Morgan Moller | Photography 

Mountains, Fresh Air & New Starts

Hi all!

I’m back from my ski trip in the French Alps with my friends, and had a blast!

I always find it fascinating how ‘massive’ mountains are. I know it sounds completely ridiculous, but I really feel that way.

Had the intention to shoot some jumps and stuff, but mother nature thought elsewise, and fed us up with some bad weather for a few days. Still managed to get some shots out though…

Shooting in the snow can be challenging, because snow messes with the camera’s white balance measure system. On my Nikon dSlr I used roughly these settings.

ISO : 200 (You’ll normally have PLENTY of light when shooting in the snow)

Aperture : f/9 most of the time, this gave me sharpness all over the place, really neat for catching flying snow

Shutterspeed: 1/1000 (since there’s a lot of light, you can get away with 1/1000 & f/9)

Metering : Matrix (This managed fine for my camera)

WB : Auto, EV +0,7

I shot everything on manual, to have complete control since it’s a tricky scene.

You have got to love those clear blue skies. I’m confident you can’t get the sky to look this nice in the city.

3 amigo’s of mine, climbing back up the jumping slopes. I forced them to do it, don’t worry ;)

I mostly shot 2 lenses. The Sigma 10-20 mm f/4-5.6 which offers incredible vantage points and the golden oldie Nikkor 35-105mm f/4.5-5.6.

I tried out my best friends’ new Nikon 55-200mm f/4.5-5.6 AF-S VR but although the quality of the glass is excellent, it’s too damn slow to work with.

I missed at least 20 shots that I hadn’t with the 55-200 due to painfully slow auto-focus issues.

I even did a small multiple exposure shot on the way back, but it’s definitely not finished yet. It’s really bad, but in my defense, it was made on a laptop trackpad (I know) in the back of a car ;)

Happy to be back, and ready to blog heavily again!

Cheers,

M

07.02.2010 Friends, Personal, Tips No Comments

Up, Up & Away

Hello everyone!

I’m just posting this quick message to tell you all that I’ll be taking a short break for a ski trip in the French Alps this week, and won’t be blogging meanwhile!

In the meantime here are some things to keep you busy!

http://www.nydailynews.com/tech_guide/2010/01/27/2010-01-27_top_10_things_you_need_to_know_about_apples_new_ipad.html

http://rising.blackstar.com/will-the-ipad-save-photography.html

http://gizmodo.com/5458382/8-things-that-suck-about-the-ipad

Cheerioz!

M

30.01.2010 Uncategorized No Comments

Yet Another iPad Related Post

Hi everyone!

On Twitter, the most used keywords are Apple iPad – Haiti – SOTU (State of The Union). The twitter shortlist is a good one-word résumé of what’s hot in the world right now. I find it quite appalling that in the aftermath of one of this century’s most devastative earthquakes, leaving millions homeless, the hottest thing on the globe is Apple’s latest brainchild.

Every social medial is buzzed around that one thing. The iPad.
The word iPad is most often followed by ‘ incredible, groundbreaking, industry-changing, world innovating, blablabla ‘

Sure, it’s nice, shiny, overpriced and not as innovating as most people think, but will it cure your cancer?

The whole media machine that Apple has developed over the years is an incredible ‘micro-atmosphere’ one could say. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a Windows fanboy, in fact i prefer editing on Apple then Windows, but I’m not blinded by their marketing techniques.

What a lot of people don’t realize is that Apple brought out a device that allready existed. An e-reader. They’ve upgraded it with a nice shiny screen, and other features but it’s really nothing groundbreaking.

I’m quite fed up with people all over the world claiming this is a life changing device. Unless it cures cancer, it really isn’t.

Once again, don’t get me wrong, I think the iPad is a nice device, in it’s user-category and that the users will love it, but I don’t see it as that revolutionary.

One field I think can benefit from it is Photography obviously. With a long battery life, it’s brilliant dispal, wireless connectivity etc it can be a great tool. Imagine hooking up your camera to that screen whilst shooting in the wild instead of that tiny LCD on the back of your camera? Pretty sweet huh?

