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Real Estate Photography: The Complete Guide

18 Oct

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

real estate photography a guide

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

You’ve come to the right place.

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

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

Real estate photography: key camera equipment

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

  • A camera
  • A wide-angle lens
  • A tripod

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

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

real estate interior

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

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

The best lighting for exterior real estate photos

exterior real estate photography

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

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

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

exterior real estate photography

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

sidelit house

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

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

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

The dusk/dark technique

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

Getting started with interior photography: composition

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

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

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

The master bathroom

The master bathroom!

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

interior real estate photography

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

modified composition of the interior shot above

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

Key composition tip: get the verticals rights

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

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

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

interior real estate

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

bedroom

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

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

bedroom with perspective correction

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

Real estate photography settings: how to get the perfect exposure

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

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

sitting room

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

living room

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

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

bedroom

Real estate photography: interior lighting

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

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

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

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

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

kitchen real estate photography

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

kitchen real estate photography better lighting

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

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

light painting living room

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

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

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

Here’s an image with mixed lighting:

dining room

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

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

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

Here’s a corrected version of the previous image:

color corrected dining room

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

Providing the client with the final images

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

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

Real estate photography: final words

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

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

 And above all, have fun!

exterior image real estate

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


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This Epic Bundle Offers a World-Class Photography Education for Less Than $100 (96% Off!)

16 Oct

The post This Epic Bundle Offers a World-Class Photography Education for Less Than $ 100 (96% Off!) appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey.

5daydeal epic photography bundle (96% off)

What’s the fastest way to improve your photography?

There’s a quick method to enhance your photos and level up your skills, and it’s pretty simple, too: learn from the masters. In other words, discover the secrets, tricks, and techniques already developed by the best of the best, and apply them all in your own shooting.

So how do you access these photography masters? How do you learn their secrets? That’s where online courses come in handy. These days, you can find dozens of well-taught, helpful courses, created by truly outstanding photographers from all around the world. They illustrate the most efficient composition guidelines, effective post-processing techniques, and so much more. 

Unfortunately, online courses can be expensive. This stops plenty of photographers, especially beginners, from ever discovering the information that could instantly take their photos to the next level.

Which is why the 5DayDeal is one of those once-in-a-blue-moon, can’t-miss-out offers that you should absolutely check out, especially if you’re serious about improving your work.

What is the 5DayDeal?

The 5DayDeal is a limited-time bundle, which includes literally dozens of courses from world-class photographers, along with plenty of additional photography-enhancing items (including Photoshop actions, books, and packages/software).

Normally, the 5DayDeal resources would cost over $ 2200 USD.

But for five days only, you can grab them for $ 89 USD, at a whopping 96% off.

Landscape Photography Secrets by Tim Shields

You can click here to take a closer look at the bundle. Highlights include:

  • Landscape Photography Secrets (value: $ 297), a six-class set covering essential landscape topics such as settings, composition, and post-processing, taught by acclaimed landscape photographer Tim Shields
  • Luminar AI Magic (value: $ 99), a comprehensive class that covers the ins and outs of Skylum’s popular editing software – and how to use it for jaw-dropping results
  • Simple & Intermediate Object Removal in Photoshop (value: $ 60), which will turn you into an object-removal wizard, capable of ridding your images of telephone poles, distracting people, and even unwanted cars
  • Painterly Portraits Photography Course (value: $ 227), which offers the secrets to professional-quality portraits, both in the field and in the editing room
  • Nature Love Presets (value: $ 69), a set of 18 Lightroom presets designed to offer quick and efficient yet high-quality edits

And that’s just a small sample of the 5DayDeal items. Photographers, this bundle genuinely is the best way to level up your work; get it, take the time to go through each item, and by the time you’re done, your work will be unrecognizable.

Plus, 10% of the profits go to charity, so it’s really a win all around.

You can check out the 5DayDeal bundle and see all the courses, packages, and more on the 5DayDeal website.

When does the 5DayDeal end?

The 5DayDeal really does last for just five days, and you will never see the exact same deal ever again (the 5DayDeal creators refer to this as a “once-in-eternity sale”).

Specifically, the deal will disappear on October 19th, 2021 (next Tuesday!) at 12 PM PST. So don’t wait; get the bundle while you still can!

Check it out here.

The post This Epic Bundle Offers a World-Class Photography Education for Less Than $ 100 (96% Off!) appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey.


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The Best Landscape Photography Settings: A Guide

14 Oct

The post The Best Landscape Photography Settings: A Guide appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Simon Bond.

the best landscape photography settings a guide

In this article, you’ll discover the best landscape photography settings to take your photos to the next level.

Landscape photography is one of the most popular photographic genres, and it’s why many of us pick up a camera in the first place. However, determining the perfect settings for great results can be a struggle, which is where this article comes in handy.

Below, I share plenty of settings advice. I explain how to select the perfect camera mode, shutter speed, aperture, and white balance, plus plenty more – so if you’re ready to improve your landscape photography, then read on.

sun rising over the landscape
Canon 5D Mark III | Canon 17-40mm f/4L | f/22 | 1/8s | ISO 100

The best camera mode for landscape photography

Your camera has several modes, ranging from Automatic through to Manual. These are the common modes available to you:

  • Automatic: With Auto mode, your camera chooses the aperture, ISO, and shutter speed. All you need to do is compose and take the photo.
  • Landscape: This is also a type of automatic mode, but is a step up from the standard Auto mode mentioned above. In Landscape mode, your camera knows you’re photographing a landscape, so it will choose a more standard “landscape” aperture.
  • Aperture Priority: Aperture Priority mode allows you to set your aperture and (if you wish) the ISO, while your camera selects the shutter speed. You can adjust the exposure value – to darken or lighten the photo – with your camera’s Exposure Compensation feature.
  • Shutter priority: Shutter Priority mode lets you choose a specific shutter speed while your camera picks the aperture. This can be useful for long exposure landscape images.
  • Manual: Manual mode lets you control all your settings – the aperture, shutter speed, and ISO – to get the correct exposure. This will take longer, but in landscape photography, you have the time.

As a beginner, you maybe tempted to use the camera’s automatic features, but I highly recommend you learn your camera setting and use Manual. Your results will pretty much always be better!

river and blue sky
Canon 5D Mark III | Canon 17-40mm f/4L | f/8 | 1/400s | ISO 100

The best aperture, shutter speed, and ISO for landscape photography

The three key settings for any photographer, no matter the type of photo, are aperture, shutter speed and ISO. Together, these settings determine the final exposure of your image, which is why they’re often referred to as the exposure triangle.

In landscape photography, you’ll want to adjust these settings very carefully. Let’s take a closer look, starting with:

Aperture

Aperture is arguably the most important setting in landscape photography. It controls sharpness, depth of field, and at smaller apertures can create a starburst effect.

  • Sharpness: Landscape photos are best when they’re both focused and sharp. Using the wrong aperture for your landscape can result in a softer image. You’ll want to select an ultra-sharp aperture somewhere between f/8 and f/11, but the specifics depend on the lens you have. Generally, your lens’s sharpest aperture is three stops down from its widest aperture, so feel free to use this as a guideline (though you can always do a few tests!).
  • Depth of field: When you have foreground elements close to the camera, depth of field is especially important. You’ll need a deeper depth of field to maintain sharpness across the frame, which is achieved in one of two ways: with a narrow aperture (around f/8 and beyond), or with focus stacking, where several photos are taken then merged in post-processing to produce focus throughout the photo.
  • Starburst effect: A small aperture can produce a pleasing starburst effect when you shoot toward points of light like street lights or a partially covered sun.
beautiful sunrise landscape photography
Canon 5D Mark III | Canon 17-40mm f/4L | f/8 | 1/100s | ISO 500

Shutter speed

Another very important landscape photography setting is the shutter speed. In fact, it can dramatically change the type of landscape photo you capture. Based on your shutter speed, you can create a crisp photo (fast shutter speed) or a softer, long exposure (slow shutter speed). Note that any shutter speed over half a second is considered long exposure, and you’ll need a tripod for the best results.

The long exposure effect

Long exposure has a transformative effect on photos when applied in the right place and at the right time. You can easily carry out long exposures at night, thanks to the lack of light; during the day, you’ll need a strong neutral density filter to achieve a long shutter speed without overexposing the image. You might choose to use a long shutter speed in any of the following scenarios:

  • Coastlines: Use at least ten second exposures to flatten the water.
  • Moving water: Use exposures of one second or higher around white water for the “silk effect”
  • Traffic light trails: Use exposures long enough to capture car light trails along the length of the road you’re photographing. Aim to keep the shutter speed over 15 seconds or so.
  • Windy days: You can capture cloud movement across the sky with exposures of 30 seconds or longer.
  • Intentional camera movement: Try moving your camera body or adjusting the focal length during a long exposure. These type of photos can last anywhere between five to thirty seconds in length.
black and white landscape
Canon 5D Mark III | Canon 17-40mm f/4L | f/8 | 20s | ISO 1000 | Hoya infrared filter

ISO

Your ISO setting will brighten your photo, but the higher the ISO, the worse the image quality.

As a landscape photographer, you should shoot with a tripod for the best results, so in most conditions you’ll be able to use an ISO of 100 (or your camera’s base ISO setting).

That said, there are times – especially at night – when you might want to use a higher ISO. For example, if you’re using an aperture of f/11 and you’re not getting enough light for a correct exposure even at 30 seconds, you may want to boost your ISO to get a reasonable shutter speed.

Also, if you do astrophotography, you’ll definitely need a high ISO, assuming you want to freeze the stars (which are always moving across the sky, or at least appear to be!). Consider shooting at ISO 12600 or even more, if your camera can handle it. In fact, standard Milky Way settings are an aperture of f/2.8, an exposure of 25 or 30 seconds, plus an ISO as high as you can reasonably go.

colorful orange and red trees in a landscape scene
Canon 5D Mark III | Canon 17-40mm f/4L | f/16 | 1/200s | ISO 640

The best focusing settings for landscape photography

When it comes to landscape photography, you have two choices for the proper focusing mode:

Autofocus or manual focus.

In my opinion, the best results come from manual focus, though it is somewhat dependent on the equipment and the scenario. Let’s take a closer look at these two options:

Autofocus

With autofocus, your camera where automatically focus, though you do get the option to specify where you want your camera to focus.

So set your camera to its single-point focus mode (where it uses a single AF point to determine the proper focus). Then compose your shot, select an object in the middle ground, and position your single focus point over that object.

Press your shutter halfway to achieve focus, then take the shot.

river rushing water
Canon 5D Mark III | Canon 17-40mm f/4L | f/11 | 13s | ISO 250 | ND1000 filter

Manual focus

Manual focus will often given you sharper images, though it’s a little trickier. You’ll need a tripod, or at least a steady location where the camera remains still. Here’s what you do:

  1. Place your camera on a tripod and compose your shot.
  2. If your lens has image stabilization, be sure to switch it off.
  3. Set your lens to manual focus; that way, you’ll be focusing the lens with your lens focus ring.
  4. Turn on your camera’s Live View function. If you’re using a DSLR, the mirror will lock up.
  5. Use your Live View’s zoom function to zoom in on an area of your composition. Note: Don’t zoom with your lens, only with the Live View zoom.
  6. Once you have zoomed in, use the lens focus ring and focus sharply on your desired object.
  7. Zoom back out, check your composition, and take your photo.
wheat with a city in the background
Canon 5D Mark III | Canon 17-40mm f/4L | f/8 | 1/125s | ISO 100

The best white balance for landscape photography

White balance is an important setting for any photographic situation, and landscape photography is no different. You have a few choices, including a manual and an automatic option. But depending on your image file format, you can make further adjustments in post processing.

