was a huge step forward; so significant that professional photographers (including many Nikon shooters) began selling their gear and making the transition to the Canon EOS system. This transformation rocketed Canon to the top of the 35mm SLR camera manufacturer mountain. In many respects, Nikon has been playing catch up, ever since.

Nikon and Canon have been trading blows, so to speak, since the beginning of the digital revolution. While Canon remains the leader in worldwide digital SLR (DSLR) sales, Nikon’s D3 and D4 camera bodies had earned reputations as being the best low-light 35mm bodies available. Canon’s 1D-X and 5D-MkIII bodies have since countered that challenge. Nikon chose a slightly different tack in 2012 with its introduction of the 36 megapixel (MP) D800. Since 2008, the introduction of a host of new capabilities (video), technologies (mirrorless) and platforms (smart phones) have generated significant uncertainty as to digital photography’s future.

Nikon Df, a 16 MP, full-frame DSLR featuring old school design cues. (Photo used courtesy Nikon USA)

Perhaps, this is why Nikon looked to the past for inspiration in the development of its latest full-frame DSLR, the retro Df. Featuring design elements reminiscent of vintage F-series bodies and the D4’s acclaimed 16 MP sensor, the Df delivers the latest in digital imaging technology in an old school package. The photographic community’s early response has been, shall we say, mixed. For those who, like me, cut their teeth in photography shooting 35mm film cameras, the Df harkens back to a time when we were falling in love with the art form. My first camera was a 1980’s vintage Nikon F3. I bought it, used, and immediately fell in love with the feel of the body in my hands and the intuitive layout of controls.

Viewed from above, the Nikon Df's layout of retro dials is a clear homage to the F-series bodies of 1970's.

Viewed from above, the Nikon Df’s layout of retro dials and controls is a clear homage to the F-series bodies of 1970’s. (Photo used courtesy Nikon USA)

If the Df reminds you of your first camera and stirs fond memories, you are not alone. Nikon has made a bold move developing a modern DSLR packaged in classic wrapping. Marketing a professional quality camera based on its design and outward appearance is a first for Nikon. In hindsight, it’s a wonder they didn’t employ this strategy, sooner. Products have been successfully marketed according to aesthetic appearance since the beginning of time. But photography is a hobby and profession driven by advances in technology. The history of Nikon’s rise to prominence and Canon’s subsequent ascension clearly illustrates this. So, while the outward appearance of the Df can be seen as a bold–and potentially brilliant– move by Nikon, the key to this camera’s success will be its performance. If the Df packages great performance in a retro body style that sparks the imagination, it will be a hit. If performance is seen as inadequate, the Df will flop. Let’s take a look under the hood to see what this baby can do:

16.2 megapixel full-frame CMOS sensor (same as D4)
EXPEED 3 Image processing engine (same as D4)
Native ISO range: 100 to 12,800
Expanded ISO range: 50 to 204,800
5.5 frames per second (fps) burst rate
39 autofocus points
100% coverage optical viewfinder
3.2-inch LCD (921K)
Magnesium alloy top, back and bottom panels
Shutter Speed: 30-second (min.) to 1/4000-second (max.)
Flash Sync Speed: 1/200-second
Lens Compatibility: Compatible with AI and non-AI Nikon F-mount lenses

With this new emphasis on retro design and appeal, Nikon has also trimmed the fat, so to speak, removing functionality purest photographers sometimes criticize as superfluous:

No video recording capability
No built-in flash
No large, top panel LCD display

If you look just at the specifications, it’s hard to decide exactly where the Df fits in Nikon’s line of full-frame bodies. In terms of resolution, it joins the D4 as featuring the second-lowest megapixel sensor in the full-frame line-up. The D800E and D800 top the list with 36 MP sensors, next comes the D3x with 24.5 MP resolution, then the D600 and D610 at 24.3 MP, the D4 and Df with 16 MP sensors and, finally, the D3s at 12.1 MP. However, while the D4 boasts a cheetah-like 11 frames per second (fps) burst rate, unsurpassed build quality, 51-point autofocus, 1/8000-second shutter speed, 1/250-second flash sync speed, HD video recording and outstanding high ISO performance, the Df offers only the same low light performance.