All in all, sure it’s a nice device, and it’ll probably have a lot of success, but don’t be blinded by it. Let reason overcome stupidity.

On another note, if you want to try something new to beef up your photography, try dipping your toe in the gel-world. More after the jump…

Continue Reading..

28.01.2010 Thoughts 2 Comments

Gear is no substitute for Vision

In this day and age where all kinds of photography accessories are made by all kinds of people, people often get lost in the forest of items.
Just this week I met someone who had just bought a Nikon D3 and was asking people online, what the best settings were for automatic shooting.
I kid you not.

I spend quite some time on online forums, twitter and all kinds of social media because there’s an incredible amount of stuff you can learn like that,
and one thing I notice often is that people whine about not having enough ‘gear’. Chase Jarvis calls ‘em Gearheads if i’m not mistaken.

Mario Testino is one the 5 most regarded and rewarded fashion photographers today and probably has shot everyone that’s anyone.
In this video, he shoots actress Jessica Biel for the february cover of Vogue US.

What struck me with this video, is the simplicity of the shoot. Keep in mind, these are shoots that usually cost thousands and thousands of dollars,
it’s Vogue US for god’s sake. However, if you take a look at the B&W shot the simplicity is striking. It’s just him and her (and the turtles, goats, etc…)
but there aren’t 5 Profoto strobes, 5 softboxes, etc… It’s just beautiful natural light, and the results are stunning.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that a photographer shouldn’t always be worried about not having the right gear, or not enough, etcetera etcetera.

Just adapt to the situation, bend the natural light, and in last resort, tend towards those accesories that you’ve brought with you.

Big ups,

M

25.01.2010 Friends, Thoughts, Tips, Video's No Comments

Friday’s Quick Links & Tips

Hi everybody,

I think there’s a universal feeling of well-being once the week hits friday for most people on earth, as it means the weekend is ahead. To keep you busy this weekend, here are a couple of tips, links, video’s etc…

1. Photographers Unite for Haiti

In the aftermath of the earthquake Haiti is still in dire need of help and assistance, and this project combines them both AND photography. Pitch in if you can, you might save lives.

http://www.wired.com/rawfile/2010/01/photographers-unite-for-haiti-fundraising/

2. Steve Jobs’ speech at the 2005 Stanford University Graduation.

Those following me on twitter (@morganmoller) already noticed that I posted it online, but it’s so inspiring that I thought i’d repost it here. Everybody knows Steve Jobs and here he gives a speech at Stanford University’s 2005 Graduation. The speech lasts for about 15 minutes, but you’ll remember it for the next 15 years. I promise. It’s really profound and deep, which is a side I’m sure (I would be included in this group) not many people knew SJ had. I won’t summarize what it’s all about, but just check it out. It’s amazing.

YouTube Preview Image

3. Interview with John Knoll.

Everyone’s been through it. You boot up Photoshop and you see this list of names whilst waiting and I’m sure that like me you’ve wondered who those people really are. Well here’s your chance to discover it. Thomas Knoll is the co-developer of Photoshop. It’s safe to say that if that man hadn’t been born, we’d have a very different workflow.

YouTube Preview Image

4. Martin Luther King Day

Europeans don’t usually celebrate this day, bit it’s a wide-spread holiday in the USA. It’s also an occasion to look back and connect the dots, as Steve Jobs would say. Lots of people have never seen this video, but I think it’s real important that you do.

YouTube Preview Image

That’s about it for this weekend, enjoy it!

Cheers,

M.

22.01.2010 Uncategorized 2 Comments

What to shoot when everything’s been shot to hell – Part II

This is the follow up on the first story : What to shoot when everything’s been shot to hell – Part I.
If you’ve forgotten what that was all about, it’s probably partly my fault for nat making it interesting enough, or you’ve got a cerebral flaw ;)

6.Shoot with a different accessory.

