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Posts Tagged ‘Fundamentals’

Exploring the Fundamentals of Light to Improve Your Photos

19 Feb

Let me point out from the start, it doesn’t matter what camera you use. From a fancy DSLR to your phone you can use these lighting tools to improve your photographs.

Photography and light go hand in hand. Simply put; if there is no light, there is no photograph.

Sunrise - Exploring the Fundamentals of Light to Improve Your Photos

Light is so important to great photography I’m going to ask you to put your camera down for a moment and observe. Really look at the light. The color of it, the way it’s falling on people and things. What shadows are being created?

Try looking at these different times of the day:

1. Early morning before the sun rises and while it rises

The color of light - Exploring the Fundamentals of Light to Improve Your Photos

You’ll see the light change from a cool blue to red, orange, and yellow light in the early morning. It will shift from a soft shadowless light to one that gives shape and texture to everything it touches. If the weather is right, you’ll witness the same in reverse, going from warm to cool at the other end of the day (sunset)!

Shape texture - Exploring the Fundamentals of Light to Improve Your Photos

Budding photographers tend to photograph the actual sunrise or sunset. It is beautiful to be sure. Instead, try looking at what the sun is doing to the trees or the plants or a person’s face and clothing. When the sun is low in the sky it creates gorgeous shapes and textures. On a beach, look at the texture of the sand or the shape of rocks and shells scattered here and there.

2. High noon

Raccoon eyes - Exploring the Fundamentals of Light to Improve Your Photos

High noon is a time better left to gunslingers! This can be the worst time for photography. It is the same light you see in office spaces with overhead lighting. It will give your portraits unflattering raccoon eyes like the image above.

What are you to do then? There are two easy solutions. Turn on your flash is one possibility. The second is head into the shade outside and use window light indoors.

3. Window light

Window light is beautiful directional light. What’s directional? This means the light is coming from one direction, one source.

What we too often see is a person standing with their back to a bank of windows with their faces dark or the outdoors completely white. Instead, place your subject perpendicular to the window using the light to illuminate one side of their face. You can use window light with equally effective results whether photographing a person or an object.

Window light - Exploring the Fundamentals of Light to Improve Your Photos

You’ll want to try using this kind of light when the sun is not shining directly through the window. Pick a cloudy day, use a north-facing window, or shoot after the sun has moved overhead away from the window.

4. Stormy weather

The light changes as you move into and out of a storm. Watch how the color of flowers, leaves, and even cars comes to life during these times of shifting weather. You can add saturation in Photoshop to images today, but you will find it far more realistic if you can capture the saturated color you enjoy at the end of a rainfall.

After the storm - Exploring the Fundamentals of Light to Improve Your Photos

And don’t be shy about heading out into a snowfall or rainstorm with your camera in tow. You will discover a whole new world most folks hideaway from. You will bear witness to people and scenes not normally seen. I guarantee people will exclaim, “Wow, how did you get that shot?!”

5. The Seasons

Your observations of light will inform you of many things. I imagine you will start to see things I don’t see as well. That’s my hope. One other thing you might observe is that light changes over the course of the year too.

Fall color - Exploring the Fundamentals of Light to Improve Your Photos

For example, the sun’s position in the sky changes. During the summer here in southern Ontario the sun rises directly out my back door facing east. Come November, that same ball of fire is rising about 45 degrees further south or to my right. So, it is now lighting things from a very different angle than it was in June, creating different shapes and textures on objects in the same space. How cool is that!

Another piece of the lighting puzzle I’ve discovered is the light becomes clearer and sharper almost overnight moving from August to September. The muggy air of August creates a softer light because it is filled with particulate scattering the light around. As the air cools in September the air is fresher and cleaner giving us a sharper light. This is in southern Ontario, but I guarantee the same effects will occur at some time in your neck of the woods.

Brave the weather

People in these parts complain when it hits -20 Celsius. That’s the time to grab your camera and head out into the world. We get a lot of gray weather during our winters. Ninety percent of the time when it’s very cold we get crisp, clean, beautiful light with these gorgeous blue skies.

Cold morning - Exploring the Fundamentals of Light to Improve Your Photos

I recognize I’m talking about my home, but I ask you to start observing what effect the seasons and the weather have on the light in your area. Which times excite you visually? When does the color jump out at you? Perhaps you like the softer light?

Conclusion

I encourage you to observe and then explore different light to discover your preferences. If you’re excited, you will start creating stronger images you want to share.

