Eric Franks, Photography

Sometimes A Photo Needs A little Help

2012-01-13T05:32:00.000-08:00

Sometimes a photo needs a little help. Take thephoto shown above, for example.

A feature of the home being photographed is a large built-inwood stove – pretty obvious, huh. The problem is that itlooks cold and messy. That morning after look. It’s hard to imagine this shot having the positiveeffect on a potential buyer that the agent wanted. This is where a littlepost-production Photoshop work helps out.

The agent wanted the photo to evoke a feeling of warmth and romance. Of course we could have actually created a fire, but that option had a number of downsides to it. We opted to create the look we wanted in Photoshop. The result is the photo shown below.

There’s a limit to what you should consider doing in Photoshop – it’simportant that the changes don’t misrepresent the property. For example,if power lines are in an exterior shot, they must not be removed.

If you want more information on this topic, leave me a comment. I'll respond as soon as I can.

Vertical Lines Need To Be Straight!

2012-01-11T06:07:00.000-08:00

In many ways this is a fairly good photo. What spoils it is the 'converging verticals'. Look at the vertical lines - especially at the sides - they make the room look wider at the top than at the bottom of the photo.

I've bogged a couple of times in the past about this issue: Got Converging Verticals; & Getting It Straight!

You'll agree, I'm sure, something just doesn't look right when the verticals are not straight up and down as they should be. Look at the photo below, it's the same photo after the vertical lines have been adjusted. See how 'natural' it looks compared to the original?

Listing photos are supposed to attract buyers, how can they do that when something just doesn't look right?

If you photograph your listing yourself, take a few minutes to read the blogs referenced above. If you use a photographer, let him/her know that converging verticals are not acceptable. It could make a difference between a quick sale and no sale at all!

A Visit To The Truck Graveyard

2011-12-05T18:15:00.001-08:00

On Saturday I was with a group of talented folks from the "Richmond Photography Meetup Group". We headed up to Cumberland, VA for a shoot at the "Truck Graveyard". The 'Graveyard' is where a lot of old trucks end up - the place is huge and it's much like a scarp yard for cars, except this one is for trucks.

There was a pretty new truck there that I suppose is used to haul that parts cannibalized from the oldies. It was a nice looking truck but we were there for the 'has beens' - the rusted out relics of he past

Mr. Duncan, the owner of the property had given us permission to wander about and make pictures to our hearts content. The RPMG had been up there before and at that time there were many more wrecks to photograph. Even though there were fewer this time there was more than enough to keep us busy.

We arrived late in the afternoon and had about two hours of daylight for the shoot. The last, and best two hours of the day. The light was terrific! As the afternoon progressed the light became a soft golden glow that worked well with the reds, and browns of the rusted hulks.

There were cameras clicking everywhere. It was like the papperazzi had descended on Cumberland. Needless to say we had a great time and a lot of wonderful photos were made.

If you find yourself in Cumberland, VA (I admit it's pretty much "in the sticks") and have your camera with you - stop by the "Truck Graveyard", you might just find a great shot or two waiting for you.

Halloween 2011

2011-11-01T10:19:00.000-07:00

Halloween is over - for this year. I hope everyone had a fun time. I was sorry to hear that some folks in the Northeast didn't get to go trick-or-treating this year because of downed power lines, etc. due the recent storm. Bummer!

Bird Of Paradise Flower

2011-10-31T09:53:00.000-07:00

Strelitzia

The Strelitzia - or popularly known as the Bird Of Paradise flower - is a native of South Africa. I photographed this one in Hawaii. Since the mid-1700s they have been widely distributed around the world and thrive in warm, sunny climates. In California, it's the official flower of the City of Los Angeles.

It's really not hard to see why this plant is called the Bird Of Paradise.

DUCK

2011-10-25T10:39:00.000-07:00

Ducks

Ducks are very difficult to photograph - they keep running away! It's hard to get close to ducks so a DSLR with a long lens is pretty much required to get a descent shot. I've never had much luck shooting birds with a point-and-shoot camera, I just can't get close enough to them. That's not to say it can't be done - I'm just saying it's very difficult.
If you can get close enough with the equipment you have, it's possible to get some very pleasing images. Other than getting your subject(s) as large as possible in the frame, there's a couple of other tips that'll make your photos a little better.

Don't stick the main subject in the center of the photo. Yes, I know that the duck in my image is pretty close to center. However, I think I can get away with it because of the diagonal line created by the the shore and the inclusion of the other ducks top right.

Getting the bird's eye in sharp focus is key. That's where you should focus your camera before taking the shot. If the eye is not in focus the entire shot will look dull and lifeless.

Try to get a catch-light in the eye. Even if you have to add it later in Photoshop it'll make the bird come alive!

When all is said and done, rules can be broken and if you like the shots your taking, then that's what matters most.

High Energy Rocker

2011-10-13T11:04:00.000-07:00


Mike Duggan - "Circus Charlie Band"

This is one of my favorite shots from last Fiday's shoot at the Rock Falls Tavern in Richmond. Mike Duggan - a.k.a. "MADOG" - is the band's high-energy bass player.

Circus Charlie Band Live At Rock Falls Tavern.

2011-10-10T14:18:00.000-07:00


Circus Charlie Band

Friday night was rockin' at the Rock Falls Tavern in Richmond. Circus Charlie Band was there to provide the entertainment and I was there to shoot the band. This was a follow-up session after last week's shoot with the band's lead singer, Chris Merritt.

For those who don't know the Circus Charlie Band, they are a group of hard rockers who perform a couple of times a month, mainly in the Chester/Petersburg area of VA. I caught up with them for this assignment on one of their too infrequent gigs "up north" at the Rock Falls Tavern in Richmond.

We started the shoot just before sunset in the parking lot outside the tavern. There was a brick wall that we used in many of the outside shots which worked well since one of the songs the band covers is Pink Floyd's "The Wall". I put these initial images together as an on-line magazine and you can view it here.

Later in the evening the guys rocked the house with some of the best hard rock songs ever recorded. Chris Merritt has been singing with the band for about three years. Mike Duggan (bass), Mark Murray (guitar), and Lee Pace (drums) have been playing, in one band or another, since their teenage years.

The photos of their live performance can be viewed as a slideshow here. If you're looking for a good night's entertainment, check out the Circus Charlie Band website for their next gig.

HEADSHOT PHOTOGRAPHY

2011-10-05T11:29:00.000-07:00

Models, actors, real estate agents, business people, high school seniors, musicians, to name a few, all need head shots from time-to-time. The photographer's job is to create an image that will meet the needs of their client - while making them look good! But looking good in a photograph is not only the photographer's responsibility. The client needs to help things along. Here's some of the things to do to make sure your head shot session is a success:

During the week leading up to the shoot drink a lot of water . Your skin and body will look very good.

Get plenty of rest the night before your session. No partying, no drinking, etc. Hangovers and baggy eyes will not look good!

Men shouldn't get a haircut less than a week before the shoot. Likewise, women shouldn't get a facial during that week either.

Sunglasses shouldn't be worn during the half-hour before photography. You'll have marks on your nose if you do.

Don't skip breakfast, or lunch. You'll look better if you're not hungry.

Take appropriate wardrobe items that reflect the image you're trying to achieve.

The photo shoot should be fun. A pre-shoot consultation with the photographer will help you to be prepared, relaxed and ready for the fun to take place.

Send an email to: Eric Franks Photo if you'd like more information or to book a photography session.

Circus Charlie Band: Chris Merritt

2011-09-30T10:15:00.000-07:00

Some of you may know of ‘Circus Charlie Band’, a heavy rock grouplocal to the south-central area of Virginia. Earlier this week I had the pleasure of photographing the lead singer,Chris Merritt (a.k.a. ‘Hammer’) - Chris is a really cool guy. It was the first session of a project we’veput together that’ll profile all of the band members.

If all goes well (and there’s no reason it won’t,) I’mplanning on producing several “mini-magazines” over the next severalweeks. One for each member of the band,and a final one profiling the guys as a group. There’ll be 5 magazines in all.

To get an idea of what these “minis” will look like, click HERE. If you’d like a printed copy of themini-magazine, or some individual prints click HERE to go to my Web site.

Of course, if you want to get a taste of the real thing – i.e.a live performance, Circus Charlie will be playing THE COCKADE BAR AND GRILL, OLD TOWN, PETERSBURG (SHOW STARTS AT 9:00)

Hard Light, Gritty Look

2011-09-21T13:10:00.000-07:00

I took this photo of Zak Resnick earlier this year but have only just gotten around to processing it. I'm experimenting with the hard light, gritty look these days. It's not right for all photos but I find it works well for most music related images.

Leave a comment and let me know what you think.

TFP: Test Shoot For Bands.

2011-09-20T09:06:00.000-07:00

Eric Franks needs a local band (Richmond, VA area) for a test shoot. Participants will receive 5 Digital Copies (CD) of the BEST images from the shoot. Also, a photo gallery of images selected by me will be placed on the Eric Franks Photography website.

If you know of a band who would benefit from this shoot please let me know.

Please understand there is a specific "style" in mind, and therefore not all who submit will be chosen for the upcoming Test Shoot, however, your information will be kept for future considerations.

If you're band wishes to be considered for this opportunity, use this link - Eric Franks Photography - to tell me the following:

Band Name
Music Genre
Contact Info
Web Address (if you have one)
Reason you would like to do this (be brief).

Please remember there is NO MONETARY COMPENSATION for participating in a Test Shoot with Eric Franks Photography. You will be gifted 5 digital copies of the best shots from your shoot on a CD.

Please feel free to share this with anyone you think may have an interest. This is a great opportunity to gain a few free photos and will also be a lot of fun!

Thank you and I look forward to hearing from you!

SAVANNAH

2011-08-18T12:12:00.000-07:00

A week ago I was in Savannah, GA. As the plaque outside the Old Savannah Cotton Exchange says, Savannah was the second largest cotton seaport in the world. Well, we all know that fortunes can be made, and lost in the blink of an eye.

The cotton industry's heyday began to decline in the late 19th and early 20th centuries when the boll weevil crossed into the US from Mexico in 1892. The voracious little weevil just loves to feed on cotton buds and rapidly spread throughout the south devastating crops as it went.

