tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18288841967055735842012-02-07T04:12:07.057-08:00I'm a teacher and a photographer. I love making photographs and learning about all aspects of photography. This blog is about distilling my learning and sharing it with others.Scott Jantzenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04371993818418272983noreply@blogger.comBlogger221100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1828884196705573584.post-82005867934363264042011-04-17T07:33:00.000-07:002011-04-17T07:41:56.512-07:00

Gabriel Angelo playing his horn Recently I was in San Fransisco for a conference and extended my trip for an additional day so that I could do some photography. As evening approached I was walking down the street by Union Square when I heard beautiful trumpet music reverberating amongst the buildings. I couldn't tell where the sound was coming from as the haunting sounds were all around me. As

Scott Jantzenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02642695954956524950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1828884196705573584.post-83872981113830466822009-12-12T09:29:00.001-08:002009-12-12T09:30:25.352-08:00

Originally uploaded by scott.jantzen I created this image using natural light from a window to camera right. I took several images with flash, but didn't like how the flash stopped the wheel. I wanted the pottery wheel to be blurred, creating a sense of motion and I liked the shallow depth of field.

Scott Jantzenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04371993818418272983noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1828884196705573584.post-74156033812725573522009-12-12T07:33:00.000-08:002009-12-13T19:51:17.063-08:00

This past week I took a series of photographs to demonstrate how using off camera flash can be used to create much more dynamic and interesting lighting for portrait photos.The first photo was of Bailey, sitting in a stairwell with cool, late afternoon light coming through the windows and harsh fluorescent lighting from above. I took the photo on program mode where the camera chose the shutter

Scott Jantzenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04371993818418272983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1828884196705573584.post-38878485742245943022009-12-12T04:40:00.000-08:002009-12-12T09:42:22.336-08:00

I recently had a friend ask me this question. She is going to Malawi to work with girls and women, helping them with their education needs. She wants to take her camera to document her travels and is totally torn between purchasing a 31 mm f/1.8 or a 50 mm f/1.4. She needs a fast lens, meaning that it will have a large aperture to let in lots of light (ie. small aperture guide number f/1.4 as

Scott Jantzenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04371993818418272983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1828884196705573584.post-73262156425462489742009-08-08T13:34:00.000-07:002009-08-08T14:57:07.712-07:00

Scott Jantzenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04371993818418272983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1828884196705573584.post-89340886912244960572009-08-03T19:15:00.000-07:002009-08-03T20:13:39.281-07:00

I had an awesome time yesterday photographing Leslie and Justin's wedding. It was a small, intimate wedding with about fifty guests. Justin and Leslie were so cool about everything and the result was a beautiful day that was meaningful and relaxing. We took most of the photos prior to the ceremony so we had to be a little bit careful about getting mud on Leslie's dress. The wedding was held at "

Scott Jantzenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04371993818418272983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1828884196705573584.post-84511651955036616552009-05-31T20:26:00.000-07:002009-05-31T21:07:43.662-07:00

I was recently in Costa Rica with a group of students from my school. We had an awesome time, but the best moments from my perspective were during an afternoon visit to a small rural school on our way to Monteverde.Our visit started with a group of students from the school performing several traditional Costa Rican dances for us. The school building was in very poor condition and basically

Scott Jantzenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04371993818418272983noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1828884196705573584.post-25270870124008968492009-05-29T21:53:00.000-07:002009-05-29T22:40:13.163-07:00

1946 Mercury 1/2 Ton Truck taken at 1/2000, f/4.8 and ISO 800I recently sold my Nikon D80 to a friend and replaced it with the new Nikon D90. I haven't had a lot of time to play with it yet, but I wanted to get a few pictures and a video posted. Yes...a video, the Nikon D90 takes HD video in addition to fabulous pictures. Last Sunday morning, I spent a few hours at the Bar U Ranch, south of

Scott Jantzenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04371993818418272983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1828884196705573584.post-4505156503601676332009-04-26T20:04:00.000-07:002009-04-26T20:28:23.940-07:00

I just got back from a trip to Costa Rica with students from our school. We had a fabulous time exploring various regions of the country. There were ample opportunities on the trip for photography and I enjoyed documenting our adventures in this blog. On our first evening in Costa Rica we were staying  at the Gran Hotel Costa Rica in downtown San Jose. I decided to take a short walk around the

Scott Jantzenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04371993818418272983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1828884196705573584.post-52886950172250142512009-02-19T19:32:00.000-08:002009-02-20T16:20:07.927-08:00

18-200 mm lens set to 18 mm, 1/80 sec at f/3.5, ISO 250It's basketball season so I've spent the last couple of months attending my son's basketball games and trying to figure out how those amazing Sports Illustrated photogs ply their craft. Taking photos of fast-moving action in poorly lit gyms is a definite challenge and does require some specialized equipment. Here's how I did it on a

Scott Jantzenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04371993818418272983noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1828884196705573584.post-46179340792705357352009-02-11T20:52:00.000-08:002009-12-12T09:43:19.649-08:00

My favorite lens, and one that every photographer should have in their arsenal, is a "fast 50." When I bought my digital SLR camera I said no to the temptation of an inexpensive "kit" lens and instead put the money into a 50 mm f/1.4, which cost about $400. Even if you can't afford the f/1.4, you can get a 50 mm f/1.8, which will work just fine, for $140. Two reasons why you need a "fast 50."

