Frank's Photography Blog

Jan

December 2019 Newsletter

Categories: Photography
Tags: Holiday, India, Newsletter, Olympus, OM-D E-M1 MkII, Peace Valley, Peace Valley Park, Photo, Photo Walk, photo workshop, Photo-Walk, Photograph, Photography, Winter, Workshop

If you didn’t receive my newsletter for December here it is:

How Do You Spell Peace Valley

The weather has been a bit challenging here in the northeast with rain being the dominating factor. With the holiday break (and a little time off) we decided to do a hike at Peace Valley Park where typically the bird watching is great and the views over the lake – amazing. This year the lake had been partially drained so I opted to trek the back trails and found a break in the clouds and some amazing reflections. This shot was taken with the Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II camera and the M.Zuiko ED 7-14mm f2.8 PRO lens. The settings were ISO 200, 7 mm, f/7.1, 1/1250 sec.

Happy Holidays to You

It is a tradition in our family to create the family Christmas card each year. The dynamics have changed over the years with the grandkids and Bo. This year, Jaxon at 2 1/2 made the photo shoot more of a challenge – while on the other hand, Bo at 10 was OK with whatever. Here are the results.
The images were shot with the Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II using the M.Zuiko 25 mm f1.2 PRO lens. The settings for both were ISO 200, 25mm, f/1.8, 1/60 sec.

INDIA Photo Trip

India is a favorite photography location for me. This past September I had the chance to visit a new region, Rajastan. The trip was organized by my friend Abhishek and I went with a few of my fellow photographer friends.

I am always intrigued by the colors, culture and ever changing geography. From street photography to shooting in small villages there is always a great image to be captured. The people are always friendly and I have learned how best to interact to capture great faces and scenes.

The 1st image was taken with the Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II and the12-100mm f4.0 IS PRO lens with the settings at ISO 200, 34mm, f/4.0, 1/100 sec.

The second image was again taken with the Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II. I used the 12-100mm f4.0 IS PRO with the ISO 200, 41mm,f/4.0 and 1/640 sec.

Photo Walks – University Campuses

Lately, I have had the privilege to lead photo walks on several university campuses with various camera clubs and camera stores in partnership with Get Olympus. I am naturally drawn to architecture and the opportunity on these photo shoots is amazing. The sites are rich with history and the campuses are so vibrant with the students. Here are a few shots from the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor), Lehigh University (Bethlehem) and Yale University (Connecticut).

This 1st image at the University of Michigan was taken with the Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II using the M.Zuiko ED 7-14mm f2.8 PRO lens.The settings were ISO 200, 8 mm, f/5.6, 1/250 sec.

The 2nd image is Lehigh University. This image was taken with the same camera with the following settings: M. Zuiko ED 8mm F1.8 Fisheye PRO with the following settings: ISO 320, 8mm, f/5.6, 4.0 sec.

The 3rd image is Yale University. This image was taken with the Olympus OM-D E-M 5 Mark II with the M.Zuiko ED 7-14mm f2.8 PRO lens. The settings were ISO 800, 7mm, f/2.8, 1/80 sec.

It’s the Holiday Season

With the holiday season here, the opportunity for great shots increased! I had the chance to visit the amazing Model RR at the Lehigh & Keystone Valley Model Railroad Museum.

Everything here is so lifelike and with this lens I’m able to create beautiful feathered bokeh. This image was shot with the OM-D E-M 1 Mark II using the 17mm f1.2 PRO lens. The settings were ISO 320, 17mm, f/1.2, 1/60 sec.

We also took a Saturday to spend in downtown Bethlehem – always a beautiful city and at Christmas time even more. Here is one of the black and white street photos I took. I took this using the PEN-F camera and the M.Zuiko 17 mm f1.8 Premium lens with the following settings: ISO 800, 17mm, f/9.0, 1/60 sec.

Inside The Photographer’s Mind

This is an interview of me, Frank Smith, with Adorama sharing more about me and my photography journey. Check out this video.

Looking For Olympus Shooters

As an Olympus Visionary, I am encouraged to always be on the lookout for Olympus shooters. Olympus likes to feature Olympus users on their social media channels – especially Instagram.

