There is one heart-stopping moment for every photographer. It happens when the prized possession that they spent hundreds or thousands of dollars to buy falls to the ground. If you’ve ever experienced it, you know the gut-wrenching agony and how the seconds feel like hours until you pick up your camera and begin to examine it. You know the cold Continue Reading
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The post Creative Photography Exercises: Setting Limitations to Achieve Better Photography appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Ana Mireles.
Every photographer can feel stuck at some point. I find this often happens when you have learned all the technical basics, and it’s time for you to start finding your way. Is this you? Here are some creative photography exercises than can help you shake things up. Keep on reading to see how setting limitations can help you to achieve better photography.
Have you ever been to a restaurant that has a huge menu but you can’t decide what to order? The same thing can happen with your photography. Having the ability to photograph anything can seem daunting. That’s why setting limits before you start shooting can help you focus.
You can set a limit regarding the idea or project you want. In this photo, I decided to limit my idea to fruits as a topic. You can also limit the tools and techniques that you can use – for example, using long exposure times. Here are some creative photography exercises to get you started.
As you probably know, there are zoom lenses and prime lenses. A zoom lens means that you can change your angle of view in seconds, which gives you great versatility. A prime lens has a fixed focal length, and this will force you to move around and re-compose your images.
If you don’t have a prime lens, use your zoom but choose a focal length and stick with it for the entire exercise. Here I used an 18-55mm and put some tape as a reference on 40mm. This doesn’t mean that you can’t use both lenses, it’s just a way for you to practice without buying new gear.
Pretend you’re using a film camera and set yourself a limit of 12, 24 or 36 images that you can use. I suggest these numbers because film rolls were sold like that, but feel free to set a different limit without overdoing it. This will push you to put more thought into the final image before you press the shutter button.
If you want to make it more challenging, try only using the viewfinder and not reviewing your images after shooting. Not having the chance to delete images in order to stay within the maximum amount gives you that extra push.
This is a fun project because you can approach it in many different ways. For example, you can choose to photograph the street while riding the bus or the metro. This takes away much of your control over the scene in front of you. You also have to deal with motion and reflections. And most of all, you have to react quick before you’re gone.
You can also choose to photograph the inside of the vehicle. This is very close quarters so it will help you to overcome shyness. It is also challenging to compose and focus on short distances. So you may want to explore a wide-angle lens if you want to capture the full scene. The light probably won’t be very bright so you may need to bump up your ISO. Combined with the fact that you’re moving, you may find it challenging, but give it a try!
Program an alarm on your phone to remind you to take a picture exactly at the same time every day. If you have a routinary life, it will challenge you to shoot the same thing or place differently. If you have a flexible schedule, and the time, you will find yourself in different places, where you’ll have to deal with a variety of challenges each time.
Either way, it will kick start your creativity. This image, for example, is only the heater from my studio. Try looking for different angles, play with lighting, etc.
These are just some ideas for creative photography exercises. Feel free to create your own according to your interest, gear and even the place you live. You just need to follow the same rule of establishing some guidelines as limitations to strengthen your abilities and creativity. I’ll leave you here some other articles that can give you more ideas:
Feel free to share any other creative photography exercises in the comments. And, as always, we love to see your images, so try some of these techniques, and share your images below.
The post Creative Photography Exercises: Setting Limitations to Achieve Better Photography appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Ana Mireles.
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In the previous article I wrote about the basic disadvantages and limitation of the drone: it depends on batteries, has limited range, flight altitude and speed, all of which put it at a disadvantage compared to shooting from a manned aircraft. Granted, the drone is a very different tool to a manned aircraft, but I compare the two to emphasize that the photographer should be aware of the advantages and limitations of each option when planning a shoot.
This time, I would like to discuss another disadvantage of the drone: it’s VERY easy to lose.
To a drone user, crashes are a part of life. Drones keep getting better and safer, they are fit with sensors to avoid collisions, programmed to fly back to the home point when connection has been lost with the remote, but they are still not completely safe from tumbling down from the sky, and they still get lost quite often. Iceland’s Glacier Lagoon and Greenland’s Disko Bay must be a few meters shallower with all the Phantoms and Mavics that have been drowned there over the last decade. A colleague of mine’s clients lost 2-3 Mavics in one photo workshop in Disko Bay! Wow, just wow.
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But why is that? How come drones just keep falling from the sky or become lost, never to be found again? If you disregard animal attack and hostile interception (both very rare events), there could only be two main reasons: human error and technical malfunction. Sometimes it can be both factors working together.
Earlier in this series I referred to drones as being ‘idiot proof.’ That was probably overstating it. Drones are by no means idiot proof, or even not-so-idiot proof. A better term would be ‘idiot resistant,’ as a drone can only correct its user’s mistakes so much – it is, after all, just a machine.
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One of my workshop clients once lost a drone when we were shooting next to a lake. The problem was that the lake was a natural wind-tunnel, and a temporary stillness encouraged us to take the drones up. Upon feeling the wind getting stronger I brought my drone down and alerted my client to do the same. He chose to keep on flying, and once the wind grew even fiercer, he quickly lost orientation. A few minutes later the drone crashed down, while still keeping in contact with the remote.
DJI’s remotes have a distance indicator, showing how far the drone is from the home point, and we could see that the drone wasn’t too far away. My client started walking in the direction that kept reducing the distance, but eventually understood that the drone was resting on a mountain on the other side of the lake. It’s probably still there.
