Category Archives: People

Photographer’s Choice – Stephen Hill

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Capturing the Exuberance of Youth

Stephen Hill - Bass Lake Runners

Stephen Hill – Bass Lake Runners

There have been several photographs posted in this weekly series that portray the absolute joy of the young at play but none better than this, Stephen’s capture of two lads running with complete abandon. The expressions are natural with no forced smiles for the camera. One can almost hear the laughter and feel the emotion as nothing is held back. Wouldn’t you like to feel this good and have this much energy again? The shutter setting is perfect, with just enough blur in the feet to show real motion, and the focus dead on. A wide open aperture creates a pleasant background blur. This is Stephen’s first posting – a winner.
By the way, this is the perfect occasion to use your camera’s AI Servo(Canon) or AF-C(Nikon and Pentax) setting for automatic focus of moving objects. If your camera has this feature, be sure you know when and how to use it.
Canon EOS 7D with a 70-200 mm lens
Focal Length – 120 mm
Shutter speed 1/200 sec
Aperture f/2.8
ISO 200

Photo of the Week – Jon Kral

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New Beginning After the Devastation of War

Jon Kral - Vietnam Street Scene After the War

Jon Kral – Vietnam Street Scene After the War

This week’s posting is a departure from our usual policy. It’s the first by a nonmember but helps to introduce our program for September with an example of Jon plying his trade as a photojournalist. It’s a street scene in Vietnam after the bombings and killings have ceased and portrays the determination of humanity to slowly repair the damage with a new beginning. This youngster is oblivious to it all and is utterly content. He’s fat and happy to discover his hands and feet the way the very young do all over the world.  It is surprising to see what appears to be a pearl in his young ear.  Jon says he never did see anyone who was responsible but obviously somebody nearby was keeping a sharp eye.
Thanks to Jon for sharing this classic image, again showing the power of a photograph to tell a compelling story.