Why does white balance need adjusting?

When photographing during the day, you’ll likely get good results from the automatic settings on your camera. However, photographing at night with cold or warm street lights can cause the automatic option to fail, in which case you may prefer to use a semi-automatic or manual white balance option.

Automatic white balance

The Auto White Balance setting, or AWB for short, tells your camera to make the white balance decisions for you. It’s certainly usable during the day, and today’s cameras will give good AWB results.

White balance presets

Your camera will also have a number of preset white balances. These include settings like Tungsten and Fluorescent, which counteract he warm or cold light produced by the corresponding light sources. White balance presets are useful for nighttime cityscape photography, when you want to cool your image and remove the orange glow a city produces.

Manual white balance

The white balance can be quantified using Kelvin, a measure of temperature. Cameras generally offer a white balance Kelvin scale ranging from around 2500K to 15000K, where the lower the Kelvin number in your camera, the cooler the resulting image, and vice versa.

To set the white balance on your camera, you can use the camera’s custom white balance setting. Aim your camera at a gray or white card, then take a photo. Then use this photo to set your camera’s custom white balance. Alternatively, use the camera’s Kelvin adjustment buttons to choose the correct setting.

long exposure water scene
Canon 5D Mark III | Canon 50mm f/1.2L | f/8 | 20s | ISO 100

File type

There are two main file types to choose from when taking photos (TIFF is another popular option but is more relevant to post processing). These are RAW and JPEG:

JPEG

This file type is designed to be a finished product. If you’re not interested in a lot of editing work, a JPEG might suit you. The size of file is also a lot smaller than its RAW counterpart, which can be helpful in certain situations.

When capturing JPEGs, it’s best to get the image right in camera, because you have much less flexibility in post-processing. If you’re happy to work this way, then JPEGs are a good path.

RAW

The vast majority of landscape photographers photograph in RAW, also referred to as the digital negative. RAW file sizes are larger, but the ability to enhance your image in post processing is so much greater.

Adjusting settings after the fact, like temperature, sharpness, and exposure levels, give much better results when the file was shot in RAW. You’ll also find that adjusting (and recovering) shadows and highlights will be improved.

city at night
Canon 5D Mark III | Canon 50mm f/1.2L | f/8 | 10s | ISO 100

Additional landscape photography settings to know

There are a handful of other landscape photography settings that can improve your results, including:

Mirror lock-up

Mirror lock-up only applies to cameras with mirrors (e.g., DSLRs). It can improve the sharpness of your photo if you’re using slow shutter speeds, because it prevents the camera mirror from causing vibrations when you hit the shutter button.

Image stabilization

If you’re taking a photo handheld and your lens or camera has image stabilization, it’s a good idea to turn it on. Stabilization technology counteracts camera shake, and will therefore allow you to photograph at a slower shutter speed.

However, when your camera is on a tripod and you’re shooting at slow shutter speeds, make sure to turn off all image stabilization technology; in such cases, the image stabilizer will actually cause image blur.

Bracketing

If you wish to do any HDR or digital blending in post-processing, then bracketing is an important setting to get right. When your camera is set up for bracketing, it will take three photos of the same scene (you should use a tripod for this) with different exposure values, typically +1, 0 and -1. Though you can vary the exposure values, the idea is to create a dark, normal, and light image, which you can later blend together for improved dynamic range.

long exposure beach rocks
Canon 5D Mark III | Canon 17-40mm f/4L | f/8 | 1/3s | ISO 400

Landscape photography settings: final words

Landscape photography is an exciting genre, and it’s great to get out and capture those epic scenes! Now that you’ve finished this article, you should be a landscape settings expert – so get out to some great places near you and apply your new knowledge.

Over to you:

What settings have you been using for your landscape photos? How will your workflow change in response to this article? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

The post The Best Landscape Photography Settings: A Guide appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Simon Bond.


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9 Best Tripods for Landscape Photography in 2021

12 Oct

The post 9 Best Tripods for Landscape Photography in 2021 appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Simon Ringsmuth.

the best tripods for landscape photography

What’s the best tripod for landscape photography you can buy today? When considering the perfect landscape tripod, there are literally hundreds of products to choose from – the tricky part is narrowing down all the options to find one that’s right for you!

This guide will help you wade through the various tripods on the market to find the one that fits your needs. Of course, as with many aspects of photography, it’s difficult to offer a black-and-white best tripod to purchase. It depends on your goals, your gear, and whether features like budget and portability matter more than height and durability.

I would, however, caution you against getting a very inexpensive, do-it-all model like the kind you might find at a local department store or online retailer for $ 25-$ 50 USD. These tripods might seem good, and some have long lists of features, but they are often made with cheap materials that will not hold your camera steady and will break very quickly. So if you’re after a genuinely good tripod for landscape photography, scour this list; you’re certain to find a much better option that suits your needs.

Let’s get started.

landscape photo from a mountain using a tripod
Fujifilm X100F | 23mm | f/8 | 1/60s | ISO 200
There’s no way I would have gotten this shot without a tripod.

1. The Peak Design Travel Tripod (Best overall)

Peak Design Travel Tripod

When Peak Design released their Travel Tripod in 2019, it sent shockwaves through the photography community. The tripod was (and is!) small, light, and incredibly versatile, which made it appealing to a wide range of photographers.

All was not sunshine and roses, and shutterbugs quickly took note of some important downsides. This new tripod was expensive, limited in certain ways, and included some highly unconventional design choices. But despite the drawbacks, the Peak Design Travel Tripod earns my recommendation as the absolute best tripod for landscape photography you can buy.

I have used this tripod extensively, from mountaintops in the southwest United States to remote hiking locales along the USA-Canada border, and there’s simply nothing else like it. Its diminutive size when fully collapsed, coupled with the extremely low weight, is a boon to landscape photographers who value quality as well as portability. The built-in ball head is flexible, the legs are stable, and with the center column extended, the entire package is nearly as tall as any other tripod on this list.

I wouldn’t recommend the Peak Design Travel Tripod for use with heavy cameras like the Canon 1D X or Nikon D6, since the thin (but very strong) construction can’t quite keep up when you start attaching pounds of gear. But for most landscape photographers, this tripod hits the sweet spot between size, features, and portability.

Pros

  • Outstanding portability
  • Highly flexible
  • Lots of little design touches, like the cell phone holder tucked into the center column, that display a high attention to detail

Cons

  • The carbon fiber version is very expensive
  • Not as tall as other tripods
  • Not designed for very heavy camera/lens combinations

2. MeFOTO BackPacker S Aluminum Travel Tripod (Best budget)

MeFOTO BackPacker S Travel tripod

If you’re a landscape photographer on a budget, you can’t go wrong with the MeFOTO BackPacker S Travel Tripod. It’s not as compact or versatile as other items on this list, but it offers amazing flexibility – especially considering the price.

The legs fold up around the ball head to save on space, and you can lock them into several positions during setup. The lack of a true center column limits the overall height of this tripod, but it still suits the needs of many landscape photographers quite well.

The legs each have a series of twist-lock mechanisms to extend the sections and keep them in place. I’m personally not a big fan of this style and instead prefer the clip-lock or twist-lock systems found on other tripods, but again, the main point of this tripod is to serve a more budget-conscious audience.

One nice feature is the ability to convert it to a true monopod by removing a leg and attaching it to the center column, though that’s not highly relevant for landscape shooters. It does speak to the overall versatility of this tripod, and for photographers who want one inexpensive option for landscapes plus other situations, the MeFOTO BackPacker S is a solid choice.

Pros

  • Inexpensive
  • Flexible
  • Can be converted to a monopod

Cons

  • Not as tall as other options
  • Twist-lock extension mechanisms aren’t to everyone’s liking

3. Manfrotto MT190XPRO3 with Manfrotto 496 Center Ball Head (Best semi-professional)

Manfrotto MT190XPRO3 tripod

There’s a bit of a paradox with camera gear: the more you spend, the less you get. Whereas many less expensive tripods come with everything you need to go out and start shooting, higher-end tripods often come as two separate pieces: legs and heads. The Manfrotto MT190XPRO3 is an outstanding set of tripod legs, but it also needs a head, and for that I recommend the 496 Center Ball Head.

The Manfrotto legs aren’t small and light so they might not be the first choice for travelers, but they are strong, sturdy, and tall enough to give you unique landscape photos you can’t get with shorter tripods. The legs can be locked into several positions, and adjustments are quick and easy thanks to the clip-lock leg extensions. My favorite feature is the center column adjustment, which lets you extend the column and then reposition it horizontally to capture photos in entirely new ways.

The 496 Center Ball Head refines the design Manfrotto has used for years, and while it doesn’t offer anything particularly revolutionary, it does give you stability and impressive ease of use. Large, chunky knobs let you easily reposition the ball head and then lock it firmly in place, and it’s designed to hold over 20 pounds of gear.

Bottom line: This setup is great for landscape shooters who use professional-grade cameras and lenses and don’t to trust their gear to a flimsy support system.

Pros

  • Sturdy
  • Easy to adjust ball head position
  • Simple but effective leg locking mechanisms

Cons

  • Bulky and not ideal for backpacking
  • Not as tall as other tripods

4. Gitzo GT2545T Series 2 Traveler (Best professional tripod)

Gitzo Traveler Tripod

For landscape photographers who want a no-compromise solution to the tripod problem, it’s hard to beat the Gitzo GT2545T Series 2 Traveler. It’s small, lightweight, extends to over five feet, and is designed to take a beating.

Gitzo has made a name for itself in the photography community as a maker of tough, reliable gear for the most demanding situations, and this tripod is no exception. While it’s not quite as small and compact as the Peak Design Travel Tripod, it folds down small enough to fit in most backpacks or suitcases, and the carbon fiber construction keeps it lightweight for hiking out to your favorite landscape photography spots.

This tripod frequently comes paired with a ball head, but you’re free to just buy the legs and choose your own head to fit your needs. However, the often included ball head is great for landscape photographers and one I strongly recommend. Its huge knobs are easy to loosen and tighten, and the head can be moved into nearly any position you need. Unlike some less expensive ball heads, this one is coated with a special material to minimize sticking – perfect for photographers who shoot in inclement weather.

Pros

  • Extremely high-quality build
  • Very lightweight but capable of supporting large cameras and lenses
  • Folds down small for portability

Cons

  • Expensive
  • Not as compact as others on this list
  • Height is decent when fully extended, but not outstanding

5. JOBY TelePod Pro (Best small tripod)

JOBY TelePod Pro tripod

Large tripods that extend high up into the air are great for capturing nature and landscape shots, but sometimes you just need something small and versatile. And if you prioritize compactness over everything else, I recommend the JOBY TelePod Pro.

Designed for small setups like a consumer-grade DSLR or mirrorless camera paired with a lightweight lens, this tripod folds down smaller than a water bottle so you can literally take it anywhere. It has sturdy, rubberized feet and a fairly unique design element: an extendable center column instead of extendable legs. This comes at the cost of stability, but helps maintain the outstanding size and portability.

Of course, with the JOBY TelePod Pro, it’s important to keep expectations firmly in check. It’s almost like a selfie stick with three feet, and that makes it unappealing for a lot of longtime landscape photographers. But for those new to this type of photography, or people who don’t have big cameras and lenses, the TelePod Pro is just about perfect.

