View 269: Fear the Beard

Posted on February 25, 2013 by Scott Thomas Photography

Minor league sports teams are known for their creative and fun promotions.  For the week before last Saturday’s game, the Syracuse Crunch had been telling fans about Fear the Beard night. The promotion spawned over a popular player’s beard which even has it’s own Twitter account.  Radko Gudas facial hair, it is said, puts fear into opposing players.  From that premise, let the fun roll.

Radko Gudas, defensemen for the Syracuse Crunch, and his famous beard staring down the competition.

Radko Gudas, defensemen for the Syracuse Crunch, and his famous beard staring down the competition.

To further spread the fun, the Crunch passed out fake beards to the fans before the game.  Those fans, who already had beards, could get $5 off a ticket to the game.

Syracuse Crunch fans at Fear the Beard night.

Syracuse Crunch fans at Fear the Beard night.

The Crunch, spurred on by the Beard, posted a 3-0 shutout win.  The players who were chosen as the Three Stars of the Game, got into the spirit of the night by honoring the Beard.

Three stars from #FearTheBeard night at the Syracuse Crunch. In order from Third to First Star are Pierre-Cedric Labrie (20), Mark Barberio (8) and Cedrick Desjardins (30) with the shutout.

Three stars from #FearTheBeard night at the Syracuse Crunch. In order from Third to First Star are Pierre-Cedric Labrie (20), Mark Barberio (8) and Cedrick Desjardins (30) with the shutout.

Promotions like Fear the Beard Night bring excitement and fun to the game for the fans and players.  The Crunch and players even produced two videos leading up to the event.

Fear the Beard Part I:

Fear the Beard Part II:

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Vacation Photography at Walt Disney World

Posted on February 22, 2013 by Scott Thomas Photography

Last week we talked about what makes a good Travel Photograph. This week, I am talking about what makes a good Vacation Photograph. It will not surprise you to hear they both are very much a like. You want them to tell a story and to give a sense of place or where you were on vacation. The added element are people and, specifically, members of your traveling party. For my examples, I will be using my own family.

Here you see my wife and daughters at the Port of Bay Lake in front of the Magic Kingdom. While we were waiting to board a Motor Cruiser to Fort Wilderness for a meal at the Trail’s End restaurant, I spotted this nice photo location. The story is nautical and it sure does tell the viewer we were at Walt Disney World.

Members of a family getting ready to board a Motor Cruiser at the Magic Kingdom, Walt Disney World, Orlando, Florida.

Members of Scott’s family getting ready to board a Motor Cruiser to Fort Wilderness.
Nikon D700/28-300VR, 1/200s, f/7.1, ISO 200, EV +0.3, 65mm focal length.

Look for ways to connect a person’s history or interests in your vacation photos. My daughter meet up with her high school French teacher at Epcot during this trip.  I thought it appropriate to have them pose with Epcot’s France pavilion behind them.

People posing with Epcot's France pavilion in the background, Walt Disney World, Orlando, Florida.

Scott’s daughter and her French teacher with Epcot’s France pavilion.
Nikon D700/28-300VR, 1/320s, f/9, ISO 200, EV 0, 40mm focal length.

Let us not forget the most fun kind of vacation photos, the embarrassing kind!  My wife loves pandas. I used these props found just across from the China pavilion in Epcot to show that love.  She was a dear to allow me to do this.  Of course, she did not think I would be sharing it with all of you at the time. 🙂

Vacationer posing at the China pavilion in Epcot, Walt Disney World, Orlando, Florida.

Scott’s wife at Epcot’s China pavilion with a panda puppet.
Nikon D700/28-300VR, 1/320s, f/10, ISO 200, EV 0, 28mm focal length.

Be creative and have fun on photographing your vacation whether it is at a Disney park or anywhere else in the world.

TIP: All of these photos were taken using Fill Flash to cut down the harsh shadows and to brighten the subjects.

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Amazing Nikon Lens Sale

Posted on February 20, 2013 by Scott Thomas Photography

Amazing as Nikon NEVER puts their lenses on sale.  Guess I can not say never again, eh?

Feast your eyes on these beauties including a few of my favorites: 80-400VR, 18-200VR (DX), 28-300VR (FX) and the Nifty-Fifty: 50mm f/1.8. Below are a few of the lenses.

