Summer Photography by Marc Abrahms

Summertime, the season when life and activity are at their peak, offers photographers an abundance of amazing photo opportunities. Full of energy, fun, and packed with beautiful scenery, beach photos highlight the best of summer. Whether a shutterbug seeks playful human activity, serene waters and passing sailboats, or close-up shots of coastal flora and fauna, the beach provides lots of color and ample subject matter. However, a few tips can prevent wasted shots and improve the overall quality of any picture.

First, photographers should never let bright sunlight mislead them into avoiding their flash. Sunlight provides excellent lighting, but also creates deep shadows. Using a flash to fill in the lighting, particularly on faces, will prevent silhouetted subjects. For just a little extra lighting, a white beach towel will reflect the sun’s rays and soften shadows. In the evening, be sure to position subjects facing the sun. If the sun is setting over the water, and the waves are a desirable background, investing in a reflector disk provides adequate amounts of soft, golden light.

About the Author: Featured in National Geographic magazine and in numerous private and public collections, Mark Abrahms is both a renowned photographer and philanthropist. Supporting the House of Bread, which provides a variety of needs to the less fortunate, Mark Abrahms’ gallery in West Hartford, Connecticut, donates the proceeds from each sale.

West Hartford

Marc Abrahms

Like many East Coast communities, West Hartford, Connecticut, experienced damage from Hurricane Sandy. While more fortunate that many towns facing more severe loss, the city once listed among the Top Ten “Best Cities in the Nation for the Next Decade” and in the U.S. World & News Report’s “100 Best Places to Live in the Nation” now faces the daunting task of recovery, with hopes of rebuilding their pre-storm beauty. With 30 percent of all homes and businesses damaged by high winds and flood waters, recovery estimates anticipate a year or more for full restoration.

During this time, the citizens of West Hartford have volunteered in both their own community and throughout the North East, while encouraging others to assist with physical and financial contributions. Articles from the West Hartford Patch and other news broadcasts highlight a critical need in blood donations to the Red Cross. Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy’s website and http://www.charitynavigator.org offer guidance for useful and legitimate means of donating money, supplies, and labor. Citizens of West Hartford are determined to restore their city while discussing potential improvements to be incorporated in the recovery plan.

About the author: Marc Abrahms, a proud resident of West Hartford, Connecticut, participates in community building through volunteer work at a local shelter, philanthropic donation to numerous local charities, and by serving on the board of the Gene and Anja Rosenberg Hebrew Home and Rehabilitation Center.

An Introduction to Photograph Composition, By Marc Abrahms

Learning to compose a world-class photograph can take intensive study and years of experience. However, there are several key techniques you can incorporate to improve your photo composition.

1. Choose a subject carefully. When taking a photo, consider your subject and how you want to highlight it. Sometimes this means cutting out the clutter in the foreground or background. Other times, you may choose to bring your subject into sharp focus while allowing the background to fade into a softer focus.

2. Balance the photo. Once you’ve picked your subject, apply the Rule of Thirds, which requires photographers to mentally break a photo down into a nine-block grid and align the subject on one of the grid lines. Photographers can also achieve a balanced look by separating light and dark in thirds.

3. Focus on the frame. In many cases, cropping out extraneous details will showcase your subject. When looking at a potential photograph, outline its frame in your mind’s eye. Following the cliché of “less is more,” determine which background and foreground elements you want in your photo and consider how these will affect the balance and subject.

About Marc Abrahms: A fine arts photographer and former businessman, Marc Abrahms has published two books of photographs: Traveling Light and Water Colors. Mr. Abrahms funded Clark University’s Abrahms Darkroom and Gallery and frequently donates the proceeds of his art sales to charity.

Poster Photography, by Marc Abrahms

From a sunset in the South Pacific to a reflection on a lake in Patagonian Chile, noted photographer Marc Abrahms captures remarkable scenes with vivid color and contrasts. Below is a summary of three of his pieces available in poster form.

“Days End,” shot in Moorea in French Polynesia, shows a lone outrigger contrasted against a deep blue ocean with rays of light from the setting sun shining down through a break in the island’s mountain range. The equipment used in “Days End” was a 70-200mm Canon EOS IV with Velvia film.

In “Sunset #2,” taken in Pantanal, Brazil, the sun sits just above the horizon and illuminates a body of water in the foreground. The picture includes a lone tree that creates a stark contrast between fire from the fading light of the sun and the canopy of trees in the background. “Sunset #2” was shot using a 200mm Canon lens and Velvia film.

The Great Salt Lake of Argentina is an almost otherworldly place that lies almost six hours from the nearest town. In his photo, “Great Salt Lake,” Abrahms captures the geometric patterns that form on the salty surface with the chaos of a coming storm. He used a 16-35mm Canon lens on Velvia film with a blue-gold polarizer to create the image.

For more on the photographer, please visit www.marcabrahms.com.

Taking High Quality Digital Photos in Low Light, By Marc Abrahms

Fine art photographer Marc Abrahms provides advice on how to take professional-looking digital photos in low light situations.

Low light environments present a common challenge for photographers. However, by using the right camera settings, you can turn the lack of lighting into an advantage that will accent your shot.

Flash may be the first tool many photographers think of when facing a low light environment. With very simple point-and-shoot cameras, or if you’re using only the camera on your phone, this may be your only option. However, flash can be distracting to those around you, and can cause red-eye or white-eye that may be difficult to correct. Beyond this, a camera’s built-in flash will light its subject on only one side, eliminating the appearance of depth in the shot.

Where you don’t wish to use a flash, increasing your camera’s ISO may help offset the lack of ambient light. In digital photography, ISO measures how sensitive the camera’s sensor is to light around it, so a higher ISO setting will make better use of the little light you have. On the other hand, an ISO that is too high risks image noise. Therefore, you may want to review and alter your ISO setting with each shot, rather than simply turning the ISO up to its maximum value.

In photos of still subjects, lowering the camera’s shutter speed is also an excellent way to make the most of low ambient light. The slower shutter speed allows more light to enter the open aperture. However, a slower shutter speed requires a very steady hand, or preferably a tripod, to prevent the image from blurring. You may need to adjust both the ISO and the shutter speed together to find the ideal combination for the light you have. Nonetheless, using these tools can bring out the best in your low light photos.

Marc Abrahms’ photographs have been featured in publications as diverse as National Geographic and the U.S. Library of Congress.

Marc Abrahms’ Tips for Improving Your Portrait Photography

With the growth of online picture-sharing, photographer Marc Abrahms offers advice on how to make your portraits stand out from the typical photo.

1) Play with where your subject is looking: You don’t need to take a photo with your subject staring straight into the camera. Try having your subject look in a different direction and outside the camera’s field of view. This can grab the viewer’s interest and add a bit of mystery to the photo.

2) Play with perspective: Changing the angle from which you shoot your portrait can enliven an otherwise stale image. Try shooting from above or below your subject, or at an unusual angle. A change in perspective can draw your viewer’s eyes to features of your subject that might not be emphasized in a more typical angle. For instance, shooting a profile shot of a subject’s face from a low angle might feature the elegant curve of your subject’s cheek.

3) Be candid: Many portraits are posed shots of the subject smiling sweetly into the camera. Try taking pictures of your subject going about their normal routine. Photographing your subject in their normal activities, whether working, playing, or simply deep in concentration, adds a liveliness that a posed portrait can miss.

Marc Abrahms is a fine art photographer in West Hartford, Connecticut. His work has been published in more than 20 countries.

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