Pros

  • Inexpensive
  • Incredibly compact
  • Highly portable
  • Easy to use in a wide range of landscape situations

Cons

  • Not ideal for large cameras
  • Extending center column design limits overall stability

6. Feisol Elite Tripod CT-3472LV M2 (Best heavy-duty tripod)

Feisol Elite Tripod

In landscape photography, wind, snow, rain, dirt, dust, extreme heat, and cold are all par for the course – and in such conditions, it helps to have a tripod that will never let you down. That’s where the Feisol Elite Tripod comes in.

It’s a great option for those who value build quality and durability over all else, thanks in part to thick legs capable of holding over 60 pounds, which eclipses just about everything else in its class. The carbon-fiber construction results in a high price tag but a reasonable weight, which is great if you’ll be carrying this on your back or over your shoulder for long distances.

While not as versatile as some other options on this list, the Feisol Elite Tripod does have one key advantage: its size. It’s certainly no tiny, compact device like the Joby TelePod Pro. The Feisol Elite Tripod is approximately two feet long when folded, and it reaches a towering height of nearly six feet to help you get the shots that other landscape photographers can only dream about.

Pros

  • Large chunky legs offer amazing stability
  • Can support far more weight than other tripods

Cons

  • Expensive
  • Does not include a ball head
  • Not ideal for photographers who value portability

7. Manfrotto MK055XPRO3-3W (Best full-size tripod)

Manfrotto MK055XPRO3-3W tripod

The Manfrotto MK055XPRO3-3W tripod packs everything but the proverbial kitchen sink. Yes, it’s large and definitely not appropriate for long hikes or tromping around through the backcountry, but if you’re a landscape photographer who wants to buy one single tripod that includes everything you need for rock-solid stability, this one is it.

You won’t get a carbon fiber build, and good luck stuffing this beast in a backpack – but it is rock solid, has easy-to-use flip locks to extend the legs, and reaches a stratospheric height of more than 72 inches. It will handle any situation you can throw at it as long as you’re able to lug it to your location.

While you can customize this tripod with a different ball head, the included 3-way pan/tilt head is excellent for landscape photography. It offers a more careful, considered approach than the knob-turning of other ball heads, and the large adjustment handles connect you to the tripod in a way that I really like. As with other high-end Manfrotto tripods, the center column can be repositioned horizontally for even greater maneuverability.

Pros

  • Great compromise between features, flexibility, and price
  • Sturdy, supportive legs
  • Can extend over six feet

Cons

  • Included pan/tilt head is not suited for everyone
  • Not very portable
  • Load limit is good but not great considering the size

8. Vanguard Alta Pro 263AP (Most flexible tripod)

Vanguard Alta Pro 263AP tripod

The Vanguard Alta Pro 263AP is an excellent option for landscape photographers who want advanced features at a much more reasonable price point than Gitzo or Feisol tripods. It’s relatively compact – though not as diminutive as the Peak Design Travel Tripod – and extends to a very respectable 70 inches. The center column can be positioned in a variety of ways, and the ball head can be rotated and repositioned in almost every manner imaginable.

What I really like about this tripod for landscape photography are the little touches that make your shooting experience just a little more pleasant. The feet have metal tips for maximum stability (especially out in nature). The center column can be repositioned while also adjusting its height, allowing you a near-unprecedented level of versatility.

And while some photographers would rather have a more traditional ball head, I do appreciate the large, easy-to-use handles that let you adjust pan, tilt, and rotation separately. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this tripod to most photographers, as it is well suited to almost any photographic situation.

Pros

  • Relatively inexpensive compared to some others on this list
  • Highly versatile
  • Great for a variety of situations, not just landscapes

Cons

  • Included tripod head is not to everyone’s liking
  • Not very small when collapsed

9. Joby GorillaPod with smartphone mount (Best mobile phone tripod)

Joby GorillaPod

It’s often said that the best camera is the one you have with you, and for many people, that means their mobile phone. Extend that maxim just a bit, and we might say that the best tripod is the one you have with you. For landscape photographers who rely on their mobile phone to create images, this tiny Joby tripod is one that I’m always happy to recommend. Its unique wraparound legs let you capture stable images on just about any surface imaginable, and the entire tripod can be wrapped around objects, including trees, fence posts, benches, and more.

While I wouldn’t recommend a GorillaPod to anyone who shoots with a DSLR or mirrorless camera, it’s ideal for mobile phone shooters. The tripod will sit firmly in place with a phone attached, and the ball head is great for repositioning your phone to get your shot just right. It’s small, light, highly portable, and comes at a very reasonable price.

If you shoot landscapes with your mobile phone, there’s almost no reason not to get this tripod. And despite some limitations, it’s a great solution and a welcome addition to your gear kit.

Pros

  • Inexpensive
  • Small
  • Flexible
  • Highly portable

Cons

  • Very short
  • Not well suited for dedicated cameras
landscape image taken with a tripod
Nikon D750 | 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II | 70mm | f/16 | 1/60s | ISO 160

The best tripod for landscape photography: final words

While you don’t necessarily need a tripod for landscape photography, it will get you consistently better results. You can use lower ISO values, narrower apertures, and longer shutter speeds, plus you can capture shots you just can’t reach when shooting handheld.

If you’re looking for your first tripod, or if you already have a tripod and are aiming to upgrade, hopefully one of the options on this list will be just right for you!

And remember, these are my personal picks for the best tripods for landscape photography, but if you have a favorite I would love to hear about it – so leave your thoughts – and share any of your own landscape photos – in the comments below.

Landscape tripods FAQs

What is the best tripod brand for landscape photography?

Try to not think about this in objective, black-and-white terms. There are pros and cons to every tripod brand and plenty of tradeoffs. Instead of thinking about which brand is best, think about your needs, then choose a tripod that fits your budget.

Do I need to pay more for a weather-resistant tripod?

Some tripods advertise features like weatherproof knobs and dials, but I really don’t worry about this sort of thing too much. I wouldn’t recommend paying more for these features unless you have a specific use case in mind. Outside of using using your tripod in torrential rain every single day, any model will probably be fine.

Do I need a special type of camera for landscape photography?

Any camera will work for landscapes, from mobile phones to point and shoots to high-end mirrorless and DSLR models. Landscape photographers generally prefer wider lenses to capture more of the scene, but it’s also possible to get great landscape shots with a telephoto lens. Your camera is almost certainly not the limiting factor in landscape photography; no matter what camera you shoot with, a tripod will almost certainly help.

What type of head should I use on my tripod?

Some people prefer ball heads, while others prefer pan-and-tilt heads. There’s no one answer to this, but I personally gravitate towards ball heads simply for the size and convenience factor. One thing I do not recommend is using a tripod head designed for videography when shooting still photos. They generally do not allow the same level of free-form movement and positioning as a head designed for still images.

The post 9 Best Tripods for Landscape Photography in 2021 appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Simon Ringsmuth.


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10 High School Football Photography Tips

11 Oct

The post 10 High School Football Photography Tips appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jeff Guyer.

high school football photography tips and advice

Are you looking to capture top-notch, action-packed, jaw-dropping photos of high school football?

You’ve come to the right place.

I’ve been doing high school football photography for years, so I’ve picked up plenty of key tips, techniques, and secrets to capture amazing shots. And in this article, I aim to share it all with you, from essential equipment to camera settings to creative tricks and more.

So if you’re ready to elevate your football photography, then let’s dive right in, starting with equipment:

1. Use the right gear

I’m not going to spend a lot of time here discussing camera bodies. Some of the photos in this article were taken years ago using a Nikon D70, and they look great. As long as you’re photographing with a reliable DSLR or mirrorless camera, you’re going to be fine. A fast continuous shooting speed and a capable autofocus system is helpful, but if you can’t afford these features, then don’t worry too much.

For a football photographer, your big concern is lenses. Happily, it is possible to get really great shots with a few basic options. When I first started shooting sports, I used just one lens, a 70-200mm f/2.8. I was able to shoot and edit creatively enough to get a variety of images. If you can only afford one lens right now, definitely opt for a longer zoom.

Don’t just buy any long zoom, however. Make sure it’s plenty fast; in other words, it should ideally feature a maximum aperture of f/2.8. Fast lenses are going to be hugely important once the sun goes down because most high school sports have a prohibition against using flash. You’ll need that ultra-wide aperture to keep a sufficiently fast shutter speed (otherwise, your photos will all turn out blurry!).

By the way, I’d also recommend investing in a nice monopod to keep your camera steady. In good light, you can handhold, but as the day turns into night, you’ll want some form of support – and tripods tend to be annoyingly unwieldy.

As with any type of shoot, make sure you have all of the necessary backups: batteries, memory cards, etc. Also, make sure you also have a plan for when it starts raining. Note that rain will fall on occasion, so be prepared for it. The Think Tank Hydrophobia should do the trick.

high school football in the rain

Trust me. At some point it’s going to rain!

2. Consider how you’ll get in

If you’re serious about football photography, consider contacting the school/venue ahead of time and ask about media credentials. In exchange for your images, you might be able to get a free pass into the game.

Otherwise, you’ll probably have to pay to get in (just like anyone else!). The good news is that it’s usually less than $ 10. You might be able to talk your way in on the day of the game, but the money goes to a good cause, so if you’re forced to pay, it’s not that big of a deal.

3. Get to the game early

Teams take the field to warm up anywhere from one to one-and-a-half hours before game time. And warm-ups are going to give you one of the best opportunities for quality shots.

For starters, the light is better. The sun won’t have set, and you’re going to get strong, powerful natural light, particularly if you shoot with the sun at your back.

Plus, players also tend to move a little more slowly in warm-ups than in the actual game, so you’ll have an easier time capturing motion. You’ll also get more of an opportunity to isolate individual players.

In some cases, you may even be able to actually walk out onto the field to shoot. However, if you do, please be careful! There will be around 150 kids warming up, many of whom are big, fast, and not paying attention to you.

Always remember: the kids’ job is to play football, not give you a good photo op. So make sure you don’t get in the way!

high school football in good light

Get there early and take advantage of the sun while you can.

4. Know the sport

The key to getting quality photos in football?

Have a solid understanding of the game. Know how it is played.

After all, every game has an ebb and flow of its own. If you know how the game goes, then you’ll be ready when the game hits its highs (and you’ll know when you can relax and take your finger off the shutter).

Plus, knowledge of the game will allow you to anticipate moments before they happen. Will it be a running play or a passing play? What are the odds that they’re going to fake the punt on 4th down? Do you need to be on the sideline or the end-zone for the action? The home side of the field or the visitors’?

The more you understand the subtleties of the game, the better prepared you will be.

players snapping the ball

5. Focus like a pro

In football photography, you need to master two types of focusing:

  1. Mental focus
  2. Camera focus

First, mental focus: These kids are big and fast and strong, and are trained to run through anything in their way. So please, please, please pay attention to the game, anticipate change, and get out of the way if players are barrelling toward you.

I once saw a photographer stand his ground on the sidelines, despite the fact that a player was being pushed out of bounds right at him. I watched as his camera, lens, and monopod all went flying in three different directions (he flew in a fourth). He was ultimately wheeled off the field with cuts to his face and a leg that had been broken in two places. No photograph is worth that. So focus on where you are and what is going on around you.

player running with the football

As for the other kind of focus:

You’re photographing an action sport and you want action photos. So set your camera to its continuous autofocus setting (AF-C on some cameras, AI-Servo on others).

