This year I took a large matted print of that winning image to give the dancer who was its subject (on the right). He wasn’t there this year, but I did find out his name and sent the image to him in Oklahoma via some of his colleagues. I hope he and his family enjoy the image for years to come.


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2011 Ocmulgee Indian Celebration is a post from: William Haun Photography, Video, and Web Development

It was a long and tiring day but totally worth all the energy spent. I got to see a couple great acts again (The Rocketboys, Parachute Musical, and the always amazing Amy Godwin) and I was introduced to some other talented artists I’d never heard of before the event (Kopecky Family Band).

I’m a big advocate of “more is less” when it comes to sharing photo galleries but I’ve made an exception this time since the 84 photos below represent 12 different musical acts!

Bragg Jam 2011 is a post from: William Haun Photography, Video, and Web Development

In my talks I showed several of my own photos and videos made with Lensbabies as I talked about how the various uses I find for them in my work. Here are some of the images I showed. If you’d like to see some examples of how I use Lensbabies for video, check out the “The Blue Indian Presents” series I’ve done.

The plastic optic gives a soft & hazy effect in harsh light.

Another effect the plastic optic enhances is lens flares and chromatic aberrations.

The double glass optic is tact sharp.

My wife took this shot with the star aperture from the Lensbaby Creative Aperture Kit. It is of sunlight coming through the leaves in the woods.

Here you see me taking the image below. I include this shot so that you get an idea of the INSANE perspective the 12mm Fisheye provides.

Shot with the Lensbaby Fisheye optic at f/11

One other benefit of the fisheye optic is it’s incredible macro capabilities. This magicicada is a mere 1/2 inch from the lens but the 12mm fisheye provides a wide field of view revealing the background.

As you close up the aperture of a Lensbaby optic the “blurry” effect is minimized. This shot was made with a Lensbaby Composer and double glass optic at f/8 with off-camera flash.

Without an aperture disc, the Lensbaby double glass optic functions at f/1.8 which is great for capturing action in low-light.

When using selective focus, there’s no question as to where you want the viewer’s eyes to go.

Photojournalism work prohibits the use of post-production filters and effects. A Lensbaby is a great way to get a specific look “in-camera.” This shot was made in Haiti after the 2010 earthquake of a man with a sick child waiting to see a doctor. It captures the emotion of a parent whose only concern in the world is the well-being of his child.

At the 2010 FIFA World Cup there was no shortage of photojournalists with cameras. Having a Lensbaby on hand gave me a unique perspective that was unlike anyone else’s.

One of my favorite uses of my Lensbaby is for concert photography. The effect it has on all the lights is stunning!

Talking ‘Bout Lensbaby is a post from: William Haun Photography, Video, and Web Development

The group was founded by Jim and Ann Berry as they sought to share Jim’s sister Kay’s passion for photography with other special needs adults. Kay lives with Down Syndrome and is a member of the Middle Georgia Camera Club who has won numerous awards for her images.

The ShutterBugs exhibit their images annually at the Cherry Blossom Festival and raise money for their club by selling the prints.

My own brother suffers with both mental and physical disabilities but is unable to function at a level where he could enjoy photography. While I wish he could appreciate photography like the Shutterbugs, it gives me great joy to help other special needs adults with their photography.

If you’d like more information about how you can support the ShutterBugs, you can drop them an email at shutterbugs_macon.bibb@yahoo.com or join their Facebook group.

Here are some of the portraits I made of Jim, Ann, and Kay Berry and some of the Shutterbugs in Macon.

Sharing with the ShutterBugs is a post from: William Haun Photography, Video, and Web Development

Here are the images from our afternoon in Macon, Georgia’s Amerson Water Works Park.

Circle Comps at the Park is a post from: William Haun Photography, Video, and Web Development

One of my favorite things that has come out of my partnership with TBI is our “Acoustic Alley” series. It all began when I was late for a show and didn’t get any coverage. I asked St. Pete, Florida native Geri X if she’d mind playing a song or two in the alley for me to video. She agreed and the footage looked and sounded great – we had our first two videos that started it all.

