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Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
Posts Tagged ‘Ideas’
11 Ideas for More Unique Concert Photos
16
Aug
Musicians, magazines, fans, and record labels alike turn to skilled photographers to tell a story of a momentous performance and return unique concert photos.
Concert photographers are often on assignment for a publication that has sent them out to capture meaningful pictures that could very well go down in music history. Otherwise, music photographers are individually hired by the performing artists. Whatever brings you to the photo pit, your goal is to capture something wonderful.
That being said, the music photography industry has become surprisingly saturated in recent years. In order to stand out amongst the crowd, you have to take live music photographs that differ from others in your photo pit. Here are 11 tips on how to take more unique concert photographs.
#1 – Don’t Forget About the Detail Shots
Band: Behemoth
Although you want to focus heavily on the musicians performing on the stage, the detail shots are just as important.
Many bands put in a significant amount of effort into their live show productions, from stage props to lighting schemes. A unique and effective statement to your live concert gallery are some close-ups of the epic stage props that the band uses.
At the very least, the artist who created the props or the instrument company will thank you!
#2 – Play with Art and Distortion Lenses
Band: MGT. Shot with the Lensbaby Burnside 35.
Though concert photography is often an assignment from a journalistic outlet, that doesn’t mean that you can’t have a couple of minutes to yourself to do something vastly different. You do not have to be afraid of using artistic or distortion lenses at a live show. If anything, they make the frame exceptionally cool!
The fish-eye lens became very famous by well-known concert photographers by being used at live shows. I, myself, love using the Lensbaby lenses at live concerts. The manual focus can oftentimes be much more effective than relying on autofocus.
Try using a copper tube to create very cool swirls around your subject.
Band: A Mirror Hollow. Shot with the Canon 16-35mm f/2.8 L IS USM lens.
You can submit the standard shots to the outlet, and the unique ones to the band. I am telling you, the musicians will love a new take on their live performances.
#3 – Tons of Flying Hair is Great
Band: Cradle of Filth
Naturally, try to capture the facial expressions of the performers. However, you are dealing with rockstars here, and part of the cool factor of these rock gods is their wild style.
Take advantage of the flying hair and fun headbanging, they can sometimes make cooler shots than your standard singing portraits.
#4 – Perspective is Everything
Band: HIM
Although concert photography can be very limited, between shooting time restrictions and limitations on your shooting location, you can still play with perspective.
The key to being different is viewing life through a lens that is more diverse than those around you, no pun intended. Get low, low, low to the ground and shoot up or move yourself to the very far side of the photo pit and shoot from there! Photograph in between the heads of fans or get up on the balcony.
Whatever you do, find new angles, views, and compositions to take advantage of to create more unique concert photos.
#5 – The Musician Doesn’t Always Have to Look at You
Band: Nightwish
It is true that the viewer connects best when the subject is looking at or engaging with the camera.
However, you don’t always have to fight for that type of shot during a live concert setting. It’s okay for the musicians not to interact with you as a photographer. Shots of them looking away or down can be just as eye-catching.
#6 – Embrace the Light, Don’t Avoid it
Band: IAMX
Having a good grip on lighting will aid you in your concert photography journey. Stage lighting can differ tremendously between shows, venues, and even what lighting is available for that evening. The lighting can range from bright white strobes to deep reds.
Understanding how lighting is photographed by your camera, how it reflects on the instruments and equipment, and how the bulbs affect the performer’s skin tones will change how you take the photograph.
Most incredibly safe and tame images come from the photographer being wary of taking advantage of the lighting situation at concerts. Don’t be afraid to jump right in there and take advantage of whatever bizarre lighting scheme the performers have cooked up for you.
At the end of the day, the lighting is a part of the concert experience, and your job is to capture that.
#7 – Lens Flares are Rad
Band: Epica
On the topic of lighting, lens flares can be very cool!
This is, of course, an aesthetic choice, but I personally find them to be quite fun. You can cause a flare in a similar fashion to photographing during sunset or golden hour. When the light hits the front glass element of your lens at a specific angle, a flare will appear.
#8 – Overexposing and Underexposing Can Work
Band: The Misfits
To help accurately capture the emotion and feel of the show, it is alright to overexpose or underexpose your frame. This can also create a rather unique and uncommon type of photograph.
Use your best judgment and common sense here to determine when such exposures are appropriate.
#9 – Don’t Be Afraid to Get Close
Band: Jyrki69
Guitarists don’t bite (not hard anyway)! Don’t be afraid to get close to the performers on the stage. Take a wide-angle lens, such as a 16-35mm lens, and get right up in there. The perspective distortion can make for a very cool shot.
However, that being said, be aware of your surroundings. I cannot reiterate this point enough. Absolutely be aware of your surroundings!
It is easy to get lost in the moment and fall into a creative bliss when shooting, but a live music event is not the place to lose yourself.
If you’re not growing eyes in the back of your head, you’ll most likely get clonked right in the temple by a crowd surfer, tangled in a microphone cord, or smacked by a flying guitar. This will help you avoid injury to yourself and others.