Now, the kids will be wearing helmets, so don’t worry if you can’t focus on the players’ eyes. Sure, if you can get the eyes, that’s great. If not, your best bet is to lock on the players’ numbers, or even the ball once players start moving. Here, your camera’s tracking mode will be a big help. Of course, feel free to experiment with other AF area modes, just in case one suits your style of shooting.

The goal is speed and accuracy. And at first, you may struggle. That’s normal. But keep practicing, keep working at it, and you’ll eventually improve.

football player with ball

6. Use the right camera settings

Football players move fast, and if you come home with 250 blurry photos, you aren’t going to be happy. So pay careful attention to your shutter speed, because the faster your shutter speed, the better your chances of freezing the action.

I generally like to start with a shutter speed of 1/500s and adjust my aperture and ISO accordingly until I get the look I want. Since football is an outdoor sport, the lighting is going to change over the course of the game. You may start out with great natural light, but you’ll often end in the dark with less-than-ideal stadium lighting. This, in turn, may mean slowing down your shutter speed to let in more light, as well as opening up your aperture to its maximum or raising your ISO.

Mastering these settings – and knowing what to adjust during a game – takes some practice. Be prepared for some trial and error. Here, Shutter Priority mode is often your friend, as you can input your desired shutter speed and ISO, then let your camera automatically adjust the aperture. You might also consider using Auto ISO with some sort of cap (but before you go this route, test different ISO values and determine your maximum “good” ISO).

intimate details and portraits

7. Carefully choose your vantage point

Beginning football photographers struggle to position themselves correctly. They often pick an empty bleacher seat near the field, set up their gear, and stay in place for the entire game.

But if you want truly excellent photos, you need to position yourself carefully – and if possible, you should move with the action.

How do you pick the best position? First and foremost, let the light guide you. It sounds dramatic, but really, you should just take advantage of the sun while you can. Especially when you’re starting out, put the sun at your back so that it’s falling onto the field and nicely illuminating the players. As you get more experienced, you can try switching things up and working with backlight (i.e., situations where the light comes from behind the players, as in the photo below) or even sidelight, but as a beginner, keep things as easy as possible.

football photography in beautiful light

Obviously, the closer you are to the action, the better your photos will be. So get as close to the field as possible. If you can, position yourself on the sidelines, below the bleachers. This will give you the best angles, plus it will give you room to move with the game.

Be aware that some stadiums will have restrictions on where you can and can’t stand, regardless of your press credentials. “The Box,” for example, is the area on the sideline between the 20-yard lines. This area, for a variety of reasons, is off-limits to anyone other than players, coaches, trainers, etc. A game official who is a stickler for the rules could penalize the team for your presence in the box. If that happens, start running and don’t look back!

There is a natural tendency to shoot a football game primarily from “your” team’s side of the field. If you’re a parent, this is where you know people and feel comfortable. But try going around to the other side of the field once in a while. That way, you can capture the action with your team’s colors and sidelines in the background.

8. Be creative and keep your eyes open

Sure, you’re photographing football, but that doesn’t mean you can’t be creative with your angles and compositions. If you are selling game photos on your website, getting creative will only help!

I tend to think in terms of portraits; how can I highlight a specific player in the best way possible? Changing angles resulted in getting this quarterback against a perfect background:

player preparing to throw the ball

Don’t fall into the trap, though, of assuming that everything worth photographing is right there on the field in front of you. Spend some time in the stands. Shoot the crowd reactions. Photograph the band and the cheerleaders. Capture the traditions. There is so much more going on in a stadium than just a football game. So turn your back on the action once in a while and take a look around you. There are stories everywhere.

Most importantly, learn to keep your head on a swivel!

coaches and cheerleaders

dog on the football field

Pay attention. You never know who might drop in.

9. Consider using your camera’s continuous shooting mode

Beginner sports photographers tend to set their camera to its fastest shooting mode, then follow the “spray and pray” strategy where you capture a series of shots over a split-second window.

But is this advisable? Or should you use your camera’s single-shot mode?

Honestly, it really depends on you and your style. Ask five photographers, and you’ll get five different answers. When I first started shooting high school sports, I was working with a slow camera that didn’t let me “spray and pray” consistently and hope for the best. It may have been frustrating back then, but it was probably a good thing. I learned to compose my shots and choose my moments a little more carefully. Over time, I developed a pretty fast shutter finger and a better eye for sports action. So even now, with a faster camera, I tend to leave my camera set for single clicks.

Ultimately, I’d recommend you try out both settings. Work with your camera’s continuous shooting mode for a while. Then, once you’ve gotten some shots you’re satisfied with, switch over to a single-shot mode and see how it feels!

players with the football

10. Listen to the coaches (and follow proper etiquette)

If you are covering a particular team over the course of a season, introduce yourself to the coaches. Your job will be easier if they know who you are and why you are there. Plus, play your cards right with the coaches and there’s no telling what kind of access you might get.

football players preparing for a game

Being nice to coaches gets you all kinds of access.

If a coach or official tells you something, listen. If they ask you to move, move. You’re in their house and you have to play by their rules.

As I mentioned above, don’t use flash. It’s not allowed, plus it can seriously impact the game. It may sound silly, but you have no idea what the consequences of an unexpected flash might be. There could be college scouts in the stands, and if you blind the receiver with your flash, they might not get a scholarship or even get recruited at all.

Also, if play stops for an injury on the field, show respect and put your camera down. While injuries might make for compelling photography, you may be witnessing the end of a child’s life-long dream or even their chances of going to college. You don’t want the student or their parents to see that on your website. This is high school, not the NFL. Be sensitive and keep things in perspective.

High school football photography tips: final words

Any seasoned photographer will tell you that photographing sports is not easy, and football may be one of the hardest games to shoot.

However, with with a little practice and preparation, your images will start to improve. Remember these tips, apply them to your photography, and pretty soon, your photographs will be outstanding.

Now over to you:

Do you have any tips for football photography? Have you photographed any games? What was it like? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Table of contents

Sports Photography

  • GENERAL
    • 8 Tips On How to Photograph Sports
    • Tips from the Sports Photography Pros to Help You Get the Money Shots
    • Indoor Sports Photography
    • SETTINGS
      • How To Use Sports Mode
    • LIGHTING
      • Shooting Portraits and Action Sports with Speedlites – Workshop
    • GEAR
      • Lens Review Canon 300mm f4 Lens for Sports Photography
      • Aquatech CO-7 Underwater Sport Housing [REVIEW]
      • Shooting Motorsports with a Micro Four Thirds Camera
    • ADVANCED GUIDES
      • Tips for Photographing Football (Soccer)
        • How to Shoot High School Football

        • Play Ball! Covering Your Bases Shooting Baseball
        • How to Capture the Perfect Action Shot in Sports Photography
          • Low Light Sports Photography
          • 3 Tips for Taking Better Motorsport Photos
          • Catching the Action: Photographing Youth Sports
            • Top 5 Tips for Extreme Sports Photography
          • POST-PROCESSING
            • Using Photoshop to Create the Illusion of Depth of Field with your Sports Photos

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          The post 10 High School Football Photography Tips appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jeff Guyer.


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          How to Make Money With Your Photography (From Fine Art America)

          02 Oct

          The post How to Make Money With Your Photography (From Fine Art America) appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey.

          how to make money with your photography

          Have you ever wanted to sell your photos, but the process seemed too time-consuming or even overwhelming? Does making stress-free money from your images sound appealing? 

          Then you should explore Fine Art America, a company that takes artists from creators to full-blown entrepreneurs – practically overnight.

          Fine Art America is designed to get photography businesses off the ground. FAA lets you sell photos online and create merchandise directly from its online platform with zero hassle, zero equipment, and zero time spent performing thankless customer service tasks. 

          Instead, with Fine Art America, you can concentrate on making (and uploading) great art. Best of all, it’s free.

          Fine Art America merchandise

          So how can you get started making money with Fine Art America? Below, I share the simple, four-step process to create an account and add products. It takes about sixty seconds, so there’s no reason not to do it – just follow the instructions below and sell some art!

          (By the way, if you’re an art buyer and you’d like to see some of the best work Fine Art America has to offer, then check out their featured artists.)

          Step 1: Create a Fine Art America account

          A Standard Fine Art America account is free, and it’s insanely easy to set up. 

          Simply head over to the FAA website, then identify yourself as an artist:

          creating a Fine Art America account

          Add your name, address, and email:

          joining Fine Art America

          Then set up your artist profile:

          setting up an artist profile

          You can invite other photographers to join Fine Art America, so feel free to add emails and hit the Invite Friends button:

          inviting friends to Fine Art America

          Step 2: Upload images to sell

          Now that your account is active, you can add a profile picture, join groups, and join contests. You can also create content for your profile page, such as an About section, events, or even blog posts. 

          However, if you’d like to start selling right away, tap the Upload Image button.

          upload images to Fine Art America

          Use the browser to upload the image you’d like to sell, then add a title, medium, category, and more:

          Fine Art America creating products

          At this point, you have the option to simply submit your work with the default products and markups. However, I highly recommend you check out your list of options, as I explain in the next section:

          Step 3: Determine your products and markup

          Here’s where things get exciting, because in this section of the selling process, you set your own prices; you can also customize your products as you see fit. 

          Scroll down and you’ll notice plenty of product types, including:

          • Prints
          • Greeting cards
          • Throw pillows
          • Tote bags
          • Phone cases
          • T-shirts
          • Towels
          • Coffee mugs

          For nearly every product, you have the option to make adjustments. For instance, you can change the image size, the product color, and (sometimes) the image orientation.

          creating a product with Fine Art America

          You also get to determine the product prices. Here, Fine Art America displays the product base price (which includes the cost of materials, handling, etc.), and you get to add markup, the money that will go directly to you when a purchase is made. 

          You can set a custom markup for every product, but that would take a long time. My recommendation is to use the default, or recommended, markup for your products unless you feel very strongly that it needs adjusting.

          Once you’re pleased with your decisions, go ahead and tap Submit:

          submitting a product

          And your photo will instantly go up for sale. If you have more photos to upload, you can always select the Upload Image option again, or even the Upload Multiple Images option (which is a slightly faster way of handling up to five files).

          Note that, when an order is placed, you don’t do any of the processing, packaging, or shipping. Fine Art America handles all the heavy lifting, while you simply enjoy!

          Step 4: Promote your products with social media, your own website, and more

          At this point, you have the option to sit back, relax, and wait. But if you’re serious about making sales, I’d recommend taking a more proactive approach and marketing your products. 

          Fortunately, Fine Art America features plenty of promotional tools. In addition to selling through the FAA website, you can promote your work on Facebook, add an FAA-linked shopping cart to your own website, design emails to send out to prospective buyers, and post press releases on the Fine Art America press release page. 

          Remember how I said that Fine Art America is free? Well, it is – but you can upgrade to a Premium account, which offers a few benefits over the Standard (free) account. 

          Fine Art America membership plans

          For $ 30 USD per year, a Premium account lets you use the website shopping cart feature I mentioned above, and it provides access to the marketing email function. It also lets you design your own website (which you can use to sell prints and merchandise). And with a Premium account, you have no product cap; uploads are unlimited.

          The Premium account isn’t for everyone – after all, you get most of the same features with a free account – but if you’re interested in selling via a website of your own or you want to create marketing emails, the Premium account is a must-have.

          How to make money with your photography: final words

          If you’re like many photographers, Fine Art America is exactly what you’ve been looking for: an easy way to sell images without tons of product costs, time on the job, etc.

