Went to the 3rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica tonight and what a beautiful night. I’ve always loved the art deco look of many of the buildings in Santa Monica and especially the clock overlooking the Promenade. I set up near a tree lit with lights and opened the shutter as wide as it could go (f/4.0) to open generate some Bokeh! I loved the tones of the lights and that is what drew me. Based on the position of the camera, a tourist asked me what I was shooting and when I showed her this image from the back of my camera, she was amazed. I kept telling her I was shooting the clock and she would ask ‘what clock’? After she saw this, she looked and pointed out to the rest of her family. It just had me reflect how far I’ve come with photography. I have a passion for this and I love when I can move someone, whether to think, smile, think, cry, whatever.
I also had another tourist couple ask if I could answer a question for them. They had gone up to the Hollywood sign to take a picture at night, but the pictures came out dark. They couldn’t figure it out since they had “On Camera Flash”. So we discussed the photography triangle of shutter speed, ISO, and aperture. I showed her the book from Bryan Peterson, ‘Understanding Exposure’. That booked was an easy read and elevated my skills exponential. If you are interested in photography and you are new, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND it! Photographers have been very open in helping me through the various media distribution channels and I must confess, what a rush to help other newbies out as well. “It is in giving that we receive”. For all the photographers out there so willing to share your knowledge, thank you! As I mentioned before, I’m really trying to look at my world more creatively and this challenge is helping, as has the many many blogs, articles, you tube videos, books, meet up group, friends, other photographers in the field, and any other photograph
Shot with Canon 5DmkIII, 24-105mm f/4L, 105mm, f/4, 1/6″, ISO 100.
Black and white below shot with same set up but long exposure of 50mm, f/20, 25″, ISO 200.
Homeless man shot handheld same set up, 105mm, f/4.0, 1/60″ ISO 3200.
LAMediaMan 