There is no doubting the fact that this year is going to be very competitive for photographers. This means that if you are not well-equipped with the proper software, there is a chance that your business may suffer. Many photographers don’t know how to remain competitive. They have yet to understand the fact that rendering top services requires some of Continue Reading
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Posts Tagged ‘Level’
7 Photography Exercises to Take Your Nature Photos to the Next Level
26
May
The post 7 Photography Exercises to Take Your Nature Photos to the Next Level appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey.
Do you want to improve your nature photography skills? Do you want to take stunning nature photos, consistently?
Don’t worry.
In this article, you’ll discover 7 photography exercises all designed to get you capturing unbelievable nature images.
(Plus, the exercises are a lot of fun!)
So, if you want to improve your nature photography…
…keep reading.
1. Shoot a single nature subject from 9 different angles
Here’s your first nature photography exercise (and my favorite):
Choose just one nature photography subject.
And shoot it from at least nine different angles.
This will force you to stretch the boundaries of your creativity. It will force you to start looking at your subjects in many different ways.
The first five angles might be easy enough. But the last four will be a struggle – as it should be!
A few excellent angles to try:
- Shoot on a level with your subject
- Shoot from directly above your subject (if you can)
- Get below your subject and shoot upward
Then, once you’ve finished the exercise, pull up the photos on your computer. Take note of the different angles and how they gave your subject slightly different looks.
And next time you’re doing photography, use those angles!
2. Shoot a subject you normally avoid
This exercise is all about getting you out of your comfort zone.
Because if you don’t get out of your comfort zone, you’ll never grow as a photographer.
So here’s what you do:
Think about the subjects that you normally shoot.
And then…
Pick a subject that’s radically different. And shoot that subject, instead.
If you normally photograph birds, shoot flowers for a day.
If you normally photograph landscapes, shoot wildlife.
Just pick something that you don’t normally like shooting.
If you want to make this exercise extra useful, then don’t just shoot another subject for a single outing. Instead, do it for a week (or even a month).
You’d be amazed by the tricks you pick up from learning another area of photography.
3. Bring just one lens into the field
Here’s the thing:
When photographers go out for a photoshoot…
…they tend to take multiple lenses (and even multiple cameras).
And while this will give you a lot of flexibility, it won’t force you to think outside the box.
But I want you to think outside the box. I want you to think in new ways.
So the next time you go out to shoot, leave all your normal lenses behind.
Instead, bring just one lens.
And (if you’re feeling adventurous) make sure it’s a lens that you don’t use very often.
This will force you to take nature photos that you would’ve never even considered.
4. Shoot a Scene With Four Types of Light
Nature photography is all about the light.
Which means that, as a nature photographer, you must learn to master the light.
This exercise is designed to help you do that.
You start by picking a scene.
Then you photograph that scene with four types of light:
- Cloudy light
- Midday light
- Sunrise/Sunset light
- Shade
This will undoubtedly involve coming back several days in a row.
But it’s worth it.
Because once you’re done, you should look at all the photos you took.
And note how the different types of light gives you different types of nature photos!
5. Take both still shots and action shots of your subject
Oftentimes, we get in the habit of shooting the same type of subject, over and over again.
I’ve already given you one way of avoiding this problem.
But another way…
…is to keep shooting that same subject. But shoot it in a different way.
Specifically, try to take a combination of shots:
Still shots.
And action shots.
For those of you who shoot birds or wildlife, this shouldn’t be too difficult.
But for flower and landscape photographers?
This will be tough.
If you generally photograph still subjects, you may have to get creative. Try to take some intentional camera movement photos. Or see if you can get some sort of action to happen in the frame (e.g., flowers blowing in the wind, waves crashing on the beach).
And that’s it! This will force you out of your comfort zone. And get you taking some fresh photos!
6. Edit your favorite nature photo in 5 different ways
One thing that you need to know:
Post-processing is a significant part of capturing stunning nature photos.
Even small adjustments go a long way.
So for this exercise, you should start thinking about different post-processing options. And edit your favorite nature photo in five distinct ways.
You should experiment with edits in Lightroom, Photoshop, or another high-quality editing program. See what happens when you increase the saturation. See what happens when you drop the contrast.
And try to do some new edits. Things that you haven’t done before.
For instance, try some yellow/blue split toning. And try playing with the HSL options.
You’ll be amazed by what you can do!
7. Take a nature photo every single day for a month
This last exercise is a classic – but that doesn’t mean it’s any less useful!
One of the absolute best ways of improving your nature photography…
…is to photograph constantly.
Because practice really does make perfect.
And if you take a nature photo every day, you’ll find that your mind starts to open up. You’ll start to see photography opportunities that you didn’t even know were there.
Your skills will increase rapidly.
And you’ll start to take stunning nature photos, consistently.
Nature photography exercises: next steps
Now you know 7 great exercises – all designed to improve your photography skills, fast.
You don’t have to do them all at once. But try them out whenever you can.
That way, you’ll become better, faster.
You’ll soon be taking nature photos like a pro!
Feel free to share some of the photos you take with the dPS community in the comments below.
The post 7 Photography Exercises to Take Your Nature Photos to the Next Level appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey.
Panasonic interview – ‘We are targeting the very highest level of durability in the industry’
03
Jan
 |
| Yosuke Yamane, President of Panasonic’s Imaging Network Business Division. |
With the official launch of Panasonic’s new full-frame S1 and S1R getting close, we’re looking back to Photokina 2018, where we sat down with Yosuke Yamane, President of Panasonic’s Imaging Network Business Division. In our interview, Mr. Yamane discusses his hopes for the future, why Panasonic decided to go full-frame, and the challenges facing his industry.
Why did Panasonic make the decision to move into full-frame?
Five years ago, full-frame mirrorless cameras entered the market, and the trend [since then] has been moving towards full-frame mirrorless cameras. But at that time, we were not ready. Both in terms of technology, and also service and support, and so on. But now the time has come when our technology is ready to go.
