Upcoming blog topics on Laughing Frog Images:

• Buying a DSLR.
• What’s in my “travel” camera bag?
• What’s in my “serious” camera bag?
• All-in-one lenses vs. Prime lenses.
• Pocket cameras.
• Phone photography gets serious.
• The Gallery/Store and our product partner.
• Scanning and growing the Galleries.
• The smells of photography are gone.
• The real Frog.
• Photography, Food and Lodging. (Yes, they go together!  This will be an ongoing series.)
• Our products and our philosophy.
• Gift ideas.

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If someone you know is thinking about buying or replacing a camera, or simply likes photography, we’d appreciate you sharing this with them!

At this point,

1. you’ve got your fireworks images from last Friday,
2. you’ve downloaded Picasa and gotten familiar with it – and now
3. you’re ready to edit your personal fireworks photography!

(If you’re not – go back to the last post, download Picasa and catch up with us!)

The Frog decided that the best way to walk you through this was to create a video and show you instead of trying to tell you using words and screen shots.  You can see the processing step-by-step this way.  If we’ve done our job, you’ll see that you don’t need to be intimidated or nervous about processing your own work.

So, if you’ll click here you’ll be taken directly to the video in a new window, and in 4 minutes and 33 seconds, you’ll be able to process your own fireworks images!

Spoiler Alert:

Here’s what we started with:

And here’s the final product:

Of course, if you decided to skip all of the work last Friday night, you can just click here and select an image to make your own.  If you really want to make it easy, you can order it framed and ready to hang!  The Frog’s YouTube site shows you how you can make one of our images your own.

We hope you’ve enjoyed this series on fireworks photography, and that we’ve been able to remove some of the real or perceived mysteries about fireworks photography.

Well, if you’re like most of us, you’ve got your fireworks pictures, and now you’re ready to process them.  “Processing” your fireworks photography means anything from straightening, cropping, darkening, enhancing, or any one of a number of things to get the result you want.

I have to admit that I realized I opened up a big can of worms when I said in Part 2 that the next post would be about processing.  As I started to write the post in my mind, I came to a screeching halt (yes, it was a funny sound in my head…) when I realized that there are almost as many different photo editing software programs out there (including editions and versions) as there are people that see this blog.

My first thought was that I really outsmarted myself this time, and that the Frog may be up the creek without a paddle.  Not that a frog needs a paddle, but work with me and follow along now that I’ve typed this far…

And then, a spark of brilliance – why not work with a free software that is easy to use and is compatible with both Windows and Apple so that anyone can get it?

One of the most common free photo editing programs is Picasa by Google (here’s a link to an article in PC Magazine if you want to check some other free programs).  Follow this link to download the current version of Picasa: http://picasa.google.com/.

One of the other benefits of Picasa is that it will find and catalog every image on your computer if you want to have every image file in one place.  It had been a while since I’d seen Picasa – and I have to admit that I am impressed with how far it has come.  It’s very simple, but it’s also very powerful.

Part 3A of the series is going to stop here so that those of you who want to follow along in Picasa can take the time to download it, install it, and get familiar with it.  If you don’t want to use Picasa, you’ll still get the basic concepts so you can work in whatever program you choose to.

We’ll pick back up with Part 3B in a couple of days.

Well, assuming that you’ve got your tripod and now you have your remote shutter release, you’re just about ready to go this Friday night!  This is Part 2 of the basics of fireworks photography.