#10 – In-Between Moments Tell a Story
Band: HIM
The band may have put their instruments down for a moment, but that doesn’t mean that the job of the photographer ends there.
Some in-between moments can become incredible iconic images through their powerful storytelling ability.
#11 – The Moment is More Important than Technical Accuracy
Band: IAMX
Let’s face the facts, we all pixel peep. I believe that over time, passionate photographers get a bit anxious about technical perfection in their images (I know I sure do sometimes). However, some niches such as event photography are not as fussed over technical mistakes as long as the moment captured is important.
There is be a fine balance between taking a good photograph by technique and taking a good photograph by design (aka a great and powerful moment). However, if you have to choose between capturing a fantastic story and ensuring equipment perfection, pick the story.
Many wonderful images are overlooked because the focus is too set on ensuring that an image is tack sharp rather than what the subject portrays.
Of course, this isn’t meant to be interpreted as disregarding technical proficiency. You should aim to take exceptional photographs, but don’t get lost in your pursuit and forget your purpose for photographing the event.
Your turn
Now that you have these tips in your photography toolbelt, go out there and take some wicked shots!
Band: Epica
The post 11 Ideas for More Unique Concert Photos appeared first on Digital Photography School.
Two Videos With Photography Ideas to do at Home and Outdoors
27
Apr
Whether the temperature outside is not cooperating and you’re stuck at home, or it’s warm enough to get outside to shoot – here are some photography ideas for both occasions. We got you covered with these two video tips!
Get outdoors
Time to get outside with these creative photography ideas.
Stuck inside?
Never fear, here are seven ideas of what to shoot when you’re stuck at home.
Do you have any other creative photography ideas you can share with us? Please tell us in the comments below.
The post Two Videos With Photography Ideas to do at Home and Outdoors appeared first on Digital Photography School.
7 Great Ideas for Group Photography Events and Projects
20
Apr
Photography can be a lonely business, but there is no reason why that has to be the case. Of course, there are many that enjoy the solitude. If you’re a photographer who enjoys more of a community there are some great ways to get together for group photography.
The reasons to join a group are varied, and even if you’re a lone ranger there are likely some ideas here for you. Linking up with others could just be about an online community, or meeting up in person. However you like to do group photography, here are seven ideas for you.
Who’s going to take your photo if you always photograph alone?
1 – Create a photo walk
One of the easiest and most informal types of group photography event is the photo walk. These are often organized by photography clubs, and there is a popular one run annually by Scott Kelby. The nice thing about a photo walk is each participant can go at their own pace. The general idea is to have a start point, a finish point, and a time limit. You may choose to walk together as a group, or split off individually.
There may be some members who pass on tips to other photographers, making this type of event an informal workshop. At the end of the walk take some time to get to know your fellow photographers by having a meal, or stopping for a drink somewhere. Finally, share the photos you’ve taken that day on an agreed social media platform of some description.
Some people like to take all their gear to the photo walk! Or is the check-in for that flight this way?
2 – Photography clubs
Joining a photography club is one of the best conduits for group photography. Through a club, there is the possibility to organize many of the other ideas mentioned in this article. Photography clubs typically meet at regular intervals of perhaps once a week or once a month, though lots of activity can occur online between meetings.
The best place to find these clubs is through searching social media, your local community center, or perhaps there is a school club near you. These clubs are a great place to learn new photography skills, with evening post-processing workshops being fairly typical. Are you having trouble finding the right club for you? You could always start up your own group!
Meeting up with other photographers at a photo club is social, and is also a great way to learn.
3 – Group photography projects
These are projects that a number of photographers partake in together. The idea at the end is to have a body of work under a common theme taken by every member of the group. A project like this could well lead to a group exhibition or a collaborative photography book.
In most cases, you’ll work on the photography individually, though the leader of the project may seek to curate your work in a certain direction. The following are a few ideas that you could try:
- Subway project – Most big cities have a mass transit system, with many stations. The aim of this type of project would be to take one photograph per station. The larger cities usually have many stations, so dividing up the workload makes sense. In projects like these, it’s often a good idea to seek permission from the authorities before beginning to do any photography.
- 365 days or 52 weeks – Instead of working on your own project share it with others, and ask them to make photographs on the same theme as your own! The dPS weekly photography challenge could form the basis of this project.
- Food photography – Everyone loves good food, so combine this with your photography. Each photographer can pick a country. Then make food from that country, and photograph it. You could even make this into an international cookbook.
This photo was taken as part of a subway project in Seoul. It was a big challenge to photograph all the stations.
4 – A photography team
There are times when forming a photography team will give you the edge as a photographer. The more you move into the commercial world of photography the more this becomes a need, as you can’t be everywhere all the time. Think of events like weddings, sports, or festivals. The need to cover all your angles means teaming up with other photographers so they can be where you’re not.
- Event photography – Having more than one photographer allows one of you to concentrate on the wider scene, while the other covers moments closer to the action. Think of when tennis players go from singles to playing in pairs on a team. In doubles they have different roles and need to complement each other.
