Dengrove Studios Blog

I am pleased to announce that one of our photographs, Porcelain Beauty, has been selected to be part of the Naked in Pittsburgh 2012 exhibit. If you think it looks good here wait til you see it in print!

Porcelain Beauty ©Dengrove Studios - All Rights Reserved

Naked in Pittsburgh is a celebration of nudes in art, a positive reflection of our shared human form. The show will display a variety o media, from realism or abstract, traditional media, digital media, photography and 3D artwork. The opening reception will take place on June 1st, from 6-9 PM. For more details check out the NiP website at http://www.outlawartisans.com/nip2012

Naked in Pittsburgh 2012

Scott Dengrove is a professional photographer from the NYC area. Scott’s work has been featured in many national photography competitions and published in several nationally circulated magazines and publications. In addition, his work can currently be seen in 2 exhibits at Cosi® restaurants in New York and Connecticut and a traveling exhibit entitled “America: Coast to Coast”. For more information, and to see more of Scott’s work visit his website at www.dengrovestudios.com and connect with him on his Facebook page at www.facebook.com/dengrovestudios

In this article I thought we’d cover something a little different than usual. By now I’m sure you’ve heard that on January 9th, 2012, Kodak, the icon of cameras and photography for over 120 years, has filed for bankruptcy.

It’s hard to imagine a future without Kodak. Just think of all the future generations that will never get to capture a “Kodak moment”.

When asked, most people would say that this came as no surprise as Kodak was primarily a film company, and of course film is not as popular as it used to be. Perhaps you’ve heard of this new fangled thing replacing film called the digital camera….eh, it’ll never work!

Very few people know that’s exactly what Kodak said in 1975, and it’s actually one of the primary factors that led to their downfall 35 years later.

Did you know that Kodak actually was the first to invent the digital camera, way back in 1975?

Now I know what you’re thinking…”Scott you must’ve lost your mind, I had a digital camera in the late 90′s but it was an Olympus, or Sony, I don’t even remember a Kodak digital camera available for purchase”.

You are absolutely correct, in the late 90′s when a lot of camera companies started releasing their first compact digital cameras for consumers Kodak was nowhere to be found.

Nonetheless, they actually did invent the first digital camera in 1975, only the executives at Kodak never saw the potential in it. So they really did nothing with the technology until about 2001 when they released their first compact digital camera for consumers, the Kodak EasyShare.

You see 1975 was a very different landscape when it comes to technology than it is today. There were no cell phones, 10% of all households in the US didn’t even own a regular land-line phone (stephen blumberg). Computers came in the form of mainframes, and nobody had one in their house. Even the way we watched television was different.

Most tv’s in 1975 were still black and white and a small little set cost on average $100 (“Television history- the first 75 years”). By small little set, I mean only 12″, now that’s small. With those prices nobody had one in every room like we do today.

So you can easily imagine what happened when Steve Sasson, an engineer who worked for Kodak showed off a new piece of technology he created in the Kodak labs in a demonstration to Kodak executives called “Film-Less Photography” in 1975.

First a little background on the device. Steve Sasson and his team had actually invented the first digital camera. Of course it can only be called that loosely by today’s standards. As with any prototype it was a far cry from what the digital camera would one day become.

It did use a CCD imager as tons of modern digital cameras still do today, but that’s about where the similarities end.

It took 16 Ni-Cad batteries to run the device, which was made up of parts from other Super 8 movie cameras in Kodak’s line and about half a dozen custom circuit boards. The device recorded it’s images to a digital tape recorder which was attached to the side of the device. It took 23 seconds to record one image on a standard cassette (Sasson).

Kodak's film-less camera (Image Courtesy of Kodak)

So now that Kodak was able to capture a digital image, how were they going to “play it back” and show people? Another device was built that would take the recorded image from the standard cassette and interpolate it for viewing on a standard tv. Of course, the playback device itself was almost the size of a tv.

Kodak Playback Device for Film-Less Camera (Image Courtesy of Kodak)

Now that they had their prototypes, everything was set for Steve Sasson and his team to demonstrate these amazing new inventions to the internal audiences at Kodak. They invited countless Kodak employees to see the demonstration of “Film-Less Photography”.

I should remind everyone at this point that although Kodak  did make and sell amazing cameras, they were primarily known as a film company, holding approx 90% of the market-share of film sales.

So when you invite the executives of a film company, to see a demonstration called “Film-Less Photography” you’re not exactly setting yourself up for success right out of the starting gate. Sure everyone thought it was “cool” when Steve took some photos of people in the audience and displayed them on a tv screen, but then came the hard questions…

Why would anyone want to take a picture and show it on their tv? How are people going to store these images? And the most important question of all, the one that probably caused Kodak executives to loose all interest in this prototype and shelve it for years to come, when would these new products actually have any consumer potential?