A couple weeks later, I was filming Long Island-based band Robbers in the alley when we were suddenly joined by local rappers Floco Torres and Al K!ng as well as young Macon rockers Stribling and a mob of fans. The impromptu jam session that broke out was one of the highlights of Macon’s music scene last year, even getting press in the local paper.

Use the YouTube video player below to watch all the Acoustic Alleys I’ve shot to date.

The Blue Indian’s “Acoustic Alley” is a post from: William Haun Photography, Video, and Web Development

Click the image above to launch large panorama in a new window

Long exposures of the Ocmulgee swamps at night.

Light painting over Macon.

Ocmulgee National Monument at Night is a post from: William Haun Photography, Video, and Web Development

I’m hoping that by compiling this “gifting guide,” I can help you make another photographer really happy this holiday!

Micro-Fiber Cleaning Cloth Pouch – $2.99 & up

When I discovered these little gizmos, I didn’t know how I had lived without them. They are simple micro-fiber lens cloths with two great features: 1) they scrunch up into an elastic pouch and 2) they have a plastic clasp that lets you clip them onto about anything.

These things are the perfect stocking stuffer for all levels of photographer. I recommend tossing a couple in your Amazon.com shopping cart the next time you order something (if you simply order the $3 lens cloth you’ll pay three times that in shipping – better to combine it with another order).

Bonus feature: they work great for glasses as well, not just camera lenses.

dSLR Camera Rain Sleeve – $8 (for two!)

This is one of those rare “too good to be true” deals that is actually true. For a mere $8 you get not one, but TWO rain sleeves that have drawstrings, an opening for the camera’s view finder, and an extension for an hotshoe flash.

If you’ve ever shot in the rain and tried using an umbrella or plastic bags to stay dry, you know it’s a nightmare. This rain sleeve by Opteka makes shooting in the rain something you don’t have to worry about (as long as you don’t mind getting wet yourself since it only covers the camera).

Tip: You can also use this sleeve when shoot at the beach or in other sandy/dusty locales.

Extension Tube for Macro Photography – $12 & up

Macro photography is a cool niche area that requires expensive, specialized equipment to accomplish. A 100mm Canon macro lens will set you back over $500! Why do you need a special “macro” lens to photograph tiny things? Those lenses are designed to let you get within inches of your subject and keep it in focus.

Extension tubes replicate that minimum focal distance effect by simply moving your non-macro lens farther away from the sensor in your camera. They are a much cheaper alternative for beginners who want to test the waters of macro photography without dropping half a grand.

There are a few drawbacks to extension tubes: 1) images aren’t near as sharp as real macro lenses and 2) you loose control of your lens’ aperture when shooting on an extension tube.

Bonus: Check out some video footage I shot with an extension tube on my Canon 7D.

Collapsible Reflector – $13 and up

When doing portrait photography, a reflector is a must-have. It lets you control light by reflecting or bouncing it onto your subject. I probably use it most to reduce harsh shadows on the face under the eyebrows, the nose, or bangs. If I’m shooting a closeup of a person, I’ll have them hold the reflector perpendicular to their chest (like a shelf) and it will bounce light up from below.

A simple $3 piece of whiteboard from the store will do the trick, but these cheap collapsible reflectors are much more easier to haul around and keep clean (they come with pouches).

For my Macon readers, I bought my reflector at Coke’s Camera downtown where they have several sizes availalbe.

Monopod – $15 and up

Tripods are great. There is no better way to keep your camera stable and maximize the sharpness of your image. However, tripods aren’t the most portable tools of the trade. The good (and expensive!) ones are heavy as all get out and you can sometimes miss a critical shot by fumbling around with the three legs of the beast. Also, a lot of places (museums, aquariums, stadiums, even some parks) have restrictions on tripods.

Monopods are the perfect compromise for the photographer who wants to keep the camera stable(-ish) and not have to haul around 4lbs of weight. You can even find some monopods out there that double as walking sticks (perfect for hikers!). Finally, many of the places that ban tripods will allow monopods (as was the case when I took the photo of Willie Nelson to the left).

Gary Fong’s “Puffer” Popup Flash Diffuser – $20

The pop-up flash on your camera is terrible. It’s not just your camera, it’s my camera as well. Actually it’s every camera’s built-in flash that is terrible. The main reason is that it creates a harsh light source directly over your camera’s lens which does not provide flattering light.

