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How to Avoid and Reduce Noise in Your Photos (2021 Guide)

08 Jun

The post How to Avoid and Reduce Noise in Your Photos (2021 Guide) appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Barry J Brady.

We’ve all seen it in our images: that uneven grainy look that makes our images unappealing.

But how can you avoid noise? And, in cases where it’s unavoidable, how do you reduce noise in photos?

In this article, I’m going to share plenty of tips and tricks for both preventing and removing noise. Specifically, I’ll share:

Why you’re actually dealing with noise in the first place
Five simple ways to stop noise from ever appearing in your images
A noise reduction workflow you can use to reduce noise in Lightroom and Adobe Camera Raw

Sound good? Let’s dive right in, starting with the important first question:

What is noise?

Generally speaking, noise is defined as aberrant pixels. In other words, noise is made up of pixels not correctly representing the color or exposure of the scene.

Why does noise happen?

Noise is introduced when you shoot a long-exposure image or use a high ISO setting on your camera.

(What counts as a high ISO setting? That depends on your camera model, but these days, most cameras start getting noisy around ISO 1600 or 3200.)

Does that mean you should never do long exposures or go over ISO 100?

No! There are times you may need – or even want – to use long exposures or raise the ISO. Landscape photographers, event photographers, and wildlife photographers shoot in low light all the time, which requires long exposures and/or a high ISO.

At the same time, there are simple ways to avoid too much noise in your photos, even when using the above techniques, which I’ll discuss in the next section:

Before and after noise reduction — Reducing noise in your images can make a huge difference to the overall quality.

5 ways to reduce noise in-camera

Below, I share the five methods for minimizing noise while out shooting.

Not every method will apply for every situation, which is why it pays to be familiar with all of them – and to carefully choose the right method for your particular shot.

1. Shoot at lower ISO settings

Yes, we’re starting with the most obvious method. But photographers often push their ISO too high, too fast, leading to bad image quality.

Now, if your camera is three years old or newer, the ISO functionality will be great. You shouldn’t see too much noise creeping into your images, even up to ISO 3200. However, there might still be some noise at the higher ISO numbers, such as ISO 6400, ISO 12800, and beyond.

So don’t raise your ISO with abandon. Instead, be aware of your exposure, and recognize that shooting at a high ISO will produce more noise in your images. Boost your ISO if necessary, but consider other options before dialing in ISO 12800.

Here are a few items to think about before increasing the ISO:

Open your aperture to its widest setting (e.g., f/2.8)
If you are shooting in low light, use a tripod and drop your shutter speed
If you are shooting a smaller subject (e.g., a person), use a flash

Each of these strategies will help you get a nice, bright exposure – without unnecessarily raising the ISO.

Of course, if your shots are still turning out dark, then you will need to push the ISO up higher. I’d recommend doing some test shots to find out your camera’s ISO capabilities and at what point the ISO settings start to really degrade image quality.

For many years, I shot on a Nikon D80, and I knew that anything above ISO 500 was really difficult to use. Noise at ISO 640 and beyond became difficult to remove. And if I was able to successfully remove it, the whole image looked like a watercolor painting thanks to the noise reduction process. So I worked within my constraints.

2. Shoot in RAW format

Does the idea of shooting in RAW intimidate you? It shouldn’t! RAW is a great way to get the best out of your images, so be sure to use it.

You don’t have to shoot RAW all the time. But when you notice that the light is becoming a little too dark, switch over to RAW.

Why is this so important?

JPEGs come with compression – a process during which noise becomes baked into your images. So removing noise in post-production becomes really tough (as does increasing exposure, which is often important in high-ISO situations).

3. Expose correctly from the start

Boosting a too-dark exposure will reveal noise – which is why it’s essential that you get your exposures right from the very beginning.

When out shooting, I highly recommend checking your camera’s LCD – including the histogram – to make sure you’ve nailed the exposure.

And don’t be afraid to take several shots at different exposures, especially if you’re dealing with a tricky scene; better to be safe than sorry!

Also, the higher your ISO, the more unforgiving the file. In other words: If you’re using a high ISO, you had better get the exposure right, because boosting an underexposed high-ISO image will result in a noisy mess.

(Of course, don’t overexpose, either. While overexposure won’t cause problems with noise, it will obliterate detail, which is never a good thing.)

4. Be careful when doing long exposures

Long exposures produce some of the most dramatic images.

But if the exposure is too long, the camera sensor may heat up, causing unwanted noise.

Don’t let this stop you from doing long exposures – if you love long exposures, then do long exposures – just be aware of how your camera handles the long exposure time.

In fact, you might consider shooting a series of long exposures, then checking each file on your computer for noise.

Then, once you’ve determined your camera’s limitations, make sure you don’t set your shutter speed for longer than your camera can handle.

The key point here is to know the limits of your gear and to shoot within those limits. You’ll end up with great images and have an easy time when editing.

long exposure seascape — Long exposure images can increase noise in a scene.

5. Use in-camera noise reduction

Most cameras offer a function called Long Exposure Noise Reduction, and if you’re doing long exposures, it’s a good idea to turn it on.

Why?

Well, as discussed above, long exposure photos are especially prone to noise. A long exposure noise reduction option is designed to counteract this issue – by taking a second shot after the first, then using the noise profile of the second image to subtract noise from the first.

Long exposure noise reduction comes with a serious drawback, though: it takes time, usually as long as the original exposure. So if you use a 30-second shutter speed, the camera will take an additional 30 seconds to get rid of the noise. And if you shoot for an hour, you’ll need another hour to reduce the noise, which is an annoyingly long time to wait!

So yes, it may be impractical if you are doing 10-minute shots. But for medium-length long exposures, it’s often worth doing.

(And if you do have the timed, do it on the very long exposures too, as it can dramatically improve the image quality.)

long exposure night scene — Use in-camera noise reduction for long exposures!

Reducing noise in Lightroom or Adobe Camera Raw

Even with the best techniques, you’ll still end up with noise in your photos – at least on occasion.

Which is where post-processing noise reduction techniques come in handy!

Here’s my recommended workflow using Lightroom Classic or Adobe Camera Raw (but note that you’ll be able to use very similar methods in other programs):

Step 1: Open your image and view at 100 percent

Start by opening your image in Lightroom or Photoshop.

Note that RAW images opened in Photoshop will first go through Adobe Camera Raw, which is what you want. Also note that the controls in Adobe Camera Raw and in Lightroom are identical, so while the photos below are taken from ACR, the instructions are equally applicable to Lightroom users.

how to reduce noise in your photos Adobe Camera Raw noise reduction — The noise reduction sliders in Adobe Camera Raw are identical in Lightroom.

I recommend viewing your image full screen, then zooming into 100 percent. The goal is to look for noise; after all, not all images require noise reduction.

Adobe Camera Raw with noise reduction — Adobe Camera Raw has some powerful noise reduction tools.

Step 2: Adjust the Luminance slider

The Luminance slider reduces luminance noise (i.e., noise resulting from over- or underexposed pixels).

And many, many high-ISO images suffer from excessive luminance noise.

So zoom in to 100 percent, then boost the Luminance slider until the noise starts to disappear.

Don’t go too far, however,

Step 3: Fine-tune your result with the Luminance Detail and Luminance Contrast sliders

The Luminance Detail and Luminance Contrast sliders control the amount of detail and contrast preserved in your photos following luminance noise reduction.

You see, noise reduction smooths out noisy pixels, which automatically reduces detail and contrast. But by boosting these sliders, you’ll retain detail and contrast.

