Record Photographer Clifford Oto's Blog | From the San Joaquin Media Group.

The new year is humming along

By Clifford Oto | Published: February 5, 2014 | Leave a comment

For those of you who are still writing “2013” on your checks it’s time to get into the swing of things because January is over and 2014 is well under way. Here are 10 of my favorite unposted photos from the new year’s first month.

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Jan. 9

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Jan. 12

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Jan. 15

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Jan. 17

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Jan. 19

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Jan. 24

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Jan. 25

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Jan. 30

Posted in Month in review, Outtakes | Tagged January 2014 | Leave a comment

A matter of balance

By Clifford Oto | Published: February 3, 2014 | Leave a comment

“Got to learn balance. Balance is key.” Mr. Miyagi from the Karate Kid

One compositional goal that you can strive for in your photographs is that of balance. You may think that achieving balance in your pictures is an easy thing to do. All you have to do is to center your subject in the frame, but that goes against the rule of never putting anything in the middle of your photo (actually, it’s more of a guideline than a hard and fast rule, I’ve seen many a image with its main subject in the center). But it’s more complicated and nuanced than that.

Balance can also be accomplished through symmetry as well. You can have two (or more) items in a photo of similar size and shape to help balance out the picture like kids on a seesaw. And although it may sound counterintuitive, you can also create balance out of asymmetry as well. You can a rather large subject and a counterbalance that is smaller but has a stronger visual impact to achieve a compositional equality.

A few days ago I shot a spectacular sunset from Peltier Road near Blossom Road in Thornton. The fading sun lit up the cloud-filled sky with the brilliant colors of red, orange and pink. I found a leafless tree along the roadside as my subject to starkly set against the beautiful sky. After taking several shots a pair of headlights came down the road out of the west. I could have waited for the pickup truck to pass by but I decided to use it as apart of the photo.

The eye tends to go to the lightest part of a photo first. Although the truck was much smaller than the tree, its bright lights drew attention to it and help to bring balance to the scene. It was sort of like moving the fulcrum point of a teeter-totter so that a smaller person can ride it will a larger one without being outmatched weight-wise.

There are sometimes when just a small adjustment to where you’re standing affects what you include in your pictures and thus the balance of your composition.

On a trip to the Cosumnes River Preserve near Thornton dramatic clouds hovered overhead and I photographed two scenes that demonstrated how balance can be important to an image. Along Franklin Blvd. near ear Desmond Road a wooden bridge crosses a small creek. I used it in my foreground set against a backdrop of the cloud-filled skies. The span emerged from some low trees on the southern banks of the creek. The visual problem lies in where the bridge trails off on the right side of the frame. The viewer’s gaze tends to meander off the right edge of the photo, causing the composition to be out of balance. I moved back a bit so that I could include a tree on the northern bank at the edge of the frame. It provided a visual counterweight to the trees on the left side and created balance to the scene.

I moved onto the lonely road and used it as a compositional element of lines leading to a vanishing point on the horizon. I centered the road in the frame with the horizon low in the composition. A tall tree crept into the very far left edge of the photo. If there was another on the right side it then the picture would have some symmetry but there wasn’t, throwing the photo out of balance. However, by simply moving up a few steps I eliminated the offending tree from view and balance was regained.

There are many other techniques that can be used but the consideration of balance should be an important part of any photographer’s compositional toolbox.

Posted in Column, Techniques, Tips | Tagged Balance, Composition | Leave a comment

“A bad day fishing is better than…”

By Clifford Oto | Published: February 2, 2014 | 1 Comment

There’s a saying that goes: “A bad day of fishing is better than a good day at work.” Not being an angler, I wouldn’t know if that was true, but I bet that fishermen Jason Lee and Simon Chen of Stockton were having second thoughts when they cast their lines from their small boat on Smith Canal as the raindrops grew heavier and more frequent today. Then again, I was working and standing in the rain when I took this photo of them. I wonder who was having the better day?

Posted in Sports, Weather | Tagged Fishing, Rain, Smith Canal | Leave a comment

A matter of perspective

By Clifford Oto | Published: January 27, 2014 | Leave a comment

The thing about newspaper photography is that it encompasses many different situations. I normally carry two zoom lenses with me in my kit. A 24-70mm wide angle zoom (which is usually on the camera when it’s in my bag) and a 70-200mm telephoto zoom. This range allows me cover most of the conditions that I encounter.

