UPCOMING BLOGS OF INTEREST:

Posted on August 6, 2021 by 123photogo

In-depth blogs on each of the Camera manufactures. Starting August 16th.

HOW TO TAKE PICTURES OF “SHOES”

Posted on August 6, 2021 by 123photogo

Taking pictures of Shoes requires, you to think about the shoes, and not the legs, not the clothes, but, get close-up enough to get some good photos of the shoes. I have access to a collection of photographers who have take pictures of shoes. Very few on the free website, really do “shoes” justice. I am going to post a few photos of shoes, and please, just take photos like the one above, and these:

person wearing black nike basketball shoes — Photo by Wallace Chuck on Pexels.com

As you can see already, the best photos of shoes is when you are on the same level as the shoes.

If you want to be creative, then just make sure the shoes are still at your level as the camera, like this photo above.

Learn how you can do a panorama photo:

Posted on July 25, 2021 by 123photogo

Panorama photos are photos that are longer and skinny and seem to be a photo that were made to get wide, extra wide photos. Are they done exclusively for super wide angle photos? Usually!

I’d like to go over the history of Panoramas and then tell you where we are today.

Since the early days of film, panoramic photography has been synonymous with landscape and architectural images, and sometimes with other genres like street and wildlife photography. By combining two horizontal frames of film, typically 120 medium format, some film cameras actually shot panorama photographs by design. Most of these cameras emerged in the latter half of the twentieth century, bringing the panoramic format to the public eye. The panorama had existed long before this time, of course, but its popularity has only grown — and with good reason. Panoramas are fun and dramatic, and their subtleties are just as important in today’s mostly-digital age as they were during the heyday of film.

Notice how beautiful this looks with a sunset photo.

1- Composition

If you think about the major benefits of Panoramas, you will certainly think it’s easier to compose your photo. You don’t have to worry about if you have too much sky or foreground, it’s like you automatically cropped your photo to it’s optimum. It makes me wonder why we don’t see more panorama photos.

The compositional side of panoramic photography certainly is not the only reason for its popularity, but panoramas are useful for images that cannot be composed in more typical ways. Often, I use the panorama format simply because the spaces above and below my subject would boring with a 2×3 frame — other times, I do so to make my image easier to balance. Panoramas are not ideal for every composition, but they are crucial tools in more situations than you may think.

Larger Prints

Consider a typical (high-end) photo printer: the width of the print is set at a certain size (since, say, a 24-inch printer simply cannot fit anything larger), but the length of the print is essentially unlimited. The reason is that, past a certain size (typically 13×17), photo paper tends to come in rolls rather than sheets. These rolls can be tremendously long, often more than fifty feet (15 meters).

Above most sofas and beds, for example, the wall is wider than it is tall. Quite often, the difference is significant. And, for landscape photographers who want to sell their work, home decoration is one of the largest markets. It makes sense to cater to people’s needs, then, and panoramic art is disproportionately popular for bedrooms and living spaces.

Cameras today:

Most newer Android and iPhone models have a panorama mode built into the camera, but if you don’t wanna go that route, there are a number of panoramic photo apps available to download.

How to take a panorama photo with your phone:

Open your phone’s camera and put it in panorama (or Pano) mode.
Hold the phone vertically for a horizontal panorama, or horizontally for a vertical panorama.
iPhone users can tap the arrow to change the direction of the panorama. Android users can move left or right without specifying their direction.
Tap the shutter button to start your panorama.
Move the phone to capture the desired scene, keeping it as steady as possible.
When you’re done, tap the shutter button to finish. If you reach the end of the line/box that displays on your phone while taking a panorama, it may automatically stop taking the photo and save it.

Take your time, and find out from your camera how and if you can do panorama photos. If you find you can’t do it with your regular camera, see if your smart phone can do it. We would love to share your experience with Panorama.

This is 1 of 51 subjects in a series. Check out the other articles already done.

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NEW EMAIL NEWSLETTER

Posted on July 5, 2021 by 123photogo

If you would like more detailed information about your photo equipment, or even more information about photography, then sign up now for this special newsletter.

PHOTOS OF THE WEEK: PHOTOGRAPHY BY LANNY COTTRELL

Posted on December 9, 2020 by 123photogo

Photos of the week can be of a particular subject, or It can be photos of the season, And it can be photos from a photographer. In this case, I, personally have had a request to display my photos. I have been involved in photography for many years, and taught photography classes, been a judge of winning photos at a County Fair, and recently have created this wonderful website you are reading now. Many people don’t know the name behind 123PhotoGo, but, it’s me: Lanny Cottrell. And after all these years, it’s time for me to put up my own photography. I hope you like them.

I am not one who likes winter, but, I love the beauty of a winter day. Especially like this one with the fog in the background.

