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One-Shot vs AI-Servo: Which Autofocus Setting Should You Use?

10 Aug

The post One-Shot vs AI-Servo: Which Autofocus Setting Should You Use? appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by James Brandon.

One-Shot vs AI-Servo

If you’re just getting familiar with your camera autofocus settings, you’ve likely encountered the big question:

Should you shoot with One-Shot AF? Or should you use AI-Servo AF? (Some cameras also offer a third option, called AI Focus, but it doesn’t work well and so I recommend you ignore it completely.)

Unfortunately, there’s no easy answer, because One-Shot and AI-Servo are both useful depending on the type of photos you shoot.

So in this article, I’ll explain everything you need to know about these two autofocus modes. And by the time you’re done, you’ll know which option is right for you and how you can use it for amazing images.

Let’s dive right in, starting with the basics:

What is One-Shot AF?

One-Shot AF is the most commonly used autofocus method and is likely the default setting on your camera. (Note: On many non-Canon cameras, it’s known as AF-S.)

When you half-press your shutter button, the camera sets focus once (hence the term “one-shot”) and holds that focus until the picture is taken.

As you can imagine, this is hugely helpful if you want to focus then recompose. You can focus on one subject, then maintain focus while adjusting your composition to include other elements. For instance, if you’re photographing a tree next to a fountain, you could set focus on the tree, then freely move your camera toward the fountain to create the best possible composition – while the focus stays locked on the tree.

On the other hand, One-Shot AF isn’t so great if you’re trying to track moving subjects. Lock focus on a biker riding toward you, and the focus will remain locked on the original spot, even as the biker zooms forward. Pretty soon, your subject will be out of focus, and you’ll be forced to lock focus again and again as the biker changes position.

baby in a basket with One-Shot autofocus

For this photo of my week-old son, I used One-Shot AF. I half-pressed the shutter to focus on his body, then adjusted my composition while keeping the focus locked.

What is AI-Servo AF?

AI-Servo AF tracks moving subjects. You half-press the shutter button to tell your lens to start focusing – then, if the area under your point of focus changes, your lens refocuses continuously until you take the photo.

(On non-Canon cameras, this autofocus mode is often known as AF-C.)

AI-Servo is perfect for scenes with moving subjects. Bringing back the biker example from above, if you placed your AF point over the biker and half-pressed the shutter button as she rode forward, the autofocus would do its best to keep the biker in focus.

Unfortunately, AI-Servo isn’t flawless; sometimes, if your subject is moving quickly, the focus will lag behind and you’ll end up with slightly out-of-focus images. Or if your subject moves out from under your autofocus point (and you’re not using some form of broad AF tracking), the AF will focus on the background instead.

But AI-Servo is certainly better for moving subjects than One-Shot AF, which consistently focuses behind the subject.

Make sense?

planes taking off with AI-Servo autofocus

For this shot of two Blue Angels taking off, I used AI-Servo; otherwise, I would’ve failed to track these two jets as they moved.

When should you use One-Shot AF?

One-Shot AF is the way to go when focusing on still subjects, such as landscapes, still lifes, some portraits (assuming your subject isn’t jumping around, running, or dancing), and flowers. Here’s a more complete list of genres that rely heavily on One-Shot autofocus:

Landscape photography
Architectural photography
Cityscape photography
Still life photography
Macro photography
Food photography

Of course, there will be times when you’ll want to switch over to AI-Servo AF – for instance, if your macro scene includes a fast-moving dragonfly – but for the most part, you can use this list to guide your decisions.

And here’s a list of genres that use One-Shot AF some of the time:

Portrait photography
Street photography

For portrait photography, you must consider the type of photos you’re taking. Will you be doing a fast-paced portrait session with a lot of movement? Or will your subject be sitting or standing in place? For still subjects, One-Shot AF is a good idea, but for moving subjects, go with AI-Servo.