Most people may think that a telephoto lens is just to bring things that are far away closer. That’s only partly true.

I’m always encouraging people to move in as close as possible to get their pictures. There’s a saying in photography that “the best zoom lens is your feet.” Meaning that rather than getting a fancy (re: expensive) telephoto lens, it’s better just to move in closer to your subject. If that’s true, (excluding those cases where you just can’t get closer) then why not have a shorter lens and just step closer? In a word: perspective.

The angle of view of each lens and focal length is different. If take photos with different lenses with the subject is about the same relative size in the frame, each shot will have a different look. With a wide-angle lens more of the background will be included. The narrower angle of view of a telephoto will show less of the background.

Also a wide-angle lens will tend to spread thing out relative to each other so things will look further away. A telephoto on the other hand will compress the scene and things will look closer together. A person’s face when taken with a wide-angle will look more rounded while a telephoto will have the opposite effect.

Your choice of lenses will also affect the feeling of your photo. In general a wide-angle lens, because you have to get closer to your subject to fill the frame, will give a sense of intimacy due to your proximity to your subject. Conversely, photos take with a telephoto will seem more candid because of the greater distance between you and what you’re photographing.

If you take a certain type or style of photo in the same or similar situations then a single lens may suit you. But if you encounter varied scenes and circumstances then you may want to get more than one for the different effects that they can bring to your photos.

Posted in Column, Equipment | Tagged Perspective | Leave a comment

Readers Photo Challenge assignment: Silhouettes

By Clifford Oto | Published: January 20, 2014 | 3 Comments

I love a good silhouette. They can produce a bold, eye-catching photo that can jump right off the page at the viewer. You’ll lose detail in the body of your subject but the strong outline of an image can not only help define itself but the negative space surrounding it as well.

So this month’s assignment for the Readers’ Photo Challenge is silhouettes.

Shooting a silhouette is pretty straightforward and easy. Most importantly, the light in the background must be brighter than the light on your subject, essentially backlit. Backlighting (light coming from behind your subject) in most cases should produce a good silhouette. The exception may be if your camera is set on autoexposure, it may try to expose for the dark side of your subject. If that’s the case, simply set your camera to manual and stop the lens down (choose a smaller aperture). You can view the image on your camera’s monitor to see if you’re getting it right. There also may be times where you can have your subject in shade or shadow and the background lit by the sun or another light source. Again exposing for the background should produce a silhouette in those cases.

For silhouetted portraits it’s usually best to photograph you subjects in profile, then you’ll get the outline of their nose, lips, mouth and chin. If you shoot them straight on then you’re likely only get their ears.

Sunset/sunrises are a good source of silhouettes not only because of their inherent extreme backlighting but they can produce brilliant hues of oranges, pinks and purples that can add some spectacular color to the scene.

To shoot a good silhouette you also need to be mindful about your foregrounds and backgrounds. Any object, person or even shadow that visually overlaps with your subject will be silhouetted too and can either obscure your subject or make it look like that the object is a part of your subject.

My wife and I recently took my son to visit our daughter who’s attending U.C. San Diego. It was “siblings weekend” where the brothers and sisters of students got to stay in the dorms on campus. While our children enjoyed the planned events at the university wife and I played tourist. Right around sunset we stopped by Torrey Pines State Beach in La Jolla. The sun slowly sank towards the horizon and I got some silhouetted shots of beachcombers walking the shoreline.

A wetsuited young boy about 10 or 12 played in the surf nearby. Light from the golden sun, low in the sky, glinted off of the rolling waves and the boy was silhouetted against them. But as each wave rolled up and grew they created their own long shadows. When they would reach near him they would obscure his own silhouette, making him appear to lose parts of his body. I had to time it carefully to make sure my shots were in-between waves to get a proper, readable silhouette.

Remember, the main things to keep in mind when shooting silhouettes are making sure they are backlit and have distraction/obstruction free foregrounds and backgrounds. They can be strong and robust images so make sure to get in close, fill the frame, to help emphasize that boldness that a silhouette can bring.