I’m thinking of lenses. Use the non-traditional lenses for traditional landmarks. Use ultra-wide angles, lensbabies,
grad filters, custom settings,…again, this is a completely autonomous decision. I like to use ultra-wide angles for thin object. Models etc…

lensbaby

Lensbaby

7. Shoot the Details

If you’re coming up to something huge, like say Barcelona’s Sagrada Familia which isn’t photographable in it’s whole due to external circumstances (like remodelings,…) shoot the details. You’re not going to get a clean shot of the building as a whole anyway, so just shoot some detail of it. Sometimes, details of buildings like inscriptions, gargoyles, …are way more interesting then the building as a whole, where you have less detail (unless you are shooting an H3DII, which I suspect you won’t be on a holiday.Unless you are insured up to your ears/an heir to a hotel chain)

Market Lights, Istanbul Turkey, Nikon dSLR, Sandisk Digital Film

8. Shoot with a prime. (No, not Optimus)

Prime lenses offer great advantages. They’re generally seen as sharper, need less light and so on but for many people it isn’t a lens of choice for travelling due to the lack of zooming capabilities. I always have one in my bag though. The Nikon 50mm f/1.8. It’s cheap, weighs around nothing and is tack-sharp. What does it do besides that? Something an expensive lens like a 24-70 f/2.8 won’t make you do : move around. Annie Leibovitz said it best : ‘The best tripod are my two legs.’ She might not have had the math down, but the idea remains solvent. Without the zoom, you’ll be forced to move around, and thus find an exciting viewpoint to snap your shot. Also, look up! Tons of interesting things are going on above you, and I’m not talking about the mile-high club. Building ornaments are often the most impressive up high!

Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 AF-S DX

9. Shoot for HDR.

You might not get the chance often, but if you’re wandering in a city and don’t know what to shoot because it’s been shot to death, try shooting for HDR. Set your camera to bracketing mode, adjust your settings and find a makeshift tripod if you haven’t brought one. I found that stairs, walls and tables make for a great makeshift tripod. I like to shoot my HDR’s in a 2 stop increment, and end up with 3 files. Some people shoot in 5 files, but I think the difference is just too minimal and isn’t worth the extra files.

Also, when shooting HDR, it’s always great to have a remote to reduce camera shake. If you haven’t got a remote, use the timer function. It’s a free remote!

There’s one thing to remember though with HDR : Subtlety is key! Don’t over-do the effects in post-pro, you want to have an image with a broader-then-normal dynamic range, not a recruitment poster for Harry Potter.

10.Get that artsy shot.

Even if people might not get it (they probably won’t), don’t care about it and just shoot it. It’ll go in your personals, but who cares? It’s your photo, and not anyone else’s.

Jackson Pollock, MOMA-NYC, Nikon dSLR, Macro lens.

11. Don’t shoot it. At your own risk.
 Make your own personal statement by  NOT shooting it. Protective headgear recommended.

So, these were just a few tips regarding travel photography that I like to use when travelling.

If you’ve got some more, I’d love to hear ‘em and post them in the comments!

If you’ve liked this, and want more, check out my Facebook page at facebook.com/morgan.moller and twitter.com/morganmoller and off course, the blog @ mmphoto.be

Cheers,

M.

20.01.2010 Uncategorized No Comments

New Year. New Challenges. New Successes. New Failures.

Hi y’all!

First of all, I’d like to welcome you to the new blog and wish you a happy new year. I know it’s late, but season greetings become a social faux-pas after the 31st of January, which we luckily haven’t passed yet.  As you’ve noticed, we’ve completely switched shops here. We used to be an all Wordpress shop, with everything combined into one mainframe, but we’ve gone separate ways now.

We’ve divided the site into two categrories. The professional portfolio/photofolio powered by ProFolio. It’s open-source, freeware and it just rocks. It’s got everything any photographer would need, looks fancy, has an intuitive CMS based control panel and did I mention it was free? I don’t mind spending bucks to get good results, but why spend ‘em when you can get results like that for free? It’s fantastic.

The blog interface however still relies on the most popular and extensible backframe of Wordpress. We’ve gone through a completely other interface/design and we like it. We’ve tried to unite the designs of the portfolio, the blog and my twitter page to provide an ‘ensemble’ that keeps you in the right frame of mind.

We’ve added functionality through a right-sided twitter board, a tag cloud, search box, etc…all the things that we missed with the old blog. We hope you like it.

We’ve also added upgraded iPhone functionality. The site should be completely viewable on your iPhone, without any distortion or weirdness whatsoever.

Keep in mind, that we’re constantly upgrading the site, and it’s still in it’s babyshoes for the moment :)

As far as New Year’s Resolutions go, we have some, but we most of all have some for you!

This year, the beginning of a new decade has to be spectacular that’s why we wish you (in no particular order) to do the following :

- Book that trip you’ve been wanting to book.
A lot of thing indicate that travelling will become more expensive in the near future and then return to it’s old fares, but in the meanwhile the forthcoming years it will be more expensive so you need to go to that place you’ve been wanting to go to. It’ll be great for your inspiration, and you might come home with some nice frames!

-Ask that girl/model you’ve been wanting to work with.
A lot of people I know are ‘afraid’ of asking a model (even if it isn’t a professional one) for a shoot. Don’t be. You might get turned down, but at least you’ll have an answer in stead of pining away in the corner. You might be surprised by the responses. A lot of people (and this includes non-pro models) don’t have nice pictures of them self. By that I mean pictures that have been thought out, etc…and they would most certainly love to be in front of your lens.

-Book that pro-model you’ve been wanting to work with.
 Even if she is pro, than just book her and make some stunning images. It’s worth it.

-Save up for that accessory you’ve been dying to have.
A new softbox, an octabox or a beautydish? Save up for it!

-Buy that accessory you’ve been saving for.
When it’s time to buyu it, don’t beasle out and do it! You’ll thank yourself later on.

-Pick up that book you’ve been wanting to read and learn about new techniques.
Knowledge is power and in a day and age where dSlr’s are incredibly affordable you’ll have to stand out of the pack by knowing every inch of your material, and that comes by learning!

-Plan that shoot you’ve been dying to do.
Time to put said knowledge to the test and try out the tecniques! Plan a shoot completely. Book your models, book your MUA, scout a location, rent the gear. Plan everything, and then go over it again so you’re sure you haven’t missed a thing!

- Fill in with what you want to do in 2010!

There really aren’t limits to this list, and it’s up to you to fill it up. I’ve already accomplished my first task which was to set up and deploy the new portfolio, blog and twitter interface. What’s your challenge?

In the meantime, here’s a short video-résumé of y New Year’s Eve party. Yes, that is a paper backdrop that survived for about 15 minutes.

http://www.vimeo.com/8719518

Music courtesy of Ghostland Observatory.

That’s a resumé of my newyear. I hope you had a blast as well, i certainly did. By the way, I’m the moron with the red pants and the inherent santa-claus syndrome that comes with a pair of the trousers.

Love to you all and a prosperous 2010,

Morgan

17.01.2010 Personal, Thoughts, Tips 2 Comments

Sorry for the lack of updates, but we’ve got news

First off, I wish to wish you (pun totally intended) a merry christmas. I hope you’ve had some happy holidays up until now, I know I have.

Secondly, the lack of updates isn’t due to the snow or anything, but we’re on the verge of launching the new site, which will be in a couple of days, and it keeps us quite busy, so therefore the lack of updates has been significant.

My apologies for this, and it will be resumed shortly once the new site is up!

Cheerioz,

M

29.12.2009 Personal, Thoughts No Comments

2 Quick Holiday Gifts

Hi folks,

Tomorrow, it’s Chritsmas’ eve and that means that hopefully gifts of all kinds are on their way!
If you’re like a bunch of people that I know and wake up the 23rd or (even worse) the 24th and think
‘Oh, crap , forgot to buy a gift’ than read on.

If you’re buying a gift for a photographer, or someone that does graphic work on a computer, these gifts will surely please them, and save you from  a holiday whoop down!

1. Wacom Bamboo Pen+Touch Graphic Tablet

Wacom is the Rolls Royce of graphic tablets. If the person you’re buying this gift for hasn’t got one, you’ll
probably change his life, and his workflow. These little tablets let you ‘paint’ on the job, which is a hell of a lot easier than clicking with your mouse repeatedly. It’s also way more accurate for retouching jobs, etc…

It’s also believed to fight RSI, which is something everyone who works regularly behind a computer should care about.
Best of all? It’s not even that expensive! It goes for about 89$ here

2. Expodisc

This little baby is the master at setting the right white balance for your camera and lens. It might not seem like much at first, but it diminishes your post-processing time a lot, since it automatically calibrates your white balance before shooting, to obtain perfect white balance. It’s a really neat gift, and I use it before everything I shoot. It just easily screws on, and you’re set!

It goes for about 50$ here

So, here are two gifts for all those of you who are kinda late with their presents but still want to make someone happy ;)

Merry Christmas!

M.

23.12.2009 Friends, Thoughts, Tips 3 Comments

What to shoot when everything’s allready been shot (to hell) pt.1

Travelling is fantastic. I know it’s a cliché, but it’s truer now than ever before.
With plane fares getting cheaper and cheaper, the world is getting smaller and smaller. Travel is getting more accessible, and it’s the best way to broaden your horizon.

Travelling is a great way to boost your inspiration when it’s down, to round up ideas, to eat in a foreign McDonalds, and to find compelling stories to portray in your pictures. But, when you eventually visit touristic hotspots,like NYC , Paris, London, fill in capital, and come home, people are going to want to see ‘the shot’.

The Shot doesn’t necessarily refer to your best shot, neither does it refer to that doubtful ‘reality-tv’ show presented by Conan, often it just means the photo of the most famous landmark In that city. For photographers, this might be kind of boring and/or disappointing., but it’s harsh reality.. Most people of your entourage, who aren’t into photography, won’t be pleased with the same artsy shot of the landmark, than the classic, misrepresented Hollywoodian idea.
Clubbing those people down with a chair is a social faux-pas, so try to avoid that. Besides, they might be good at something else that’s noteworthy. Like pottery. Don’t let this put you down though, because even if it’s for your own, go ahead and shoot that thing the way you want.

I’ll give a few tips of mine regarding these places that have been shot to death by so many photographers who marched before you did.

1. Shift your viewpoint.
I realize this might not exactly be what you expected, since it’s so obvious but it sure is a true one. Unless you are photographing the Mona Lisa, if you move around the landmark, you’ll get a different view, and thus a different image. Composition and framing are two very important things you need to pay attention to whilst shooting something from a different view. Pick up a book about it, or learn some rules as guidelines to help you with this.

2. Once you’ve learned the rules, break ‘em!
It’s the most fun of all. Once you learn about the rule of thirds etc…break ‘em. They’re called rules for something. You don’t want to be stuck with the same pictures all the times, and while the rules can help you sometimes, they can also restrain you. That’s actually what those little bastards will do most of the times. Club ‘em.

Reverse 1/3rd rule? Istanbul, Turkey. Nikon dSlr, 35-105mm, ISO 200, SanDisk Digital Film.

3. Include foreign objects into your frame.
Putting the famous landmark behind something that hasn’t got a thing to do with it can get you some interesting images. Try to be creative with your depth-of-field and play around with it a little.

Empire State Building, NYC, Nikon dSLR, Lexar Digital Film

4. Post process the hell out of it.
If there’s really no friggin’ way around it except shooting it from a dodgy Russian commercial spacecraft , shoot it with the back idea in your head that you’re going to post process it as hell. Give it all you got, try all your filters, blend it, twist it, liquify it. If it’s in your program, try it. Who knows, you might stumble on a lucky combination, or in the case you know what you’re doing, end up with what you wanted!

Nikon dSLR, Sigma 10-20 mm f/4.5-6, ISO 200, Sandisk Digital Film

5. Use a different accessory.
I’m thinking of lenses. Use the non-traditional lenses for traditional landmarks. Use ultra-wide angles, lensbabies, grad filters, custom settings,…again, this is a completely autonomous decision. I like to use ultra-wide angles for thin object. Models etc…

—

This is the first part of this 2 part article, stay tuned for updates!

Cheers,

Morgan

21.12.2009 How-To, Thoughts, Tips 2 Comments

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