There is a lesson to be learned here. First of all, once you feel the winds getting dangerously strong, there’s no shame in bringing a drone back down. Secondly, if you lose orientation, don’t let the drone just drift with the wind. Instead, try your best to fly it back toward the home point. A lower flight altitude usually means gentler winds, so in case the drone isn’t progressing home, try flying lower.
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| The winds above this beautiful lake in the Argentinean high-altitude desert were blowing so strongly, the drone was being swept farther and farther even though I was flying it at full speed back home. It’s important to keep cool when something like this happens. The best thing you can do is bring it down and fly a few meters above ground – the winds will be much calmer and you’ll be able to get the drone back. DJI Mavic II Pro, 1/240 sec, f/9, ISO 100. Puna de Argentina |
Another very common avoidable mistake is stretching the battery for too long. A drone’s remote will start protesting when battery level is below some (adjustable) figure. The default for DJI drones is 30%, but this depends on the drone’s distance to the home point. When the battery drops further, the drone will usually alert the user that it will automatically go home in a few seconds. This too can be overridden by the user, in case he or she wants to keep controlling the drone and shoot some more.
Lastly, when the drone is at 10% battery or less, it will automatically and autonomically start landing. But even this can be avoided if the user actively uses the joysticks to keep the drone airborne.
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An experienced drone user can sense when they need to bring the drone back. In perfect conditions, without wind, when flying low and close to the operator, there is no real reason to bring the drone back home at 30%, 20% or even 15% battery. If you can bring the drone back in a matter of seconds, by all means, keep flying until you reach 10% and then land it. But when conditions get harder, that’s when experience is critical and you have to keep a close eye on the battery status.
Depending on distance, altitude and (mainly) wind conditions, the amount of battery power needed to bring the drone back may increase significantly. Yours truly has almost lost a drone when wind picked up significantly during an afternoon shoot in a pumice-stone field in the high altitude desert of Argentina. I struggled to fly the drone, which was facing harsh head-winds, and by the time I managed to land, I was on 1% battery (!).
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It’s easy to be caught up shooting this beautiful Pumice-stone field, but the place is huge and the photographer must account for the drone’s distance and sudden increases in wind forces, or they’re risking the battery emptying before being able to bring the drone back to the launch point. |
I will conclude the discussion of human error-related crashes with a story from my recent Greenland photo workshop. My group was slowly sailing in an iceberg-packed part of Disko Bay. Since we were going to stay in that area for a while, I took out my drone and started shooting aerials of the icebergs.
When the battery was about to run out, I decided it was time to bring the drone back home. But then I realized that the captain had moved the boat several hundred meters, so the home point indicator was useless.
The remote started screaming when battery level reached 10%, and when it hit 5% I knew I had to do something
Moreover, the fact that the boat was sailing between thousands of iceberg – and it was a white boat – made finding it close to impossible. I had no indication of where the boat was or how to get to it. Using the larger icebergs as reference points was also futile, as the distances are huge and I couldn’t judge their location relative to the boat when looking at the remote’s screen.
I was getting nervous. Minutes passed and battery power was continuing to dwindle. For the life of me, I simply could not find the boat. The remote started screaming when battery level reached 10%, and when it hit 5% I knew I had to do something, or lose the drone.
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| This iceberg, and many next to it, were constantly collapsing, which filled this part of the bay with icebergs. That was great for foreground, but less beneficial in other ways. DJI Mavic II Pro, 1/25 sec, f/6.3, ISO 100. Disko Bay, Greenland |
I started to drop the drone’s altitude, desperately looking for any possible landing site. At this point I was about 80% sure I would lose the drone. But then, I saw a large, relatively flat iceberg. I decided to land on the iceberg, without knowing if I was going to be able to retrieve the drone from it, even if the landing went well. After landing, the situation was looking grim. I was in a huge bay, with literally thousands of icebergs, one of which had my tiny drone on it. There was no way in hell I would find the drone without help.
What do you know – my drone was peacefully resting on the iceberg
But then our captain’s assistant, who had been though a similar situation, suggested that I use the “find my drone” feature on the DJI app. I had never used this feature, since I always knew how to get to the home point. But in this case, the home point was no longer where the boat was. I used the feature to see the drone’s last GPS location, asked the captain to sail there, and what do you know – my drone was peacefully resting on the iceberg. Luckily, the iceberg was big enough for me to hop onto it from the boat, get the drone and return safely. It was quite a surreal experience.
In retrospect, I could’ve done things differently and avoided the iceberg landing. I subsequently learned that it’s possible to change the home point on the fly in the DJI app, so the return to home feature directs the drone to the current location of the remote. Live and learn! At least I have a good story, and by sheer luck, no harm was done and my drone lived to fly another day.
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Drones, as mentioned, are machines. And as machines, they can sometimes fail or operate in unexpected ways. The difference between a drone malfunction and a DSLR malfunction, however, is that when the former happens, the drone might not be seen or heard from ever again.
There can be different reasons for a drone malfunctioning. In the past, DJI drones crashes numbered in the thousands due to people flying them when batteries were too cold. This has happened to me too, in Iceland – an event on which I’ll elaborate at a later stage. Due to public outcry, DJI has had to include a better temperature warning system in its newer products.