For the challenge they can be found situations or created scenes as long as they’re silhouetted. Have fun and good shooting!
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Here are the rules:

1. Entries can be emailed to coto@recordnet.com. Type in “Silhouettes” in the subject line.

2. Include your name (first and last), hometown, and the kind of camera/lens you used and where it was taken (ie: “ This was taken my kitchen in Stockton.”)

3. If the photo includes a person please identify them by their name and hometown.

4. Photos have to be shot between Jan. 20 and Feb. 2.

5. The subject is up to you but it must be a silhouette. It can be a found situation or a created one.

6. Please feel free to include any interesting anecdotes or stories on how you took the picture.

7. The deadline for submission is Sunday, Feb 2. The top examples will be published on Monday, Feb. 10 with an online gallery of all the photos on the same day.

Posted in Column, Readers Photo Challenge | Tagged Silhouettes | Leave a comment

A study in black and white

By Clifford Oto | Published: January 18, 2014 | Leave a comment

I’ve photographed the Reverend Gary Putnam for various reasons over the years. I’ve covered him a couple times as he portrayed Abraham Lincoln. And while I knew that he also did a show as author Samuel Clemens, aka Mark Twain, until recently I had never photographed him in that persona.

A history buff, Putnam dons a mid-1800s black suit, dies his shock of naturally white hair black and glues on Lincoln’s signature chin-beard then performs for audiences as our country’s 16th president. And while he does use some humor from Lincoln’s quotes, Putnam presents him with a somber gravitas that one would expect from one of our greatest presidents.

In September, I photographed Putnam in his Mark Twain performance for the first time. In a show at the Central United Methodist Church in Stockton, he donned a white-on-white suit complete with white tie and vest. He also wore Twain’s signature bushy white mustache glued to his upper lip. Putnam’s own white hair completed transformation to Samuel Clemens’ alter ego. His impersonation of Twain differed from that of Lincoln in that it was much more wry and funny, drawing from Twain’s sense of humor.

Both visually and in substance the Rev. Putnam’s performances of Abraham Lincoln and Mark Twain were studies in black and white.

Posted in General news, Portrait | Tagged Abraham Lincoln, Mark Twain, Rev. Gary Putnam | Leave a comment

Going 12 for ’13

By Clifford Oto | Published: January 13, 2014 | Leave a comment

The beginning of a new year is a time for looking forward but often it’s also time to look back at the previous year before moving ahead. At the end of every year for the past several, I have compiled a list of some of my favorite images. 52 of 2013’s images can be seen in a gallery at http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/gallery?Site=SR&Date=20131216&Category=A_NEWS&ArtNo=121809998&Ref=PH&Presentation=desktop. I also have picked out my top 12 of the year. I know that 12 seems like an odd number. Most yearend lists are an even 10 or maybe even 5. My list is a favorite photo from each month of the year, January through December.

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Jan. 29

In late January the Central California Traction Co. (CCT) cleaned up a homeless encampment where their short-line railroad tracks intersects with the Stockton Terminal & Eastern Railroad’s line near East Roosevelt Street in Stockton. Nearby homeowners had been complaining for years about the trash and human waste left by the squatters. Backed up by San Joaquin County Sheriff’s deputies a CCT crew rolled in a backhoe to collect the debris. Ordered to move, 48-year-old Ada Hensley had only a few minutes to relocate months, perhaps years, worth of accumulated belongings in a single shopping cart. She was only able to move a portion of her stuff about 30 yards away, not nearly far enough to be safe from collection and disposal. The sheriff’s deputies told her in firm but calm tones that she needed to pick hat was most important to her and leave the rest but she couldn’t decide and kept trying to move everything. As time ticked away Hensley became more panicked and distraught. After the deputies extended her deadline several times the crew could wait no longer and she was finally told her that she had to leave the area. Agitated and distressed, Hensley was only able to save a couple of shopping carts full of her things before moving on.

It had rained a few days before the clean-up and large puddles sat like ponds near the tracks. As Hensley pushed her shopping cart to mover her belongings she was reflected in their still waters as was the graffiti covering the wall of a nearby building. To me the jumble of spray paint epitomized the confusion and torment that must have been going through Hensley’s mind and the placid reflection in the water symbolized the peace that eluded her.

