Heads up, wildlife photographers: the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach will host its annual photographers’ night on Sunday.

Now in its 14th year, the event takes place from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., after the aquarium’s closed to the public.

Anitza Valles, the aquarium’s web and social media manager, came up with the idea.

“We invite photographers, amateur and professional, all ages, all skill levels to come and enjoy a night of photography at the aquarium where they don’t have to battle it out with regular guests or strollers or any other kids,” Valles said. “It’s basically a night for people to kind of camp out and get the shots that they’ve always wanted to get.”

The event will also feature vendors like Fujifilm, which will lend equipment to attendees, as well as an introductory workshop. Guests will also be able to make a splash by competing in the aquarium’s annual photo contest.

The biggest attraction

Valles, who’s an amateur photographer herself, said sea jellies are often the biggest attraction on photography night, but getting the right shot of the slow-moving sea creatures can take a bit of work.

“It seems really simple, but then once you actually just stop the motion in your camera, you realize that jellies look very strange when they’re mid-motion,” she said. “So you kind of have to follow them along and get in tune with their timing.”

Some exhibits will have restrictions on flash photography and bright lights. For instance, flash is not allowed near the giant Pacific octopus since it’s a den animal that prefers low light. Otherwise, photographers will have free rein to take photos of any of the aquarium’s animals.

Valles said even after almost 15 years, she’s still surprised by the pictures people take — even of the less photogenic animals at the aquarium.

“People think ‘aquarium,’ they think bright tropical fish, but we get really interesting fish that most people might have not paid attention to on a regular visit,” Valles said. “You get something like the Pacific spiny lumpsuckers. That’s one of my favorites in recent years, and it is the most adorably ugly, cute fish you can think of.”

You can find more details about the event and buy tickets at the Aquarium of the Pacific’s website.

Portrait photography is one of the most popular genres out there, and though it can be quite challenging, it can also be very rewarding. If you are just starting your portrait photography journey and feeling a bit overwhelmed, check out this fantastic video tutorial that shares everything you need to get started, ranging from technical skills to developing a creative mindset and starting a business. 

Coming to you from Ed Verosky, this awesome video tutorial will show you everything you need to know to get started as a professional photographer. No doubt, it is crucial that you develop a mastery of technical skills like the exposure triangle, lighting, and post-processing and develop your own sense of style. However, where photographers often go wrong is overlooking the business aspect. A lot of really talented photographers unfortunately fail in the professional realm because they assume that that talent alone is what will bring them success. The truth is that taking pictures is only a small part of what a professional does. The most successful professional photographers are talented businesspeople for whom photography happens to be the service they provide. Invest as much time learning how to run a business as you do behind a camera. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Verosky. 

I didn’t know it was possible to find such pleasure in traveling back and forth across a stage in a line until I began rehearsing with Pam Kuntz and the community of dancers involved in “Tidal” — a new multimedia dance work featuring the photography of Helen Scholtz and the poetry of Jessica Ardis. 

Charles Halka’s splashing, bubbling and flowing sound-score accompanies the piece, which premieres Oct. 5–8 at the FireHouse Arts and Events Center. 

In “Tidal” the dancers speak and even sing. And then there’s the fabric and the gorgeous projected images of water and reflections. The cast of 16 dancers/co-creators spans five generations and includes a public defender, current and former dance students, therapists, movement practitioners, moms and past collaborators. 

 Pamela Kuntz walks the dancers of “Tidal” through some edits for their routine during a rehearsal. (Andrew Ford/Cascadia Daily News)  

Many of the dancers are over 50 and the oldest is 80. At 39, I fall somewhere in the middle.

In bringing this group together Kuntz said, “We are constantly navigating our meeting points with each other.” 

What could be seen as limiting — working with different schedules and changing abilities — has helped inform the structure. Tasks and watershed moments help guide the dancers on their journeys, and choices are constantly being made as dancers maintain an awareness of each other and the audience.