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Greenland’s famous Disko Bay is particularly notorious for drowning drones aplenty. This is mainly due to the large amount of iron in the bedrock, leading the drone’s navigational systems to go haywire. Personally, I’ve never lost a drone in Greenland, but I’ve had my fair share of GPS malfunctions. When GPS fails, the drone starts drifting away with the slightest breeze, which, in extreme cases, can lead to a crash into the water.
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It’s hard to resist the allure of flying a drone between the ice giants of Disko Bay. Be be wary of GPS malfunctions – they can cost you your drone. |
Again, the important thing is keeping cool, regaining orientation and preventing the drone from being swept too far away. The GPS system usually comes back up in a short while.
Drones are constantly getting better and more fail-proof. They don’t crash nearly as much as the used to, which is a very good thing. If the worst happens and you do crash a drone just remember: you’re not the first and definitely not the last.
Erez Marom is a professional nature photographer, photography guide and traveler based in Israel. You can follow Erez’s work on Instagram and Facebook, and subscribe to his mailing list for updates.
If you’d like to experience and shoot some of the world’s most fascinating landscapes with Erez as your guide, take a look at his unique photography workshops in The Lofoten Islands, Greenland, Namibia, the Argentinean Puna, the Faroe Islands and Ethiopia.
Erez offers video tutorials discussing his images and explaining how he achieved them.
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
So far, I’ve offered nothing but praise for the drone. It’s a remarkably cheap and widely available tool. You can fly it anywhere, get infinite perspectives and unique compositions. It can easily hover in place to shoot long exposures or wait for the right time to shoot. It will venture where no human will, be it through toxic gases or scorching lava. And it is so much fun.
But the drone has its disadvantages and limitations, and that is the subject for today. Discussing these limitations is important in order to understand where and when one should choose to use a drone and when not to. It’s an important aspect to planning a shoot in a new location or circumstance, and it will help you understand that a drone isn’t a magical tool, as amazing as it is. Let’s review some of these limitations, starting with the easier ones to discuss.
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All of today’s drones fly using state of the art Lithium Polymer (LiPo) and lithium polymer high voltage (LiHV) batteries. These batteries are compact, and they last a surprisingly long time, but even the longest-flying drones cannot fly for more than about half an hour. This number is further shortened if the drone is flown “aggressively” (made to perform maneuvers, accelerate, decelerate and change direction often), when flying in sports mode and also if there is strong wind pushing against it.
Half an hour is a whole lot in some situations, but it’s not enough in others. I have had to land a drone in the middle of a shoot in harsh winds, even though the light was amazing, simply because the battery had run out. When the actual shooting location is relatively far away from the launch location, just getting to it and back can eat up half of the battery, leaving a measly ten minutes of shooting time before having to head back and change batteries, even if the sky had just opened up and the conditions became optimal.
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| Afternoon light on the magnificent cliffs of Suðuroy. I flew the drone in the harsh winds typical to the Faroes, and as a result, the battery drained so fast I only had 10 or 15 minutes to shoot. DJI Mavic II Pro, 1/80 sec, F5.6, ISO 200. Suðuroy, the Faroe Islands |
Dependence is not only on the amount of power one battery can give, it’s also on the number of batteries one has or can carry. In situations where the user cannot charge the batteries (for example, camping trips), there’s simply nothing left to do once the battery capacity has been used. Each battery has significant weight – Phantom batteries are 450 grams each, and even the tiny Mavic batteries weigh almost 300 grams each. When you have to carry those batteries, the drone, plus your regular camera equipment (and camping gear if you’re camping), each item matters, and those 3-4 batteries alone will make your backpack more than a kilogram heavier.
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| I carried three Phantom batteries for 8 km on solidified lava to shoot these surface flows in Kilauea Volcano. The batteries alone weighed almost 1.5 kilograms, not to mention the drone itself, my DSLR gear, tripod and 2 liters of water. While worth it, the backpack was very heavy and the hike wasn’t much fun. Even so, I would in retrospect bring two more batteries, to be able to use them more sparingly on a rare shoot such as this one. DJI Phantom 4 Pro, 1/15 sec, F6.3, ISO 400. Taken outside of Volcanoes NP, Island of Hawaii. |
Drones not only have limited flight time, they also have limited range. The range is not only limited by battery power, but by two other factors: connectivity between the drone and the remote, and legal aspects.
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| When shooting the 2014 Holuhraun volcanic eruption from a helicopter, I spent more than an hour shooting a mind-blowing sunset over the lava, and stayed well into darkness. A drone wouldn’t have been able to remain airborne for long enough to get these conditions (not to mention get there!). Canon 5D Mark II, Tamron 24-70mm F2.8 VC, 1/200 sec, f/4, ISO 1600. The Central Highlands of Iceland |
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In modern camera drones, radio connection between the drone and its remote is usually excellent when flight distance isn’t too long (I would give a numeric example but it really depends on many factors). But fly further away and the connection might break. If you use drones, I’m sure you know the horror one feels once the screen turns black and white and the app announces that connection had been lost. Even though the drone will attempt to return home and regain connection 99.9% of the times, there’s always the chance that it has just crashed. If, like yours truly, you have crashed a drone in the past, you will forever dread this feeling.
Connection may be compromised not only when flying too far, but when the drone is positioned so it loses direct line of sight to the remote, which can be a bit risky as the drone is left to navigate its way until regaining connection. Harsh weather such as heavy snow or rain my also break the connection, but this is usually intermittent.
Say what you may about manned aircraft, their range is far longer than that of any drone, and lost connection is not an issue.