When the answer “approximately 15-20 years” came back from Steve and his team, Kodak executives saw no use in a product that couldn’t be fully realized until 20 years in the future. In addition, rather than view this a potential “future” of photography they only saw it as a competitor to their film business.

So many times in life, we look back and say “if only we knew”, but never was this more poignant than when you hear the story of Steve Sasson and his team and the colossal mistake made by Kodak executives that faithful day back in 1975.

Now am I implying that this one event, almost 35 years ago, was the cause of Kodak’s downfall and filing for bankruptcy? Of course not, but anyone can see clear as day how this certainly did have a major impact on Kodak’s future. Further, one can’t help but image where Kodak might be today had they actually taken advantage of their 20 year head start on digital camera technology.

stephen blumberg, Julian luke. “Wireless-Only and Wireless-Mostly Households: A growing challenge for telephone surveys.”www.shadac.org. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Center for Health Statistics, n.d. Web. 21 Mar 2012. <http://www.shadac.org/files/WorkshopSess1-1_Blumberg.pdf>.

“TV Set Prices.” Television history- the first 75 years. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Mar 2012. <http://www.tvhistory.tv/tv-prices.htm>.

Sasson, Steve. “We Had No Idea.” Plugged In. N.p., 16 O. Web. 21 Mar 2012. <http://pluggedin.kodak.com/pluggedin/post/?id=687843>.

Scott Dengrove is a professional photographer from the NYC area. Scott’s work has been featured in many national photography competitions and published in several nationally circulated magazines and publications. In addition, his work can currently be seen in 2 exhibits at Cosi® restaurants in New York and Connecticut and a traveling exhibit entitled “America: Coast to Coast”. For more information, and to see more of Scott’s work visit his website at www.dengrovestudios.com and connect with him on his Facebook page at www.facebook.com/dengrovestudios

Today marks the debut and launch of the brand new Dengrove Studios Website! The site has been updated with all new content, of course, but we didn’t stop there. We took into account user feedback, and features that our customers have been requesting, to create a 100% redesigned site from the ground up. An all new layout, new navigation, and new galleries are just a few of the great features you’ll see when you visit the new site.

Join me now for a guided tour of the new website.

The new website was built and designed solely with our customers at the forefront and the type of information they want to see when looking for a photographer. This is immediately evident upon visiting the new homepage. The first thing you see are people.

New homepage...people first

Gone are the fine art photos of lakes and plants, replaced with revolving images of real people, just like you, our customers, representing all the different photo galleries you’ll see on the new website. Be sure to take a few minutes and let all of the beautiful images scroll by. Then feel free to click on any of them to be taken right to that photo gallery.

Homepage Gallery Samples

All the galleries have been updated with tons of new photos from recent shoots, but rest assured your old favorites are still there too. Not only that, but with the brand new image control system, custom programmed just for our website, you’ll notice how much simpler it is to scroll through and jump right to your favorite photo. Click the thumbnails in the left column to see a larger view of that image appear on the right.

Click a thumbnail on the left to see a larger image on the right

Want to take a closer look at a photo? Prefer to see it full-screen? No problem, just click on the large image in the right column to zoom into it at full-screen. While the photo is zoomed, feel free to browse all the other photos in the gallery this way by using the convenient navigation arrows that appear in the lower portion of the photo.

Click to view an image full-screen. Use the arrows to browse all photos in the gallery at full-screen size

Make sure to visit all the galleries to see the latest photos from all our shoots. Want to get more information about having your own photo shoot? Check out our affordable photo packages by clicking on the “Pricing” link. Each package includes your own custom designed photo shoot, prints, and unique items to display your beautiful photos. Want to learn more about a specific product? Simply hover over the item to receive a pop-up with more info.

Hover over a package item to see a pop-up with more info

Now that you’ve seen all the great options we have to offer, I know you’re dying to shoot with us. Simply click on the “Shoot with Us” link at the top of the navigation bar and fill out the form with your information. A representative will contact you right away to schedule your shoot.

Simply fill out the form to schedule your very own shoot!

Don’t forget to “Like” our Facebook page to hear about special discounts and receive the latest news and information from Dengrove Studios. A convenient “Like” button can be found on almost every page of the new website on the left-hand side.  Or simply click here to be taken to our Facebook page.

Thank you for taking the tour of our new website with me and all the support. Please feel free to share it with your friends. If you have any questions or would like to discuss your photo shoot further, please contact us at anytime!

