Tech on Tap talks about photography

IRONWOOD – Local photographer Tom Bergman gave some insights into his process and advice on how to improve one's photos at Thursday's Tech on Tap event at Cold Iron Brewing.

Bergman began with a brief discussion on the basics of photography; such as what ISO, shutter speed and aperture mean and the effect they have on a picture.

Bergman then focused his talk on landscape and night photography.

When taking pictures of the night sky, Bergman said it was important to make sure one had a lense that would let enough light into the camera in a short enough time to prevent the camera from picking up the movement of the stars.

He also encouraged people to not get too attached to certain photography rules, such as the "rule of thirds," as there are alternate ways to balance an image – such as texture or color contrasts.

He also advised that a lot of photography is personal and that everyone develops their own views and philosophy regarding how they work.

Another tip he gave regarding night photography was the importance of using a remote and a tripod, as the shutter is often left open for a long period to let light in and any movements will result in a blurry image.

He also said a shot could be planned out during the day to mark the settings when its easier to see, in preparation for shooting at night.

Regarding landscape photography, Bergman gave a number of tips. One point involved the use of filters as a means to darken the sky enough to prevent it from being too washed out while capturing the foreground.

Bergman said he was a traditionalist who preferred to do as much work as possible in the camera, trying to avoid doing too much in the post production process.

The Tech on Tap lectures are a series of discussions that started this summer on various topics related to technology.

One of the creator's of the series, Dustin Filippini, said he got the idea from Meet-up groups he was active in while living in the Twin Cities.

"I kind of wanted to bring some of that here," Filippini said. "With my own thirst for learning, I figured there were plenty of people around here like me who wanted to learn more about these topics; and also people like Tom who had knowledge of these topics and would love to share it."

Upcoming topics include an Aug. 23 presentation on drones and a Sept. 20 presentation on GIS mapping.

Both are scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m. at Cold Iron Brewing.