“Movement improvisation is one of my great loves, so experimenting with various combinations of people and images/metaphors has been wonderfully fulfilling,” dancer Lucy Morse said. “Pam’s process is graceful and generous, funny and thoughtful, so if something doesn’t work, she has asked for our input.”

 The group of 18 dancers range in age from 18-79. (Andrew Ford/Cascadia Daily News)  

At times “Tidal” diverts away, though not entirely, from traditional dance movement in favor of recognizable gestures, such as swimming and “signing” and pedestrian tasks.

Kuntz invites audience members to experience a sense of participation in the dance. In rehearsal, my partner in the movement study “This/That,” Tracy Rienstra, offered a hand and somehow we ended up with her standing and walking on my feet. Virtuosic movement? Maybe not. Human? Yes.

Although it was initially conceived as an examination of water, Kuntz said, “The piece ended up being more about making choices and the results of those choices in our world, on the other humans and on the planet.” 

 The dancers are backdropped by hanging cloth that reflects images of nature and water from projectors. (Andrew Ford/Cascadia Daily News)  

Kuntz cites her personal experience from the flooding from the Nooksack River in 2021 and the global increase in water-related disasters as informing the piece. The world of “Tidal” draws surprising parallels between the way water behaves and what it means to be a human. 

There are moments of wonder and calm within shared experiences, while other “moving pictures,” such as those reciprocally inspired by Ardis’ “Wake” poems, examine how destructive behaviors intersect on a human and an environmental level.

Sholtz uses a macro lens to capture moments in time and, as she puts it, “the things that we pass by every day.” Ardis’ poetry is embedded in “Tidal” and is interwoven into the choreography and performance. The “Wake” poems came directly out of a free-write session involving Kuntz, Halka, Ardis, Scholtz and early collaborators Cara Congelli and Bailey Krager. 

Dancers flow back and forth through the dance hall with smooth, random motions that mimic tides.

(Andrew Ford/Cascadia Daily News)

Throughout, “Tidal” words clarify, contain and add depth and discernible meaning to the movement. Halka dove into the creation process using lists of descriptive words, a video of the May 2023 work-in-progress showing and access to images and poetry.

Halka’s collected sounds, including the dancers’ recorded voices, waves on Whidbey Island, and the sound of rain in his own backyard, at times spread and multiply like ripples on the surface of water. 

Kuntz said she hopes the duets and relationships that emerge among the dancers along with the atmospheric elements in the sounds, images and poetry will help audience members “see how they live in the world, not only how they live with other people.”

 Pamela Kuntz is held by her dancers as they pose for a group photo. (Andrew Ford/Cascadia Daily News)  

Regarding building community, dancer Rebecca DeGraw said saying yes to this process took courage. 

“Being seen and respected fuels my ability to keep saying yes,” she said. “It has helped me adjust my outlook on my aging process and my health challenges. I feel so much more accepting of my changing abilities and celebrate how I show up now.”

“Tidal” shows at 7 p.m. Oct. 5–7 and 5 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 8 at the FireHouse Arts and Events Center, 1314 Harris Ave. Tickets are pay as you like, minimum $1, suggested $20. Advance ticket purchases are recommended, as performances will sell out. Info: kuntzandco.org. 

There are some shots, shoots, or situations that are simply a rite of passage for photographers learning the craft. Here are seven examples most photographers have experienced. How many have you gone through?

Now, we can’t all go through every rite of passage and I doubt anyone will get every entry on this list, but let me know in the comments how many applied to you and what ones I missed.

1. Steel Wool

I can turn my nose up all I like at steel wool photography, it’s still damned cool, fun to shoot, and my first successful photograph (seen above) used the technique, albeit I went a little too far. The above shot was taken by setting fire to an entire 50 cm wheel of fine-grade steel wool, standing on a roof, and hurling it around with a homemade contraption.

Still, it’s one of those types of shots that as a new photographer, you cannot resist the allure of trying, and nor should you!