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| My drone lost connection for a few moments when this iceberg’s peaks came between it and the moving boat. There was little to worry about, however, as I knew connection would be regained in a matter of seconds. DJI Mavic II Pro, 1/30 sec, f/5.6, ISO 200. Disko Bay, Greenland. |
In any case, today’s modern drones have been known to miraculously find their way home even after having lost connection. Equipped with GPS and with an array of sensors to avoid hitting obstacles, I’ve heard stories of drones reappearing after having been deemed lost, even after long minutes of disconnection. I’ll discuss this further in a future article.
Legal requirements in most countries dictate that the drone remain in line-of-sight. What that means could be debatable, but a stricter interpretation might be that the drone needs to be clearly visible to the operator. This means further limitation of the range.
Another limitation to the drone is its inability to fly higher than a certain altitude limit. Again, this limit can be the result of different factors, technical and legal. Technically, drone manufacturers limit the maximum altitude a drone can fly in. In DJI drones this limit is 500 meters above the home point. Higher altitude flights may only be possible after hacking the drone’s firmware, which is sometimes possible but seriously discouraged.
A much stricter altitude limit is dictated by drone laws in most countries. 100, 120 and 150 meters are the common numbers here, with the vast majority of countries not allowing flight above 120m. My home country of Israel officially limits drones to 50 meters (hmmm…). Even though an altitude limit makes a lot of sense, there’s no doubt that it greatly impacts compositional possibilities. Light planes, for example, are usually allowed to climb up to 2-3 kilometers before intruding the airspace of commercial jets.
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| The gigantic dunes of the Namib Desert can rise 300 meters high – no chance of shooting them with a drone, even if droning were allowed in the accessible parts of Sossusvlei, which it isn’t. I took this image from a helicopter at a height of more than a kilometer in the air. Canon 5D Mark III, Tamron 24-70 f/2.8 VC, 1/1250 sec, F10, ISO 800. Sossusvlei, Namibia |
Finally, drones are limited in their flight speed, which is usually not an issue, but can sometimes be a hindrance to getting the shot. Aerial photography often covers vast distances, and when light breaks faraway, you want to get there fast. A DJI Mavic can fly at 72 km/h (about 45 mph), and even that is on sports mode which quickly drains battery and can sometimes mess with the gimbal.
After DJI lowered its top speed due to stability problems, the faster, much more expensive Inspire 2 now tops at 94 km/h (58mph). Compare that with the 240 km/h of a Robinson 44 helicopter or with over 300 km/h of a Cessna, and the disadvantage is clear.
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| When seeing this light breaking between the mountains at a distance (and after picking my jaw up from the floor), I asked the pilot to “step on it” to get there as quickly as possible and avoid missing the shot. He asked me to close the window, easily pulled the throttle, taking us to 300 km/h and covering the distance to this composition in less than a minute, before slowing back down to allow me to open the window and shoot for several minutes. A drone would have undoubtedly missed the shot. Canon 5D Mark III, Tamron 24-70mm F2.8 VC, 1/2000 sec, f/4, ISO 800. The Lofoten Islands, Arctic Norway |
To sum up, a drone is dependent on relatively heavy, power-limited batteries and the ability to carry and charge them. It has limited range, limited speed and limited flight altitude compared to manned aircraft, all of which limit the photographer’s ability to get to a location, spend enough time shooting it and getting good composition and light. While these problems don’t make the drone any less amazing, they have to be considered when planning an aerial shoot and when selecting the right tool to perform it.
In the next article I will continue the discussion of the drone’s disadvantages.
Erez Marom is a professional nature photographer, photography guide and traveler based in Israel. You can follow Erez’s work on Instagram and Facebook, and subscribe to his mailing list for updates.
If you’d like to experience and shoot some of the world’s most fascinating landscapes with Erez as your guide, take a look at his unique photography workshops in The Lofoten Islands, Greenland, Namibia, the Argentinean Puna, the Faroe Islands and Ethiopia.
Erez offers video tutorials discussing his images and explaining how he achieved them.
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
Do you feel frustrated that you are not allowed to make selfies in museums? Did a light reflection ruin the photo of your favorite artwork? Are the other visitors always in the way of your perfect shot? Then this article is for you, to help you photograph your next museum visit!
Museums are a great place to get inspiration, however, the great teams behind every exhibition have to be more concerned with the preservation of the artworks than about your photo. Therefore, photographing in a museum poses two big challenges.
First, the multiple rules that you have to follow, remember to always be respectful of them because they exist for a reason. Second, the fact that you can’t alter the conditions in which you have to shoot. But this doesn’t mean that you can’t make great photos, actually, you can turn it around and use these limitations to take your photography to the next level.
Every museum has different rules so I’ll cover some of the most common:
Many museums of the world like the Palace Museum in Beijing, the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and many others have banned the selfie-stick. Not to worry, this shouldn’t stop you from making a memory of yourself with your favorite artwork.
Whether it’s in a frame or a display case, most objects in museums are protected by glass. So, you can use your reflection on the glass to make a selfie. You can also use mirrors and other reflective surfaces you can find.
Crystals, Teylers Museum, Haarlem, The Netherlands.
Albergo Diurno Venezia, during the exhibition Senso 80 by Flavio Favelli, Art Week Milan 2017, Milan, Italy.
In order to work with reflections, you need to understand how light works. Without going into a complicated physics lesson, what you need to know is that light travels in straight lines.