The distinctly modern rear panel, controls and viewfinder of the Nikon Df DSLR. (Photo used courtesy Nikon USA)

The D4 is Nikon’s flagship full-frame DSLR and nobody questions this standing. Where does the Df fall within that spectrum? On paper, one can make the case that the D800E and D800 should rank ahead of the Df. Similar cases can be made that the D600 and D610 are at least the equal (if not slightly superior) to the Df. But from a pricing standpoint, Nikon seems to believe the Df ranks right up there with the D800-series bodies. Here, are prices for all five (as of 11/09/13) bodies:

D800E: $2,996.95 (new)
D800: $2,796.95 (new)
Df: $2,746.95 (new)
D610: $1,996.95 (new)
D600: $1,499.00 (refurbished)

For an additional $50, the prospective Df customer can get a 36 megapixel D800, HD video recording, 51-point autofocus, built-in flash, 1/8000-second shutter rate, 1/250 flash sync speed, a CF card slot, expanded bracketing (up to 9 frames) and two additional stops of exposure compensation. At $750 less than the Df, the D610 offers 24 MP resolution, HD video recording, a second SD card slot, a slightly improved (though, arguably irrelevant) 6 fps burst rate, and equivalent performance in autofocus, viewfinder coverage, shutter speed, flash sync speed, and rear panel LCD. And if you’re willing to accept the risk of getting a body that needs regular sensor cleanings, a refurbished D600 can still be had for an incredible $1,499. That’s a bit more than half the price of the Df.

A customer sits lost in thought at the Rendevous in the Hotel Monte Vista in historic downtown Flagstaff. Shot with Nikon D600 and Tamron 24-70 at ISO 3200, 70mm, f/2.8, 1/60-second

A customer sits lost in thought at the Rendevous in the Hotel Monte Vista in historic downtown Flagstaff. This image was made with the Nikon D600 body and Tamron 24-70 Di VC USD lens. The exposure was made at ISO 3200, 70mm, f/2.8, 1/60-second. (Bill Ferris)

What does the Df offer by way of compensation for your willingness to part with about $2,750 US? Some would argue its improved build quality and high ISO performance separate the Df from the D610. However, looking at high ISO comparison images taken with D610 and D4 bodies (The Df features the same sensor and image-processing engine as the D4), the D610 holds its own up to ISO 6400. This begs the question, how often will you need an ISO of 12,800 or higher? In my experience, paired with quality, fast glass, the Nikon D600 and D610 are competent nighttime street photography camera bodies.

This leaves one other factor: style. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not knocking Nikon or its customers for being style-conscious. I’m style-conscious. (My wife would probably disagree.) I buy clothes that, in my opinion, are flattering to my appearance. I drive a vehicle that matches, in its outward appearance, my self-image as a man who enjoys the outdoors. I shoot Nikon, in part, because I enjoy presenting myself as a photographer who uses quality equipment. Understand, I love the ergonomics of Nikon bodies and control layout. And I’ve always been very pleased with the quality of the images my Nikon camera bodies have produced. But if I’m being honest, I have to admit that style is a selling-point with me.

A front view of the Nikon Df, 16 MP, full-frame DSLR with retro styling

So, if I were in the market for a full-frame DSLR body, would the Df be my body of choice? I do like the retro styling. It appeals to me as an homage to what the experience of being a photographer has the potential to be. That said, the Df’s classic styling also reminds me of the reasons I sold my vintage Nikon F3. I sold the F3 to finance the purchase of a Nikon D70, my first digital SLR. It took me about five minutes to embrace digital technology and say, “Good riddance,” to film. Gone forever were the days of not having the correct ISO film in my camera, of having to wait for negatives to be processed to learn if I’d gotten any keepers, and having to be judicious with each and every one of my 36 exposures. The ability to choose ISO on the fly, to instantly review exposures and to spend a week doing a wilderness backpack shooting all 500+ exposures on a single media card instantly sold me on the benefits of digital. Yes, I have fond memories of my old F3, but I have absolutely no desire to relive those days and frustrations.