As you’d expect, the sliders do come with a drawback:

When you increase the values, you decrease the strength of the noise reduction. So while you’ll end up with a sharper image, you’ll also see more noise.

Step 4: Adjust the Color slider

The Color slider reduces color noise – which is the second type of noise you’ll find in your photos (often in the underexposed shadow areas).

So boost the Color noise slider, and zoom into 100 percent to see its effects.

Step 5: Fine-tune your result with the Color Detail and Color Smoothness sliders

As with luminance noise reduction (above), you can further adjust your image with the Color Detail and Color Smoothness sliders.

Want more detail in your photo? Boost the Color Detail slider. Higher values will protect thin, detailed color edges, but can also result in color speckles. Lower values remove color speckles but can result in color bleeding.

Want to keep colors nice and smooth? Boost the Color Smoothness slider.

And you’re done!

A final note on noise reduction

While I wish I could give you standard, one-size-fits-all settings for noise reduction, it just doesn’t work that way. Every image is different, so you’ll need to slide each adjustment around until you get your desired result.

I tend to increase Luminance and Color to about 50, then work from there. I slide each option up and down, carefully watching how it affects the image while zoomed in to 100 percent.

Then, after each adjustment, I zoom out to see the effect it has on the overall image. And if I’m happy with an adjustment, I move onto the next slider.

Is the process a little tedious? Sure. But if done properly, you’ll eliminate most of the unsightly noise in just about any image.

Practice is also important here, so try this on as many images as you can. Pretty soon, you’ll be able to predict the effect of each change.

How to avoid and reduce noise in your photos: conclusion

Now that you’ve finished this article, you know that avoiding and reducing noise shouldn’t be too complicated. Just follow the steps I’ve given, and your images will turn out great.

Now over to you:

Do you have any other tips for noise reduction and removal? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

The post How to Avoid and Reduce Noise in Your Photos (2021 Guide) appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Barry J Brady.

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Chromatic Aberration: What It Is and How You Can Avoid It

13 May

The post Chromatic Aberration: What It Is and How You Can Avoid It appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Joshua Burke.

chromatic aberration what is it and how you can avoid it

Chromatic aberration is a huge image-quality killer – but many photographers don’t know what it is and how it can be prevented.

In this article, I’m going to share everything you need to know about chromatic aberration, including:

Why it happens
How to identify it
Four simple strategies to minimize its effects

So without further ado, let’s discuss how to deal with that pesky chromatic aberration once and for all.

What is chromatic aberration?

Chromatic aberration (also known as color fringing or dispersion) is a common problem in lenses that occurs when colors are incorrectly refracted (bent) by the lens; this results in a mismatch at the focal point where the colors do not combine as they should.

Confused? Don’t be. To help understand this a bit better, remember that the focal plane is your sensor’s point of focus, where all the light from your lens should join together to be correctly captured and recorded. But depending on the construction of your lens, your chosen focal length, and even the aperture that you’ve used, certain wavelengths (colors) may arrive at points in front of or behind the focal plane.

Take a look at the diagram below. Do you see how the red, green, and blue light hits the sensor in different spots? That’s chromatic aberration at work.

What is chromatic aberration and why it happens.

When CA occurs, you end up with telltale color fringing around the edges of your photograph. Check out the photo below. The left-hand side shows red and green fringes along the sharp edges of the subject. As you can see, it doesn’t look so great.

But although you can edit out low levels of chromatic aberration in Photoshop and Lightroom, the reality is that it’s annoying to remove CA from each and every photo, plus every moment you spent touching up a photo is one moment less that you have for photography.

Why does chromatic aberration occur?

Chromatic aberration happens because your lens acts as a prism. It bends light, and much like the triangle-shaped prism made famous by Pink Floyd, colors passing through the lens are split at different angles.

Here, it’s important to remember that light is actually made up of several different wavelengths (colors). So for your camera’s sensor to detect the combined color of light, your lens needs to make all wavelengths of that particular ray hit the exact same point on your sensor.

It may sound simple, but various wavelengths (and thus various colors) strike your lens all at once, and each of these wavelengths will behave slightly differently depending on the lens glass that it is passing through.

The feat of engineering required to correctly align all of these different light rays is usually achieved by the manufacturer’s use of a lens array. In fact, if you were to pull your lens apart, you’d probably find upward of 16 lens elements – all designed to correct for various things along the light’s journey between your lens and your sensor.

Unfortunately, this is also where chromatic aberration tends to rear its ugly head. Hidden within the design of these lens elements are defects – either in the glass or the design of the lens itself – which, under specific conditions, may cause your photos to exhibit CA.

Now, I’m not saying you need a pro-level lens. In fact, a key point is that all lenses suffer from chromatic aberration in one form or another, no matter the cost. What matters is whether or not your lens exhibits visible chromatic aberration, and whether the amount of visible CA is a dealbreaker for your particular needs.

Also, even if you’re stuck with a CA-prone lens, you can still take steps to prevent image-quality issues, as I discuss in the next section.

How to avoid chromatic aberration defects: 4 strategies

Chromatic aberration is a major problem, especially on cheap lenses. But the good news is that, if you are stuck working with a lens that exhibits some form of visible chromatic aberration, there are several easy-to-understand strategies to remove or minimize its effect on your photos.

1. Avoid high-contrast scenes

Chromatic aberration tends to flare up when shooting high-contrast scenes. Particularly problematic are darker subjects surrounded by white backdrops, landscapes against a bright sunrise, or – as in the example of the cheetah above – heavily backlit subjects.

There’s no easy in-camera method of avoiding contrast. So there’s often nothing you can do here except adjust your composition. Swap your backdrop out to something that more closely matches your subject’s tones, or simply wait for more favorable lighting conditions.

If you absolutely must capture an image as-is, then shoot in RAW and prepare for a touch-up in post-production.

2. Adjust your focal length

Although it’s nice to have access to a wide range of focal lengths, the fact is that most zoom lenses exhibit chromatic aberration at their focal length extremes. So setting the focal length toward the middle of your lens’s range will usually help remove the offending CA.

Note that using a zoom lens at its widest will usually introduce various other defects in your image. So if you’re set on a wide-angle perspective, choose a prime wide-angle lens to handle the job, or make a panorama at a longer focal length, then join the photos in post-processing.

3. Stop down your aperture

Although the result will depend on the type of lens you are using, stopping down your aperture helps minimize most lens defects, including chromatic aberration.

(You’ll need to consider reducing the shutter speed or boosting the ISO to compensate for the light loss.)

So instead of using an f/2.8 or f/4 aperture, try going to f/8 or f/11 – then take a few test shots to see if the chromatic aberration has disappeared.

4. Reframe with your subject at the center of the image

Chromatic aberration is often more noticeable toward the edges of the frame, not the center.

(This is generally due to the curvature of the lens elements.)

Therefore, if you reframe your shot but put your main subject closer to the middle, you’ll often end up with little-to-no chromatic aberration on your subject.

Of course, you may still have noticeable CA around the edges of the frame, but you do have the option to crop this away. It’s not ideal if you need to retain every pixel in your photo (e.g., for large prints), in which case you should consider one of the other preventative measures discussed above. But if you’re creating small prints or you plan to distribute your photo online, cropping shouldn’t be a big issue.

Chromatic aberration: final words

Well, that’s it:

Everything you need to know about chromatic aberration, including what it is and how to avoid it.

Now you know how to keep your images free of CA. And you can capture stunning photos – even with cheaper lenses.

Over to you:

Are you struggling with chromatic aberration in your photos? Have you tried any of the measures discussed above? Share your thoughts (and images) in the comments below.