Which is also why you can get those annoying light flares that can ruin your photos. So you need to be very aware of all the other objects in the room to avoid unwanted reflections.
Me As Mapplethorpe, 2009. Gillian Wearing RA, (based upon the Robert Mapplethorpe work: Self Portrait, 1988) exhibited at Gemeente Museum, The Hague, the Netherlands.
Now that you know how it works, you know how to move around the space in order to control your reflection. A few tips to consider though:
This is one of the most universal rules in museums. This is because the hundreds of thousands of visitors that some artworks attract would sum to a great amount of light that some materials cannot take without damage. So you’ll have to make the best with the lighting of the museum that is designed to either preserve the delicate artworks, or to set a mood that complements a whole concept of the exhibition.
In other words, more often than not it will be very dark. This is where the settings of your camera (and even some smartphones) come in.
Since this article is not about exposure I won’t go into a lot of detail, but I will give you a quick guide to adjust it to better photograph in low light. The correct exposure depends on three things:
In photography this stands for International Standard Organization just like every other ISO that you’ve heard about. What it standardizes in this case is a scale for measuring sensitivity to light. The higher the ISO number you choose, the higher sensitivity your device will have. A lot of people are afraid to go very high because there is the risk of getting noise in your image, which is like the grain that used to be in film photography.
Nowadays most cameras can keep the quality even at higher numbers, so try all the settings out to determine which one is the highest you can go with your own equipment. However, in my experience, you get less noise from a high ISO than going lower and then trying to correct the underexposure in Photoshop later. Here is an example:
This image was taken at ISO 320.
Versus . . .
This image was taken with an ISO of 3200.
The simplest explanation I can offer is that the aperture is the hole in your lens that lets in light. Therefore the bigger the hole, the more light will enter.
But here is the tricky part, the aperture reference scale is inversely proportional. So, contrary to what you might think, a smaller number means a bigger hole and therefore more light. For example, a photograph taken with f/8 will be lighter than the photo taken with f/11.
This setting also controls the depth of field of your image (the area that will be in focus). So be careful moving this one because you might loose some sharpness in areas that are farther away from your point of focus if you use smaller f-numbers. Notice in the image below how the objects are loosing focus towards the back.
Crystals, Teylers Museum, Haarlem, The Netherlands.
This setting controls how much time you expose the sensor to light. Since the sensor (or film) is accumulative, the more time you expose it, the lighter your image will be. Shutter speed is very straightforward and it could be your best choice, except that anything moving will look like a blur if you go too slow.
Even if everything is still, if you are not using a tripod, YOU are the one moving. So don’t let it stay opened too long. In some museums you’re allowed to use a tripod if you pay an extra fee, so feel free to ask.
It is also useful to know that telephoto lenses need a faster shutter speed to avoid blur than the wide angle lenses. So you can also consider re-framing your image like the next example.
Shutter speed 1/8th, f/5.6, ISO 800, focal length 55mm.
Shutter speed 1/8th, f/5.6, ISO 800, focal length 22mm.
You can also use this setting in a creative way. For this photo I wanted the tram passing in between the two pieces of the sculpture to leave a blurry line to have a more dynamic result and also show more context on how the sculpture was meant to interact with the space.
Shutter speed 1/2 second, f/11, ISO 400; focal length 18mm.
Shutter speed 1.3 seconds, f/11, ISO 400; focal length 18mm.
Now that you know what each setting does, you can adjust them to your needs. Keep in mind that they are interrelated, so if you move one you need to correct the others accordingly. For example, if you close your aperture because you want more depth of field, remember to compensate it by leaving the shutter open for a longer time, or by making your ISO more sensitive (higher number). Always keep an eye on your exposure meter!
Given that you can’t change your surroundings or rearrange the artworks, you will have to be extra creative and flexible.
When photographing an artwork in a museum, don’t try to just reproduce it. To do that it’s always better to buy the postcard or the catalog. What you do want is to capture what it’s transmitting to you. Use the architecture of the gallery, make it interact with the other pieces of the exhibition, try to capture the ambiance. In other words, make it your own. Notice how in this example I didn’t photograph any specific artwork, just the space and the atmosphere.
Rijksmuseum van Oudheden, Leiden, the Netherlands.
Retaking the topic from the No Selfie-stick, if you need to avoid reflections and you can’t move the artwork or the lighting, then reposition yourself. Do this also to play with perspective, to include or exclude objects from your frame, and just try as many angles as you can.
For this next image, I was playing with perspective and the position of the circular lamps in order to make them look like the aura of the statue.
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
It will be very difficult for you to have the museum to yourself, so try to be respectful of others and don’t get in the way. Don’t be afraid to include people in your photo as well, just be sure to wait until the right moment so that they complement your image.
Het Dolhys, Haarlem, the Netherlands.
Museo de la luz, Mexico City, Mexico.
Last but not least, there is one rule that you won’t see on the museum signs, but it exists and it’s very important – the issue of copyright.
While getting inspiration from other artists it’s great, remember that you are photographing the work of a fellow artist so it is covered by copyright. This can apply from the artwork being exhibited to the architecture of the museum so it can be a very complicated issue to understand.
I advise you inform yourself about it in more depth. A general rule of thumb that you can always follow is that you can’t use the image for commercial purposes without permission and/or retribution from the creator. And in any other context for educational purposes (e.g. this tutorial or giving a conference) you should always give the credits. Let’s be respectful of one another.