As for street photography, some shooters use One-Shot AF to prefocus at specific points then wait until a subject walks into the scene. Other photographers use AI-Servo AF constantly and snap images as people move toward them. It all depends on your style!

When should you use AI-Servo AF?

Use AI-Servo AF whenever your subject is moving (especially if you’re working with a shallow depth of field).

So if you’re shooting sports players in action, birds in flight, or cars on the move, you should definitely use AI-Servo nearly all the time.

Here’s a list of photography genres that rely heavily on AI-Servo autofocus:

Bird photography
Wildlife photography
Sports photography
Car photography
Wedding/event photography
Underwater photography

If you’re photographing birds, for instance, unless you see an obvious reason to switch to One-Shot AF, I’d recommend you set your camera to AI-Servo AF and keep it there.

Which autofocus mode is best?

As I mentioned at the beginning of this article, such a question has no real answer. In some situations, One-Shot AF is the best option, but in other situations, you’ll want to use AI-Servo AF.

In fact, there are even times when manual focus is the better bet. If you’re doing high magnification macro photography or you’re shooting in the dark, your lens will likely fail to autofocus, so manual focus will be your only good option.

I do have a personal recommendation, though, and it’s what I use for most of my photos:

Use AI-Servo…

…but not with the normal half-press focusing method.

You see, most cameras let you set your focus via a button on the back of your camera, which gives rise to a technique called back-button focusing.

When used with AI-Servo AF, back-button focusing gives you the best of both worlds. Here’s how it works:

Start by programming a button on the back of your camera to autofocus when pressed (and make sure AI-Servo is activated). Then, when you hold down the special back button, your camera will focus continuously, just as if you half-pressed the shutter button.

When you let go of the back button, focusing will lock. You can recompose all you like, you can take shots with the shutter button, etc., without worrying about losing focus as you shift your AF point.

So if you have a biker riding toward you, simply keep the back AF button held down. Then, if the biker stops and you want to position them in the corner of the frame, you can let go of the back button and change your composition – while your focus remains locked in place.

Thanks to its versatility, I use back-button AF 90% of the time. It’ll save you plenty of headache trying to switch back and forth between AI-Servo AF and One-Shot AF!

One-Shot vs AI-Servo: final words

Hopefully, you now know whether to use One-Shot AF or AI-Servo (and you’ve hopefully also been inspired to try out back-button focus). Learn to master your camera’s autofocus capabilities, and you’ll be unstoppable!

Now over to you:

What do you think of these two focusing modes? Which do you plan to use in your photography? Do you think you’ll try back-button focusing? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

The post One-Shot vs AI-Servo: Which Autofocus Setting Should You Use? appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by James Brandon.

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5 Tips for Setting the Focus in Your Landscape Photography

13 Sep

The post 5 Tips for Setting the Focus in Your Landscape Photography appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jim Hamel.

For many types of photography, the question of where you should set your focus is pretty simple. For example, in portrait photography, there is one simple rule: focus on the eyes. When the eyes aren’t on the same plane of focus, focus on the near eye. End of story.

It is pretty simple with other types of photography, as well. In wildlife photography, you focus on the animal. In fact, in any type of photography where there is a clear subject, you always focus on that subject. That’s not to say it is always easy, but at least it isn’t difficult to figure out.

Foreground sharpness is paramount in many landscape photos.

But what about landscape photography, where you are generally capturing more of a scene than a solitary subject? Where do you focus to ensure that everything in the scene is as sharp as possible? The answer isn’t always so clear.

Therefore, in this article, we’ll cover some tips for helping you know where to set the focus.

Tip 1: Don’t just set the focus at infinity

Again, oftentimes in landscape photography, you are trying to capture a scene rather than a solitary thing. Many times, the scene you are trying to capture is far away from you.

Most lenses have a range of focus values, and once you get beyond a certain distance (often 20-30 feet, or 8-10 meters) the focus is set at infinity. Everything beyond that point will just be infinity. Therefore, if you are taking a picture where most things in the frame are far away, it might seem that you should just set the focus at infinity. If you are using autofocus (and most of us are), you might be inclined to set the focus using something that is very far away from you.

