From pocket-sized prime lenses to fast zooms designed to weather the elements, there are lenses of all shapes and sizes for Micro Four Thirds shooters. If you’ve recently acquired one of these cameras then we’ve got some ideas for your next lens.
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
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| Left to right, the Vimble 2A, the G6 Max and the AK2000S |
Chinese gimbal manufacturer FeiyuTech has released details of four new devices aimed at a range of photographers using smartphones, mirrorless cameras, DSLRs and those wanting to shoot timelapse sequences. The four are the Feiyu AK2000S, the Feiyu QING, the Feiyu G6 Max and the Feiyu Vimble 2.
The Vimble V2 is a lightweight gimbal that comes in two versions, the 2A for action cams and the 2S for smartphones. The 2S is an update of an existing gimbal, but the Vimble 2A is completely new. It has an extendable handle that contains a telescopic section to increase the length of the handle by 18cm. The device weighs 277g, which the company says makes it the lightest action cam gimbal on the market. Controlled via the handle or a smartphone app, the Vimble 2A is designed to work with the GoPro5, 6 and 7 models and offers users a quick release clamp for these cameras.
Those with mid-sized mirrorless cameras are the target of the Feiyu G6 Max, with its 1.2kg capacity. A system of flexible heads allow the G6 Max to also be used with action cams, compacts and smartphones, and a new design means the gimbal is both smaller and lighter than the previous G6 Plus. Each arm on the new model has a motor lock, the device’s LCD screen is enlarged and the 9 shooting modes can be controlled directly from the handle as well as via the app.
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The Feiyu AK2000S is designed for camera kits weighing up to 2.2kg/4.85lb and can control and power certain guest cameras. It uses 16.8v high torsion brushless motors to deal with the weight and now offers quicker and smoother response to instructions. The company claims motor performance is improved by 400%, and that a single charge will deliver 14 hours of operation.
The biggest of the new gimbals is the QING, which is really designed to sit on a tripod or slider to function as a complex timelapse and panoramic controller. Feiyu calls it a Motion Control Device and it can handle up to 3.5kg of kit and weighs 1.3kg itself. A detectable handle can be used as a remote controller but can also attach to the base of the QING so that it can be used as a regular gimbal. The QING comes with a 2200mAh battery to allow it to operate over long periods during timelapse sequences.
The QING costs $ 900, the AK2000S is $ 450, the G6 Max is $ 360 and the Vimble 2A and 2S are $ 127. For more information see the FeiyuTech website.
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
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Meike has announced a new 35mm T2.2 cinema lens for Micro Four Thirds (MFT) camera systems.
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The fully-manual lens is constructed of 10 elements in 8 groups, features an aperture range of T2.2-T22, has a minimum focusing distance of 42cm (16.5in) and is the equivalent of a 70mm lens on a full-frame camera. Its focus ring offers 270-degrees of rotation, its front filter thread is 77mm and it weighs 660g (23oz).
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The Meike 35mm T2.2 is available to purchase on Meike Global’s website for $ 359.99.
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
This week Chris and Jordan compare four popular mid-range APS-C mirrorless cameras: the Canon M6 II, Nikon Z50, Sony a6400 and the Fujifilm X-T30. Which one is right for you?
Subscribe to our YouTube channel to get new episodes of DPReview TV every week.
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
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SLR Magic has launched four EF-mount lenses as part of its APO-MicroPrime line:
The APO-MicroPrime lenses feature optical elements paired with a ‘unique optical design’ to correct longitudinal chromatic aberrations, according to SLR Magic. As a result, the company says bright and dark transitions in images are rendered without colorful artifacts, particularly when it comes to highlights.
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Each lens has a 150-degree focus throw, T22 – T2.1 aperture and an 82mm intenal filter size alongside an 85mm outer front. As well, all four new CINE lenses weigh around 900g (1.9lbs) and feature nearly identical designs. All four lenses will retail for $ 1,499 USD with planned availability starting in December 2019.