Fortunately, the Cotton Exchange building was completed in 1887, before the decline leaving us with a fine example of late 19th century architecture. If you find yourself in Savannah, take the time to go see it.

Savannah Cotton Exchange Building

American Paint Horses

2011-07-13T11:48:00.000-07:00

More than 300 images from the 2008 / 2009 seasons have been reloaded for viewing, printing, or down-loading.

The DPHC 'Summer Sizzle' is almost here. It's bound to be as good as it's been in prior years.
I had the pleasure of photographing two DPHC shows in 2008 and 1 in 2009. I took thousands of images at those shows and met a lot of really nice folks. Well, as a show of appreciation, I've reloaded a selection of images from those shows for your viewing pleasure. Perhaps you'll see one or two that you'd like prints of - or maybe a download for your Facebook page.

I hope you'll take some time to view the galleries and see some of the fine horses and folks that competed in 2008 & 2009. Here's the link to the galleries: DPHC Galleries.

If you'd rather just browse for now, here a link to see a slideshow of these fine images.

Use the SEARCH feature to find specific groups of images. For example, if you wanted to see the images featuring the Trail events, type 'trail' in the search box. Any images with a keyword of 'trail' embedded will be displayed. The more keywords the more specific the search will be i.e. 'trail, paint, horse' should yield the group you'll be looking for.

The Ray Church And St. Colmcille’s Cross

2011-06-23T12:13:00.000-07:00

Colmcille's Cross - Ray Church, Flacarragh, Donegal

One of my favorite places to photograph is Donegal. There’s never a shortage of opportunities for making interesting photographs no matter where you are. The countryside is a little more rugged than in other parts of Ireland – but that just adds to the natural beauty that abounds.

Donegal has a rich history but to find evidence of it you have to be willing to stray a little from from the main roads. A good example of this is the Ray Church and St. Colmcille’s Cross.

How To Find It.

The ruins of the Ray Church (pronounced ‘Rye’) are to be found a short distance from the road that leads into Falcarragh (N56) from Dunfanaghy – just before you before crossing the Ray River. There’s a small signpost but you have to be on the lookout for it. It’s easy to miss.

Ray Church Interior

The road to the church is very narrow and quickly turns into an unpaved one-lane track mostly used by tractors by the looks of it. Don’t worry though, it’s easy enough for a car to navigate. If don’t like the looks of it, just walk in.

Inside the church is an unfinished High Cross, 20 feet in height. It is said to have been carved from a single rock from the nearby Muckish Mountain in the 6^th century and was intended, by St. Colmcille, for the monastery on Tory Island.

The History Lesson:

While the cross was being transported, according to the legend, Colmcille realized that he had left his prayer-book behind him. The prayer-book was very important to him so he promised to give the cross to whichever of his disciples would go back and get it for him. Fíonán, founder of the Ray Church, went back and located the prayer-book. It was raining and a crow was spreading its wings over it to keep it dry. Fionan recovered the book and when he returned it to Colmcille he claimed his prize. Colmcille protested but eventually gave in and surrendered the cross to Fíonán. The cross has been at the Ray Church ever since.

This large ringed cross, twenty feet in height and seven feet in width, stands against the north wall inside ruins of Ray Church. It is credited as the largest freestanding stone cross in Ireland.

According to local tradition, the first church at Ray was founded here by St. Fíonán sometime in the sixth century. A church survived at this location until the 17th century when it was destroyed by a platoon of Cromwellian soldiers under the command of Captain Cunningham. The soldiers burst open the door during mass one Sunday morning and slaughtered the congregation. This came to be known as Marfach Raithe (The Massacre of Ray). The dead are buried within two hundred metres of the church at a place called Lag na gCnámh (Resting Place of the Bones).

Cross & Quernstone

The Church of Ireland used the little church until the early 19th century. Many members of the Olphert family (local landlords) are buried there. You can see inscriptions on the marker stones quite clearly.

The 16th century church presumably stands on the site of the Early Christian monastery founded by St. Fíonán. It has four large round-headed windows in the south wall and an undecorated pointed doorway at the west end. Inside is a quernstone – a large millstone used in ancient times for grinding grain.

The cross was knocked down in a storm about 1750 and lay broken in the graveyard until the 1970’s when it was repaired by the Office of Public Works. Two broad metal straps have been used to secure the cross in one piece against the inner, north wall of the church.

Photographing The Cross.

The church has no roof and the cross extends several feet above the north wall. To photograph the entire cross – top to bottom – you may have to shoot through one of the south wall windows. There’s no window directly opposite the cross so any shots through the window will be at a slightly oblique angle.

Using a wide-angle lens from inside the church may result in a distorted image – similar to photographing a tall building from across the street. You’ll end up with seriously converging lines.

If you can’t get the entire cross, try being a little creative and do some close-up shots that show details of the cross. In many cases these can be just as interesting – if not more so.

If you use your camera in one of the automatic modes, your camera will always try to average the exposure for the scene. Depending on what’s going on in the sky (bright sunshine to heavy cloud cover) the automatic setting may, or may not give you the best exposure for the photograph. Time to put a little flash on the scene. This will help balance the inside of the church and the light from the sky. Don’t be afraid to experiment.

A Brief History Of "Fashion Week"

2011-04-16T08:46:00.000-07:00

Vaquerano Designs - 2011

Fashion week is a week-long fashion industry event with the purpose of allowing fashion designers and brands (a.k.a. "houses") to display their latest collections. These displays takes the form of runway shows and buyers get to see the latest seasonal trends well before the season commences.

There are four major fashion capitals: New York City, London, Milan, and Paris. Each host a fashion week twice a year with New York kicking off each season and the other cities following in order. Of course, you already know this so here's some things you may not know.

Fashion shows in the USA have been with us since 1903.

A NYC shop called Ehrich Brothers put on what is believed to have been the country’s first fashion show. It's intent was to entice middle-class females into the their store.

Vaquerano Designs - 2011

The idea caught on. Department stores soon picked up on the idea and started holding their own fashion shows. By the 1920s fashion shows were being held by retailers far and wide. The shows were a little different than today's and were usually held during a lunch break or teatime. They were more of a "fashion hour" rather than "fashion week".

Huge crowds would converge to see the shows - spectators numbered in the thousands. By the 1950 stores in New York had to obtain a license to have live models.

Access to New York Fashion Week is by invitation only. Typically, fashion magazine editors, fashion magazine journalists, models (and ex-models) and celebrities are invited.

^{In 2009 a group of enterprising individuals pooled their talents and kick-started RVA Fashion Week. RVA Fashion Week 2011 was a great success and it looks like Richmond will be having fashion week every year for the foreseeable future.}

Vaquerano Designs - 2011

^{I'm featuring photos of a Vaquerano Designs creation in this blog. I happen to like these images - the fashion is great, the model is great, and the photos are pretty good too, if I may say so. In other blog entries I'll showcase other designer/boutique fashions.}

^{I hope this brief history has been entertaining, if not educational. Leave me a comment - I'll be glad to hear from you.}

RVA Fashion Week: Part 1

2011-04-06T08:36:00.000-07:00

It's Fashion Week in Richmond. This is the third year that Fashion Week has been held here. The brainchild of Jason Michael Primrose and Kearsten Feggans it's a way to showcase Richmond's fashion and cultural expressions. The original organizational team has expanded and in collaboration with local businesses they've come up with venues for the area's leading designers, models, production staff, and stylists to show the public their very best.

Studio 8 West hosted a fashion show benefiting the Richmond Animal League. The theme was certainly animal related and featured some interesting masks by Steven Ramirez, Melodie Fais, and Shera St. Clair Farmer.

On Tuesday night, jewelry was the focus of the show at The Wine Loft in Glen Allen. It was a packed house and the models and jewelry were outstanding. At the bottom of this post there's a slideshow of some of the best images from these shows. Visit my web site to see more.

All images

Twilight Photography

2011-03-01T07:55:00.000-08:00

Edinburgh, Scotland

Ok, so most homes are not as dramatic as a castle in Scotland. However, they can look pretty dramatic themselves if photographed at twilight. The idea is to shoot during the 15, or 20 minutes between sunset and full dark. The sky takes on a darker blue color and contrasts nicely with the warm incandescent lights from windows.

Unfortunately, I couldn't get the owners to turn on all of the lights for the shot above but that's what you'd get your client's to do for maximum impact. With all of the lights on you can create a sense of coming home to a warm and inviting home.

To get this type of shot right you'll need a tripod and the camera set to manual mode. Automatic camera settings won't work for this type of shot. Since the light will be changing rapidly you'll have to experiment with various shutter / aperture settings until you get the look you want.

Start taking shots just before you think the light is right then keep taking them until it's too dark. Later you can review them all and pick the best shot for your listing.

It may take a little practice but the results can be well worth the effort.

Commercial properties and properties that just look dull in daylight can often benefit from twilight photography.

Teide National Park, Tenerife

2011-02-26T12:33:00.000-08:00

'El Teide'

Click here to start the slideshow.

I recently visited Tenerife – one of the Canary Islands, just 60 miles west of southern Morocco – and was awed by the majestic beauty of Teide National Park (Parque Nacional de Las Canadas del Teide in Spanish). The main feature of the park is ‘El Teide’, the highest mountain in Spain. It's also the third largest volcano in the world, measured from its base - 12,198 ft.

The park has an area of just less than 73sq. miles. This is because most of it is in an enormous crater that was created when several ancient volcanos collapsed leaving the massive caldera ringed by mountains. The caldera floor itself is somewhere in the neighborhood of 7000 ft above sea level.

In more recent times 'El Teide' became the prominent feature on the landscape. Teide is classed as a stratovolcano, characterized by its steep profile and periodic, explosive eruptions. Fortunately, Teide is currently dormant; the last eruption occurred in 1909.

There’s plenty of walking trails so that you can really get to see what mother nature has done these past few million years.. The shapes, colors, and diversity of rock types are really spectacular. Because of the altitude it’s very easy to overtire and dehydrate. It’s always wise to have a bottle of water on hand.

There's also a cablecar that will take you to within 650ft, or thereabouts, of the summit. You'll have to have a permit to ascend beyond the cablecar terminus. The air is pretty thin up there and the climb is challenging.