Let’s finish with a challenge to share. It’s hard to put your photographs out there. The thing is, with whatever medium you choose to express yourself, you bring a unique vision to the world.

What is truly fantastic about photography is that seven or 70 of us can photograph the same scene, and we will typically all come up with a different perspective. When we share, we learn. My recommendation? Be yourself and share. Start by posting an image in the comments below and tell us about the light you used to create it.

The post Exploring the Fundamentals of Light to Improve Your Photos by David McCammon appeared first on Digital Photography School.


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How to do High-Speed Photography – the Fundamentals

20 Sep

What is high-speed photography?

High-speed photography is capturing the moments that happen in a fraction of time which you can’t see with the naked eye, like a bursting balloon or a splash of water. This photography is different from other kinds because it requires almost 1/20,000th of a second exposure time to freeze these moments. Most DSLR cameras don’t have such a high shutter speed, so how can you take these kinds of shots? In this article I will explain how to do high-speed photography.

Dancing Colors - Fundamentals of High-Speed Photography

What camera and lens do you need?

Let’s talk about the gear you need for high-speed photography first. Of course, you need a DSLR camera and the good news is that any DSLR will work. If you have any other camera that has manual controls, it will also work fine. Next is the lens and just like the camera, any will work. I use a 100mm macro lens for close-up shots like liquid sculptures and a 24-70mm zoom for balloon shots.

The only lens requirement is that the focal length should be long enough so that you have sufficient distance between your camera and the subject, to keep your gear safe from colors and water splashes. I found that 100mm macro is the best lens as it has 1:1 magnification so you can fill the frame with your subject. Because of the 100mm focal length, your camera will also be far enough from the subject.

Punch - Fundamentals of High-Speed Photography

Other equipment needed

Next, you need flashes and you need a lot of them. In some shots, I’ve even used four flashes together. The next requirement is a tripod because you need to do lots of work simultaneously, so it’s better that camera is fixed on the tripod. You also need a shutter release cable or remote to release the shutter.

Have patience

The most important requirement for this kind of photography is practice and lots of patience. Sometimes you’ll take hundreds of shots and none of them will be good, and you may think that it’s not your cup of tea. But don’t give up, as with practice and patience you can get desired results easily.

When I was trying to take following water drop shot, it took me almost 3 months and over 3,000 shots to get my first accurate shot. Eventually, I discovered a trick that made everything easy for me. I’ll share that trick later in this article so keep reading.

Fundamentals of High-Speed Photography

Get a helper as well

You may also need an assistant as you have to do lots of tasks all at the same time, and you can’t do everything on your own. Also, there will be a lot of mess after your shoot and it’s very boring to clean it up all alone. Last but not least, you need to find some creative hacks. For example, for “Dancing Colors” shots I made this setup using a soap dish, a plastic pipe, a black swim cap, some Velcro and fixed this in the air vent of the subwoofer of my computer speakers.

Fundamentals of High-Speed Photography

Along those lines, one day I also discovered that it’s much easier to fire flashes instead of releasing the shutter to capture an accurate moment. So I used some wire and a push button switch to make a switch to fire the flash manually.

Camera settings

Before we talk about camera settings, I am going to reveal a shocking truth. Are you ready for this? Okay, the reality is that camera shutter speed doesn’t matter in high-speed photography. In fact, in this image, my shutter speed was 1/10th of a second.

Fundamentals of High-Speed Photography

What, have I lost my mind? I just wrote that you need 1/20,000th of a second to freeze the moment and now I am saying that shutter speed doesn’t matter. Relax, I’ll explain everything.

In such photography, we usually shoot in a dark room with a narrow aperture and using bulb mode. We open the shutter and fire the flash at the right time to expose the image. So, regardless of whether the camera shutter speed is 1/10th or 1/250th, the exposure time is only when the flashes fire (for the duration of the flash).

Color Injected in Water Fundamentals of High-Speed Photography

Color injected into water.

Hence, these are the camera settings required:

  • Camera mode: Bulb
  • Aperture: f/11 – f/16
  • ISO: 100 – 400
  • Focus: Manual
  • Flashes with the lowest power setting possible.

Why do you need to use your flashes on the lowest power setting? Because that will give you the shortest flash duration. If you fire a flash on full power the flash duration is around 1/1,000th of a second. But at 1/128th power, it comes down to almost 1/35,000th of a second, which will freeze the subject completely.

Color Injected in Water Fundamentals of High-Speed Photography

Color injected into water.