The post Chromatic Aberration: What It Is and How You Can Avoid It appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Joshua Burke.

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How to Avoid Blurry Photos by Choosing the Right Autofocus Mode

05 Jan

The post How to Avoid Blurry Photos by Choosing the Right Autofocus Mode appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Lynford Morton.

Sometimes the light is perfect, the moment is right, but when you get home, you find that your photo is blurry. Arrgh!

Why are your pictures blurry? One obvious reason is that your camera isn’t focused properly.

You see, while today’s cameras and lenses can help you quickly take sharp images in a wide variety of situations, you must first choose the right autofocus mode.

So here are some questions to help you diagnose any blurry-photo situations – so you can choose the correct autofocus settings, consistently!

Are you using the auto-area autofocus mode or the single-point autofocus mode?

Who gets to decide your focus points?

That’s what you’re deciding when you choose between the auto-area AF mode versus the single-point AF mode.

With an auto-area autofocus mode, your camera decides what it should use as your focal point. It usually decides based on what looks most prominent in the viewfinder or is closest to the camera.

Is this a bad thing?

Well, it can work if your subject is obvious and there are no potential distractions. But what do you do when you’re trying to focus on a smaller subject within the frame?

For more control, you choose a single point autofocus setting.

The single-point mode allows you to choose your specific autofocus point (check your camera’s manual if you aren’t sure how to do this).

After all, only you, not your camera, know where your subject is – and where you want to position it within your composition.

(Also, note that your camera offers several additional AF area modes – but it’s a good idea to start by choosing between the auto-area mode and the single-point mode.)

Is your subject moving?

Most DSLR cameras give you four basic options for autofocus settings: single, continuous, auto, and manual.

To help you choose the right option, ask yourself, “Is my subject moving?”

Then, based on your answer, read the relevant advice below:

No, my subject is not moving

If your subject is not moving, choose “AF-S” on your camera (though this mode is referred to as “One Shot” on Canon cameras).

AF-S acquires and locks the focus as soon as you half-press the shutter button. If your subject stays at the exact same distance from the camera, your photo will be in focus (and you’ll be able to keep taking photos and can expect them to be in focus, too). If your subject moves, then your photos will be blurry.

In other words:

Your subject has to be stationary for AF-S to work. In fact, the shutter won’t fire if your subject is moving and your lens can’t acquire focus.

AF-S also allows you to recompose. Let’s say the autofocus point is in the center of the frame, but you want your subject positioned close to the edge. As long as you maintain a half-press on your shutter button, the focus will remain sharp on your subject.

Then you can move the camera slightly left or right, positioning your subject away from the center of the frame.

Yes, my subject is moving

If your subject is moving, use continuous autofocus (“AF-C” on most cameras, though Canon calls it “AI Servo”).

With this mode, you can place your autofocus point over your subject, and the focus continues to adjust while you press the shutter button. This keeps your subject in focus as it moves.

For example, if someone is riding a bicycle, you can place the AF point on your subject and half-press the shutter button. As long as you’re half-pressing the shutter, the autofocus will adjust continuously, keeping your subject in focus as they move.

When you’re ready to take the photo, depress the shutter completely, and the camera will fire a sharp, in-focus image.

No, my subject isn’t moving, but it might

A third option merges the functionality of the single autofocus and continuous autofocus modes. This hybrid mode (“AF-A” for Nikon or “AI Focus” for Canon) works differently depending on your camera.

However, AF-A always involves some sort of automatic switching between AF-S and AF-C modes, based on whether your camera perceives a moving subject or an unmoving subject.

With AF-A activated, you can focus on an unmoving subject exactly as if you are working in AF-S. But as soon as the subject moves, your camera will switch to AF-C and begin tracking.

Make sense?

For some photographers, this is the best of both worlds and allows you to deal with erratic subjects that repeatedly move and then stop suddenly (i.e., birds). However, you’ll often lose the ability to focus and recompose, because your camera may attempt to refocus based on the position of its autofocus point – so make sure to bear that in mind.

My autofocus just isn’t getting it right

You always have the option of turning off the autofocus function and choosing the manual focus setting.

When should you do this?

Well, if your camera is having trouble detecting your focus point, it might be more efficient to focus the camera yourself.

Note that you can turn off your autofocus on accident. So every now and then, when your camera can’t seem to focus, and you don’t hear the motor searching back and forth, check to see if you selected manual focus without meaning to. This can happen more frequently than you might think!

Other issues to consider

What if you set up your autofocus properly and the lens still won’t focus?

I’d recommend you consider these solutions:

You might be too close. Try backing away. If you are too near your subject, the camera may not be able to focus properly.
Your subject might not have enough contrast. Your image needs to have some contrast for most autofocus systems to work. If you try to photograph a solid sheet of white or any single-colored wall, most autofocus systems will struggle. Why? Cameras use differences in colors and tones to determine their focus. If a camera can’t find any contrast, it can’t focus.
You might have an extremely shallow depth of field. In this case, your autofocus is working, but the depth of field is so shallow, it’s hard to tell that your subject is in focus.
You have camera shake. When you depress the shutter, you move the camera. If the shutter speed is too slow, the camera picks up that movement, and it gives you a blurry photo. Make sure your shutter speed is faster than the equivalent of your focal length. For instance, if you are zoomed out to 100mm, your shutter speed should be 1/100s or faster to avoid camera shake.
You have motion blur. If your subject is moving quickly and your shutter speed is too slow, the photo will end up blurry – so make sure you’re using a fast-enough shutter speed to freeze all motion in the scene.

Choosing the right autofocus mode: Conclusion

Why are your pictures blurry?

If the answer is related to your autofocus mode, your fix could be as simple as choosing the right settings.

And to prevent any future blurry photos, make sure you use the process I’ve laid out above.

Do you have any other autofocus tips or tricks you’d like to share? Please do so in the comments below!

The post How to Avoid Blurry Photos by Choosing the Right Autofocus Mode appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Lynford Morton.

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3 Rookie Mistakes to Avoid When Shooting on a White Background

04 Jan

The post 3 Rookie Mistakes to Avoid When Shooting on a White Background appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Lily Sawyer.

Because white background portraits are so common, many people think it’s an easy effect to achieve. Simply put your subject in front of the camera against a white background (preferably with a flash or strobe), and take the picture.

white background photography mistakes examples

Unfortunately, it’s not so simple. Using the method described above would result in a photo with either a gray, dull, or muddy-toned background. The best possible result would be an off-white background after you have done some edits. That’s not the only issue, though; you’d see unwanted shadows everywhere, too.

I have replicated the setup with my little model, Sven (Kristoff’s beloved reindeer in the movie Frozen). It is easier doing this with a small-scale subject, as the lights are huge in comparison. With people, to do this to scale, you need to have massive octaboxes and flags. But this tutorial will show you the process clearly.

So here are three rookie mistakes to avoid when trying to achieve 100% pure-white background photography:

Mistake #1: The background is not lit properly

The background must be lit with approximately two stops more light than the subject. For example, if you want to photograph your subject at f/8, set your background lights to two stops brighter, so your meter reads f/16 on the background.

Note: You need to meter foreground and background lights separately, so that when metering for the main light (on the subject) you would turn the background lights off and vice versa. When both the background and main lights are on, your meter should still give you f/8 on the subject, because you are metering the light that falls on your subject and not on the background.

The photo below (right) shows what it looks like when you don’t light the background at all. You get a tone and color other than the intended white. In the photo on the left, the background was lit, but there was no main light illuminating the subject. Therefore, the resulting image is almost a silhouette of the subject.