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
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A rare signed print of photographer Joe Rosenthal’s iconic World War II photograph ‘Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima’ will be auctioned on October 4 at Heritage Auction’s Photographers Auction. The print features the signatures of three of the surviving U.S. Marines featured in the image, as well as Rosenthal’s signature.
The photograph was captured in 1945; it depicts six U.S. Marines raising a flag on Mt. Suribachi on Iwo Jima. Three Marines — Ira Hayes, John Bradley, and Rene Gagnon — signed this 23.5 x 18.7cm (9.25 x 7.37in) print alongside Rosenthal, who passed away in 2006. It’s worth noting that despite John Bradley signing this print, it was confirmed in 2016 that Bradley was misidentified in the image and it was instead Harold Schultz in the photograph. The back of the print contains a few messages and notes.
The print up for auction was signed by the three Marines when they posed for Felix de Weldon, the man commissioned to construct a statue of the iconic moment for the Marine Corps War Memorial. According to Heritage Auction, de Weldon later met Rosenthal in 2000, which is when he, too, signed the print.
Though a few copies of the photograph with the Marines’ signatures have surfaced, this is potentially the only one that also contains Rosenthal’s signature, making it exceptionally rare. The print itself is described as a loose yellowing sheet with handling creases. The item is estimated to sell at auction for between $ 15,000 and $ 25,000 USD. Interested buyers are able to submit bids on the Heritage Auction website here.
Update (September 27, 2019): Corrected information to clarify that despite John Bradley’s signature being on this particular print, it was revealed in 2016 that it was Harold Schultz in the image, not Bradley.
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
Tamron USA has shared the above video on Facebook teasing four new lenses for Sony E mount camera systems.
In the 18-second video, which is accompanied by the description ‘Tamron Thrives on Challenging the Limits,’ Tamron shows off the silhouette of four new lenses alongside its currently-available 17-28mm F2.8 Di III RXD and 28-75mm f/2.8 Di III RXD lenses.
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No additional details are given, but based on the sizing of the lenses, it appears as though the tallest of the four lenses will be a telephoto zoom (note the focus and zoom rings on the edge of the silhouette) and the remaining three lenses will be more compact primes.
In a follow-up post, Tamron says the lenses will be ‘Coming Soon,’ but leaves it at that. Sony Alpha Rumors is reporting the new lenses being shown off at PhotoPlus in October, but that’s far from confirmed at this point.
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
The post Four Lightroom Tips to Enhance Your Landscape Photos appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Simon Ringsmuth.
Lightroom has a vast array of buttons, sliders, and selection boxes that can improve just about any photo, but sometimes the options are so overwhelming you don’t even know where to start! It’s impossible to say what specific adjustments will work for any given photo, partly because there are infinite possibilities and every photographer is unique. However, there are a few Lightroom tips you can use with certain types of images, such as landscapes, that improve them with just a few clicks. If you have ever wanted to punch up your landscapes quickly and easily, there are four options that you can use right away to make any landscape look amazing.
If you import a landscape picture into Lightroom but find yourself staring dazed and confused at the array of editing options, try focusing on the four items below. I use these on most of my landscapes, and you might be surprised at how well they work for you too.
Of course, you can always continue tweaking and adjusting with as many options as you want, but these are great to start with.
Learning to use these four adjustments goes a long way towards improving not just your landscapes, but many other types of pictures too.
As you gain more editing experience, you will start to figure out what your editing preferences are and learn to adjust the options accordingly. Maybe you like a little more tonal contrast or a little less saturation? Perhaps you prefer your images to have a little less sharpness? Experimenting with these options helps you understand what you prefer. It helps you develop your skills as an editor to get the results you like.
There’s a reason that the Develop module in Lightroom has a panel called Basic. This contains the most popular adjustments that most photographers use right away. They are especially useful for landscapes too. The following are what I recommend as a starting point for these types of images.
