The "Detail Shot" and the "Details in the Shot"

One of the most overlooked aspects for the beginning and amateur photographer is the "detail shot" And the "Details in the Shot". For years I have been preaching to photographers the value in looking for the details. And here is why.

Frequently when photographers first start out they look to take photos of things that grab their eye, something that has an emotional or visual connection to them. Then they start to learn about, exposure and framing and lens choice etc. and pretty soon they forget about what's within the photo they are taking.

And ultimately that is what is the most important thing. What is within the frame of the photograph we took. What is our emotional connection, what will be the emotional connection for the viewer. What is the importance, the beauty, the context and ultimately the content.

So what does this have to do with detail shots? Well inside the frame you see in the viewfinder of your camera is the image you are trying to take. You usually have a main focus of interest and then other items, people or things in the frame that are part of the image as a whole, but really aren't what caught your eye or what you may be trying to focus on.

So I try to teach young photographers and remind others that you always need to look for the details in the situation you are photographing. Whether that is to look for details in the event that can add to the over Photo "take" of the event or for the details within the frame that can make the photo more visually interesting. The details that can help make the composition inside the frame more interesting or that can add more information to the viewer as to what this person or event or situation is about.

So here are a few photos from my archives that hopefully will show you what I am talking about......

This is a photo from a diabetes conference where I looked for a detail photo that I thought told the story much better than an overall shot of hundreds of people and booths.

This is a detail photo of the Utah Jazz's Andrei Kirilenko's knees after a playoff game. I thought this photograph showed as much about what a hustle player he is, diving after loose balls and defending, than any action shot I took from the action on the court.

This is a portrait of my daughter, but I included the red rock behind her to her right as an icon to show a sense of place and to document where she was when the photo was taken, and I think it makes the photo more visually interesting.

I used a long lens to try an make the hair on the lead singer stand out even more. This detail made the image stronger and I felt would connect with the viewer of the image better.

This is a portrait of the CEO of EnergySolutions Steve Creamer who is a big man in person and has a strong take-no-prisoners type personality. I chose to include the detail of his hands in the portrait to try and help convey some of strength of his personality in the photograph

This is lead singer Jim Lindberg of the group "Pennywise". At the show he kept wrapping the mike cord around his arm, I thought this was an interesting detail that help add to the moment and to his personality.

This is a recent portrait of a former football player for the Nebraska Cornhuskers. I tried to light it to make him the focal point, but also include the details of his football career to quickly communicate to the viewers of the photo what was the focus of this story about this man.

These next two photos are a couple of my favorite portraits, they are of actor Crispin Glover, who has been in a lot of movies and is an independent film maker. I included the full frame down to his hands in his pockets in this frame as the way he dressed and carried himself is a major part of who he is and I wanted to include that in the portrait.

In the this portrait I wanted to make his "eyes" be the focal point of the frame. He had these piercing eyes that seemed filled with ideas and energy and I wanted to try and convey that in the photograph.

So, hopefully you can see the value and importance of details in a photograph. It doesn't really matter if you are covering a news event, a wedding, a sports event or doing a portrait of a famous person or your own children, looking for and including details is an important part of making a successful image. So after that thing that catches your eye grabs your attention and makes you drag your camera up to your eye, make sure that you remember to look at all the details within and without your frame to try and take your image to the next level.

Using the news Pocket Wizard TT1 and TT5

About a month ago I received some of the first versions of the new Pocket Wizard TT1 and TT5. This is very new state of the art cutting technology from a company named LPA who make the Pocket Wizard family of electronic transmitters and receivers for triggering flashes and cameras remotely. For more information on their products click here.

Anyway these technological marvels allow the photographer to attach the TT1 to a camera and then mount their flash on the TT5 and it will transmit all the TTL functions of the camera and flash electronically without the need for any cables or cords. This is great for those of us who like to use flashes off camera or hide them behind bushes on around rocks and don't want to drag along any more gear on a hike than we need to. It's also even better news for those of us who have to shoot at less than ideal times of day when the sun is at it's brightest.