As you know, since we joined the camera business, we have introduced several worlds first technologies. [Full-frame] is a new challenge for us as an innovator. We believe that we can provide value in the full-frame camera market.
You’ve said that the ’S’ stands for specialized – what are these cameras specialized for?
They’re specialized for professionals. That is a core target for us but we’re also targeting high-end amateurs and enthusiasts.
“Operability without compromise”
What is your strategy for attracting professionals?
Everything without compromise. Image quality, build quality, operability and performance. It takes all of our effort. As for image quality, we’re using newly developed 47 and 24MP full-frame sensors, and also a new processing engine, plus a high-quality lens lineup. And 4K 60p video. Fast, and very accurate autofocus, which is a combination of high-speed contrast detection autofocus and DFD technology. And this also includes deep learning Ai. Plus dual image stabilization and a high-precision, high-speed shutter.
Also a very high resolution viewfinder – the highest-precision finder in the industry. Dual card slots, SD and XQD, which is essential for professionals, and a 3-axis tilting LCD. Operability without compromise.
Our designers ran a lot of simulations and made a lot of prototypes of the grip, for example, to fit the needs of professional photographers. Also optimal button layout, for intuitive controls.
 |
| Four mockups of the S1/R’s grip, which went through several rounds of refinement based on feedback from professional photographers. |
Is there a technical reason for the unusually large body size of the S1 and S1R?
DSLRs incorporate mirror boxes, but we have double card slots, an in-body stabilization system and high-quality movie features. So the body obviously gets bigger because of those features. We didn’t want to compromise on features for the sake of body size. Maybe some customers think that mirrorless cameras should be small, but we think that as a professional tool, this body size is appropriate.
The advice from professionals is that they place more importance on performance, not size
We have made this camera with our Lumix ambassadors. We got a lot of feedback from them and most of the professionals don’t feel that [these cameras are] ‘big’. They feel that they are a very appropriate size.
The advice from professionals is that they place more importance on performance, not size. For example the shutter. Most competitive cameras are guaranteed to 200,000 actuations. Our camera will be tested for more. That’s the kind of thing that we prioritize, for professional use.
Is it your intention that the S1 and S1R will be the most durable cameras on the market, when they’re released?
Yes. We are targeting the very highest level of durability in the industry. [The S1/R] are 100% sealed against dust and water, and operate in very low temperatures – even exceeding the limits of the GH5. The GH5 actually went to the South Pole in minus 40 degrees C, and worked perfectly. Such kinds of ‘no compromise’ features are all incorporated [in the S1/R].
There are a lot of photographers taking landscapes, sports, and nature, and we’re gathering feedback from all of them. The cameras need to work in all kinds of conditions from very warm to very cold. So we focus on all of the requests from consumers with the intention of making [these cameras] without any compromise.
 |
| Panasonic claims that the S1 and S1R will offer the highest standard of durability in the industry, while offering professional-oriented feature sets and a very DSLR-like handling experience. |
Do you think that over time, your L mount lineup will grow to include entry-level products, or do you see it purely as a high-end system?
The first generation will be specialized for professionals but in the future, of course we’re also aiming to attract entry-level users. In that eventually, we’ll study the question of performance versus size. But our image to professional users is very important. That’s why we’re attacking this segment [initially].
We decided that it was better to collaborate, than to create our own standalone mount
What is the strategic value of the L mount alliance, to Panasonic?
We’ve had a good relationship with Leica for a long time – 17 years. Four years ago we renewed our contract. That contract included a technical collaboration, with our digital technology and their optical technology. There will be a convergence. In that contract we discussed a lot of things relating to the shared mount.
Sigma produces very reliable high quality lenses, [and we knew that] in order to get into the new business, we needed a lineup of lenses. So we decided to collaborate with Sigma to make a big impact. I have a good relationship with Mr Yamaki, CEO of Sigma, I trust him and I respect his aggressiveness towards the market. This collaboration provides a lot of value for us, entering into a new market and becoming competitive in full-frame.
Considering value for customers, we decided that it was better to collaborate, than to create our own standalone mount. This way we can provide lots of choices for lenses, and Sigma already has a large fanbase. Obviously Leica with its 100 year history also has a good base of users.
The Leica L mount lineup includes APS-C products as well as full-frame. Is Panasonic interested in APS-C?
No. We have our own Micro Four Thirds system and we think that [because of the greater difference in size between full-frame and M43] this is the best balance. We have no plans to develop APS-C products.
In M43, we prioritize compactness. But in full-frame we set higher targets, to meet professional specifications
Is designing lenses for full-frame easier or more difficult than designing for Micro Four Thirds?
It’s more difficult. In the case of M43, we prioritize compactness. But in full-frame we set higher targets, to meet professional specifications. This camera [the S1R] incorporates a 47MP sensor, but to be futureproof, lenses should be capable of resolving more resolution than that. So we set very high specification targets for our full-frame lenses. We will develop our lenses without compromise. Other important factors are build-quality, and bokeh. These are both very important when it comes to creating photographs.
Do you think Panasonic’s L-mount lineup could evolve in future to include products like the GH5S, which are optimized for video?
One of our assets is our experience of professional video, over more than 40 years. This is one of the areas where we contribute to the market, so in the future it’s possible that [our L-mount lineup] will expand to include such products. But even the S1 has very good video capabilities. We cannot disclose the exact specification beyond saying that it will be capable of 4K/60p video but you can expect more. Even the S1 will be used, we believe, by professional videographers.
 |
| The 24MP and 47MP sensors inside the S1 and S1R will be capable of high-quality 4K video capture as well as stills shooting. |
The sensors inside the S1 and S1R are described as ‘newly developed’. Are they fabricated by Panasonic?