2. Friends and Family Wedding Inquiry

In all honesty, I have lost count of how many times I’ve had inquiries for weddings of those I know, and against my better judgment and the advice of fellow photographers, I even took some of them on. Perhaps having your friends and family (and their friends and family) reach out to you to see if you would photograph their special day is purely a compliment — a sign that you’re creating decent images — but it does feel as if there are several other motivations.

If you have never had an inquiry, fear not, one is likely coming soon! And fair warning: it’s harder than it seems.

3. Pet Portrait Shoot

If you have a pet and you take up photography, that pet’s free time is going to be impacted — there’s no escaping it. For the first few years, every lens, every light, and every backdrop I received, my dog, cat, or praying mantis was going to be drafted in for some unpaid work. If they’re obedient, and the dog above was nothing if not obedient for my camera, then they act as invaluable subjects. Also, a snapshot I took of my dog in the rain ended up on a get-well-soon card and I got royalties for years, so he earned his keep!

4. Vintage Lenses

This is a little more specific — perhaps only to me and the photographers I know well — but the vintage lens phase was incredible (and not entirely over for me). Buying new lenses is so expensive; even used lenses are not cheap. This is a disappointing truth to the wide-eyed, experimental, new photographer who just wants to try every lens they can. This is when you discover that adapted vintage lenses, at the cost of autofocus, can give you an enormous selection.

I ended up buying quite a few vintage lenses, most of them useless but with the occasional gem, and as recently as this month, I was looking at a vintage projector lens to adapt to my Fujifilm GFX 50R. This might be my favorite rite of passage, and few things have evoked the level of joy I got from discovering a $100 lens called the “bokehmonster”. Speaking of bokeh…

5. The Bokeh Obsession

When you start photography, many people get drawn to those portraits taken with an 85mm f/1.2 that were top of 500px constantly; I was one of them. That crazy subject-background separation, with the cinematic vista of translucent orbs, is reasonably hard to replicate on a budget. If you’re comfortable with forgoing some of the extreme bokeh, you’ll be fine, but if not, you need thousands of dollars or a penchant for vintage and obscure lenses.

I’m still in this rite of passage and I will likely die on the bokeh hill, but that’s another article.

5. Street Photography

Some types of photography are just a bit… dorky. Macro photography is one of my favorite genres of the craft, but it isn’t “cool.” However, some types of photography have images that are iconic, photographers that are artists, and collections that furnish gallery walls. One of those is street photography, and most new ‘togs go through a phase with it. Some of those will go on to become street photographers — I’m openly envious of you — but most seek more financially viable genres or gravitate toward other areas.

6. Over-Editing

The above portrait was one of my first, inspired by a trend of HDR black-and-white portraits that were doing the rounds back in 2011ish. I couldn’t believe the positive reception I got for it (and in retrospect, I’m even more surprised), and I distinctly remember being elated with how “sharp” it was. What an idiot. Nevertheless, to find your balance, you sometimes have to go (miles) too far and then dial it back, and that’s what all photographers do when they first start. It didn’t help that when I started photography, HDR was just emerging as a trend, so I was doomed.

7. A Ridiculous Watermark

To give myself a slight break from the self-deprecation, I wasn’t too bad with watermarks. The worst example I could find was from the above shoot, which was my second time as press at Motorsport at the Palace. The first time I went, I sold some of my panning images to the drivers and was thrilled. However, some drivers stole the images from my website and didn’t pay the meager fee I asked for the full-sized digital file, so the next year, I nuked them with a watermark.

There’s a large debate on whether watermarks are worthwhile at all, and I think the instances are fewer and fewer these days, but if they annihilate your artwork, get rid of them!

Final Thoughts

There’s no way to do an exhaustive list of these sorts of rites of passage we photographers go through, and there were a few more I wanted to add, like the social media follower obsession, or worshiping golden hour, or shooting in Manual mode without a good reason. Now, I want to know your rites of passage, either that you’ve gone through yourself, or you’ve noticed lots of photographers bumping into as they get to grips with the craft. Share them in the comment section below.

It’s the time for many of us to see and photograph the auroras. Sadly, thatt generates a lot of invalid arguments about how the images should or should not look. But here’s how you can capture them in all their glory.