Highlights: Drag this slider to the left to make the brightest portions of your landscape a little darker.
Shadows: Drag this slider to the right to make the darkest portions of your landscape a little brighter.
Whites: Drag this slider to the right to make the white portions whiter
Blacks: Drag this to the left to make the black portions blacker.
To show you how much of an effect these simple adjustments can have on a landscape, here’s an image without any adjustments straight from my camera.
Shot at the National Tallgrass Prairie Reserve in Kansas. An unedited picture straight from the camera.
The picture is dull, lifeless, and not all that interesting. 15 seconds of adjusting those four sliders in the Basic panel does wonders and transforms it into a whole new picture.
Highlights -43, Shadows +26, Whites +70, Blacks -51. No other adjustments were made.
The resulting image is vibrant, lively, and exciting to look at, especially when compared to the original. It doesn’t take much work at all to use those four simple sliders when editing a landscape photo, and the results can be breathtaking.
The effect of the Texture tool isn’t quite as pronounced and may not take your breath away in the same way. However, Adobe’s latest addition to Lightroom can produce impressive results. While Texture is particularly useful when editing portraits, it can also bring out detail in grass and rocks, and other areas of a landscape image that has a great deal of natural texture.
Many landscape photographers are already familiar with the Clarity tool, which can have a similar effect as Texture. But, the former can often lead to images that appear over-processed and artificial. Texture is really designed to enhance the look and feel of textured surfaces. If you have not tried it, you may be surprised by the results.
I took the picture below in the mountains of the Pacific Northwest, and while I did some basic Highlight/Shadow/White/Black editing, I really want to bring out the details in the evergreen trees.
I shot this while hiking near Seattle, Washington.
Increasing the value of the Texture slider helps the trees to stand out. They come to life while leaving the clouds and sky virtually untouched. Adobe designed the Texture option to look specifically for textured surfaces. It applies the effect only where it’s really useful instead of across the entire image as a whole.
Same image, with a value of Texture +90.
When viewed at full resolution, the result is remarkable, but even on a small screen, you can see that the trees have become more pronounced. The background trees are clearer and more discernible as well.
This new option in Lightroom is not yet as popular and well-known as Clarity, but it’s a boon for landscape photographers who want to spice up their images without going overboard.
The Sharpening tool has been an integral part of Lightroom for years, but might be overlooked by new landscape photographers who feel overwhelmed with all the features in front of them when editing their images. In contrast to Clarity and Texture, the Sharpening tool helps you emphasize the edges of everything in your pictures while also giving you the power to specify precisely how you want to apply the sharpening.
As with the Texture tool, your results aren’t going to be as immediately impactful as other edits, such as the Basic panel. However, careful adjustments to Sharpening can add a level of resonance to your landscapes and bring to life the small details.
Shot at just outside a small town in north-central Kansas. Some basic edits applied, but no sharpening.
The Sharpening adjustment, which sits in the Detail panel, has four parameters: Amount, Radius, Detail, and Masking. While these are all important, the ones I recommend you focus on are Amount and Masking. Move the Amount slider to the right to make your picture appear sharper and add a sense of crispness. After that, use the Masking slider to tell Lightroom where to apply the actual sharpening.
You can hold down the Alt or Option key (on a Mac) to see how this works and adjust as necessary. The black-and-white preview updates in realtime. As you hold down the modifier key and drag the slider, it shows you just where the sharpening will be applied.
Adjusting the Masking parameter while holding down the Alt or Option key (on a Mac) shows a live preview of where the sharpening will be added.
Use of the Sharpening tool is a great way to enhance your landscapes, especially when combined with some of the other editing options.
Sharpening added with the following values: Amount 114, Radius 1.0, Detail 25, and Masking 85.
If you have never used the Graduated Filter on your landscape photos, you’re in for a real treat.