If everything in the frame is truly at infinity, then setting the focus at its maximum distance is not a horrible idea. If there is nothing close to you, then there is just no need to do anything else; you don’t need to overly complicate things. But more commonly there are aspects of the scene that are closer to you than infinity. Where do you set the focus then?

Derryclare

You can get into hyperfocal distance (we’ll talk more about that in a minute) and make this as technical as you want. But often your time is precious when you’re out shooting. The light is changing and things are moving. You can get a pretty good sense of things without resorting to calculations.

As a result, consider this rule of thumb: Set the focus at infinity and then just turn it back a little bit. But there’s an obvious question: How do you define a little bit?

I’m afraid I don’t have a good answer for you. It will vary from lens to lens, but will usually be about a 5-10° turn or just to the highest distance number printed on the lens (if your lens has these numbers).

focus-ring-distance-600px

Why would you want to do that?

Because of the depth of field that will be in your picture (more on depth of field below). Since you are taking an outdoor photo, you will probably not be shooting wide open, or even with a large aperture. So there will likely be some depth depth of field involved. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a large depth of field, but the point is that it gives you some leeway. By pulling the focus forward, that leeway will still get everything out to infinity in focus. It will also get things a little closer in focus, as well.

Tip 2: Try focusing a third of the way into the picture

Many pictures are ruined because the foreground is not sharp. It happens all the time. Therefore, if you have something in your scene that is close to the camera, focus on it. If the ground is prominent in your picture, set your focus close to you. Make sure that foreground is in focus. Often you will set the focus only a few feet in front of you.

But wait a second, you might ask, what about my background? Won’t it be out of focus or blurry?

Probably not. If you’re using your wide-angle lens (and if you are taking an outdoor photo that has a discrete foreground, then you probably are) you will have a wide depth of field, even at moderate to large apertures.

A sharp foregound focus furthers the viewer’s sense that they can walk into the picture.

Tip 3: Focus on the subject matter

Let’s not lose sight of the obvious, though. When you have a definite subject or center of interest in your photo, just focus on that. It is the most important part of your picture, and you absolutely need it in focus.

Don’t worry about your foreground, and don’t worry about your background. Just make sure the subject is in focus. Frankly, if there is a little fall-off in sharpness from your subject, that will probably not be such a bad thing.

Sometimes you just want a definite subject in focus, and having the background start to blur out is just fine, as in this image of a sheep.

Tip 4: Watch the aperture

There are no free lunches in photography. You probably already know that by using a smaller aperture to get a larger depth of field, it will cost you light. The smaller aperture lets in less light, so you will have to use a longer shutter speed (risking blur if you aren’t using a tripod) or raise the ISO (risking digital noise in your picture).

But the smaller aperture will also lead to something called diffraction, particularly in cameras with smaller digital sensors. Therefore, just using the smallest aperture possible isn’t always the answer. You cannot just set your focus anywhere and rely on a super-wide depth of field to save you.

There are two ways around this issue though, which we’ll talk about next.

With everything in the shot at a distance of infinity (30 feet or more), I did not need a wide depth of field to keep everything in focus.

Tip 5: Know Your hyperfocal distance

Hyperfocal distance is just a fancy name for determining how close you can set your focus and still keep your background acceptably sharp. There are apps and calculators that will tell you this distance depending on your aperture, sensor size, and focal length.

For a full explanation of hyperfocal distance along with some charts and links to apps that will calculate it for you, check out this article: How to Find and Use Hyperfocal Distance for Sharp Backgrounds .

An example will illustrate the point made above about backgrounds tending to remain sharp when you are using wide-angle lenses. If you’re using a 16mm lens on a full frame camera and shooting at f/11, your hyperfocal distance is only 2.5 feet. That means you can set the focus on a point just in front of you, and keep everything behind that point sharp.