- Portrait photography – Another great example of when a team of photographers is needed is portrait work with strobes. In this scenario, there is one main photographer, but having other photographers or assistants there to help with lighting equipment is desirable.
Teaming up with other photographers can be a great way to pool resources.
5 – Create an association
Related to creating a photography team is making an association. In this case, you’re creating more of a guild, and indeed a photo team could be formed from members of that guild. A grouping of photographers like this will look to use each other’s strengths, to form a stronger unit when a client comes along.
Such an association might look to create a stock library of their images, albeit on a much smaller scale to larger firms such as Getty Images. Other models for such a grouping of photographers would be the Magnum organization, though of course on a smaller scale.
The more the merrier as long as you don’t step on each other’s toes!
6 – Weekly challenges
Weekly challenges are a good way to do group photography on an individual basis, and you can decide to opt out of weeks that are not your style. There is a great weekly challenge run by Digital Photography School, and you’ll find other photography communities that run a similar program as well.
It’s of course, possible to organize these on a more local level, where perhaps you meet up in a coffee shop together once a week to make your own challenge.
Seasonal photo challenges are a yearly staple for many photography groups. Spring is often a popular theme.
7 – Enter a photo competition
A final way you can interact with your fellow photographers is through a photo competition. The weekly challenge is, of course, a competition, but there are many different types of competition. Among the biggest contests are those organized by National Geographic or Sony to name but two. These are annual competitions and often have themes for contestants to try and fulfill.
There are also photography contests that require you to tell a story through a sequence of perhaps 10 photos. Once again these contests can be adapted to you and your community. If you have a photography club, why not take a leaf out of the bigger company’s book, and make a competition. A little competitive edge within your group can often be a great way of pushing you out of your comfort zone to help you produce even more amazing results.
How will you do your group photography?
There are many good ways to collaborate with others and do more group photography activities. Have you tried any of the ideas in this article before?
Perhaps you have a new more novel way to make a photography community that can be shared here. As always I’d love to get feedback from you, so leave your comments and I shall endeavor to respond.
The post 7 Great Ideas for Group Photography Events and Projects appeared first on Digital Photography School.
Five Ideas for Your Spring Photography
26
Mar
The renewal of life is never more prominent than in the spring, and this change in the season is a magical time for photography. This article obviously relates to those temperate parts of the world that have four seasons including spring.
Spring of course accompanies flowers blooming, and leaf shoots growing. This dramatic change in the natural world allows you as a photographer to tell the story of a place afresh, just as nature restarts again for another year. So let’s look at some spring photography ideas, to help you get the best out of the season.
All those flowers make for some amazing backgrounds for your portrait photos.
1 – Focus on the finer details
Whether you’re able to photograph bluebells, daffodils, or cherry blossoms these detail photos you can get from floral photography will be an important part of your set. Even if you’re not photographing flowers, perhaps instead you’re at a spring festival, the detail photo is important.
The following are a few ideas that may help you improve your spring photography:
- Bokeh – Bokeh and detail photos go well together, especially when you photograph flowers. The easiest way to achieve to this to photograph a flower in the foreground, with other flowers in the background. Then using a large aperture you should achieve a nice soft background. This works better with macro lenses or prime lenses with a large aperture.
- Patterns – Nature is full of nice patterns so use this to your advantage. The repetition of flowers can make for a nice pattern, or indeed petals on the ground once they’ve fallen. Alternatively, at a spring festival, the produce can often be laid out in a pattern, ideal for photography
- Background – As with all photos the background is important. Aiming in a certain direction you can create a clean background and a much nicer image. Shooting up at the sky on a clear day will give a blue background, or perhaps aim down towards the grass for a green background. As mentioned above, you may also choose to blur out the background with bokeh.
- The Light – Using the light is what photography is all about. The way it may shine through petals can give you nice details, as the sunlight picks up all the textures of the flower. You can also use shards of light, if you spot a leaf that’s lit up on its own it can make a nice photo.
Using bokeh and good light is important, but adding an extra element like a bee will make the photo even better.
2 – Explore the wider scene in your spring photography
The temptation, especially with flower photos, is to keep in close and not take a bigger landscape style photo. The flower beds and areas with many blossoming trees can make for some amazing spring photography though.
Likewise, taking a photo of the whole festival from an elevated position is an integral part of a sequence of photos you’d take at such an event. If you’re looking for the quintessential floral spring photographs, you can look to the following to enhance your chance of success.
- Check the forecast – That’s not just the weather forecast, but the blossom forecast! Whether you’re in Japan, Washington or any other part of the world with seasonal flowers, there will be a peak period.
- The composition is king – As with all landscape photos good composition will get you the best results, now you have the element of spring to incorporate into your photo as well.
- Extra context – This could simply be those floral blossoms indicating spring. However, including other elements like buildings that are region specific will add even more context to your photo.
Looking for more context could mean using buildings with typical local traditional architecture.
3 – Take some portrait photos!