An interesting discussion developed in the comments section of a previous article I wrote. I was about whether my use of in-camera and post-production digital effects could still be called photography. It’s an old argument, but it got me wondering where we draw the line, especially when photographing the aurora.

I’ve spoken before about the rift that lies between reality and a photograph; our eyes only pick up a fraction of all the information that makes up reality. Some physicists are struggling with the nature of reality and claim that our universe is just a “product of quantum machinations in a lower dimensional setting.” In plain English, they are theorizing that reality is an illusion.

However, if, as The Beatles’ song Strawberry Fields Forever suggests, nothing is real, and the world around us is an illusion, does anything matter? That idea doesn’t help us in our day-to-day lives. We must rely on naïve realism and believe that the world we see around us is real and as it is, otherwise we can neither function in our daily lives nor in society.

Nevertheless, a photograph is one more step away from actuality. So, although we adopt a naïve realistic approach to what we see about us, with photos it still isn’t as simple as some would have you believe. This is illustrated best when we come to photographing the aurora. Why? Because our cameras reveal what our eyes cannot see.

What Is the Aurora?

We are fast approaching Solar Maximum. It’s the time when the 11-year cycle of the sun’s magnetic poles’ flipping occurs. Large numbers of sunspots appear, and the sun’s irradiance increases by 0.07%. There are solar storms with Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) spewing enormous amounts of plasma and extending magnetic fields far into space, including at the Earth.

CMEs take 15-18 hours to reach us. They vary in speed from 250 kilometers per second (km/s) to nearly 3,000 km/s. In comparison, the fastest manmade object was the Parker Solar Probe, which reached speeds of a sluggish 147.5 km/s. Putting that into context, the maximum speed limit on an Interstate Highway in the USA is 0.033 km/s.

When these high-speed energized particles slam into our planet’s upper atmosphere, they are deflected by our magnetic poles. They then interact with the molecules of mainly oxygen in our upper atmosphere. Consequently, those impacted molecules produce energy that they release as photons, i.e. light.

What Causes the Different Colors in an Aurora?

When hitting the oxygen molecules at altitudes of around 60 to 190 miles (100 to 300 km) up, the aurora produces green light. Less frequent are red auroras as those are associated with more intense solar activity. They happen when scarcer oxygen molecules at higher altitudes, 180 to 250 miles (300 to 400 km), are excited by the solar radiation.

You may get blue and purple auroras if there is even more intense solar activity. Even more rare, they happen when the solar radiation penetrates to 60 miles or less. Sometimes, all those colors may mix and you will see pink and yellow auroras.

Don’t worry about that talk of radiation and high-energy particles. You are quite safe, protected by our atmosphere. However, solar storms can play havoc with artificial satellites. If you lose your GPS signal or your satellite TV at night, take a look at the sky. There may be an aurora.

How Do We Predict an Aurora?

Like on Earth, solar weather is somewhat unpredictable. The 11-year cycle was supposed to peak in 2025. Scientists are now predicting it to reach its zenith next year. However, we are getting some great displays already.

Astronomers are constantly monitoring the sun and know if there is a solar flare sending plasma our way. Consequently, news sites often mention beforehand that it is going to happen. However, I rely on an app called AuroraWatch UK. There are plenty more that you will find if you search your Play Store or App Store.

Often, if you see an aurora, there will be another seven days later. I have no idea why.

Where Can You See the Auroras and What Do They Look Like?

The nearer you are to the Earth’s poles, the more likely you are to see the aurora.

Here, in the North of England, above the 55-degree parallel, we occasionally see them. I live just about on the same latitude as Pikwitonei in Manitoba – a place so remote that the Google Street View car hasn’t been there, but it looks like a fantastic place to avoid light pollution and see them even better. The aurora isn’t very bright, so escaping from the city will help you see it. Even moonlight can hide it from view.

The Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) and Aurora Australis (Southern Lights) are impressive to observe. However, you won’t necessarily see the colors. Our eyes’ retinas detect light and comprise rods and cones. Cones detect color and don’t work well in low light. Therefore, the aurora is likely to appear as white light in the sky.