Teide is the most visited National Park in Spain, with a total of 2.8 million visitors, according to the Instituto Canario de Estadística (ISTAC). That’s just slightly more than the number of visitors to Yellowstone. Teide became the most visited national park in Europe in 2010.

If you visit the park you’ll know why it’s listed as one of the 12 Treasures Of Spain.

Click here to start the slideshow.

How To Make Better Listing Photos - Part 5: Wrapup

2011-02-18T07:59:00.000-08:00

This week I've covered some of the fundamental changes you can make to your real estate photography that will have a positive impact on your marketing program. A quick recap then: clean away the clutter; light the room so that it's even lit and looks inviting; make sure the the vertical lines are in fact vertical; and present enough photos to showcase all of the home's features.

The first four parts of this series I told you what to DO, so I'm going to cover a few of the 'DON'Ts' in this part.

Bathrooms are difficult to photograph because of their small size. In most cases you should skip the bathroom unless there's something worthwhile showing. Never show the toilet with the seat up! How attractive is this?

Don't alter anything that is a permanent fixture. That is, you must not 'Photoshop' out power lines, the house next door, or other undesirable features. The thing to do here is to take the shot from a different angle so that the feature does not show.

Don't show photos that have a time-date stamp superimposed on them - tacky! I've seen current MLS photos that have a time-date stamp of several years ago.

Don't show photos that are blurred or otherwise does not show the house in the best way.

Watch for mirrors and other reflective surfaces - especially if your using flash. Hot spots can be distracting and your reflection in a mirror won't help.

Don't use a camera phone to take listing photos - unless you're a really, really good photographer.

Don't settle for poor quality photos - regardless of who takes them.

Don't assume that you can't afford a pro photographer - it may be the best marketing investment you make.

Got questions? Let me hear them.

Here's some final examples of my work.

How To Make Better Listing Photos - Part 4: Quality & Quantity

2011-02-17T06:09:00.000-08:00

When it comes to real estate photography we want images that are appealing and inviting to the potential buyer. The first three parts of this series discussed what we need to do to get good shots. In this part we'll deal with the presentation of those great images.

First of all, let's agree that the reason you're taking photos in the first place is because they are an important part of your marketing plan. There's really two marketing plans being addressed here: the first is obviously the one you've prepared for your client with the objective of getting a quick, and profitable sale. The second, ongoing and long-term plan, is the one you have to market yourself! That's right. How you market your listings are a reflection of you. The folks that look at those MLS listings may well be future clients. Don't you want them to take heed of how well your marketing your current listings?
It's very rare that we see an agent's profile photo that looks it was taken with an phone camera. So why do some agents take property photos with them? OK, not all agents do that, but the point is you should want to provide the very best listing photos you can so that the house sells and potential buyers who the agents are that do a quality job for their clients.

Size matters. You have great photos but they are presented to the potential buyers at no more than business card size. This is a problem. You need to be able to present your listing photos as large as possible. An option to go full-screen mode is a definite plus. But this can also be a problem. If your presentation software can go full-screen make sure that the photo resolution is up to the job. Low-resolution images will not render well and may have the opposite effect to what you want.

A Photo Tour is a great marketing tool because they provide the potential buyer with a superior visual experience. But remember, the full-screen option may backfire if the images are not high-resolution and well executed.

There should be enough photos in your presentation to allow the viewer to get a good feel for the property - inside and out. When I see listings with just one , two, or three photos I wonder what's wrong with the property that the agent didn't want me to see. Perhaps potential buyers think along the same lines. At least 12 to 15 photos are needed to showcase a home properly. More if there are some great detail shots that can be included.

Ok, we know that the photos can be posted to the local MLS and your broker site. But what about getting them on Zillow; Google, Reltor.com, etc. Having great photos won't work if nobody sees them.

Remember, the way you market your listings is a reflection on you as an agent and your agency. You owe it to your client, your agency, and yourself to do best you can do.

How To Make Better Listing Photos - Part 3 - Getting It Straight!

2011-02-16T05:15:00.000-08:00

Ok, so we've cleaned up the clutter, we've got the lighting taken care of and we take the shot. Wait, something's not right! The walls look as though they are wider at one end than the other. You've got converging verticals!
Here's an example:

See how the back wall is wider at the top than at the bottom? For interiors we always want the vertical parts of walls, windows, cabinets, etc. to be straight up and down. Otherwise it looks as if there may be a foundation problem or maybe the builder was a little tipsy.

I wrote about this subject last November so I wont go into all of the detail. You can read them by clicking this link: Converging Verticals We read a lot about using a wide-angle lens when shooting interiors. While this is a good idea be aware that the convergence problem can be exaggerated.

The problem occurs when the camera is tilted either up or down from a level position. To keep the verticals straight the camera must be kept perfectly straight also. The best way to do this is by using a tripod. The usually have a bubble level to help get the camera perfectly straight and level.

A related problem happens when the camera is tilted to either side. Here's the result when that happens:

The room looks to be leaning to the left - is the house sinking? Not a great selling point for a house.
Once again, using a tripod can help solve this problem.

While it's always better to get the shot right in the camera, making minor adjustments in Photoshop can resolve any slight alignment issues.

If you have any questions post a comment and I'll get back to you.

How To Make Better Listing Photos - Part 2 - Dealing With Clutter

2011-02-15T04:56:00.000-08:00

Clutter, Ugh!

In a lot of cases people are looking for a new home because they need more space. Photos like the one above says, "Don't move here! We've no more room than you do - maybe less."

Everyone wants to see attractive, inviting homes. Clutter is anything but attractive, or inviting. Clutter doesn't help sell a house so why show it in the listing photos?
Recently I saw a MLS photo of a kitchen where there were still dirty dishes in the sink. The ultimate clutter photo I think. Here's a few photos that have too much furniture in the room - i.e. clutter:

In Part 1 of this series you saw how removing some of the clutter from a kitchen can have a positive effect. in a dramatic way. In Part 2 I'm going to show you how a little effort before shooting the photos can have a big impact.

Click to See Before & After Images

The photo on the left has a number of distractions (think clutter). The fan at the bottom left; the vacuum in the corner; wall hangings; and something strange hanging from the ceiling. I removed them and the papers on the desk digitally. A few minutes work before taking the photograph would have been much easier. Here's another example:

Click to see Before & After Images

Can you see the differences between the before and after photos? Like the last example, I have digitally altered the photo to show how a few changes can have a significant effect. Taking the time before shooting the photo is much easier than making post-shooting changes.

Here's a checklist of things to take care of before getting the camera out:
Replace all burned out bulbs

Clean all surfaces

Remove valuables and medications out of sight or locked up

Remove all personal photographs

Clear kitchen counter tops of almost everything,
leave no more than three items

Conceal garbage containers

Remove everything from the top and sides of fridge
(pictures, kids’ art, magnets, etc.)

Remove non-essential throw rugs (foyer, baths, kitchen, hallways)

Clear the bathroom counter tops of ALL toiletries.

Leave only a few decorative items or a floral or plant arrangement.
Put out best towels

Empty the shower of shampoos, etc

Remove all signs of pets (bowls, rugs, pillows, etc)

Remove pets

Remove any table coverings

Remove items from fireplace mantel

If there's too much furniture in the room, temporarily move it. The idea is to make the rooms appear as large as possible.

As always, if you need help or have a question, call or email me. I'll be glad to hear from you.

How To Make Better Listing Photos - Part 1 - Lighting

2011-02-14T07:26:00.000-08:00

I recently read that looking at real estate listings on the internet is a lot like checking out potential soul mates at a dating site. If the photo doesn't look good you won't even bother to read the bio.

Potential buyers do most of the initial search for a home by surfing the web: broker's sites; realtor.com; Zillow; etc. There's a lot of inventory out there - you already know that - so how do they pick the properties they will actually go visit? Studies on this subject verify that it's mainly the listing photos (again no big surprise here.) If the photos don't look good there less chance that they'll call for an appointment.

What makes a good listing photo? Well lit, no clutter, and straight verticals. In this four part series I'll go into more detail for you.

The trick then is to make sure your listing photos are good enough to get the buyer interested - just like a dating site photo. I've looked at hundreds of property photos on the MLS and I see that there's four basic mistakes that most realtors make: 1) improper lighting, the photos are too dark; 2) too much clutter showing; 3) walls, cabinets, etc. slant as if the house were sinking into the ground; and 4) too few photos.

Let's look at some of these issues: here's a typical MLS type photo of a kitchen.

Most folks want a nice bright kitchen, this one is a little too dark. Although it's not the worst I've seen, there's still a lot of clutter on the side of the fridge and the counter top.

Take a look at the left side of the photo and compare it to the right side. The cabinets on the right and the fridge seem to be vertical, but the left side is severely slanted. Is there something wrong with the foundation? No, but that may be what the buyer is thinking.

Now let's look at the same kitchen with a few alterations:

Is this the same kitchen? Can you believe the difference?

What changed? Well, there's even lighting that makes the kitchen inviting. The clutter has been removed, the walls and cabinets are straight. That's it!

LIGHTING: To get this type of lighting there's a couple of ways of achieving it. If your camera can shoot RAW files you can 'bracket' your shots and make adjustments in a post-production software tool such as Photoshop. JPG files won't give you the same latitude in exposure or quality of output.

You can use flash bounced off ceilings and walls. The built-in flash on compact cameras won't give you nearly enough light for the whole room and will probably create two new problems for you: harsh shadows; and a flash 'hot-spot'.

Ideally you want a natural look with soft, even light. If you use an on-camera flash unit, try bouncing the light off a ceiling or wall for a diffused look. However, be careful that you don't create harsh shadows or 'hot-spots'.

If the buyers can't see the features the home has to offer they may not give you a second look.

This bedroom has nice wood paneling and a great view from the window. Can you see it?

How about now?

Getting good lighting is simple in theory but can be a challenge in practice. If you need help, please call or email me, I'll be glad to help.

The next post will deal with what to do about clutter.

Rome: The Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano

2010-12-06T08:35:00.000-08:00

Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano

The Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano is one of my favorite cathedrals to visit. When I was in Rome a few of years ago I was so taken by it that I visited three times. When we think of religious archetecture in Rome we most often think of St. Peter's and the Sistine Chapel - beautiful to be sure, but this cathedral is just as compelling.