Spring can be a really popular time for portrait photography. The symbol of new life and those amazing backgrounds combine to make this a special time for portrait work. Whether you’re photographing yourself, or other people there are ample opportunities.
- Photoshoot – Models and couples will travel just as far as photographers to get beautiful photos will natural backgrounds. Aim to use a large aperture and blur out the background. Lines of trees can add depth to a photo when a shallow depth of field is applied. Having your model interact with some of the flowers is also a nice touch.
- Other people – Photographs of people enjoying spring can be great. As the weather warms up and people start to enjoy park life, there are increased chances for street photos. Typical examples might include people walking through flowery fields, or perhaps taking self-portraits.
- The selfie – Lastly there is always taking photos of yourself, everyone needs a new profile picture for spring!
Daffodils are one of the first signs of spring in many countries. Here a person walks through a field of these flowers.
4 – Try something creative
Spring photography is a broad subject, it does, in fact, encompass more or less every type of photography that exists. The theme that’s consistent is that you’re photographing spring specifically.
The application of more experimental techniques can be a great way to shake things up, so what could you try? The following are just some examples and ideas for getting creative:
- Light trails – It is not uncommon for spring foliage to grow along the side of a road. This presents a great opportunity to take a car light trails photo, and include some spring blossoms for context.
- Refraction – The crystal ball is a versatile piece of equipment to have in the bag, and for sure you can use it in the spring to make some creative photos.
- Motion blur – On a windy day, setting your camera on a tripod to capture the motion of the moving vegetation can create a nice abstract looking photo. To do this you’ll need to expose for several seconds, to capture that movement.
In this photo a yellow ball was used. The yellow against white echoes that of an egg, and with spring this gives the concept of new life.
5 – Spring festivals
Another sign of spring is the festivals and religious holidays that occur during this time, depending on where you are in the world they will be different. They all offer photography opportunities, again with still life, portraits or scene setting photos portraying that festival.
In Asia, there are some dramatic festivals such as Japan’s Setsuban festival that celebrates the end of winter, and the beginning of spring. Then perhaps closer to home are the Easter holidays, with the accompanying traditions that go along with it. These events both tell the story of renewal, a powerful theme for spring.
This is a festival in South Korea that marks the end of winter and the start of spring. People wear the traditional clothes of Korean farm dancers.
Time to go and enjoy the fresh spring air
How do you like to do your spring photography? Does it only mean flowers and nature, or are there other things about spring that you enjoy photographing?
Perhaps you’ve photographed spring many times before, so how about trying a different photographic style this time? Lastly, we love to see examples of your spring photography both past and present, so please share them in the comments section!
A bed of petals can make a great detail photo.
Look for people in their natural environment, caring for the land. It adds a bit more story to this spring photo.
Capturing the wider scene here to include a local landmark, and spring flowers in the foreground.
Try experimenting with some different concepts, here some motion blur was captured by using a slower shutter speed.
The post Five Ideas for Your Spring Photography by Simon Bond appeared first on Digital Photography School.
7 Ideas for Rainy Day Photographic Activities at Home
15
Mar
I love rainy days. I always feel more productive when I can hear droplets hitting the ground or pinging off my umbrella. But apparently I’m in the minority, so on this rainy day I thought I’d compile a list of things that I like to do when the clouds open up.
Feeling inspired but stuck indoors at home? Here are a few photography activities that are great for those rainy days or weekends at home, and sunny days too!
1 – Rainy Scenery
An easy way to create atmospheric images on rainy days is to photograph dramatic scenes through the droplets on your window pane. The more droplets, the more drama and contrast your images will have.
Try changing the focal length of your camera lens to reveal rainscapes in the distance or close-up of water droplets.
2 – Get Close
Macro photography is a great activity to do at home. Because the home is a relaxed environment, you’re free to take your time and get that perfect shot. Often, on location, I feel rushed to complete a shot as best I can in a limited amount of time.
But at home, you can slow down and experiment which is great for macro photography because it is such a sensitive process. You don’t need to look far for interesting subject matter either. Macro photography reveals a hidden world wherever you look.
Try photographing plant life in your garden or droplets of rain on your window pane.
3 – Making Do
Photography isn’t always about traveling around. Sometimes it’s nice to just stay home and relax with some in-house photography.
You may interact with it every day, but your house is a treasure trove of photographic opportunity. But often, familiarity can fatigue the creative eye. What forgotten bits and pieces do you have hidden away in the craft box? Imagine yourself as a stranger seeing your home for the first time, what are the most interesting things you have on display? It’s amazing what you can uncover with a shift in perspective.
Don’t be afraid to “make do” with a bit of craft. This little guy was photographed with a background constructed of aluminum foil and cardboard. Simply grab a piece of cardboard (the size is up to you, but the larger the cardboard the more light you will be able to reflect on your subject) and cover it with aluminum foil.
Here, I sat the figurine on one end of the reflector and propped the other end up to form the background of the image. This is great for product photography too.