If you are an Olympus user, especially a new user of Olympus equipment, please send me an email to frank@franksmithphotos.com that I can share with Olympus. You can also use these hashtags on your images when posting:
#getolympus or @getolympus

Upcoming Events

Bethlehem House Contemporary Art Gallery
Opening October 19th- January 16th
http://www.bethlehemhousegallery.com/category

Lehigh Valley Photography Club
February 21, 2019
Lehigh Valley Photography Club

CNPA Annual Meeting
March 7-10, 2019
Presentation, Workshops
Nature Presentation

DeSales University
March 25, 2019

York County Camera Club
March 26, 2019
Architecture Presentation

Westchester Photographic Society
March 29, 2019
Workshop & Photo Walk

Cape May Photo Walk -Architecture & Abstracts
May 6, 2019
Photo walk in town

NECCC Conference
Ju;y 12-14, 2019
Nature Presentation __________________________________________________________________________________________________

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Interested in booking a talk or workshop?
Visit my website by clicking here.

Inside the Photographer’s Mind: Frank Smith’s Interview with Chris Gampat

By Frank T. Smith 2 Comments

Categories: Photography
Tags: Adorama, Architectural, architecture, Chris Gampat, Inside the Photographer's Mind, Interview, Landscape, New York, NY, Olympus, Olympus Visionary, OM-D E-M1 MkII, Photo, Photograph, Photography, Photojournalist, video, Visionary

If you would like to learn a little more about me, as Get Olympus Visionary and my photography, please check out this video with Chris Gampat. We had a fun time with this live video at Adorama for Inside the Photographer’s Mind: Photojournalist Frank Smith.

Dec

The State Theatre In All Her Glory (Black & White) 2 of 2

By Frank T. Smith Closed

Categories: Photography
Tags: Architectural, architecture, Behind the Curtain, Easton, Historic, historic State Theatre, Olympus, OM-D E-M1 MkII, PA, Photo, Photo Walk, photo workshop, Photograph, Photography, Vintage, Workshop

A couple of weeks ago I lead the annual “Behind the Curtain” photography workshop at the State Theatre in Easton, PA. This is always such a joy for me to photography this amazing gem. When you take the time to look at all of the incredible art in this place it’s almost overwhelming. I am breaking this post into two. This second post only includes black & white images and the previous one was all color. All images were handheld (this is the first time I didn’t use a tripod) using the Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II paired with the either the M.Zuiko ED 7-14mm f2.8 PRO, the ED 12-100mm f4.0 IS PRO or the ED 40-150mm f2.8 PRO.

Dec

The State Theatre In All Her Glory (color) 1 of 2

By Frank T. Smith 2 Comments

Categories: Photography
Tags: Architectural, architecture, Behind the Curtain, Easton, Fall, Historic, historic State Theatre, Olympus, OM-D E-M1 MkII, PA, Pennsylvania, Photo, photo workshop, Photograph, Photography, State Theatre, Vintage, Workshop

A couple of weeks ago I lead the annual “Behind the Curtain” photography workshop at the State Theatre in Easton, PA. This is always such a joy for me to photography this amazing gem. When you take the time to look at all of the incredible art in this place it’s almost overwhelming. I am breaking this post into two. This first one only includes color images and the next will be all monochromatic. All images were handheld (this is the first time I didn’t use a tripod) using the Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II paired with the either the M.Zuiko ED 7-14mm f2.8 PRO, the ED 12-100mm f4.0 IS PRO or the ED 40-150mm f2.8 PRO.

Nov

University of Michigan Photo Walk

By Frank T. Smith 4 Comments

Categories: Photography
Tags: Abstract, Ann Arbor, Architectural, architecture, Autumn, CameraMall, Dramatic, Dramatic Tone, Fall, Michigan, OM-D E-M1 MkII, Photo, Photo Tour, Photo Walk, photo workshop, Photograph, Photography, Presentation, University, University of Michigan, Workshop

I had the opportunity to present an architectural presentation and lead a photo walk for The CameraMall and Olympus. The events took place at the store and the photo walk took place on the University of Michigan campus. We spent time looking at abstract architectural components. All of the images were shot with the Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II and paired with the M.Zuiko ED 7-14mm f2.8 PRO lens. We had a partially overcast day, which lend itself perfectly to the in-camera Black & White Dramatic Tone mode.