Inscription: Cathedral Of Rome and of the World.

Dedicated to John the Baptist and John the Evangelist, the Basilica of St. John Lateran is the first among the four major basilicas of Rome. It is also the cathedral of the bishop of Rome, the Pope, and is thus known as "Omnium urbis et orbis Ecclesiarum Mater et Caput: "Cathedral of Rome and of the World."

Constantine The Great

Built by Constantine the Great in the 4th century, San Giovanni in Laterano was the first church to be built in Rome. It contains several important relics, a lovely 13th-century cloister and an ancient baptistery (San Giovanni in Fonte).

Baldachinno and High Altar

It's well worth a visit (or two) when you are in Rome. To get an idea of what it looks like on the inside, click on this link: St. Giovanni Photo Gallery Of course nothing takes place of actually seeing it in person. If you've been, I hope these images bring back fond memories. If not, maybe you'll visit in the future.

All photographs © Copyright 2006 Eric Franks All Rights Reserved http://www.ericrfranksphoto.zenfolio.com/

El Rey Ruins, Cancun

2010-12-03T07:31:00.000-08:00

It would be easy to imagine that the Isla Cancun (the Hotel Zone) has nothing on it other than the modern hotel and resort facilities, but you'd be wrong. There's an archaeological site containg ruins of a Maya settlement dating back almost a thousand years.

The "El Rey Ruins” are on Isla Cancun at KM 17 on Kukulkan Boulevard in the southern Hotel Zone. The ruins are on the south side of the Hilton Resorts Golf Course, across from the Delfines beach (also known as El Mirador), which is a public beach.

It is thought that El Rey was first settled by ancient Maya around 900 AD and continued until 1550 AD, ending, like most of the Maya areas of habitation, at the start of the Spanish Conquest.

El Rey, or "The King" and was named for a ceremonial mask found on the site that honors the Maya Sun God. The original name for EL Rey is unknown.

There is known to be at least 47 Maya structures on site with most being minor in design and recognition. The two primary platforms and temples still evident are believed to be the remains of religious ceremonial buildings and market areas. Today, one can still see Maya engravings in the building stones and glyphs and mural paintings that may be close to a thousand years old.

Don't expect pyramids like you'd find at Coba or Chichan Itza. This was a modest settlement by those standards and in many cases just the bases of the structures have survived the ravages of time.

There’s a local Iguana population that now inhabits the ruins. Literally, hundreds of Iguanas wander the park area, with little fear of humans and provide for ample opportunities for photographs. Park Guides routinely feed the Iguanas and the mere sight of people has the Iguanas attentive for food scraps. They live in holes at excavated among the ruins and generally come running when there’s food to be had.

There’s a local bus service that runs along the Kukulkan Blvd. drop you off at El Rey

If you'd like to see more photographs, visit my web site:
http://www.ericfranksphoto.zenfolio.com/

ZAMA, Place Of The Dawning Sun.

2010-12-02T13:45:00.000-08:00

Tulum Archaeological site:

'El Castillo' on the cliff.

The eastern coast of the Yucatan Peninsula is dotted with many Mayan archaeological sites. These ruins were once ancient ports and Mayan traders navigated the coastal waters in sturdy canoes holding as many as one hundred men. Mayan traders ventured at least as far south as Honduras, and perhaps even further.

Tulum’s Pre-Columbian walled city was an important port for the inland city of Coba. It is believed that trading canoes may have anchored in the tiny bay below Tulum, at the foot of the cliff crowned by ‘El Castillo’, the main temple in the city. Trade goods such as jade, obsidian, copper, flint and ceramics have all been found at this site.

The Mayas inhabited the Tulum area as far back as A.D. 564 but the city reached its peak during the Post-Classic period (1250 – 1521) as a strategic port on the sea and land trade routes.

As a city, Tulum managed to survive for about 70 years after the Spanish began occupying Mexico. It’s believed that diseases brought from Europe by the Spaniards was the cause of its demise.

The Archaeological ruins at Tulum were once known by the Maya as “Zama” which means “place of the dawning sun”. Perched atop the cliffs, the Maya had a perfect view of the rising sun each day.

The Tulum Archaeological site features the religious and ceremonial area of the ancient city that includes the temples and palaces of the ruling class.

Entry Way In The City Wall

A massive stone wall surrounds Tulum on three sides. The fourth side is protected by the cliffs and ocean. Tulum Archaeological site is one of the very few walled cities found to date in the Maya World.

Archaeologists believe that rather than being used for defensive purposes, the wall surrounding Tulum was used as a class barrier, separating the ruling elite from their subjects. The word Tulum actually means “wall, trench or fence” in Maya..

Some of the structures display an odd design: neither the walls or the doors have been built to conform to true vertical and horizontal lines. It's easy to imagine that the odd look is a result of the ravages of time, but in fact the structures were in facty built that way.

In addition to ‘El Castillo’, other important ruins at the Tulum Archaeological site are the ‘Temple of the Descending God’, the ‘House of the Columns’, the ‘Temple of the Wind’ and the ‘Temple of the Frescos’, which still has traces of murals on its inner walls.

'House Of Columns'

Spanish explorer Juan de Grijalva and his men, during their voyage along the eastern coast of the Yucatan in 1518, are believed to have been the first Europeans to see Tulum.

During the19th-century, the Maya World pioneers, J.L. Stephens and Frederick Catherwood placed the ruins of Tulum Archaeological site on the map. They visited the long-lost site in 1841 when the crumbling temples were covered in jungle creepers and published their findings a year later to great acclaim. Catherwood’s detailed drawings of El Castillo became world Famous.

One of the best-preserved coastal Mayan sites, Tulum is a popular site for modern-day tourists. It is also the most important Mayan archaeological site in the state of Quintana Roo, and is the third most visited site in Mexico. Tenochtitlan and Chichen-Itza are the first and second respectively.

The beach below 'El Castillo'

Face On Corner

Motif

Odd Door Design

The ruins are located on the cliffs, along the east coast of the Yucatan Penisula, about 80 miles south of Cancun.

Information in this blog post was gathered from http://www.mytulumtravel.com/
All photos Copyright Eric Franks 2010

GOT CONVERGING VERTICALS?

2010-11-09T08:01:00.000-08:00

A HUGE distraction for buyers!

A problem seen all too often in real estate marketing photography is converging verticals. That’s what it’s called when walls don’t appear to be vertical in a photograph. It’s surprising how often we see real estate marketing photos that have this problem since it’s one that can be solved with a little care and patience.

The cause of the problem is that the camera was not level - front-to-back – when the image was taken. A similar problem occurs when the camera is not level – side-to-side – and the horizontal lines in the image make it appear as though there is a serious foundation problem.

Wide-angle or ultra wide-angle lenses exaggerated the effect so it’s important that sufficient attention is taken to ensure that lines don’t converge.

Converging lines in real estate marketing photography have a negative aesthetic impact. Walls that are not vertical distract from the effectiveness of the photo. Successful real estate photography makes the homes and rooms look their very best and to motivate buyers to call for a viewing appointment. Anything in the image that gets in the way of this purpose is a problem.

Converging Walls.

Straight Walls

See the difference? The naked eye sees rooms with straight vertical lines – that’s how the photographs should look to give a natural appearance that is appealing.

When you look at the photo on the left you know very well that the walls are really vertical and plum. Everyone is so used to seeing perfectly vertical straight walls that when you look at the first photo above your eye keeps coming back to the strange walls at the sides.

The strangeness of the walls is so unusual and disorienting it’s hard for a potential buyer to pay attention to the real purpose of the photograph. Potential buyers may not be able to articulate exactly why they don’t like a particular home but it may well just be that photographs look strange.

If you are still not a believer in keeping verticals, vertical take a look at Architectural Digest which sets the standard for Architectural Photography. There are no converging verticals in this magazine.

So how do you go about minimizing converging verticals when shooting real estate photographs?
There are several ways to solve the converging verticals problem:

• Keep the camera body level in the front-to-back plane when shooting. You can do this by mounting the camera on a tripod then putting a bubble level on the top of the camera body.

• If your camera has a viewfinder, use the vertical edge of the image in the viewfinder to judge how level the camera is. Just keep the vertical edge of the view-finder lined up with a vertical in the image.

• Squat down lower than a normal standing position when shooting. This will tend to keep the camera more level. Normally you tend to slant the camera downward when you shoot from a standing position.

• Hire a photographer to shoot the photos for you.

There are many shooting situations in which it’s impossible to get the camera level front-to-back and still get the shot. The classic example for the real estate photographer is when you are shooting the front of a home from the street and the only way you can get the shot is point the camera upwards. In the digital environment there is a solution for converging verticals.

Fixing verticals can be addressed in photo-editing applications like Photoshop and Photoshop Elements. It’s well worth the effort to edit all of the shots you’ll be using in your marketing program and making sure they are presenting the property in the best possible way.

Of course, if you don’t have editing software to do the job, or simply don’t have the time you can always outsource the work to someone else.

Tough Times Calls For Tough Action.

2010-09-22T06:18:00.000-07:00

What exactly does declutter mean?

Declutter can be interpreted in many different ways. Many homeowners don't realize that they have 'clutter'. It's also hard to tell someone that their possessions look like 'clutter' to potential buyers. They don't realize that buyers need to view the property in a way that they can see themselves living there. That's hard to do when the home is very 'personalized'. This when the agent needs to get tough!

Agents ask sellers to declutter but without specific directions on what must be done it's a hit-and-miss proposition. My suggestion is to give the sellers a checklist - like the one below - that is clear and concise. This is a time when the written word has a lot more impact than spoken word and can be much more effective.

When it comes to photography, taking photos of a cluttered property can be counter-productive. That's why I won't photograph cluttered properties. If the sellers doesn't do it, then the agent and I need to do it (if possible, of course) before the shutter clicks in the camera. To get photographs that will be appealing and draw buyers it's essential that the clutter is removed.

Here's a checklist of actions that I follow:

Replace all burned out bulbs

Clean all surfaces

Remove valuables and medications out of sight or locked up

Remove all personal photographs

Clear kitchen counter tops of almost everything,
leave no more than three items

Conceal garbage containers

Remove everything from the top and sides of fridge
(pictures, kids’ art, magnets, etc.)