We cannot disclose that. I would love to tell you but I can’t – you’ll just have to imagine! Obviously we have sensor-manufacturing experience, but I can’t disclose anything. Even if we outsourced [sensor fabrication] the design would still be to our specifications. Picture quality is not only determined by the sensor. There’s also lens design, and processing technology.
Can you explain how Panasonic and Leica work together in terms of lens design?
Mainly, optical technologies and manufacturing technologies come from Leica. We provide our digital technology and interface technology to them. For the full-frame lenses, we designed them by ourselves, but the DNA of Leica is incorporated – of course.
Is there any Panasonic DNA in Leica products?
I don’t know if they would admit that, but we do provide it! All of the Leica-branded lenses for our Micro Four Thirds system are checked according to Leica’s standards, and we have learned a lot through that process.
What are the biggest challenges facing Panasonic?
As you know, in the camera industry we don’t have a large market share compared to the likes of Canon and Nikon. They have much more history compared to ours – we’ve only been in the industry for 17 years. Our brand recognition is also not so high. However, a paradigm change has finally arrived. Canon and Nikon are creating new mirrorless systems, and we’re entering a new world thanks to the L mount alliance. This is a new start for the camera industry.
Our slogan is ‘changing photography’. We want to create a new photo culture for the digital generation. In the full-frame world, I think that customers will appreciate our contribution. Rather than competing with Canon and Nikon we’re focused on conveying that message to the customer.
We want to create a new photo culture for the digital generation
When it comes to product planning, we have to anticipate how customers behavior will change in the future. These models [the S1 and S1R] are focused on professionals. We have to anticipate how professional photography and videography will change, and we’re constantly looking at those trends, and anticipating how professional behavior will change. And as professionals change, customers at the entry and mid-levels will change, too. We have to watch this very carefully, and we always plan our products in line with changing customer trends.
What do you think are the biggest opportunities for Panasonic?
The Olympic Games in 2020 will be a very big opportunity to showcase Panasonic’s technologies. I was born in 1964, which was the year of the last Tokyo Olympics. We will use the 2020 games as an opportunity to enhance our video technologies and photo technologies. After the Olympics, we will create a new generation of 8K video cameras, which are currently in development.
Editors’ note: Barnaby Britton
Panasonic is one of the most interesting companies in the photo industry. Although it enjoys only a modest share of the market compared to ‘giants’ like Canon and Nikon, Panasonic has consistently surprised us with its energy and innovation – particularly in the high-end video/stills space. Arguably, Panasonic is the only company that could have created the powerful GH5, and it’s hard to imagine another company having the confidence to make the even more narrowly-specialized GH5S.
When it comes to high-end video capture in mirrorless cameras, Panasonic has been (along with Sony) a driving force in the industry, and that’s thanks to the company’s long experience in the video realm. While Lumix as a brand is less than 20 years old, Panasonic has been involved in video, in some way or another, for more than twice that long.
The fact that Panasonic’s forthcoming S1 and S1R mirrorless ILCs will both offer powerful 4K video feature sets is not a surprise. What’s interesting is that they’re built around full-frame sensors. I’m inclined to think that moving into full-frame is a good decision for Panasonic, but it’s risky. I agree with Mr. Yamate that moving forward in partnership with Leica and Sigma will add more value to the market for enthusiast and professional photographers than creating yet another new lens mount, while also mitigating the potential risks of going it alone.
Promising the highest level of durability in the industry and plenty of advanced features, the S-system has the potential to seriously challenge the ‘giants’
While there are plenty of full-frame mirrorless systems available in late 2018, there is a conspicuous gap in the market when it comes to full-frame video systems. It is doubtful whether Nikon will try (or even feel the need to try) to create a video-oriented ILC in the near future, and Sony seems to have (probably only temporarily) paused the development of its a7S lineup.
Panasonic, with its decades of experience making video cameras, must be keen to put a product into that gap. If the company’s intention is to lead the way in full frame video, similar to what it did with the GH series for Micro Four Thirds, it has the potential to disrupt the full frame market more than its current industry share might suggest. Joining the L-mount alliance is a great first step.
But that’s the future. For now, Mr. Yamane’s company is dedicated to making the S1 and S1R as attractive as possible to professional photographers.
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
Day 6: Take Your Photography to Expert Level with The Photography Express
23
Dec
The post Day 6: Take Your Photography to Expert Level with The Photography Express appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Darren Rowse.
Ready to take things to expert level? Fittingly, this is the last stop for The Photography Express – two amazing deals from Josh Dunlop at Expert Photography.
Want to go straight to the deals?
- Wow Factor Photography Course for $ 77 USD (Save $ 120)
- Effortless Editing with Lightroom for $ 77 USD (Save $ 120)
Over 50,000 students in 138 countries have benefited from the passion Josh has for photography. And many dPS readers enjoyed the Milky Way Mastery course he presented with Casey Kiernan last year – and they’re back collaborating again in a new course (see the second of our deals below).
Deal #11 Learn 30 ‘Wow Factor Photography’ Shots for just $ 77 USD
Do you want to take the kinds of photos that make people say “Wow! How’d you take that?”
You can learn how to capture impressive creative and trick photography, with basic gear, all from the comfort of your own home. Josh Dunlop from Expert Photography is offering 40% off this amazing course exclusively for dPS. Some of the shots include:
- Picasso Style Cross Section Portrait
- Hidden Camera Mirror Trick
- Water Splash Photography
- Steel Wool Photography
- Bubble Photography
- Harris Shutter Effect
30 great shots in total, taught step-by-step in detail will keep your busy for weeks and your social media will never look the same again! Josh even shows you how to post your amazing photos to Facebook and Instagram so you can share your new skills.
Now only $ 77 USD (Save $ 120) for just 24 hours only!
Check out the deal and sample lesson now
Maybe you want some magic after the shot? Josh has you covered there too in this collaboration course with Casey Kiernan.