Which body would I choose? After comparing the performance characteristics of the Df versus Nikon’s other full-frame bodies, I have no doubt what my decision would be. I would do just what I did about six weeks ago; seek out a refurbished D600 body and buy it.

Now, get out and shoot!

Bill Ferris | November 2013

Water

Visitors stand in silhouette--and in awe--against the thick plexiglass wall of the Open Sea exhibit at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. The scene begs the question, who's watching who? The obvious answer would be that the collection of tourists are watching, enthralled, the scene playing out before them. But put yourself in the mind of a tuna, sea turtle or shark and ask yourself, would you be enjoying the human show on display beyond the glass walls of the tank? Would you wonder if those strange looking bipeds were brought in for your enjoyment? (Bill Ferris)

Visitors stand in silhouette–and in awe–against the thick plexiglass wall of the Open Sea exhibit at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. (Bill Ferris)

Water can be many things in a photograph. It can be a mirror. A ribbon. A frame. Water can be soft, inviting or a threat. It can be the subject of the photograph or a simple compositional element. Water is a wonderful blank canvas upon which you, the photographer, are allowed to paint your masterpiece.

In the above image, water plays a role that is very different from the norm. Often, water’s textured surface is the featured quality in a photograph. Roaring rapids, the silky smooth surface of a quiet lake or the feathery curves of a waterfall are what we’re used to seeing in a photo. In this image, water is a medium through which we’re viewing the alien universe of ocean life.

The scene begs the question, who’s watching who? The obvious answer would be that enthralled tourists are watching the scene playing out before them. But put yourself in the mind of a tuna, sea turtle or shark and ask yourself, would you be enjoying the human show on display beyond the glass walls of the tank? Would you wonder if those strange looking bipeds were brought in for your enjoyment?

The tranquil Merced River in Yosemite National Park catches the reflection of sunrise light painting El Capitan with a golden glow. (Bill Ferris)

Here, we see water as both mirror and medium. This image was captured on a chill December morning. Setting up along the bank of the Merced River, I repeatedly checked the viewfinder of my Nikon D90 only to see that I would not be able to encompass both El Capitan and the river in a single frame. I was shooting with my widest lens, a Tokina 12-24mm, which delivers the equivalent of an 18mm ultra-wide angle view at its shortest focal length.

I wanted to capture both the river and the massive rock formation, but how? It was at this point that I noticed the reflected image of El Capitan on the still Merced waters. After some experimentation, I settled on the above framing. It frames both the river and iconic El Cap. The grasses, ice and rock along the river’s edge offer a wonderful contrast to the massive form of the stone temple on the other side. And in using the glassy surface to present an inverted image of El Cap, we see this ancient stone monument in a very different context. He is both imposing and delicate, awesome and fragile, immediate and dreamlike.

Water can be many things in a photograph. What role will she play in your next image? Get out and shoot!

Bill Ferris | October 2013

Line and Composition

The last light of day washes O’Neill Butte in a golden glow as seen from Yaki Point on the South Rim. (Bill Ferris)

Every picture tells a story. So, in this blog post, I would invite to think back to your grade school days. Remember the short compositions you were assigned to write? What you did on your summer vacation, what makes your mom the best, why Abraham Lincoln was a great American president. These were (and remain) common themes in the stories written neatly in number-2 pencil in old school composition booklets. These stories can teach us something about photography.

Like a well-written story, a good photograph leads you on a journey. It takes you by the hand and walks with you from beginning to end. And at the end, there is a reward. How do you, the photographer, accomplish this? By employing good composition to take advantage of the natural lines in the subjects you photograph.