Remove non-essential throw rugs (foyer, baths, kitchen, hallways)

Clear the bathroom counter tops of ALL toiletries.

Leave only a few decorative items or a floral or plant arrangement.
Put out best towels

Empty the shower of shampoos, etc

Remove all signs of pets (bowls, rugs, pillows, etc)

Remove pets

Remove any table coverings

Remove items from fireplace mantel

After decluttering certain items can be added for staging... well, that's for another post.

Architectural Pop-Quiz # 4

2010-09-21T04:56:00.000-07:00

If you guessed PPG Building in Pittsburgh for yesterdays pop-quiz answer you were right!

Today's building is a modernistic design by I.M. Pei. This time I'll tell you where it is: Cleveland. You tell me what it is.

Architectual Pop-Quiz #3

2010-09-20T04:42:00.000-07:00

Friday's answer is "Paris". The church is Saint-Eustache in the 1st arrondissement of Paris, built between 1532 and 1632. It is situated at the entrance to Paris's ancient markets, Les Halles. The sculpture is L'Écoute by Henri de Miller. Although Notre Dame is much more famous Saint-Eustach is well worth a visit, and IMO much more interesting.

Today's architectural pop-quiz brings us closer to home:

What building is this and in what city? As always, if you know post a comment.

Bathrooms Are Tough!

2010-09-18T09:04:00.000-07:00

Bathrooms – especially small bathrooms – are tough to photograph. Sometimes it’s just best to not photograph them at all. If you do photograph them, there’s a few thing to keep in mind.

First of all, there’s no need to include the toilet in your shots. If it’s unavoidable, OK but photographs sans toilets are much better.

Next, try to make sure you’re not in the picture! If you can see yourself reflected in the mirror find another position to take the photo or, take the shot and clone yourself out using Photoshop.

Architectual Pop-Quiz #2

2010-09-17T06:51:00.000-07:00

Yesterday's Architectual Pop-Quiz answer: Intercontinental Chicago. 505 North Michigan Avenue, Chicago, Illinois For interesting facts about the building click here.

The next building is in a European city. It's been there for hundreds of years but the sculpture is a fairly recent addition to the site.

What city is this? Post a comment if you know.

September 25th - Museum Day FREE ADMISSION

2010-09-16T13:34:00.000-07:00

The 6th Annual Museum Day is September 25th.

Museum Day is an annual event hosted by Smithsonian Media in which participating museums across the country open their doors for free to anyone presenting a Museum Day Ticket. Tickets can be downloaded here and you can also see which museums are participating. There are quite a few in Richmond not to mention many other parts of Virginia.

Even if you can't make a visit yourself, print the tickets and give them to someone you know will benefit from the experience.

Architectural Pop Quiz.

2010-09-16T09:20:00.000-07:00

Just for fun: does anyone know what the name of this building is and where it is?

If you know, or just want to guess post a comment. I'll post the answer tomorrow. Good luck!

The Case For The Right Equipment For The Job

2010-09-07T06:44:00.000-07:00

I recently wrote about what cameras are best for real estate photography ( What Camera Is Best For Real Estate Photography ) I thought it might be useful to show some examples of the images that can be achieved with the differnet camera /sensor sizes.
All of the following examples were taken from the same spot in the room using the widest setting on the camera lens.

Here's an example of a room photographed using a typical point-and-shoot camera ( a Canon S80 in this case):

Now here's the same room shot with a typical DSLR (Canon D10):

There's not a great deal of difference, but there is some. The first thing to notice is the perspective. The chairs at the right side of the frame look slightly further away creating a greater feeling of depth. There's a little more detail on the left and right of the image. There's a hint of a picture on the wall and a piece of furniture on the right. Already we're getting a feeling that the room is bigger than we can see.

Here's an exaple of a shot taken with a full-frame sensor camera (Canon 1DsMkIII):

Wow! Big difference. Now we can see that the room is really big and has a lot more depth to it.

How many bedrooms have you seen on the MLS where all that can be seen is the bed? We're not trying to sell beds, we're trying to sell rooms. It's obvious that using a camera with a full-frame sensor makes sense for real estate photography.

So why isn't there a full-frame sensor in all cameras? The main reason is cost. It's much more expensive to produce full-frame sensors than the small ones in compact cameras. How much more? Well, let me just say that the difference in price between the S80 camera that took the first shot and the 1DsMkIII that took the last shot is more than $7000.

"Chicago Bean"

2010-08-24T12:13:00.001-07:00

"The Bean"

Here's another shot of the Chicago skyline refelceted in the "Bean" (Cloud Gate, a public sculpture by Indian-born British artist Anish Kapoor). It's tough to find a time when there are no visitors around this unique piece of sculpture. So I decided to take the shot with the tourists around it. They seem to be as much a part of the attraction as the "Bean" itself.

Melting Skyscrapers? Well, not really.

2010-08-24T12:08:00.000-07:00

"Shimmering Skyline"

These Chicago skyscrapers look like their in the process of melting. Well, it was a hot day - but no, they wern't melting, it just looked that way. Chicago is one of my favorite cities and has some of the best architecture in the USA - IMO.

What Camera Is Best For Real Estate Photography?

2010-08-23T07:56:00.001-07:00

Forget about megapixels! It really doesn’t matter how many megapixels your camera manufacturer says it can record. Megapixels only become important when you want to make really large prints. For real estate, any camera will produce good quality results – as far as megapixels are concerned.

The quality of the photograph has more to do with getting the white balance correct, making sure there is no camera shake, and that the scene is lit properly.

The CCD sensor size in the camera is where size does matter. This subject can be a little technical and there’s a lot of information on the web that explains it. Suffice to say; the smaller your compact camera is the smaller the CCD sensor needs to be. The larger the sensor the larger the camera needs to be. Makes sense, doesn’t it.

The rub is that smaller sensors will record less of the scene than a larger, full-frame sensor. Outdoors this can be overcome by backing up a bit until the entire scene is in the viewfinder. Indoors it’s another matter. In most cases you can’t back up – there’s usually a wall or something that restricts your ability to do so.

Cameras with full-frame sensors, such as the Canon 1DsMkIII like I have, record as much as 40% more of the scene than most compact cameras. This is a BIG advantage if you want to give the viewer a sense of spaciousness.

The built-in flash capability of compact cameras is rarely powerful enough to light interiors effectively. The built-in flash from consumer SLRs tend to overexpose items close to them and underexpose the back of the scene. In addition, they tend to leave ugly shadows.

The room should look bright (evenly) with a minimum of shadow. It should also look natural – meaning the light should appear to be coming from above. This is very difficult to achieve with a built-in flash.

So what’s the best camera to use for real estate photography? In my opinion it’s a camera with a full-frame sensor and the ability to fire external lights. Does this mean that this is the only way to photograph real estate – certainly not! But why make life hard?

"Great Photography Sells Homes"

2010-08-21T08:57:00.000-07:00

"Great Photography Sells Homes" is reproduced courtesy of Larry Lohrman at photographyforrealestate.net

If you ever had any questions as to whether great photography helps sell homes read the attached PDF document on the statistics compiled by Kris Bjarne Hauge of Papilios Real Estate Photography in the New Orleans-Baton Rouge area. Well executed photography will help you sell more homes faster - no doubt about it.

On the other hand, poor photography won't encourage anyone to spend the time looking. I'm amazed at how many photos are on the MLS where the ~~photographer~~ er, agent hasn't even bothered to keep the camera horizontal. On exterior shots this makes the home look as though its sliding down hill. Or worse yet, sinking into the ground on one side.

If you don't have the time (or the skills) to photograph your listings in a way that showcases them in the best way possible, consider hiring a pro photographer. It makes good business sense.

Great Photography Sells Homes

Property Photography: How to Prepare The Home

2010-08-13T09:49:00.000-07:00

There’s a lot of homes for sale in just about every price range. What will make buyers choose to visit one home rather than another? In many cases it comes down to the number and quality of the photographs that appear in the listing.

The primary function of property photographs is to get potential home buyers to visit the property in person. Almost 90% of buyers start their search for a home on the internet. The photographs they see are the seller’s first – and maybe only – chance to make a good impression.

So it is critical that the photographs present the home in the best possible way. Obviously, the photographer’s experience, ability, cameras and lighting equipment are essential to achieving this goal. But it’s not all up to the photographer. The sellers play a vital role in achieving this goal. Getting the property ready for the photo shoot can be the “make-or-break” difference to the outcome. Proper preparation before the photo shoot will not only maximize the impact of the photos but will set the stage for when the buyers arrive.

When it comes to photography, less is more. While it may seem a disruptive to your daily life, the best approach is to remove as many personal belongings as possible. Get rooms to look almost as though they are hotel rooms is the goal – de-personalized, and clutter free. Remember, you want to sell your home as quickly as possible, right?

Get some large boxes or plastic containers and go to each room and “de-clutter”. Put non-essential items in separate boxes and keep out of sight as long as your house is on the market. Think of this as doing some pre-packing ready for the move. Boxes with items you’ll need can be set just outside of the room where they can be moved out of the way during the photography session.

Here’s what you can do outside of the home:

Move cars out of sight
Close garage doors
Remove trash cans, gardening tools, etc. from sight
Remove children’s toys
Remove pets toys
Coil hoses
Open patio umbrellas and set out cushions
Uncover BBQs, pools, spas
Cut and edge the grass
Weed flower beds if necessary
Fix anything that is broken
Sweep driveways and walkways

Here’s what you can do inside:

Replace all burned out bulbs (photographs are taken with every light on)
Turn ceiling fans off
Clean all surfaces
Valuables and medications out of sight or locked up
Open window coverings (unless they are concealing a less than desirable view)
Remove all personal photographs
Clear kitchen countertops of almost everything, with the exception of one or two decorative items
Conceal garbage containers
Remove everything from the top and sides of fridge (pictures, kids’ art, magnets, etc.)
Remove non-essential throw rugs (foyer, baths, kitchen, hallways)
Clear the bathroom countertops of ALL toiletries.
Leave only a few decorative items or a floral or plant arrangement. Put out best towels
Empty the shower of shampoos, etc
Remove all signs of pets (bowls, rugs, pillows, etc)
Remove pets – if possible
Remove any table coverings
De-clutter fireplace mantel

These are probably the same things that the realtor has already discussed with the seller so there should be no surprises . And yes, I do realize that this is the seller's home and that it’s probably just the way they like it. Remember that buyers need to see themselves living in the subject property. That’s difficult for them to do in a very personalized environment.