Deal #12 Effortless Editing with Lightroom for just $ 77 USD
Do you want to professionally edit hundreds of photos in minutes… not hours?
NEW course – Effortless Editing with Lightroom provides a simple way to edit your photos so quickly and beautifully that your friends beg you for prints. This always-up-to-date course is Josh Dunlop’s best selling course ever and he’s giving it to you for 40% off.
In addition to learning the exact workflow Josh and Casey use 100% of the time, they’ll also teach you:
- The best way to fix skin blemishes in just a few clicks
- Why most photographers skip the lens correction… and how you can use this tool to your advantage
- The lazy way to create panoramas without exporting to Photoshop or cropping
- Where and how to crop and straighten for maximum results (because YES, cropping is OK!)
- The do’s and don’ts of vignetting and dehazing
- The hidden preview for your sharpening sliders that professionals always use
- How to transform the perspective of your photo with the click of a button
- And much, much more…
How much is your time worth and how much would you rather be out shooting than burning hours at your screen?
Now only $ 77 USD (save $ 120) for just 24 hours only!
Check out the deal and stunning before and afters here
We hope you’ve enjoyed your visits from The Photography Express this year and that you’ve been able to pick up some great deals to keep your photography sharp going into 2019.
Josh offers a very generous 90-day money back guarantee, so you really have nothing to lose and a whole lot of skill to gain. And he usually has more than a couple of surprise bonuses too – so it’s worth checking out the deals!
Disclosure: We receive a commission from our partners if you buy via our promotion, but it is at no cost to you. In fact, you’re getting an even better price than usual!
The post Day 6: Take Your Photography to Expert Level with The Photography Express appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Darren Rowse.
7 Ways To Take Your Photography To The Next Level
30
Nov
The post 7 Ways To Take Your Photography To The Next Level appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Kav Dadfar.
It easy to stagnate as a photographer. It’s a lonely hobby where you often work alone spending hours in pursuit of one photo which may not materialize. You can begin to lose interest and become lazy. This loss of interest can manifest itself in your photos which, in turn, demoralizes you further. As with many hobbies, the great thing about photography is you can reignite your passion. So here are 7 ways to take your photography to the next level.
1. Photograph Something Different
One of the things many photographers are guilty of doing is photographing the same things over and over again. If you did the same thing again and again, eventually you’d get fed up with it. So, a great way to boost your passion for photography is to photograph something completely different. For example, if you are a travel photographer, spend some time photographing wildlife. If you take portraits, start photographing food.
Not only will this help reignite your passion, but it can also add more skills to your repertoire. You never know, you may find a new passion you never knew you had.
2. Work On a Brief
Remember when you were at school and had to work on projects set by the teacher? It required you to learn about the subject, think about it and create a piece of work to present to your teacher. The concept of working on a brief is the same. You are given a topic or subject to photograph, and you take photos that answer the brief.
The project could be anything from a simple task of documenting a local event, to photographing a remote tribe in another country. Many people who take up photography as a hobby take photos of things that they come across rather than a specific brief. Working on a brief can help focus your photography and make you think about things differently.
Ask a friend or family member to set you a brief. It could be on anything. After you receive the brief, go about creating a set of images that respond to it.
3. Set Yourself a Challenge
Another way to improve your photography is to set yourself challenges. These can help diversify your portfolio. For example, you may have lots of photos but are missing some nice close-ups. So, set yourself a challenge to capture one close-up image every day. Perhaps you have a weakness in a specific area of photography? Set yourself a challenge to improve that one element.
If you are a shy person and struggle to approach people to take their photo, set yourself a challenge to photograph ten people in one day. You’ll be surprised how much more confident you feel after doing so.
4. Read, Watch, Follow
One of the best ways to improve your photography is to be inspired by photographers whose work you admire. Follow photographers on social media whose work inspires you. Look at the work of the masters like Ansel Adams, Steve McCurry, and Robert Capa. Read books such as the ‘Bang Bang Club‘ and watch documentaries and movies about photography. Even flicking through photography books or magazines can help inspire you. However, remember the objective should be to be inspired, not copy someone else’s work.
5. Get a Photo Buddy
Photography is usually an isolated hobby and can be difficult to judge how well you are doing. Having someone who shares your passion can help motivate you while also giving you someone to bounce ideas off. You can learn from one another and push each other to capture better images. If you don’t know anyone who has a passion for photography, join your local camera club where you can meet likeminded individuals.
6. Rent or Buy a Film Camera
There is no doubt that cameras are better and more powerful than they have ever been. You’ll find it hard finding many photographers who still shoot in film.
Still, one negative of digital photography is that it makes the decision of taking photos easy. Back in the days of film, every single photo you took cost money. Meaning, you had to be sure of what you were photographing to avoid wasting money. So you didn’t waste money, you had to think a lot harder about a scene. You had to think about your settings and if it was an interesting subject. You didn’t have the luxury of looking at the picture on the back of your camera.
Try it out. Rent film camera for a day, or buy a second-hand one, and see if it makes you think differently about photography.
7. Go On a Photo Tour
Photo tours are quite common these days. Tours usually entail going to a country and touring it with the purpose of capturing photos. Ranging from a few days to weeks, tours are one of the best ways to boost your photography. You are away with likeminded individuals who share your passion, and you are joined by a professional photographer who can help you with your photographic weaknesses.
Nevertheless, arguably the most significant benefit of a photo tour is you are immersed in photography every day for weeks. If you keep practicing and doing something for hours every day, it’s natural for you to become better at it. So, if you haven’t tried a photo tour or workshop, give it go. It could be the best way to boost your photography skills and passion.
Like any other hobby or profession, you need to continually challenge yourself, set goals and have the motivation to create great photos. Sometimes that comes naturally, like when you are heading to a fantastic destination. At other times you have to make an effort to push yourself to be able to take your photography to the next level. The above tips should help you on your way, but ultimately it is down to you to push yourself.