This tool allows you to apply graduated adjustments to part of the image, and even edit the adjustments using selective masking and brushing. It’s a great way to bring out the rich blue of a sky, the subtle greens of grass and foliage, or implement other edits to part of your picture without affecting the whole thing.
To demonstrate how the Graduated Filter works, I have a picture shot in southeastern Nebraska without any edits except for removing some spots of dust on the lens. The foreground is dark, and I’d like to change the color of the sky to reflect what I actually saw. However, global edits like the Basic panel just don’t work.
Shot in rural Nebraska on a chilly February evening.
As a point of comparison, here’s the same picture with some simple adjustments, like in my very first example. The Basic adjustments help but don’t produce the results I’m after.
Highlights -18, Shadows +100, Whites +34, Blacks -7.
It’s an improvement but still a long way from what I want. Fortunately, the Graduated Filter is here to help! By applying this type of edit, I can alter the lower portion without affecting the upper portion. Also, the edit is applied gradually, so it appears more natural as the foreground recedes to the horizon.
No edits from the original except for a single graduated filter applied to the foreground. Temp 76, Exposure 2.16, Shadows 21, Blacks -13, Texture 50, Sharpness 20.
You can go one step further and add additional graduated filters, which is especially useful when working with landscapes. In this image, I’d like to bring out the rich deep colors in the sky without affecting the field in the foreground.
A graduated filter is the perfect tool for the job.
Second graduated filter applied to the sky. Temp -73, Exposure -.50, Highlights -45, Dehaze 10, Saturation 16.
I listed the Graduated Filter last because it’s the most complicated of these four adjustments you can apply to your landscape, but it’s also, in my opinion, the most powerful. There are lots of options for customizing your graduated filters, and it’s going to be worth your time to explore more. However, the example above should be enough to get you started.
There’s so much more you can do with landscape photos in Lightroom beyond what I demonstrated here. These basics should be enough to get you started and help you bring out a lot of the color, detail, and vibrancy that your landscape photos may be missing.
After learning these, I hope you start exploring the other options Lightroom has to offer.
I’d love to see examples of your landscape photos in the comments below!
The post Four Lightroom Tips to Enhance Your Landscape Photos appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Simon Ringsmuth.
The post Four Signs it’s NOT Time to Upgrade Your Camera appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Adam Welch.
I’m reminded about a conversation between Ansel Adams and Ernest Hemingway that went something like this:
Hemingway: You take the most amazing photographs I’ve ever seen! What sort of camera do you use?
Adams: You write the most amazing stories. What sort of typewriter do you use?
Even though I know this chance encounter between two of my favorite Masters never actually occurred (though I secretly hope it did), the weighty implications of this fictional exchange are obvious.
The power of a photograph is no more coupled to the superiority of one’s camera than are the words of a good story which move us to emotion. While it’s true that cameras are indeed the tools of our trade, and those tools vary in terms of capability, there seems today to be a sort of “cart before the horse” mentality. It looms heavy over the majority of the photographic community; a mentality which implies that if your photographs aren’t up to your expectations, the quickest remedy is to buy a better camera.
Upgrade, upgrade, UPGRADE! That’s the song often heard. Upgrading your camera is a natural facet of the evolution of any photographer. I’m not in disagreement with that notion. However, what if I told you that getting a new (or new to you) camera should be more of a last resort than a first idea?
Today, we’re going to talk about four signs that it’s NOT time to upgrade your camera.
About 300 years ago (it seems), when digital cameras were becoming relatively cost-effective for the average shooter, I began thinking about switching from my film SLR to a DSLR. I searched around and was advised on a camera that would be “magic” for the work I was trying to do. The problem was that I had no real idea of what that work actually would be.
Much like a certain popular character from a certain popular TV show…”I knew nothing.” I went with the camera others told me I should have and went after the sort of photography jobs (wedding, portraits, events) that were available in my area. I had upgraded my camera – not for any true physical or technical need – but rather because I thought that a new camera was necessary for the task at hand.