          And if you’ve made it this far, you know that getting started with FAA is painless (and maybe even a little fun!).

          So head over to FAA and make an account. It’s quick, it’s easy, and you’ve got nothing to lose! 

          Plus, while you’re at it, check out the Fine Art America best artists; they’re sure to offer plenty of inspiration.

          Fine Art America is a paid partner of dPS.

          The post How to Make Money With Your Photography (From Fine Art America) appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey.


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          Backyard Photography Challenge

          02 Oct

          The post Backyard Photography Challenge appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Darren Rowse.

          back-yard-photography.jpg

          It’s been super fun going through our old challenges from over ten years ago! While you can now share your challenge photo in our Facebook Group, or below in the comments, the idea is the same! Last week it was ten things within ten meters, this week we want you to head into your backyard, or… as Darren said below, whatever the closest thing to a backyard is that you have! Balcony? Window? Make it work, get creative, have fun! (No, don’t sneak into someone else’s backyard! haha)

          Tag your photos on social with #dPSBackyardChallenge

          Yesterday we posted an article about Backyard photography – today I’d like to issue a challenge – get into your backyard and see what shots you can come up with – and then share your best shot or two with us in comments below.

          I know some of you don’t technically have ‘backyards’ – but feel free to photograph whatever is the closest thing to a yard for you (a balcony for instance) – be creative. You don’t just have to take a picture of your yard – focus in on something (or someone) in it. I’m expecting to see macro work, wildlife, pets, portraits and much much more!

          Once you’ve gotten out there and taken some shots – pick your favorite one or two, upload them to our favorite photosharing site (like Flickr) and share a link to your shots in the comments section below.

          Please only link to pictures you’ve taken for this challenge and not previous ones – that way we’re seeing your most recent work.

          Also – we’d love it if you’d link to this post from your photosharing page to let your friends know what you’re doing – that’ll spread news of our little challenge and make it all the more fun!

          I can’t see what everyone comes up with!

          Image by ohmann alianne

          The post Backyard Photography Challenge appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Darren Rowse.


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          8 Tips for Beautiful Fall Landscape Photography

          29 Sep

          The post 8 Tips for Beautiful Fall Landscape Photography appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Dusty Doddridge.

          8 tips for fall landscape photography

          Capturing stunning autumn landscape photos might seem difficult, but it’s actually pretty easy – once you know a few simple tricks.

          As an experienced fall landscape photographer, I’ve spent plenty of time in search of those elusive fall photos. I’ve made lots of mistakes, but I’ve also had a lot of success, and in this article, I aim to show you how it’s done.

          Specifically, I’m going to share eight practical tips for creating beautiful fall landscape photography. I’ll cover:

          • The perfect lens choice to emphasize patterns in foliage
          • The best fall landscape settings for gorgeous results
          • My favorite type of autumn landscape light
          • Much more!

          So if you’re ready to head out into the field and start taking some jaw-dropping shots of your own, give this article a read; I guarantee it’ll be worth your while.

          1. Use a lens with a long focal length

          orange and yellow trees in the snow

          Autumn leaves, trees, and forests look so beautiful that it’s often tempting to whip out that wide-angle lens and capture the entire scene.

          But while a wide-angle lens can work for fall photography, it’s often better to go in the opposite direction and shoot with a longer focal length. A 70-200mm f/4 lens is ideal, though you can also shoot with a 100-400mm lens, or even one of those monster 150-600mm options.

          You see, a longer lens can really help simplify the scene and make the shot about more than just the colors. A long focal length lets you emphasize patterns in the leaves, plus it compresses the scene to create a beautiful wall of trees.

          You can also use the longer focal length to highlight intimate details of a forest interior. Look for patterns, but then hunt for the part of the scene where the pattern breaks and include it in your composition. Consider including negative space to help isolate your subject.

          2. Use a wide aperture to isolate the subject

          Often, photographers shoot autumn landscape photography at narrow apertures, such as f/8 and beyond. And when you’re capturing images full of sweeping foregrounds and intricate patterns, a narrow aperture makes sense (for instance, the image featured in the next tip, with the river in the foreground and leaves in the background, was shot at a narrow aperture).

          However, you can also create unique fall shots with a wide aperture. Set your lens to f/2.8 or f/5.6, then get in close and isolate your subject from its surroundings. You can get a shot like this:

          shallow depth of field fall landscape photography

          Here, the foreground tree trunk is sharp, while the background becomes a pleasing, slightly colorful blur.

          Ultimately, a wide aperture creates visual contrast between the sharp subject and the soft, abstract background. This also adds tension between the real and the unreal, providing you with an image that’s more dynamic and expressive.

          While you can always shoot lone trees against colorful leaves, try experimenting with different subjects and backgrounds. Get creative with your choices. Pay close attention to your subject, and make sure you have enough depth of field to keep its key features sharp; it often pays to check the LCD preview after you’ve taken a shot just to be sure.

          3. Make fall color the secondary subject

          Fall colors are great, so it can be tempting to make them the primary subject of your photo. In other words, you’ll probably want to make the image all about the fall colors: their beautiful hues, the texture of the leaves, the pattern of the trees.

          But to make your photos more unique, look for other primary subjects, such as streams and waterfalls, that are accented by the fall colors. This will also give your fall landscape photography more depth and complexity, plus it can really draw in the viewer, as the eye sweeps from the beautiful foreground to the stunning fall backdrop:

          long exposure river in fall

          So before you take a shot, ask yourself: What could I highlight other than the fall colors? How could I combine the fall colors with a foreground subject to get a great result?

          By the way, this is one time when a wide-angle lens is the better choice in fall landscape shooting. The wider field of view lets you capture an interesting foreground and a beautiful backdrop (but make sure you’re using a narrow depth of field, otherwise you’ll lose the colorful detail in the trees!).

          4. Look for patterns and textures

          Fall color photos tend to start with, well, color. It’s what generally draws you to the scene in the first place, after all.

          However, the best fall landscape shots merely use color as a jumping off point.

          In other words, they include color, but the color doesn’t carry the image. Instead, the composition relies on color plus patterns and textures to hold the viewer’s interest.

          Many fall scenes do have plenty of interesting patterns and textures to work with, so moving beyond color isn’t especially difficult. Simply find some reds, yellows, and oranges that you like – then think about other compositional elements you can incorporate into the shot.

          For the photo below, I used a combination of yellow color, forest floor texture, and tree repetition to create an eye-catching result:

          aspen tree patterns fall landscape

          5. Be patient

          A decent camera and a telephoto lens is great for fall photography, but patience is the best tool in your camera bag.

          Specifically, the autumn landscape photographer must learn to wait for two things:

          1. Great color
          2. Great light

          Now, I don’t mean to suggest that you stay inside until autumn colors hit their peak. You can capture beautiful shots at the beginning of the color change by focusing on lone reds among a sea of green, and you can capture dramatic shots at the end of the color change by emphasizing the moody browns and the last of the colorful leaves.

          But make sure you pay careful attention to the changing leaves. Try checking a local foliage predictor. And then, when the fall color peak really comes, make sure you spend plenty of time outdoors capturing the autumn beauty.

          And as for the light…

          While fall colors are wonderful, they can be even more stunning when combined with the right light. For instance, a small patch of sunlight on a mountain peak, or dappled light hitting a sea of yellow trees, is often the difference between a good image and a great image. Unfortunately, the light rarely does what you want exactly when you want, so if you find a beautiful composition, be ready to hunker down and wait for the perfect light.

          Pro tip: The best light is often short lived, so think through your settings and composition in advance. When the light hits, be ready.

          mountain surrounded by yellow trees

          By the way, while beautiful sunlight plus dramatic clouds often works great for fall photos, if you’re focusing more on the colors and less on the wider landscape, I recommend heading out on gray, overcast days. The sky will act as a huge softbox, and you’ll get beautifully saturated colors (plus a wonderfully moody, gloomy feeling!).

          6. Experiment with intentional camera movement

          Intentional camera movement (ICM) involves deliberately moving your camera during a long exposure to create abstract effects like this:

          intentional camera movement fall landscape

          And thanks to the beautiful colors, fall is a great time to try it out.

          First, find some nice colors and trees. If possible, ensure there’s contrast between the tree trunks and the autumn leaves (note the white trees and orange leaves in the photo above).

          Then switch your camera over to Manual or Shutter Priority mode. Make sure your shutter speed is around 1/30s or longer.

          Finally, focus on the leaves, then move your camera as you release the shutter!

          Note that intentional camera movement is very hit and miss, so don’t be discouraged if your first shots don’t turn out as great as you hoped. Definitely experiment with moving your camera in different directions (I recommend vertical movement, but you can try horizontal or even diagonal). Also, experiment with different shutter speeds and the pace of moving your camera until you find the right amount of blur.

          7. Look for elements that contrast with the fall color

          Fall colors are usually bright and have textures and patterns. To really take your photos to the next level, find nice colors – but be sure to contrast them with darker elements. That way, you can create dramatic tension.

          Look at the image displayed below. I found some nice, bright, well-lit trees, but I shot them against a dark, shadowy rock face:

          trees against a dark rock face

          And it’s that contrast, that drama, that elevates the shot.

          Of course, dark rocks aren’t the only contrasting element you can use in your photos. You can include sun/shade contrast (where your subject is lit by the sun but the background is in shade), you can contrast fall colors with dark water, or you can contrast bright fall colors with darker, browning fall colors (the opportunities are endless!).

          8. Don’t forget to look up

          The interior of a forest can be an amazing place to shoot the fall colors, but it’s often difficult to find a pleasing composition. Sometimes, you just can’t isolate individual elements and you can’t find interesting patterns. You might be ready to throw in the towel, but I’d recommend you try something else:

          Look up and explore the canopy.

          This works best on sunny days; images that contrast the fall colors with the deep blue sky can be really pleasing.

          wide-angle forest shot looking up at the sky

          You generally want to keep the trees sharp from foreground to background, so don’t forget to use smaller apertures like f/22. Also, a narrow aperture will create a starburst effect if you shoot through the forest toward the sun.

          Fall landscape photography tips: final words

          Hopefully, these tips will help you make the most of your time photographing the amazing colors of the fall season.

          In fact, if you found these autumn landscape photography tips helpful, print out the article and take it with you into the field; that way, you can slow down, think through your compositions, and return home with some compelling photographs.

          Now over to you:

          Do you have any fall landscape photography tips to share? Which of these tips was your favorite? Share your thoughts – and photos! – in the comments below.