What do you do to improve your photography? Tell us below.
The post 7 Ways To Take Your Photography To The Next Level appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Kav Dadfar.
5 Tips for Keeping Your Horizon Line Level
13
Oct
The horizon line is a big deal in landscape and other outdoor photography. You can’t do this kind of photography for long without encountering the Rule of Thirds and the Golden Ratio, both of which are usually applied to the horizon line. Even if there isn’t a true horizon line in your picture, there’s often a line running through the picture that determines whether it will appear level.
Still, it’s surprising how often people end up with crooked lines. You might not notice it, but it’s often the first thing people will see when looking at your photo. Posting a good photo only for it to appear crooked can be embarrassing. Beginners are notorious for overlooking this, but it happens all the time. It even happens to me occasionally.
In this article I’ll walk you through ways to make sure that your horizon line is straight.
But before we get into that, start making sure you actually check it. After all, it’s an easy thing to forget. Do whatever works for you, whether it’s making a checklist, leaving yourself a note or whatever. And make it a part of your workflow so you do it every time.
Sometimes it can be hard to tell whether your horizon line is straight or not, even when using the level in your camera. It gets especially hard when it’s mixed up with other elements in your picture that aren’t straight either. Add in lens distortion, and you can end up with a convoluted mess.
So let’s talk about tools and techniques for keeping your horizon line level. We’ll go from the most obvious tools that you probably already know about (but worth a little refresher) to some less obvious tools and techniques.
1. Use the Crop Tool Effectively
The easiest way to straighten your horizon line is with the crop tool. Virtually every photo editing software package in existence has a crop tool, so it should be familiar to you.
Lightroom’s crop tool controls. Note that the controls also allow you to straighten your photos.
Most of the time this tool will also let you change the angle of the picture. And quite often that’s all you need to do.
In Lightroom or Adobe Camera Raw (ACR), select the Crop Tool and then move your cursor slightly off the picture. The cursor will change to a curved line with arrows at either end, which indicates that clicking and dragging will now change the angle of the picture. Click and move it around to straighten your horizon line.
You can also do it by filling in the angle percentage on the far right.
2. Avoid Distortion
Sometimes your picture will appear crooked even when it’s level. That’s because most lenses have at least some barrel distortion, which makes the horizon line sag toward the sides of the picture.
This really affects things when you crop one side of your picture. The sag will show on one side (the one you didn’t crop) but not the other, and so your picture will appear to be leaning to one side.
You can fix this with the leveling functions mentioned already. But another way to fix it is to cure the distortion, which can be done easily in Lightroom and ACR.
Find the box labeled Lens Corrections, and check the box next to Enable Profile Corrections. The software will then apply an automatic correction tailored to the lens you used. You might need to help the software find your lens by selecting the manufacturer and perhaps even the model. But usually the software will find it for you and apply an automatic correction.
3. Transform to Correct
Sometimes you need a little help determining what is truly level. Your eyes can play tricks on you, particularly when you have different lines running in different directions in your picture. Lightroom can provide some help in the Transform panel.
Lightroom’s Transform panel lets you cure a variety of distortions. The most common adjustment is to correct vertical distortion, which is most useful for converging buildings and trees.
The best way to get familiar with these controls is to just play with them. Go through them all and watch how they affect your photos. After that, you’ll know which controls will be the most useful.
You can have Lightroom level your photo automatically by pressing the Level button at the top left. However, this doesn’t always work, in which case you can do it manually using the Rotate slider.
This is a great set of tools to use when you have multiple distortions working at the same time. Here’s a picture that isn’t level, and also seems to be suffering from vertical distortion.
And here’s the same picture after pressing the Auto button in the Transform panel.
Pretty dramatic improvement, isn’t it? If you don’t like what you get, you can always perform manually tweaks using the sliders. It won’t always be that easy, but sometimes this control is like magic.
4. Use the Ruler to Test
Okay, so how can you tell if your horizon line is actually level? We already talked about the Level command in Lightroom’s Transform panel. But there’s perhaps an even better way – Photoshop’s Ruler tool. It isn’t intuitive, and isn’t something you’d know about until someone shows you.
Here’s a shot with a crooked horizon line. We’ll use Photoshop’s Ruler tool to fix it in the next two pictures.
Start by selecting the Ruler tool from the tools on the left side of your screen. Then draw a line along your horizon line. If you can’t see all of the horizon in the picture, just use the part you can see. And don’t worry – you can re-do this as many times as you want.
Once you’ve drawn your line:
- From the main menu choose Image > Image Rotation > Arbitrary. This will bring up a dialog box with a number in the angle box. This is the angle Photoshop has set based on the line you just drew with your Ruler. Don’t change it.
- Click OK.
Photoshop will now level the picture according to the line you just drew.
Here I’ve used the steps mentioned earlier to straighten the picture using the Ruler tool. Now I need to crop the picture to make it look straight.
If it looks right, crop away to fix the edges. If it doesn’t look right, just undo it and try again.
Here’s the final picture straightened and cropped.
5. Add Distortion to Correct Without Cropping
Here’s another Photoshop technique to level the horizon line doesn’t involve any cropping at all. You simply distort the image to pull up the low end of the horizon line.
Start by selecting the entire image. You can use whatever selection tool you’re most comfortable with, or just press Ctrl+A to select the entire image. Once you’ve selected it, choose Image > Transform > Distort from the main menu.
See how the buildings appear to tilt a little to the right? The horizon line isn’t quite level either. We’ll fix it using the Transform command in the next graphic.
Your image will now have a series of little boxes on the edges and corners. By dragging these boxes around you can distort the image. You might want to play with them a little to get comfortable with the tool, as it can be handy in a variety of contexts.