Knowing the hyperfocal distance will often liberate you to set the focus point quite close, in order to maintain sharp foregrounds in your picture. It also means you often don’t need to use the smallest aperture your lens offers, so you can avoid the effects of diffraction.

Ballintoy-Arch

Tip 6: Consider focus stacking

When the methods above won’t work for you, or you just need to make sure absolutely everything in the photo from front to back is tack-sharp, you may want to consider focus stacking. Here you take multiple pictures of the same scene using different focus points.

Start by setting the aperture of your lens where it is sharpest (also called the sweet spot; if you don’t know, that is usually in the range of f/5.6 – f/8). Take a shot with the focus set close to you, then repeat the process, gradually setting the focus point farther and farther away with each shot. Later you blend your pictures in Photoshop (for more about how to do that check out this article: Maximizing Depth of Field Without Diffraction).

This method is not a cure-all. It obviously won’t work with moving subject matter. In addition, it can be tedious, and you risk slightly moving the camera since you have to twist the focus ring between shots. Still it can be a powerful tool for maintaining focus and sharpness throughout your entire picture.

Setting the focus in landscape photography: Summary

No rule is going to cover every situation when it comes to focus. As with many aspects of photography, you’ll just have to use your own judgment in the field. Hopefully, as you do so, these tips will help you nail the focus and keep the picture tack sharp where it matters.

This week we are doing a series of articles to help you do better nature photography. See previous articles here:

3 Habits Every Outdoor Photographer Should Develop to Avoid Missing Shots
5 Tips for Better Nature Photography
27 Serene Images of the Natural World
Weekly Photography Challenge – Nature
10 Ideas for Photographing Nature in your Backyard
6 Tips for Capturing Character and Personality in Wildlife Photography

The post 5 Tips for Setting the Focus in Your Landscape Photography appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jim Hamel.

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Final Cut Pro X 10.4.9 adds ProRes Raw camera setting adjustments, improved vertical editing and more

26 Aug

Apple has released its latest update to Final Cut Pro X, bringing with it a number of new features, including the ability to finally adjust ProRes Raw camera settings.

Although it’s listed under ‘Other new features,’ one of the most welcomed additions in the update is the ability to adjust ProRes Raw camera settings, such as ISO, color temperature and exposure compensation in the new controls within the inspector.

These new options address what was a big hole in the ProRes Raw workflow with FCPX. We asked our own Jordan Drake of DPReview TV for his thoughts on these new additions and he had the following to say:

’Working with ProRes Raw was initially jarring, as it did not respond like other photographic or cinematic raw formats. White balance and ISO were not directly adjustable, and attempting to use the built in tools to simulate those adjustments often led poor colors or noisy shadows. This new update allows adjustments to white balance, exposure and ISO and will hopefully allow ProRes Raw to behave more like R3D Raw, or Apple’s primary competition Blackmagic BRaw. Camera manufacturers aside from Blackmagic seem to be moving towards ProRes Raw, so this added functionality will be a big benefit for many current and future cameras.’

Also new is an improved proxy workflow with the ability to generate proxy media in custom frame sizes (1/8, 1/4, 1/2, or full resolution), the ability to create proxies in either ProRes Proxy or H.264 and the ability to create a proxy-only copy of a library to reduce the size of a project.

It’s now easier to compose footage for use in vertical-preferred platforms, such as Snapchat, Instagram TV, TikTok and others.

Apple has also added a number of new social media tools within FCPX, including automated project transformation for square of vertical delivery via the new ‘Smart Conform’ tool, the ability to view footage outside the viewer boundary for easier composing in non-traditional formats, as well as custom overlays for guides and a new ‘Duplicate Project As’ option that works with the new ‘Smart Conform’ tool to make creating videos for multiple platforms easier.