Scott Dengrove is a professional photographer from the NYC area. Scott’s work has been featured in many national photography competitions and published in several nationally circulated magazines and publications. In addition, his work can currently be seen in 2 exhibits at Cosi® restaurants in New York and Connecticut and a traveling exhibit entitled “America: Coast to Coast”. For more information, and to see more of Scott’s work visit his website at www.dengrovestudios.com and connect with him on his Facebook page at www.facebook.com/dengrovestudios

It’s the start of a brand new year and I have a new technique for you to try that will revolutionize your photography from this day forward. Get Closer!

Get Closer? Get closer to what? Your friends? Your family? Your camera? Ohhh I bet your camera would love that, take it out to a nice dinner and a movie.

No, get closer to your subjects! One of the absolute most simplest, best ways to improve your photography is to start getting closer to your subjects. Perhaps a visual demonstration is in order…take my Gorilla friend here.

Gorilla Full Torso Shot

As photographs go, it’s not a bad shot. It shows the overall Gorilla, it’s relative size, and some of it’s surroundings. There may be some glare from the glass that was captured, but that can be forgiven considering the fact it was shot at a zoo. However, it is kind of boring and plain when you look at it. It’s basically just a Gorilla standing there.

So what if we got closer, much, much closer like this (btw I highly recommend clicking on the photo to see the full effect)…

Gorilla Face Closer!

Now the photograph has taken on a completely new meaning. It puts us right there eye to eye with the great majestic beast. At this distance we can see every wrinkle, every nuance of character in the Gorilla’s face, and most importantly those big, brown eyes starting right back at us.

There are so many visually interesting things to look at and think about now. Look at those crumbs in his beard…I wonder what he ate for lunch? His eyes look kind of sad…is he going through a rough time in his life, is he trying to express his displeasure at being stuck behind glass, or do his eyes always look like that?

Being so close to him in this photo it’s almost impossible not to connect with him on an emotional level, and think to yourself, wow those eyes really do look so human. All from simply doing nothing more than getting closer to your subject.

Now of course, when we say “get closer” we mean in a safe and responsible way. Certainly, I’m not suggesting that you climb into the Gorilla enclosure and meet them face to face.

There are 3 ways that you can get closer to your subjects when shooting your photos:

1. You can physically walk closer to them when taking your shot; but perhaps not in the case of dealing with Gorilla’s or other wild animals. That would give a whole new meaning to the term “that’s the end of that camera”. It does work amazing when shooting people though, especially children.
2. You can use the zoom function on your camera, or a zoom lens in the case of an SLR camera. This is a great way to get close to subjects that are very far away, or are out of reach, such as if they are a wild animal behind a glass enclosure.
3. You can crop the photo in post-production after you’ve taken the shot to make it appear that you were closer. This is a good option for those times when you forget to get closer to your subject when shooting and decide later on that would be a better composition.

Each of these methods has positive attributes and also some drawbacks depending on the situation.

Physically getting closer to your subject is usually the preferred method if possible. This allows you to better connect with your subject while taking the shot, and also helps you to see your subject from a new perspective as the surroundings often change when you move closer. This allows you some really great options to set up the perfect composition in your shot. So why not do this all the time?

This method has some drawbacks too, which we discussed briefly before. Sometimes your physical location in relation to the subject doesn’t allow you to get any closer. Perhaps you’re behind a barrier of some kind. Maybe getting closer would put you in a dangerous situation such as if you were photographing a fire, or a flash flood. One key to taking great photos is definitely remaining safely out of danger so you can share them with others.

Physically getting closer to this flower, afforded me the opportunity to also capture this pollinating bee in the shot.

Getting Physically Closer - Flower and Bee

If you can’t get physically closer to your subject, you can try using the zoom function on your camera, or a zoom lens to get yourself closer to the action. Using zoom is a great alternative to get closer when your shooting situation doesn’t allow you to physically get as close as you would like. Such as, if you were shooting some people on a boat out on the lake, while standing on the shore. Or perhaps your subject is in a show or a concert, you certainly can’t get right up on stage with them. I mean you probably could, but it would most likely be the last thing you ever shoot in that venue.

Zooming is great, but it has it’s drawbacks as well. If you are using the zoom function on a point and shoot camera you need to be careful not to zoom too far. Point and shoot cameras use 2 types of zoom systems, optical and digital.

Optical is when the lens physically moves to make the image larger and the glass elements arrange themselves closer or further away to zoom in on the action. Digital zoom is when the camera actually does it’s own cropping of the image it’s shooting. In essence it’s not really zooming but enlarging a portion of the scene that the camera lens is seeing. Digital zoom is actually something you want to stay away from because it causes your images to have less resolution and pixelate the more zoomed in that you go.