In fact, I hadn’t stopped to think about what I wanted to do and how I should go about doing it before I took the plunge. It was like buying brushes before knowing how to paint.
If you’re still wondering what kind of photography is “right” for you, a good starting point would be to continue working with whatever camera you have right now. Shoot everything and anything with it: people, events, landscapes, nature, street, and still life.
Only after you see yourself leaning to one side should you begin thinking about upgrading the tools you need to accomplish a better outcome.
Your brain is an amazingly complex, incredibly capable bio-computer which we’ve only begun to understand. Yet without input and feedback from our senses, the brain is just – well – a brain. It only knows it’s environment based on the information allowed to pass along to its consciousness.
The same is true for our cameras.
A digital camera can sport the most beautifully huge sensor that somehow produces no noise even at 4 billion ISO. Or, has enough megapixels to make enlargements larger than the Earth and still it would be reliant on the information passed to it by its lens. In the end, it is the lens that dictates the quality of the raw informational light the camera will use to build an image.
So why do so many of us put more emphasis on the camera instead of the lens?
Especially today, the lenses which come with bundled camera kits are generally much sharper and faster than previous packages offered ten or fifteen years ago. This is likely due to the higher expectations of the “average photographer” – if there is such a thing.
Still, if the reason you’re considering upgrading your camera is wholly due to a lack of sharpness or low-light performance, then I urge you to first invest in a higher quality lens. Please note that higher-quality does not translate into high prices. Many prime (non-zoom) lenses with maximum apertures of f/2.8 and larger offer excellent optics for under $ 300 with slightly used models going for even less.
Always remember that an inferior camera with a superior lens will almost always perform better than a superior camera with an inferior lens. To that end, consider upgrading your lens before the camera body.
The functional operations of producing a photograph are surprisingly simple. In terms of image-making settings for our camera/lens, there are only three things we can directly control, which determine the overall outcome of our exposures; shutter speed, aperture, and ISO. These are essentially all we have to select to produce a digital image.
However, choosing those three parameters can instantly fill us with terror. Instead of taking full control of our photographs, we often choose to rely on aperture or shutter priority modes (which are usually quite good these days). Alternatively, we release the reigns entirely and allow our cameras to make the big decisions for our exposures by choosing Auto Mode.
I’ll admit this subject is a slippery slope. I’ve said many modern cameras perform beautifully when operating in these semi-automated shooting modes. Still, without the conscious and deliberate control of the user, a camera is, well, just a camera.
For whatever reason, if you find yourself never determining the “big three” settings of your camera and notice your photos lacking in their technical or creative merits, I urge you to begin shooting in manual mode. Entirely new doors will open up to you when you begin to understand the relationships between motion and shutter speed, or depth of field and aperture. Not to mention the brilliant nuances of working with ISO settings. Once you’ve discovered these possibilities, it will likely become clear that it doesn’t make sense to upgrade your camera in the hopes for a better automatic shooting experience.
First, try to assume a more dynamic role in determining the technical aspects of your photographic experience. Then decide if it truly is time to upgrade your camera.
This is the big one. It is the number one reason why you shouldn’t run out and upgrade your camera without first doing some serious self-inventory. You’ve seen someone else’s body of work, and instantly it registers in your mind “if only I had the camera they use,” or “no wonder their pictures are so good, look at that camera!”
In this situation, I default back to that epic fictional meeting between Ansel and Ernest. The obviously secondary nature of the tool of choice becomes readily apparent next to the prowess of its owner. I doubt few of us could pen another “The Old Man and the Sea” if supplied with the stationary and typewriter of Hemingway. It’s unlikely we might reproduce “Moon over Hernandez” if gifted the same camera and film as Ansel Adams used on that fateful evening in New Mexico.
The point is that it’s not the camera that makes the photograph. A camera is merely a conduit for the expression of skill and emotion of the user.