I really appreciate a good seagull to come and pose for this photo. Taken on Antelope Island in the Great Salt Lake.

This is the beautiful cloud formations right after this valley seemed destroyed by East Canyon Winds. The wind roared through this valley at over 70 miles an hour. When things started to calm down, we got these beautiful cloud formations.

I always appreciate a good artist, whether they paint it themselves or take the photos. This wonderful Gentleman was painting a picture of Mammoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone Park. It was a good likeness of the place.

I have been experimenting with night photography with my Samsung Note 20Plus. It seems as this camera takes a picture at night time, the camera automatically brings up the exposure of the dark areas. This photo was taken at night time, and the only light on this photo is from the street lights.

About 20 years ago, when film was at it’s best, I took this photo with Kodachrome film. Found this beautiful rose outside, sprayed a little water on it to give it some texture, and the reproduction to digital was amazing. Film was a good thing in it’s day.

This photo, to me, is one of my best photos of the twilight colors mixed with sunset colors were available at the same time. The Great Salt Lake was a bit full this year, covering even some trees along the shoreline.

Another amazing winter photo of a big tree on a hill. Even a little fog adds to this photo.

I feed the birds around my house. One of the most colorful and unique birds is the “Blue Scrub Jay”. I can put peanuts in a shell, and they can come and even hang upside down to get these peanuts. They do not eat these peanuts immediately. They go and bury these peanuts for availability later on. The magpie birds don’t like to hang upside down on this, so, they don’t bother it much. It’s a feeder meant just for these birds.

A very recent photo of the docked sail ships that make their home at Bear Lake, Utah and Idaho. I had never seen this line-up of boats like this before, and it certainly was the perfect day to capture this unique photo.

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“Old Ironsides”. One of the most famous of the steam trains still in existence. This close-up of this train, gives you a feeling of its massiveness.

One of my favorite photos! Why? Not only is it an amazing sunset photo, but, because one of my sons is in the picture.

Everyone has a fall photo that you love. I love this one. Captured in Parley’s Canyon, just east of Salt Lake City. I love it when the clouds add to the photo.

The beautiful Maddison River in Yellowstone National Park.

This sepia toned photo is perfect for this type of photo. An old Pioneer home, still standing, now used probably to store feed for cattle.

Night photography, with fog! The ultimate way to make it happen.

Winter is a tough season, but, it is a beautiful time of the year. The snowstorms can produce such beauty. It’s the only thing I look forward to in the winter.

Another winter scene, with a field in snow, leading into a foggy morning area.

At the top of Logan Canyon coming down onto Bear Lake, Utah. There is a big lake under those clouds, and we are above the clouds. This is when the water is warmer than the air. Temperature at this site was about 16 degrees F. Temperature under the fog: 36 degrees. Water temperature: 39 degrees. That is why the clouds like to hang out where it’s warm.

Waiting for a concert at the famous Tabernacle at Temple Square in Salt Lake City. All of a sudden, “golden Hour” made this beautiful building turn from it’s granite grey color to this golden yellow.

I don’t know if this is fair, but, who cares. These two beautiful bald eagles were posing for me at an zoo for injured animals. So, they couldn’t fly away, but, they sure posed good for me that day.

Everybody loves a good sunset. This photo taken right off my deck. But, the cloud formations was the key to take this photo.

Another photo in the Bear Lake area. The clouds on the mountains and the mix of blue sky was wonderful.

I have had a fascination with the “crooked” quakie aspen trees. I am no tree person, but, it would be interesting to know how it grew this way.

This was taken with slide film about 25 years ago. With the sky and the clouds the way they were, I just had to try a red filter to get this effect.

Now you can see Bear Lake out in the distance. The old range here in front of it, is highlighted by the dormant trees, leading lines take your eyes back to the lake.

Once in a while, during sunset, the clouds are lit up by the sun in a golden color, making the whole valley golden. You can see the mountains are golden, and of course, the clouds are just beautiful. A natural phenomenon here in this valley.

An old broken down shed in the foggy, snowy day.

It’s scary to get so close to a bee while it’s busy. But, in studying up the different macro lenses available, I found out that the telephoto macro lenses will produce the same magnification as the normal macro lens, only you don’t have to be so close to the subject.

Another photo taken at night, at the city park. I love what light and fog do together.

Thank you so much for viewing my photos. If you have any ideas, have any questions about my blog, or this website, feel free to comment below, or send your questions to me at: question.123photogo@gmail.com

PHOTOS OF THE WEEK: More incredible photos from BING!

Posted on November 4, 2020 by 123photogo

We all know that Bing is one of the bigger Search engines on your computer. Anyone can sign up for Bing as their search engine. But, one thing that is amazine about Bing, is that every day when you start up your computer, they have an amazing winning photo on your computer screen. And you can subscribe to a daily treat of these photos.