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Feb. 6

I grew up in a small town and there you realize that everyone knows everyone else and what you do can have a great effect.

Angels Camp is a small town by nearly anyone’s reckoning, about 3,400 people. Its lone high school, Bret Harte High, is the central hub of the activity that goes on there. In Feb. Two of the schools students, Alex Marshall, 17, and his sister Macaila, 14, and their father Phillip, 54, were found dead in their Forest Meadows home. The elder Marshal apparently shot his children before turning the gun on himself in a murder-suicide.

A few days later the school and town held a candlelight vigil for Alex and Macalia. More than 500 people, classmates, teachers and community members, filled the quad for a emotional tribute to the popular siblings. They all shared their love for poplar brother and sister and consoled each other in their loss.

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March 10.

Spring in California’s Central Valley brings sunny days and warmer temperatures and area residents take to the Delta’s thousand miles of waterways. Jet skiers often use the wake of larger boats as watery ramps to jump but when there are none they create their own waves.

When cruising through Lodi Lake Park I noticed Tanner Purdy of Lodi piloting his personal watercraft on the lake’s waters. He and another jet skier created their own waves by circling “donuts” across the water’s surface. They then rocketed off of the wakes launching themselves into the air. When they came down they would actually plunge below the surface. Then powering their way back up they would shoot back into the air in an explosion of water.

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April 2

University of the Pacific student Brendon Nguyen of Palos Verdes Estates had a fellow student take his picture for invitations for his graduation in May. In front of the arched entry to UOP on Pacific Avenue in Stockton, Nguyen leapt up for the photo, his fist thrust skyward, in a jump for joy.
Being a father of a college student and knowing how much college costs, I guessing his parents were jumping for joy as well.

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May 13

One of the things that a photographer wants to capture in a sports photo is conflict, getting opposing athletes going toe-to-toe, mano-a-mano. But there are some games where the participants rarely or never make contact (think volleyball, or tennis). Baseball is one of those sports. However there are times, a close play at one of the bases or home plate, when conflict can happen and sometimes in a visually dramatic fashion.
Lodi played Gregori at Tony Zupo Field in a Sac-Joaquin Section baseball playoff game. Lodi’s Brett Young took a run at third base from second. As he approached third he swung out wide and kicked up a cloud of dust as he slid in the dirt round the base. He reached out a hand to grab the base but was tagged by Gregori’s Dominic Carrillo for the out. The scene was backlit and Young cast a partial shadow on the dusty billow as he slid giving the photo an even more visual drama.

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June 22

“You should’ve seen the other guy.” It’s a phrase often used by some to jokingly explain away noticeable bumps and bruises perhaps clumsily acquired.
In June I covered a mixed martial arts (MMA) event promoted by Lodi MMA fighter Nick Diaz at the Stockton Arena. In an undercard bout Aziz Rashid of Fresno battled Derek Brown of Antioch. MMA fights are brutal contests with a mix of kick boxing, wrestling and bare-knuckled brawling. It was a close bout with both fighters expending a great amount of effort and getting some good licks in. Then Rashid go the upper hand and administered some punishing blows to Brown. The ref separated the fighters and stopped the fight in Rashid’s favor. Rashid stood in a neutral corner, his stamina spent and covered in blood, but not his own. He was splattered with the punishment he inflicted on Brown. Standing there Rashid almost looked like the loser of the fight but, as they say, you should’ve seen the other guy.

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July 29

Dictionary.dom defines the term bokeh as “a Japanese term for the subjective aesthetic quality of out-of-focus areas of a photographic image.” Specifically it’s the out-of-focus highlights of a picture. Thought not the main focus they can be used as an attractive background four a main subject. It’s often effective during the holiday season due to the use of Christmas lights, but it can also be used during other times of the year as well.

I late July the late evening sun was setting beyond the Stockton Marina in downtown Stockton. A stand of star thistle grew in a nearby open lot. As the sun sank lower on the horizon position myself to get a photo of a thistle silhouetted against against it. In my first attempts I used a small aperture, which made the sun appear as relatively small dot in the sky, so small that the thistle blocked its view. Then I switched to a wider f-stop, which threw the sun out of focus due to the small depth of field, making it appear larger behind the thistle proving it’s okay to bokeh.