Next time you go to a museum you can both get inspired and creative. Enjoy and share your photos!
The post How to Photograph Your Museum Visits – Turn Limitations Into Creative Challenges by Ana Mireles appeared first on Digital Photography School.
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One of the most important skills in photography is pre-visualization. The idea is that before you capture an image in the camera, you have a clear idea in your mind of what it’s going to look like. You preview the image before you shoot it. Colour or black-and-white in rendering? Rich in tones or pale and soft? Misty-blurry in feel or so tack-sharp you might cut your eyes on it? What – exactly – will your image look like?
One of the early objections to digital photography was that it wasn’t really photography because there was no negative; no sense of what kind of picture you’re making. In fact, with digital, there’s not much at all, apart from data in the form of a very, very long row of zeroes and ones. You know what kind of image you have only when you use that data to drive a screen (on camera or at computer) or a printer. And before you get there, you have to process the image. If you feel feel isolated from the process of creating the image, it’s no wonder.
The most basic in-camera processing setting is your exposure. For this nature shot in my back-garden (above), I over-exposed by two stops. This pales out the colours, fills the shadows nicely to get the effect I envisaged, all suffused with light.
If you feel a bit disjointed from your images or from your camera, one way back is to try some old-school photography. If you feel your photography is getting a bit jaded, you can re-discover its joys by committing to a treatment or filter effect at the time you take the photograph.
I love this way of working. There are two simple steps. You choose an in-camera processing or filter effect (which, of course, produces JPEG files), and you do not use the screen to review your images (it’s good practice anyway). So, let’s set to the Toy Camera option – this vignettes the image heavily (darkens the corners), under-exposes, and adds strong saturation. And off we go:
This indoor scene on our dining table (above) is rich in a surreal way, because the strong colours in the centre and heavy vignetting forces the viewer’s attention to the centre. The very shallow depth of field – from using a f/2 aperture – also helps make the space tensioned.
One reason some photographers have returned to work with film, is that the process of envisioning how the image will look before clicking the shutter, creates a sense of connection with the subject. You feel more involved with the process, and that’s an important part of the fun of photography.
This portrait is a rich-toned black-and-white: it takes a shocking amount of processing in-camera, but comes out with deep, sharp tones that is surprisingly flattering. It works well in mixed hard and soft lighting.
There’s another advantage to camera processing – if you work this way, you often don’t need to touch the image before being able to use it. When I photograph for my books, I produce thousands of images, and have to submit as many as 1,500 images to the art department. You won’t find me messing about with the images more than I need to, I have a book to write! So images that pop straight out of the can into the book are what I aim for, like this one.
This late evening scene in Auckland, New Zealand comes straight out of the camera as rendered by the Toy Camera effect. I did try out some adjustments, but quickly decided it was best left as shot.
Garden furniture left in the rain came out glowing with the Toy Camera filter, which often brings out a mood that is slightly world-forsaken. I like using the filter with the lens wide open, to leave as much as possible softly blurred.
So the question is; do you know what your image will look like before you capture it? If commitment scares you, one approach is to at least think ahead to the post-processing that you’ll do. Instead of blundering around trying one effect or adjustment after another, you will go straight to the effects that you want. Saves a LOT of time.
Or you can do as I’m showing here, and bravely go for it. More jeopardy equals more fun! And that’s exactly what you’d have done with film. You load the camera with film – say slow black-and-white for fine grain, or fast colour for low-light work. 24 or 36 exposures, and you’re stuck with it until the last frame reels off, come rain or shine, action or still-life. Many photographers have found fun in photography again by embracing the risks of film-like limitations.
I’ve used the Hipstamatic app on my iPhone since the beginning, as I enjoy the commitment to the image coming out according to the film and lens combination you pick. This is one of my favourite combinations – the Libatique lens – and the Dream Canvas film.
Just like learning to work with a fixed focal length, what looks like an imposition and inhibiting feature, can actually free you artistically. For example, knowing that I’ve chosen a filter that gives a particular soft focus but richly coloured look, means that everyday scenes become mysterious washes of colour and tone. Without that effect, I might not have thought of making this shot.
This is a Hipstamatic shot using D-Type Plate film with the Jane lens, processed for increased saturation.
A mundane scene like the mess on a chopping board just looks ordinary in colour. But in black-and-white, with a bit of fake Tintype effects, and the image moves into another arena.
Committing to a treatment challenges you, and changes the way you look at things. Some photographers say they can see compositions only in black-and-white. If you set your camera to shoot black-and-white, you will find that you photograph different things from your usual subjects. You’ll probably shoot them in a different way too. If you’re feeling especially brave, you can set your camera to apply an art filter. I like using the Illustration filter, which pumps up colours and draws a line on sharp edges. It works neatly with nature.
A moderate wide-angle view of a nature reserve. (Looks pretty but actually it’s over-run with invasive foreign species.) In the soft light, I thought the image would come out flat and lacking in contrast. So I decided to add some filter fizz.
With the illustration filter applied, all the important features have been brought out; the trees, the slope of the hill, the bright lilies, and lily leaves. This image came straight out of the camera, with no post-processing at all.
You don’t have to be so drastic though. One useful in-camera effect available in several models, is built-in HDR (High Dynamic Range). In fact, what the effect does should be called tone-mapping. It makes three or more rapid-fire shots of the subject, at different exposure values. Then, in camera, it combines them so that the image is predominantly filled with mid-tones. Now if you try this on a moving subject, you get weird double-fringed effects. More in-camera fun!
Three separate exposures of trees waving in the wind, even when shot at a high rate of fire, will create blurred or fringed images. Then tone-mapping them – processing to bring out mid-tones – gives a half-photographic, half-graphic effect. (Post-processed to reduce brightness and increase saturation.)
All this works, because pre-visualization makes you see in a different way. What happen is that the camera actually reprograms the way you see. That makes a lot of sense, if you think about learning new skills. Let’s take martial arts, for example. Before you start classes, you just see people punching, kicking. Once you learn more about it, you start to get your eye in – you see when someone’s leaning too far forward, or that there’s no power in a strike. It’s exactly the same moves as before, but your now-tutored eyes see more; they see differently.
In photography, you may start to see relationships, not objects. You pick out shapes and aren’t distracted by textures. Or you may see small details which before you’d overlook. In short, committing to one look for your images can invigorate your seeing, which will inspire your photography to greater, new levels.
An extravagant flower display at a hotel reception looks charming when given a look of aged film, complete with old-world border given by Hipstamatic Libatique lens with Ina’s 1969 film options.
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The post How to Bump Your Photography up a Level by Using Film Style Limitations by Tom Ang appeared first on Digital Photography School.
Have you ever said to yourself, “If only I had that lens, or this camera I’d be an amazing photographer”? Or maybe you’ve thought that if only you had more time or money, your dreams of being the photographer you want to be, would finally be realized. Many times as photographers we will have limitations put on us. Sometimes we may set those limits on ourselves, and sometimes they are limits that can’t be helped. Either way, we can use those limitations to our advantage and become better photographers because of them.
Set aside those “if only” thoughts. Push away those feelings of inadequacy. Don’t let those limitations hinder your progress as a photographer. Once we have gone through some of those limitations that can help you grow, you might even decide to limit yourself on purpose sometimes, just for the challenge.
Do expensive cameras make a difference? Of course they do. There’s a reason some cameras cost more than others. However, the person behind the camera matters a whole lot more. If you’re looking at your favorite photographer’s work and thinking that their camera is amazing, you may be right. Their camera is possibly amazing, but the reason you love their photos isn’t because of their camera, it’s because of what they do with that camera.
If you constantly think that you can’t do what you want to because your camera isn’t fancy enough, then you’re probably right. With that kind of thinking, you’ll always be waiting for the next purchase before you even try to get better. If you can convince yourself that your camera is good enough, smart enough, and doggone it, people like it, then your photos will change with your perspective. Find out what your camera CAN do, instead of lamenting about what it can’t do. Pull out your camera’s user manual, and practice until you’ve truly worn out your camera. You might decide to get the next big thing then, or you might have fallen in love with your camera so much that you wouldn’t dream of trading it in for a newer model.
Want to know a secret? For a long time I used my kit lens, and a 50mm f/1.8 on my first camera body. That’s it. I made those lenses work for me, and I learned how to get the most out of them. Want to know another secret? Now I use a 50mm f/1.4 and 85mm f/1.4, and that’s it. Nothing else, ever. I’ve looked at other lenses, and thought about them a lot, but when it comes down to it, I really feel like I don’t want any other lenses.
I’ll often go through an entire session with only one lens on my camera body. I feel more free to concentrate on what’s going on in front of me, and capturing what I want. I’m completely comfortable and familiar with my lenses, and I know exactly what they can do. I don’t waste time switching to another lens, and risk getting dirt on my sensor. Your lens of choice may be different from mine, and that’s okay. If you are photographing other things besides portraits, you may very well need a different lens from what I have.
However, you don’t need EVERY lens. Figure out how to make the lens (es) you have work for you. Challenge yourself to work with the constraints of a 50mm prime, or even a kit lens. You might realize that you don’t need that expensive new lens after all.
It’s exciting to dream about all the photography equipment you could buy. All the different flashes, reflectors, tripods, timers, camera bags, diffusers, and straps are calling to your wallet, begging you to buy them all. Money is a real issue for me, and likely for many of you, too. If it’s not something that you are going to use on a regular basis, see if there are ways that you can work without it.
There are many DIY ideas that will stretch your creativity. You might find that you can make beautiful photos, even without all the extra equipment. Sometimes having a limit to what you are able to purchase can make your creativity grow, because creativity is free. You can use it abundantly without hurting your budget one bit. Cameras don’t care if they’re stored in a bag you’ve had for years, that is worn on the corners (at least that’s what my camera tells me).
Wouldn’t it be great if we always had beautiful waterfalls and trees and majestic mountains right there to photograph? Unfortunately life doesn’t work that way. I live in a place that is actually truly spectacular, but when I first moved here, I was quite underwhelmed. It’s one of those places that takes time to appreciate, and sometimes certain camera angles to hide the parts that aren’t so photogenic. Look at your surroundings with new eyes, and you might find that you actually have a lot of gorgeous views. You’ll not only be able to make some beautiful photos, but you’ll be happier with your life and surroundings.
Sometimes you might be at a location that you must shoot then and there, and there’s not much to choose from. A back deck at high noon can work in a pinch. This is where your creativity and resourcefulness can come in handy. Hone those skills, and you will find that you are never at a loss for great locations.
Every photographer has had to say this at some point, we all have to start somewhere. If you are turning down opportunities to take photos, or scared to try something new because you’re afraid you don’t know enough, you’re selling yourself short. The worst that could happen is that you could learn what not to do.
