How To Capture That EPIC Night Time City Scape

Honolulu, Hawaii 

I set out last weekend with the goal of getting an epic facebook cover photo.  So we rented a car, and went up to Tantulus Lookout. I had heard about this location before, so I decided to go up and grab this photo.  The shadow in the background on the left is Diamond Head.  

To do any night time photography a TRIPOD is a MUST.  

For night time photography you have to use LONG EXPOSURES.  This particular photo was taken with a 30 second exposure.  That is why a tripod is a must.  There is no way I could have hand held this for 30 seconds.  

A trick that I learned when doing a lot of night photography was to set up your composition using a really high ISO. This way you can see if the composition is good without having to wait 30 seconds to find out.  The photos will be horrible quality but they aren't going to be your final product.  

Once you have the photo composed the way you want, crank your ISO back DOWN and open up your shutter to a long exposure!  

Another thing thats important is to use a shutter release, OR set your camera to a 2 second delay once you push the shutter button.  Otherwise the motion of pushing the shutter button will cause your photo to be blurry.  

Go experiment with some night photography!  

Got questions?  Ask in the comments and I'll do my best to answer them! 

Honolulu Hawaii Family Photographer | The Denny Family, Bellows Beach

Aloha everyone!  Please meet the Denny family!  

Joanna contacted us soon after we moved out here and asked us to do some family photos for her!  

Joanna heard about us through her sister Jihan, who we had previously done maternity photos and family photos for in Philadelphia, PA.  

We went to Bellows Beach here on Oahu and grabbed these photos.  

Beautiful location + awesome family = one of my favorite photo shoots!  

Thank you Denny family for the opportunity to take your family portraits!  I hope these are photos you will cherish forever!  

-  Jim Baker

We LOVE adoption! When you book with us you are helping this family!

Seth, Jamie and Lochard

We LOVE ADOPTION!  Our friends Seth and Jamie Rainwater from Carpe Deim | Photo Video are adopting a little boy from Haiti!  

Seth and Jamie are awesome photographers and awesome people.  They opened up their home to us in 2010 when we were in a really transitional time in our lives. 

We are donating 20% of everything we make on photography to them!  We have been doing this since the beginning of February and will continue until Lochard is home!

The number 1 resource for beginner photographers (imo)

Me with my copy of Scott Kelby's book in 2008 during my photography school.  

I just recommended one of Scott Kelby's book to someone that is starting out in photography. 

I also wanted to recommend these books to you as well.  When I looked it up on Amazon I saw that there is now a 4th book in the series.  I own the first two, and have flipped through the 3rd one.  I have yet to see the 4th one.  

Some photography books can be overly technical and dry.  Scott Kelby is straight forward, to the point and entertaining.  Each page is filled with a large photo demonstrating what he is talking about and then a short paragraph explaining what he is doing.  It is a GREAT resource for anyone starting out!  

Below are my Amazon Associate links to the different books. 

You can buy The Complete 4 book set or just buy the 1st book to start out with.   

What photography resource have you found beneficial?  Share with us in the comments!  

Oops, ran out of card space.

Bellows Beach, Oahu 

Yesterday we did a family portrait session for a family and went to Bellows Beach.  During that one hour session I took over 1,000 photos.  I would have taken more but I ran out of card space.  (I'm sure someone has something to say about how that's way too much and I'll address that in a future blog post.)  

I ALWAYS carry 40 gigs worth of cards on me when I shoot.  Two 16 gig cards and an 8.  I left one of my 16 gig cards in my card reader, which is in a box, sitting in storage in Maryland.  When I went to switch cards I came to that sobering realization.  

So my practical tip for today is: 

Check how much card space you have before you start shooting.  

I was shooting full size raw when I was using the first 16 gig card and when I changed to the 8, I switched down to small raw.  If I was shooting small raw on the first card I could have gotten a lot more photos.  

How many cards do you have and what size?  What is the total amount of space you carry when you go out to shoot?  

3 reasons why shooting MACRO will get you out of your photographic rut.

Do you ever get in a photo rut where you just don't know what to take photos of?  


Think about getting a lot CLOSER to your subjects.  


If you have a DSLR and you don't have a dedicated macro lens you have a couple of options.  I am currently using the EF 12.  The ef12 is an extension tube, which is just a piece of plastic that goes between your lens and camera body that allows you to get a closer focusing distance.  I will write more about other macro options in future posts.  


If you're using a point and shoot than look for the flower symbol to put your camera into macro mode. Most point and shoots have a really impressive macro mode.  


Are you feeling uninspired?  Here are 3 reasons why shooting macro will get you out of that photo rut.  