In the above image, your eye is drawn first to the lower-right corner by the strong contrast in color and brightness between the green junipers and the shadowed background. From there, your gaze follows the line of the ridge across the image. Near the left side you are redirected to follow Cedar Ridge toward O’Neill Butte. There lies the payoff, a tidal wave of light washes over the ridge and butte creating a dramatic mid-summer scene. By composing the image to play off the natural line of the ridges, I’ve taken you a journey through the photograph. Your eye follows this natural line from beginning to end. And where the line ends, a reward awaits.

A stream of cars scud across the iconic Golden Gate Bridge after dark. Fog shrouds San Francisco, a city aglow with light. (Bill Ferris)

This photograph of the Golden Gate Bridge also uses line and light to lead you on an adventure. The journey begins in the lower-left corner where the brightly-illuminated bridge emerges from out of frame. The large north tower grabs your attention and immediately identifies the iconic subject of the image. Your eye naturally follows the bright line of vehicle headlights across the bridge to the upper-right. Again, you are rewarded for taking this journey. The south tower, the sharp contrast of the bridge’s shadow against the glassy surface of the Pacific Ocean, and the hazy profile of San Francisco present a mysterious quality of this city by the bay.

By looking for and taking advantage of natural lines in the the scenes you photograph, you can lead your audience on a journey. Like all good journeys, yours should have a beginning and an end. And by delivering a reward to your audience at the end of the journey, you will transform the journey into a story, well-told. Use composition and line to allow your photography to tell great stories.

Get out and shoot!

Bill Ferris | September 2013

Unexpected

An August sun sets over the Lower Lake Mary wetland. (Bill Ferris)

I left the house with the intention of finding and photographing elk. Lower Lake Mary, with its sweet grass, is a favorite grazing location for elk in northern Arizona. I’ve driven by when literally hundreds of bulls, cows and calves were spread across the broad expanse of the dry lake bottom. It is an awesome sight and I had a hunch there would be at least a few elk to be seen on this particular evening.

My hunch was wrong. There were no elk; at least, none within view. But the late afternoon monsoon clouds were starting to catch that golden light of sunset and water fowl were playing in a marshy area near the road. So, I pulled over, grabbed my gear and started to work the field. I circled the marsh in a counter-clockwise direction looking for an interesting subject to photograph. It wasn’t until I had almost completed the circle that I found the shot I was looking for; the image atop this post.

I worked this location a bit before moving on. There was a small rise to the east of me and it looked as though the top might offer a vantage point from which to compose a nice landscape. But en route to that destination, I found myself walking through a small sea of long grass. The tassels were similar to wheat in texture and their green, silvery hue captured the warm light in wonderful ways. It was completely unexpected.

Tall, tasseled grass waves in a light breeze at sunset on a summer day at Lower Lake Mary near Flagstaff, Arizona. (Bill Ferris)

Unexpected, however, is where a photographer often finds hidden treasure. These are the moments when you need to trust that internal voice whispering, “Ooh, that’s cool.” When a scene captures your eye and you stop, resist the temptation to give the scene a passing look before moving on. Pause a while. Study the scene. Give it consideration and ask yourself if this photograph could be a keeper.

After all, you’re a photographer – a visual artist – and your eye, your sense of composition, is your strongest asset. If you think it looks cool, trust that others will do the same. Or better yet, don’t care what anybody else will think. Take the photo because it pleases you to do so.

I left Lower Lake Mary with zero photographs of elk on that late summer evening. I captured several nice landscapes. The setting sun painting dramatic clouds with yellows and golds over lush green grass and water always makes for a lovely image. But the image I’m most pleased with from that shoot is the image of the long grass. It’s a wonderful combination of textures, tones and hues. The subtle abstract quality lends itself to a diverse set of interpretations. Everyone sees something different in this image and that is something that pleases me.

So, don’t let the absence of a specific plan or subject stop you from doing photography. Trust that, when you’re out and about with your kit, you’ll find an image worth taking. You’ll recognize opportunity when it knocks.

Now, get out and shoot.