Here’s to a quick and successful sale!
ericfranksphoto.printroom.com

Watch Out For These Photos!

2010-03-13T14:40:00.000-08:00

A couple of my photos were recently licensed through a micro-stock agency. It's always a thrill to have someone license my images but unfortunately the licensor's identity is never revealed by the agency. The images are of a farrier working on a horse's hoof. So, it's likely they'll show up in an equine related magazine or web site. If you happen to see them please let me know - I'd like to see how they are being used.

Both images feature Tom Bloomer of Blackburn Forge, Inc.

Of course if you need farrier services check out Tom's web site: http://blackburnforge.com/

Western Fashion Show

2010-02-26T06:13:00.000-08:00

With all the snow around I’ve had some time to do some housekeeping – reviewing and cataloging my photo files. It’s a job that’s needed to be done for a while and I suppose these winter days are as good a time as any for catching up on such things.

As I was going through the hundredss of photographs I’ve made at the Delmarva Paint Horse Club’s 2008- 2009 shows, I was struck by the number of outstanding western outfits worn by the competitors.

At the shows I tend to focus mostly on the horses – after all, they are horse shows. By doing so I missed an opportunity to enjoy the exhibition of western fashion taking place. But, by the ‘magic’ of the camera I’ve been able to revisit those shows and appreciate some of the colorful and intricately designed outfits the ladies wore.

I’ve made a gallery of a number of them so that you can see and appreciate them too. You can see them all at my new web site: ericfranksphoto.zenfolio.com Although the photos weren’t made specifically to show the outfits, I believe that the crops I’ve made will allow you to focus on the competitors and what they are wearing. Here’s a direct link to the Western Fashion gallery.

I thought it might be fun to get your opinion as to which western outfit you like the ‘best’. Each photo has an identifying number. Add a comment to the ‘Guestbook’ and let us know which outfit you think is the best – yes, you can vote for yourself.

There are no prizes and it’s just for fun. Inappropriate comments will be deleted so please don’t make them (I know you wouldn’t, but just in case.) I hope you enjoy the ‘fashion show’.

Seasons

2009-12-04T05:29:00.000-08:00

Sunrise At The Beach

'Old Man Winter' is on his way. In another couple of weeks fall will be over and winter will begin. For many folks that'll be just dandy - skiiers, and the likes. I'm not a winter sports kind of guy, I prefer the beach. A warm beach!

The photo above is what I awoke to this morning. Not too hard to take at all. I'm looking forward to a brisk walk along the sand. I hope your day is starting out as well.

Race Horses E-Book

2009-11-02T07:41:00.000-08:00

The photographs featured in this e-book were taken one early January morning at the Barbados Turf Club. Every morning the horses are put through their paces at the track.

It was a beautiful morning even though it had rained the night before and the track was a little wet. The sun coming up, the sound of hoof-beats on the wet sandy track, priceless!

I hope you enjoy these photographs and if you'd like to see photographs from an earlier visit to the Barbados Turf Club click on this link to RACE HORSES Vol 1

Race Horse 2

Yellowstone Bison

2009-10-27T13:54:00.000-07:00

Another e-book!

I visited Yellowstone at the end of April, 2008. As you'll see from the photographs in this e-book winter was still trying to hang on in Yellowstone. Winter starts early up there in the Wyoming mountains - usually snow comes in September. So, the animals there have only four, or 5 months of decent weather feed, raise their families, etc.

I didn't realize that there would still be so much snow around or that I'd get caught in a couple of snow storms during this trip. I'm hoping the photos will give you a sense of what Yellowstone is like in the springtime.

The good news was that there wasn't a whole lot of people around. I hear that in the summer they have traffic jams in the park. I don't need to go to Yellowstone for a traffic jam! Since a lot of the ground is still snow covered, a lot of animals come down to the river banks to feed. The water stays warmer than in other places (geothermal effect) so they can warm up a bit and find food more easily.

I hope you enjoy these photos. Any questions, or if you'd like a print, email me at: webphotostore@gmail.com Click 'Fullscreen' for a better look.

Yellowstone Bison

My First e-book!

2009-10-26T12:48:00.000-07:00

I've just published my first e-book!

It's a photo book of course. Since this my first experience with building an e-book I didn't want to make it bigger than I could handle. I picked about 30 or so photos I took of some old steam trains in Strasburg, PA. a few months ago.

Being around these old giants of the past brought back memories of my childhood when steam trains were the norm. Diesel and electric trains just don't make the same sounds or have the same smells as the old 'steamies' do. I hope that you'll enjoy looking at my photographs even though yo won't experience the sounds and smells I remember when I look at them. I suggest you click on the 'fullscreen' icon for the best viewing experience. You can also adjust the size of the images by clicking the '+' or '-' at the bottom of the screen.

Strasburg is only 85 miles from Dover. Why not take a trip there and experience it for yourself? The Strasburg Railroad have a variety of events for young and old alike. Click the link to see what's coming up.

Steam Power

1996 Toyota Camry

2009-10-24T10:33:00.000-07:00

I took these shots of a 1996 Toyota Camry that was for sale (sorry, it's sold already!) They can be best viewed if you click on the "Fullscreen" icon at the top of the image page and change the View Mode to 'slide' at the bottom left.

1996_camry

Three Amigos

2009-10-23T06:52:00.000-07:00

This photo is from a senior portrait session I did about a month ago. These young women were great to work with and we had a lot of fun. Brandie wanted to include some shots of her best friends in her album so we set up a variety of situations so she could get exactly what she wanted.

I asked them to get up in the loft of an old barn for this shot. It worked out well and Brandie chose it to be included in her album. I'm sure they'll all remember this session and enjoy the photographs for a long time to come.

You'll notice they are wearing riding gear - yes, there was a horse and we did get some shots of it too. But, that's for another post.

Twins? Maybe.

2009-10-22T06:30:00.000-07:00

Here's another 'oldie'. This was taken at the San Diego Zoo. I thought that women hated to wear the same outfit as someone else. Shows what I know.

Definitely not outfits I'd want any of my clients wearing for a portrait session.

Two-Seater Paint!

2009-10-22T06:12:00.000-07:00

I've been browsing through some of my old photo archives and came across a few - well, more than a few - that I thought I'd share with you.

This is a photo of a 'paint' I took several years ago at the Stockyards in Ft. Worth, Texas. Don't worry, they weren't trying to pass it off as an entry in a Paint Horse competition. But can you imagine trying to convince the judges that the stance is square and the horns are facing forward? Good luck with that one.

Lower Yellowstone Falls

2009-10-06T15:15:00.000-07:00

Here's a photograph of the Lower Yellowstone Falls, one of two waterfalls that the Yellowstone River makes as it makes its way to the Grand Canyon Of The Yellowstone.

These falls are higher than Niagra Falls, but there is nowhere near the volume of water going over.

This photo was taken in the spring of 2008 that's why there is still quite a bit of snow around. In many ways spring is an ideal time to visit the park since there are fewer visitors around and you'll get to see sights and animals in ways not usually shown in photographs or TV programs.

National Parks

2009-10-05T06:54:00.000-07:00

I've watched some of the "The National Parks: America's Best Idea" programs on PBS last week. Certainly it's another one of Ken Burns' masterpieces. Unfortunately, I couldn't spend a couple of hours every night to see all of it, but I'm sure there will be repeats so I'll catch up on what I missed at a later time.

I've been to a few of the parks mentioned in the film. It was interesting to see some of the places I've been and as expected , the photography was terrific. Seeing the parks on TV, or in photographs, can bring some of the beauty to many people who will never get to see these wonders first-hand. But actually being there - well, there's no substitution. Seeing a photograph of the Grand Canyon will never give you the same feeling as standing on the rim itself.

I've taken a few - well, more than a few - photographs in National Parks myself. In future posts I'll include some of them. Who knows, it might inspire you to go visit a National Park yourself. Wouldn't that be something.

Eric Franks

Halloween is coming!

2009-09-25T09:19:00.000-07:00

It's Fall again and it'll soon be time to carve those pumpkins. I took these snapshots last Fall at Elmer's Market in Georgetown. Not only is it a great market, but they do a great job of displaying pumpkins in a variety of fun ways. It's well worth the trip there - especially if you have kids.

A main event in the Fall is Halloween. Adults, as well as kids, like to dress up and have some fun. Well, this year I thought I'd put a little twist on things. I'm offering a special "Halloween Costume Mini-Session". It'll be a half-hour photo session with an 8X10 print and 4 wallets. Email me for full details.
This is going to be a lot of fun!

©Jason Stitt

The Senior Year Experience

2009-09-17T07:20:00.000-07:00

Most likely, your senior year at high school is the most important year in your life - so far. The bonds you make with high school friends will probably last longer than any you'll make in the future (excepting marriage, of course). Everything changed when you became a 'Senior'! This is your 'year of years'.

No doubt there will be high school reunions in your future that you'll attend to reminisce and try to recapture this wonderful year. Most folks at a reunion have a single portrait to look at and remember those glory days. Wouldn't a collage, or an entire album of beautiful photographs be better? Wouldn't photographs that included your lifelong friends be so much better?

If you're looking for something different, something exciting and fun, and end up with great senior year pictures, email - or call - me and let me tell you how we can do that.

Eric Franks

(302)535-1106

Website: http://www.ericfranksphoto.webs.com/ Email: webphotostore@gmail.com

Nanticoke Powwow

2009-09-10T05:39:00.000-07:00

One of the best dances at the powwow (imo) is the Shawl Dance. This is for women only and their dance represents all of the winged creatures of the earth. During the dance the shawl is used to represent wings.

In Indian culture birds are considered to be the winged creatures closest to the Great Spirit in Heaven and have the ability to travel to the four corners of the Earth. The dancers stop at the four sacred directions - north, south, east, and west. This is to show respect for the "Four Faces of the Earth."

The dancers finally come together in a circle. When the drum stops, the dancers "ruffle their feathers" with the fringe on the shawls, & exit to the drum beat. Click on the following link to see more Nanticoke Shawl Dancers.