Find every opportunity to practice and learn. Don’t let a lack of knowledge stop you from trying, instead, let it motivate you to learn more. While you are in the process of learning, remember the saying, “Fake it until you make it”. If you pretend that you know what you are doing, that fake confidence can pull you through, and you’ll gain more real confidence for the future.
***However, I must insert a warning here. Don’t agree to be the sole photographer for a very important once in a lifetime event, like a wedding, if you aren’t knowledgeable and prepared enough. You’re welcome.
Suck it up and get out there. That may sound harsh, but unless the weather is going to ruin your camera, give it a try. Some of my favorite sessions have been in the wind, in light rain or snow, or in freezing temperatures. If you always seek out comfortable conditions, you won’t stretch yourself to find new ways to deal with things. You’ll miss out on some very compelling shots, because you won’t be forced to make something less than ideal work to your advantage. You might get dirty, cold, wet, hot, or sunburned. Don’t limit yourself when conditions aren’t perfect.
Quality over quantity will help you here. Instead of thinking you have to take 1000 frames at a time, challenge yourself to capture something great in 10 frames. Instead of spending two hours on one session, see if you can get a handful of truly great images in fifteen minutes. Sometimes when we have more time, we don’t end up with more great photos, we just end up with a whole lot of mediocre photos. Use your time constraints to help you focus on capturing exactly what you want, and not wasting time with thoughtless clicking. Use the little time you have to your advantage, and make every click count. Read: 6 Tips on How to Make More Time for Photography
What limits do you think are holding you back? Could you find a way to make those limits benefit you and make you a stronger photographer? Change your perspective on your limits, and see if you can make your photography growth limitless.
How have you found limitations have helped, rather than hindered your own growth as a photographer? Have you tried any limitation exercises on purpose? If so please share your actions and results in the comments below.
Editor’s Note: This is one of a series of articles this week that are Open for Discussion. We want to get the conversation going, hear your voice and opinions, and talk about some possibly controversial topics in photography.
Give us your thoughts below on the article above on limitations and watch for more discussion topics this week.
See all the recent discussion topics here:
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The post How Limitations Can Help You Grow as a Photographer by Melinda Smith appeared first on Digital Photography School.
When photographers ask me what gear they should bring on my photo workshops, my recommendation is to keep it simple. Bring whatever you want on the trip, but bring one body and one lens on the daily photo walks. Most will give a huge sigh of relief while others will wonder what to do with their fancy new camera strap that allows them to carry two DSLRs. This is how the power of limitations begins.
Limiting yourself to one lens to take on your photo walk, knowing you must live with that decision all day, may sound terrifying to you, but you with benefit twice: You will save your back and learn exciting new ways to see. Naturally, your lens choice will depend on what your are planning to shoot that day. Many photographers prefer the flexibility of a zoom lens. I recommend a fixed focal length lens such as a 50mm or, if you’re a Canon shooter, the new 40mm pancake lens. Should you decide to limit yourself to a 50mm lens for the day, you immediately increase your chances of making better pictures. Why? You will be forced to slow down and take more care in your composition. With a fixed lens your feet are your zoom. You will work the scene more carefully and pay closer attention to what you include in the frame, and more importantly, what you decide to leave out of the frame. Result? Some interesting photographs and a great learning experience – such can be the power of limiting yourself to one lens.
When shooting street photography with a DSLR, a small lens such as a 50mm also has the advantage of making you more invisible..
Another way to slow down and improve your images is to either shoot film or pretend you are. Set a limit to the number of frames you will shoot that day instead of using the ‘spray and pray’ approach. Trust me – if you limit yourself to 24 or 36 exposures for one photo walk, you will make every single one of those frames count. Those of you who have shot film, you already know what I’m talking about.
In the fall of 1994 environmentalist and nature photographer Jim Brandenburg, embarked on a journey to shoot one frame a day for 90 days. Imagine that – limiting yourself to just one frame a day for 90 days! And those were the film days. Truth be told, he was my inspiration to pursue photography as a hobby and later as a career. To learn more about his amazing journey and get some inspiration, I encourage you to read his story in his best seller book Chased by the Light, NorthWord Press, 1998.
Setting limitations should be kept simple such as picking a theme for your photo walk. Maybe you decided to focus on a color or to photograph only cats. Eventhough you are likely to shoot other items of interest unrelated to your goal, your focus will turn an ordinary photo walk into a treasure hunt, and isn’t that more fun? This will spice up your photo walks in your hometown and help keep you focused in a new environment where it’s easy to get overwhelmed by so much novelty or newness.
Double the fun and select one lens (here the 50mm) and pick a theme (photographing cats) and your photo walk will turn into a treasure hunt.
However, if you are a beginner or still experimenting with your camera functions, please do shoot more – even lots! These limitations will better suit you once you have some experience under your belt. The more you shoot, the better you’ll get! When I first picked up a camera I wish I had benefited from the luxury of shooting digital, the film days were expensive and the experimentation process was definitely slower. Shoot your heart out in the beginning. Stay excited and keep learning. Master your camera settings and experiment with whatever lens you own. You will soon realize how the power of limitations can fine tune your craft.
Have fun!
Post originally from: Digital Photography Tips.
Check out our more Photography Tips at Photography Tips for Beginners, Portrait Photography Tips and Wedding Photography Tips.
The Power Of Limitations
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