For other minor feature updates and bug fixes, head on over to Apple’s changelog for FCP 10.4.9. The update should be available as a free update in the macOS App Store if you’ve already purchased FCPX.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Moving to Manual Mode: Which Setting Should You Adjust First?

23 Feb

The post Moving to Manual Mode: Which Setting Should You Adjust First? appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Kevin Landwer-Johan.

Moving to manual mode is often considered too difficult by many beginner photographers. In reality, learning manual mode is not so hard to do. Sure, it’s not for everyone. Many photographers are content to let their camera sort out the exposure settings.

One of the most common questions I get asked by people I am teaching to use manual mode is “which setting should I adjust first?” Unfortunately, there is no set answer to this question. It depends on what you are photographing.

Moving to manual mode

Shifting your mindset is the most important aspect of moving to manual mode. Are you comfortable using any of the auto or semi-auto exposure modes on your camera? Then you need to make some changes to the way you think.

First, it rarely matters if it takes you a little longer to set your camera. Very few memorable photos are taken as snaps on the spur of the moment. Slow down.

Understand the basics of how you can set the exposure manually, then practice. Once you commit to moving to manual mode, you will find it’s not difficult to manage.

There are only three settings you need to work with to manually control your exposure – shutter speed, aperture, and ISO. These regulate the exposure.

The exposure meter, also known as the light meter, guides your decision making. With many cameras, you can also use the rear monitor to gauge your exposure. With mirrorless cameras, you can typically see the effect of adjustments you make to exposure in the viewfinder.

Woman Photographer at the Shopping Mall, moving to manual mode

Balancing these three settings will result in a well-exposed subject. Each setting can also affect your photos in different ways. These are important to understand to be in control of how you want your photos to look.

When you are first moving to manual mode, you may not know where to start in setting your exposure. There are many variations on how to set your camera.

Each photographer may use a different method. I base my choices on what I am photographing.

Here are the answers I give my workshop participants about which setting to change first.

When to adjust your shutter speed first

Photographing a moving subject means you need to consider your shutter speed first. If your shutter speed is too slow, your moving subject may appear blurred.

At times you will want this effect. Often you will want your subject to be sharp, without any motion blur or camera shake fuzziness.

Young woman standing in a busy market. Shot using a slow shutter speed to get the movement of the people blurred. Moving to manual mode

Shutter speed was 1/2 a second. My model stood very still © Kevin Landwer-Johan

You need to consider how fast your subject is moving to know an appropriate shutter speed to use. The faster the movement, the faster the shutter speed you’ll need to use to freeze the action.

Making use of motion blur in your photos also requires you to think about how fast your subject is moving. If you set your shutter speed too slow, you’ll see too much blur, and your subject may not be recognizable.

Alternatively, if your shutter speed is a bit too fast, your subject may only blur a little. This often looks like a mistake has been made.

To capture a person walking and have them look sharp, you’ll need to use a shutter speed of 1/250th of a second or faster. If you want them to blur a little and still be recognizable, you’ll need to set your shutter speed at around 1/10 of a second or a little slower.

Low light may mean your shutter speed needs to be slow. It’s important not to choose a speed that’s so slow you’ll get blurring from camera shake. This happens when you are hand-holding your camera and move it slightly during the exposure. I’ll address this more in the section about ISO setting.

Once you have adjusted your shutter speed, you will then need to set your aperture and ISO. This is what your exposure meter, monitor, or viewfinder can guide you to do.

Image: I used a shutter speed of 1/1250th of a second to ‘freeze’ the flying water © Kev...

I used a shutter speed of 1/1250th of a second to ‘freeze’ the flying water © Kevin Landwer-Johan

When to adjust your aperture setting first

Aperture, among other things, allows you to control the depth of field in your photographs. This is the amount of your photo that is sufficiently sharp. The wider aperture you choose (lower f/stop number), the less you’ll have in focus in your picture.

Choosing to adjust the aperture first is a decision based on how much of your composition you want in focus.