The Jingle Dress Dance originated in Canadian Tribes around the Great Lakes. The dresses are tight fitting and restrict the movements of the dancer greatly. The rhythm of the jingles coincides with beat of the drum.

It's a fun dance to watch and I'm sure the dancers get a good aerobic workout. See more Jingle dancers here.

Of course there's more to see at the powwow than the dances. The elaborate regalia is highly symbolic and quite colorful. Equally colorful are the painted faces. War paint is not unique to the North American Indian, but few cultures did it as artistically. Face painting wasn't only reserved for war. However, when it was done for war, it was meant to strike fear into the enemy's heart. I'm sure that it did. Take a look at some of the painted faces at previous Nanticoke powwows.

Nanticoke Powwow, Millsboro, DE. Sept. 12 & 13.

Enjoy.

Eric Franks, Photography
webphotostore@gmail.com

2009 Nanticoke Powwow

2009-09-08T14:41:00.000-07:00

I've just realized that the 2009 Nanticoke Powwow is this weekend: September 12th & 13th. I missed it last year unfortunately but fully intend on going this weekend. If you've never been, you should try it.

The powwow is an event featuring group singing and dancing by men, women, and children. Some of the dances are specifically for Native Americans while others are open to all comers. Click on this link to get an explanation of some of the dances you'll see this weekend. As well as singing and dancing there's usually crafts, and food a plenty.

In subsequent posts this week I'll add links to some of the photographs I made at previous powwows. These should give you a good idea of some of the activities, and diversity of regalia worn by members of the various tribes represented.

The powwow is held just outside Millsboro. It's usually well signposted so it'll be easy to find. Hope to see you there.

Senior Year Project

2009-09-07T05:00:00.000-07:00

I've just completed a project for a young woman who wanted more than the standard 'school pictures' could offer for her high school senior year.

The project started with a discussion of what she was looking for. Since photographs are a way of capturing moments in time we talked about what memories she'd like to have, and share, in years to come. We quickly made a short list of the shot themes we'd work on: her car; her horse; her friends; and her sport - lacrosse. After that it was just a matter of picking locations and times for the shoot.

We started with indoor portrait shots. Brandie was a delight to work with. We had previously discussed some posing tips and she took to 'modeling' like she had been doing it all her life.

Next we moved to a park for the car and lacrosse shots. Brandie is proud of her car and wanted to show it off. I took a variety of shots that showcased the car while keeping the main focus of attention on her.

The lacrosse shots were a lot of fun since they included a little action. To get realistic action for some of the shots I had my 'assistant' (Brandie's mom in this case) throw a ball toward her. Having to reach for the ball gave a more realistic look to the photographs.

The last location shoot was at the stables where Brandie boards her horse.

We did several shots of Brandie with her horse as well as a few of the horse alone. Brandie loves her horse and I captured the special relationship that they have. A couple of Brandie's friends came to the final shoot and we all had fun taking group shots.

I took more than 400 photographs for this project and Brandie picked her favorites for inclusion in the album we put together. The album is an 8" X 11" hard-cover coffee-table book with Brandie's portrait on the front cover and contains more than 30 pages of stunning images.

If you'd like to see more photographs from Brandie's year book click on this link.

If you'd like more information about how to get your own photo album session, email me at: webphotostore@gmail.com.

Enjoy.

Eric Franks, Photography

The Great Smoky Mountains

2009-09-04T05:00:00.000-07:00

The Great Smoky Mountains – a sub-range of the Appalachian Mountains - run along the Tennessee – North Carolina border and the Great Smoky Mountain National Park covers most of the area. We entered the park from the Gatlinburg, TN. entrance on the west side. There are just a few roads in the park so to visit any of the points of interest we had to be prepared to HIKE!

The first place we visited in the park was Laurel Falls. From the road there’s a trail that leads to the falls, then on to the summit of Cove Mountain. It’s almost a mile-and-a-half from the road to the falls but the hike is fairly easy. The big surprise was the number of people at the falls. They were all over the place – and most of the places were not the safest to be in. The rocks get very slippery when wet and many of these intrepid explorers were taking risks for sure.

OK, so I was there to take photographs and I certainly didn’t want all those people in the shots. I had lugged my tripod up the trail with me so when I set it up with my DSLR on top (taking my time for all to see while I checked the exposure) they parted like the red sea – amazing. As a result I got quite a few shots of the falls - people free.

A much more difficult hike was the trail to the top of the Chimney Tops. The trail is two miles long and climbs 1335 feet to the peak at 4840 feet (1475 meters). It’s considered a strenuous hike that requires caution and strength. Having made it to the top and back without a major heart-attack or falling off the rocks at the top I was feeling pretty proud of myself. I must admit though, coming down is MUCH easier than going up.

About two-thirds of the way up we met some hikers making their way down. “How far to the top?” we asked. The answer was not what I wanted to hear – it was further than I had hoped for. “Watch for the bear on the trail, it looks pretty agitated. It’s just pacing back and forth.” Definitely not what I wanted to hear! We climbed all the way to the top without seeing the bear. I think it must have gotten scared and ran away when it heard me singing. Most folks (and animals) do that when I sing.

I was late evening when we finally arrived back where we left the car. Driving through the park on the way back to Gatlinburg we were in the right place at the right time for a magnificent sight. I've seen sunsets in a lot of places but few were as awsome as this one in the Smokies.

Enjoy.

Click here to see more Smoky Mountain photos.

Eric Franks Photography

All Aboard!

2009-09-03T05:03:00.000-07:00

Our road trip actually began in Pennsylvania Dutch country and of course we visited the famously named village of Intercourse (click the link to see how it got it's name - no, it's not what you think). The village is situated in beautiful farm country and hosts thousands of visitors each year. It has many attractions including buggy rides that showcase the area and covered bridges.

Strasburg is not far from Intercourse and just a few miles south east of Lancaster, PA. That's where you'll find the Strasburg Railroad and the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania. The Strasburg Railroad has been running since the mid-1800s and celebrates it's 177th year of railroad charter this year. It has been in operation as a tourist railroad since 1958 and operates on a four-and-a-half mile track. The old steam engine hauls the historic passenger cars through the Amish countryside at a leisurley pace where you can be entertained by a 'train robbery' or enjoy a meal in the dining car.

Of course, my main interest was photographing the train and some of the old engines across the street at the museum. The engines at the museum were in pretty poor shape. As you can see from the photo here Engine #90 is in very good shape and ready to take it's passengers for thier evening ride.

A hundred years, or so ago the rail cars were not quie so comfortable as you'll find in modern trains. For example, each car had a wood burning stove at one end to keep passengers warm in the winter.

I suppose passengers in the seats next to the stove could be too hot while the ones at the other end of the car might be too cold.

The seats themselves may leave a lot to be desired for modern day travellers. First class carriages had well upholstered seats while other classes had seats more akin to wooden benches. I suppose you could bring your own cushion if taking a long journey. You'll also notice in the following photos that the upper class carriage has windows whereas the cheaper class carriage does not - it's open to the elements. For modern passengers taking a nostalgic four-and-a-half mile ride on a nice summer evening it's just fine. Having to ride a train with no windows in winter must have been tough!

If you'd like to see more photographs from Strasburg Railroad click the following link: Strasburg Railroad Photographs

Eric Franks Photography

Monongahela National Forest

2009-09-02T08:00:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I blogged- actaully, it's been four months! I suppose 'being busy' isn't a real excuse but I've resolved to do better in the future.

My wife and I have been travelling more than ususal this year and I plan on showing some of the photos I took on those trips. No matter where you go there is ALWAYS something interesting to photograph. Sometimes you have to work at finding it but, in most cases great photo opportunities are all around you.

Our last travel adventure was a 'road trip': Pennsylvania; West Virginia; Virginia; Tennesee; and North Carolina. We hadn't been in Appalachia before so it was all new to us. If you haven't been - go! It's certainly a beutiful and exciting part of the country.

I took the photograph at the top of this blog entry in West Virginia. I've always wanted to make a photograph of blue mountains. I guess that's one more thing I can scratch off the 'bucket list'.
We were at the highest point in West Virginia - Spruce Knob. It's in the Monongahela National Forest, a few miles south of Seneca Rocks (another must see area).

Seneca Rocks is a pretty distinctive mountain with a sheer cliff face as you can see here. If you're a rock climber, go for it! For the rest of us, there's a trail that you can climb that will take you to the top of the rocks. You'll get some splendid views but it's a bit of a hike!

Eric Franks, Photography.

Ever Been In A Coal Mine?

2009-09-01T08:12:00.000-07:00

"It's dark as a dungeon and damp as the dew
Where the danger is double and the pleasures are few
Where the rain never falls and the sun never shines
It's dark as a dungeon way down in the mines "
Merle Travis.

I had the pleasure of driving through the mountains from Pennsylvania to North Carolina, a trip I've talked about for years but never got around to. Well this was the year. Along the way I stopped at Beckly, West Virginia. There's a number of attractions in the Beckley area but what caught my attention was the Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine.

The mine was opened in the 1880's and was active until about 1920. Taking the self-guided tour of the area gives you a good feel for how these miners and their families lived. Going into the mine takes you to a whole other world! The working conditions for the miners was brutal. Most of their time was spent in shafts just 28 inches high digging and loading 10 tons of coal a day.

The mine shafts have been expanded so that visitors can be shuttled around the mine in safety. The tour guide - an ex-miner - does a great job of transporting you to a age in the not too distant past when men worked (and often died) in the mine.

If you get the opportunity, go visit Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine or one of the othe exhibition mines in the area. It's well worth the effort.

Eric Franks, Photography.

Head for the shade!

2009-04-19T08:58:00.000-07:00

I captured these images yesterday while I was visiting a lovely state park in Maryland. It was a beautiful day but the sun was creating some pretty difficult lighting conditions - there was just too much contrast. This is the type of situation when you get squinting, 'racoon eyes', and blown out areas in the photograph such as you can see in the photo on the left. (Click to enlarge)

The model's eyes are just black holes, the shadows on the face are too dark, and some of his skin is just too light. Not a pretty picture at all!