For our purposes. just pull up the corner of the image on whatever side the horizon line is low until it’s level. Your picture is now level without needing to be cropped.
I pulled out the top left corner to straighten the buildings. I also pulled down just a touch on the bottom left corner to straighten the horizon line. In this example, I could have changed the angle of the entire picture to accomplish the same thing. But the Transform tool generally gives you greater control.
You can combine this technique with any other distortions you might want to fix, such as correcting converging buildings.
Putting it in Practice
Just thinking about having a straight horizon line goes a long way. Correct any other distortions first to get a sense of how the picture will ultimately look.
If you’re having trouble determining whether your horizon line is level, you can check with either the Level command (Lightroom and ACR) or the Ruler combined with the Image Rotation command (Photoshop). Use both to get a sense of what feels right.
But ultimately there’s no mathematical way to do this. It’s what you see with your own eye that’s most important.
The post 5 Tips for Keeping Your Horizon Line Level appeared first on Digital Photography School.
Video: How to take your photos to the next level with sub-framing
16
Jun
At some point in your photography career, you’ve probably come across the phrase ‘frame within a frame.’ While it might sound like nonsense, what it’s referring to is a composition technique referred to as sub-framing.
In his most recent video, YouTuber George Tomlin breaks down the concept of sub-framing and explains how it can be used to bring an otherwise unlikely scene to life.
As he explains in the seven-minute video, sub-framing is the practice of shooting through objects to frame a subject within the frame of the image—thus the term ‘frame within a frame.’ Rather than simply explaining how it works, Tomlin uses a 3D rendering to show how a particular scene in a made-up cityscape can yield multiple sub-framing opportunities.
In one of the four examples he shares, he shows how shooting through the windows of a vehicle can not only make the image more interesting from a composition standpoint, but also give a bit more context to the scene.
After he gets through the examples of sub-framing opportunities in the 3D scene, he turns to his own work to show off how he’s recently used sub-framing. The examples aren’t shining ones, necessarily, but they do work as solid foundations to build upon in your own work.
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
Five Ways to Take Your Macro Photography to the Next Level
30
Mar
Macro photography can be incredibly rewarding. However, it can also be frustrating if you find yourself shooting the same photographs over and over again, struggling to improve. You find yourself uninspired. Trust me, I’ve been there.
But there are a few simple tips that you can take to improve your macro photography, right now. The tips that follow will help you take your macro photography to the next level, and they won’t bog you down with technical details, either.
1. Move in close (and keep going closer)
You might be tempted to shoot subjects such as flowers the way that you would a headshot – putting space around the subject, so that flowers are fully recognizable as, well, flowers. However, I urge you not to take a step back, but rather to take a step closer. If you can, think not in terms of “flower” and “background,” but in terms of shapes and lines.
If you have a dedicated macro lens, use it. Experiment with high magnifications and see how that opens up whole new worlds for you to shoot. Look for abstract compositions that make use of shapes and color. Fill the frame completely with your subject.
I used my macro lens to emphasize the lines and colors of this dahlia.
2. Consider the light
Lighting is incredibly important in macro photography. However, you can boil things down to a few simple rules of thumb:
- Photograph in the morning.
- Photograph in the evening.
- Only photograph at any other time of day if it’s cloudy.
Photograph in the morning and evening
When I say “morning,” I’m talking about very early, during what photographers often call the “golden hours“. Essentially, these are the first two hours after sunrise.
The same goes for the evening. If it is sunny, I suggest you wait until two hours before sunset. One hour before is even better.
I took this image in the evening, which ensured some great golden light.
These morning and evening hours are the times when soft, golden light falls on your subject. Not only does this result in a more evenly lit subject and an easier exposure, but the golden cast simply looks beautiful.
If conditions seem a bit too bright, you can also create really interesting images by using the shade. For instance, try working with a subject that is in the shade, while the background is lit by the (hopefully setting) sun.
I photographed this flower as the sun was setting, positioning myself so that the background was well lit, but the flower itself remained shaded.
Photograph in cloudy midday light
Midday sunlight tends to be incredibly harsh and results in photographs that are very washed out and contrasty.
Hence: if you’re shooting in the middle of the day, make sure that it’s cloudy. The clouds will serve to diffuse the light, allowing for wonderfully saturated colors.
I photographed this coneflower on a cloudy day, ensuring that the colors were nicely saturated.
If you find yourself in a situation where you absolutely must take images and you cannot wait until conditions become better, then you can try to offset the harshness of the sun by shooting in the shade, using a reflector, or by using a flash.
The artificial lights plus this flower made for a fun photography session.
3. Consider the angle
One of the mistakes that I made most when I was first starting macro photography was not thinking about my angle to the subject. For instance, I would point my camera down at a 45-degree angle, so that I would capture subjects as if I were a few feet in front of me as I walked.
While intuitive, this approach often results in a less appealing image. It causes elements of the subject to become messy, to cross over one another. It also tends to distort the shape of the subject, so that the overall impact is lessened.
Instead, I recommend two main approaches:
First: place the subject at eye level. For instance, if you are photographing a tulip, crouch down so that the tulip is directly before you. If you are photographing an insect, you should be staring directly into its face.
By photographing this flower at eye level, I was able to create an even composition.
Second: place the subject directly below you. That is, you should be looking straight down so that the petals of an open flower are parallel to the camera sensor.
By composing from directly above this hibiscus, I was able to emphasize its geometry.
Of course, these are just starting points. Pleasing images can be made from many angles, and a lot depends on the subject itself. But these are good places from which to begin.
4. Think about the subject quality
This tip is very simple – before taking an image, look your subject over. Is it at its peak? Or is it on its way out, wilting, or dying?
If the latter is the case, then try to search for a better-looking flower. Unfortunately, such elements can really detract from an otherwise excellent image.
I found this rose in excellent condition.
Also, look for things like bugs, dirt, and torn petals. These are all indicators that you should search for a better subject.