At times, you might want to render as much of your composition in focus as possible. This is a common choice when photographing landscapes.

Setting your aperture to a higher f/stop number (i.e., f/8-f/22) will give you more depth of field. Understanding hyperfocal distance will help you make better choices about getting a deep depth of field.

Isolating your subject by blurring the background requires you use a lower f/stop number (i.e., f/1.2 to f4). Doing so means more light will enter your lens. You’ll need to adjust your shutter speed and/or ISO to make sure your subject is well exposed.

Manipulating the aperture setting first is something I often do when I have a static subject. This is because the shutter speed I use is not so significant as it is when my subject is moving.

Moving to manual mode to photograph a Thai dancer

I used an aperture of f/2 on an 85mm lens to control the depth of field. © Kevin Landwer-Johan

When to adjust your ISO setting first

I treat my ISO setting as the foundation of my exposure. I only alter it when I need to. Unlike shutter speed and aperture settings, ISO has no creative influence. However, it does have an effect on the technical quality of your images.

Changing your ISO first is a good idea when you have moved from one location to another, and the light is significantly different. If you’re outside photographing in the bright sun and move inside, you will most likely need to adjust your ISO. Likewise, if you’re photographing in a dark place, and then want to take photos somewhere that’s well illuminated, you may need to change your ISO.

When you are having to set a slow shutter speed to get a good exposure, you need to consider changing your ISO setting. This is more vital when you are hand-holding your camera, because of the risk of camera shake. When your shutter speed is slow, and your aperture is wide open, increasing your ISO will allow you to also increase your shutter speed.

My rule of thumb is to keep the ISO setting as low as possible. This will ensure the best technical quality. As camera sensors have improved over the years, quality problems at high ISO settings have diminished. I still find keeping my ISO low is a good way of managing my settings.

I used an ISO setting of 3200 © Kevin Landwer-Johan

Manual mode balancing act

Obtaining a well-exposed subject using manual mode is not very difficult. It’s a matter of balancing your shutter speed, aperture, and ISO settings. The key to managing to do this well is practice.

Moving to manual mode may seem like a big step, especially if you’ve been comfortable letting your camera control the exposure. Once you do make the decision to take control of your camera you will need to stick with it.

Switch back to an auto mode only when you need to. Otherwise, you will never learn how to take charge of your manual exposure settings properly.

The post Moving to Manual Mode: Which Setting Should You Adjust First? appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Kevin Landwer-Johan.

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Filmmaker Mode TV setting will be available on select Philips, Samsung and other TV models

14 Jan

Motion smoothing, the controversial TV setting that uses interpolation to reduce motion blur, will be addressed with a previously announced television feature called Filmmaker Mode. During CES 2020, the UHD Alliance offered an update about this setting, revealing that Samsung, Kaleidescape and Philips/TP Vision will offer Filmmaker Mode on some of their 2020 television models.

Filmmaker Mode was first announced by the UHD Alliance in August 2019 with support from directors like Martin Scorses, Christopher Nolan and Rian Johnson. The goal of this setting is to present movies in the way they were intended by the filmmaker, including with the original frame rates, aspect ratios and colors.

Below is a brief video explainer of motion smoothing, provided by Vulture:

Motion smoothing has proven controversial among consumers and filmmakers alike. Though the technology is effective at reducing motion blurs, many viewers complain that it adds an unwanted visual effect that makes the content less enjoyable to watch. Most modern TVs, including many budget models, now offer motion smoothing as a standard feature, though some manufacturers make it possible to disable the setting.

In addition to the manufacturers announced at CES, Vizio, Panasonic and LG were previously revealed as companies that will also offer Filmmaker Mode on select television models starting in 2020.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Video: How Photoshop’s ‘Color Adaptation’ setting can improve Content Aware Fill accuracy

09 Dec

Photoshop’s Content Aware Fill tool seems fairly straightforward, but a recent tutorial shared by Adobe shows a clever little trick that could result in more accurate edits.

