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The “Photo Cards – Lighting Edition” application is launching on the top three mobile platforms to provide maximum availability to photographers as a handy resource in the field or on location. This application provides the user with 16 lighting setups and diagrams, instructions specific to each lighting setup, and a photo taken with that lighting setup.

Sacramento, CA, September 04, 2011 –(www.photocardapps.com)– The “Photo Cards – Lighting Edition” application is now available at www.photocardapps.com for the top three mobile platforms. This application provides the mobile user with 16 different lighting setup cards, each with a lighting diagram, instructions specific to that lighting setup, and a photo taken with that lighting setup. There are seven setups that were created with 1 light, six setups created with 2 lights, and three setups created with 3 lights.

This application serves as a great resource whether the photographer is just starting out with lighting and posing as well as for someone looking for some new ideas for some different lighting setups. The photos for this application were all taken in the studio, but can easily be replicated hot shoe camera flashes, studio strobes, or even reflectors and natural lighting setups.

The concept for the cards was developed as part of an instruction DVD published by John Hoeft. The DVD provides training on studio lighting (www.photographydvds.com) and is aimed at beginning and amateur photographers that are looking for good foundational information on lighting in a studio environment. The response to the printed cards that were included with the DVD was so positive that this electronic version was subsequently developed for mobile computing devices.

“I have always loved sharing my passion for photography with other photographers and developing this application is a real personal milestone for me,” said John Hoeft, owner of HoeftPhoto and author of the Photo Cards – Lighting Edition. “When I was developing these materials I tried to put myself in my audiences shoes and give them what I was really looking for when I first started shooting with flashes and strobes. I think this application with its 16 lighting setups and 54 example photos is what I would have found to be quite beneficial when I was struggling with this type of lighting early on.”

The “Photo Cards – Lighting Edition” application is available now for Apple, Android, and BlackBerry platforms and the link to each can be found at www.photocardapps.com, All trademarks are property of their respective trademark owners.

About HoeftPhoto:
John Hoeft is a local part-time photographer in the greater Sacramento, California area with over 35 years of photography experience. In addition to the usual photography pursuits John is also very active in the instruction of photography to local photographers. He currently is the Organizer of three local Meetup groups in the Sacramento, California area with over 650 total members. John will typically conduct 1 or 2 hands-on workshops per month for small groups of students on a variety of photographic topics.

More Information about the Photo Cards is available at www.PhotoCardApps.com

Part Three – A fast lens

I am a big proponent of expanding your possibilities and trying something different. Most people (me included) when they purchase their DSLR typically get the “kit” lens with it. Today this lens is often an 18-55 mm lens with a variable aperture of f3.5 – f5.6. This works ok in really bright situations or higher ISO speeds. Once you move indoors you either have to use flash or max out the ISO. Depending on what you are doing this can be limiting and not always giving you the photo you were looking for.

I am a big fan of candid shots with only existing light. I also like to blur out the background behind the subject. The tool for both of these is a “fast prime lens” which for me is either a 50 mm f1.8 or 85 mm f1.8 lens. These lenses are typically $100 and $400 respectively. An f1.8 lens is 2 stops faster than a lens at f3.5 and 3 1/3 stops faster than a f5.6 lens.

Said another way with two stops faster say your f3.5 lens requires an exposure of 1/25 of a second at f3.5 you could shoot at 1/100 of a second at f1.8 and at f5.6 if the exposure requested is 1/30 of a second at ISO 1600 you could shoot at ISO 400 and use a shutter speed of around 1/80 of a second. In the first example you would reduce the change of blur from hand shake and in the second not only would your potentially reduce the blur but also reduce the noise due to the high ISO setting.

As for the image blur (Brokeh) a fast lens provides a very narrow depth of field when shot wide open at f1.8. The depth of field or space in front of and behind the subject that will be in focus is about 4.5 inches (2.25” in front and 2.25” in back) if the subject is 5 feet from the camera. So if you focused on your subject’s nose their ears would likely be slightly out of focus. That is a narrow depth of field! You can have a lot of fun with a fast lens like this and enjoy a great deal of flexibility as well.

Another great advantage is the view finder will be much brighter since four times as much light (2 stops) is coming into the camera. It will also focus faster and quicker as well. Remember though when shooting wide open and close to your subject you have to choose where you focus very carefully or you will get out of focus pictures. Typically if you focus on your subjects eyes you will get the best results. I suggest everyone get a 50 mm f1.8 lens since they are relatively inexpensive and a great way to add a new dimension to your photographic bag of tricks.

Part Two – A bulb type blower

One if the downsides of DSLR cameras is dust. It is all but impossible to avoid but can be easily minimized. Newer cameras now have “Anti-dust” features built-in but trust me you will still get dust inside the lens box. I reality you don’t actually get dust on your sensor but on the filter that covers it and protects it.

Depending on how you shoot as to how much of a problem dust will be for you. If you don’t typically shoot in dusty environments, don’t change your lenses, and only shot at wide apertures you may not notice a dust problem. If this does not describe you then your likely to be like most DSLR photographers and have a dust problem.