• First, set up your tripod and level it (depending on your tripod and if it or you have a level, close enough may do it).
• Next, attach your camera to the tripod.
• Then, attach your remove release (cable-type) or make sure your camera strap isn’t blocking the remote receptor (wireless-type).
• Set your shutter to “B” for bulb.  You’ll want to open the shutter as soon as you see the shot go up.  Close the shutter when the last streams of color fade out.  The image shown here was a 15-second exposure.
• Set your aperture to f8 (or more). This will give you sharp rendition of the color streams.  The image here was shot at f14 due to the high ISO I used.
• Set your ISO to 200 (or more).  The image here was shot at 800 due to the ambient light that I was dealing with – I wanted to keep the exposure as short as possible.  You see the effect of the ambient light reflecting in the smoke.
• You’re going to need to focus manually – so turn off your autofocus and focus at infinity.  Some folks like to back off from infinity a tad – but a high (small) aperture generally takes care of that.
• If your lens has vibration reduction / anti-shake, you’re going to need to turn that off as well.
• You won’t know exactly where to aim the camera until the first shot goes up – you’ll need to move the tripod head accordingly while you watch the first shot through the viewfinder or screen.  And then – go wider and higher than the first shot, because composing the shot is really an educated guess.  The shots will vary in height and width – and you won’t know until you see it.  You can always crop the shot later.
• If there are street lights in your frame, do your best to compose the picture so that they are gone – they will certainly mess up your picture.
• Smoke as seen in the image here is something you can’t control – you can only crop it out.  If they’re shooting low, it’s probably going to end up being something you’re going to have to deal with.
• If you can shoot “RAW” images on your camera as well as JPG, certainly do so!  This will give you more flexibility when you process your images.
• Check yourself as you go and see how things look in your monitor.
• If the fireworks look too dark and the sky is really black, increase the ISO one stop (for example, from 200 to 400). 
• Keep checking for composition and exposure – and keep adjusting as you need to. 
• If the sky looks washed out or shades of gray instead of black and the fireworks appear too bright – decrease the ISO or increase your aperture. 
• When they’re getting ready for the grand finale, increase your aperture to f14 or more as they’re typically longer shots, which call for a longer exposure.  Increasing the aperture counters the effects of the longer exposure.

If this sounds like a really simple explanation, it is.  Remember, The Frog is self-taught, and learned by trial and error using Kodachrome® 64 slide film many moons ago.  Digital makes it much easier – you can see how you’re doing and make adjustments in near-real time.  Way back when, you hoped for the best when you sent the film out for processing – and waited for a week or so to see how you did, and adjustments were mental notes for the next year.  What’s been covered here is what goes on every time I’m doing digital fireworks photography.

So, those are the basics!  Go out!  Have fun!  Check yourself as you go.  And, be safe.  Oh, by the way, don’t forget to take a small flashlight!  (It makes life a lot easier… trust me on that one!)

We’ll talk about the basics of processing after the holiday weekend.

A couple of months ago, the Frog talked about tripods being underutilized and unappreciated.

Well, it’s almost time to dust off the tripod!  July Fourth fireworks are a couple of weeks away.

So, here’s the first part of a quick lesson in DIY fireworks photography.  (Or, you could just buy a picture from Laughing Frog Images !)

Let’s first talk about what equipment you need in addition to your tripod.

By the way, this post is targeted to digital cameras , and specifically those cameras where you can adjust the shutter speed and the aperture AND you can trip the shutter without pushing the shutter button.  (Many point and shoot cameras have settings for fireworks – if yours does, read the manual and follow the instructions.)

First, you need your tripod!  You simply can’t hand hold your camera for a good fireworks shot – regardless of your camera.

Second, you need a way to trip the shutter remotely.  Depending on your camera this could be an infrared remote control or a cable-connected remote control.  Why is this important?  Simple – you don’t want to cause the camera to move or shake when you open and close the shutter.  If there are any lights in your photo, they’ll end up as blurry lines if you shake the camera.

I have one of each, and to be honest, I prefer and recommend the cable-connected release with a locking button.  Somewhere out there, someone is asking “why?”  Good question!  The cable-connected release with a locking button doesn’t need a battery.  The infrared releases need a battery.  There’s nothing worse than leveling up your tripod, mounting the camera, setting your shutter speed and aperture, seeing the first shot go up, pushing the button and waiting to hear the shutter open.  And waiting.  And waiting.  And, well, you get the point.  The Frog has been there and done that, and kept his thoughts to himself ’cause there were children around.  So, that’s why I have a cable-connected remote shutter release.