4 – Give Scanography a Go
Scan-o-what? Scanography! Scanography is photography with a scanner.
If you have a scanner at home, grab a few bits and pieces and try placing them on the scanner. Flat objects like flowers or paper work the best. Activate the scanner and review the results!
It’s a simple project that yields some very interesting imagery.
5 – Revisit Older Photographs
How long has it been since you looked back over your older work?
On rainy days, I often enjoy revisiting files from a couple of years ago to see if I can uncover some hidden or forgotten gems. Nothing is more telling than the difference between your editing techniques a year ago compared to today.
I’m always surprised by how much my editing has changed and improved, even in a short period of time. Often I’ll come across photos that are definitely worth a re-look and re-edit.
Before and after. My original edit for this image was a conversion to black and white. Recently, when I revisited this file, I realized that I was letting the beautiful colors go to waste!
6 – Lightning Photography
If you are stuck at home during an evening storm? If so, why not try your hand at a bit of lightning photography?
Grab your camera and set it on a sturdy surface or tripod. Point your lens in the direction of the lightning, set your camera to Shutter Priority mode and select about 30-second exposure. At night, it’s best to set the ISO to the lowest setting possible.
Don’t wait for the lightning to hit before pressing the shutter button, you’ll never catch it in time! Instead, depress the shutter and wait for the 30 seconds to lapse. With a bit of luck, you’ll capture a decent bolt while the shutter is open!
More on lightning photography here: How to Photograph Lightning – the Ultimate Guide
7 – Make a Mood Board
If you’re like me and you love to have plenty of inspirational material around, why not make a mood board?
A mood board includes everything from prints to objects and notes or online sources, anything that informs and inspires your artistic practice. You can also make use of websites like Tumblr and Pinterest to create an online mood board to sort through the myriad of amazing images on the internet.
Having a mood board can also be therapeutic when too many ideas start to become overwhelming. Drawing diagrams and making notes that you can view physically is a proven way of easing anxiety and increasing productivity.
Conclusion
So next time you find yourself stuck at home on a rainy day, count yourself lucky! Take some time to have a look around and change up your photography a little.
The post 7 Ideas for Rainy Day Photographic Activities at Home by Megan Kennedy appeared first on Digital Photography School.
9 Water Photography Ideas to Make a Splash
30
Jan
So you want to make a splash in photography, well photographing with water is a great place to start. This is a broad area of photography, with many creative possibilities. In this article, you’ll see a selection of ideas for water photography, and how you can try those out yourself.
Will you want to turn your home into a lab to create stunning droplet photos, or prefer the serene calm of long exposure landscape photography? Let’s dive into water photography, and makes some great photos!
You can photograph drops of water mid-air using a strobe.
1 – Water drop photography
This is a popular technique you can experiment with at home, and there are lots of YouTube guides available on how to do this. This is a form of macro photography where you’ll photograph water drops falling into a tub of water. The best results are achieved when combining the technique with off-camera flash.
When combined with an interesting background you can use this as a form of refraction photography, with the background refracted inside the droplet of water. Do you want to push this to another level more? Then look no further than the dripkit, which produces amazing results!
Read this dPS article for more on water droplet photography: Beginner’s Guide to Water Droplet Photography
2 – Long exposure landscapes
Long exposure photography has been one of the most popular forms of photography among landscape photographers for a long time. Head out to the coast, or perhaps to your nearest local river and see what you can do! A tripod is mandatory if you want to try this, and a good ND filter is a great idea as well.
- Capture motion – Exposures of around 1/2 to one second in length will capture the movement of water. For example, waves moving in and out along the coast.
- Silk water – Water cascading down a waterfall can be made to look like silk with exposures between one and two seconds.
- Flat seascapes – Those wishing to make the ocean flat need to expose for 10-seconds or longer.
This coastal scene is captured using a shutter speed of a third of a second.
This is a great way to get amazing photos, especially when you are photographing a rocky coastline. Take care of yourself and your camera gear in these areas though, as accidents can happen. Along the coast, find out what the tide times are so you don’t get caught by the rising water.
Another tip is to watch the waves for around 30 minutes before you start photographing. Waves always come in cycles, with a sequence of much larger waves present in this cycle. You need to know where the force of these larger waves will land before you get too close to the water’s edge.
3 – Freezing objects
Freezing objects is an interesting way to take still life photos, and present an inanimate object in a creative way. As ice is transparent you will be able to see your object inside the ice, although good lighting is needed to make the photo come to life.
Once you have your object frozen in ice use a light source such as a spotlight, or a strobe to backlight it. This works well for many objects, but things you’d find in the sea like fish or seashells would be most interesting. In the winter, of course, you can go out and photograph ice in nature; icicles and ice waterfalls all look amazing.
Freezing fish in ice is a great way to photograph them as a still life. These fish were bought from a local market prior to freezing.
4 – Photographing in the rain
Most photographers will avoid photographing in the rain, concerned that it can damage their camera. This is a valid concern, although with the right precautions there are some amazing photos to be taken. There are several options for protecting your camera from the rain, which you can buy, or you can use a simple plastic bag and a rubber band.
