Lighthaus Camera: Golden Hour

Landscape photography is one of the funnest types of photography to do here in Hawaii.  Obviously, sunset and sunrise pictures produce spectacular pictures but have you stuck around for the blue hour, nautical twilight or astronomical twilight?

 If you want to find out what each of these hours are, check out this article from PetaPixel:
http://petapixel.com/2014/06/11/understanding-golden-hour-blue-hour-twilights/

Calculating exactly when golden hour starts, this is a great website:

http://www.golden-hour.com/

Remember to bring your tripod for tack sharp photographs, water for hydration, a small flash light and maybe even a light jacket.

Lighthaus Camera has four locations across the Aloha state to fulfill your photographic needs.  We have one location in Kona, one on Oahu and two on Maui. Because inventory varies from location to location, please call ahead to see if we have what you need.

Lighthaus Camera: are you excited?

As we head into the summer, the two giants of the camera world Canon and Nikon are going to announce possible updates to two very popular cameras.  The Nikon D800e will be replaced by the so called D800s and Canon hints at the 7D Mark II.

From PetaPixel.com regarding the D800s
http://petapixel.com/2014/05/20/rumor-nikons-d800d800e-replacement-coming-june/

From PetaPixel.com regarding the 7D Mark II
http://petapixel.com/2014/06/06/canons-latest-invite-to-pro-dealers-hints-at-august-announcement-of-the-7dmii/

Lighthaus Camera: A Great Tool

Have you ever wanted to compare different cameras or lenses?  I came across this great tool on DPReview.com.  It allows you to compare products side by side and has several different subjects and details.  To check out the widget, click the following link:

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/image-comparison?utm_campaign=internal-link&utm_source=mainmenu&utm_medium=text&ref=mainmenu

Lighthaus Camera: Focal Length for Landscape Photography

Lighthaus Camera has several wide angle lenses for both Canon and Nikon for rent to capture great landscape shots. For Canon shooters we have the 10-22mm EFS f/3.5-4.5, the 16-35mm Version I &II and Nikon shooters have the choice of the 10-24mm DX f/3.5-4.5 or the 14-24mm f/2.8 lenses. Please keep in mind that each store may have a different inventory, so please call ahead to see what lenses are available.

Now for the good part, I came across a great article on PetaPixel earlier this morning regarding focal lengths and landscape photography. I would love to share it with you, so click the link below to view the article by Gannon Burgett and video by Steve Perry (not the ex Journey front man) for some great tips on perspective.

http://petapixel.com/2014/05/26/learn-how-to-choose-the-best-focal-length-for-when-capturing-landscape-photos/

Lighthaus Camera: Off Camera Flash

Before you purchase a flash unit, make sure that the flash is compatible with your camera.  The flash must be able to communicate with your camera's auto-exposure system, therefor creating a dedicated flash.  Non dedicated flashes will only operate manually and that is lets just say, a pain in the butt in this day and age.

When choosing a flash, compare guide numbers.  Those numbers tell you the measurement of the light output of the flash.  Flashes that have higher guide numbers will put out more light at farther distances.  When checking guide numbers, double check to see if the distances are measured in meters or feet.  One meter equals three feet.

TTL means through the lens.  When flashes have this feature, it means that the flash will pre-flash and transmit a signal to each flash off the camera telling them the correct amount of power for the desired exposure.  When using one or more flashes off the camera, a wireless transmitter is ideal but they do make cords too.

There are two types of wireless transmitters.  Infrared wireless transmitters and remote transmitters.  The infrared system, both pieces of equipment must be within line of sight of each other.  The remote transmitters do not have to be in line of sight but a transmitter must be on your camera and the receiver must be present for each flash.

Lighthaus Camera has four locations across the Aloha state to service your camera needs.  We carry both Canon's and Nikon's flash systems and Pocket Wizard transmitters.  Since inventory does vary from store to store, call ahead to see what's in stock.

Hau'oli Pakoa from Lighthaus Camera

Lighthaus Camera: Blood Moon Monday/Tuesday

April 15, 2014 will be remembered for two things. The obvious is that it is when taxes are due. The other is the fact that there will be a blood moon eclipse the night of the 14th and early morning hours of the 15th. The blood moon is when the Earth, Sun and the moon are in perfect alignment, covering the moon from view in the Earth's shadow. The eclipse should last for several hours, starting around 7:00 pm and lasting until 12:30 for the full eclipse

Taking pictures of an eclipse is not the same as when taking pictures of the moon. Normally the moon is lit up by the sun so it is bright where fast shutter speeds and low ISO is common without having to worry about noise. Because of the Earth's shadow, causing the eclipse, you will have to decrease shutter speeds and increase your ISO. Especially with lenses above 300mm. At the beginning of the eclipse, typical setting should be around 1/125 to 1/250th of a second @ f/11 with an ISO between 100 to 200. Then exposing for the dark part of the moon will be at 1 second @ ISO 200 and slowing the shutter over time to compensate for the lack of light: 1/125, 1/60, 1/30, 1/15, 1/8, 1/4, 1/2, 1.

Please check with your closest Lighthaus Camera location to purchase that tripod, buy that long lens or even rent that long lens. We have four locations across the islands to serve your lunar photographing needs. We hope the weather is clear and your tripod is steady. Good luck.

Photo in this post was taken by Nasim Mansurov from his article on photographylife.com.