2008 | 20d | ef-s 60mm macro

1.  Shooting macro gives you an instant perspective change and gets you looking at things with fresh eyes.

2010 | 5d Mark II | ef 100mm macro 2.8 

2.  Shooting macro gives you a definite SUBJECT for your photo.

2010 | 5d Mark II | ef 100mm macro 2.8 

3.  Shooting macro lets you see details you wouldn't normally see.


Do you like shooting macro?  What helps you get out of your photo ruts? 

Why a neoprene neck strap is your new best friend | Must Have Accessories

Calvert & Fessler Wedding | August 2010 | Elkridge Furnace Inn | Elkridge Maryland

What is hanging around your neck?  Do you use a neck strap for your camera?  If you have a DSLR you probably have one.  

If you get anything out of this post it should be this: 

ALWAYS HAVE YOUR CAMERA SECURED TO YOUR BODY.  

I have a friend that was on vacation recently and while changing lenses he dropped his camera body into the water. Needless to say, he had to buy a new camera body.  

I switched over to a neoprene neck strap in the beginning of 2011 and it made a WORLD of difference.  It is probably one of the best upgrades to my gear and it cost under $20.  

The neoprene strap makes your camera feel TANGIBLY lighter. Although a DSLR is not "heavy" per se, carrying it around your neck all day photographing a wedding takes its toll.  

Jon Barnes and I being a walking advertisement for canon. | Baltimore Maryland 2008

Upgrading to the neoprene strap also stops your neck from being an advertisement of what kind of camera you have. 

Sorry for being a bad example of having a neck strap and not using it, this was taken 4 years ago.  

The one that I currently use is the OP/TECH Classic Strap. 

Does your camera have a neck strap or a wrist strap?  Do you use it?   

The Number One Most Important Item of Your Photography Gear

IRONMAN 08 Kailua Kona Hawaii | Canon sd870

When you think of your photography gear, what do you feel like is your most important piece of equipment?  Your camera body?  Your favorite lens?  

How about YOUR body?  

I'm suggesting that your body is the most important part of your photography equipment.  

Your gear can be in tip top shape but if your body isn't functioning you're not taking pictures.  

I didn't post on Tuesday because I had thrown my back out.  Sunday evening, I caught an elderly lady who fell at the Honolulu Airport.  Because of my injury I have also had to postpone scheduling a family portrait session this week.  

My friend Hannah Elaine photographed a wedding on crutches after spraining her ankle playing softball, but I don't think she would say that that was an ideal situation.  

Often times during a long day of shooting, you'll have contorted your body into all kinds of strange positions trying to get amazing angles for your photos.  

Are you taking care of your body as much as you are babying your camera body and lenses?  

Do you have a story of a photo/injury combo?  Share with us in the comments.  

3 questions to ask yourself before buying a camera

My trusty Canon sd870 which went everywhere with me and served me quite well for a couple years.  This is its burial photo.  

What kind of camera should I buy?  

I get asked this question A LOT.  So I thought I should address it here.  

There are a TON of cameras out there.  To help you narrow down your search you should ask yourself these 3 questions.  

1.  What do I want to use this camera for?

Defining WHY you want a camera is an important step.  

If you want a camera just to share the events of your life with family members on the internet, you probably don’t need the most expensive DSLR camera for that.  An smart phone like an iphone might be the best camera for you because of its easy integration to facebook and twitter.  

But if you are wanting to take landscape shots and print them 30x40” an iphone probably won’t do the trick.  You will need a high megapixel DSLR to be getting the quality to print that large.

Identifying the main reason you want a camera is an important step.  

2.  What is my budget?

This is a good determining factor too.  You can want the most expensive DSLR all day but if you only have $500 budgeted than you should NOT go into debt to buy a $3000 camera.  

Also don’t forget to include the cost of some necessary camera accessories.  

3.  What are my friends using?

No you’re not going to buy a camera to fit in with your friends but... if your friends have canon cameras and you buy a canon, then your friends should be able to give you first hand knowledge when you have a question.  Or if you have a Nikon DSLR you might be able to borrow and trade lenses with other Nikon users for a weekend to see what other lenses are like before you make the investment to buy one. 

What else do you think are necessary considerations when buying a camera?  

Honolulu Hawaii Family Photographer | 2012.03.27 - Colleen and her kids!

Colleen and three of her children are here in Hawaii volunteering with a non profit in Honolulu.  She wanted some photos taken at the Japanese gardens on the University of Hawaii Campus and we gladly obliged!  

Thank you Colleen for the opportunity to photograph part of your family!  We hope these serve as a memory of the amazing time you and your kids had in Hawaii! - Jim Baker