If you find yourself in pure envy of a certain photograph, an easy misstep is to wonder what type of camera or lens they used. The more difficult aspect to understand is that a person made the image; a person who was feeling a certain way at the time of capture – someone who was empowered by their knowledge and skill to produce a photograph.
The camera may have been the method to transform light into a photograph, but the power and the emotion conveyed through that photograph was born elsewhere.
I can assure you, upgrading your camera will not instantly make you a better photographer; only learning can do that. A camera doesn’t make a photograph; only a person can do that.
We’ve dipped into some heavy ideas in this article when it comes to all the reasons you should think twice before upgrading your camera. However, with anything that involves “art” and self-expression, these ideas are far from being absolutes.
In the end, only you can decide whether or not a new or different camera will nudge you along the path to fulfilling your potential as a photographer. It’s not a process you should enter into lightly or without solid reasoning.
Socrates said, “Know thyself.” That’s good wisdom.
If you find yourself looking at your current camera with a growing sense of disgust, ask yourself whether the performance you find lacking stems from the tool or the craftsman? In both cases, you can remedy the problem easily. You can obtain new cameras and acquire new knowledge. The trick is knowing which one you need more.
The post Four Signs it’s NOT Time to Upgrade Your Camera appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Adam Welch.
The post Get Moving – Four Ways to Create Abstract Light Trail Photography appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Megan Kennedy.
Light trail photography is a unique facet of photography. By combining slow shutter speeds with light and camera movement, fascinating abstract photography can be made. Here are four abstract light trail photography techniques to experiment with in your own photographic practice.
Before we get started, let’s talk about abstraction. Abstract photography (often called non-objective, experimental or conceptual photography) is photography that does not have an immediate association with the visual world. Instead, abstract photography uses aspects like color, light, texture, shape, and form to evoke an emotional response from a viewer.
Often, in light trail photography, light trails complement a scene or subject. However, in abstract light trail photography, it’s the light trails themselves that are the sole conveyor of meaning. By erasing any other context, the viewer relies solely on the nature of light and photography to read a photograph. This creates intriguing photography that captures and holds the attention of the viewer as they visually unpack the image before them.
Although it can be done in daylight, abstract light trail photography is best carried out in the evening, at night, or in a dark room indoors. This is to minimize distraction and enhance the efficacy of our chosen light source/s.
Traffic lights, building lights, car lights, phone light, glow sticks, torches, neon signage… there is an abundance of light sources available to photograph at night. With the right camera settings and technique, almost any point of light can be used to create an interesting light trail.
Abstract light trail photography rests on the nature of the light source/s (brightness, movement, color etc) and the behavior of the camera (exposure settings, camera movement etc). For example, during a long enough exposure, a set of car lights will leave a trail as they pass by, whereas a stationary light source requires camera movement to activate an abstract light trail. Camera tossing predominantly involves the latter, physically moving the camera to achieve interesting abstract light trail results.
Taken over two seconds at f/4 and ISO 100, this tangle of lights demonstrates the path of the camera as it is tossed in the air.
Camera-tossed abstract light trails involve the tossing of a camera into the air during an exposure. Purists argue that a true camera toss means that the camera is tossed without the use of a guiding hand or camera strap. This is why for this method, I strongly advise you to use an old, cheap camera. A compact camera works well. You can even use a phone with a durable case.
I wouldn’t recommend taking your DSLR out for some air-time (although I must admit I did use my 5D MKII with a 50mm lens for some camera tossing sessions). If you aren’t keen on risking your camera, (which is totally understandable) skip forward to camera swinging and keep an eye out for old tossable cameras on sale or in local charity shops.
The first step to camera tossing is to find somewhere safe to toss. Camera tossing in a quiet location, over grass or carpet is a good idea.