Gary Fong, one of the world’s top ten wedding photographers, has invented several flash diffusers to help create more flattering light. The Puffer simply slides into your camera’s hot shoe and places a curved, semi-opaque plastic in front of the pop-up flash. This diffuses the light making it softer (aka no bright oily spots on your subjects’ foreheads, cheeks, and chins) and creating less harsh shadows.

If you aren’t planning on making the jump to one of the expensive external flashes (they start around $200), then the Puffer is a must have accessory in your camera bag.

Gary Fong’s “Lightsphere” Flash Diffuser – $50

For photogs who do use external flash, Gary Fong’s world-famous “Lightsphere” is the ulimate flash diffuser for them. I like to joke that it looks like a ramen noodle bowl, but this thing works miracles.

Take a look at this photo to the left – I took that in a room in West Africa with virtually no light. Seriously, the room was pitch black and my hotshoe flash with a Lightsphere on top created all the light in that photo. Pretty incredible how natural it looks, huh? That’s why Fong has sold over 400,000 Lightspheres in the last six years.

50mm f/1.8 Lens – $100 and up

Most amateurs with a dSLR camera have the “kit lens” that comes with it. Often that lens is something in the range of 18-55mm and has a minimum aperture range of f/3.5-5.6. Those lenses are fine, especially for the cost. However, if you want to step your game up the 50mm f/1.8 is the most affordable, fast glass out there (fast glass means the aperture goes below f/3 allow more light in and therefore performing much better in low-light situations).

Every camera manufacturer has an inexpensive (relative to most lenses’ cost) 50mm available. Canon’s is a mere $100, Nikon’s runs around $125, and Sony’s is about $125 as well.

Not only do f/1.8 lenses do better in low-light, but they are incredibly sharp when shooting at f/4-f/8. Most importantly, when shooting “wide open” at f/1.8 you get insanely shallow depth of field. Take a look at the photo of the boy to the left. Notice how his eyes just seem to POP! It’s because they are in sharp focus and everything around them slowly fades into a blur. Even his shoulders, which are a mere 3-4 inches back from his eyes, are blurry!

Lensbaby – $100 and up

For the photographer who has everything, a Lensbaby is the ultimate gift to get them. I guarantee they don’t have one and they’ll be thrilled to receive one*.

What is a Lensbaby? Wow, that’s a difficult question to answer. It’s a sort of tilt-shift lens, meaning you can manually move its plane of focus causing certain areas of the image to blur. Take a look at the photo to the left of John Legend – notice how things seem to blur away from him, especially on the right.

There are several different flavors of Lensbabies. In fact, it isn’t just a lens, it’s a whole kit. You can swap out the type of glass (or plastic) in the lenses for different effects. You can get fish eye lenses, wide angle converters, and even tools to manipulate the bokeh (those blurry dots when things are out of focus).

Gift Certificate to Local Camera Store – Name your price

Still undecided as to what to get your photographer friend for Christmas? Or did you simply not understand a word of the geeky gadget talk above? There’s always the gift certificate option.

I know, I know. You’re thinking “but gift cards are so lame.” Here are several reasons why a gift certificate to a local camera store isn’t lame:

1. The fact that you got them a photography related certificate shows that you are supporting their hobby and art. That means a lot.
2. Especially if they are beginners or amateurs, they will benefit greatly from walking into a store and talking to a knowledgeable photographer behind the counter.
3. In these tough economic times, it is good to support your local, small businesses.
4. Your photographer friend just might use the gift certificate to print out a photo for you as a thank you. Oooo, win-win!

In my town of Macon, Georgia, I highly recommend F Stop Photography at 3780 Northside Drive (phone# 478-254-2310). They not only offer great printing services, but have loads of great gear (such as camera bags, tripods, books, and more).

Ten Gifts You Can Buy a Photographer for Christmas is a post from: William Haun Photography, Video, and Web Development

#1 Circular Polarizer Filter

This is probably the single most important accessory you can put on your camera to improve picture quality. When shooting outdoors, the filter makes the sky a darker blue and lightens greens. The effect gives you gorgeously contrasted skies.