Click here or on the image below to see the entire list.

Click here now to see the entire list of Nikon Lenses on Sale!

Hurry, sale ends on March 30, 2013.

Who knows when Nikon will do this again.

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View 268: Syracuse from the 13th Floor

Posted on February 18, 2013 by Scott Thomas Photography
Panoramic view of a Sunday morning in Syracuse, New York from a high rise hotel.

Panoramic view of a Sunday morning in Syracuse, New York from a high rise hotel.

Spent the weekend at a hotel in Syracuse which I requested have a view of the city’s skyline. Setup up my Nikon D700 camera on a tripod with a Nikon 28-300VR lens (with VR turned off) in the room to record the passage of time during my stay.  Used a circular polarizer filter to control the reflections shooting through a large double pane window and enhance the sky’s colors.

After sunset, I waited for Blue Hour to start.  Setting the lens to f/22, brought the shutter speed down to 13 seconds equaling the number of the floor I was staying on.  The long exposure created light streaks from the cars traveling on Interstate 81 below. If you look on the horizon on the far right, the steam plume you see is from the cooling tower at the Nine Mile Point nuclear plant near Oswego, New York, forty miles to the north.

Cars streak pass as blue hour starts to descend over Syracuse, New York on a cold winter's evening.

Cars streak pass as blue hour starts to descend over Syracuse, New York on a cold winter’s evening.
Nikon D700/28-300VR, 13s, f/11, ISO 200, EV 0, 28mm focal length, tripod, polarizing filter.

Later, I got more pronounced light streaks in the dark of night.

Light streaks from cars on Route 81 traveling through the center of Syracuse, New York.

Light streaks on Interstate 81 traveling through the center of Syracuse, New York.
Nikon D700/28-300VR, 30s, f/f18, ISO 200, EV 0, 90mm focal length, tripod.

This is a view of the city many people living and working here do not see as they are the ones driving on the highways and roads.  Unless they are lucky enough to live in a high rise.

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Travel Photography at Walt Disney World

Posted on February 15, 2013 by Scott Thomas Photography

Really, Scott? Isn’t the title redundant? We all take travel photos at Walt Disney World, don’t we?

Well, yes and no. While photos taken at any Disney property can be considered travel photographs, do they tell a story? Do they give someone looking at the photo a sense of place? Travel photography should do both.

Last fall, Ocean Spray and Disney combined to create the Cranberry Bog Exhibit. My photo below shows the location of the exhibit in Epcot during the Food and Wine Festival. I used a small aperture of f/16 to keep everything in focus from the flowers all the way back to Spaceship Earth including the guests surrounding the exhibit.

Ocean Spray’s Cranberry Bog Exhibit at Epcot in Walt Disney World.

Ocean Spray’s Cranberry Bog Exhibit at Epcot in Walt Disney World.
Nikon D700/28-300VR, 1/125s, f/16, ISO 320, EV 0, 28mm focal length.

To show you this technique works with a telephoto setting, I again used a small aperture photographing a Motor Cruiser on the Seven Seas Lagoon as it was leaving the Magic Kingdom. The Grand Floridian Resort in the background adds to the story.

Mermaid I Motor Cruiser on the Seven Seas Lagoon at Walt Disney World.

Mermaid I Motor Cruiser on the Seven Seas Lagoon.
Nikon D700/28-300VR, 1/125s, f/16, ISO 200, EV +0.3, 170mm focal length.

Most good travel photographs include people or imply people. Such is the case of the photo below. The seating area behind the Flame Tree Barbecue restaurant in Disney’s Animal Kingdom is a quiet, peaceful location. While there are no people in the photo, the empty tables and chairs in the background tell you this is a place for them.

Waterfall in the seating area behind the Flame Tree BBQ in Disney's Animal Kingdom.

Waterfall in the seating area behind the Flame Tree BBQ.
Nikon D700/28-300VR, 1/5s, f/22, ISO 200, EV 0, 28mm focal length.

For this photo, the small aperture of f/22 not only gave me a large depth of field but slowed down my shutter enough to give the smooth look to the waterfalls.

Next time you are out photographing at a Disney park or in your own backyard, look for story telling travel scenes.

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