With that being said, here are some photos done lately from Bing:

These polar bears seem to be just as happy as we are to visit Torngat Mountains National Park today. Located in Canada at the tip of the Labrador Peninsula and bordering the Labrador Sea, the park is accessible only by boat, charter plane, or helicopter. The name “Torngat” comes from the Inuktitut word “Tongait,” meaning “place of spirits.” The Inuit have lived here for centuries and still fish and hunt across the wide tundra valleys where these polar bears roam. This time of year, polar bears are waiting for the sea ice to form so they can venture out onto the Labrador Sea to hunt for seals.

Framed here for the season by fall foliage, the Cambron Covered Bridge is located along a nature trail in Madison County, *Alabama*—not Iowa, which is the setting of the bestselling romance novel “The Bridges of Madison County.” It”s believed there were once about 14,000 covered bridges in the US, but fewer than 900 or so remain today, a quarter of which can be found in Pennsylvania. But Alabama has covered-bridge bragging rights, too. The state has 11 historic covered bridges. Built in 1974, the Cambron Covered Bridge doesn”t make the official “historic” list, but it does offer hikers a peaceful passageway with great views of Sky Lake.

Spying the crooked silhouette of Corfe Castle above the rolling, foggy hills of Dorset, England, you might not guess at the ruin”s former palatial beauty—you”ll more likely sense its long history of intrigue, and maybe feel a chill down your spine.

If you”re greeted by a friendly face and a warm “Welcome to Bents” as you stroll up to this old general store, you might be having a paranormal experience: It”s been 50 years since a living soul dwelt in this Saskatchewan ghost town.

After the nesting and breeding seasons of spring and summer have passed, starlings become highly social birds, often gathering in flocks that number in the thousands. These flocks sometimes take the form of a murmuration—when the birds form a group large and dense enough that they appear to move together as a single organism, even if the movements seem arbitrary. Though scientists still don”t quite understand how the individual starlings in a murmuration coordinate their tight, fluid formations, the behavior is thought to be a way to confuse predators.

If it appears to be slinking away from the camera, maybe this chameleon is all too aware of the way some of us humanfolk see reptiles: as frightening at best, disgusting at worst. We know you die-hard reptile lovers are out there too, but it”s undeniable that reptiles” reputation among people has suffered thanks to popular villainous depictions—from “Anaconda” and “Godzilla” to the serpent encountered by Adam and Eve. Even our everyday language throws shade on this vast class of critters: When”s the last time you called someone “reptile” and meant it nicely?

A photographer happened to catch these brown bear cubs in the act of stealing a boat. Patiently, he watched from afar, snapping photo after photo. Realizing what the cubs were doing, he knew he should document this event. Intent on getting the boat into the water, the cubs worked like they’d done this before. Lighting out onto the lake, the bears seemed to enjoy the ride.

We’re celebrating International Dark-Sky Week with an image from a corner of New Mexico that’s one of the best places to stargaze in the continental United States. Dark-Sky Week is observed during the first new moon of April, when stars shine more brightly because the moon isn’t visible. The event was created to bring attention to the harmful effects of artificial light on the natural world, and to remind us of the beauty of an unadulterated night sky. Light pollution not only impacts our ability to see the stars and to sleep soundly, but also creates challenges for many nocturnal species, migrating birds, and even baby sea turtles. So, turn out those lights, look up, and be amazed at the sky that your great-great-grandparents saw.

This mountain hare is starting the year off right. It”s used to cold weather and high altitudes—and, since it”s nocturnal, it”s perfectly comfortable sleeping through an afternoon snowstorm in northeast Scotland. On New Year”s Day, humans in the US are more likely to be found in their natural habitat, the couch, dozing off or perhaps watching one of the college football bowl games on TV. Some more ambitious folks might be getting a jump on their New Year”s resolutions and exercising. First Day Hikes are part of an initiative led by state parks, with hundreds of free guided hikes offered in all 50 states. That sounds great, but maybe a little later. Right now, we think the hare has the right idea.

A mother sperm whale surfaces in the North Atlantic as her young albino calf swims beside her. It”s an especially photogenic moment for these underwater powerhouses, which spend much of their time in the dim depths over 1,000 feet below the waves. You”re meeting them to commemorate the day in 1841 when a young Herman Melville set out from New Bedford, Massachusetts, on a whaling voyage to the South Pacific that would help inspire his masterwork “Moby-Dick.” Today at the New Bedford Whaling Museum, Melville fans will begin a marathon public reading of the novel—an annual event that lasts a leviathan 25 hours.