My camera settings for all the shots in this setup were ISO 250, 1/160s, and f/8 (though the background gave a meter reading of f/16). The speedlights were set to 1/16th power (I rarely use my speedlights at full power, because the batteries run out very quickly).

The camera was a Nikon D750, which handles noise superbly, so ISO was not an issue. Two SB-910s and one SB-900 speedlight were used for this setup.

The photo below shows the setup with only the left background light firing.

You will notice in the two images below that only the right background light fired in the left photo, and only the left background light fired in the right photo. Such lighting is acceptable, of course, if that was your intention. The main light was positioned at a 45-degree angle on camera right. I wanted to bounce my flash onto the white rogue bender to modify the light.

You may also notice that in the left photo (above), there is a very slight shadow of Sven on the background behind him – because the left background light didn’t fire. When the background light did fire on the left, this shadow was eliminated (right photo, above).

Below is the setup with all three lights firing correctly.

Now that you have your background and main lights set up, you need to make sure these lights only hit the intended subject. This leads us to the next rookie mistake: separation.

Mistake #2: Not enough subject-background separation

Because the background lights are so much brighter than the foreground light, you need to separate them from the main subject. There are two key ways of doing this:

Flagging
Distance

Flagging

You can use anything black to flag your lights: the black side of a reflector, black cardboard sheets, or black foam core.

Black does not bounce light; instead, it absorbs light. It also blocks light from seeping through to places where you do not want it. If you don’t flag (block) your background lights, your subject will end up with a halo effect and look very backlit.

Distance

Once you have flagged your lights, you need to position your subject far enough away from the background (and from the background lights) that any light spillage won’t touch your subject. This depends on your personal preference and intention, of course – you may want some spill on your subject for a certain look or effect, or you may not.

If you do want some spill, make sure to run a few tests with various lenses, as chromatic aberration may occur around the edges of your subject due to the abundance of light. Some lenses are prone to chromatic aberration regardless of aperture, while others perform very well even at wide apertures, where chromatic aberration is most commonly observed. Also, be careful with the amount of spill you allow – you don’t want to chop off parts of your subject from the spill overexposure.

The photos above show a properly-lit Sven. The two background lights fired at f/16 and the main light fired at f/8. There are no unwanted shadows on the background, as was my intention.

However, I wanted to have a reflection and shadow in the foreground. This leads nicely to the third rookie mistake to avoid: a floating subject.

Mistake #3: The subject is floating

If you do not include some floor shadows, your subject will look like it is floating on white air, or like it’s cut out and pasted on a white sheet of paper.

The best tip for avoiding floating subjects is to use a reflective surface such as translucent white plexiglass, or white tile sheet, as a base for your subject to stand on. You can adjust the opacity of the reflection in Photoshop during post-processing, but having the reflection shows that your subject is planted firmly on solid ground.

floating subject example — The left image shows Sven floating, but the addition of the reflection (right) shows Sven standing on solid ground. The latter looks more pleasing and natural, and not like a cut-and-paste job.

Bonus mistake #4: Overexposed background

Be careful not to add too much light to the background. If you go past pure white and really overexpose a shot, the white will start almost glowing around the subject, just like if you had sun flare outdoors.

This lowers contrast and makes your subject look like they have a bit of a halo. You can see this overexposed effect in the images below:

White background photography mistakes: Conclusion

I hope this little tutorial has shed some light on basic techniques for creating a white background, and that it has solved any and all mysteries regarding how to achieve such a look.

If you have other, more advanced techniques, do share them in the comments below!

The post 3 Rookie Mistakes to Avoid When Shooting on a White Background appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Lily Sawyer.

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10 mistakes most first-time film shooters make (and how to avoid them)

08 May

Introduction

You’ve bought your first camera. You’ve bought some film. You’re ready to load up and start shooting. What could possibly go wrong? Lots of things! When you make a mistake with your digital camera, you’ll know right away, but with film, it’s not until days or weeks later, when you’re home from your once-in-a-lifetime trip that you discover you’ve screwed up the picture you can never re-create. This is what makes film so awesome.

The good news is that you are not alone – with film, mistakes are part of the process. I can’t stop you from screwing up (and I wouldn’t want to, because misery loves company), but I can give you a heads-up on common mistakes to look out for – and, in some cases, how to fix them.

Photos by: Dan Bracaglia (except where noted)

1. Loading the camera wrong

Nearly every film shooter will at some point get developed negatives back from the lab with nothing but edge writing and numbers on them. There are two possibilities: 1) Your light meter is way, way, way, way, way off, or 2) you didn’t load the film properly.

For 35mm cameras, a good indicator of the latter is that you loaded a 36-exposure roll last week and you’re on your 67th shot. Take-up reels don’t always grab the film properly, so make sure you fire-and-wind at least one shot before you close up the camera in order to verify that the film is moving, and once the back is closed, rotate the rewind lever to (gently) tension the film.

If the winder continues to rotate freely, that means the film sprockets didn’t engage (and commiserations – you just accidentally rewound an unexposed roll of film). If you loaded the camera correctly, once the slack has been taken up, the rewind knob should turn on its own as you advance the film.

For medium-format cameras, a surprisingly common misstep is loading the film backwards so that the backing paper, not the film, faces the lens. You might say, “Well, the backing paper has writing on it. How stupid must I be to get that wrong?” But in the case of cameras that use detachable film magazines, things can get very confusing indeed, because the paper markings will be facing inwards on the magazine. So a better question to ask is, “How stupid must the camera be?” Take it slow, visualize how the magazine fits into the camera and you should be fine. Better yet, read the manual.

2. Trying to load a camera that’s already loaded

Not all cameras have a nifty little film window.

This is another of the classic “oh crap” moments in film photography: You pop open the back of the camera and see there’s already film there. (Alternatively, you drop the camera and the back opens. Happens to all of us.) The very first thing to do – preferably during and not after the obligatory cursing – is to close the camera back right away. (Seems obvious, but we all get paralyzed by disbelief.)

Have you just ruined all your pictures? Probably not. You’ll definitely lose the current exposure, and the two or three previous will likely be spoiled or partially fogged. But most cameras wind the film tightly enough that the rest of the photos will be okay if you get the back closed quickly enough. Film still in the cartridge will be fine; just fire off a couple of “blank” shots to get past the film that was exposed when you opened the back.

Some 35mm auto-wind cameras, like Canon Rebel SLRs, protect against this sort of thing by winding all of the film out of the cartridge when you load them and then rewinding as you shoot. That way, any pictures you’ve already taken are safe, and it’s only possible to ruin the unexposed portion of the film. (Isn’t it nice to know a camera was designed with the assumption you’d screw up?) Chances are in this situation that the rest of the roll is still usable once you’ve shot past the frames which are definitely ruined, but if you’re shooting anything important, it’s best to play it safe – rewind the film and load up a fresh roll.

3. Forgetting if there’s film in the camera

As someone with a bad case of GAS (Gear Acquisition Syndrome), I have a lot of cameras and I can’t always remember which ones I’ve loaded with film. To be fair, I often can’t remember what I had for breakfast or where I left my keys or my children, either. Auto-wind cameras usually have an icon to tell you if they’re loaded, but what about manual-wind cameras that don’t?

Easy solution: Remember earlier how we tested that the film was loaded properly by tensioning the film with the rewind knob? That trick will also tell you if there’s film loaded. Pop out the rewind knob and turn it gently. If there’s film, it should move freely at first then start resisting as you take up the slack. (Don’t turn with too much force or you may rip the sprockets on the film.)

4. Shooting a roll of film at the wrong speed

You rewind your last roll of film, pop in a new one, go to set the ASA/ISO dial, and your heart sinks – you see the dial is set at 100, but the film you just pulled out is 400. Cue the movie guy running in slo-mo and yelling “NOOOOOOOO!!!”

Panic not, my petal, for this is a common mistake with an easy fix. If you’re shooting color print film and you’re only off by a stop (½ or 2x the right ISO) or even two, you probably don’t need to worry. Consumer-level C-41 process film has a lot of latitude; in fact, disposables and other cheapie cameras with limited exposure settings count on this built-in flexibility. (Traditional-process black and white and some “pro” print films are less forgiving, and slide film even less so.) If in doubt, just tell your lab what happened. If necessary, they should be able to compensate with processing (albeit sometimes at extra cost).

5. Changing the ISO (ASA) dial on the fly

Nope, can’t do that with film! On a digital camera, turning the ISO dial changes how the camera records images, but on a film camera all it does is calibrate the meter so that you get correct readings for the film speed you’re using. If you want consistent metering (and you usually do) the whole roll has to be shot at the same ISO. The only exception to this is for exposure compensation. If you’re shooting ISO 200 film on a bright snowy day, setting the ISO to 100, or even 64, will help compensate. Similarly, if you’re shooting a moody portrait of someone wearing dark clothing, setting the ISO dial to 400 or 800 will prevent skintones from coming out too dark.

Many more advanced film cameras offer a dial with +/-2 stops of exposure compensation to make this easier to get your head around, but it’s the exact same thing (with the advantage that it’s quicker to dial in, and you’re less likely to forget to unset the compensation later).

You also have the option of pushing or pull your film. Pushing is when you intentionally under-expose your film, then compensate by over-developing, and pulling is the opposite. The pictures won’t be perfect; they may have more grain, more or less contrast, or color shifts, but they will come out. (Some film stocks respond better to pushing and pulling than others.) Why would anyone do this? Sometimes it can lead to an interesting look, and it’s also a handy way to get more (or less) sensitivity in a pinch.

For example, when shooting indoors under low light, instead of using dedicated high-speed film, I push my 400-speed Ilford HP5 Plus film two stops by setting the meter to 1600, then alter my developing as outlined on the data sheet. There’s more grain and contrast, but I happen to like the look.

6. Letting the light meter lie to you

Modern digital cameras have sophisticated multi-zone meters that can figure out tricky lighting situations. I’m amazed at how even my phone can get pictures that would be impossible for most film camera meters to sort out. Then again, I’m amazed that my phone can make phone calls and that they can fill up soda bottles without the soda fizzing all over the factory. Seriously, how do they do that?

Anyway, multi-zone metering was in its infancy when film gave way to digital, and most film camera meters are center-weighted, meaning they take an average of the scene with more emphasis on what’s in the middle (presumably what you’re pointing the camera at) and a little less on the top part (presumably the sky, which screws things up when you rotate the camera for a vertical shot). As I mentioned earlier, bright or dark backgrounds, deep shadows, snow, nuclear fireballs and other scenes with large light or dark patches can fool the meter and throw off your exposure.

What do to? Serious photographers carry a gray card, but serious photographers tote enough gear to flatten a pack mule. In a pinch, you can take a meter reading off the grass or a patch of medium-toned fabric – just make sure the camera is pointing in the same general direction as your subject. If the readings are different, the scene is probably fooling your camera’s meter and you should adjust accordingly.

If in doubt (and assuming you don’t mind burning through film a little faster) just take a handful of shots at slightly different exposure settings to make sure. At least one of them is likely to turn out.

7. Asking on a forum which film is best

Asking a bunch of photographers which film is best is like asking them which letter of the alphabet is best. As sure as loading 800 ASA film makes the sun come out and 50 ASA makes it rain, you’ll get 85 replies and no consensus. That’s because different films have different characteristics, and “best” is a matter of personal preference (which is why there are so many choices). Everything I’ve ever read on any forum about a given film being good or bad has been wrong – not because the people don’t know what they were talking about (though a couple obviously didn’t), but because the question of film quality is so subjective.

The best way to find the right film for you is to try different kinds and see what you like. I recommend starting with well-known staples like Kodak Gold or Ilford HP5+ to get some sort of a baseline for yourself. (Best not to start with slide film, as it’s really picky about proper exposure.) Then you can ask a different kind of question on the forums: “I’ve been shooting BlastMax 200 and I was thinking about trying a roll of Elbowchrome. What can I expect?” Now that your fellow shooters know your baseline, they can give you a more meaningful answer by comparing the new film to what you know. Better yet, don’t ask – just buy a roll and decide for yourself.

8. Getting obsessed with the Zone System

For those who haven’t heard of it, the Zone System is how famed landscape photographer Ansel Adams made his amazing black-and-white landscape photos. It’s an elaborate method that involves treating exposure, developing and printing as a unified system: you make adjustments in one part of the process that are compensated by adjustments in the others. Incidentally, you can use a form of the Zone System in digital photography, and it’s quite a bit easier since your “processing” is electronic.

The Zone System has understandable appeal to digital photographers who are used to mining the data to draw details out of their exposures. If you’re developing and printing your own black-and-white film, then by all means, dive into the Zone System. But, really, you don’t need to. Bracketing, where you shoot a couple of exposures over and under your metered exposure at ½- or 1-stop increments, as descried earlier, is a better way to give yourself options, and always a good idea with slide film. Better to concentrate on things like composition, because a boring photo is a boring photo no matter how perfectly it’s exposed.

Photo: Ansel Adams / US National Archives and Records Administration

9. Starting with slide film

Someone recently wrote in DPReview’s Film Photography Talk forum, “If you want to hate film photography with a passion, start with slide film.” Truer words have never been typed. This isn’t a mistake all newbies make, but it’s one to be avoided. Here’s the deal: Slide film is exceptionally sensitive to proper exposure. If you (or your camera) is off by even a little, the picture won’t look good. Back In The Day, shooting slide film gave you bragging rights, but that’s when the film and processing didn’t cost much more than print film. You could afford to burn half a roll by bracketing (shooting pictures over and under your camera’s meter reading) to get that perfect shot.

Today, slide film and its processing is more expensive, and with so many photographers using a digital workflow (scanning and printing), many negative films are now optimized for scanning. Slides are still cool, slide film is typically sharper and finer grained than equivalent print emulsions, and slides look great when projected. If you want to shoot slides, I certainly won’t try to stop you. But I suggest waiting until you have some experience with your camera.

10. Not using UV filters

Neglecting to fit a UV filter is a mistake you might not realize you’ve made until it’s too late. Though they do filter UV light (not really a concern with modern films; older film stocks could go a bit blue without one) their real job is to protect your lens in case you drop the camera or hit it against something, which I absolutely guarantee you will do at some point. And yes, this is experience talking – I’ve done it both ways. Most recently, I had a Nikon zoom fall off a shelf and land face-down. The $ 8 filter shattered and the $ 50 lens was unscathed. I could have kissed that filter, except that putting broken glass to your lips is a bad idea.

I’ve heard people argue against protective filters by saying that a shattered filter could scratch the lens surface, but this is rare. I have, however, heard many, many, many stories about photographers bashing their cameras into rocks or walls or furniture or people and having the UV filter save the lens. UV filters cost from $ 5-$ 10 up to $ 100+ (personally I use these Amazon Basics filters) and they’re worth it, protecting you from the consequences of bad spur-of-the-moment decisions.

Photo: Magnus Akselvoll

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Fujifilm warns its customers to avoid sending undeveloped film through new airport scanners

19 Feb

Fujifilm has joined Kodak Alaris in warning its customers to avoid sending film through new scanners being deployed by the TSA in many airports throughout the United States. The advisory is brief and simply states, ‘Those machines may [be] more damaging to unprocessed film and Instax film than previous generations of scanners.’

The solution is simple: photographers are encouraged to pack their film products in a carry-on bag and to request a hand inspection of the items.

This is similar to the warning Kodak Alaris published in late January; the company received clarification from the TSA, which said that its screeners are trained to inspect film by hand. As well, the TSA has put warning signs near X-ray machines that may damage undeveloped film. The film should be packed in a clear plastic bag and removed from the carry-on luggage at the security checkpoint.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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How to Avoid This Travel Photography Mistake: Taking Snapshots

10 Dec

The post How to Avoid This Travel Photography Mistake: Taking Snapshots appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Kevin Landwer-Johan.

When I teach travel photography workshops, I am always quick to encourage people not to rely on interesting subjects. An interesting subject does not always make a good photo. A good photographer does. So, in this article, you’ll learn to avoid just taking snapshots.

Travel snapshots

Taking snapshots when you travel is so easy. You find yourself in different, stimulating environments. They’re packed with exotic, compelling subjects provoking you to squeeze a quick photo as you rush by. Thinking the impressive subject is enough to create an appealing photograph is a mistake.

Pay attention to lighting, timing, and exposure. Taking snapshots without this care rarely hold anyone’s interest. You might find the most fascinating subject and not do it justice due to a lack of attention or time given to it.

Also, be careful of misconceptions about camera equipment. There are two main ones I notice.

‘I have a professional camera, so I take professional photographs’.

Just as a good subject does not make the photograph, nor does a good camera. A good photographer makes good photographs. Don’t rely on your camera to be creative. It cannot be. It is smart, that’s for sure. The artificial intelligence in modern cameras is phenomenal, but they are not creative. You are.

‘I only have my phone or compact camera so I can’t take good enough photos’.

You don’t need to stick to taking snapshots with a compact camera or phone. Don’t limit your creative expression because of the equipment you use. Sure, there are limitations with that kind of camera. You can still creatively capture interesting subjects when you put your mind to it.

Take your time

Slow down a little and think about how to make whatever it is that’s interesting into a great photo. Don’t rely on the subject alone. Every place you go, from Thailand to Turkey, you’ll find compelling subjects.

Something iconic needs to be treated with more imagination because everyone photographs it. To capture a photo of a monk in Chiang Mai or the Istiklal tram in Istanbul, you need to think outside the box. Everyone who’s been there has snapshots of these subjects.

Take your time when you find something engaging to photograph. Think about the lighting. Consider the best angle to photograph it from. Check out the background and make sure it’s relevant. Look at it for a while and ask yourself why you want to take a photo of it.

Don’t take only one photo

The first composition you make will not always be the best. Often it will be the most clichéd. The one everyone else takes.

Experiment with different angles and lens focal lengths. Make horizontal and vertical compositions. Try a dutch angle or two.

Always think about filling your frame. What’s within the edges of your viewfinder or monitor? Is everything you can see relevant and supporting your main subject? If not, do something about it. Change your angle, aperture or lens. Or wait. Sometimes you have to pause for people or traffic to move out of the background space. This will help your subject will stand out.

Be in control of your camera

Relying on an auto exposure mode and averaged metering gives you predictable results. Your camera is programmed to make even exposures. It’s not going to choose to expose for the highlights and let what’s in the shadows fall into blackness. Nor is it going to selectively slow down your shutter speed and purposefully allow motion blur to happen. You have to do these things.

Knowing your camera and how to control it will help you intuitively see when you can incorporate creative techniques. This will diversify the photographs you take. If you’re happy to use your camera like a point-and-shoot, then snapshots will fill your travel photo albums.

Taking your camera off the auto settings can force you to slow down (until you become more familiar with it). You can then think about all aspects of picture-taking at a more relaxed pace. Great photos are rarely quick.

Even most of the best street and travel photos are not taken on the spur of the moment. They are planned. They are preconceived. They are anticipated before the action happens, or the light becomes perfect.

When you do see something amazing happening and must react quickly, flick your camera back to auto. Take a few photos, and then, if you still have time, pop it back onto manual mode. Now you can get creative with your aperture and shutter speed.

Take a travel photography workshop rather than a tour

Many people use their camera predominantly when they travel. People have more time to take photos of interesting subjects when they travel. The problem is remembering all those settings. How can you get the most out of your equipment when you seldom use it?

Taking a travel photography workshop at the start of your vacation or journey will kickstart your creative process. You can learn to be more confident with your camera when you have a better understanding of how it works.

Picking up your camera and being stressed because you’re uncertain if it’s going to do what you want is not fun. A good tutor will walk you through the essentials of using your camera and build your confidence to do so.

A workshop will also give you hands-on experience on location. You’ll learn how to see the most interesting subjects and what to do with them. On a photo tour, all you usually get is a guide showing you interesting things to point your camera at. A workshop will equip you to take great photos wherever you go because you’ll learn how to use your camera in a multitude of different situations.

Avoid photographic clichés

It’s not difficult to avoid photographic clichés when you stop and think about it – even with iconic subjects. Slow down and enjoy the moment. Create a beautiful memory of it by thoughtfully composing your photos instead of taking snapshots.

Diversify your research. Don’t rely on Instagram to show you where the best photo opportunities are to be found. These are the places everyone will go and take the same boring pictures.

Think outside the box. Infuse your photos with creativity by looking for alternatives. Even if your subject is iconic, make it fresh and new in the way you choose to photograph it.

Do you have any other tips on how to avoid taking snapshots when doing travel photography? Do you have any stories to share? Please do so in the comments section.

The post How to Avoid This Travel Photography Mistake: Taking Snapshots appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Kevin Landwer-Johan.

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7 clichéd photography gifts to avoid (and what to buy instead)

29 Nov

7 clichéd photography gifts to avoid this season

What follows is a list of seven of the most common cliched gifts likely to be received by photographers this holiday season, based on informal polling around the DPReview office.

If you’re thinking about giving that special photographer in your life one of these items, we implore you, consider our alternatives. No one needs another damn camera lens mug.

Camera lens mug or shot glass

There’s nothing worse than stumbling upon a Canon 70-200 F2.8 for a bargain price in a second-hand store only to discover it’s actually just a stupid mug. Damn you, lens mug. Damn you.

It’s a camera lens – wait, no. It’s a mug! How novel! But the thing is, every photographer on planet Earth already has one of these. And the truth is, most of them are pretty crappy when it coms to their primary function: transporting beverages and keeping them warm. And woe unto you if you leave it in your car cupholder, only to come back and find a brick through your window and your imitation 70-200mm F4L mug missing. It’s happened.

Rather then gift a piece of junk that’ll likely get pushed to the back of the cabinet or end up filled with pens, how about gifting that special photographer some nice coffee, or tea? We’re a hard-working bunch and will likely appreciate the caffeine. Better yet, throw in a decent-quality mug or vacuum thermos. We’ll think of you every time we sip.

Camera or photography-themed clothing

Do you love photography? Great, keep it to yourself! (or at least off your shirt). Also if you need a Pix 2015 Tee, just say the word. We’ve got loads.

I don’t know many photographers that feel a strong urge to walk around in clothing that advertises their profession or hobby. So kindly hold off on buying the cheesy T-shirt with the silhouette of a camera on it that says ‘I shoot people,’ or that other one that says ‘Everyone’s a photographer until…’ with an image of a mode dial set to ‘M.’ We’ll stick to dressing in all black or in geeky photo vests, thank you very much.

But seriously, rather than getting photographers cheesy apparel that’ll likely end up in the donation bin, get us a nice article of clothing, like a soft sweater, a thermal layer, or some camera-friendly gloves to keep warm this winter.

See also: Photography-themed cuff links, lapel pins, tie clips and watches.

Smartphone camera accessories

I don’t know about you, but I’d rather just reach for a Ricoh GR III than carry around the clunk-master above.

There’s a whole market for add-on accessories like lenses and grips, meant to improve the experience and/or output of your smartphone’s camera. The truth is, most photographers would rather reach for a dedicated camera than bulk out their phone. After all, the appeal of the smartphone camera is that it’s always on you because it’s pocketable.

So instead of gifting something that’ll likely get left behind, give that special photographer a smartphone accessory they’ll actually use: a decent USB power pack for charging on the go (and many can often top up the batteries in newer cameras as well). It may be the tube sock equivalent of tech gifts, but it’s an item anyone can genuinely appreciate.

Thrift store camera finds

Sure she looks pretty, but the electronics are fried, the focus ring won’t turn and there’s something strange growing in the viewfinder… not exactly the most useful gift.

Nothing beats unwrapping something like a Yashica Electro-35 and being told ‘I found this at Goodwill and thought of you’, only to find that it has a seized up focus ring and mold in the finder. Here’s the thing: When it comes to shopping for cameras on the second-hand market, knowledge is power and research is king.

While a classic fixed-lens rangefinder sure looks great, there’s a risk that it’s really just a moldy paperweight. Don’t be the person that gifts a moldy paperweight. If you’re serious about getting someone a second-hand camera, awesome! We’ve put together two lists of reliable and affordable film cameras that are easy to acquire used. Check them out here and here.

‘Inspirational’ photo books and/or how-to’s

Skip the lame photo how-to books and cheesy inspirational ones and instead opt for something that shows off a celebrated shooter’s work.

Inspiration is obviously a very important part of the creative process. However, there are a ton of lackluster supposedly inspirational photography books on the market. The same can be said for photography how-to books: there’s a lot of them out there, but many are out-of-date and / or dull.

So rather than pick any old photography-related book, I implore you to do a little research. Find out who that special someone looks up to photographically and purchase a photo book by that person. If you’re unsure who their favorite ‘tog is, put on you sleuth hat and check their Instagram ‘following’ list. Chances are they probably follow some of their favorite shooters. If you’re still unsure, go for a classic like ‘The Americans’ by the late Robert Frank or ‘Street Photographer’ a collection of images by the late Vivian Maier.

A stylish or overly-technical camera strap or camera bags

If you wouldn’t feel comfortable picking out a pair of underwear for the photographer in your life, don’t get them a bag or strap either.

Camera straps come in all sorts of shapes, sizes and materials. Some are woven, others are leather, rope or neoprene. Some offer quick-releases and / or neck-padding and/or length adjustments, others do not. So how do you choose the right strap this season? You don’t.

Photographers are very particular about their straps and trying to pick one out for that special someone is not unlike buying them a pair of pants – only they can tell whether the fit and feel are right. It’s worth noting camera bags and backpacks fall into a similar category of ‘definitely don’t buy unless you’re absolutely sure.’

But if you insist on purchasing a camera strap this holiday season, the Peak Design Slide offers a good balance of features, weight-capacity and price. We’re also fans of CAM-IN’s leather and rope straps.

The photographers’ work printed on something

OK, maybe we’d be happy with a Belvedere mug.

Receiving a personalized gift is nice, but generally speaking, most photographers don’t want to be gifted framed prints of their own work to hang on the wall (we’ll do that ourselves, if there’s a picture we’re particularly proud of), nor do they want their photos printed on items like a throw pillow, a blanket or a coffee mug. It’s a little crass to so blatantly show off your own pictures.

Instead, most of us would much prefer a print of someone else’s work to hang on our walls and inspire us. Legendary photo agencies like Magnum and VII often do $ 100 signed, small-sized print sales. And other famous photographers’ work like the late Ansel Adams can be found for sale directly through their estate’s official website.

In conclusion

Honestly, if you can’t think of anything else, just get us a big roll of gaffer tape.

There you have it, seven clichéd photography-related gifts to avoid giving this year and what to give instead. We hope this list inspires you to better understand that special photographer in your life and their desires. And don’t worry if you’ve given some of these gifts in the past, we all make mistakes. Maybe this year you can make up for it.

To our fellow photographers: If you’ve been on the receiving end of another lackluster photo gift that we missed, let us know in the comments. We’ll add to this article as we see fit.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Set Up Your Own Cloud System and Avoid Using Commercial Services

30 Oct

The post Set Up Your Own Cloud System and Avoid Using Commercial Services appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Herb Paynter.

If you’re anything like me, you have taken way more photos than you can access at any given time, especially if you’re away from your home system. In this article, I’ll show you why you should set up your own cloud system so you can access your image files all the time, and avoid monthly fees with commercial providers.

Image storage

set-up-your-own-cloud-system

For most of us, home is where we maintain massive drives full of images, both edited and unedited. Most of which are only loosely cataloged or organized too. When I need to find a particular photo, I perform a pretty detailed metadata-based search spread over my multi-drive setup.

The operation is neither efficient nor pretty.

Particularly when the photo I’m looking for was taken years ago and could be anywhere on my system. It’s far from the tidy professional setup I would like it to be. I’ve been adding to this collection daily since the mid-1980s.

Now multiply this dilemma by being away from home much of my life, armed only with a laptop and maybe a thumb drive or small USB pocket drive. If I haven’t uploaded all my images to one of several cloud storage systems I use, this exercise is over before it starts.

Even if I can access my desktop system, the chances are slim that all those pesky permissions doorstops will let me search all my drives remotely.

Set Up Your Own Cloud System and Avoid Using Commercial Services

Hard-drive mania. Repaving the parking lot

Recently, I counted more than a dozen hard drive carcasses stacked on shelves in my home office.

They have served as photo and file storage depots over the years. Some contain images taken twenty years ago that I didn’t transfer to my newest, latest, largest storage device.

There are some great images that I simply haven’t had the time to weed through and sort out. It’s all pretty discouraging.

For those files I have stored online, many times I have to “qualify” them with a password often deemed incorrect (aargh!). Perhaps I’m simply getting older, but there are too many passwords for too many storage sources for this to be fun anymore.

Frustration and anxiety sets in every time I leave the house with my laptop in hand. I know I’ll need to get to something that I won’t be able to access.

Two months ago, I faced the recurring problem of needing more file storage space. What to do? Yet another even larger hard drive? More online parking space? Where does this cycle end?

set-up-your-own-cloud-system

Flying the friendly skies

This time I took the time to seriously investigate the commercial cloud systems available.

If you think you’re not using cloud storage, think again.

If you have an Adobe account, you are a member of the Creative Cloud. If you are a Mac user, you have an iCloud account. If you are on Google, you probably are a member of Google cloud. Most likely, you use Dropbox – yet another cloud system.

All these systems provide file access from remote locations, but you certainly don’t have all your files on a single cloud.

While these clouds are wonderful, to some extent, there’s a significant downside to each. There’s also a lot of common problems with each. The restrictions, privacy, cost, access, limitations, and vulnerability involved with each is significant when all the facts are in.