Once you’ve found a good spot with an interesting light source or two, it’s time to organize your camera settings. I went with a shutter speed of one or two seconds to allow the camera movement to really gain traction. I then set my aperture to f/4 and my ISO to 100.
Set your focus to manual. Aim your camera lens at the light source/s and adjust your focus. You can aim for the sharp rendering of the light source/s, or take intentionally unfocused shots for softer light trails.
Depress the shutter button and quickly toss the camera in the air (10-30 cm is high enough, though you can go higher if you’re game). Catch the camera as gently as possible and have a look at your results. Make any amendments to your exposure and have another go.
When you are happy with your exposure and focus, start introducing different throwing methods. Try spinning the camera as you flick it into the air, or throwing it carefully so that the lens is orientated at a particular angle for the duration of the exposure. The results between different throwing techniques can be quite pronounced, so take some time to experiment a little.
Taken at f/8 at 1/4th of a second, I left my lens unfocused to introduce a soft quality to the resulting photograph.
A variation on camera tossing, camera swinging involves swinging your camera by your (firmly secured) camera strap.
Find a light source and take a few photographs to determine exposure and focus. Just like camera tossing, you want a longer shutter speed to give the camera movement time to take shape. For camera swinging, I started with an exposure of two seconds at f/4 with an ISO of 100.
Once you’ve settled on an exposure, make certain that your camera strap is fastened to your camera. Double-knot, even triple-knot your strap to hold it in place. You really don’t want your camera to go flying once you start swinging.
Two examples of camera swinging. Different light sources make varying light trails.
When you’re ready, depress the shutter button and have a go at gently swinging your camera back and forward like a pendulum. When the exposure finishes, check your results and make adjustments to your camera settings or technique as required.
The possibilities for camera-swung imagery are endless. Each swing creates unrepeatable paths of light from one image to the next, so again, don’t be afraid to experiment a little. Try jumping while swinging your camera or spinning around in a circle with your camera fastened to your wrist.
Not all abstract light trail photography is based around swinging and tossing your camera. Light trails can also be created by moving your body with a camera in hand.
Locate an interesting light source and figure out your exposure with a few test shots. I found that the combination of a one-second exposure at f/4 with an ISO of 100 was a good starting point.
Depress the shutter button and start moving. Ever seen those inflatable tube men, dancing around in the wind? Well, you don’t have to go THAT crazy, but shifting your arms up and down, twirling around, doing a little dance or moving from a sitting position to a standing position are great examples of camera-body movement.
As long as the shutter is open, and the lens is pointed toward a light source, the movements you make will be recorded in the image, creating kinetic abstract imagery.
As an alternative to moving yourself around, photographing a moving light source can create dynamic light trail imagery too.
Star trail photography is the photography of stars as they appear to transit the night sky. Though it is us that is rotating on earth, the star trails illustrate our perception of the celestial sphere as a moving body.
Car trail photography records the movement of car lights in darkness, revealing trails that trace the routes of traffic in a given setting. For a more abstracted image, isolate the car trails from the surrounding landscape.
Physiography is a method of light painting that can be done in your darkened living room. Suspend a light source on a string and let it swing over your camera during a long exposure. The results are often surprising and intricate, documenting the path of the light source as it swings through the air with diminishing momentum.
This physiogram traces the path a moving light source has taken while suspended over a camera
Burning steel wool photography is another form of recording light trails. Though it can be a little hazardous, the results are quite spectacular.
Burning steel wool leaves golden trails of light not dissimilar to this example of camera movement.
When the day turns to night, many pack up their photography gear and head home. But night time doesn’t necessarily mean that photography is over for the day.
Creating abstract imagery with light is an intriguing aspect of photography. Through the use of camera and/or subject movement you can create fascinating imagery that engages and intrigues an audience.
Go out and try these techniques for yourself, and share your abstract light trail photography with us in the comments below.
The post Get Moving – Four Ways to Create Abstract Light Trail Photography appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Megan Kennedy.
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