Work flow

Set your camera on a tripod with a shutter release cable. Set the lowest possible ISO, go for 100 and increase it only if you don’t have enough flash power. Then, set the aperture between f/11-f/16, focus manually, and leave the camera. Now you need to train someone to press the shutter release button on your mark and release it as soon as the flash has been fired.

Your job is to do the action using one hand (like bursting the balloon, playing the beats or releasing the water drop) and fire the flashes using a switch at the perfect moment. You’ll need some practice but eventually, you will do it accurately.

Fundamentals of High-Speed Photography

Points to remember

Shoot in dark room: You should always shoot in a dark room as you are using bulb mode and sometimes your shutter speed will come down to 1/10th or 1/5th. So, if the light in the room is bright, it’ll affect the shot. The room should only have a small (low) light source so that you can see everything.

Small Aperture: Always shoot between f/11 – f/16 so you can get deep depth of field and everything comes into focus. Also, with a narrow aperture, the ambient light won’t affect the shot as much.

Made For Each Other - Fundamentals of High-Speed Photography

Manually Focus: Manual focus is a must as a camera can’t focus in the dark and you may miss the action if the camera keeps attempting to focus.

Flashes: Use the lowest power and slave mode on your flashes so you don’t need to attach all the flashes using wires. With slave mode, you need to fire only one master flash and the others will fire automatically.

The secret trick

Liquid Sculpture Fundamentals of High-Speed Photography

Now sit back and relax, because I am going to reveal a super easy way that you can shoot high-speed photography and get such pictures without much effort. Your chances of getting an accurate shot will increase tenfold. Are you ready?

The secret is to use burst mode on your camera. Set your camera to high-speed burst mode. You also need to change the camera mode to manual and the shutter speed to 1/125. Plus, you need to attach your master flash to the camera so that it’ll fire with the camera simultaneously.

Now when you press shutter release button, the camera will start taking photos and keep clicking until you release the button. Depending on your camera model, it will click between four to 10 shots per second.

Water Galaxy - Fundamentals of High-Speed Photography

With one hand, press the shutter release button and with your other hand do the action. Once the action is finished, release the button. By using this trick, you can get your first perfect shot in just 5-6 trials.

Conclusion

High-speed photography is a lot of fun. It can be tricky to get right. But don’t give up, keep trying until you get the desired results and share your photos in the comments below.

Refraction Fundamentals of High-Speed Photography

 

The post How to do High-Speed Photography – the Fundamentals by Ramakant Sharda appeared first on Digital Photography School.


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Fundamentals of statistical and thermal physics f reif pdf

11 Sep

Energy state by emitting fundamentals of statistical and thermal physics f reif pdf form of radiation, ?? ??????? ?? ???? ??????????? ?????????? ?? ???????? ?????????????? ????????, mcgraw Hill Mitchell Tom M Machine Learning 1997. ????? ??????? ??????, ??????????????? ????????????? ???? ??????????? ? ?????? ????????????? ?? ???????? ? ?????????. La unidad de energía definida por el […]
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Photography fundamentals explained

19 Feb

Want to brush up on some basic concepts? Here you’ll find detailed explanations of some of the fundamentals of digital photography. Get your science on and impress all your friends at the next dinner party.

Sources of noise part two: Electronic Noise
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Sources of noise part two: Electronic Noise

Following on our look at the effects of shot noise, our attentions turn to the electronic noise added by your camera. In this second part of the series, we look at read noise and how your sensor’s behavior defines what your camera is capable of and consequently, how you should shoot with it. Read more

The effect of pixel size on noise
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The effect of pixel size on noise

A quick look at the effect of sensor size and pixel size on noise.

What's that noise? Part one: Shedding some light on the sources of noise
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What's that noise? Part one: Shedding some light on the sources of noise

How would you react if you were told that the aperture and shutter speed you choose make more difference to image noise than the ISO setting? You might be surprised to discover that a lot of the noise in your images doesn’t come from your camera at all: it comes from the light you’re capturing. Our own Richard Butler explains. Read more

What is equivalence and why should I care?
2348

What is equivalence and why should I care?

Equivalence, at its most simple, is a way of comparing different formats (sensor sizes) on a common basis. Sounds straightforward enough, but the concept is still somewhat controversial and not always clearly understood. We thought it was about time we explained – and demonstrated – what equivalence means and what it doesn’t. Learn more

Sense and Sensitivity
0

Sense and Sensitivity

Sensitivity (ISO) in digital imaging is the subject of quite a lot of confusion – it’s becoming common to hear talk of manufacturers ‘cheating with ISO.’ Here we look at why sensitivity can be hard to pin down, why we use the definition we do and how it’s really as complicated as it can seem.