          Table of contents

          Landscape Photography

          • GENERAL
            • The dPS Ultimate Guide to Landscape Photography
            • 10 Most Common Mistakes in Landscape Photography – and How to Overcome Them
            • Responsibilities of Landscape Photographers
          • PREPARATION
            • How to Find and Photograph Wild Landscapes for Epic Images
            • The Three Dangers of Landscape Photography
            • How to Plan the Perfect Landscape Photo
            • How to Find the Best Locations for Landscape Photography
            • The Importance of Scouting for Landscape Photographers
            • Why Goal Planning Is the Key to Growing as a Landscape Photographer
            • What is Your Favorite Landscape Location?
            • 8 Tips to Avoid Crowds at Popular Landscape Locations
          • SETTINGS
            • 5 Tips for Setting the Focus in Your Landscape Photography
            • Understanding Aperture and Landscape Photography – Why F16 Isn’t the Only Choice
            • Guide to Creative White Balance for Landscape Photography
            • How a Short Versus Long Exposure Will Affect Your Landscape Images
            • How to Get Super Sharp Landscape Photography Images
            • Getting Landscapes Sharp: Hyperfocal Distances and Aperture Selection
            • The Best ISO for Landscape Photography (in Every Situation)
            • 5 Reasons To Should Shoot Your Landscape Images in RAW
            • How to Work with Different Shutter Speeds for Landscape Photography
          • LIGHTING
            • Tips for Using Flash to Enhance Outdoor Nature and Landscape Photography
            • Landscape Photography: It’s All About the Light
            • How to Improve Your Landscape Photography By Understanding Portrait Lighting
            • Painting with Light in the Landscape
          • COMPOSITION
            • Aspect Ratios in Landscape Photography
            • 6 Tips for Capturing Dramatic Skies in your Landscape Photography
            • How to Use Leading Lines Effectively in Landscape Photography
            • 10 Landscape Composition Techniques for Breathtaking Photos (2021)
            • 3 Reasons to Shoot Vertical Aspect Landscapes and 6 Tips on How to Shoot Them
            • How to Use Juxtaposition for More Compelling Landscape Photography
            • Using Layers and Foreground Interest for Better Landscape Photography
            • Include The Foreground For Dramatic Landscapes
            • How to Photograph a Minimalist Landscape
            • 5 Framing Tricks to Help You Capture Better Landscape Photos
            • How to Use Balance in Your Landscape Photography Composition
            • 5 Good Reasons to Add People into Your Landscape Photography
            • Include Clouds In Your Landscapes
            • Landscape Photography and the Human Element
            • How to Add a Sense of Scale to Your Landscape Photos
            • How to Solve 5 Composition Conundrums Faced by Landscape Photographers
            • The S-Curve: A Landscape Photography Composition Technique
            • Using Water to Lighten Landscape Photos
          • GEAR
            • 5 Quick Reasons to Use the Nifty Fifty for Landscape Photography
            • Using Graduated Neutral Density Filters for Landscape Photography
            • How to Use Neutral Density Filters to Make Better Landscape Photos
            • How to Use Wide-angle Lenses for Landscape Photography
            • Tips for Shooting Landscapes With a Telephoto Lens
            • Six Tips For Using Filters to Improve Your Landscape Photos
            • 5 Tips for Using a Tripod in Landscape Photography
            • Six Situations Where Tripods are Essential for Landscape Photographers
            • Wide Angle Versus Telephoto Lenses for Beautiful Landscape Photography
            • 10 Essential Pieces of Landscape Photography Gear
            • Why you Need a Telephoto Zoom Lens for Landscape Photography
            • Circular Polarizers Versus Graduated Neutral Density Filters for Landscape Photography
            • Comparison – HDR Versus Graduated Neutral Density Filters for Landscape Photography
            • Polarizing and Neutral Density Filters: Essentials for Landscape Photography
            • Why I Always Use an L-Plate Bracket for Landscape Photography
            • Why I Switched From LEE Filters to Formatt-Hitech for Landscape Photography
            • Review of the Venus Laowa 15mm F/4 Wide Angle Lens for Landscape Photographers
            • Which Landscape Photography Camera Should You Buy?
            • Essential Accessories for Landscape Photography
            • How to Choose the Right Tripod for Landscape Photography
          • ADVANCED GUIDES
            • 10 Tips for Photographing Wide-Angle Landscapes
            • 8 Tips for Fall Landscape Photography

            • 5 Tips for Better Winter Landscape Photography
            • 5 Ways to Create Dramatic Landscape Photos at Midday
            • How to Shoot Landscapes at Sunset
            • Tips for Shooting Landscape Photography Towards the Sun
            • 8 Steps to Great Long Exposure Landscape Photography
            • 15 Tips for Low Light Landscape Photography
            • The Night Sky In Landscape Photography
            • How to Make Storytelling Landscape Photos – 4 Steps
            • A Day At The Beach: Photographing Seaside Landscapes
            • Tips for Winter Landscape Photography on the Prairie
            • Landscape Photography – Shooting the Same Location Through the Seasons
            • 3 Tips to Take Better Landscape Photos Regardless of the Weather
            • Time for Landscape – Weather and Landscape Photography
            • Tips for Landscape Photography in Exotic Places
            • Putting You Into Your Landscape Photography
            • 5 Ways to Capture More Diverse Landscape Photos
            • 5 Tips to Discover Intimate vs. Grand Landscape & Nature Photography
            • Photographing Starry Skies for Nocturnal Landscape Without Breaking the Bank
          • CREATIVE TECHNIQUES
            • How to Take Creative Landscape Shots Using Intentional Camera Movement
            • How to Convert a Camera to Infrared for Black and White Landscape Photography
            • Tips for Making Dramatic Black and White Landscape Photos
            • 6 Ideas for More Creative Landscape Photography
            • How to Create Glass Ball Landscapes – 6 Techniques
            • How to Get Landscapes Sharp with Focus Stacking
            • How to do Landscape Panoramic Photography
          • POST-PROCESSING
            • 5 Easy Steps to Exposure Blending for High Contrast Landscapes
            • A Super Simple Way to Make Landscape Photos POP Using Lightroom
            • Making the Best Use of HDR in Landscape Photography
            • Landscape Editing Techniques for Fine Art Photography Using Lightroom
            • How to Use Adobe Camera Raw and Photoshop to Make Your Landscape Images Pop
            • Editing Gently: 3 Tips for Processing Realistic Landscape Photos
            • The Power of Post-processing for Landscape Photography
            • How to Use Neutral Tones to Craft Realistic Edits for Landscape Photos
            • Top 5 Nik Collection Filters to Improve Your Landscape Photos
            • How to Edit Landscape and Nature Photos with the Lightroom Gradient Tool and Range Mask Features
            • Lightroom Quick Post-Processing Tips for Landscape Photography
            • Tips for Processing Winter Landscapes in Lightroom
            • How to Use the Lightroom HSL Panel for Landscape Photo Editing
            • How to Process a Black and White Landscape Photo Using Lightroom
            • How to Give Your Landscape Photos Extra Punch in One Easy Step
            • Tips For Editing the Colors in Landscape Photos Using Lightroom (video)
            • Tips for Processing Landscape Photos – from Basic Edits to Artistic Interpretation
            • 5 Tips For Mastering Contrast In Your Landscape Photos (video)
            • Using the Lightroom Adjustment Brush to add Dimension to a Landscape Photo
            • OPINION: Why Photoshop is Ruining Landscape Photography
          • INSPIRATION
            • An Interview With Landscape Photography Legend Art Wolfe – Part 1
            • 27 Black and White Landscape Images
            • A Collection of Stunning Landscape Photographs
            • 9 Striking Landscapes That Break the ‘Rules’
            • These Inspiring Landscape Photographers will Make You Want to Take Better Photos

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          The post 8 Tips for Beautiful Fall Landscape Photography appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Dusty Doddridge.


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          7 Tips for Action-Packed Indoor Sports Photography

          27 Sep

          The post 7 Tips for Action-Packed Indoor Sports Photography appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Christina N Dickson.

          indoor sports photography: essential tips

          Indoor sports aren’t always easy to photography. In fact, for the beginning sports photographer, they can be downright intimidating, thanks to the fast action, low light, and limited camera movement.

          Fortunately, experienced sports shooters have developed a number of techniques that make indoor sports photography way easier, including:

          • Simple starting settings for sharp indoor shots
          • Standard gear that every beginner should own
          • Careful research you should do before approaching a sport
          • Much more!

          And that’s what this article is all about. I’m going to share my top 7 tips to take your indoor sports photos to the next level – and by the time you’re done, you’ll be ready to head out with your camera and start creating some action-packed photos of your own.

          Let’s get started.

          1. Use a fast camera

          I’m guessing you know this already, but many indoor sports are fast-paced. Basketball, hockey, indoor soccer – all of it requires split-second attention to detail. One moment, a player has the ball/puck; the next, it’s in the goal/basket and the team is celebrating.

          man dunking a basketball

          Which means that you need a fast camera to keep up with the action. Specifically, I recommend a camera that offers:

          • Interchangeable lenses (i.e., a mirrorless camera or a DSLR)
          • Fast continuous shooting speeds (at least 8 frames per second, though 10+ is better)
          • A deep buffer (so you can take several bursts without pause)
          • Lighting-fast autofocus (ideally with eye autofocus tracking)

          Sports-focused cameras do tend to be expensive, but for the serious shooter, it’s absolutely worth it (and there are cheaper models that offer a lot of the fundamental sports features without breaking the bank).

          You’ll also want to pay attention to camera low-light capabilities. A camera that can shoot at high ISOs without significant noise is a big deal, because you can push it to the max when shooting in poorly lit arenas. To determine high-ISO performance, you can read reviews, which nearly always do in-depth ISO tests and comparisons.

          2. Use a lens with a wide maximum aperture

          Indoor sports arenas, even in the best-case scenario, tend to offer pretty limited lighting. That’s where wide-aperture lenses come in; they let you capture plenty of light, thus keeping your shutter speed high (for sharp photos) and your ISO low (to reduce noise).

          Professional shooters tend to use lenses with a maximum aperture of f/2.8, and these are ideal, though they’re also expensive. At the very least, you should use lenses with a fixed f/4 maximum aperture.

          By the way, you’ll often be positioned away from the action and limited in your movement, so shooting with a wide-angle lens or a fast prime generally isn’t an option. Instead, sports photographers use fast zoom lenses, such as a 70-200mm f/2.8 or a 24-70mm f/2.8. Eventually, you may want to add a fast super-telephoto prime to your bag, but a 70-200mm lens is a great starting point.

          3. Shoot with a fast shutter speed

          Once again, sports photography is all about the action – and if you don’t use a fast shutter speed, then you’ll end up with blurry, unpleasant photos that nobody likes.

          On the other hand, a fast shutter speed will let you freeze movement, even split-second movement, like a hand slamming the ball down through a hoop, or a stick drawing back to smack the puck.

          action indoor sports photography

          So what counts as fast enough? I recommend a shutter speed of at least 1/200s, but faster is better. If you can, boost this to 1/400s, or even – if the light is good or your camera can handle high ISOs – 1/1000s.

          Pro tip: You can sometimes create artistic shots by slowing down the shutter speed to 1/30s or so. Try photographing a moving player and consider panning along for a blurry background effect. Sure, the results won’t be pin-sharp, but they’ll convey movement (and can look great in a creative portfolio!).

          4. Use a high ISO

          In the previous tip, I emphasized the importance of a fast shutter speed. But if you just crank up the shutter and leave the rest of your settings alone, you’ll let in too little light – and your photos will be wildly underexposed.

          Instead, you must balance out the fast shutter speed with a high ISO setting. That way, even as you reduce the light hitting the sensor, you maintain the overall brightness of the photo.

          I recommend an ISO of at least 1600, though plenty of cameras these days can handle much more than that (even ISO 6400 and ISO 12800 may be fair game, depending on your model). Since there’s so much variation from camera model to camera model, take some test shots at different ISOs and compare them. Ask yourself: How do I feel about the noise produced at ISO 3200? How about ISO 6400? See what you can tolerate, identify a cut-off point, and then push your ISO as necessary.

          5. Shoot in RAW

          Here’s one final piece of settings advice:

          When possible, use a RAW file format.

          You see, RAW files contain all of the data captured the moment you hit the shutter button. Whereas their alternative, the JPEG, produces a compressed version of that RAW file – which, by definition, is lower quality.