Nov

8 TIPS FOR CAPTURING FAMILY HOLIDAY SCENES

By Frank T. Smith 4 Comments

Categories: Photography
Tags: Christmas, Family, Holiday, Holiday Card, Holiday Scene, Olympus, Photo, Photograph, Photography, Winter

Whether you’re trying to create the ultimate holiday card, or capturing a special photo that speaks to the joy in your life, keep these simple tips in mind this holiday season.

1. SET THE STAGE

Plan for your props, test the environment and adjust the background accordingly ahead of time. Shooting outside? Take advantage of local holiday venues and try to find locations with good lighting opportunities

OM-D E-M1 Mark II | M.Zuiko 12-40mm F2.8 PRO| 1/50sec | F2.8 | ISO1600

2. BE PREPARED

In order to get the appropriate lighting and depth of field correctly I typically will shoot the area prior to adding the subjects (kids and dogs). In this particular instance, I set my camera at ISO 200 at 50 mm (I00 mm which is 35 mm equivalent).

3. KNOW YOUR SUBJECT

When you are shooting with toddlers, remember that your window is short and that sensitivity to pre- or post nap is important. Don’t plan around your schedule – plan around theirs and always plan for snacks. Keep in mind that even though you planned for the day, toddlers can decide that running and falling (creating a goose egg on their forehead) is not their concern – but now yours. Regardless, get the shot and then work on the goose egg in post processing!

4. DON’T FLY SOLO

You need to enlist support of family or friends who both your subjects will respond to. You will need as many hands as possible.

See a before and after, having removed the bump from her forehead.

5. FOCUS ON WHAT’S IMPORTANT

Use defused artificial light source when natural light is not an option. Not only do you need your camera (with flash – indoors) but you may also want to use a reflector to capture light in shadow areas. For this shot, I used one on camera flash with a modifier and a reflector positioned low to the ground in order to get even light distribution.

6. ADD LIGHT

7. BE NIMBLE, TAKE LOTS OF PHOTOS

Take photos using multiple poses and angles – even if though they may or may not reflect your planned final result. You may be surprised! Be nimble and quick – take as many shots as your subjects (in this case a dog and toddler) will tolerate, adjusting positioning and lighting as you go. With this shoot I had many great takes with just the toddler so I decided to make an additional gift of a “triptych” image of 3 great poses.

8. PERSONALITY, NOT PERFECTION

Remember, perfection of the subjects is not the goal – moreover seeing the personalities come through should be your aim.

This post is taken from the Olympus Learning Center Page. “Click here for a link to the original content”

Aug

Goschenhoppen Folk Festival

By Frank T. Smith 4 Comments

Categories: Photography
Tags: Dutch, Festival, Folk, Folk Festival, Goschenhoppen, Historic, History, Olympus, OM-D E-M1 MkII, PA, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Dutch, Pennsylvania German, Photo, Photograph, Photography, Preservation, Preserve, reenactments, Summer, Vintage

A little over a week ago I was introduced to this amazing festival. This is their 52nd one. I wasn’t sure what to expect. But I was totally delighted with the overall friendly nature of all of the volunteers. The people are more than glad to chat with you and explain the specifics of their reenactments. Goschenhoppen is one of the oldest continuously existing Pennsylvania German communities in America. This geographic region occupies a small corner of southeastern Pennsylvania in Montgomery County. The event is put on by The Goschenhoppen Historians, Inc. which is organized to identify, preserve and disseminate the Pennsylvania German (Pennsylvania Dutch) folk culture and history of the Goschenhoppen region. The Folk Festival is designed as an educational family event to demonstrate various home skills and trades of the Goschenhoppen area from about 1750-1880. I will definitely be putting this on my calendar for next year.