Most point and shoot cameras use an optical system up to a certain point and then switch to a digital system. For example your point and shoot camera might use optical zoom until your image gets 3x as large, then it switches to a digital zoom up to 10x as large, which will cause pixelation. So as long as you use only the optical zoom function your image should still retain maximum resolution. Most cameras allow you turn off digital zoom in the camera’s settings.

If using an SLR camera with a zoom lens, you don’t have to worry about pixelation  as an SLR uses a completely optical zoom system. However, you do need to be concerned with camera shake. When using a zoom lens each small movement of the camera gets magnified because you’re focusing on a smaller area of the scene in front of you. This can cause blur to show up in your images and make them less sharp.

So how much zoom is too much on an SLR? The rule of thumb is that in order to hand-hold your camera your shutter speed should not fall below the value of the focal length of your lens. So for example, if you are using a 100mm lens on a full-frame SLR camera, you should make sure to use a shutter speed of 1/125s  (1/125 is the closest full shutter stop to 100) or faster in order to hand-hold your camera. Putting your camera on a tripod will of course eliminate camera shake and allow you to use slower shutter speeds with your zoom lens.

By the way…it’s important to remember when using a crop-sensor SLR camera that you want to use a shutter speed that doesn’t fall below the full-frame equivalent value of the focal length of your lens. For example, if you were shooting with a 150mm lens on an crop-sensor (APS-C size) SLR camera, you should make sure to use a shutter speed of 1/250s or faster in order to hand-hold the camera. This is because the full-frame equivalent of the 150mm lens is approximately 225mm. The closest full shutter stop to that is 1/250s.

Using a zoom lens allowed me to get a great shot of the “burning man” at the Lights, Motor, Action stunt show in Disney’s Hollywood Studios while remaining a safe distance away from the flames in my seat at the show.

Using a Zoom Lens - Burning Man

Which brings us to our last method of getting closer to your subject. Cropping your photo after-the-fact. Cropping is perfect for when you’re back at home reviewing your photos and that “ah ha” moment hits you, I should’ve gotten closer! Cropping allows you to almost create a brand new composition out of an existing photo while directing the viewers eye exactly where you want them to look in your photo.

If cropping is so great and affords you such a high level of control, then why not just shoot all your photos in any haphazard way and worry about cropping them afterwards? Because cropping has one nasty side effect. Think back to zooming for a minute, remember when we talked about digital zoom, and how it doesn’t actually change your lens configuration, but instead magnifies a tiny portion of the image being captured by the camera? Hmm…sounds a lot like cropping doesn’t it?

That’s exactly what it is! Digital zoom is a form of cropping, and why don’t we like digital zoom? It reduces the resolution of the image and causes pixelation. Unfortunately, the same thing occurs when you crop a photo in post-production. Your camera only captures a finite amount of pixels when it takes a photo.

Let’s say you have an 8 megapixel camera. That means when you take your photo it will be made up of roughly 8 million pixels, or tiny dots. You can never get more pixels than what is originally captured…so when you crop that photo the result is only a small portion of the original photo. That means that you have thrown away quite a few of those pixels in the areas of the photo that you cut out. Which means the portion you are left with may only have half the pixels of the original or less. If too many of those pixels get thrown away then your photo will start to get grainy, and pixelated.

So, when cropping your photos make sure not to crop too tightly, or throw away too much of the original photo. That’s why the best way to get a close-up image is to use one of the first 2 methods and not have to crop at all. This will make sure you have retained the highest amount of resolution in your close-up photo and will prevent pixelation.

As you can see in the image below when you crop the original photo too much, it becomes, grainy, blurry, and pixelated. Basically at this point it is unusable.

Too Much Cropping Causes Pixelation

There are so many ways to get closer photos of your subjects, there’s no excuse not to. I guarantee doing this one thing will add a whole new dimension to the photos you take.

How do you know when you’re close enough? What I like to do is get as close as I can, and when I think it looks right to me in the viewfinder and I’ve gone far enough…I go just a little bit further. Then I can be sure I’ve gotten just the right amount of closeness between me and my subject. Plus, if you find that you need just a little bit more after you’ve taken the shot…you can always crop it after-the-fact. Starting out with a close photo of your subject will ensure that you won’t have to sacrifice too many pixels if you feel the need to crop later on.