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Aug. 6

Covering tragic, fatal events is part of the job in newspaper photography. In most cases we don’t show the bodies of the deceased in the paper, but we have to come up with ways to show what happened without being too graphic.

In August a motorcycle rider was struck and killed by a big rig when he attempted to pass the truck on the right side shoulder of the connecting ramp from northbound Highway 99 to west bound Highway 120 in Manteca. When I arrived on scene the CHP had blocked the ramp and was diverting traffic away. The rider’s body, covered in a white sheet, lay on the ground where he fell. Even covered a photo of the body isn’t something we would run in the paper. One of the rider’s boots, thrown off by the force of the collision, lay on the ground upright about 10 yards from the body. I used a forced perspective technique to place the boot close to the camera effectively blocking the view of the body as the CHP officers investigated the crash.

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Sept. 15

Destiny Herrera, a 10-year-old with bone cancer, is a girl with compassion beyond her years. At her age you would think that it would be all about her but she is also concerned about others with her condition. In September she organized and held a balloon released to raise awareness on behalf of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. With her head, hairless from chemotherapy and wrapped in a black bandana, she was joined by family, friends and supporters all holding a bounty of gold and yellow balloons at Woodward Park in Manteca. They gathered around Destiny and in a single united motion released the balloons into the air. A stiff wind quickly lifted them skyward. Destiny smiled and for a brief moment stopped being a child with cancer and became just a happy kid with a balloon.

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Oct. 3

On an afternoon in October a fire started at the Newark Recycling & Recovery plant in Stockton. Stacks of cardboard and paper fueled the 2-alarm blaze pushed by 30-mph winds. Thick smoke temporarily close Interstate 5 and flying embers spawned 2 other major fires and several smaller ones up to two miles away.

At times it seemed like the scene was like peering through the open gates of Hell. The wind whipped around the brimstone-like billows of smoke. The fire itself danced swirled as if it were alive. Embers scattered in the air like swarms of burning insects sent by Satan himself. Through it all squads of Stockton firefighters bravely entered the fray, at times dwarfed by the inferno around them. By the end of the day the blaze was contained, though it took a few days to finally completely douse the fire.

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Nov. 24

The San Joaquin County Kennel Club held its annual dog show at the county fairgrounds in November. About 2,500 canines competed in the 4-day event. Each one of them were primped and preened by their owners, handlers and/or dog groomers. Some are pampered as much as any family member.

Oksana Fagenboym of San Ramon waited patiently with her 18-month-old standard poodle Valentine for the poodle competition to begin. Then just before handler Bill McFadden of Acampo whisked the dog into the show ring, Fagenboym bent down and gave Valentine a loving kiss.

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Dec. 12.

“I want to see my house from space!” – Danny DeVito as Buddy Hall from “Deck The Halls” (2006)

For the past several years Jim Galindo has put up one of the more impressive display of Christmas lights in Stockton and San Joaquin County. This December I drove by to get a festive night shot of his home on Gibson Street in Stockton and actually got him putting up the last of the estimated 170,000 LED lights. I don’t know if you can see his house from space, but I wouldn’t be surprised if you could.

Posted in Column, Year end | Tagged Top 12 2013 | Leave a comment

Blending into the background

By Clifford Oto | Published: January 9, 2014 | 1 Comment

Several months ago I was on assignment to shoot Octavio Flores, the owner of Casa Flores Marina in Stockton. As Flores answered a reporter’s questions, nice, soft indirect light fitlered in through a large window next to the table where he was sitting. The rest of the room was fairly dark and his black shirt and dark hair blended into the background. Moving slightly to my right I could include some light coming in through a window at the front of restaurant behind him. Unfortunately it was only wide enough to encompass about half of his head leaving the other half in darkness.

The shadow side of his face blended into and was now lost in the dark background, and while that may have been good for a dark and moody portrait, it was a little too much for what I wanted. I could have used my flash to fill in the shadows but that too would have ruined the mood in the opposite direction.

But by just moving a few inches to my left, the light patch in the background was now behind the shadow side of his face. The light side of his face still stood out against what was now dark and the silhouetted half was now defined by the lighter area.