Bill Ferris | September 2013

Chasing the Light

As sunset’s golden light washes over Grand Canyon, a summer monsoon rumbles across the great chasm as seen from Cape Royal on the North Rim. (Bill Ferris)

A photograph is nothing without light. It is light that paints a landscape, creating the scene we hope to capture with the click of the shutter. And this is just the beginning. Light can do so much more.

Consider the intangible qualities of a photograph, those qualities which cannot be fully captured within the quantifiable aspects of an image. Consider mood, for example. What gives a photograph a joyous, somber, brooding, angry, celebratory or tense quality? In many instances, it is light which imbues a scene with its mood.

In the above image, the warm, golden light of sunset paints the horizon, storm clouds and stone to convey a wonderfully diverse – almost contradictory – collection of moods. On one hand, a dramatic, even subtly angry mood is present. But the gentle curve of the landscape softens the mood a bit, bringing out a feeling that is almost celebratory. This contrast gives the image a compelling quality that would not be present, if not for the quality of the light painting this landscape.

An early September sunset paints the inner Grand Canyon as seen from Lipan Point on the South Rim. (Bill Ferris)

By comparison, this image carries a more subtle and inviting mood. A late-day glow catches just the tops of shrub and stone in the foreground, the ridges in the middle ground and the buttes in the distance. The remainder of the scene is subtly illuminated by a cooler, bluer twilight. Combined the scene has both a calm (cool, blue) and inviting (warm, red) quality that is slightly soothing.

Light is your most valuable, most important tool as a photographer. Whether you prefer working with the ambient, natural light of a scene or using strobes and other artificial light sources, understanding how light can be used to build an image and create a mood will allow you to take more dynamic, more compelling photographs.

So, get out there and shoot!

Bill Ferris | September 2013

After the Shutter Clicks

For many photographers, pushing the shutter release button ends the process of taking a picture. They hear that satisfying, “click,” check the image on the camera’s LCD display, smile approvingly and move on to the next photo op. Later, the image gets uploaded to Facebook, Flickr, Google+ or another social network so friends and family can share in the moment. The photo, however, was done when the shutter closed. Pushing the button and hearing the click completed the image-making process.

I’d like to encourage you to adopt a new approach, one where the process of creating a photo is just getting started when you push that button. After the shutter clicks, there are simple tools you can use to transform a good photograph into something special.

What makes a photograph special? Well, it begins with good composition. Everything visible within the frame should help tell the story of the photograph. Since stories typically have beginnings and endings, a good photograph will often lead the eye from one area to another. Exposure is another critical element of good photography. Lighting creates the mood of the scene you’re trying to capture. Proper exposure conveys that mood through the photo to the viewer. Investing a few minutes of your time to work with a raw exposure in image editing software to enhance these important qualities can rescue marginal photos and transform good photos into great ones.

A web search will reveal a host of good options for free and reasonably-priced image editing software. GIMP, Picasa and Windows Live Photo Gallery are some of the free apps you’ll encounter. Adobe offers a diverse suite of excellent image management and editing software. I happen to use Photoshop Elements, which is a stripped down version of their well-regarded Photoshop product. Apple, Microsoft and others also offer excellent image editing apps. I’m not going to advocate for one over another. I will suggest you choose an app able to perform, at a minimum, the following functions: brightness/contrast adjustment, hue/saturation adjustment, crop and unsharp mask.

This JPEG is an unedited conversion of the original RAW exposure from which the below photograph was created. Comparing the two, look for modest brightness/contrast, color saturation, crop and unsharp mask adjustments. (Bill Ferris)

Brightness/contrast adjustment is the first tool I use to help an image pop! One of the benefits of shooting landscapes early in the morning or late in the day is the way light from a low-hanging sun sculpts a scene. Shadows create contrast. They separate the foreground from the background and define an image. Well, if you’re on vacation and take a lunch break at a scenic overlook, the sun will be high overhead and the landscape before you will be almost devoid of shadows. A raw image of this scene won’t have the pleasing level of contrast and detail you desire. Opening the exposure in your app of choice, decreasing the brightness and increasing the contrast will enhance what little contrast there is in the image.