          This has plenty of consequences. For one, you can make significant edits to RAW files without causing issues, but JPEGs are resistant to serious editing (and the more significant the edit, the more you risk ruining the shot). RAW files also contain more detail, allow you to recover highlights and shadows, and more.

          Now, JPEGs are smaller and instantly shareable, plus they’re easier for your camera to process (and therefore allow for longer burst sequences). So if you absolutely need to increase your camera’s buffer, or you like the idea of immediately sharing your images (without needing to process them in programs such as Lightroom or Capture One, as required by RAW files), then you might consider using JPEGs.

          Otherwise, shoot RAW.

          6. Learn to anticipate the action

          What separates the good sports photographers from the great sports photographers? Their ability to predict the action in advance, and therefore be ready to capture a cover-quality shot.

          Fortunately, learning to anticipate action isn’t as hard as it sounds. It simply takes a lot of research.

          First, familiarize yourself with the rules of the sport you’re photographing. Know the rulebook inside and out; that way, you always know how the gameplay will proceed, when players move down the field, when penalties happen, etc.

          players playing basketball in black and white

          Second, learn strategy. If you know how teams are likely to approach the game, then you’ll be ready to shoot when the game gets intense.

          Third, learn about specific teams and players. This is an advanced technique, but once you get really good at rules and strategy, you can try to determine how a team or player will behave, which gives you a serious advantage. You’ll know exactly what’s going to happen before it does; your photos will practically shoot themselves!

          All that said, even the best sports photographers can’t predict every movement – after all, sports are fast and complex – so make sure you’re ready for anything.

          7. Look for relationships and expressions

          Oftentimes, beginner sports photographers shoot individuals: the basketball player going for a jump shot, the volleyball player spiking at the net.

          But if you can capture multiple players together, you can create more compelling images. For instance, you might shoot one player handing the ball to another, two players talking to each other, or opposing players squaring off. It’s about portraying relationships, looking for interactions, and capturing engagement.

          moment between two players before gameplay begins

          Also, pro tip: Try to photograph players as people, not just as players. In other words, aim to capture emotion, such as anger, joy, or nervousness – in the look one player gives the camera, in the stare one player gives another, in the team huddle just before a buzzer-beater shot.

          That way, you’ll create indoor sports photos that people will remember.

          Indoor sports photography tips: final words

          Hopefully, you now feel equipped to capture some stunning indoor sports images of your own.

          Just follow the tips I’ve laid out for you, add in a healthy dash of creativity, and you’ll be golden!

          Now over to you:

          What sports do you plan to shoot this season? Do you have any indoor sports tips? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

          volleyball players celebrating

          Table of contents

          Sports Photography

          • GENERAL
            • 8 Tips On How to Photograph Sports
            • Tips from the Sports Photography Pros to Help You Get the Money Shots
            • Indoor Sports Photography

            • SETTINGS
              • How To Use Sports Mode
            • LIGHTING
              • Shooting Portraits and Action Sports with Speedlites – Workshop
            • GEAR
              • Lens Review Canon 300mm f4 Lens for Sports Photography
              • Aquatech CO-7 Underwater Sport Housing [REVIEW]
              • Shooting Motorsports with a Micro Four Thirds Camera
            • ADVANCED GUIDES
              • Tips for Photographing Football (Soccer)
                • How to Shoot High School Football
                • Play Ball! Covering Your Bases Shooting Baseball
                • How to Capture the Perfect Action Shot in Sports Photography
                  • Low Light Sports Photography
                  • 3 Tips for Taking Better Motorsport Photos
                  • Catching the Action: Photographing Youth Sports
                    • Top 5 Tips for Extreme Sports Photography
                  • POST-PROCESSING
                    • Using Photoshop to Create the Illusion of Depth of Field with your Sports Photos

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                  The post 7 Tips for Action-Packed Indoor Sports Photography appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Christina N Dickson.


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                  The Beginning of Photography: The Drama of 1839

                  26 Sep

                  The drama of ‘39

                  ‘The Open Door’ William Henry Fox Talbot. About 1843. Print from paper negative.

                  On January 6, 1839, François Arago, Secretary of the French Academy of Sciences, announced Daguerre’s invention and spoke of his accomplishment publicly, although he said nothing of the specific methods involved.

                  By the middle of January, news of Daguerre’s invention had spread everywhere. Today, when imaging is so common and taken for granted, it’s hard to imagine how amazing the idea of taking a picture was in 1839. It created immediate headlines around the world.

                  Francois Arago painted by Charles Steuben, 1832.

                  The actual techniques used remained secret, however, since the French government had not yet officially bought the invention from Daguerre. The secrecy led to some suspicion that this was a trick or fake, and just like today, a few people ‘proved’ it was impossible. Most believed, though. This was an era when revolutionary new technology became available almost every year.

                  Who is this Arago of whom you speak?

                  For we photography types, Dominique François Jean Arago is just the guy who announced Daguerre’s invention, but in fact he was way more than that. He was born in a tiny village, graduated from a small college in 30 months, passed the examinations to enter the Ecole Polytechnique, got bored there, and went to work at the Paris Observatory. In 1806 he led an expedition to measure the Paris Meridian (which was used both to measure the size of the earth and to determine the length of a meter), became a prisoner of war, and on his release became the youngest member of the French Academy of Sciences at age 23.

                  Despite having left the Ecole Polytechnique as a student, he returned as the Chair of Analytic Geometry at age 27. He did work in magnetism and optics, confirming Fresnel’s wave theory of light and making important discoveries in the polarization and emission of light.

                  This is part of the reason he was so taken with Daguerre’s discovery; to Arago, photography was ‘the freezing or capture of light waves’. He may have gotten a bit too excited, though, as he really didn’t have the authority to make the purchase he promised Daguerre.

                  The chaos begins in England

                  The announcement of Daguerre’s achievement wasn’t published in England until January 19th – the telegraph wasn’t in use yet so dispatches went by rail and boat.

                  Let’s do an Aside!

                  Speaking of telegraphs, Samuel Morse, generally considered the inventor of the ‘modern’ telegraph, was in France trying to sell his telegraph system in 1838 and was introduced to Daguerre. Daguerre showed Morse his cameras, Morse demonstrated his telegraph to Daguerre, and they had an inventor-bromance-at-first-sight. Daguerre gave Morse a copy of his photographic instructions in the summer of 1839 before Morse returned to America.

                  Morse hadn’t sold his telegraph yet, so he supported himself by opening the first photography studio in the United States and teaching others photography*. Most of the early American photographers including Samuel Broadbent, Albert Southworth, Matthew Brady, Albert Sands, and Jerimiah Gurney were taught by Morse.

                  Samuel Morse, taken about 1840. The Morse family claimed the image was taken by Daguerre but this is unlikely, since the image is not a Daguerreotype.

                  But wait! There’s more! Why was Morse in France? Because the Germans, who were his original sales target, already had a crude telegraph in place, invented by their own Carl Steinheil. In 1840, Steinheil became the first German to use Daguerre’s methods and made some clear improvements to them; making negatives and then printing positives from them. He became more interested in photography than the telegraph, and eventually founded the Steinheil optical company which made cameras, lenses, and telescopes until the 1970s.

                  So, the two great advances of the 1840s, photography and the telegraph, are quite intertwined.

                  Back to England

                  William Henry Fox Talbot, he of too many names and too many interests (he had set aside his development of photography to work on an archeology book), heard of Daguerre’s invention as soon as it hit the English papers. His reaction was immediate, arrogant, and overblown — which would characterize most of his reactions for the rest of his life. After reading of Daguerre’s camera, he wrote (in typical Talbot dramatic fashion) that he was “placed in an unusual dilemma, scarcely to be paralleled in the Annals of Science”.

                  Talbot wanted both public credit and financial gain for his work on photography. Having no idea if Daguerre’s methods differed from his own, he immediately tried to establish precedence as the first inventor, filing patents for ‘making permanent images using a camera obscura’ (the only thing he knew Daguerre used). He rushed samples of his ‘photogenic drawings’ to the Royal Institute in London where they were exhibited on January 25th, only weeks after Daguerre’s announcement. He provided documentation that they had been taken as early as 1835, hoping that would make his images the earliest. (They weren’t).

                  Then he wrote letters to Arago and other academic societies stating that he would file disputes regarding the priority of Daguerre and presented a paper with the catchy title of “Some Account of the Art of Photogenic Drawing, or, the Process by which Natural Objects May Be Made to Delineate Themselves without the Aid of the Artist’s Pencil”. Once he learned that Daguerre made positive images on silver plates, Talbot filed more patents: for images made on paper, for making negative images, and for printing positive images from negative images.

                  Talbot Wasn’t All Bad

                  You may have gotten the impression I don’t much like Fox Talbot, probably because I don’t like Fox Talbot much. I will actually taunt him a second time later in this article. But he was an intelligent man, a polymath and linguist who did work in mathematics, chemistry, botany, Egyptology, and art history. He published 6 books and almost 60 scholarly articles and was one of the premier translators of Assyrian cuneiform. He discovered Talbot’s Law, which determines the frequency at which interrupted images appear continuous, something Edison used when developing cinematography. And, of course, the calotype and photogravure are Talbot’s inventions. So, I give the man his due; he did good science. He was just an insufferable jerk about it.

                  Hershel does science for the win…

                  Sir John Hershel, an acquaintance of Talbot’s and one of the premier scientists of the day, read of Daguerre’s achievements and then of Fox Talbot’s exhibition at the royal society in late January of 1839. With basically no other knowledge than ‘photographs had been’ made he wrote in his journal:

                  Since hearing of Daguerre’s secret and that Fox Talbot has something of the same kind, obviously, there are three requisites:

                  1. Very susceptible paper
                  2. Very perfect camera obscura
                  3. Better means of arresting the further actions of light.

                  Within a few days he had sensitized paper with silver salts and made images — in fact he was exhibiting his own photographs within weeks. He was aware that both Daguerre and Talbot could not permanently fix their images, which slowly deteriorated over time. He knew that hyposulphite of soda (sodium thiosulfate) dissolved silver salts, so he used this to fix his images permanently. Rather than take out patents, he notified Daguerre and Talbot of this, and they both adapted “hypo” (as it has since been known to photographers) as their fixative. It remained in use for over a century.

                  Sir John Herschel looking quite back-to-the-futureish, etching from portrait by Evert Duyckinick, 1873.

                  Hershel also found Talbot’s terms ‘photogenic drawing’, ‘reversed copy’ and ‘re-reversed copy’ rather cumbersome and coined the terms ‘photography’, ‘negative’, and ‘positive’. Hershel also experimented with non-silver chemicals in an attempt to make the photographic process less expensive. He found he could create a similar light sensitive process using iron citrate and potassium ferricyanide which resulted in bright blue images: the Cyanotype. The low cost of this process (and the fact that Hershel didn’t patent) made it popular for photography for a while, especially for scientific images, like those botanist Anna Atkins made. Cyanotypes later became the engineering printer of the times; the blueprint.

                  …and pours some gasoline on the fire

                  Trying to calm the furor over in England, Arago invited Hershel, Talbot, and other English scientists to come to Paris to view Daguerre’s work. Talbot was too busy filing patents and refining his technique, but Hershel went. Much to Talbot’s dismay, Hershel wrote publicly:

                  . . . compared to these masterpieces of Daguerre, Monsieur Talbot produces nothing but vague, foggy things. There is as much difference between these two products as there is between the moon and the sun.