Burrowing parrots, sometimes called burrowing parakeets, are native to the arid Monte Desert of western Argentina. The birds use their beaks and talons to hollow out nesting spaces in soft limestone cliffs found in the foothills of the Andes Mountains. The parrots sometimes end up captured and sold as pets for the wild bird trade. While that”s not illegal—burrowing parrots aren”t endangered—the capture and sale of these birds and others is part of the focus of National Bird Day in the United States, which is observed on January 5. National Bird Day was created to educate the public about the value of wild birds remaining wild. While keeping a parrot as a pet may seem like fun, the organizers of National Bird Day claim the parrot is going to be healthier and happier in its natural habitat.

If you want to celebrate Take the Stairs Day in style, look no further than China”s Tianmen Mountain (literally Heaven”s Door). About 5,000 feet above sea level, the hole in the mountain is the highest naturally formed arch in the world. Originally a cave, it became an arch in 263 CE when the back side of the mountain collapsed, creating the dramatic opening we see today. You”ll have to climb 999 steps to make it to the top, but we promise the view is worth it.

Welcome to the snowy Bavarian Alps, where the mountain called the Zugspitze (TSOOG-shpit-seh) casts a cold shadow over the Eibsee, a small and serene alpine lake. Situated on the border with Austria, the peak is Germany”s highest point at almost 10,000 feet above sea level, towering over the lakeside village of Grainau.

Today we”re featuring a picture-postcard view of Val Gardena, a valley nestled in the Dolomites in the South Tyrol region of Italy. This time of year, the remote area may be a bit busier than usual as skiers are drawn to its famous slopes. In summer, it”s known for other outdoor activities, such as rock climbing and hiking. Since the 17th century, the villagers have been famed for their wood carving. Artisans create everything from simple, utilitarian items, like bowls, to finely detailed figurines. One of the woodcarvers” biggest hits? A wooden peg doll that was popular across Europe and the US during the 19th century.

At a quick glance, you might mistake these dunes for massive snowdrifts. Although they do make for great sledding, the tiny crystals that form the dunes at White Sands National Park are not snow or ice but gypsum, a soft mineral often used to make plaster and chalk. The dune field became a national monument on this day in 1933 with a proclamation by President Herbert Hoover, which set aside nearly 150,000 acres for preservation. Recently, on December 20, 2019, President Trump signed legislation making it the 62nd designated national park in the National Park System.

January 21 is Squirrel Appreciation Day. Really. It was established by Christy Hargrove, a wildlife rehabilitator from North Carolina, to draw attention to the importance of these remarkably widespread creatures. Native to five continents and currently living on six (there”s no Antarctic squirrel), there are about 285 species of squirrels in the world, ranging from the tiny African pygmy squirrel to the Bhutan giant flying squirrel (when in Bhutan, be ready to duck).

This time of year, from late January to early March, babies arrive on the Serengeti. At the height of the wildebeest calving season, thousands of calves are born every day. Moments after birth, these youngsters can walk, and in just a few days, they”ll be able to run fast enough to keep up with the herd. That”s a good thing. Calving season isn”t just a draw for safari tourists wanting a front row seat at the start of the circle of life, but also for predators like lions, cheetahs, and hyenas on the hunt for easy prey.

This is the sun-soaked ice cap of Iceland”s Eyjafjallajökull. Remember the name? It”s that unpronounceable volcano that made you miss your connecting flight back in 2010. That eruption and the vast ash cloud it belched over the North Atlantic was the biggest disruption to air traffic since World War II. And this relatively small but volatile island may yet waylay the world again: Eyjafjallajökull is a lightweight among the 32 active volcanic systems dotting the Land of Fire and Ice—its much larger neighbor Katla has been closely monitored since the 2010 incident.

For India”s 70th Republic Day, we”re featuring an uncommon view of the Taj Mahal in Agra. It”s on this day that India celebrates its official beginning as an independent democratic republic after having endured nearly a century of British rule. Republic Day events include presentations of the Padma Awards (national service honors), a Republic Day parade in New Delhi, and other ceremonies.

Russia”s Lake Baikal is a record-holding wonder: It”s the world”s oldest (25 million years), deepest (over 5,000 feet in some parts), and largest freshwater lake (more than 20 percent of the Earth”s fresh surface water by volume). Baikal lies in the deepest continental rift on Earth, and because the rift is geologically active, the tectonic plates continue to move farther apart.

Hope you enjoyed this collection of photos. See you next week for more amazing photos!

HOW TO GET MORE COLOR FROM YOUR PHOTOS:

Posted on October 6, 2020 by 123photogo

As the founder and creator of 123PhotoGo, I am excited to go a whole step further in making these blogs. And that is for me to give you a hands on video of me, explaining how to do certain types of photography. I think everyone watching these videos will learn more, because actual video demonstrations will help you learn more. Let’s go with our first subject: HOW TO GET MORE COLOR FROM YOUR PHOTOS.