If you can see color, it is most likely going to be green. That’s because of the three primary colors: red, green, and blue. We have as many green-detecting cones as red and blue added together. That’s why those color proportions are used in the Bayer pattern of camera sensors; they mimic our retinas.

Our camera sensors can collect more light if the shutter is left open. Also, the objective lenses of our cameras are far larger than our eyes’ pupils. Therefore, they gather a greater amount of light too. This is why astronomers favor telescopes with large objective lenses over more powerful magnifications.

How to Set Your Camera to Photograph the Aurora

You will need a tripod to keep the camera steady. If your camera or lens has in-built image stabilization, the usual advice is to turn that off when on a tripod, although on my camera, I never find it necessary and leave it on auto. It’s also a good idea to use a remote trigger or set the self-timer and use the camera in silent mode (the electronic shutter) to prevent any camera movement.

Choosing and Setting the Lens

Ideally, you want a fast lens set with its widest aperture. It should have the biggest objective lens possible. I used the OM System M.Zuiko 12-40mm F2.8 PRO lens, shooting wide open at 12mm. My M.Zuiko 7-14mm F/2.8 PRO lens would have sufficed equally well. A short f/1.4 prime lens would have been even better.

Where to Focus

As with everything in photography, there is a compromise to be made. That wide aperture means a shallower depth of field. Therefore, the closest hyperfocal distance, the point at which you get the maximum field of sharpness is further away than it would be with a small aperture.  So, if you want to combine foreground interest with the aurora, your focus point mustn’t be too close to your camera or the aurora and the stars will be unsharp, unless you employ focus stacking, that is.

Conversely, if you are using a wide angle lens, that gives you more depth of field, which works to your benefit.

An app like PhotoPills will help you to calculate the hyperfocal distance. You can, of course, focus beyond that distance, and even on the aurora or stars, but more of the foreground will be blurred as a result.

I generally use manual focus, relying on the focus assistance that highlights the in-focus area. When it’s very dark, I use a torch to illuminate something at or beyond the hyperfocal distance.

Setting the Shutter Speed and ISO

The aurora moves. Fortunately, it does not appear to be moving that quickly where I am because I am farther south. So, a shutter speed of 8-10 seconds using a wide angle lens gives me a good resolution of it. If you are closer to the aurora, i.e. closer to one of the Earth’s poles, it will appear to be moving faster. Therefore, you may need a faster shutter. Fortunately, it will also be brighter too.

Either way, the shutter and aperture combination may not be enough to expose the image correctly, so increasing the ISO may be necessary.

This highlights the importance of reducing ambient light, which can overexpose all or parts of your picture. As I mentioned, a moonless night and shooting well away from streetlights is ideal.

Also, it’s worth noting that if your shutter is open for too long then stars in your picture will start to elongate because of the rotation of the earth, although you probably won’t have to worry about it.

As a rule of thumb, you can apply the 500 rule to ensure stars remain as points and not lines in your photo. For a 35mm sensor camera, divide 500 by the focal length of the lens. So, for a 25mm lens, you would have a maximum exposure of 20 seconds. That may be too long for shooting the aurora anyway and you will want a shorter shutter speed to stop movement blur.

With a Micro Four Thirds camera using a 25mm lens, you would halve that time to 10 seconds. That would be about the right shutter length for me to capture the aurora, anyway, although I used a 12mm focal length, so in theory, I can have the shutter open for over 20 seconds without elongating the stars. But, that is far longer than I would want for the aurora because it would show movement blur.

Of course, increasing the ISO will increase noise, especially with longer exposures. Fortunately, newer sensor technology in contemporary digital cameras helps keep noise levels to a minimum, and modern noise reduction such as those found in DxO PhotoLab, ON1, Topaz AI, and Lightroom is incredible for giving clean sharp images.

How About Developing the Images?