I have a bit of a homework assignment for you to reinforce this idea and it’s something I like to do from time to time because it really makes for some very interesting shots. You can do this whether you have a point and shoot or an SLR. Set your camera to the highest zoom setting, or if you have an SLR, use your longest zoom lens. Keep it at that setting for the entire day when you go out shooting. No matter what you want to take a picture of, don’t change that zoom setting. Find a new creative way to shoot that subject up close!

You’d be amazed at how it makes you see the world differently, and you’ll get some pretty interesting and spectacular shots. As always please feel free to share the results on here, we’d love to see them!

Scott Dengrove is a professional photographer from the NYC area. Scott’s work has been featured in many national photography competitions and published in several nationally circulated magazines and publications. In addition, his work can currently be seen in 2 exhibits at Cosi® restaurants in New York and Connecticut and a traveling exhibit entitled “America: Coast to Coast”. For more information, and to see more of Scott’s work visit his website at www.dengrovestudios.com and connect with him on his Facebook page at www.facebook.com/dengrovestudios

Well we’ve gotten through another year, the turkeys that made it through the night are all safe once more, and that means it’s time for us to talk about the holidays. Here once again is the Dengrove Studios Holiday Gift Giving Guide for the photo enthusiast in your life. I have some great options for you this year, many of which compliment last years gifts very well. So let’s dive right in to the presents.

Item 1 – Gorillapod Ballhead

Gorillapod Ballhead (photo courtesy of Joby, Inc.)

You know that funny looking tripod that grips onto railings and you see your photographer using everywhere? That’s the Gorillapod, one of the best presents ever, which is why it made our list last year. If your photo enthusiast friends and family members were lucky enough to get one last year, then you know they use it all the time and love it. So, allow me to introduce you to the Gorillapod Ballhead, by Joby.

The Gorillapod Ballhead is an amazing accessory for the Gorillapod. The Gorillapod revolutionized the way we support our cameras, being able to hang them from railings, handles, and even tree branches, but anyone who’s used one has come up against the following problem at least once or twice.

Gorillapod on a Tree Trunk (photo courtesy of Joby, Inc.)

Picture it…you’ve managed to secure your Gorillapod and camera to a tree branch for some great night-time photography shots. There’s only one problem, since the Gorillapod is hanging sideways your camera is set up in a portrait orientation, but fireworks are big wide displays! If only there was a way to secure your Gorillapod on the light post but angle your camera so it’s in a horizontal position.

Enter the Gorillapod Ballhead…ta-da! The Ballhead secures onto most Gorillapod models and allows you to then rotate and angle your camera while it’s sitting a top the Gorillapod. Add a while new dimension to your Gorillapod experience.

Now you can pan, tilt, and angle your camera in virtually any direction all while your camera is securely attached via your Gorillapod. Bring on the fireworks, tree trunks, landscapes, railings, group portraits and benches.

The Gorillapod Ballhead comes in several different sizes to fit virtually any Gorillapod. Get yours at www.joby.com.

Gorillapod with Ballhead (photo courtesy of Joby, Inc.)

Item 2 – Strobist™ Flash Gel Pack

Strobist Flash Gel Pack (photo courtesy of Rosco)

Does your photo enthusiast love using their speedlights? If so, I have a great accessory for them. Nothing adds a new creative dimension to flash lit photography like adding a colored gel. With all the different color options out there, the possibilities are limitless.

But there is a problem…most gels are sized for theater lights, not small speedlight strobes. Standard gel sheets are 20″ x 24″ and cost nearly $10 a piece. That’s way too much waste when you only need a small piece of gel 1.5″ x 3.25″ the size of most speedlights. Enter the Strobist™ Flash Gel Pack.

A strobist is a person who loves using speedlights over large studio strobes to shoot all kinds of photography. Strobists routinely push the limits of what can be accomplished with small portable flash light. There is a even a blog site dedicated to strobists founded by David Hobby. It’s with David, that Rosco, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of theater and film gels combined to create the Strobist™ Flash Gel Pack.

The Strobist™ Flash Gel Pack contains 55 of the best, most commonly used gel colors in a small convenient pack which is only 1.5″ x 3.25″ in size designed just for people who love their speedlights as much as your photo enthusiast does. Plus it’s less than $20! At that price there’s no excuse why a new creative world of flash photography can’t be opened for any strobist in your life.

Get yours at BHPhoto or Adorama.

Item 3 – The pod™

The pod

Sounds like a mid evil torture device, “if you don’t do what I ask, I’ll put you in the pod!” Actually, it is yet another tripod alternative. We all love our Gorillapods, of course, but new on the scene this year is The pod™ and it’s quickly making strong headway in the market for alternative tripods. Look out Gorillapod…there’s a new pod™ in town.