Rain can add a lot of mood to the scene, and shots of people with umbrellas are classic images. In order to pick up the rain itself try photographing against the light, and the rain falling from the sky will give your photo more impact.
The rain shows up well in this scene because it is lit up by a nearby street light.
5 – Mixing oil and water
Back in your home laboratory, it’s time to mix some opposites together. Adding oil to water is a great way for you to make interesting texture photos. In order to create a series of photos of oil and water, follow these steps.
- Add water and oil to a glass container, one with a clear transparent base.
- Bridge the container over a surface, you could use two piles of books to create the supports.
- The oil will make a large bubble, and not mix with the water. To create smaller oil bubbles add liquid soap and mix the solution.
- Below the glass container add your background image, this will add color to your photo.
- Use a macro lens to focus on an area of oil, the more circular shapes the better.
- Either use a strong spotlight, or a strobe linked by radio trigger to your camera. This will be used to light your photo.
Oil and water don’t mix, which can make some nice colorful texture photos.
6 – Water droplets on glass
A similar approach to mixing oil with water is to photograph water droplets on glass. This form of water photography uses refraction to create its effect. The following steps are a guide for creating this style of photo.
- Use a clear piece of glass, one from a picture frame would work well.
- Create two piles of books, and place the glass over the piles. Make sure there is a gap to photograph through in the middle.
- For better results, smear some windscreen rain repellent onto the glass. This hydrophobic substance will make the water droplets form more circular drops. Once you have added the repellent allow it to dry for a few minutes.
- Add the water to the glass surface. To be more precise use a water dropper, or alternatively use a water spray bottle.
- Add a background image behind the glass, choose one that will create an interesting refraction inside the droplets.
- Use a macro lens, and focus on an area of glass that has some interesting water drops. Focus the camera on the water drops.
- Use an externally triggered strobe to light up the image behind the glass, and expose your photograph. As a guide or starting point, an aperture of f/9, a shutter speed of 1/60th and an ISO of 200 were the settings I used for these images.
In this photo the South Korean flag is refracted inside water drops on a glass surface.
7 – Water photography with reflections
Water photography can provide some of the best reflections out there. Pick a nice calm day and head to your nearest reflection pool! A few tips that will help enhance your photos are listed below.
- After the rain – Immediately after it’s stopped raining is one of the best times to photograph. Puddles offer some of the best reflection pools you can find, and they only form after the rain.
- Calm days – Larger bodies of water such as ponds or lakes will also reflect, though these need to be visited on days when there is no wind at all so the lake is perfectly still and calm.
- Get the angle – Getting closer to the body of water will improve the reflection. The angle of incident light is equal to the angle of the reflected light, so get low to the surface of the water.
- Polarize the light – To really bring out the reflection using a circular polarizing filter will make the reflection much stronger (just be careful to turn it the right direction otherwise it will eliminate the reflection).
Rice paddy fields form amazing reflection pools. The calm of dawn was the perfect time to photograph this location.
8 – Making a splash with water photography
Water can of course look incredible when it impacts something, or something impacts it. The splash this creates needs a fast shutter speed to capture and freeze it in motion. There are a few popular methods that you can try with splash water photography.
- Drop an object – Dropping objects into water is another twist on still life photography. The moment of capture is made using a strobe, with objects often dropped into a fish tank or perhaps a wine glass.
- Throw your hair – This can be great fun to play with on the beach. The idea is to put your head in the water, then throw your hair back (or get a model to do so for you). The water droplets this creates can now be photographed, they’ll be picked up better against the light (with backlighting).
- Throw water at an object – Here you pick an object, or even a person and throw water at it or them. Catch the moment of impact, and you could have a good photo. This works best when done with strobes to light up the water.
Dropping objects into water can make a real splash!
9 – Underwater photography
This niche area of photography allows you to fully immerse! Underwater photography is not cheap though, and to get professional results you’ll need expensive housing for your dSLR, which will also house a light source that can be taken down to the ocean floor.
Photographing with a model can also be fun underwater, once again providing you have the equipment!
Underwater photography is fun and challenging. With better equipment the results can be very impressive.
Now it’s your turn!
With so many possibilities for water photography projects, which one will you choose? When you’ve had a chance to try one of more of these ideas come and share your experience, and of course your photos.
Already tried taking photos like this? Then share your work in the comments section below, we love to see your photos.
The post 9 Water Photography Ideas to Make a Splash by Simon Bond appeared first on Digital Photography School.
8 Ideas of What To Do With Your Vacation Photos
29
Jan
Going on vacation is one of the best opportunities to practice travel photography. But the problem persists that more often than not, those boatloads of vacation photos that you snapped end up going nowhere other than maybe scattered about on Facebook.
Sound familiar? You’re definitely not alone! If you’re looking for ways to actually use your vacation photos, here are 8 ideas to get you started.
