Photography Rules!

Photography. So simple, yet so difficult for so many people.  I have long considered myself an [extreme] amateur photographer, usually putting things into practice while on travel.  Rather than expensive gadgets and clunky cameras, I just like to refine the actual art of picture-taking itself.

So how does this relate to running?  Well, it does - barely.  Photography is a great tool on the internet and in blogs.  When I post a picture I want it to mean something, I don't just want an "insta-gram" of whatever random thing I grabbed a picture of.  I make these recommendations because I believe anyone, anywhere, with any camera, can take great pictures to capture their life with.  If you only get one chance to capture something, make it count.

Photography Rules I Live By

First and foremost, your camera does not matter (okay, just a little).  I can't say this enough.  I'm amazed by the number of tourists I see on trips with overpriced, SLR cameras taking terrible pictures.  A simple point-and-shoot is usually adequate.  Heck, you can even produce professional quality results from an iPhone camera (one of my favorite cameras actually).  Yes, you can get better results from a giant SLR camera, but you won't want to bring it anywhere, and you have to hang it around your neck.  Photography should be spontaneous - that's why having something that will fit in your pocket is key - as the saying goes, Less is [often] more.

Seriously, how far are you going to make it
carrying around this monstrosity!

Other than the iPhone 4s camera, I usually carry the Canon S95 on trips.  Though it has been superseded by a few models, its still one of the best, truly pocket-size cameras on the market.  It does still retail for a few hundred dollars, but there are plenty of options under $100 as well, like the very compact, 16 megapixel Canon A2400 IS.  If you don't believe me ask Ken Rockwell, who maintains a great photography site which preaches that "Photographers make photos, not cameras".

Next, please set your camera up correctly.  Anytime you are ever in doubt, please just set everything to auto.  It will look fine.  I'll never understand people who fiddle with the ISO, White Balance, Aperture Size, and Color temperature, just to have their pics come out blurry, washed out, or underexposed and not know how to frame things.

Personally, I like to set the color option to "vivid" (giving colors a little more contrast and "pop"), turn on any over-exposure correction to "auto", set the preview grid-lines on (usually by pressing the display button), and turn off the flash.  I also got in a habit of reducing the picture size down to 8 or 9 megapixels to save on memory space, but now that you can get a 32 Gig SDHC memory card for cheap you can just leave it on full megapixels.  I only adjust the finer controls when the picture calls for it.  There is a nice feature under "White Balance" called a "Tungsten" filter - this is for shooting inside where light can make your pictures appear yellowie.  The filter compensates to make things look clear.  All that being said, the iPhone camera is auto-everything and I've taken great pictures with it.

One of the best kept (or maybe worst kept?) secrets of photography is to go by thirds.    Once you have those handy grid-lines on, which divide the frame into thirds both horizontally and vertically, keeping points of interest in the intersection of the lines is usually pleasing to the eye.  If its an ocean pic, try for 1/3 sky, 1/3 water, and 1/3 land.  If its landscape, try for 1/3 foreground, 1/3 middle ground and (you guessed it), 1/3 background (which is often the sky).  Sometimes you will want your subject smack dab in the middle, but still use the 1/3 rule to have some space on their sides to kind of frame what you are looking at.

One of my favorite pictures I took in the Cinque Terre region of Italy with some 1/3 grid-lines crudely drawn on.  Observe how things line up with the lines, spacing, and intersections.

Another favorite of mine taken outside of Cuzco, Peru.  Note the foreground, middle ground, and background; and the donkey is on the right 1/3 line.

The grid lines are also handy for lining up the horizon to be level.  Nothing can ruin an otherwise perfect shot by a crooked horizon, so be careful to get it straight.  You can rotate the picture later during post-processing, but you lose some picture quality, plus its just a pain.

Back-lighting! This poor guy - all we see is a shadow!

If you are taking a picture of people, make sure there is light in their face.  A good rule of thumb is that the sun should be behind you the photographer - no one likes this because they are basically looking at the sun, but just tell them to squint and then try to act normal when you actually take it.  You don't want to be taking a picture of a shadow.  Its called back-lighting, and it sucks 99% of the time.  Same for buildings or still objects - take a picture of the bright side.  If you can't avoid back-lighting, experiment with the flash to see if you can get around it.

So what if its really cloudy or foggy out?  You'll have no contrast between your subjects and their surroundings.  Instead, make sure there is plenty of background to create a contrast.  If you are skiing and its snowing out, take pics of people with trees behind them.

In the picture to the left - it was actually cloudy out.  We found a good backdrop standing by the National Cathedral.  Add in some opportune expressions and a little post-processing to adjust the contrast and you end up with a nice pic!

Remember to fill the frame with interesting stuff.  Make your picture like a really interesting story.  Sometimes you do just want a picture of one thing, but usually you want to make your picture interesting.  Just think, you could just take a picture of the Washington Monument and treat people to a giant tower (obelisk to be exact) - kind of boring in my mind.  Or you could pull back - way back - until you fill the frame with the DC skyline!

The DC skyline - so much to see!

Next up, mostly for people pics, but also for things like buildings or mountains - please stop cutting peoples' heads and feet off.  I've had to have many pictures retaken when people cut off the top of my head, or made it look like I'm balancing on my ankles.  Its not hard - just look at the preview and don't cut anything off.  Also check to see if there are any obvious distractions or objects that look out of place.  Don't make it look like a pole is coming out of someone's head!  If there is a bag of trash or something unsightly around keep it out of the frame or move it.  Major problems easily solved.  If you want to get picky, try not to cut off shadows of people either if its sunny out.

Don't ask me to explain why - this is still one of my favorite pictures I've
taken.  Of my dog, curled up in some sheets, from an iPhone 4s camera.