As the name suggests the pod™ is a small beanbag, oval in shape, with a screw which fits right into the tripod mount on the bottom of your camera. It comes in 6 different sizes to accommodate everything from the smallest point and shoot up to large video cameras. Each size is noted by it’s color, yellow, blue, red, green, black and silver although the actual color of all the pods™ is black, the colored portion is on the bottom of the pod™.

Green pod

If you’ve ever tried to support an object on a beanbag before, you quickly realize that not all shapes may be compatible. Especially when it comes to different shaped cameras.

The pod™ people thought of everything. The filling of the pod™ is accessible through a little velcro flap, this allows you to remove stuffing as necessary to mold the pod™ shape right to your camera.

Still not convinced? The price will help with that, the pods™ start at just $9.99 for the smallest(yellow) all the way up to $44.99 for the largest(silver). At that price there’s no reason not to give one a try!

I don’t own one yet, but I can’t wait to get one, so if you’re looking for a last minute gift for me…give the folks at The pod Industries a call. The pod™ can be purchased at www.thepod.ca/store.

 Item 4 – Adobe Photoshop Elements

For the first time in our holiday gift guide we have a piece of software. There are thousands of products out there to help the photo enthusiast in your life take better photos, but what happens after they take all those photos?

Photoshop Elements

Sometimes we want to make the exposure lighter, or remove red-eye from your 3 year old cousin, or perhaps the photo needs to be a little sharper. The king of all photo editing software is of course Photoshop, but with advanced editing features and a price tag of over $500 it’s really overkill for most people who aren’t doing professional photo work.

For those others out there who don’t fit the “Photoshop bill” there’s another Photoshop out there just for you, Photoshop Elements. Think of Photoshop Elements as Photoshop’s little brother. With Photoshop Elements you can add all those finishing touches to your photos without the hefty price tag and advanced user interface.

With Photoshop Elements, you can change the exposure, contrast, fix red-eye, even apply artistic filters. Now all of those photos an be picture perfect. Plus at only $99 it’s an affordable gift for any photo enthusiast. Photoshop Elements works on both PCs and Macs plus you can even download a free trial before you buy it, just to make sure it has all the features you’re looking for. Get yours at www.adobe.com.

Item 5 – Lens Mugs

Canon Lens Mug (photo courtesy of Canon Mugs)

Yes, this one is a repeat from last year…but it is still so cool! Plus nobody has gotten one for me yet, so I figured I’d put them on the list again.

Lens Mugs are travel thermoses in the shape of a Zoom Lens. They come in both Canon and Nikon versions depending on which side of the debate you’re on and the detail in them is simply amazing! So much so that they actually have a big disclaimer posted on their website that says “This is a lens mug, not an actual lens. Don’t pour coffee into your real lens!”

Nikon Lens Mug (photo courtesy of Canon Mugs)

Starting at about $45 there are many different sizes and options to choose from and each one is simply incredible. They even offer 10-packs so you can get one for every photographer on your holiday list. Get yours right here at www.canonmugs.com. Yeah I know, it seems to make them a bit Canon bias but they have really cool Nikon stuff too, I promise, go look.

As always if you have any questions about any of the products mentioned or own any of the products discussed please feel free to leave comments, reviews, and endorsements. I wish you all the best and a great Holiday Season to you and yours.

Scott Dengrove is a professional photographer from the NYC area. Scott’s work has been featured in many national photography competitions and published in several nationally circulated magazines and publications. In addition, his work can currently be seen in 2 exhibits at Cosi® restaurants in New York and Connecticut and a traveling exhibit entitled “America: Coast to Coast”. For more information, and to see more of Scott’s work visit his website at www.dengrovestudios.com and connect with him on his Facebook page at www.facebook.com/dengrovestudios

Basically the title says it all. Today we’re going to talk about travel photography and the most important rule in travel photography is to ALWAYS HAVE YOUR CAMERA AT THE READY!

When traveling to new places that you’ve never been before you never know what you’re going to see and experience. There could be a perfect photo opportunity lying just around the corner and if you’re camera isn’t out and ready to go when you turn that corner chances are you’ll miss it.

Even a short taxi ride from the airport to your destination can yield photo opportunities. Perhaps the driver will pass a famous landmark building along the way. Or you might see some interesting native folks whose photo would help to show just how different the place is your visiting. Or maybe you’ll pass some wild looking plants like nothing you’ve ever encountered before.

It’s pretty hard to snap photos of these things while flying by them at 55 MPH if you don’t have your camera ready to go and accessible. I knew a guy who loved taking photos out car windows on the way to and from the airport. At first I wasn’t quite sure what the benefit was, but once I saw them it immediately became clear.