After making modest adjustments to brightness and contrast, the next tool I reach for is hue/saturation adjustment. Very rarely will I make any change to the hue of an image. Most digital cameras do a pretty good job of rendering colors accurately. If whites look white, skin tones look natural and the sky looks blue, the hue is good and can be left as is. Saturation is another matter. Think of saturation as the depth or intensity of color in an image. I also think of saturation as the it factor.

When standing on the rim of Grand Canyon or at the edge of another spectacular vista, there is something about being present in that place which makes colors feel more intense. It’s difficult to convey that feeling with a photo that renders colors merely as they are. By enhancing the saturation, you help the photo convey the way the scene felt to you, the way you experienced that moment. To those of you thinking, “There he goes again, getting all abstract and mushy,” I can respect that. Rich colors may not be your thing and that’s OK. Photography is a big tent hobby with plenty of room for disparate views on what works. Pushing the color saturation works for me and, if you give it a try, I think you’ll find it makes your photos more powerful, more memorable.

Crop, is the next tool up in my image editing kit. You should know, I invest considerable time studying and adjusting composition prior to taking the raw exposure. As a result, I don’t often use the crop tool during processing. However, this isn’t because composition isn’t important to me. It’s because I try to get composition right, before pushing the shutter release. I’m not always successful in this regard and, when I do get a photo with extraneous space or odd framing, I have no reluctance to make a correction. That’s when the crop tool gets used.

Crop is useful for removing distractions that prevent the viewer from seeing the subject of your photo and understanding the story you’re trying to tell. If you see a brilliant waterfall and think, “Ooh, there’s a great photo,” do all that you can to fill the frame with the waterfall. If the subject is a family member, let that person fill the frame. If the story you’re telling with the image is about the relationship between a person and the vista they’re amidst, crop the image so that the person and the landmark they’re admiring define the frame.

This is the processed final version of the above RAW exposure. Brightness/contrast and color saturation adjustments make this image pop more than the original. The applied crop removes my distracting shadow and emphasizes the relationship between the hiker and the distant butte. Finally, a modest unsharp mask gives this image a bit more impact by helping fine details stand out. (Bill Ferris)

To put the finishing touches on my photo processing, I reach for the unsharp mask. A light touch with unsharp mask will enhance fine detail in your photo in subtle but impactful ways. Again, the net result of a modest unsharp mask is an image that seems to pop just a bit. It’s similar to that moment when the focus is just right in pair of binoculars. You turn and turn the focus knob until, pop, the image is crisp and clear. That’s what unsharp mask delivers when applied with subtlety and discretion.

Using image editing software and these simple tools, you can elevate your photography to a new level. And in so doing, the images you create will do a better job of conveying the dynamic nature of a scene which inspired you to reach for your camera.

So, get out and shoot!

Bill Ferris | August 2013

Glass

r Late on a summer day while finishing a long hike from the South Rim of Grand Canyon to the Colorado River and back, I stopped along South Kaibab trail to capture this image. Twilight bathes the inner canyon, rendering the temples and buttes ghostly silhouettes. This photo was taken with a Nikon D70 and Nikkor AF-S 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5G lens. (Bill Ferris)

I’m going to let you in on a little secret. Canon and Nikon won’t tell you this but, as fantastic as their high end professional lenses are, you don’t need them to take great photographs. The kit zoom lens that came with your entry level camera body is perfectly capable of taking a great photo. So, if you’re just getting into photography or are about to make the transition from shooting film to shooting digital, don’t let smug comments about amateurish kit lenses deter you.

Canon and Nikon are the dominant manufacturers of digital single lens reflex (DSLR) cameras. Amazon.com updates their “Best Sellers in DSLR Cameras” list on a daily basis. Canon and Nikon are typically the only two companies in the top 20. In the Under $700 category, Canon’s EOS Rebel T3 and T3i, and Nikon’s D3100, D3200 and D5100 are top-selling DSLR’s. All come with 18-55mm kit lenses. Of course, you can purchase just the camera body or substitute another lens. However, there is a strong case to be made for getting the kit lens with your entry level camera body.