                  Probably not realizing that Talbot was taking all this very personally, rather than scientifically, Hershel wrote directly to Talbot in a letter:

                  It is hardly too much to call them miraculous. . . every gradation of light and shade is given with a softness and fidelity which sets all painting at an immeasurable distance. His [exposure] times are also very short. In a bright day three minutes suffice.

                  There is no question Hershel’s description was accurate. The difference between a Daguerrotype (below) and Talbot’s images of the time (the image at the top of this article) is dramatic.

                  Daguerrotype of the Clark Sisters, circa mid 1840s. Photographer unknown. Image in public domain via Library of Congress.

                  Talbot, who initially required 30 minutes, at least, to expose an image, must have tossed his breakfast after reading Hershel’s letter. But Talbot was a stubborn man and just continued to insist his way was the right way. It was the right way, of course, but it would be a few years before that became apparent. Largely because of Talbot.

                  Daguerre’s triumph

                  At this point, May of 1839, Daguerre was still waiting for the French Government to actually pay for his invention. Arago wanted to make it “a gift to the world” but Daguerre wasn’t that altruistic. He didn’t wait idly, however. He’d taken a rather broad interpretation of Argo’s definition of the world and decided that meant France. Plus he was aware of Tablot’s actions so he quietly had an agent take out patents on his invention in England.

                  Daguerre also arranged for his brother-in-law, Alphonse Giroux, to produce a wooden camera with lens supplied by Chevalier and a complete set of chemicals for his process. Each bore on its side a metal label “No apparatus is guaranteed unless it bears the signature of M. Daguerre and the seal of M. Giroux”. Giroux and Daguerre already were mass-producing these before the official announcement of his process and were selling them minutes after the announcement was made.

                  The most recent auction sale of an original Giroux camera, image from Westlicht Photographia Auction, 2010. If you find one at a garage sale, grab it. They sell for about $ 1 million in reasonable condition.

                  On July 19th, the French Government finally passed a bill giving Daguerre a lifetime pension in return for his process (and a smaller pension for Isidore Niepce). On August 19th the details of the process were made public at a joint meeting of the French Academies of Science and Fine Arts. The event generated more excitement than a Talking Heads reunion tour: people arrived three hours early to find the hall already full and crowds lining the street. Within days every optician and chemist in Paris (and elsewhere for that matter) had sold out of lenses, silver nitrate, silver plates, and everything else needed to create photographs.

                  The effects of the release were huge. Photographers were soon swarming over every bit of photogenic real estate in Paris, making image after image (real estate because the early Daguerrotypes required exposure times too long for portraits). Many were making artistic images, but just like today, others quickly became more enamored with their equipment’s resolution. A lament written at the time (which may be apocryphal) would be perfectly at home on a DPR forum today.

                  Our young men should spend more time considering the composition and merit of their images, and less time with magnifying glasses counting how many bricks and shingles they can resolve.

                  Daguerre retired almost immediately to Bryn-Sur-Marne where he wrote a 79-page book on his process that was immediately translated into a dozen languages. He continued quiet experimentation in photography until his death in 1851.

                  The exposure times shortened quickly as chemical processes were refined. Within a year Daguerrists, as they were called, had set up portrait studios in every major city of the world. Even smaller cities were visited by traveling Daguerrists. For the first time an image of a family member could be made easily and then kept forever.

                  Hippolyte and Hercules

                  If you remember from the last article, two members of the “greatest names in photography” team, Antoine Hercules Florence and Hippolyte Bayard had also developed photographic techniques at this time. Hercules, a Frenchman living in Brazil, had only delayed and incomplete knowledge of the events in Paris. When he did become aware, though, he was the perfect gentleman stating only that his techniques were not nearly as advanced as those of Daguerre and making no claims for himself.

                  Hippolyte Bayard had approached Arago in 1839, presenting his own techniques which created positive images, like Daguerrotypes, but used less expensive paper, like Talbot’s process. Arago feared Bayard’s claims would interfere with his plan to release the Daguerrotype process “as a gift to the world”, asked Bayard to remain quiet, and inferred that he, too, would get some form of government pension. This didn’t happen and Bayard ended up demonstrating his technique to the French Institute in exchange for enough money to buy some chemicals.

                  Portrait of a Drowned Man. Hippolyte Bayard, 1840.

                  Bayard, who loved him some drama, used his technique to create the first staged photograph: “Self Portrait As a Drowned Man” which he exhibited at the French Institute with the following caption:

                  The corpse which you see here is that of M. Bayard, inventor of the process that has just been shown to you. As far as I know this indefatigable experimenter has been occupied for about three years with his discovery. The Government which has been only too generous to Monsieur Daguerre, has said it can do nothing for Monsieur Bayard, and the poor wretch has drowned himself. Oh the vagaries of human life…!

                  Hippolyte got his stuff together after a bit, though, and went on to have a most successful photographic career. Shooting Daguerreotypes.

                  Talbot snatches defeat from victory

                  Back in England Talbot continued to work on his process, making a huge discovery: the principle of developing a latent image. He found that if he bathed his silver iodide papers in a solution of gallic acid and silver nitrate after a brief exposure, the latent image (invisible at first) would “develop” and become visible. He then “fixed” his negatives in hypo and printed positives as he always had. This both shortened exposure times and improved image quality significantly.

                  It is this process, the Calotype, that became the forerunner of film photography. Calotype images were markedly improved over Talbot’s early work. They still didn’t provide the superb detail of a Daguerreotype, but they had one huge advantage: one could make multiple prints and create mass media.

                  Talbot patented his invention in England, but charged such high patent fees (up to £800) that almost no one in England used the process. A group of opticians, chemists, and photographers began a long series of legal battles attempting to overturn Talbot’s patents. But the more they tried, the more stubborn he became, and the patent wars raged on for nearly a decade.

                  However, Talbot, being quite the Anglophile, had patented his process in England and Wales, not bothering to patent it in Scotland and other countries. Daguerre, if you remember, had patented his invention in England, but not elsewhere.

                  Papal Palace at Avignon. Charles Nègre. Print from a paper negative, 1852.

                  Largely for this reason, England lagged behind the rest of the world in photography for quite a while, while Scotland and France became centers of photography. Scottish photographers, for example, could use either the Calotype or the Daguerrotype processes without paying any royalties; photographers in England had to pay royalties for either process.

                  A number of French photographers took advantage of the situation and began using Talbot’s process. It probably didn’t help Talbot’s mood much that Frenchmen made two dramatic improvements to his technique. The first, waxing the paper used in the process, increased the photographic detail significantly. Édouard Baldus, Gustave Le Gray, Henri Le Secq, and Charles Nègre were printing superb images using this process in the 1840s. In France. But no one did in England.

                  The second improvement, the albumen process, was developed by Louis Désiré Blanquart-Evrard, who published and made it freely available in 1847. This used albumen from egg whites to bind photographic chemicals to paper, creating a glossy surface and allowing thousands of positive prints to be made from a single negative. (Talbot’s technique allowed for, at most, a few hundred).

                  The Hypaethral Temple, Philae. Albumen print by Francis Frith, 1857.

                  With these advances, Calotypes became THE photographic method used by explorers, archeologists, and others publishing their photographs or documenting their travels in book form; they just didn’t print the books in England. As for Talbot himself, he made hundreds of Calotypes and published some of them in a series of booklets entitled “The Pencil of Nature”, which was the first published photography book. It came out as ‘fascicles’ of twenty-four plates each, but it was not a commercial success and was terminated after the first six fascicles were released.

                  The real father of photography?

                  While Talbot was vigorously defending his English patents, another Englishman, Frederick Scott Archer, developed a new technique in 1848. The collodion (or wet plate) process, used glass coated with a gelatin to hold the silver chemicals. Archer did not patent, publishing his technique so that others could use it freely. The collodion (or wet plate) technique was relatively inexpensive, exposed quickly, and the glass plate negative was easier to print from.

                  Talbot, being Talbot, sued wet-plate photographers on the grounds that this technique was just like his own. British photographers rallied to the case and brought reams of evidence that Talbot was not the true inventor (much of the evidence was later found to be false and fabricated). The jury found that Talbot’s patents were valid, but only for his exact process. Anyone who varied from his published methods even slightly was not guilty of patent violation, and by that time all photography varied from Talbott’s original methods.

                  Talbot had finally lost the war, and England had finally joined the rest of the photography world. Archer’s wet plate technique itself advanced photography greatly, but the fact that it led to the breaking of Talbot’s patents particularly advanced the art in England.

                  Frederick Scott Archer, unfortunately, benefitted not at all and died penniless in 1857. After his death, Punch magazine asked for donations for the family:

                  The inventor of Collodion has died, leaving his invention, unpatented, to enrich thousands, and his family unapportioned to the battle of life. Now, one expects a photographer to be almost as sensitive as the Collodion to which Mr. Scott Archer helped him. . . you, photographers, set up Gratitude in your little glass temples of the sun, and sacrifice, according to your means, in memory of the benefactor . . . answers must not be Negatives.

                  About £767 were raised for Archer’s family; a fair amount of money at the time. About as much as Talbot charged for one license to use the Calotype process.

                  The collodion process wasn’t perfect. Collodion (nitrocellulose), which is made from gun cotton dissolved in ether and alcohol, has an annoying tendency to explode, for one thing. Preparation of the plates and photographic technique using them was difficult. But the images obtained were better than Calotypes and created negatives that could print thousands of copies, unlike Daguerrotypes.

                  Direct positive images would continue to be made, not only Daguerrotypes, but less expensive Tintypes and Other types. Because of their fine detail, positives were a favorite for portraits for quite a while. But the negative-image-to-positive print process would become the standard for most photographic work.

                  So, who was the real Father of Photography? It would make a good paternity suit. Niepce created the first permanent images using a camera. Daguerre perfected the technique that allowed it to become mainstream (and was the only one to benefit financially). Talbot’s different technique allowed multiple copies of images to be mass produced, and the negative-image to positive-print is the basis for all photography from the 1800s until digital.

                  But, I think no matter who you credit with fathering photography, Frederick Scott Archer, who freed photography so that anyone of reasonable means could afford to take photographs and whose discoveries led directly to the development of film, is the one who raised the child.

                  * Morse wasn’t the ONLY Daguerreotypist in America in 1839. Dauerre had contracted with Francois Gouraud to introduce and sell Giroux’s ‘official’ cameras in the U. S. and he arrived in the Fall of 1839. Another man, D. W. Seager took and exhibited a Daguerreotype in September of 1839, soon after he returned to New York from Europe.


                  Resources:

                  • Bankston, John: Louis Daguerre and the Daugerrotype. Mitchell Lane. Delaware.
                  • Daniel, Malcolm: The Daguerreian Age in France. Metropolitan Museum of Art, October, 2020.
                  • Daniel, Malcolm: William Henry Fox Talbot and the Invention of Photography. Metropolitan Museum of Art, October, 2020.
                  • Gustavson, Todd: A History of Photography from Daguerrotype to Digital. Sterling, 2009.
                  • Marien, Mary W: Photography. A Cultural History. 3rd ed. Prentice Hall. 2011
                  • Newhall, Beaumont: The History of Photography. Museum of Modern Art, New York. 2009
                  • Osterman, Mark and Romer, Grant: History of the Evolution of Photography. In: Peres, Michael (Ed.): The Focal Encyclopedia of Photography, 4th, ed. Elsevier, 2007.

                  Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

                   
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