1. Make a blog post
One of the best ways to recap your vacation is to make a blog post, combining photos with stories and words to give it more context. Don’t have a blog? No worries! It’s very easy to create a free blog on sites like WordPress. If making a blog sounds like too much, Adobe Spark offers a free, very intuitive format for quickly creating a travel blog of words and photos.
Creating a quick, easy, and free “blog” on Adobe Spark. This is s snapshot from the one I created for our trip to Italy ad our wedding.
2. Create an online slideshow
If you’d rather not go through the hassle of putting a blog together, an online slideshow is another way to make a digital presentation of your photos. Simply upload your photos to an online slideshow maker such as Pholody, select background music, and share or download the slideshow.
Alternatively, you can also turn your favorite vacation photos into screensaver slideshows or desktop backgrounds for your laptop or cell phone. How to Create a Simple Slideshow in Lightroom is another way to do it.
3. Strategically post to social media for the most traction
This is probably the most obvious use of vacation photos that may not seem worthy of even being mentioned, but hear me out.
If you aspire to have your photos viewed by more than just your current followers, you’ll have to be more strategic in how you post your images. This means adding hashtags and tagging tourism-related businesses that relate to your photos. Think airlines, tourism boards, local Instagram communities…the list goes on.
Research hashtags and businesses ahead of time and keep a list handy in Evernote so you can easily copy and paste them into your Instagram posts.
4. Print a photo book, scrapbook, or photo album
Some photos simply pop and look better when they’re physically printed in book form. Consider putting together your top vacation photos and getting them printed via a service.
I recently used Zno and was impressed with their high-quality printing and the fact that the images lay flat without the book gutter running through them. Another service called ChatBooks is a little more automated and can sync your Instagram or Facebook photos into a book design for printing. If you’re more DIY-inclined, you can also opt for making batch photo prints and sticking them in an album or scrapbook.
See also: How to Create a Simple Blurb Photo Book in Lightroom
A Lay Flat photo book by Zno.
5. Make postcards or thank you cards
More often than not, your vacation will fall between occasions when you might receive gifts from friends or family. This is the perfect opportunity to create unique thank you cards using your own vacation photos. Also, consider creating fun postcards to send to friends and family as a recap of your trip.
If you’re a professional or aspiring photographer, you can even use these postcards as a form of a business card, handing them out to curious passersby who want to know where to find more of your work.
6. Create your own custom postage stamps
Before you send off that custom postcard or thank you card, make sure you include a custom postage stamp. You can use any of your own photos or use a pre-made design. These postage stamps are real and are licensed for use by the United States Postal Service.
7. Transform your photos into wall art
It’s not unusual to capture some of your very best travel photos while on vacation. Whether it’s a great family photo or a stunning landscape, there’s almost always a photo or two in your albums that are print-worthy. So why not turn them into actual photo prints?
Making prints is incredibly easy to do via online ordering. You also have a plethora of print material options including traditional photo prints, canvas, metal prints, and even wood.
For more on printing, see these dPS articles:
- Digital Photography – Is it the Death of Prints?
- How to Size and Export Images from Lightroom for Facebook and Print
- How to Prepare Your Images for Print and Display
- 5 Steps to Creating a Printed Photo Collection as Wall Art
- 5 Tips for Going from Pixels to Print Quality
8. Print your photos on…just about anything!
Thanks to printing companies such as Zazzle, you can print your photos on a wide range of objects. T-shirts, magnets, and mugs might seem like traditional items on which you tend to find custom printed photos. But did you know that your photo can be printed on an iPhone case, blanket, pillow, bath mat, Zippo lighter, playing cards, and even a skateboard?
Over to You
What are some creative ways that you have utilized your vacation photos? Share your thoughts and ideas in the comments below. And show us the photos!
The post 8 Ideas of What To Do With Your Vacation Photos by Suzi Pratt appeared first on Digital Photography School.
5 Street Photography Project Ideas During the Fall
15
Nov
Street Photography is seen as a snapshot competition where only a single picture matters the most. This can be fun and teaches you a lot about photography and yourself. You need to put everything in that single shot that tells a story and looks good at the same time. Yet all your pictures might be disconnected over time and it Continue Reading
The post 5 Street Photography Project Ideas During the Fall appeared first on Photodoto.
7 Ideas for Low-Cost Printing and Framing Options for Your Images
03
Nov
Photography has changed an awful lot over the last 100 years. Heck, it’s changed immensely over the last 20 years. Who am I kidding? With the rise of the cell phone, digital photography and social media have changed the industry in countless ways.
Images matter
I would argue that one thing in photography hasn’t changed. Everyone loves looking at pictures whether it’s scanning images on Instagram or flipping through old photo albums, something is mesmerizing about viewing an image. This simple fact will never change. Everyone loves looking at pictures.
My kids will sit for an hour and check out an old photo album. They learn about their family and their history from those images. They like to share their lives through images on social media. Humans are obsessed with the visual.
“Photography is a way of feeling, of touching, of loving. What you have caught on film is captured forever… It remembers little things, long after you have forgotten everything.” — Aaron Siskind
If this image had not been printed I would have forgotten just how much my son has grown in 9 years. It doesn’t matter that it’s a little soft. It’s the memories involved that matter.