So I asked my model to step behind a large tree and used my flash as a substitute for the sun. The takeaway from this story is this, if photographing in the middle of the day when the sun is blazing away, head for some shade and use our flash! It may just make the difference between taking a ho-hum snapshot and making a photograph.

Circle D Obstacle Challenge

2009-04-06T05:35:00.000-07:00

What a busy weekend! I had three photo shoots this weekend, one of them at the Circle D in Felton. Saturday's event was a real challenge for the riders. The wind was really gusting which made for some interesting moments - for photographers as well as riders!

There were other folks taking photographs of the competition so I decided to make most of my shots of what was going on around the ring rather than in it. Part of the overall experience of being at Circle D is who, and what is happening outside the competition ring. Look at the intensity on the faces of the spectators - including the horse! (Click on photo for larger image.)
If you'd like to see more images from Saturday's session click here.

It was a fun session (even though the wind was a pain in the rear) and it looked like everyone had a good time.

How To Use The Flash On Your Point-&-Shoot

2009-04-02T11:24:00.000-07:00

I had started to write about using flash with a point & shoot camera when I realized that the web is loaded with articles on the same subject. So, following the logic of 'why reinvent the wheel', I'll post a link to an article that does a better job of explaining it than I could.

I've been reading posts by Philip Greespun for some time. While I don't agree to the letter with everything he says I do believe he's 'on the money' most of the time.

I his 'Tips for Using a Point & Shoot Camera' he covers when built in flash is useful, and when it's not. Take 5 and check it out. But be careful, your photos might just get better! (lol).

Pink Beads

2009-03-31T09:10:00.001-07:00

I photographed this young lady late yesterday afternoon. It was during a test shoot for a photo session scheduled for later this week. I took several shots of her – in most of which she’s showing off her great, natural smile. I grabbed this shot when she was looking a little more serious and the hair was just right and her stare was intriguing.

If you'd like to see more photos from this session click on this link: Bethany

Economy hits horses hard!

2009-03-23T05:16:00.001-07:00

The economy is hitting us all hard in a number of ways -just ask horse owners. Many of them are having to sell, or give away, their horses.
In California, one county has had to euthanize abandoned horses because its facilities are full. Adopted horses are being returned to shelters which are already stretched to the limit. Read the full story on CNN.com/living.

Action Shots With A Point-And-Shoot Camera

2009-03-22T13:12:00.000-07:00

Here's a common problem facing all of those who use point-and-shoot type cameras: shutter lag! All too often the shooter does not realize that point-and shoot cameras have some work to do before it can take the photograph. I've seen many shooters raise their cameras and quickly press the shutter button expecting to capture the scene as they see it at that very instant. It doesn't work that way.

The shutter buttons on digital cameras typically work on a two step process. When the button is depressed half way down the camera figures works out the correct focus and the correct exposure for the scene. Some cameras can take up to a second - or more - to do this. When the focus has been confirmed and the exposure set, the camera allows the button to travel all the way down and the picture is taken.

If you don't realize that this happens you can often end up with a blurry picture because your not holding the camera in place until after hearing the "click", or for action shots you miss the 'action'!

Here's a couple of shots to illustrate what can happen: this is the type of shot we want to get. The horse about to make the jump. It's an action shot that appeals to most people because it creates a sense of anticipation.

When we end up with this type of shot we feel that the camera let us down. That's when we start to think we need a better - read more expensive - camera. Well, hold on there, cowboy! Maybe we need to figure out a better way to take these photos.

What we need to do is first understand that there's going to be a delay when we take photos. Second we need to learn to anticipate the action. In cases such as those shown in the examples we need to get the camera ready for the shot BEFORE the horses start the jump. How we do that is called pre-focusing. And here's how we accomplish that.

The way to do this is to frame the scene and then push your shutter release down half way. Once you’ve done this - continue to hold down the shutter release half way down until the moment you want to capture the scene - when you’ll press the shutter the rest of the way.

What you'll be getting the camera to do is focus on a part of the scene that's about the same distance as the main subject (think fence then horse in this case). When the horse arrives and is about to leap into the air press the button all the way down and you'll get the shot you want.

Granted, this may take a little practice but after a few attempts I'm sure you'll reconsider your thoughts of buying a new camera. Check your camera manual for further instructions and tips on how to do this. It may be under 'AF Lock', 'Focus Lock', or something along those lines. Also 'Google' for 'pre-focus' and you'l find plenty of examples to help you.

I hope this helps you get better shots with whatever camera you choose to use.

Better Horse Photos.

2009-03-17T08:09:00.000-07:00

I’m sure you’ve all heard this when someone is looking at a photograph you’ve taken, “Oh, you must have a really good camera!” Having the right equipment is a help, that’s true, but knowing what to do with it – now that’s another thing altogether.
If you’re happy setting your camera to automatic and just ‘snapping’ away, have at it. After all, they’re your photographs , right? However, if you’d like to take better photographs, then follow this blog and I’ll tell you about some simple steps that’ll improve your photography regardless of what camera you use.
Here’s the first thing you need to do if you haven’t already done so. READ THE CAMERA MANUAL! Just about all the cameras sold these days are loaded with features that can help take great pictures. It’s astounding to note that a lot of people buy cameras because they are loaded with features and then never learn how to use them.
In future posts I’ll be talking about some of the settings on your camera and if you’ve never ventured out of the “AUTO” mode it could get a little confusing. So, here’s your homework assignment: read the manual, and watch this blog for future posts.

Spring Fling Paint-O-Rama

2009-03-16T15:01:00.000-07:00

Mark your calendars! The Delmarva Paint Horse Club is going to have their first show of the season on Saturday May 2nd and Sunday May 3rd at the Quillen Arena in Harrington, DE.

The show program has a full line up of events and will start at 8:00am each day. The judges will be: Sally Jo Freund, Trisha Shorten-Armstrong,
Deb Jarvis & Jeannie Young. And of course, I'll be there taking photographs of all the horses and exhibitors in their finery.

After last year's events I received some inquiries asking if I had photographs of such-and-such a horse. Unfortunately I was not able to satisfy all of the requestors. I don't photograph each and every class. I don't want to disappoint anyone this year so I'll be asking that interested parties let me know the class number(s) and backnumber(s) they'd like me to photograph before the class takes place.

I know the DPHC organizers have been working hard and are looking forward to a great show. I'm sure you'll all have a great time. See you there!

Show contacts are: Show Secretary: Heather Mounts, mntsfmly@aol.com; Show Manager: Tamara Mounts, rtmounts@earthlink.net; Stalls: Sandra Tucker sandraltucker@comcast.net; and Photography: Eric Franks webphotostore@gmail.com.

Tom Bloomer: Farrier (Blackburn Forge)

2009-03-13T11:30:00.000-07:00

Last year I had the pleasure of photographing a true artist at work: Tom Bloomer of Blackburn Forge, Inc. Tom was kind enough to allow me to watch, and photograph as he made a horseshoe from a piece of raw bar stock and fitted the new shoes.
I had contacted Tom because I needed some photographs of a farrier at work for my stock files. Tom agreed to showing me what a farrier's work is all about and asked me to meet him at the 'Lil Mule Farm in Camden. Tom arrived in his custom truck fully outfitted as a farrier's workshop. Not only did I get the shots I needed but I also got an education as Tom explained what he was doing - and why - at every step of the way. Tom takes time to talk with horse owners to help them understand what's gong on with their horse and to ensure the horse's ongoing well being - a true professional

To make the shots that day I used two flashes: one on camera, and one off camera. The outside shots just needed a little fill so the on-camera flash worked well for that. In the barn I used both flashes: the off camera flash was the main light and added some inerest to the scene as you can see in this shot. The on-camera flash added just enough light to fill in the shadow areas.

If you'd like to see the complete set of photographs from this shoot click on the photograph above.

Eric Franks, Photography

Sometimes A Photo Needs A little Help

Vertical Lines Need To Be Straight!

A Visit To The Truck Graveyard

Halloween 2011

Bird Of Paradise Flower

DUCK

High Energy Rocker

Circus Charlie Band Live At Rock Falls Tavern.

HEADSHOT PHOTOGRAPHY

Circus Charlie Band: Chris Merritt

Hard Light, Gritty Look

TFP: Test Shoot For Bands.

SAVANNAH

American Paint Horses

The Ray Church And St. Colmcille’s Cross

A Brief History Of "Fashion Week"

RVA Fashion Week: Part 1

Twilight Photography

Teide National Park, Tenerife

How To Make Better Listing Photos - Part 5: Wrapup

How To Make Better Listing Photos - Part 4: Quality & Quantity

How To Make Better Listing Photos - Part 3 - Getting It Straight!

How To Make Better Listing Photos - Part 2 - Dealing With Clutter

How To Make Better Listing Photos - Part 1 - Lighting

Rome: ﻿The Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano

El Rey Ruins, Cancun

ZAMA, Place Of The Dawning Sun.

GOT CONVERGING VERTICALS?

Tough Times Calls For Tough Action.

Architectural Pop-Quiz # 4

Architectual Pop-Quiz #3

Bathrooms Are Tough!

Architectual Pop-Quiz #2

September 25th - Museum Day FREE ADMISSION

Architectural Pop Quiz.

The Case For The Right Equipment For The Job

"Chicago Bean"

Melting Skyscrapers? Well, not really.

What Camera Is Best For Real Estate Photography?

"Great Photography Sells Homes"

Property Photography: How to Prepare The Home

Watch Out For These Photos!

Western Fashion Show

Seasons

Race Horses E-Book

Yellowstone Bison

My First e-book!

1996 Toyota Camry

Three Amigos

Twins? Maybe.

Two-Seater Paint!

Lower Yellowstone Falls

National Parks

Halloween is coming!

The Senior Year Experience

Nanticoke Powwow

2009 Nanticoke Powwow

Senior Year Project

The Great Smoky Mountains

All Aboard!

Monongahela National Forest

Ever Been In A Coal Mine?

Head for the shade!

Circle D Obstacle Challenge

How To Use The Flash On Your Point-&-Shoot

Pink Beads

Economy hits horses hard!

Action Shots With A Point-And-Shoot Camera

Better Horse Photos.

Spring Fling Paint-O-Rama

Tom Bloomer: Farrier (Blackburn Forge)

Rome: The Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano