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Real Estate Photography: The Complete Guide

18 Oct

The post Real Estate Photography: The Complete Guide appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Charlie Borland.

real estate photography a guide

Do you want to capture beautiful, eye-catching real estate photos?

You’ve come to the right place.

Real estate photography might seem difficult and even high pressure, but with a little know-how, you can start creating outstanding images right away.

I’ve spent plenty of time learning the ins and outs of real estate and house photography, and today, I’d like to pass that knowledge on to you. So if you’re ready to learn how to photograph houses like a pro, then let’s dive in, starting with:

Real estate photography: key camera equipment

To get started with real estate photography, you’ll need a few basic items:

A camera
A wide-angle lens
A tripod

Your camera should allow you to add a cable release, a flash, different lenses, and wireless triggers. For cropped sensor cameras, a lens around 10-22mm or 12-24mm is perfect, and for full frame sensor cameras, a lens around 16-35mm will do the job.

Tilt-shift lenses help avoid converging vertical lines such as wall edges and door frames. There are a handful of tilt-shift lenses available, but while these lenses are wonderful to use, they are fixed focal length. So if you need more flexibility, a 16-35mm zoom lens is a great alternative (or companion) to a tilt-shift lens.

This image shows diverging vertical lines, seen best by the edge of the fireplace, from using a 16-35mm lens tilted down to add foreground and minimize ceiling.

Now, real estate shooting techniques can get pretty complex, from exposure blending, HDR, wireless flash, to light painting with multiple exposures. No matter your shooting style, the camera should not be moved (to guarantee image alignment of multiple exposures). The camera’s self-timer, a cable release, or wireless triggers help ensure no camera movement. Certain apps will also triggers the camera and provide a preview of the photo on your smartphone or tablet.

The best lighting for exterior real estate photos

exterior real estate photography

The first image a potential buyer (usually) sees when reviewing properties online is an exterior photo, so you must capture a beautiful outdoor shot. A big part of this is lighting, so you’ll need to carefully choose your time of day and lighting quality.

But what type of lighting is best for real estate photography?

Most exterior house photography benefits from lighting early and late in the day, when the light is soft and golden. The sun direction is also important, so you’ll want to use an app such as PhotoPills to determine the sun’s progression prior to the photo shoot. In general, aim to photograph with light hitting the front of the home, like this:

exterior real estate photography

In winter, some south-facing homes never have the sun hitting the front of the house. In such situations, I highly recommend keeping the sun at your back, even if it means shooting the home from an angle.

sidelit house

If you don’t like the result you get with morning or afternoon light, you might consider shooting on an overcast day. Cloudy skies can eliminate problems with the sun’s position, but discuss it with your client first, because white skies can lessen the impact of an otherwise great exterior image.

Also, if you’re struggling to find a good time to shoot the house during the day, you have one more option:

The dusk/dark technique, which gets you photos like this:

The dusk/dark technique

Simply head to the house around sunset and choose the best angle to showcase the home, ignoring the ambient light. Turn on all the lights or even add lights to the rooms; then wait until after sunset, when the sky’s exposure balances the room lights’ exposure. That’s when you can create a beautiful, pro-level image!

Getting started with interior photography: composition

After you’ve shot some stunning exterior shots, you’ll need to get on with the interior real estate photos. This can be tedious, but it’s essential you approach the task with care.

Homes come in all shapes, sizes, styles, and conditions. You want the house to look as good as possible, so I recommend you send your clients a task list for prepping the home prior to the photo session.

Once you’ve arrived, photograph the main rooms: the living room, kitchen, dining area, master bedroom, and master bath, all of which are “must shoot” rooms. There could also be a library, office, large walk-in closet, and more. The client can often tell you what they deem important; don’t be afraid to ask.

The master bathroom!

Once you’ve entered a room and are preparing to take a photo, seek out the best perspective. I like to use indoor elements – furniture, windows, and room layout – to create visual flow. I generally try to avoid including a large element in the foreground that prevents the eye from flowing through the room.

This is the first test shot I took of this room. The foreground chair blocked the flow!

modified composition of the interior shot above

By rotating the chair and lowering the camera height slightly, the eye flows through the room more easily. (This image also has its vertical lines corrected.)

Key composition tip: get the verticals rights

In interior house photography, there is broad agreement among clients and photographers: Verticals must be correct! Most interiors feature plenty of verticals, including edges and corners of walls, door frames, and windows, and these edges need to truly be vertical. And wide-angle lenses that are not level (e.g., they’re tilted slightly upward toward the ceiling or downward toward the floor) will make vertical edges converge or diverge and no longer appear straight.

If you use a tilt-shift lens, the problem is solved right off the bat, but not everyone likes TS lenses. So what do you do? How do you prevent converging and diverging verticals from ruining your photos?

One common approach is to level the camera – that is, ensure it’s not tilting up or down – because a perfectly level camera will record straight verticals. While this is a simple solution, it doesn’t always make for the best compositions; a level camera at chest height can cut off foreground subjects like furniture at the bottom and leave too much ceiling at the top. Lowering the camera height will improve this problem, but how low can you go and still have an effective photo?

This image by one of my online course students; Simone Brogini, illustrates this point. His camera is chest high and is leveled to avoid diverging verticals. But the foreground furniture is cutoff and there is too much ceiling that lacks interest.

Simone also shot this bedroom image the same way. It looks pretty good, but I advised him again that the camera height might be just a little too high, as the bed and furniture get only about 1/3 of the frame and the wall and windows use 2/3 of the frame.

So what is the perfect camera height? There are many opinions. Some suggest chest height while others suggest door knob height or even lower. I prefer chest height or close, and I also correct vertical lines using other methods, like a tilt-shift lens or the Lens Correction Tool in Photoshop (or Lightroom).

This image shows the use of the Lens Correction Tool. The bed and furniture cover 2/3 of the frame and provide a fuller view of the room, plus the verticals are straight!

Real estate photography settings: how to get the perfect exposure

Exposing for interior elements can be challenging, because you’re balancing bright window light with darker interiors.

You can deal with this contrast many ways; one is to shoot when outdoor light levels are lower, such as during or after sunset, or on a cloudy day. Turning on every light inside increases the interior brightness, and if the outdoor brightness is lower, a RAW file can often capture the scene in one frame. Alternatively, you can shoot a series of bracketed images, then blend them together in post-processing.

On a bright, sunny day, the room has a dark ceiling, a dark floor, window flare, and hot spots with too much contrast for one capture.

On a overcast day, the interior exposure is quite good, as is the window exposure.

Even in low-contrast lighting situations, I’d recommend you take a few extra shots to ensure you have all the necessary exposures for a great image. First, determine your base exposure, the image that has most of the data centered in the histogram. Then bracket in +/- one stop increments of varied exposures. You may not need these extra images, but if the dynamic range of the scene turns out to be too much, they can really save the day (i.e., you can blend them into a great final image!).

bedroom

Real estate photography: interior lighting

While some real estate photographers stick to ambient lighting, just like a finely lit portrait, interiors can benefit greatly from carefully styled external lighting. Bracketing and blending can manage scene contrast, but it cannot create highlights and shadows in areas that have no directional light – for instance, if you have a dark cabinet against a dark wall, adding supplemental light can bring out the much-needed detail.

Most interiors have two light sources: window light and interior lights. You can add continuous lights or use strobes/flashes. Personally, I recommend flashes or strobes, which provide flexibility when lighting interiors.

Before I dive into the basics of interior lighting, I’d like to emphasize its purpose: to bring out detail, balance the overall lighting effect, prevent distracting dark spots, and emphasize the key parts of the scene. Always think in terms of what the ambient lighting conceals and what your studio lighting will reveal.

Now, photographers shooting for architects or magazines often have plenty of time to photograph a property with finely crafted lighting techniques, but a real estate photographer’s time is usually limited, making flash the perfect tool. You can master the balancing act of using direct on-camera flash to fill in a scene, or you can bounce on-camera flash for great results.

Feel free to take a test shot without flash, then review the image on your LCD and determine the areas that require fill light. That’s what I did for the scene below:

Here, the only light is coming from a window on the left and the ceiling fixtures, leaving dark areas in front.

kitchen real estate photography better lighting

Adding bounce flash, handheld just to the right of the camera, filled in those darker areas effectively.

Also popular are multi-flash wireless set ups allowing the flash to be placed around a room for styled lighting. Oh, and you might try the light-painting approach, where areas are selectively lit across several exposures, then all exposures are blended in post-processing.

This image uses the light painting approach for a balanced, detailed result.

By the way, you’ll need to be aware of lighting color temperatures and color balance, which can become a problem when indoor lighting (studio or otherwise) is combined with ambient outdoor lighting.

When you have mixed light, such as daylight-colored window alongside tungsten-colored ceiling lights, plus you then throw in a fluorescent kitchen light, you’ll end up with a palette of different light colors in your image. Walls closest to windows will be blue while the walls closest to the tungsten ceiling lights will be amber and the ceiling in the kitchen will have a green tint.

Here’s an image with mixed lighting:

There is a blue color cast around the window and on the floor on the left.

So what do you do about mixed lighting? Two things:

Do as much as you can to minimize mixed lighting by color-matching your studio lights to the lights in the scene.
Use selective color adjustments in Lightroom, Photoshop, or another post-processing problem to neutralize the unwanted color casts after the fact.

Here’s a corrected version of the previous image:

The final image shows color correction, as well as corrected verticals and the removal of window flare.

Providing the client with the final images

Once you have photographed the house and done the necessary post-processing, you will need to deliver the image files. Clients usually request low resolution files for the web and high resolution files for print publication.

Be sure to save your files in the proper file format and size for the intended use. Most online listing services specify their accepted formats and acceptable sizes. I use low-resolution JPEGs and high-resolution TIFF files, then I make a final delivery of the images via Dropbox or a comparable online service.

Real estate photography: final words

Now that you’ve finished this article, you’re ready to rock some real estate photos! Here are a few items to remember before heading out to your first house:

You are not photographing for yourself; you are photographing for clients who will expect professional quality work.
Don’t get all the best gear; only buy what is required to do the job well.
Master the creative side of photography, such as angles, perspectives, and composition.
Master the technical side of photography, such as exposure, HDR, supplemental lighting, color matching, and exposure blending.
Be careful when processing real estate images; don’t misrepresent the property.

And above all, have fun!

exterior image real estate

The post Real Estate Photography: The Complete Guide appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Charlie Borland.

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How to Blur the Background in Lightroom: A Complete Guide

08 Apr

The post How to Blur the Background in Lightroom: A Complete Guide appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Rick Ohnsman.

If you want to give more emphasis to your subject, you must minimize the background. The best way to achieve this is in-camera; you can focus on the subject but pick a wide aperture and a long focal length for limited depth of field. The result is a sharp subject but a blurred, simplified background:

That is the ideal method. I’m going to teach you how to blur the background in Lightroom, but with the caveat that it is not the best way.

What if your image is sharp from front to back but the background now competes for attention? You didn’t think about it and made your shot with a smaller aperture, wide focal length, or both. Or perhaps you’re dealing with a smartphone image, where a small sensor size and a very short focal length almost always creates images with everything in focus.

If you failed to get a blurred background in-camera, your next best option is Photoshop – or another sophisticated editing program that supports layers, selections, and functions like gradients and Gaussian blur.

As for Lightroom: It’s a fair option. It will work, but using it to blur your background probably ought to be thought of as a “rescue mission.” I don’t want to discourage you – Lightroom often can produce a very acceptable blur – but I’d strongly encourage you to shoot multiple images during your photo session and vary the aperture if you think you might want to soften the background.

But all the coulda, woulda, and shoulda regrets over how you might have made a better in-camera capture don’t count when the session is over, the images are already made, and Lightroom is the only editing tool you have.

So let me show you how to blur the background in Lightroom.

How to Blue the Background in Lightroom - The rock chuck — “Chuck” the rockchuck blended in a bit too much with the background. Using Lightroom, I blurred the areas around him to simulate a shot with a long lens and a wide aperture.

Two major steps

There are two major things to consider when blurring the background in Lightroom:

What area(s) you want blurred
The kind and amount of blurring you want

The what and how of masking

In Photoshop, defining the area you want to work with is typically done with selections. There are a variety of tools to create selections, and once you’ve made them, you’ll typically see the “marching ants” – the animated dotted-line border that defines your selected area.

But in Lightroom, there are no selections, and you’ll never see the ants. Instead, Lightroom uses what it calls “masks” to allow you to select areas where you want effects applied.

There are three local adjustment tools you can use in Lightroom to select areas and apply masks:

The Adjustment Brush
The Graduated Filter
The Radial Filter

Blurring the background with a Graduated Filter and the filter brush

statue in the park with and without a blurry background — This statue photo has a busy background. Background blurring techniques in Lightroom can help keep more attention on the subject.

statue in the park — Step 1: Drag a Graduated Filter from the right edge across the entire image. The **Mask Overlay** is turned on (in green).

statue in the park with masking — Step 2: With the Graduated Filter still selected, get the filter brush tool. (Find the word “Brush” at the top of the editing panels and click that, *not* the picture of the brush). Either hold down the **Alt/Option** key while you work so the symbol inside the brush is a “-” sign or click the **Erase** option. Erase portions of the mask you don’t want to be blurred. The **Auto Mask** option can be helpful to find edges.

It’s probably best to think of your filter brush more as an airbrush than a paintbrush. There are four settings you can use to control its application:

Size: Changes the size of the brush. Roll the mouse wheel, use the left and right bracket keys, or use the slider.
Feather: Changes how hard the edge of the brush is and how rapidly the effect falls off. Use Shift while rolling the mouse wheel, Shift and the bracket keys together, or the Feather slider.
Flow: Controls how quickly the effect is applied with each stroke of the brush. Use the slider to adjust the flow, or with the brush tool selected, change the flow with the number keys on the keyboard. Using multiple strokes will build up the effect.
Density: Controls the maximum opacity of the brush effect. For example, if the Flow was at 100 but the Density was at 50, one stroke of the brush would apply the effect at 50% opacity.

It is possible to simply select the Adjustment Brush, drag the sharpness slider all the way down (“reverse sharpening”), and start painting away on your image, watching the painted sections become more blurred. (You are still creating a mask this way, but you will not see it unless you turn on the Mask Overlay).

The Adjustment Brush method might work fine if you don’t mind being imprecise about how finely the blur is applied, but it is not the best method for finer work.

Radial Filter

The Radial Filter has a shape that is restricted to circles and ovals. The effect radiates out from the center of the spot where it is applied. You can control its size, feathering, and orientation.

Using the Invert checkbox, you can also control whether the filter effect occurs outside the oval (the default), or inside the oval (if the Invert box is checked).

How to blue the background in Lightroom the Radial filter — Blurring the background with the Radial Filter is a three-step process:

1) Mask the entire image with the Radial Filter. (Turn on the Mask Overlay to see where the mask is applied.)

2) Use the filter brush to erase portions of the mask you want to remain sharp.

3) Slide the **Sharpness** slider to the left for reverse sharpening (softening) of the masked areas.

The image on the left is prior to masking; the image in the center shows the masked area after removing the mask on the barn; the image on the right shows a blurred background.

The Overlay option

Being able to see where you’ve applied a mask makes things easier, so turning on the Mask Overlay option is a good idea. This can be done by either checking the box at the bottom of the screen labeled Show Selected Mask Overlay or by tapping the “O” key on your keyboard.