Though it’s worth noting that sometimes wilting flowers can make for very interesting images. Just be sure that, if you are photographing a subject that’s on its way out, you compose with that in mind.
I focused on this wilting daisy in order to create a more somber photograph.
5. Consider the background
One final tip for really enhancing your macro photographs is to think about the background before taking that shot. This is probably the most important of all these tips because careful attention to background can make for incredibly special images.
What should you consider?
First and foremost, look for backgrounds that are simple and uncluttered. A background that doesn’t distract is often enough to ensure a great image. However, it can also pay to be creative, by shifting your position so that colorful elements, such other flowers, or a sunset, sit behind the subject.
You might also use bright spots to your advantage, working so that they frame your subject.
The colorful flowers behind this subject made for an interesting background.
In Conclusion
By moving in close, considering the light, angle, subject quality, and the background, you can quickly improve your macro photography. Hopefully, you’ll have a lot of fun doing it as well.
If you have any other tips for people just starting with macro photography, please share them in the comments below.
The post Five Ways to Take Your Macro Photography to the Next Level appeared first on Digital Photography School.
Phase One unveils Capture One 11 with ‘next level layers’ and more
01
Dec
 |
Watch out Adobe. Early this morning, Phase One unveiled the next major update to Capture One. The new version, Capture One 11, promises improvements in every regard: from “new, highly responsive tools,” to “workflow enhancements” to a new “finely tuned processing engine.”
Here’s a quick introduction to what’s new in Capture One 11 straight from Phase One itself:
The major improvements can be broken down into three categories: layers, workflow, and performance.
Performance
When Phase One talks about ‘optimized’ performance, the company is not just talking about how quickly Capture One can open and edit your Raw files. Included in these improvements is ‘re-engineered’ color handling, as well as the addition of a LAB Readout option for “customers who wish to measure image output to critical values.”
‘Next Level Layers’
With this update, Phase One is now characterizing Capture One 11 as a ‘layer centric application.’ All of the program’s adjustment tools are now compatible with layers, masking tools have been improved with the ability to refine and feather masks after drawing, and you can now control the opacity of individual layers.
Workflow
Since Capture One 11 is trying to be “the professionals’ choice in imaging software,” several improvements have also been made on the workflow side.
You can now add annotations and graphics on top of your image as overlays, and export them as separate layers in a PSD file; crops can be added as a ‘Path’ when exporting to a PSD file, so you don’t lose any pixels if you transfer out to Photoshop; and, finally, you can now export watermarks as a separate layer in an exported PSD file as well.
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As with all major Adobe competitors—and Capture One is arguably one of the best-known and most widely-used—the message Phase One wants to send loud and clear is, “we care about our customers’ needs.” In fact, you could say Phase One stopped just short of calling Adobe out by name in its announcement:
In keeping with Phase One’s commitment to its customers’ choice, Capture One 11 is available for purchase by either perpetual license or by subscription – whichever best suits the customers’ needs.
For photographers eager to escape Adobe’s subscription-only model, Capture One 11 represents a very tempting choice.
Capture One 11 is available now for both Mac and Windows at $ 300 for a brand-new perpetual license or $ 20/month on subscription (or $ 180 if you pay for a year in advance). If you already own Capture One Pro 9 or 10, you can get a perpetual license for just $ 120, and if you purchased Capture One Pro 10 on October 31st, 2017 or later, you can actually upgrade to Capture One 11 for free by using your same license key.
To learn more or download a fully-functional 30-day free trial, head over to the Phase One website.
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
From Mundane to Magical: Tips on Taking Your Photos to the Next Level
05
Oct
You may be at a point with your photography where you are comfortable operating your camera and are capable of taking a good picture. You can work with exposure, you understand composition, and can even enhance your photos in post-processing. You should be pleased with this, as this puts you ahead of the vast majority of other photographers. But at the same time, perhaps you are not seeing the elevation in your results that you expect. You are beginning to wonder why you aren’t getting more stunning pictures. Are you doing something wrong? Is there some part of this you’re not getting?
We all go through a phase where we feel like we know what we’re doing but are frustrated by a lack of great results. In fact, for some of us, it always feels like this. You’ll never go through a time where you’re hitting magical shot after magical shot. It just doesn’t work like that. You are after something extraordinary, and by definition that is rare.
How do you maximize your chances of finding these great shots? The short version is, “through a lot of effort,” and – while true – that isn’t very helpful. So here are some areas where I focus my efforts and perhaps they will help you too.
1. It Starts with Location
We all seem to want to take our cameras down to the local park or take a stroll around a nearby lake and then come home with stunning pictures. For the most part, it just doesn’t work like that. You typically need a great location in order to end up with a great picture.
You have likely heard that “you can take a great picture anywhere” – and that is true. But just because it is possible doesn’t mean it is probable. Magical lighting or sheer genius may allow some to get great shots in ordinary places, but it is extremely unlikely. To put the odds in your favor, you need to start with an extraordinary location.
How to Scout Your Photography Locations
Everyone from tourists to photographers, to the producers of the Game of Thrones use this location as the background for their shots. Dark Hedges, County Antrim, Northern Ireland.
How do you find such a location? There are lots of ways. If you are going to a well-traveled place such as a large city or a national park, some enterprising photographer has likely done the work for you. They will have written a book on how to photograph that particular place. These guides are invaluable and often all you will ever need. Beyond that, there are a plethora of online resources. I personally start with the 500px World Map and look at where great shots have been taken. I also like to check out the work of photographers who specialize in whatever I am going.
These resources will help you pick out good places to go. But they will also help you pinpoint specific spots to head to once you are in the area. None of this is to say you should slavishly copy any of these people, but rather that you should let their work inspire you and give you an idea of great locations that might serve as a backdrop for your upcoming stunning picture.