Let’s look at the specs for these optics. Canon’s kit lens is the EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II. The Nikon variant is the AF-S DX 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR. On paper, both offer the same focal length range, aperture range and built-in image stabilization technology. Designed for use with crop sensor bodies, the effective 35mm zoom range for the Canon lens is roughly 29mm at the wide end to 88mm at the long end. Nikon’s DX format sensor is slightly larger than Canon’s. The Nikkor 18-55mm delivers a 35mm zoom range of 27mm to 83mm. Both are street priced under $200, offer good optical performance and excellent value.

These mid-range zooms offer versatility that will meet the needs of most photographers. You’ll be able to shoot everything from wide angle scenics to portraiture. Their plastic construction means these are not rugged lenses. They’ll crack or break, if treated roughly. And they’re not weather sealed. If it starts to rain, you’ll want to stow the camera until the sun comes out. But these high value optics are also lighter and more comfortable to wear around the neck all day than professional grade zooms.

What are the hallmarks of a professional optic? As already mentioned, professional lenses offer more rugged construction with metal parts and tighter seals to protect against the elements. They’re also optically faster. At the wide end, the above-mentioned kit zooms operate at f/3.5. In other words, the focal length is 3.5x the aperture (opening) of the lens. Professional lenses typically offer focal ratios of f/2.8 or faster. In other words, the lens aperture is larger.

Why is this of value? Well, the larger the aperture with respect to the lens focal length, the shallower the depth of field. So, if you simply must have a lens allowing you to shoot portraits with super sexy bokeh (out of focus background) or freeze the action during an outdoor athletic event at night, you should invest in fast optics. But if you do most of your shooting during the day, if you enjoy crisp landscapes, or if you’re satisfied by modest soft focus in your portraiture, the kit lenses Canon and Nikon package with their entry level DSLR bodies are more than up to the task.

On the evening of March 11, 2005, the Moon and Mercury set together shortly after the Sun. This photo, taken from Sunset Crater National Monument just north of Flagstaff, captures the event. (Bill Ferris)

The Moon and Mercury hang in a twilight sky cradled in the branches of a silhouetted tree.. This photo, taken from Sunset Crater National Monument just north of Flagstaff, was made with a Nikon D70 DSLR and Nikkor AF-S 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5G lens. (Bill Ferris)

Back in 2004 when I made the move from a classic Nikon F3 35mm film camera to the highly regarded Nikon D70 DSLR, I purchased the AF-S DX 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5G kit lens. In 2010 when my D70 body was damaged beyond repair during a backpacking trip in Grand Canyon, I upgraded to the 12MP Nikon D90. But I kept the 18-70mm kit lens. It’s been a good performer for me, as evidenced by the above images. I have added two lenses to my kit in the last couple of years. They are a Tokina 12-24mm f/4 Pro DX wide angle zoom and a Nikon AF-S 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G VR telephoto zoom. Both compliment the old, trusty 18-70mm and the thee-lens set delivers an 35mm equivalent zoom range from 18mm to 450mm.

Now, I’m not here to blow smoke up your tailpipe. I’ll admit it, I covet the so-called holy trinity of Nikkor glass: 14-24mm, 24-70mm and 70-200mm. All are AF-S, f/2.8 zooms delivering images so sharp they cut glass. This covetous condition is a common malady affecting many photographers. However, not having these lenses has not stopped me from doing photography or from capturing the occasional great image. Would these lenses allow me to take photos for which my current stable of glass is not suited? Yes. Do kit lenses and affordable third-party lenses render one incapable of doing great photography? Absolutely not!

Get out and shoot.

Bill Ferris | August 2013

Bill Ferris Photography | Blog

Tips for the Digital Imaging Enthusiast

Author Archives: wdferris1@gmail.com

Classic Beauty

Sports Photography

Hit the Street

What’s Old is New Again

Water

Line and Composition

Unexpected

Chasing the Light

After the Shutter Clicks

Glass