Next post: Composition, exposure times, and apertures.  Stay tuned!

It’s been a little quiet here at the Frog lately…

About three weeks ago, we lost Hunter to an apparent heart issue.  He was here… and then he was gone… No signs.  No warnings.  Nothing.  He’s the featured photo for this post, doing his best proud pose.

Not only was he a great companion and conversationalist (you had to know him!), he was also very photogenic.  And the photographer laments not photographing him more.

Hunter was a rescue cat, abandoned at age six in a crate outside a local pet store by his former “owners” (and I use that term loosely) on a cold February morning.  Hunter was also a project – an exercise in patience, trust, and love.  He was still coming out of his shell at the ripe old age of eight.  And now, all we have is some fur and the pictures.  I don’t know why I pulled the camera out that day and started photographing him, but I’m glad I did.  Mrs. Frog says that he did a proud “Tramp” pose (remember the movie The Lady and The Tramp?) showing off his collar and name tag as evidence that he was finally coming into his own in a house where he was part of the family.

Hunter most certainly did take a good picture.  I’m glad I have them.  He had this tendency to silently sneak in here (despite his bell) and rise up and swat me when he wanted attention and I was lost in a post or a picture.  I miss that.

So, where am I going with all of this? I know sometimes the Frog hops down a roundabout path, like today.

It’s a reminder for all of you to remember to capture the quirks, memories, expressions, funnies and foibles of your friends – whether they walk on four legs, fly with two wings, swim with fins, or slither on smooth scales.  With digital cameras and cell phone cameras, and cameras in out tablets, pet pictures are easy and cheap!  There are books on the subject, and probably instructional videos as well – but you know, they really don’t matter.

All that matters is that you have the picture and that it moves you.

Because, like anything else in life, nothing is forever.  And, someday, all you’ll have is the pixels, prints and bytes to bring a smile and fond memories to you.

Etta and Ella have been helping me type this.  It’s taken a lot longer to finish this than it would have without their “help”.  They’re a new chapter, and you’ll probably get to know them as the Frog, and life, go on.

Now go and snap a few pictures of your own pet(s)…

Santa Fe 3751 graced Southern California with a round trip from Los Angeles to San Bernardino recently.  The Frog photographed her in San Dimas, and then went on a mission to San Bernardino.  Once there, a photo study of the 3751 began.

Steam engines are a fascinating machine to behold – an assemblage of iron, steel, copper, brass, rods, levers, bolts and pins.  It’s one thing to look at everything as being one – a living, breathing machine born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in May of 1927.  It’s another to take that machine apart, and look at all of the pieces and fittings, manufacturers and gauges, forged pieces and castings, and wisps of steam and drips of grease.  It takes on a completely different aura when one does that in black and white images – which is what the Frog did.

The 3751 is what is called a Northern – she’s got 8 axles in what is called a 4-8-4 arrangement.  The front two axles are connected by what’s called a “truck”, and they support the front on the locomotive.  The work is done by the next four axles – the big wheels called the “drivers”.  Finally, the last four wheels are on two axles on the trailing truck, which supports the back of the locomotive.

If you’ve never seen, smelled, or heard a steam engine up close, here’s the next best thing to being there – at least visually.  We hope you enjoy your visit.  Here’s the direct link to the gallery: http://order.laughingfrogimages.com/p759196925

For more about Santa Fe 3751, check out the people that keep her living and breathing – the San Bernardino Railroad Historical Society – at http://www.sbrhs.org.

And, also check out the sponsor of the annual Railroad Days at the San Bernardino station – the San Bernardino History & Railroad Museum at http://www.sbdepotmuseum.com.  They’ve got a great museum of a different time, and it’s well worth the time to see what was…