What is really happening is that the filter is cutting out reflections and glare – that increases contrast and saturation. It’s a must for landscape photography and can also be used to control reflections in water & on objects.

You can find inexpensive polarizers starting around $25 online or at a store like Best Buy. Like all glass, cost and quality are directly related – don’t be surprised if you see some polarizers priced around $100 or more. Likewise, beware the extremely cheap ones – sometimes they are plastic and not glass. I’ve been happy with the quality & price of Tiffen over the years.

One more thing, when buying any filter you’ll need to know the thread size of your lens. That’s the diameter of the ring at the front of your lens – usually a number ranging from 52mm to 77mm (not to be confused with the focal length of the lens). It’s usually written on the front of the lens as the number followed by an º – i.e. 58mm reads as 58º.

#2 Lens Hood

One of my biggest photography related pet peeves is seeing a person with a great camera sporting a great lens and their lens hood on backwards. Drives me nuts! A lot of people don’t realize that a lens hood will improve the quality of your photographs more than any UV filter will (some of those can actually be detrimental to image quality).

Like a polarizer filter, a lens hood serves to reduce glare – that extra, unwanted light that enters your lens. It’s most effective when shooting with the sun in front of you and makes the most noticeable difference when shooting with a long zoom lens (on super wide angle lenses a lens hood may not be possible).

The split image to the left is an extreme example I created by taking two shots with the sun in front of me and on a 250mm lens. The portion on the left had no lens hood and the right did. You can see the difference in contrast.  Sometimes a lens hood will cut out flares too (though for creative reasons you may actually want those sometimes).

Also like polarizers, you’ll need to know the thread size of your lens. I also recommend the rubber collapsible lens hoods – they are much easier to pack in a bag.

#3 Rocket Air Blaster

I change lenses a lot. It’s just the way I shoot. Every time I take off one lens and put on another, I’m exposing the inside of my camera to dust, hair, and all sorts of other things floating and falling through the air. Over time those particles stick to the sensor of your camera and will show up as dark specks (especially in small aperture exposures over f/16).

The rocket blaster is a simple tool that lets you “blast” air into your camera and blow loose all that dust. The genius of this little tool’s design is that it has an opening on the bottom that prevents it from sucking the dust you just blew out back into it. After all, sucking dirt in only to blast it out again would be bad and they’d have to rename it the “sand blaster”

#4 Remote Control

When I got a wireless remote for my camera it quickly became one of those gizmos I didn’t know how I had functioned without for so long. It serves to accomplish a very technical purpose as well as a fun amateurish one.

When doing long exposure photography it is essential to keep the camera as still as possible on the tripod. Even the pressing of your finger to open and close the shutter can be enough to reduce the sharpness of your image. Using a wireless remote removes that risk. Take a look at the star trails example to the left – a long exposure I made using my IR remote to open the shutter (and then close it 32 minutes later).

The other, more entertaining, use of a remote is to make those “self portraits” a lot easier. No more pushing the timer and running to position yourself before the beeping stops and the shutter clicks. In the photo to the left, my son actually triggered the shot – if you look closely you’ll see the remote in his right hand.

Both Canon and Nikon have their own IR remote controls and they are of course, more expensive then the many third-party options out there. I recommend reading user reviews if you want to go with an aftermarket clone (like this highly-rated remote for Nikons by Opteka). Also be sure to check for compatibility with your camera make and model.

#5 Rain Sleeve

I always carry a trash bag in my camera bag just in case I run into bad weather while out shooting. If you’ve ever tried shooting through holes cut in a trash bag you know how tough and annoying it is. Or if you’ve tried shooting while holding an umbrella – virtually impossible.

Opteka makes a dirt cheap set of 2 rain sleeves that will not only fit over your camera and a 14″ lens but an external flash. It has a drawstring on the front to tighten over you lens, hole in the back for the eyepiece, and an opening in the bottom for your hand to reach in and hold the camera.

Five Must-Have Camera Accessories is a post from: William Haun Photography, Video, and Web Development

Today I got my photos back and was excited to find out that six of my 10 submissions won ribbons. Best of all, my photo of Trey painted green with a luna moth won the top prize at the Fair – the Award of Excellence.