Scott Jantzenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04371993818418272983noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1828884196705573584.post-20737213974612976902009-02-09T19:38:00.000-08:002009-02-20T16:27:10.994-08:00

Young couple enjoying the view of Athens from the AcropolisBack in the days of 35 mm film, my workflow consisted of clicking the shutter 36 times, removing the roll of film, sending it off to the lab for processing, and upon return, sorting the "keepers" from the "rejects." The rejects went into the garbage and the keepers were numbered and filed in a slide box. I always had intentions of

Scott Jantzenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04371993818418272983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1828884196705573584.post-65986848967934000952009-02-08T20:35:00.001-08:002009-02-08T21:34:29.802-08:00

Back in early fall I was asked if I would be interested in taking some photos of the local high school for use on a school publication. I responded that I would be happy to do so. I got up early one chilly October morning, drove to the school and tried to find a vantage point that would yield interesting light and an uncluttered view. I dragged the garbage can that was by the front door out of

Scott Jantzenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04371993818418272983noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1828884196705573584.post-69649849517587245582009-02-04T20:46:00.000-08:002009-02-04T21:58:08.085-08:00

Astronomical Clock (1410) Prague, Czech RepublicI just bought a new camera! It wasn't expensive, just 20 bucks on eBay, but to me it's a pretty special find. My new camera is exactly the same as my very first camera, the Kodak Brownie Holiday Camera, which I have referred to in earlier posts. It is pretty low-tech and doesn't have any settings, other than a winding knob and the shutter release.

Scott Jantzenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04371993818418272983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1828884196705573584.post-2934118591684895402009-01-31T18:24:00.001-08:002009-01-31T20:44:54.271-08:00

One day, shortly after I purchased my digital SLR camera, I bumped into my good friend, Andrew Penner, in Willow Park Village in Calgary. I hadn't seen Andrew for a while and we got to talking. Andrew is an amazing guy who doesn't seem to have a "real" job. When I first met Andrew, he was working as a golf pro, teaching lessons and doing some writing on the side. Andrew is incredibly modest and

Scott Jantzenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04371993818418272983noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1828884196705573584.post-72661152162202438222009-01-30T04:36:00.000-08:002009-02-02T22:32:48.822-08:00

Got home late last night from an intimate concert with Martyn Joseph. My good friend Trent, was at a song writing workshop with Martyn and got to know him on a personal level. Martyn was coming over for a concert in Calgary and Trent asked if he would play for a group of about 50 friends. What an amazing evening! Good food, connecting with friends, and listening to an incredible musician. Martyn

Scott Jantzenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04371993818418272983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1828884196705573584.post-59173636602390144872009-01-26T17:29:00.000-08:002009-01-26T19:34:30.545-08:00

Starting this photo blog has been excellent as it has caused me to reflect on my own practice as a photographer and think about why I do the things that I do. As a school administrator working with teachers, I use a similar process. If I can ask questions that cause a teacher to think and reflect on their practice, they will usually make changes to their practice and get better at what they

Scott Jantzenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04371993818418272983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1828884196705573584.post-75982363991646396892009-01-23T13:03:00.000-08:002009-01-26T19:27:21.561-08:00

Let me begin by quoting Scott Bourne from This Week in Photography, "Nobody makes bad lenses or bad cameras anymore." That being said, I researched my camera gear very carefully before I purchased it in the fall of 2007. My decisions were based on the fact that we would be traveling to Europe in the summer of 2008, and I wanted to travel light. I also wanted to maximize the quality of equipment

Scott Jantzenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04371993818418272983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1828884196705573584.post-7578572949511338462009-01-22T22:15:00.000-08:002009-01-23T13:03:35.315-08:00

I'm often asked, "So what do you shoot?" My answer is usually along the lines of "Anything that reflects light!" One of my favorite things to do is to get up early in the morning, grab a cup of coffee in a travel mug and head west of High River into the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. One morning, late last August, I happened upon a group of five cowboys in the process of moving a heard of

Scott Jantzenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04371993818418272983noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1828884196705573584.post-64185213601028956872009-01-22T19:14:00.000-08:002009-01-25T20:26:54.020-08:00

I've been making pictures for a long time. I got my first camera, a Kodak Brownie Holiday Camera, when I was about seven years old. I got the camera from my dad who has been an avid photographer for as long as I can remember. As I was reflecting about my start in photography, I remembered that I still have a photo album with shots in it from that first camera buried in a box in the basement. The

Scott Jantzenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04371993818418272983noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1828884196705573584.post-30569540168200889962009-01-20T19:06:00.000-08:002009-01-20T19:33:29.886-08:00

For the past while, as I drive to work in the morning there is one particular view that catches my breath. At this spot the vehicles on the highway are silhouetted against the morning sky and their tires appear to be just barely touching the pavement. Each morning I try to be in place at 7:50 am to see the show. The challenge of how to capture this scene has occupied my thoughts for weeks, and

Scott Jantzenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04371993818418272983noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1828884196705573584.post-69556732225364357292009-01-20T18:50:00.000-08:002009-02-02T22:31:45.996-08:00

I am a photographer and a teacher. My full-time job is working as a vice-principal of a junior high school. In between my roles of husband, father and educator, I make photographs and learn about photography. I learn by doing, reading books, magazines and websites, listening to podcasts, and reading the blogs of other photographers. I love learning new things and then distilling this information

Scott Jantzenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04371993818418272983noreply@blogger.com1