Here is how they describe them on the company web site:

Now you can get perfect off-camera flash photos in any environment.
Around corners
Out-of-sight
Bright sun

With these additional features:
Dedicated Canon compatibility
On-camera hot-shoe
Up to 8 fps
Standard X-sync Speeds up to 1/500 sec. with almost any flash
FP/High Speed Sync up to 1/8000 sec.
Triggers remote flash or camera
Upgradeable and Configurable
Compatible with any PocketWizard for standard triggering

On a trip last week to several national and state parks in the southern part of the state of Utah. I had a chance to put these little wonders through there paces out in the "wild". I might want to mention that these new gadgets give you the ability to shoot with your flash up to the highest shutter speed of your camera, just as if the flash were attached to the hot shoe of your camera. They also allow for the ability to use what LPA refers to as "Hyper Synch" mode for other flashes and strobes not attached to the hot shoe allowing the photographer to use a higher synch speed than your camera usually will allow. For a more complete technical explanation of this and how it works, click here.

The TT1 & TT5 I was using have the latest software and firmware installed, as these little wonders can be upgraded via a USB cable with software downloaded from the company website.

Here are some photos with details on how I used the Pocket Wizards on each shot.

My daughter Stormie at Kodachrome State Park in bright sunlight (below). Although I did not use the hyper synch or higher shutter speed. The off camera flash really helps the photo.

Camera details: Canon EOS-1D Mark III

Lens (mm): 20

ISO: 100

Aperture: 5.6

Shutter: 1/250

Flash Canon 580 EXII -2/3 stop

This is my other daughter Mariah at the same location (below)

Camera details: Canon EOS-1D Mark III

Lens (mm): 64

ISO: 100

Aperture: 9

Shutter: 1/250

Flash Canon 580 EXII -2/3 stop

Stormie (below) at Hickman Bridge, a natural sandstone arch at Capitol Reef National Monument, Utah. Here I used a higher shutter speed to give me a shallower depth of field. The pocket wizard combo worked like a charm and they are so light that it was easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy to hike with them up the mile and half trail with just one camera body, a flash and the two pocket wizards.

Camera info: Canon EOS-1D Mark III

Lens (mm): 16

ISO: 100

Aperture: 3.5

Shutter: 1/800

Flash Canon 580 EXII

Next came a steep climb down into Bryce Canyon National Park's Navajo Loop Trail to a few very tall spruce trees try to reach up to the light at the top of canyon. Using my pocket wizards I was able to fill in the shadows of at the bottom of the canyon and get great photos of my daughter Mariah (below) and the trees without having to overexpose and blow out the colors of the sky and rocks at the top of the canyon.

Camera info: Canon EOS-1D Mark III

Lens (mm): 16

ISO: 400

Aperture: 3.5

Shutter: 1/125

Flash Canon 580 EXII -2/3 stop

These next two photos show how I used my pocket wizard to fill in the trunk of the tree with my Canon 580 EXII dialed down 3 stops, for just a very small amount of fill and thereby not blowing out the sky and colored rock formations called "hoodoo's" at the top of the Canyon.

Camera info:Canon EOS-1D Mark III

Lens (mm): 16

ISO: 400

Aperture: 11

Shutter: 1/125

Flash Canon 580 EXII -3 stop

No flash was used on this frame.

Camera Info:Canon EOS-1D Mark III

Lens (mm): 16

ISO: 400

Aperture: 8

Shutter: 1/125

This was not the first time I have used my pocket wizards TT1 & TT5 since I purchased them, but I wanted to see how well they would work in such a rugged and very cold environment, (wind chill made the temp around 15-20 degrees) outside on the fly without studio strobes in the "wild" in a much less controlled environment. My conclusion. They Rock!!! I am very impressed at how easy they were to use, they are so light and can be quickly attached and ready to work. The only complaint I have, and it is a small one, is that it is often hard to make sure you are in C1 or C2 when you slide the switch on, there is not a definitive click and when your hands are cold or you have gloves on it is even harder to make sure the switch is in the right spot. Also make sure you don't forget to switch it back to off and make sure the switch doesn't snag when you are sliding it back into your camera bag. I found this out the hard way the first time I used it. The next morning when I popped it out of my bag, the battery was dead. Now I always carry a couple of extra batteries and double check to make sure the switch is in the "off" position.