The best way to gauge if you do have a dusty or dirty sensor is to stop down your lens to f16-f22 and shoot a photo of a white wall while the camera is moving side to side. By moving the camera only the dust specks will be stationary in the photo. Look at the image in you photo editing software and you will likely see some dust specs. Try adjusting the brightness and contrast of the image to make them stand out even more. Those dark specks you see are dust.

Before you proceed a few words of caution about cleaning your sensor. Never use compressed air on the mirror box or sensor as it can permanently damage it. Do not touch any thing to the sensor or insert anything into the mirror box.

For me I want to avoid every having to physically touch the sensor with anything in order to clean it. What I prefer is an air bulb blower that pulls air from the rear of the bulb and expels it out the front. This way us you dislodge dust from the camera and lens box you are not sucking it right back in to your blower.

I use the Giottos Rocket Air Blaster

This is where the blower bulb comes in handy. Find a relatively dust free spot and remove your lens. Using your blower and with the camera body pointing down gently give you mirror box a few quick blasts to blow out and dust that has accumulated in there. Now activate your cameras sensor cleaning function and this will open the shutter and allow you to blow out sensor with your blower. Give it another few quick blasts and put the lens back on, reset the camera, and take another frame.

Hopefully the dust specks have been diminished and if not repeat and check again. Also I do not recommend doing this any more than is needed. Some photographers can become obsessed with cleaning their sensors. Now for really stubborn dust specks you may have to either have it clean professionally ($$) or if you feel comfortable try cleaning it yourself. Be warned that if you do not know what you are doing you can ruin your camera. I have cleaned mine before in this way with great success and will share that in another post at a later date.

Part One – A tripod

The more support/stability you can give your camera while acquiring the image is likely to give you better sharper images. If you don’t have a tripod you will likely be amazed how much better your photos will be with one.

Try to avoid the cheap video/camera tripod with pan/tilt head. Often times you are getting a hybrid that really does not really work that well for photos or video. For the head I prefer a simple ball head sized according to the weight of your camera body and largest lens you will be using. I also recommend a quick release style head and associated plate for the camera/lens.

If you plan on hiking a lot with your camera consider a carbon fiber model. The extra savings in weight may be the difference between taking it or not if you are like me. I recommend one with a hook on the bottom of the center column so you can hang your bag from it for stability when setting up a shot. Want to reduce your weight even more consider a monopod.

For studio or portrait work consider a heavier model and one that is adjustable up to a height you are comfortable shooting at as well as the height your subject will be at as well. Here heavier is better for stability.

For all around general shooting consider something between the two and you should be alright. A good tripod will last you longer than the camera body if properly taken care of. The best tripod is the one you use.

I am a big fan of the Lowepro Slingshot bags. I own the 200 AW and 300 AW. The 200 AW is the mid-sized bag and is great for the 20D and a shorter lens attached. Last year when we prepared for our vacation in Europe I wanted something a little large so I upgraded to the 300 AW. I like this bag since it easily holds the 20D or the 1D MK III as well as an assortment of lenses and accessories plus other items you need when on vacation. I like the fact that the bag is easy to get on and off and can pretty easily be rotated along my side for easy access to all of the pockets and compartments. My only minor complaint is that with only one true padded strap if you really load this thing up it is not the most comfortable bag, with or without the second strap. A new addition to the 300 AW over the 200 AW is a nice padded belt which goes a long ways towards making this more comfortable. Link to the bag on Lowepro’s site

When the Adobe Lightroom Beta came out I was on of the many that downloaded it and played around with it but honestly I was no blown away, at first. As I played around with it more and more and discovered some of the new tweaks and features. Soon I started really looking at it and how it could improve my workflow I got excited. I eventually purchased the Scott Kelby Lightroom book and then I started seeing the improvements in my ability to import files, tag them, and catalog them. I like the fact that Lightroom treats all files (RAW and JPEG) as if they were negatives and does not alter them. I do sport photography and a typical day is shooting close to 4,000 JPEG photos and then having to short them and select the 10% to 15% that I will process and post for purchase. Lightroom has really reduced the amount of time required for my end to end workflow.

Click to see at Amazon.com

The Canon EOS 1D Mark III is definitely a step up from the EOS 10D and EOS 20D that I have previously shot with. I shoot a lot of sports so the blinding fast 10 FPS is a must and a noticeable upgrade from the 20D’s 5 FPS. I was an early adopter and suffered from the early focus problems when I shot outdoors in the sun. The camera has since been fixed and shots as I would expect. The autofocus is very fast and was the upgrade I was looking for as well. The dual memory card slots are very convenient and prevent running out of storage space and having to switch at the worst times. The brighter viewfinder is also a welcome sight too. All of that being said I personally think the best upgrade or improvement is the low noise at the high ISO ratings. I find the 800 ISO shot compare well with the 400 ISO shots from the 20D. The 1600 ISO is also very usable and produces great snapshot sized prints with little or no grain. I have nothing bad to say about this camera. Link to Canons 1D Mark III product page