Apr 12 - J for J #AtoZChallenge

There are many options for J. J for jump, jewelry, joint, junk, jugs and JPEG. Since the theme is photography, I considered J for JPEG. JPEG is a format to compress and store digital images. Then, I didn't have an appropriate photo to go with the post. This morning while drafting the post, I changed it to J for j instead, the alphabet 'j'.

Camera: Sony RX 100 iii
Picture of the day in 2012: Faith
Picture of the day in 2011: City skyline from JK Onassis reservoir

Apr 11 - I for ISO #AtoZChallenger

I for ISO. ISO is one of the elements of exposure triangle. ISO stands of International Standards Organization, which sets the sensitivity of sensors on digital camera. Sensitivity of the image sensor depends on the ISO number and smaller the number, less sensitive the sensor is. The lowest number is 100 and it could go up as high as infinity. The highest ISO on a camera varies from camera to camera.

The rule of thumb is to keep the ISO low but in low light conditions, in indoor sporting events and in low light conditions when the photo is taken with out a tripod, ISO comes to recuse to well expose the photo. Also, ISO is used when freezing time/motion because the shutter is fast, resulting in less light going into camera. In such cases wider aperture and/or ISO are adjusted to well expose the photo. The drawback of high ISO is that the photo gets noisy as the ISO increases. One must have noticed, often times night pictures usually tend to have a grainy finish. That is the noise due to high ISO.

Today's photo was in a subway station where lighting was low. I didn't have a tripod and had to use a fast shutter to avoid a shake. ISO came to my rescue. Settings of the photo - ISO 12800 (very high ISO number), Shutter Speed - 1/100sec, Aperture - f/2.8. Here are high ISO pictures from the archives.

Camera: Sony Mark 3 RX100
Picture of the day in 2013: Flowers
Picture of the day in 2012: Hallway
Picture of the day in 2011: Cherry blossoms

Apr 4 - C for Candid #AtoZChallenge

C for candid photography. Candid photography is taking unposed photos of people. These are informal photos where the subject is unaware they are being photographed. Candid photos capture some amazing emotions and expressions of people, as they are natural.

Some tips when taking candid photographs are keeping the camera at hip level. This doesn't alert the subject resulting in natural poses and second, this angle gives some interesting photos. Always keep the camera ready to shoot and wait for the that special moment to capture it. Always take multiple images or shoot in burst mode. Recommended lens is telephoto lens or zoom in if using a point and shoot camera.

I am very uncomfortable taking candid photos of strangers and that too posting on a blog. The best subjects for this photography are family and friends as they would not mind you taking there candid shots. Candid photography is quite popular during weddings and special events. Some people hire two sets of photographers; one for formal photos and other for informal or candid photos.

Camera: Sony Mark 3 RX 100
Picture of the day in 2013: Bridges
Picture of the day in 2012: Industrial
Picture of the day in 2011: Random click: flowers

Oct 18 - Street Photography, Fall Colors in Union Square

Last couple of days it felt like summer with temperatures in 80s. Orange leaves were the only signs of Fall. Enjoying the warm weather while it lasts!!
Camera: Sony RX 100 iii
Picture of the day in 2015: Changing colors
Picture of the day in 2013: Pink # 3
Picture of the day in 2011: Fall tradition
Picture of the day in 2010: Flock of birds

May 12 - Candid Photo

This is a candid photo taken yesterday evening in Central Park. Whoever these three people are, thank you for unknowingly being my models.
Camera: Sony RX 100 iii
Picture of the day in 2015: Flora
Picture of the day in 2012: From the hip
Picture of the day in 2011: Shopping cart
Picture of the day in 2010: Foggy & rainy day

Week # 46 / 2 - Caught unaware: taking pictures

Taken Nov 19th but posting it for week 46. I could not decide which one to post, so did a collage of the pictures.
Camera: Sony P&S
Picture of the day in 2012: Chili garlic pull apart rolls
Picture of the day in 2011: Coconut tabla & veeena
Picture of the day in 2010: The mess I made

Week # 46 / 1 - Caught unaware

I have fallen behind on my themes and have to do some catching up. This photo was taken on Nov 19 but am back dating it to week 46.
Camera: Sony P&S
Picture of the day in 2012: Random click
Picture of the day in 2011: Goodie bag
Picture of the day in 2010: Lunch time