Oh, and if you were wondering if the moth was Photoshop’d into the picture with Trey, the answer is “No, it was really there.” You can see more photos from the day I painted Trey green in my blog’s archives.

“Camouflage” – 1st Place, I Spy: Green (Color)
Award of Excellence in Color

“Medical Clinic in Peru” – 1st Place, Photojournalism (Color)

“Ashaninka Village in Peru” – 1st Place, Scenic (Color)

“Grangou (Hungry in Haiti)” – 3rd Place, People (Color)

“Jwa (Joy in Haiti)” – 4th Place, People (Mono)

“MLK Jr Blvd, Macon” – 4th Place, Georgia Street Scenes (Color)

2010 GA National Fair Winners is a post from: William Haun Photography, Video, and Web Development

Click the images to launch the large panoramas in a new browser window. Once opened you may also have to click them again to fully enlarge them (depends on your browser settings).

Pano Practice is a post from: William Haun Photography, Video, and Web Development

Heidi: You going to take photos of the eclipse tonight?
William: There’s an eclipse?
H: Everyone is talking about it on Facebook.
W: I think that’s the movie.
H: Oh. There’s a movie?

The kind of fanaticism that accompanies such huge pop culture phenomenons often provides some interesting photographic opportunities. So I decided to actually go out and photograph not an eclipse but the fans of Eclipse.

I know the films involve werewolves and vampires so I was expecting fans decked out in costumes and makeup. Instead it was just a huge line of hundreds and hundreds of ordinary (and nice) people lining up to simply be a part of what everyone was talking about. To quote a local movie reviewer:

There will come a time when we look back on these films and wonder what sort of mob insanity drove their success, and we will laugh and shake our heads and pretend they were never really that popular.

Twilight Eclipse Mania is a post from: William Haun Photography, Video, and Web Development

The photographs will be on display throughout the month of May and can be seen any weekday from 10am-5pm. Gray’s sculptures will only be on display the night of the opening reception.

Here is some info about the artists exhibiting from the press release:

Lynne Barta’s variety of styles and subjects has won her several awards. Locally, her work has been seen on the cover of the Telegraph’s Out & About, and her work has been selected on four different occasions for the prestigious Macon Magazine. She was also the guest speaker for the last year on 13WMAZ’s photo tip segment.

A photography judge once stated, “Lynne’s photographs are a joy to look upon.”

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William Haun is a freelance photojournalist who specializes in covering projects for non-profit organizations. His work with non-profits has taken him to five continents and he most recently covered the relief efforts after Haiti’s disastrous earthquake. His passion is to capture images & portraits in 3rd world countries that motivate and inspire others to take up the cause of social justice and human rights.

Maconites will be in for a treat to see this incredible collection of “Faces From Around the World.”

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Woodrow Gray’s wire sculptures are a true work of art. He started working with pipe cleaners as a child, then progressed to wire coat hangers, and then he discovered wire fencing that was being used on his grandparent’s property, and has been using that ever since. His work is one of a kind and awe inspiring. Macon has never seen the likes of work such as Woodrow Gray’s.

It is a real honor to have work such as his on display at the Douglass. This is a must see exhibit.

Exhibit at Macon’s Douglass Theatre is a post from: William Haun Photography, Video, and Web Development

Here is a short video I created to promote the event. Feel free to share it with your friends and family.  I’ll post more details about the show in the weeks to come.

Upcoming Exhibit at the Douglass is a post from: William Haun Photography, Video, and Web Development

Following the photos below is video I shot of the last song of their set. Apologies for the terrible quality, but the lighting was really, really bad.

Video of Coyote Bones performing live at The 567 Cafe in Macon, GA

Coyote Bones @ The 567 is a post from: William Haun Photography, Video, and Web Development

Josh McGinty @ The 567 is a post from: William Haun Photography, Video, and Web Development

The concert was great and full of energy – the best dance party Macon has ever seen. The lighting was incredibly tough to work with for photography but with the high ISO capabilities of my Canon 7D and the new noise reduction features in Lightroom 3 I was able to get a few decent images. The video was mostly shot with a Lensbaby Muse but also with a 50mm f/1.8.