This comes back to where I started. The sensor has collected a lot of raw data, that is, if you are shooting raw, and I advise that you do. That data, when it is turned into a picture you can view in your camera, has been processed. The clever technicians behind your camera’s software decide what your picture should look like. However, the technicians who work for your camera company are not the same as the people who work for Adobe, nor are they the same people who work for DxO, Capture One, ON1, and so forth. They will all interpret your photo differently.

Which of them is right?

All of them and none of them are. Similarly, if you want to adjust the photo to appear how you want it to be, it’s entirely up to you. If you want to increase the saturation of the colors or turn it to black and white, or if you want to rely on those camera technicians’ interpretation of reality, it’s entirely up to you. Any variation of how the raw data is displayed is equally valid. Develop it how you like. Anyone who criticizes your choice – and I have seen some ill-natured criticisms about others’ photos on Facebook – then they are just showing their own lack of understanding. 

If someone else likes it, great. If they don’t, then that’s only their subjective viewpoint being different from yours. What is invalid is saying that your interpretation of the raw data is wrong, unless they accept that every other photo is equally wrong.

Personally, I find the nighttime landscape and aurora images straight out of all cameras look too flat for my taste. Therefore, some adjustments, especially to the tonal contrasts, are needed. I also increase the brightness of shadows in the foreground and reduce the brightness of the highlights. Then, I like to increase the brightness (not the saturation) of the aurora’s colors to make them stand out. Nighttime photos can also stand a lot more mid-tone contrast than daytime shots.

Hi there! My name is Aletheia Sandley, and I’m a photographer here at Ram Page, which should be a pretty good indicator that I’m not much of a writer, but regardless, it never hurts to do a little writing from time to time. Despite how funny and honestly ridiculous the story may seem, a “surprise” led me to ASU.

 Angelo State wasn’t my first choice. This is due in part to the fact that my brother also attends ASU, and I wasn’t too keen on following him. I very much wanted to be my own person and do something different than what my brother was doing. So I of course applied, but kept my options open, applying to several other colleges, most notably ones that were closer to home. As I started narrowing down my options, it ended up being the two schools that were closest. Then an intrusive thought and a snack changed all that.

I bought myself a Kinder Surprise Egg, uncharacteristically, and waited until I got home to open it and see what toy I had gotten. Wouldn’t you know, there was a tiny little ram inside the egg. That very same toy now sits in my dorm window. To put it simply, I had let a Kinder Egg pick which school I was going to. The egg chose my fate. Funnily enough, my favorite colors are blue and yellow.

As for how I found the Ram Page, my entire family had always been on the more creative side, and I was always encouraged to pursue my interests in the arts, particularly painting and most notably photography. As I got older I went through a lot of hobbies, but the only thing that has stuck has been my passion for the arts. I wanted to avoid having to go back into the customer service industry, which brought me to look for a job I could do on campus. This was of course ideal because of scheduling and I would also be more likely to get a job that would be of a genuine interest to me. 

With my brother having already attended ASU for two years, he of course felt the need to chime in, he had an idea for a job that he thought would be of interest to me. He had mentioned to me that there was a job opening at the Ram Page for a photographer. This was exciting news for me as I had always wanted to pursue photography as a potential career. This was an opportunity to put my skills to actual use, something more than the occasional recreational photoshoot.

In terms of my actual career plans for the future, I can’t say they resemble what my current job choice is. As of the moment that I am writing this, I’m a kinesiology major. Which I’ll go ahead and define for the vast majority of people who don’t know what that is. 

Kinesiology, to put it simply, is the general study of human movement and exercise. It covers a broad range of sub-disciplines, including biomechanics, exercise science and performing arts. Like anyone majoring in kinesiology, I already have my mind mostly set on what I intend to do with the degree, though my indecisiveness might change that.

My personal career goals are to eventually be a coach and athletic trainer at the collegiate level. Unlike most, I have no intention of rushing this process, I want to experience every little bit of the career choice. If I’m going to be doing the same thing for the rest of my life, I want to make sure that it’s the right thing for me and that I experience the full spectrum of it. I’m one of those weird people that actually likes to learn new things and the process of learning about them, as well.