More tips:

• Always take 3 or 4 of the same thing.  If you think you've got a great picture lined up, take several of the same thing just from slightly different angles.  Same for shots of people, their expressions will all be slightly different - this way you can choose the best one.
• Close one eye - when you are lining up a shot if you close one eye this gives a better indicator of what the picture will look like.  Since we see in stereo vision (2 eyes) this will simulate a picture, which appears flatter since its a single lens.
• Don't over zoom - underzoom and then crop later.  I can't tell you how many times I've told people "Please don't zoom in!".  Cameras nowadays have way more megapixels than you could ever need, so you can always just crop it down later.
• Careful about reflecting sunlight and lens flare.  You can make neat affects with reflections (light bouncing off of water, car windows, whatever) or lens flare (which is when too strong a light source gets scattered in the lens and creates a bright "starry" image) but beware of unwanted instances of these.
• Ask yourself: will I want to look at this again
  
  later? Don't just "take take take" for the sake of using your camera, stop and think if after you download this to your computer would anyone want to look at it.
• Steady hand, hold your breath, then exhale and shoot! Nothing ruins a picture like a blurry scene caused by handshake.  I've heard if you take a deep breath and then exhale when taking the picture it makes it easier to steady your hand.  You can even rest your hand on a tree or rock if you need to.
• Post-processing can turn good pictures into great ones! Programs like Adobe Photoshop or GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) are nice for advanced users, but I usually prefer Google Picasa.  Just to make a few quick adjustments - crop it the way you like, adjust the contrast with auto-contrast (this makes a huge difference), and maybe even brighten or darken it.
• Finally, don't be afraid to bend the rules and get artsy!!

Photography is fun! And there are great pictures everywhere.  So grab your point-and-shoot, head out the door, and see what you can find!

Tinkering with my 2014 Race Schedule & The BEAST

The Year of Two Thousand and Fourteen

Planning out your next year of races, a fun yet intimidating task.  Why fun?  Well, you get to think about all those great accomplishments, the people you will meet, and the sights you'll see as you tackle new races.  Why intimidating?  Its a lot easier to put races on your calendar and say you want to train for them then actually going out and grinding out some of these runs, especially when you put down 14 miles on a weeknight that ends up being cold and rainy.  Also, there is still the possibility of getting injured, and that just completely throws your schedule into the garbage disposal from that point on.  These races aren't easy either, I love training for these things, and then relishing in the feeling of accomplishment afterward, but there is usually a point when I'm running a race where I ask myself "Why in the world am I doing this?" (and I don't have an answer).

I want to keep focusing on Ultras, while not giving up entirely on speed.  Marathons are still cool, but just not as satisfying to me as Ultras.  A Marathon PR is still the crowning achievement in running, but you have to dedicate yourself solely to that event, and it could damage you beyond repair for months.  After running Chicago in 2012, I told myself I would wait a good, long time until I attempt a new PR, and that time is still at least another year away.

The Beast

As I focus on Ultras, while mixing in some shorter races, I have also come to a determination:  I need to do the Beast series.  I've heard it calling, heard it beckon for me to try it.  Grindstone, the Lynchburg Ultra Series, Hellgate, these are all great accomplishments individually but I think for this year to truly delve into the heart of Ultra-Marathoning I must complete them all.

What is the Beast?  Its a race series of Ultras consisting of three 50ks, a 50 miler, a 100k, and a 100 miler (not all in that order).

So now I present my list of focus races for 2014, fairly subject to change:

• Holiday Lake 50k++ - the first in the Beast series.  Two fairly flat loops around a lake.
• Terrapin Mountain 50k - a month later the Beast series continues in rural VA Mountains.
• Cherry Blossom 10 Miler - a favorite of mine in DC.  I probably won't try to PR since I don't think ill have the speed.  You do this more for the atmosphere anyway - finally Spring!
• GW Parkway 10 miler - a locals' favorite run on a scenic course from Mt. Vernon to Old Town Alexandria.
• Boston Marathon - had to come back for the 2014 race.  Hoping a road marathon won't hurt my training too much.
• Promise Land 50k - intimidating since its less than a week after Boston, but a favorite 50k of many.  Super hilly, so I can always just power walk and easy run it.
• MMT 32 miles Pacing - in what should be a great experience, I'm going to sign up to pace someone for the final 32 miles of the Massanutten Mountain Trails 100.  It will be slow and rocky.
• OSS All Nighter 50 miler - a fairly technical night-time run on the original proving grounds of the CIA.  Its two 25 mile loops.  Excellent practice for running at night at Grindstone!
• Catoctin 50k - a hilly, summer-time 50k in Maryland during July heat.
• Reston Century Bike Ride - to give my (running) legs a break and get maximal time in on the bike.
• Iron Mountain 50 miler - I conquered the 30 miler, now I want to tame the 50.  An insanely hilly course should provide for one last great training run before I get ready for Grindstone.
• Backroads Century Bike Ride - A more scenic century than Reston to help me recover from Iron Mountain and get a day long workout in.  Probably my last major cycling event of the season.
• Rim2Rim2Rim - A growing legend among Ultra-Runners.  Not a race, but a challenge - to run from one rim of the Grand Canyon to the other side and back in a day.
• Grindstone 100 miler - my first 100 miler!  And it won't be easy.
• Mountain Masochist 50 Miler - Another east coast favorite.  Things will be dicey having run Grindstone just 6 weeks prior.
• Hellgate 100k - the ultimate in self-loathing.  Starting at midnight, in winter, one final death-march to becoming "The Beast"!

This might look like a crazy schedule, but when you think about it, each race is really a training run for the next one.  I would not in a million years run this many road marathons in one year.  I also have another dozen or so shorter road races penciled in, but I've decided to make those all optional in favor of my goal Ultra races.