2. Getting that Magical Lighting
A great location alone will not result in a stunning picture. I’ve been to countless areas of great natural beauty or stunning urban environments only to walk away empty-handed. To create the stunning picture you are after, you are also going to need great lighting.
Some of you will create your own lighting through the use of flash. In that case, you’ll be able to create your own stunning lighting – and the whole thing is up to you. But that doesn’t work for me since I am always out and about photographing scenes, which aren’t as conducive to using flash.
Assuming you are like me and are relying on natural lighting, you just cannot guarantee great lighting. We all have to deal with bad weather and occasionally things don’t work out. That said, you can put the odds more in your favor.
Photograph at Sunrise and Sunset
When you are photographing the outdoors, the sky is often a big part of the picture. A great sunrise or sunset, therefore, goes a long way toward helping you create a great picture.
The first thing to do is make sure you are photographing around sunrise or sunset. I cannot tell you the number of times people have asked me how to elevate their photography and when I look at their pictures I find that they were all taken in the middle of the day. Usually, that’s just not going to work.
Photographing at sunrise or sunset has a myriad of advantages. The sky will often be very colorful. You will also not have to deal with the extreme contrast created by bright light and dark shadows. The diffuse rays of the sun are more pleasing as well. Think about it this way: there is a reason people sit outside and watch the sun come up or go down. Take advantage of that.
Don’t Overlook Bad Weather
Keep in mind that bad weather can often lead to the best shot. It is very much a risk/reward situation. Most of the time, cloudy hazy conditions result in failure. Sometimes, however, the sun might peek through or do something interesting such that you get magical rays in your photo. Typically, nice weather will result in nice pictures. Dramatic weather can result in dramatic pictures, and that is what you are going for.
Even an average marina can become a great shot when there is a storm approaching.
3. Creating the Composition
A great scene does not necessarily make a great photo. You’re probably familiar with rules of composition such as the rule of thirds. That is great, but this alone won’t result in the stunning photos you are after. To get there, you need something more. Here are some ideas to think about.
Start with a Center of Interest
The first thing you need is a subject or center of interest. Again, simply capturing a scene in front of you might create a nice picture, but not the shot that will cause people to say “wow” that you are after. You need something to hold the picture together. I cannot tell you exactly what that is since there are so many different things to use in this world, just be on the lookout for that.
Lead the Viewer’s Eye
Another thing that will help you is if you think about leading the viewer’s eye. You might immediately leap to the concept of leading lines, but it goes further than that. Think about where you want the viewer’s eye to start in your picture and then the route you want them to travel around it. Many times this is done in the post-processing phase. Remember that the eye is attracted to areas of brightness and sharpness. You might darken areas where you don’t want the viewer to concentrate while sharpening areas where you do want their eyes to go.
A nice view made more interesting by the path leading the viewer’s eye into the picture.
Concentrate on the Foreground
While you’re setting up your picture, be sure to think hard about the foreground. Think of your pictures as consisting of a background, subject, and foreground. The background is already largely set by your choice of location and lighting. The subject might be the thing that caused you to raise your camera to your eye in the first place (or in any event, you will already have thought about it). That leaves the foreground as the final variable. Don’t give it short shrift. Very often, getting low to the ground gives a sense that the viewer can walk into the picture and really enhances the image.
Add Mood and Emotion
Finally, be sure to think about the mood of your picture. A great picture stirs some emotion in your viewer. Therefore you’ll need to think about the emotion or mood as you are creating it. In the field, you might underexpose a bit to add some drama to your shot. Later, when you are on your computer, you will have time to consider this further and tweak your photo with an eye towards setting this mood.
4. Enhancing the Shot with Post Processing
There are photographers who shun the use of post-processing and devote all their time and energy to getting the shot right in the field. I’m not one of them. I have never taken a shot that I didn’t think could be improved with the use of post-processing.
Of course, there are a million things you can do to enhance your photos in post-processing. It is not my intent to walk through them all here. Rather, I just want to stress the importance of taking your time and thinking about what you want to accomplish with your picture when you sit down with it at your computer. When you are sitting down in front of your computer, you have time to think it through and work on it. In the field, you may have been rushed – dealing with a moving subject or fleeting light. Now you have as much time as you want.
Think about what your picture is about. If a part of your image does not support that idea, crop it out. Use some selective sharpening and brightening/darkening to lead the viewer’s eye. Set the mood of your picture using brightness values.
The point is not to take a mundane picture and try to post-process it into some masterpiece. Rather, selectively take a few shots and enhance them with an eye towards both (a) what you were trying to accomplish and (b) what you want the viewer to think/feel when they are looking at your photo.
5. Have Realistic Expectations
Finally, it is important to have realistic expectations. You aren’t going to go out and come home with a stunning picture every time. I fail all the time, and to avoid getting frustrated about it, I think about the words of Ansel Adams. He once said that he got about one great picture a month. Only one a month! If this master of photography was forced to settle for that kind of hit rate, then who am I to think I can do better? I ought to be happy with one shot a year.
Creating the Magic
This all takes time and effort. In a lot of ways, it is like waiting for the stars to come together. There is no magic formula for going out and getting a stunning picture every time. If there were, we would all do it. Again, the whole idea is that you are looking for the extraordinary – and that doesn’t happen all the time.
Of course, these factors all work together somewhat. You can have magical lighting at a mundane location and end up with a stunning picture. Or the right post-processing can take a B+ picture and turn it into a winner. The point is not to get you to wait around for perfect conditions. Rather just to keep moving forward with the mindset that it isn’t always going to work, but when it does it is magic.
These are the things I look for in trying to create a great photo. But that’s not to say there aren’t other – even better – ways to go about it. What do you look for in trying to elevate your photos from the mundane into something magical? Please let us know in the comments below.
The post From Mundane to Magical: Tips on Taking Your Photos to the Next Level by Jim Hamel appeared first on Digital Photography School.
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