Downtown St. Pete Christmas Lights

It is fun shoot the Christmas lights in your area. Don't forget the tripod if you are planning to shoot at night. Experiment (slow shutter, zoom, etc), shoot and have fun!!!!
Here are some pictures I shot on December 12, 2010 in St. Pete.

Photo Inspiration

Recently, a PJ student asked me how to become a better photographer. My answer is short and simple: shoot, shoot, shoot and follow other photographers.
For example, you can receive photo inspirations from the Photo Blogger
I also look daily at photos on Flickr, newspapers and magazines. I look at the photos and I ask: Is the photo newsworthy? Is this shot different/original?

For me, photography is constant hard work. There is always room to improve and to learn from a photographer. So, Robert, stay open for critiques and shoot, shoot, shoot in MANUAL mode :)

Simple Flash Photography

I noticed that I got caught up on lighting gear lately- beauty dish, softbox, umbrella, etc. Lighting is fun but how about going back to the bare minimum? Yes, the bare flash. I forgot that a bare flash mimics the sunlight so I went out yesterday and shot some pictures of Nicoleta in St. Petersburg.
I dragged out all of my gear from the car, 6 flashes, lighstands, reflectors.... and then I suddenly decided to use one bare flash for the whole night.
Here are some pictures that demonstrate that sometimes going back to ONE bare flash can become a fun experiment. Since I am using an SB600 on a lightstand, I need no triggers for the flash.
Here is a great and SIMPLE tutorial by Chuck Arlund on how to use one basic flash to improve your photography (read the comments posted too).
To read more about Nikon's CLS system, click here.
I put the flash on a flash stand instead of the flash gun (monopod) and placed it in different angles to create different lighting effects. Unlike Chuck Arlund, I used no reflector, just one flash (1/200th is my syncspeed). I also used one lens- Nikon 50mm, 1.8- this lens is sharp!
To see Nicoleta's other shots, click here.
Some of the shots (Nicoleta wearing a white shirt) were taken with the 3 lighting set up (one beauty dish to the right or left of the camera, one flash to the right of the subject and the other flash was on the left side of the subject).

Good news- PJ student Brenda Ramirez got published.

Good news- PJ student Brenda Ramirez got published. She is shooting in manual mode. Way to go, Brenda!
Preparing to "Walk A Mile In Her Shoes" | Her Campus hercampus.com
Seniors Vanessa Rojas, Michelle Fones and Alicia Gomez, take advantage of the cooler hours of the day and chalk in front of the bookstore to advertise "Walk a Mile In Her Shoes", an annual international march to stop rape, sexual assault and gender violence.

Allyn DiVito's Portfolio

Today I got to meet a great photographer, Allyn DiVito. He works now at USF and I was astonished to see his portfolio. His portfolio is.... there are no words for your portfolio! Allyn, it was a pleasure meeting you and I hope that one day you will be back in the media :)
Allyn, I am speechless about your photos!

The editors from the Crow's Nest welcome your stories and pictures :)

BTW, I just talked to the photo editor from the Crow's Nest from USF St. Pete. Her name is Aimee Alexander, her email is aralexa2@mail.usf.edu
She would like to have some students write and/or photograph so if you are interested, please get in touch with her.
Please submit photos at 300 dpi with captions. For more details, contact Aimee.


Let me know how things work out.

Best,
Andrea Lypka

Steve McCurry coming to Tampa Straz Center March 2011

He is coming as part of a national geographic live tour, to talk about his images in the Ferguson theater, 7 pm Tuesday evening in March 2011.
Should be interesting. Tickets $25-35.
For more details, click here.
McCurry is best remembered for his photo of an Afghan girl he shot in 1985 and became the cover of National Geographic. It is an iconic and memorable image. He continues to photograph in Asia and in conflict zones. He is also famed for shooting the last roll of production Kodachrome slide film which was processed this summer.
Check out his images. He is one of my photographic heroes, and so a chance to hear him live will be much anticipated.
The story on NPR about the Afghan girl.