Bill Smith's Photography

Like I said last post, I only shot one roll of black and white film this year on the Algonquin road trip. I also wanted to shoot some medium format this year too so my new to me Rolleicord Vb came along for the ride. I chose my colour film carefully, Kodak Ektar 100 and Fuji Reala 100 for out in the open shots and Kodak Portra 400 for more sheltered locations and used a 35mm circular polarizer most of the time on my Nikon gear to make the colours pop. I could not believe the stretch of perfect weather we had this past weekend, sunshine and a high of 25c, it contrasts with last year which was cool and wet. You can't ask for nicer weather. Camera: Nikon FE, Nikkor Ais 35 f2, 105 f2.5 lens, B+W Circular Polarizer. Film: Kodak Ektar 100 Square Photos Camera: Rolleicord Vb with a 75 f3.5 Xenar lens, Film: Fuji Reala 100

Lest everyone get the idea the only subjects I shoot are landscapes and urban environments I do portraiture as well on occasion with the Friends of Bill Project. Say you have a friend or family member for that matter shove a smart phone or a camera into your hands and want you take their picture, here are some great tips. Understand what your camera can and cannot do, doesn't matter if it's a iPhone or Android handset or a Nikon D4, it's the person using the device that makes the photo. First off understand the rule of thirds, if you are shooting horizontally or in landscape, you don't want your subject's head smack in the middle, I usually shoot slightly off centre.  The second thing you want to do is make sure your subject's eyes are sharp, this is more the case with a proper camera than with a smart phone. Finally you want to make the light work for you, contrary to popular opinion overcast days have great light for portraiture as the light is diffused,...