I’m always extolling the virtues of a clean background. Having clutter behind your subject can be distracting and take focus away from your subject. The most important thing is that you’re aware of and pay attention to the background and use it to your best advantage,

Posted in Lightning | Tagged background | Leave a comment

Be still my beating heart

By Clifford Oto | Published: January 6, 2014 | Leave a comment

The subject of the latest Readers Photo Challenge assignment is Still life. Landscape and nature photographers find beauty in the great outdoors, portraitists are inspired by an interesting face and sports photographers are always looking for that spectacular action moment and intensity for their photos. In shooting a still life one has to take a different approach to find inspiration. You have to think on a smaller, quieter scale. The play of light and composition are important factors as are color, tone and shape. For this challenge 19 people sent a total of 65 photos. All of the best examples dealt with light in a thoughtful and creative way.

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Chiaroscuro is a term most associated with 17th century artists such as Caravaggio and Rembrant. It refers to the use of light and dark in a painting for dramatic effect. Using a Canon Rebel T3i DSLR camera, Rick Jorgenson of Lodi employed a chiaroscuro lighting technique to create a stunning photo. He used just a 60-watt light bulb diffused with and umbrella and a hand held halogen spotlight controlled with a dimmer. The light is just enough to hold detail in the main composition while letting the background go dark creating a air of mystery and drama to a grouping of ordinary household objects. It looks like if could be a painting by one of the classic masters. Jorgenson took about an hour to set up he scene. His effort is evident. From the choice of subject matter to the careful placement of all the elements combined with the subtle yet dramatic lighting, it’s as close as you can get to a perfect still life photo.

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Stockton resident Darrin Denison took a much more simple approach to his still life picture but was yet very effective. He used his iPhone to photograph an art glass pitcher in his kitchen. Illuminated by some simple window light the colorful glass stood out against a dark background in a chiaroscuro-like fashion. In a scene like this many people would have wanted more to the photo, maybe placing it on a table with other items around it, but it’s the simplicity that makes this picture work. Denison doesn’t overthink the situation and it pays off for him in a simple yet graceful photo.

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I do this thing when I find some interesting light whether at home or out and about. I’ll reach up with my hand or a small object, such as a glass or cup if one is nearby, and see how the light plays on it. Sometimes I’ll take a picture of it, other times I will file it away in the back of my mind for use at another time. It looks a bit odd when I do it but my wife and family has gotten used to it.

St. Mary’s High School sophomore Sydney Spurgeon noticed light coming in through her family room window in Stockton. She took one of her family’s Christmas decorations and held it up to the light and saw that it created a shadow on a nearby wall. Spurgeon used her Nikon D90 DSLR to capture the elegant holiday scene. Playing with the light may be an unusual practice but after time I’m sure her family will get used to it too.

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Connie Saculla’s photo of a single red Bartlett pear is similar to Denison’s entry in that it too takes the simplest route. Placed on a table in the living room of her Stockton home, the pear is situated in a shaft of window light. Saculla used a Panasonic Lumix Z56 point-and-shoot digital camera to capture the red/burgundy color of the fruit, which contrasted nicely with brown/tan of the table. The darkness of the shadows gives a nice deep richness to the photo as well.

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Ann Scott of Stockton took a photo of a small pumpkin on her kitchen counter illuminated by window light. The sunlight cast a dark pattern of a shadow onto the polished marble counter from a nearby houseplant. It’s basically a black-and-white photo with just a splash of color provided by the pumpkin.

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The challenge is going on a short break for a little while. The next assignment will be announced on Jan. 20.

Posted in Column, Readers Photo Challenge | Tagged Assignment, Still life | Leave a comment

The last month: December outtakes

By Clifford Oto | Published: January 3, 2014 | Leave a comment

At the end of every year I compile a list of some of my favorite photos. They’re shown in a gallery here at Recordnet.com. But due to deadlines the list is finished before December is actually done, so if I shoot a picture that I especially like after I have already made my picks, unfortunately it doesn’t make the cut. However when I make this month-in-review list of previously unposted photos, it’s assembled much later than the yearly one. So here is the best of the very last of 2013.

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12/6/13:

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