To further stress my point let me tell you a story about an amazing, colorful, and eerily bizarre thing that I encountered in the Detroit Airport of all places…the famous Light Tunnel.

In the Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (man that’s a really long name) hidden under the tarmac, connecting the “B” and “C” concourses with the Main Terminal building lies the Light Tunnel. An amazing and other-worldly sensory overload of color, sound, and awesomeness.

My first encounter with this strange beast occurred roughly 2 years ago on a connecting flight from Huntsville, AL back to NY. I changed planes in Detroit. During my  first encounter with the Light Tunnel it really snuck up on me and I had no idea it was there or even what it was.

You see the Light Tunnel’s light and sound show is not continuous, so sometimes when you encounter it you may just think “Oh this passage has some cool architecture and I like the way it’s lit” as shown in the photo below.

This is exactly what I saw. So picture it…I just got off my plane with only a 30 minute layover before my next plane. I’m rushing to find it while I’m on the phone with somebody.

I start walking down this passage way not really noticing it too much, when all of a sudden. The lights go out…this really funky new age music starts to play and the passage way explodes into all kinds of strobing pulsing changing colors! I couldn’t believe it. Did I enter some sort of twilight zone? Am I on a bad acid trip? Did I just get smacked in the face by a big rainbow lollypop???!!!

It was incredible, I remember remarking to the person on the other end of the phone “I don’t know where the heck I just traveled to but it’s one hell of a show”. Of course I didn’t have time to really enjoy it or take it all in since I had a plane to catch at a gate on the far end of the terminal in just 10 minutes.

So I rushed through it and got to my plane just as they were closing the doors. The absolute worse part about it is that I DID NOT follow my own advice and have my camera ready. I couldn’t believe what I had just witnesses with no proof or visual reference to show people. How would they believe that I really experienced this and it wasn’t just a bad case of jet-lag.

Often times in life, opportunities like this are never repeated so that is why it’s super important to have your camera ready to grab that photograph at any time!

Ah but how does my story end you ask? Well lucky I recently had the opportunity to travel through the Detroit Airport again, but this time I was ready! I now knew the great light show that awaited me when I stopped to change planes and I was going to take full advantage of it! I scheduled myself a 2 hour layover…plenty of time.

So now we come to an important rule that’s universal in all photography. “Do whatever you have to do to get the shot!”

This is where I sat when taking photos of the light tunnel

I got off my first plane and headed straight for the Light Tunnel. I unpacked my camera and Gorilla-pod and proceeded to sit on the floor right here in the spot circled in the photograph. What a strange sight I must have been sitting on the floor in a pedestrian walkway in the middle of an airport with a camera mounted on a Gorilla-pod taking photos.

For almost 1 hour I proceeded to take all sorts of photos of the Light Tunnel with it’s crazy psychedelic light show.

All the while I was getting odd looks from travelers as they rushed along hurriedly trying to make their next flight. No less than 3 times did airport workers come over to me to ask “are you ok?” “Do you have a problem?” “Do you need medical help?”

I must’ve looked pretty strange to all of them, but I didn’t care I was getting some awesome shots, and erasing a mistake I made 2 years earlier when I was one of those travelers rushing to my next gate not stopping to see and photograph the incredible sight surrounding  me.

So the next time you guys are traveling learn from my mistakes, and be ready at all times to snap that great photo. Please feel free to share your results with us.

For those of you who are curious about the Light Tunnel at the Detroit Airport here is some more information courtesy of Wikipedia the full article may be viewed by clicking here:

This walkway, known as the Light Tunnel, features an elaborate multi-colored light show behind sculpted glass panels extending the entire length of the walkway, as well several moving walkways. The light patterns are synchronized with an original musical score composed by Victor Alexeeff, which runs for nearly a half hour before repeating. This installation, one of the first large scale uses of color changing LED lighting in the United States, was produced by Mills James Productions with glasswork by Foxfire Glass Works of Pontiac, Michigan. The display won multiple lighting design awards including the prestigious Guth Award of Merit. For passengers who are prone to medical conditions such as seizures, there are buttons at each end of the tunnel that will suspend the light show for five minutes so they can pass through with no adverse effects.

Scott Dengrove is a professional photographer from the NYC area. Scott’s work has been featured in many national photography competitions and published in several nationally circulated magazines and publications. In addition, his work can currently be seen in 2 exhibits at Cosi® restaurants in New York and Connecticut and a traveling exhibit entitled “America: Coast to Coast”. For more information, and to see more of Scott’s work visit his website at www.dengrovestudios.com and connect with him on his Facebook page at www.facebook.com/dengrovestudios

Since nobody sent in any requests for topics for the next blogpost, I went ahead and picked one myself. Although the offer still stands, so if you have any topics you’d like to see in the upcoming future, don’t be shy, just let me know.