So let’s get them off the computer
What could be better than a visual record or our lives? So why then are people so hesitant to print those images and display them? In the days of film, people used to take photos and leave the rolls lying around for years. Today we take photos on our phone and leave them there. Sure they get shared on Facebook or Instagram, but then we forget about them. Why? Why do we do this?
One excuse I’ve heard is, “It’s expensive to print and frame images.” Well okay, that’s valid. It can be pricey, I agree, but with a little ingenuity you can print out those images and share them easily. There’s something wonderful about handling a printed photograph. We shouldn’t lose that part of the industry. We should always print our photographs.
So without further ado here are some tips and tricks for printing and framing photographs in a way that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg.
1) Print in bulk
Every print company gives discounts for mass amounts of printing. Save up a whole bunch of images and print them all at once. You can drag and drop your favorite images into a folder and then when you have enough to meet their bulk prices you can upload and save (try Shutterfly). Just remember to print all the images at the same size. Even for large art prints, you can find savings by printing in bulk.
If you use an online lab, the shipping can be a real burden, but you can save money on shipping by ordering a lot at once. The larger the package, the cheaper it can be to get it shipped. A lot of companies also offer free shipping over a certain price. Take advantage of these offers and get your prints delivered in a cost-efficient manner.
2) Buy frames in bulk
If you’re like me and you love to fill your walls with images of your family, then it’s time you started buying frames in bulk. Go to your local framing store and talk to them about purchasing large quantities. Most stores will give a discount if you buy five frames of the same size.
Even for custom built frames, you can get a good discount by ordering several of the same size and style at one time. I use this strategy for framing art for galleries. I will print five images the same size and then frame them in the same way. It saves me a great deal of money, and the work looks very cohesive hanging on the gallery wall.
You can also check out online framing supply stores. Sites like Matshop offer great prices on frames, free shipping on orders over a specific amount and the ability to buy frames in bulk. You can also purchase bulk mat kits which are very useful. Purchase frames from your local framing store or pick them up at flea markets and add your mats and images.
Here’s a collection of the frames and mats I purchased through bulk ordering.
3) Recycle old frames
For that crafty look visit garage sales or flea markets and pick up some old frames. Pop your matted images into these frames, and you’ve got a truly unique look for your work. It’s easy to find old frames for a few dollars if you know where to look.
4) Create magazines or photo books
It’s easy to upload your photos and use online printing services like Blurb to make photo books. Lightroom comes equipped with an interface for creating photo books and ordering from Blurb. It’s not very hard to create them and it’s very cost-effective. Plus you get to maintain some of the nostalgia of flipping through photo albums. Remember those days?
A printed book to show off family pictures from a trip to Iceland. My boys take it off the shelf and read it occasionally.
5) Buy a cork board
No seriously, purchase a few cork boards and pin prints to them. When you get tired of the images you’ve displayed, print out a few more and pin them up. You’ll get lots of comments from friends and family. They often stop to look at my corkboard. Sometimes I get comments like, “You know this is a cheap way of showing off pics. I need to do something like this.”
I usually switch up my images every season. The prints might be curled a little at the end of four months, but I put them in a labeled box, and I will recycle images pulling a few from an old box each season. It’s completely random which images end up on the corkboard.
This cork board sits in my kitchen. I change the images up every few weeks.
6) Subscribe to printing company newsletters
I know it’s annoying to receive promotional emails, but honestly, most companies send out promo codes in their newsletters, and these codes can save you loads of money. Take advantage of 40% off codes to print out large canvases of your travel images.
Sites like Posterjack and 44 Wide often have sales that reduce the cost of printing. It means you can get a 100$ canvas for 60$ . That makes for a cost-effective gift idea for a family member.
7) Turn them into coloring pages
My kids love it when I take their photos and turn them into something they can contribute to. There’s a very simple process using Photoshop that allows you to create outlines of your images. If you own Topaz you can use that plugin to create line drawings. There are lots of options available, give the process a try.
Print them out and let your kids decorate the fridge. You will always have the digital print you can use for more serious purposes. So let your kids go crazy, they can give Grandma orange hair or make your dress polka dotted. The images will become stronger memories when they can be seen on a daily basis.
It only takes a few minutes to turn photos into coloring pages and then print them out at 8.5 x 11 size. Perfect for artistic renditions.
Conclusion
There are lots of amazing and cost-effective ways to print and display your photographs. Be creative, think a little outside the box and try a few ways to incorporate your images into your daily life.
It doesn’t have to be expensive or time-consuming. If you’ve got little kids, you can even find fun ways to create an art project involving photographs. We’d love to hear your tips and tricks for printing images. Please share your ideas with us in the comments below.
Let’s all get into the habit of putting photographs on our walls not just our Facebook page.
The post 7 Ideas for Low-Cost Printing and Framing Options for Your Images by Erin Fitzgibbon appeared first on Digital Photography School.
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