You can cycle through various overlay colors (which can help to make your mask stand out over different photo colors) by using Shift + O.

landscape of rainforest with and without background blur — This background blur was created by simply loading the Adjustment Brush with the Sharpness slider turned down, then painting over the areas I wanted to soften. I added a Radial Mask with a slightly raised exposure to the fern to give added attention there.

Modifying masks

Though the Adjustment Brush, Radial Filter, and Graduated Filter are the only tools for applying masks, there are other tools for modifying them.

Auto Mask – Checking this box while working with a brush will help the brush find edges in your image and can make masking much easier.
Erase – You can use the Adjustment Brush to paint on a mask. When doing so, you will see a “+” symbol at the center of the brush. Clicking the Erase option will change the symbol at the center of the brush to a “-” symbol so that you can erase portions of the mask you already painted on. You can also easily switch from painting to erasing by holding down the Alt/Option key.
You can add or subtract from Graduated Filter or Radial Filter masks with the filter brush tool. If you are working with a Graduated or Radial Filter mask, you will see the word “Brush” appear to the right of the word “Mask.” Important: This is a different brush than the Adjustment Brush tool. It will allow you to add to or subtract from your existing Graduated Filter or Radial Filter mask.

Range masking

Lightroom has recently added what is called the Range Mask.

With Range Masking, you still apply an initial mask using the three tools mentioned above (the Adjustment Brush, the Radial Filter, and the Graduated Filter). But by turning on Range Masking, you can control more specifically where the mask is applied.

The Luminance Range Mask will allow you to selectively apply a mask to a range of luminance (brightness) in the photo, while Color Range Masking allows the mask to be applied to a range of color (hue). Being proficient with the Range Mask will serve you well as you become a more skilled Lightroom editor.

Range Masking and blurring with Lightroom — Clockwise from top left: 1) the Before image. 2) The background selected with the Color Range Mask. 3) The background blurred with one blur layer. 4) The background blurred with three duplicate blur layers.

Learning how to create a mask to work with the areas you want is the most important part of how to blur the background in Lightroom. Take time to carefully apply and fine-tune your masks. How convincing your final image will be is highly dependent on the careful application of your mask.

How to blur the background in Lightroom - Before — This is the original edited image. It had been foggy earlier in the day, and I wanted to emulate that look.

How to blur the background in Lightroom - graduated filter applied — I first brought in Graduated Filters from both the right and the left with the **Sharpen** slider down to about -28.

How to blur the background in Lightroom - adjustment brush applied — I then added some additional masking with the Adjustment Brush tool, and I dropped the **Sharpening** down to about -33.

how to blur the background in Lightroom blurry background forest — Here is the final result with some additional negative **Dehaze** added to my masks.

Creating the blur

Creating your masks will determine where your blurring effect is applied. It’s the more time-consuming and critical step.

But these next steps will determine how the blur looks.

Let’s say you have a person in your foreground as the main subject. You want them to be sharp, but you’d like to blur the background. Using the masking tools and techniques I’ve outlined above, here’s how I’d approach the image:

Drag a Graduated Filter across the image so the entire scene is masked.
Use the filter brush tool (the one that’s part of the Graduated Filter) to fine-tune the mask, erasing portions over the subject, adding back as needed, and perhaps also using the Auto Mask feature to help you better mask near the edges.
Now, with your Graduated Filter selected, drag the Sharpness slider down, perhaps all the way to the left.
See if dragging down the Clarity slider a bit helps achieve the blur you want. Use this more sparingly than the Sharpness slider as it can create a strange look if applied too strongly.
Play with the other sliders to see what effect they might have. Remember that each slider will only affect the masked area.

Double down on the blur

You might find that even if you drag your Sharpness or Clarity sliders all the way to the left, you still aren’t getting the amount of blur you’d like. Time to double down.

Once you’ve added the sharpening or clarity effect, right-click the pin and hit Duplicate. A copy of the adjustments will be applied on top of the existing adjustments, and the blur will be multiplied.

Still not enough? Repeat and duplicate again. You can make as many duplicates as you like, slowly building up the effect.

how to blur the background in Lightroom man with bike — Top left: The Before image. Top right: The mask applied. Bottom left: The background blurred with one pass of reverse sharpening. Bottom right: The background blurred with three duplicates of the reverse sharpening adjustment.

When you blur the background in Lightroom, less is more

Let’s come back around to what I said at the beginning of this article:

Using Lightroom to blur your background is not the best way to achieve the look you’re after. Softening details with editing is a bit of fakery and cannot begin to truly reproduce the kind of bokeh blur achieved with a lens.

So instead of creating something that is immediately obvious and calls attention to itself, be subtle. If an untrained observer would say, “This looks like an editing effect,” you’ve failed.

reverse sharpening bike on prairie — Less can be more. Just a little reverse sharpening to the background and foreground simulates a narrow depth of field.

Spend whatever time it takes to create and refine your masks so that it’s not obvious where the edge is. Consider the different parts of the scene that should – and shouldn’t! – be blurred.

Then be sparing in your application of reverse sharpness and clarity. It’s always a good practice to take a break after an editing session to give your eyes a rest, then look at your image again later. You might even ask someone else to view the image. (They should not be able to tell that anything was doctored.)

police motorbikes in a line — Front-to-back sharpness or a simulation of limited depth of field? For this shot, there wouldn’t have been time to shoot it both ways, so the ability to blur the background in editing was useful.

How to blur the background in Lightroom: final words

In teaching you how to blur the background in Lightroom, I want you to be successful with your editing and make beautiful images.

So test out the techniques I’ve shared. And if you get good results, post some of your before and after images in the comments below!

Why should you blur the background of a photo?

You should always decide on the most important subject in your photo and use techniques to put the most attention on that subject. Sometimes backgrounds can be distracting, so blurring them while keeping the main subject sharp can be a good idea.

Is Lightroom a good application for blurring the background?

It works, but you will be using tools not especially created for this purpose. Adobe Photoshop or a different editing application with selections, layers, and Gaussian blur would be better.

Is there a Blur tool in Lightroom?

Not really. To blur backgrounds in Lightroom, you add reverse sharpness and reverse clarity over selected portions of the image.

What is the best way to blur the background in a photo?

The best way is to shoot your photos with a limited depth of field. Wide apertures and longer focal lengths would be the in-camera approach to the blurred background look.

Will the “Portrait mode” of newer smartphone cameras allow you to blur the background?

Yes, this mode actually takes multiple shots and combines them in-camera to create a blurred background effect. It might be better than what you can do in Lightroom, but it provides limited user control and is not nearly as good as what can be done with a traditional camera.

The post How to Blur the Background in Lightroom: A Complete Guide appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Rick Ohnsman.

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Composition in Photography: A Complete (and Modern) Guide

16 Mar

The post Composition in Photography: A Complete (and Modern) Guide appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Ana Mireles.

If you’re looking to learn about composition in photography, you’ve come to the right place.

In this article, I’ll cover what composition is, and I’ll explain how to use it to make your images eye-catching and unique.

So whether you’re a beginner photographer learning the basics or a more experienced shooter who wants to improve, read on to find out some of the most effective composition tools, concepts, and guidelines available!

What is composition in photography?

Composition in photography refers to the position of elements inside the frame and how they interact with each other.

Ultimately, composition is about the visual structure of your image.

Why is composition important?

The composition of your photograph impacts the way it’s perceived by others. When you choose what to fit inside the frame and what you leave out, where to position each element and so on, you’re capturing a scene with your unique vision.

That’s why it’s important to carefully compose your photos!

Basic techniques and concepts for composition in photography

We are instinctively attracted to images with a good composition.

Why?

Because we find them harmonious or interesting!

However, we are not as naturally skilled at creating stunning compositions.

That’s why photographers have developed basic compositional guidelines and concepts that can quickly improve photo compositions – without requiring years of experience.

Starting with:

The rule of thirds

You’ve probably heard about the rule of thirds – or at the very least, you’ve seen it. That’s because most cameras, including the one on your smartphone, have a rule of thirds grid overlay.

The rule of thirds grid is formed by four lines – two vertical and two horizontal – placed at an equal distance from each other and the photo edges (so the frame is divided into thirds).

Like this:

But what actually is the rule of thirds?

It’s a guideline stating that you should position compositional elements along your gridlines – and that the focal point of your composition should sit at one of the gridline intersection points.

You can follow this rule in both portrait and landscape orientation, and it works for all types of photography. For example, if you are doing a full-body portrait, you should often place the subject toward one of the gridlines and not in the center.

And when you’re photographing a landscape, you should put the horizon toward the top or bottom third of the image and never in the middle.

Note that the rule of thirds is a guideline, not a true rule. Once you’ve mastered it, I recommend trying to violate it with other concepts – such as symmetry, or with even more complex techniques such as the golden ratio (discussed below).

Leading lines

Leading lines direct the viewer through the image, like this:

When you read a text in English, you automatically start at the top left. Then you continue toward the right until the end of the line.

The same thing happens in photography. When we see an image, we also “read” it. Your eye goes from one element to the next – in order to view details and understand the story that’s being told.

That’s where the leading lines come into play: They guide the eye through the image.

Leading lines can be present or implied, and they can be straight or curved. For example, a leading line can be a curvy road getting lost in the mountains. This will compel viewers to follow the road, pulling them into the image.

Texture

Texture is often overlooked as an element of the composition. You can use it to create contrast between two elements – one that is smooth and one that is rough, for example.

You can also use texture to create interesting shapes and leading lines, or to add interest to an otherwise dull subject.

To work with textures, you need to consider the type and direction of the light. A hard light that comes from the side will emphasize the texture. A soft light coming from the front flattens the surface.

Color

Color is a key consideration for composition in photography. There are so many color harmonies that you have endless possibilities!

You can use complementary colors to create contrast and make your subject stand out. And you can bring together apparently unrelated elements that are united via a color scheme.

A good way to learn and understand color palettes is Adobe Color. You can use this tool even if you don’t have an Adobe subscription.

Simply select a color wheel with different color harmony rules, such as monochromatic, complementary, etc. You can also upload a photograph to extract the color scheme or gradient. And to stay updated, you can browse trends based on Adobe Stock and Behance.

My favorite tool in Adobe Color is Explore, where you can input a concept or a mood and see the colors that represent it (with multiple examples from the visual arts).

Shape

As photographers, we’re used to thinking of ways to add depth to a two-dimensional surface.

Because of that, it’s easy to overlook the importance of shapes. Yet when you’re composing your images, you can use shapes to establish a careful arrangement.

Think of a cake being photographed from the top; that’s a circle. If you cut out a slice, then you’re adding a triangle to the composition.

Every shape gives a different feel to our photographs. For example, squares convey stability, while circles make you think of movement and energy.

That’s why posing a group for a corporate portrait usually means forming squares or rectangles, whereas family portraits are often posed in triangles or dynamic shapes.

A good way to practice shape-based composition is by using shadows or shooting silhouettes. That way, you take out any three-dimensionality and focus only on the shape of objects.

Symmetry

Symmetry is defined as something that is exactly the same on both sides, such as a mountain peak or a tree trunk.

And it can work great in art – as long as you use it carefully.

Note that, in art, a scene is rarely 100 percent symmetrical. Instead, you’ll end up with scenes that are almost symmetrical and are well-balanced on both sides.

Like this lake photo:

The trees and water aren’t perfectly symmetrical, but they’re close, and the overall scene has a feeling of balance.

Take a portrait as another example. If you photograph a face perfectly centered in the frame, your image will be symmetric. It won’t matter if the subject has a birthmark on one of their cheeks, or that one of their eyes is slightly lower than the other – the symmetry will dominate.

One of the reasons we find symmetry so appealing is because we often find it in nature. And psychologically speaking, symmetry offers a sense of order that makes us feel at ease.

(A great way to play with symmetry in your photography is by shooting reflections or patterns!)

Contrast

Another important concept that can enhance your composition is contrast.

Since we are talking about photography, the first thing that comes to mind is contrasting light, such as low key photography. Here, you capture a very dark image where only a small detail is highlighted (which makes for a highly dramatic result).

However, tonal contrast is not the only type of contrast you can use to improve your compositions. You can also use color contrast (as discussed earlier), juxtaposition, and conceptual contrast (which pairs opposite ideas or aesthetics).

Advanced composition in photography

Once you’ve mastered the basics of composition, it’s time to challenge yourself and move on to more advanced techniques.

Here are some of the most popular tools to consider:

The rule of space

The rule of space tells you to leave space in front of the subject, especially if it’s a moving subject. The idea is that the viewer needs enough room to imagine the subject carrying on the action that it’s performing.

For example, if a duck is paddling away, you would put significant space in front, like this:

And according to the rule of space, if you photograph a person who’s running to the right, you should place them on the left side of the frame (and vice versa).

rule of space person walking with a cart

But remember that there’s an exception to every rule, especially when it comes to composition. So if you want to add tension or intrigue the viewer, try violating the rule of space!

The complicated thing about composition is that you must choose to apply or break the rules depending on the message you want your image to convey.

The rule of odds

The rule of odds is based on the principle that people find it more interesting to see odd numbers. While even numbers show stability and work well for symmetric compositions, odd numbers allow the eye to flow through the image.

So according to the rule of odds, you should include odd numbers of items in your compositions.

I recommend you use this rule when it fits the situation, much like you would with shapes. If you want a dynamic composition, you use triangles, diagonal lines, and odd numbers. And if you prefer stability, you can choose straight lines, squares, and even numbers.

In any case, the important thing is to use the rules to your advantage and take control of your compositions.

When you’re shooting food or products, it’s often easier to follow the rule of odds.

But following the rule of odds isn’t as easy when you’re photographing a family of four; you can’t just decide to exclude one of them!

(Though when you’re facing this situation, you can arrange the group so the viewer sees one plus three instead of four.)

Triangular composition

In the first part of the article, I talked about using shapes to compose your images.

But did you know that the most popular shape in composition is the triangle?

You can create triangles with poses in portraits, mountains in a landscape, or a church tower on your travels.

However, if you want to up your game a bit more, you can use golden triangles. This composition technique divides the frame first with a line that connects one corner with the opposite one, then adds two smaller lines coming out from each of the remaining corners.

Like this:

Ideally, you would place the most important elements of the composition where the lines intersect. To achieve this, you may have to tilt your camera; this is called a Dutch angle (aka the Dutch tilt, German tilt, or Batman angle).

That’s why it’s not always possible to use the golden triangle guideline (or, at least, it’s not always the best choice!).

The golden ratio

The golden ratio is a mathematical term that was later applied to art and eventually photography. It equates to 1.618, and there are two ways it can be applied to photographic composition:

As a grid or as a spiral.

The golden grid (aka the Phi Grid)

The Phi Grid divides the frame into nine blocks, just like the rules of thirds.

However, this grid doesn’t follow a 1:1:1 ratio – which means the blocks are not the same size. Instead, the grid is 1:0.618:1, so you get smaller blocks toward the center, like this:

This composition tends to be more natural, as the golden ratio is also found in nature. It also has a better reputation than the rule of thirds, which many consider to be amateurish – a first step that should be quickly outgrown for more complex techniques.

The golden spiral (aka the Fibonacci spiral)

For this composition tool, you should follow a spiral whose growth factor is the golden ratio.

It looks like this (though note that it can begin at any corner of the frame):

golden spiral composition in photography

This spiral is found in natural structures such as sunflowers, pine cones, seashells, etc. You can also find it in many artworks and buildings because many artists have used it throughout the centuries.

To train your eye, you can print or draw a golden spiral, then use it to study the photographs from Irving Penn or Henri Cartier-Bresson, who both used the golden spiral to achieve astonishing results.

Composition in photography: conclusion

Now that you know most of the popular composition tools, you can use them to dramatically improve your images!

I know it’s a lot of information, but composition in photography will become more intuitive as you get more practice.

My suggestion is to keep it simple at first and practice the tools one by one.

Once you get comfortable with each composition guideline, you can combine them to achieve a more complex result.

And remember:

These are just guidelines you can use as you see fit to find your own artistic vision.

Now over to you:

Which of these composition techniques is your favorite? Which do you plan to use in the future? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Composition in photography FAQs

How do I emphasize my subject?

To emphasize an element in your photograph, you need to draw the viewer’s attention to it. You can use composition techniques, such as leading lines, to achieve this.

Is the rule of thirds the most important composition rule in photography?

No, the rules of composition don’t have a hierarchy. Instead, rules work better in different situations, and the best technique for one photograph can be wrong for the next one.

Can I improve my composition by photographing with a smartphone?

Yes, these rules apply to all types of photography, including mobile and video. If you want some help getting started, most camera phones have a grid overlay that follows the rule of thirds. You can enable/disable it in the settings section. Alternatively, you can install a camera app that supports different types of grids (such as A Better Camera).

How can I improve my composition in Lightroom?

You can use Lightroom’s overlays to improve the compositions of your photos. To use these, select the Crop tool from the Develop panel. Make sure that the Overlay is enabled. Then press the “O” key to toggle between all the available overlays.

Can I break the rules of composition?

Absolutely! Even though some of them are called rules, they are only guidelines, tools, and techniques to help you achieve better results. There’s always flexibility to experiment. It’s important to know the rules before you break them, though!

The post Composition in Photography: A Complete (and Modern) Guide appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Ana Mireles.

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Fine Art Landscape Photography: The Complete Guide

09 Feb

The post Fine Art Landscape Photography: The Complete Guide appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Rick Ohnsman.

Fine Art Landscape Photography - The amazing color of a Palouse country sunrise.

Perhaps you’ve heard the term fine art landscape photography.

But is fine art landscape photography something you should aspire to make? And what distinguishes a fine art photograph from a snapshot?

In this article, I’m going to explain everything you need to know about fine art landscape shooting. I’ll start by explaining what it actually is – and I’ll go on to give you plenty of tips you can use to improve your own landscape photos!

Let’s get started.

What is fine art landscape photography?

Some terms are hard to define, and fine art photography falls into that category.

“There are always two people in every picture: the photographer and the viewer.”

— Ansel Adams

That said, fine art photography is less about the subject and more about the photographer. Your goal in fine art landscape photography is not to simply to show your viewer what you saw; it’s to communicate how it felt to be there and how the scene made you feel.

Fine Art Landscape Photography - A frigid morning in Yellowstone National Park — It was subzero the morning I made this shot in Yellowstone National Park. I added a blueish tone to help the viewer experience the cold I felt when making the image.

“Photography for me is not looking, it’s feeling. If you can’t feel what you’re looking at, then you’re never going to get others to feel anything when they look at your pictures.”

— Don McCullin

So how do you communicate feelings through photographs?

Here are some tips to consider when capturing fine art landscape photography.

trees in the mist — This image is a favorite because of how it “feels.” I think it does a nice job of conveying the cold, wet, foggy atmosphere of a morning in the Columbia Gorge of Oregon, a place where the fog often hangs thick.

1. Think about what would make your image unique

Have you ever been making a landscape photo at a location where other photographers are lined up next to you also working the scene?

Most of us have.

The question to be asked is:

How will your photo be different, unique, special? What is it about your image that will stand out? How can you put your unique signature on the shot?

The choices you make to create an image that is uniquely yours matter. Any cook can follow a recipe, and if a dozen cooks all work from that same recipe, the dishes will be essentially indistinguishable. The gourmet chef making their signature dish, however, will strive to make the meal unique.

And as a fine art landscape photographer, your objective ought to be the same.

Fine Art Landscape Photography - trees at sunrise — Almost everyone loves a sunset photo, probably because of how they make us feel. Injecting feeling in your landscape photos is a large part of what takes an image into the “fine art” realm.

“Great photography is about depth of feeling, not depth of field.”

— Peter Adams

2. Be intentional and deliberate

When the light is rapidly changing, a landscape photographer might need to move quickly. However, most landscape photography can be done at a slow and thoughtful pace.

Rather than simply seeing a scene, positioning your tripod, shooting first and asking questions later, do the opposite. Before even touching your camera, thoughtfully observe the scene. Slow down.

Ask yourself what first attracted you to the scene. How does it make you feel? How can you best compose the shot? What if you moved higher, lower, to a different vantage point, used a different lens? What can you do to best capture your feelings in the frame?

Fine Art Landscape Photography - Foggy Vermont forest — The morning light, the fog, and the forest all combined to make it a magical morning when I had the opportunity to shoot in the Groton State Forest in Vermont.

Never be a one-and-done shooter. Take advantage of the instant playback capability of your camera, evaluate your image, and decide what might be better.

Then make a few more shots.

While he’s not a photographer and not talking about fine art landscape photography, famed hockey player Wayne Gretsky still offers advice photographers would do well to remember:

You miss 100 percent of the shots you never take.

Wayne Gretsky

3. Practice previsualization

You will know your skills are growing as a photographer when you can see your photograph before you even put your eye to the viewfinder.

Eventually, you should previsualize your finished image, have the vision, and then simply use the camera as an instrument to capture that vision.

It’s a beautiful loop:

The more you photograph, the better you become at seeing – and the better you become at seeing, the better your photographs will become.

a bridge at blue hour — I had been to this location many times, and so I had a good idea of what I wanted when I went there to make this blue hour image. I helped it a little more with a split-toned edit.

“The camera is an instrument that teaches people how to see without a camera.”

— Dorothea Lange

But while previsualization is important, fine art landscape photography should always be open to serendipity: those unexpected moments when the light changes, the angels sing, and the miraculous appears for a brief moment for you to capture.

There have often been times when I’ve previsualized a shot, got set up, and waited for the light, only to have something amazing appear behind me out of the blue.

Practice working with your camera controls so that, when such a moment occurs, you can respond quickly and get the shot.

mountainous rural landscapes — I was busy making the first shot, which was nice and even had a rainbow. Then I turned around and there was a second great opportunity. Always be ready for that serendipitous moment.

4. Fine art landscapes aren’t just monochrome

Google “fine art photography,” and you will mostly see black and white (monochrome) images. Due, perhaps, to its long existence, as well as a good number of early photographers for whom black and white was the only option, monochrome photographs may outnumber color images in the world of fine art.

But that’s not to say that color images can’t also be considered fine art photographs.

Circle back to our definition: Fine art photography is more about the artist/photographer and their vision than the content of the photograph. Whether color or monochrome, the best way to portray a vision will depend on the maker’s intent.

craggy tree at midday — I had already decided this photo of an old snag should be monochrome when I made it. You can see the color version is just okay. The split-toned monochrome shot better exemplifies a fine art image.

“What I love about black and white photographs is that they’re more like reading the book than seeing the movie.”

– Jennifer Price

Now, bear in mind the strengths of black and white photography. Without the addition of color, monochrome images rely more on the basics, the “bones” of a good photo: line, shape, form, tone, and texture.

Black and white images are typically simpler, with greater attention paid to the subject. Sometimes, a monochrome image can convey a look or mood better than its color counterpart.

a bridge in the snow — I like both the color and black and white versions of this shot and think either could be classified as fine art landscape photography.

When deciding whether an image might be best in color or black and white, the fine art photographer needs to come back to the objective, and ask themselves:

Which version best conveys the feelings and vision I had when making the image?

That, and not some notion that fine art photographs are always monochrome, should dictate the direction the photographer takes.

monochrome images of a tree on a cliff and a tree at Yellowstone — One advantage of monochrome is that it can get down to the “bones” of a good image – line, shape, form, tone, and texture – while stripping away color that would distract from those basics.

5. Don’t be afraid to alter reality

We talked about fine art photography being less about an accurate interpretation of a subject and more about the photographer’s feelings and vision.

So who says you can’t completely change your image to better convey those things?

Techniques like long shutter speeds to blur moving objects and very fast shutter speeds to totally freeze rapidly moving objects are right at home in fine art photography.

Fine Art Landscape Photography - flowing water — Learn how to use long shutter speeds to take your images from simple snapshots to fine art photography.

So is purposely blurring scenes with intentional camera movement (ICM) and using special digital tools to give an image a “painterly” look.

Infrared photography or other techniques that shift colors? Sure!

Art is totally subjective, and so is fine art landscape photography.

How you choose to portray a scene is your prerogative, where the “right way” is whatever best communicates your feelings and message.

“I really believe there are things nobody would see if I didn’t photograph them.”

— Diane Arbus

intentional camera movement of trees — Go abstract with your fine art photography and give abstract images a try. Intentional camera movement (ICM) can give you some beautiful results.

6. Experiment with interpretive editing

I’ve read much about the phrase “getting it right in camera,” something with which I both agree and disagree. Yes, I do believe one should master their camera controls so as to get the best possible exposure of an image while in the field.

Grand Fountain Geyser at Yellowstone — I made this shot of Grand Fountain Geyser in Yellowstone National Park a little earlier in the evening. In post-processing, I took the color toward the cooler tones.

Yes, making the best possible image in the field is important. Never should an editing session be a rescue mission where you try to overcome mistakes made when shooting. Fixing an image in Photoshop is an option, but usually not a good one.

However, enhancing an image with dodging, burning, or any of dozens of other editing techniques is the mark of a skilled fine art photographer. Using editing skills to further interpret an image, to convey feelings and intent, is part of the craft.

People who like to brag that their images are unedited and straight-out-of-camera have likely never studied the work of perhaps the most renowned landscape photographer of all time, Ansel Adams. He didn’t have the advantage of digital editing software to edit his images, yet that didn’t deter him.

Take a look at some of his before and after images, and you will marvel at how much change there was between the camera-captured negative and the final print.

Eastern Sierra mountain twilight — I was going for an Ansel Adams-like editing style with this shot of “Moonlight Over the Eastern Sierra.”
How’d I do?

7. Put in the time

Fine art landscape photography isn’t done in a hurry.

I’ve seen software makers claiming their programs will allow you to work faster using artificial intelligence. While these programs have come a long way, I’m not convinced that they can yet equal the quality of old-school human intelligence and a more careful, though slower, style of editing.

You might be able to get some interesting results with a one-click preset, but will it result in an image that communicates your unique vision? If you replace a sky with something “canned,” it might be more dramatic, but is it still your photograph?

canyons in monochrome — Artificial intelligence (AI) editing is making inroads, but what’s wrong with taking your time, using human intelligence, and learning to edit the old-school way?

I also have to ask: What’s the hurry?

I enjoy photo editing, seeing where I can take an image with some thoughtful work. I know there are those that don’t care for editing, and I guess that’s okay. I just believe that most carefully-crafted art takes time.

I have used such software on occasion, and so can you. But rather than just learn the tricks of the trade, how about putting in the time and effort to learn the trade itself?

If fine art landscape photography that has your own personal style and signature look is your objective, there are no shortcuts. One-click presets will only make your work look like everyone else’s!

“Once you learn to care, you can record images with your mind or on film. There is no difference between the two.”

— Anonymous

8. See(k)ing the light

I enjoy various kinds of photography, from table-top still life and macro photography to flash-lit work and especially landscapes. What differentiates landscape photography from many of these other genres is the lighting, the degree of control the photographer has over the scene, and the ease of creating the desired look.

I can previsualize the look I want for a tabletop still life shot, set it up on the kitchen counter, light it, make adjustments, and tweak until I get the shot I like.

Not so for landscape photography.

Instead, I must travel to the area I want to photograph, be there when the weather is cooperative, the light is right, the foliage is in season, and everything else (none of it in my control) all comes together. If it ever does.

But this is also the joy of fine art landscape photography.

Oregon sunset on the coast — Sometimes you just gotta wait…and wait…and wait some more. It had been overcast all day, but just a few moments before sunset, as the sun neared the horizon, the sky broke out with this unique light. I love the mood of this Oregon coast shot.

It might mean sitting patiently in the pre-dawn chill, hoping the clouds come in just right and the sunrise hits just so. You might hike miles to get to that overlook for a sunset that never comes, or get lucky and have a sudden thunderstorm come in over the canyon with dramatic clouds and lightning.

The lack of control is part of the attraction of landscape photography, the knowledge that luck really is when preparation meets opportunity.

“My life is shaped by the urgent need to wander and observe, and my camera is my passport.”

— Steve McCurry

So if you want to be a great fine art landscape photographer, then you’ll have to work at it. You’ll need to sacrifice a bit, get up before sunrise, stay well after the sun has set, hike into difficult spots, seek places drive-by photographers will never see, and strive to be different with your images, capturing not just what you see, but what you feel.

craggy tree with a stormy sky — A stormy, moody sky and a weird, twisted tree reaching for the light. I like the feel of this shot, which I call “The Creature Rises.”

9. Shoot to a theme

Sometimes, a good way to stimulate your creative juices is to shoot to a theme. Rather than simply grabbing your gear and going to a location to do some landscape photography with whatever you see, decide that you’re going to make all of your images fit a theme.

Visually describe a concept or maybe make photos as if you were doing an article on a place or a single subject. Then, use the “visual vocabulary” that are your photographs to describe and define that subject.

Add your own style as a fine art landscape photographer to determine what you want your viewer to know and feel about your subject.

autumn leaves in the water — I like the serene feeling of these fallen autumn leaves floating in the still, dark waters of a river eddy. I spent over an hour working this theme and making many images.

“The whole point of taking pictures is so that you don’t have to explain things with words.”

— Elliott Erwitt

10. The print is the performance

Today, most photos that are made are probably never printed. Instead, they’re viewed only on monitors or LCD screens, and sometimes projected. In the film days, photographers had no such options. After shooting and developing their film, they were only halfway to being able to show their photograph to viewers. Prints were mandatory.

Ansel Adams viewed it this way:

The negative is the equivalent of the composer’s score, and the print the performance.

– Ansel Adams

When discussing fine art landscape photography, I must raise the question:

Can a photograph be considered fine art if it is only viewed on a monitor and never printed?

If you’ve spent any time at all in a photo gallery and closely looked at printed photographs, you will know there is no comparison between seeing a printed photograph and seeing that same image on a monitor. Prints can render so much more detail, color, and tone.

Even the type and texture of the paper or other substrate on which a photograph is printed can make a huge difference.

Finally, when viewing photographs on a screen, the light is produced by the screen itself, whereas when you view a print, the light is reflected. It changes the way you view the shot.

river at sunset — This is a nice image on-screen, but to really appreciate it, you’d have to see a print. Then, depending on the paper type, or maybe even as a print on acrylic or aluminum, it would really pop.

So to repeat my question in a different way:

Must a photograph be printed to be considered fine art?

I could argue either side, but I must confess that I’m a big proponent of printing. Yes, learning to make good prints yourself is a whole other skill, and not an easy one to learn. Simply getting the color and brightness of a printed image to approximately match what you see on your monitor is a challenge.

But I would argue that learning to print is part of the photographic craft.

You might also choose to hand off your photos to a professional printer whose specialty is knowing how to get the most from your image. That’s okay, too. I guess my point is that the difference between a printed fine art landscape photograph and the same image viewed on a monitor is almost as great as the difference between going to a concert and just watching one on TV.

“Fine art prints created by the artist, or the artist’s collaborator, are important because they best represent the artist’s vision. Images displayed on digital devices are subject to the non-uniform nature of different displays and they may appear radically different than the artist intended.”

– Mac Holbert

11. Your photos are about you

What you see, what attracts your eye and your camera, and how you choose to interpret a subject says a lot about you.

Even if you haven’t consciously defined a “photographic vision” for yourself, chances are good that, if you review your archives, you will be able to identify commonalities in your work.

Hopefully, you will have developed a rating system (perhaps color coding or star rating as can be done in Lightroom) so you can determine which photos you consider to be your favorites. Take some time to look through your best shots and perhaps make some notes about defining styles, features, or techniques.

What are you consistently doing that works, and what signature style do you have?

“Only photograph what you love.”

— Tim Walker

predawn misty lake (left) and an aspen grove in fall (right) — The predawn shot on the left required shivering in the cold of a mountain morning. The mist was hanging low over Little Redfish Lake in Idaho. In the shot on the right, I can still feel the crisp autumn air and the sound of the rustling leaves in the aspen grove. Hopefully, a viewer will get some sense of those moments in my images.

Focus specifically on your landscape images and look for commonalities. What has worked well? What hasn’t worked? How can you find ways to build on your successes and also further define and develop your personal style so that your images communicate with your viewer?

“We are making photographs to understand what our lives mean to us.”

— Ralph Hattersley

When considering the subject of fine art landscape photography, you may be asking, “Does my work measure up? Am I good enough that my photographs could be considered fine art? Do I belong in the elite club of fine art photographers?”

I would suggest that what constitutes a fine art photograph is less about the quality of the image, and much more about the photographer’s success communicating something to the viewer.

trees with blue sky and grasses — I know the backstory behind this image, but you, as a viewer, don’t. Does this image speak to you? What does it say? What do you think and feel when you see it? Good photographs speak to the viewer.

“Good photographs are like good jokes. If you have to explain them, they aren’t very good.”

Anonymous

If you want to be successful in fine art landscape photography, or any other genre of photography, for that matter, teach your photos to speak for themselves. If they were displayed in a gallery without you there to say a word, what would they say to a viewer? What would a person feel when viewing them?

Yes, a photo can be worth 1000 words, maybe more. But it has to speak for itself!

Fine art landscape photography: Conclusion

Now that you’ve finished this article, you know all about fine art landscape photography.

And you know how to create some beautiful fine art landscape shots of your own!

So get out and get shooting. Best wishes in your photographic endeavors!

fine art landscape photography red barn and snowy mountains — The cold blue of an Idaho winter day with just a pop of red on a distant barn. This one says a lot about me, where I live, what I love, what images I like to make. What do your photos say about you?

Fine art landscape photography FAQs

What is fine art photography?

This Wikipedia description sums it up nicely: “Fine-art photography is photography created in line with the vision of the photographer as artist, using photography as a medium for creative expression. The goal of fine-art photography is to express an idea, a message, or an emotion.”

Must an image be black and white to be considered a fine art photograph?

While many photographers choose to use black and white when making fine art landscape photos, and while traditional images were made that way, it’s not a requirement. The photographer should choose whatever representation best conveys their intention for the image.

How can previsualization help me make fine art photographs?

Good photos are made in the mind, and the camera then becomes a tool for capturing what the photographer has already “seen.”

Must a photograph be printed to be considered “fine art?”

No, but a print can do much more to convey the photographer’s message to the viewer as a tangible, physical object with much greater subtlety of color, tone, and higher resolution. Further, while every display device will affect how the image is seen, a print retains the look of the image as the photographer intended. Printing is also part of the art and craft of photography.

If you could only give one tip about making fine art landscape photographs, what would that be?

Determine what you want your viewer to see, think, and feel when looking at your image, and imbue your photograph with those qualities such that it can speak on its own to the viewer.

The post Fine Art Landscape Photography: The Complete Guide appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Rick Ohnsman.

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How to Use a Snoot in Photography: The Complete Guide

15 Jan

The post How to Use a Snoot in Photography: The Complete Guide appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Simon Bond.

What is a snoot in photography, and how can you use one for stunning photos?

That’s what this article is all about.

I’m going to take you through everything you need to know about snoots – including what they are, why they matter, and how you can use them to capture stunning images.

So if you’re ready to become a snoot expert…

…then let’s get started.

What is a snoot?

A snoot is basically a tube that goes over the front of your flash unit and creates a hard, concentrated beam of light.

a snoot and a snoot-shaped Rogue FlashBender — Two examples of snoots mounted to flashes.

A snoot allows you to light your main subject – without lighting the surrounding scene. And this can be great for dramatic, low key photography.

snoot in photography — A snoot is good for directing the light and creating low key images with lots of contrast.
Canon 5D Mark II | Canon 50mm f/1.2L | 1/20s | f/2 | ISO 400

Now, you can pick up a snoot from plenty of off-camera lighting manufacturers. (More on that in a moment!)

But because snoots are simple, you can actually make your own, which is what the next section is all about.

Making your own DIY snoot

You can make your own snoot using basic household objects. You just need to make a tube that fits over your flash!

There are some design elements you must consider, though. For instance, you’ll want a color-neutral material, because if your snoot includes intense colors, you might get unwanted casts in your photos.

Bearing this in mind, here are the two simplest options for creating snoots:

Cereal box: Cut the box into a rectangular prism with a hole at either end. Add black tape around the outside of the snoot to prevent light from leaking out.
Pringles tube: Cut a hole in one end of the Pringles tube for the flash to fit inside, making sure the tube sits straight on your flash (so you get a clear, directed beam of light).

In either case, you can modify the type of light the snoot creates by making the snoot longer or shorter.

Just remember:

The longer the snoot, the smaller and more concentrated your source of light will be.

Buying a snoot

The other option is to buy a snoot, and there are plenty of good snoots available for you to choose from.

Here’s a nice snoot you can grab at a great price.

That said, given how easy it is to make an effective snoot yourself, if you’re going to buy one, you may want it to have some sort of extra functionality.

That’s why I highly recommend the Rogue FlashBender, which can be used as a snoot, a reflector, or a softbox.

(In other words: You get your money’s worth!)

When to use a snoot in photography

A snoot can be a highly useful tool in the studio.

Broadly speaking, a snoot produces hard light, which creates lots of shadows. A snoot also creates lots of contrast between your subject and the background (assuming the background isn’t lit independently).

Let’s take a look at a few cases where you might want to use a snoot:

Spotlight

Have you ever used a flashlight on a dark night to light up your face in a spooky way?

If so, you’ve essentially spotlighted your face – and broadly speaking, you’re doing the same with a flash and snoot.

Now, you can go for that spooky effect with a snoot, but you can also direct your light in different ways for different spotlight effects. You can highlight various parts of your subject while keeping the background dark, which tends to look both stunning and dramatic.

Low key effect

Low key photography involves partially underexposing your shots for a mostly black image.

Like this:

low key snoot photography — This is an example of low key light produced by a snoot.
Canon 5D Mark II | Canon 135mm f/2L | 1/60s | f/5.6 | ISO 640

And a snoot is the perfect tool to create this type of image.

Simply direct your light at the main subject, whether that’s a still life or a model’s face. And ensure the light falls off before hitting the background for that dark, dramatic, low key look.

Rim light

You can use snoots to create beautiful rim lighting – which is any form of light that hits the edge of your subject.

And one of the most useful forms of rim lighting is the hair light.

By using a snoot to direct rim light (i.e., hair light) onto the back of a model’s head, you can add depth and interest to a photo, without impacting the front of the subject or the background.

For the best results, keep the rim light a little to the side and out of frame.

Of course, a rim light is only part of a lighting setup, so you’ll want to use it in conjunction with other lights. That way, you can capture a portrait like this one:

snoot for a rim light effect — A hair light helps create a better-quality portrait photo.
Canon 5D Mark III | Canon 135mm f/2L | 1/200s | f/3.2 | ISO 100

Flare

While photographers generally keep their off-camera lights out of the frame…

…there may be times when you want the lights to appear in your photos!

Specifically, you can use a snoot to create lens flare, as shown in the photo below:

snoot in photography to create lens flare — Snooted strobes can be used to create lens flare when pointed toward the camera.
Canon 5D Mark II | Canon 17-40mm f/4L | 42 seconds | f/5 | ISO 250

Now, you can create this artistic effect with several light modifiers (or just a naked flash).

But a snooted flash will help you control the light, so the source appears to be some sort of street light, rather than a flash unit.

How to use a snoot effectively

When using a snoot in photography, you’ll want to think about a few key factors, including:

The direction of the light
The distance of the flash
The length of the snoot
The brightness of the flash

These will dramatically impact how your photos turn out – so if you’re looking to really fine-tune your snoot photography, make sure you pay careful attention to the next few sections.

Direction of the light

Thinking about the direction of light is important in all forms of photography, but it is essential when working with a concentrated beam of light.

By positioning your snoot behind the subject, in front of the subject, or off to the side of the subject, you’ll get dramatically different results – so before taking a single shot, ask yourself:

What am I hoping to achieve with this snoot?

And position your snooted flash accordingly.

Distance of the flash

The distance from the flash to the main subject has three effects when used with a snoot:

First, the farther the flash is from the subject, the less bright the light becomes. If you position your light at the back of the room, you’ll get a darker image (though you can always adjust your exposure to compensate for the reduced light intensity).

Second, the farther the flash is from the subject, the harder the light becomes. If you’re looking for a softer effect with more gradual shadows, you’ll want to keep your snooted flash close to your subject – whereas if you’re after a harder effect with abrupt transitions from light to shadow, then you’ll need to increase the distance between the flash and the subject.

Third, as the distance between the flash and the main subject increases, the light radius becomes larger. This allows you to light more of your subject – so if you want to light your subject’s entire body, move the snooted flash back, whereas if you want to light only your subject’s head, you’ll need to move the flash in close.

Length of the snoot

Snoots can come in different lengths, with longer snoots offering a more concentrated beam of light, and shorter snoots producing wider lighting effects. Depending on the snoot length, you can create a precise spotlight effect, or you can widen the flash beam to light the entire scene.

Some snoots are actually adjustable, and if you make DIY snoots, you can create several of differing lengths.

Brightness of the flash

Of course, the brightness of the flash also needs to be considered.

You see, the light you’re creating with a snoot is going to be hard light. The subject will be lit, and the background will likely be dark.

But if you wish to show some background detail via ambient light, you can reduce the intensity of the flash and increase the exposure on your camera.

The key is to make sure the area lit by the flash is correctly exposed, then adjust your aperture, shutter speed, and ISO accordingly.

How will you use a snoot in photography?

smoke with direct strobe light — The smoke in this photo was picked up by directed light from a strobe.
Canon 5D Mark II | Canon 135mm f/2L | 1/200s | f/7.1 | ISO 160

Using a snoot in photography gives you plenty of artistic options.

A snoot is a simple, cheap, and effective way of doing something different with your photography.

So make sure you remember the tips and techniques I shared in this article…

…and start practicing with a snoot right away.

Have you tried photographing with a snoot? How did it go? Share your thoughts and photos in the comments below!

The post How to Use a Snoot in Photography: The Complete Guide appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Simon Bond.

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Product Photography 101: The Complete Guide To Perfect Product Photos

20 Nov

Online shopping is the wave of the future. Already, e-retail sales account for 14.1% of all retail sales around the globe. That’s expected to grow to 22%. Every online retailer from small businesses to global giants face the same challenge — how to get customers to buy a product they can’t see. That’s where compelling, true-to-life product photography comes in. Continue Reading

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Landscape Photography: Complete Guide for Beginners; Equipment, Settings, and Tricks

26 Aug

The breathtaking landscape before you is just begging to be photographed. The only problem is that you don’t know how to do it. You try taking a few images, but upon reviewing them your disappointment sinks in. They don’t hold a candle to the real thing — and they certainly don’t look like those gorgeous landscape images that show up Continue Reading

The post Landscape Photography: Complete Guide for Beginners; Equipment, Settings, and Tricks appeared first on Photodoto.

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The latest LEGO Collectable Minifigure series includes a UAV operator complete with drone, controller and battle wound

27 Feb

At the Toy Fair in New York City, LEGO unveiled its latest collection of minifigures, consisting of 16 themed characters, each of which has costumes and props to boot.

The collection, which is the 20th of its kind since LEGO started the series back in 2010, features a number of fun and playful characters, but one in particular stands out—a drone pilot. One of the collectable minifigs is an enthusiastic drone pilot that comes complete with a LEGO drone, a LEGO controller and even a bandage on their face to suggest they’ve been nicked by the propellors of the drone.

The drone operator minifig, along with the other 15 characters, is set to start shipping April 19, 2020 for $ 4.99.

Image credits: Photos by The Brothers Brick, used with permission

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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How To Take Better Headshots: The Complete Guide

24 Aug

Headshot photography is a huge sub genre of portrait photography right now and is becoming bigger and bigger as time passes. So many people need to get headshots done and they should be going to you for this service! I want to talk about how we can all make our headshot photography so much better and thus provide our clients Continue Reading

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Sony investor calls for complete spin-off of sensor division

15 Jun

Sony’s semiconductor division (which makes its image sensors) has for years been one of the most successful business units within the Japanese company, generating 16 percent of Sony’s total operating profit in the fiscal year ended in March. It was spun off as a separate company in 2015 but remained a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sony that’s under its full control and direction.

Now several business publications report that American activist investor Daniel Loeb who runs a fund that owns a $ 1.5 billion stake in Sony is calling on the company to separate its sensor business completely ‘to unlock the Japanese group’s true worth as a global entertainment powerhouse.’

The investor wants the business unit to become a completely independent public company with its own stock listed in the Japanese stock exchange.

The investor wants the business unit to become a completely independent public company with its own stock listed in the Japanese stock exchange. This would allow Sony to focus on its entertainment businesses, including gaming, music, movies, and television while the image sensor business could thrive on its own.

‘When you think of Sony, you think of the Walkman, you think of the consumer electronics business, you know they own a movie studio and some music, but you don’t think of them as a Japanese national champion in technology, with a $ 20 billion going to $ 35 billion valuation business in sensors,’ Loeb told the Financial Times. He later says:

‘As a standalone public company listed in Japan, Sony Technologies would be a showcase for Japan’s technology capabilities. Rather than just an uncut rough stone buried inside Sony’s portfolio, Sony Technologies would be visible as a Japanese crown jewel and technology champion.’

However, a Reuters report lists a few reasons why a total separation could not be such a great idea. 90 percent of Sony’s chips revenue comes from smartphones which makes the unit particularly vulnerable to the business dispute that is currently being fought out between Washington and Beijing. Chinese smartphone maker Huawei, which has been banned from working with US technology firms is a major Sony customer, which is why recently analysts at Jefferies have decreased the Sony chip business’ operating profit forecast by 45%.

On the other hand, smartphones use more and more cameras per device and the demand for cameras and image sensors is increasing in other sectors as well, for example automotive.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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