Enter the personal cloud system

set-up-your-own-cloud-system

What I have discovered is the surprise upside of installing my own personal NAS (network-attached storage) system, which is basically a full access file server.

A NAS is a standalone Linux or Windows processor (computer operating system) acting as a full-service librarian attached to host one or more hefty hard drives and providing a significant variety of server services. Each server is available only those to whom the server’s owner (typically known as Admin) gives permission, and accessible from virtually everywhere around the globe.

You can configure each personal multi-drive cloud server as either a single massive drive system or as one of several RAID configurations. RAID stands for Redundant Array of Inexpensive Drives and consists of two identical hard drives recording mirrored copies of your files. Each drive stores identical backups for near-bulletproof security.

These NAS RAID arrays provide from two to twelve terabytes of online storage and backup.

Cloudy skies and bumpy rides

Set Up Your Own Cloud System and Avoid Using Commercial Services

But you should take great care to investigate ALL customer reviews of the various private cloud systems available.

Read beyond the marketing talking points and glitzy advertising and read the comments of current users.

The technology is proven, but not all products are quite as user-friendly as they seem. Lower-priced units sometimes indicate entry-level and basic features. Also, sometimes, the lower price indicates a lesser-quality product.

You can’t judge either books or NAS systems by their appearance OR brand popularity.

The system I originally purchased was manufactured by a highly-rated and respected hard drive company. It consisted of two four-terabyte drives set up as a RAID type 1 system that provided immediate access to virtually all my photos, videos, music, and files.

The server worked wonderfully, as long as I was on my home WiFi network. However, when I attempted to set up access away from home, some air escaped from the balloon. This lack of remote access led to me renaming my server “Fogbank” in protest.

After re-reading, reinstalling, and re-configuring the system as best as I could understand the ambiguous installation instructions, I first contacted customer support via email. Detailed explanations of my failed attempts were responded to by references to endless generic PDF documents in their “knowledge base” and forum discussions.

Unfortunately, my phone calls were handled by friendly technicians whose English was so challenged that I simply could not get a direct answer to my questions.

Multiple attempts to put this Humpty-Dumpty server back together failed over and over. Further reading on the company’s forums revealed hundreds of other frustrated users who had given up on the hardware. I will not name the product or the manufacturer. Instead, I’ll just encourage you to do your diligence and read the reviews of actual users before you buy.

Clear skies ahead

Set Up Your Own Cloud System and Avoid Using Commercial Services

I believe totally in both the concept and the technology of NAS personal cloud servers and have since purchased a quality, value-based product. I’ve spent a bit more than I did for my initial system, but I am rewarded with the amazing freedom and power behind this amazing technology.

I now enjoy speedy access to all files in my vast image library. My personal cloud server system provides file sharing and syncing, and personal multimedia services for streaming video and TV shows. It has a bulletproof backup, home security system monitoring, and many more amazing features.

I can even upload images directly from a photo session (through the camera’s WiFi) to my personal server – no waiting to get home!

set-up-your-own-cloud-system

And best of all, this secure server system is fee-free. Once you own the equipment, your only cost is Internet access. If you have an Internet account, you’re good to go. Monthly fees and service restrictions are only distant memories.

You no longer have to rent the rare air on someone else’s cloud. You can collaborate with other users and photo club members, share and download huge files via FTP, all while being entertained. And they actually call this work!

Check into these devices, ask a lot of questions, and open up a whole new communications experience for as little as a $ 500 investment.

Have you set up your own personal cloud system? Share your thoughts on the process with us below!

The post Set Up Your Own Cloud System and Avoid Using Commercial Services appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Herb Paynter.

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5 Photo Editing Mistakes Every Beginner Must Avoid

12 Sep

The post 5 Photo Editing Mistakes Every Beginner Must Avoid appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Kunal Malhotra.

We are fortunate enough to be able to capture photos in digital format and edit them later using multiple software. You can adjust exposure, white balance and replace the background with only a few clicks. Being able to edit our photos as per our requirement is a great power – but we must not overuse it. In this article, I share 5 photo editing mistakes which I have made in my initial days as a photographer. I hope that some of you photography enthusiasts will benefit from my learning over the years.

1. Selective coloring

The image on the left looks more professional and is an ideal portrait, while the image in the right looks very unprofessional.

Sometimes we get so obsessed with a particular element in our frame that we desperately want to highlight it. One of the options that you might opt for is selective coloring, and it can easily go wrong. This is a technique where you keep a selective part of the image colored, making the remainder of the image black and white.

As a beginner, you might be super excited while working on your first few selective-colored images. And you should be.

However, if you wish to step up your photography game and make your images look more professional, avoid using selective coloring.

5-Photo-Editing-Mistakes

I would suggest you work on your perspective and composition if you wish to highlight a particular object or color in the frame. Try to frame that highlighting subject in a manner that it stands out in the frame.

If not, you can selectively boost the exposure or saturation in editing without applying the selective coloring method.

2. Overuse of HDR technique

Of the 5 photo editing mistakes I list, if there is an award for the most overused editing technique, it must go to the HDR effect. I must admit that during the first two years, I used to click multiple exposures of almost everything. Then later, I used to merge those exposures to get the HDR effect, thinking I was such a cool photographer.

You must understand the actual meaning of HDR, which is High Dynamic Range. Use it only when you feel that the camera is not able to capture the dynamic range of the scene the way you see it with your eyes. All you have to do is capture 3, 6, or 9 frames of different exposures and later merge them using apps such as Adobe Lightroom.

This is an over-processed HDR image.

There are few apps which allow you to get the HDR effect using a single photo, but that is simply a gimmick which you must use carefully.

3. Over-saturation

We all come across photos with vibrant and attractive colors, especially on photo-sharing apps such as Instagram. Trying to gain similar results, you might be boosting the saturation level way too far. Over-saturation in your photos can make a well-composed frame look average because you boosted the colors way too much.

The image on the right has way too much saturation, as can be clearly seen on the face.

While editing a photo for 3-5 minutes or more, it’s difficult to tell if the photo is well-saturated or over-saturated. Here is a quick tip that I follow that may help you as well: After your final edit is complete, take a 2-minute break from the screen. Now come back to your device and see if the saturation level works or is too much. Trust me; this practice is going to help you a lot if you edit a single photo for more than 4-5 minutes.

4. Converting to ‘Black & White’ when not required

Simply taking the saturation slider all the way to ‘-100’ does not make any image look good in monochrome. If I am converting any image black and white in editing, I check if the frame has contrast in it. If not, I try and avoid converting that image to monochrome.

Image: The colors in the image on the left are much more appealing as compared to the monochrome ima...

The colors in the image on the left are much more appealing as compared to the monochrome image on the right.

Even if a scene has good contrast, check if any prominent colors might complement the colored image. Your frame might have a beautiful and colorful sunset, but because you are used to converting any image into monochrome, you might make a wrong decision.

Be patient and analyze the image. If you feel the colors are not that appealing or the image has high contrast, go ahead and convert it to black and white.

5. Overuse of vignetting effect

The use of the vignetting effect in editing is a personal preference. I have seen many beginners use strong vignetting effects, especially in portraits. I love using a vignetting effect in photos where I want emphasis on a particular subject – but not in every image.

Try and avoid using this effect on photos such as landscapes, or try to keep it subtle so that the overall beauty of the frame does not get destroyed.

The image on the right does not look good because of the overuse of the vignetting effect.

Have you been making any of these 5 photo editing mistakes? Or if you wish to add any editing mistake to the list, feel free to comment below.

The post 5 Photo Editing Mistakes Every Beginner Must Avoid appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Kunal Malhotra.

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