We spend a lot of time on this blog talking about how to take better photos, and which equipment to use to take better photos, but we’ve never really discussed what should happen to all those photos after you take them.

Sure you could go the traditional (boring) route of putting them in a frame and displaying them on your mantle, but for those who like to think beyond the traditional there are a ton of options for displaying your photos.

If you haven’t checked out finishing options with your photographer lately or wherever you get your prints made, you should definitely do so! In just the past couple of years alone tons of brand new exciting options for displaying photos have been created, and most are very widely available in a whole range of prices.

I’d thought we’d take some time in this article to go through some of the new cool options for making your photos look their best.

Metallic Print

There are so many great options these days for printing your photos. Did you know there were special papers available to print your photos on? One of the more popular options for Landscapes and any photos with bright colors is printing them on Metallic Paper.

Metallic Paper just as the name implies give your photos a shiny lustre that gives your photos a 3-dimensional quality. And don’t think just because it’s not your standard paper it’s not reliable. Metallic paper is very durable and resistant to curling, and when printed using the proper inks has an archival value of almost 200 years.

To the left you can see the difference between a photo printed on standard paper and one on Metallic Paper. Although I will say that seeing it on the screen absolutely does not do it justice, this is one of those things that when you see it in person will simply knock your socks off.

Metallic Paper isn’t the only game in town though when it comes to special printing, in fact did you know that there are several items you can print your photos on that aren’t even paper?

Metal Prints

Do you love the look of your Stainless Steel appliances? Of course, who doesn’t? Did you know that you can get prints made directly onto metal plates?

They’re called Metal Prints and are really something to behold. These are not just paper prints laminated onto a metal plate, no way, the photo is printed directly onto the metal substrate with special inks.

Talk about durability, these metal plates will never bend, warp, or get destroyed, you couldn’t bend them if you tried! Usually Metal Prints are available in several different finishes so that you can choose between seeing the metal texture bleed through your printed photo, or having a high gloss white finish so it looks exactly like a photo printed on paper.

They’re even available with different hanging options and thicknesses.

Again the photo pales in comparison to seeing the real thing, but it should give you a generally good idea just how amazing these Metal Prints are.

So what’s the difference between a photograph and fine art painting?

Aside from the paint it’s the wonderful canvas material that the painting is painted on. Now you can blur the line between painting and photograph, let me introduce you to Gallery Wraps.

Gallery Wraps

Gallery Wraps print your photos directly onto canvas and then stretch them around a frame, so it looks just like a painting!

Gallery Wraps look great, hung over the mantle or in a family room. They bring an instant look of nostalgic “fine art” painting to any photograph.

A Gallery Wrap hung in any room instantly draws attention, as the canvas is stretched on a frame 1″ or 2″ thick the Gallery Wrap stands off the wall and makes itself known.

From the nostalgic look to the modern. If sleek and contemporary is more your style then you might want to check out Standout Mounts to display your photos.

Standout Mounting

Standout Mounts are a frameless, sleek modern way to display your photographs.

Photographic prints are surface mounted to a rectangular foam box with finished edges. The Standout Mount comes in several thicknesses including 3/4″ and 1/5″ so the print stands out off the wall, hence their name.

I personally love the clean look of Standout Mounts and use them for all my photos displayed in exhibitions.

Standout Mounted photos are very durable, especially if you add a lustre coating to them, and since they are printed on photographic paper they are archival, which means they’ll be hanging on the wall long after you’ve left.

As you can see there are a plethora of options for displaying your photos for those that want to look beyond the traditional frame. We’ve just barely scratched the surface here.

All of these options and more are available right here at Dengrove Studios, so if you’re interested in taking advantage of our printing or display services contact us today!

Scott Dengrove is a professional photographer from the NYC area. Scott’s work has been featured in many national photography competitions and published in several nationally circulated magazines and publications. In addition, his work can currently be seen in 2 exhibits at Cosi® restaurants in New York and Connecticut and a traveling exhibit entitled “America: Coast to Coast”. For more information, and to see more of Scott’s work visit his website at www.dengrovestudios.com and connect with him on his Facebook page at www.facebook.com/dengrovestudios

Tags: frameless mount, gallery wrap, hang photo, metal prints, metallic paper, photo display, photo frame, photo mounting, photo prints, standout mount
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