Behind the scenes: extended highlights!
3

Behind the scenes: extended highlights!

Sensors, sensitivity, exposure and dynamic range (blog post)

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Photoshop CS6 One on One Fundamentals | Mediafire Links

02 Nov

Pass: ESC Links: j.gs Topics include: -Opening an image from Photoshop, Bridge, or Camera Raw -Navigating, zooming, panning, and rotating the canvas -Adding, deleting, and merging layers -Saving your progress and understanding file formats -Cropping and straightening -Adjusting brightness and contrast -Identifying and correcting a color cast -Making and editing selections -Enhancing portraits by retouching skin, teeth, and eyes **************** include the exercise files
Video Rating: 2 / 5

 
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FUNDAMENTALS (Photo Shooting & Making Of)

13 Oct

HOMEPAGE: www.jakobkasimir.com FACEBOOK www.facebook.com FACEBOOK GROUP: www.facebook.com TWITTER: twitter.com GOOGLE PLUS: plus.google.com “Fundamentals” is a game between background and foreground, between beauty and dirt. On the one side you have a beautiful model on the other side different layers of special materials. Background becomes foreground and foreground becomes background. Those two things go so well with each other even though they are so different. As well as the impressive background is not stealing any relevance from the model. Every background is real and no editing. Every model is exactly chosen for the right background. The colors of the background are: Fundamental colors: Red/Yellow/Blue Secondary colors: Brown/Green/Turquoise/ Pink/Purple/Orange Other colors: Black/White/Gold/Silver “Fundamentals” also gets subdivided into two main parts: Backgrounds and Food. I created for every color two photographs, one you can eat and one you don’t. The model, makeup, light, shades, temperature, etc. is exactly balanced with to background. So welcome to the fundamentals…
Video Rating: 4 / 5

 

Photography Tutorial 1 (Fundamentals)

31 Mar

A brief rambling explaining the three fundamentals of photography. APERTURE, SHUTTER SPEED and ISO or FILM SPEED. This is the first of a planned series of video tutorials about photography…. update: 5-13-10 I have posted many more videos as well as crated a DVD of my “Photography Tutorial” Series and am working on even more videos. SUBSCRIBE if you would like to be updated when I create a new video to get the most from my madness. Peace PS Please thumbs up this video if you learned anything from it =o) Update 7-11-10 You can now order my entire DVD from my new ordering page here www.photomagicsocal.com =o) Thanks for the support and Keep Learning This DVD will teach you the essential concepts of photography. It will give you a solid foundation to build your photography future. This DVD is for beginning and intermediate photographers who are serious about learning the core concepts behind consistently taking amazing photographs. This is an extremely informative learning tool created by 10 year photographer Robert Vasquez out of Southern California. Robert is an EXTREMELY CANDID, ENTERTAINING and most importantly EFFECTIVE teacher. Gain years of knowledge and expand on your art by ordering MASTERY OF PHOTOGRAPHY ESSENTIALS

For more episodes of Viewfinders, go to thephotoletariat.com Cutting-edge portrait photographers Will Steacy and Sarah Small put their portfolios to the test as noted portrait photographer and faculty member at the Hallmark Institute of Photography, David Turner, and the Director of Redux Pictures Marcel Saba judge the two emerging photographers work. Watch to see who will walk away the winner. Executive Producer: Megan Cunningham Producer/ Writer: Rachel Talbot Associate Producers: Sophia Betz, Maggie Spilman Director of Photography: Frank Barrera Additional Shooting: Michael Waitt Audio Engineer: Matthew Hendershot Editor: Dave Marcus Additional Editing: Maggie Spilman Graphics: Hei-Man (Anita) Yu Production Assistant: Ari Neiditz Filmed at Brooklyn Studios www.brooklynstudios.net Special Thanks: Marcel Saba, David Turner (www.davidturnerphotography.com Carrie at Brooklyn Studios, Redux Pictures (www.reduxpictures.com Leah Meyerhoff, Unicorn Films LLC, Brian Gonzalez, Drew Tobia, Josephine Decker, Jewel Street Studios, Liz Solms, Bianca Kodzoman, and the Wyatt Gallery (www.wyattgallery.com
Video Rating: 4 / 5