Shared on its Photoshop YouTube channel, the one-minute tutorial shows how changing the default ‘Color Adaptation’ setting within the Content Aware Fill workspace can result much more accurate fills working with images with gradients in them.

As Adobe’s Meredith Stotznere explains, this setting controls the brightness and contrast of the filled area to better match the surroundings when the default setting is too rough an edit. By default, the setting is on, but not at its highest strength. To improve the feature, Photoshop offers a ‘High’ and ‘Very High’ setting for smoother transitions, as well as an ‘None’ setting for when you’re working with hard edges with overlapping colors.

It’s a small change, but could result in much more pleasing edits when you need to remove objects from an image. You can find more 60-second tutorials on the Photoshop Magic Minute playlist.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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How to Light and Photograph Smoke and Steam in a Home Studio Setting

03 Dec

The post How to Light and Photograph Smoke and Steam in a Home Studio Setting appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Ana Mireles.

Every subject has different properties according to shape, color, and material that determine the way you light it. With smoke, you want to keep a dark background and a grazing light. Here are a few things to consider when you light and photograph smoke in a home studio setting.

How to Photograph Smoke in a Studio Setting

Have you ever tried to photograph smoke or steam? Perhaps you’re doing a portrait of a smoker or a steaming cup of coffee. Odds are that sooner or later you may face this challenge. Fortunately, the lighting technique is not as elusive as the subject.

Safety first

Before you start to photograph smoke, keep safety in mind – even if it is just smoke. If using a cigarette, always place the cigarette on an ashtray, or place incense on a burner, etc. Remember, you are working with ignited materials – you can never be too careful to avoid burning yourself or starting a fire. Also, it’s always good to have a fire extinguisher handy.

Backdrop

To photograph smoke, you first need to set up a lightbox. If you don’t have one, make the set by putting a piece of cloth as a backdrop. Black or any dark color will create more contrast.

How to Photograph Smoke in a Studio Setting

Subject

To create the smoke, you can use an incense stick. It’s the best way to create continuous smoke for a long period of time.

home studio set up

Place the incense far enough from the background so that it’s well separated and the light won’t spill into it.

Light

Set up your flash to the side of the subject. Never place it directly in front of the smoke or it will illuminate the background. Then put a piece of cardboard to direct the light towards the subject. For more tips on this, you can check How to Control Your Background Tones by Manipulating Light Fall-Off.

It also works best if it’s a hard light.

You can always use a continuous light source too, but be sure to narrow the light fall-off by using a modifier or barn doors.

If you place the light in front you won’t get the dark backdrop you need.

Camera

Place your camera in front of the subject, the distance will depend on the focal length of the lens you’re working with. I recommend a telephoto lens because you will get better background compression. To help you decide which one is good for you, see this article.

With a telephoto lens, you can work with a smaller background. The left image was made with a 35mm lens, and the one on the right with a 75mm.

Also, if you work with a telephoto, the background can be smaller. And not less important, you can position your camera further away, which will protect your lens from any damage by the smoke.

Settings

Again, this will depend on the focal length, the distance between camera and subject, and the intensity of your flash. However, I can give you some pointers to take into consideration.

Shutter speed

When setting your shutter speed, try to keep your settings fast so that the lines of the smoke are well-defined, instead of a blurry cloud. This is particularly important if you’re working with a wide source, as with this pot of boiling water. If you’re using something smaller, like a stick of incense, the effect is less drastic. Still, don’t underestimate it.

How to Photograph Smoke in a Studio Setting

A longer shutter speed creates a stronger motion blur. This image was made with a 1/30 of a sec.

Aperture

Keep in mind that the smoke is not a flat, static surface. You want your aperture to be wide enough to keep it all in focus. But you don’t want it to be too much that it will capture the texture of the background. Don’t forget to consider other elements of the composition if you have them.

A small aperture creates a deeper depth of field. This image was taken with an f/11.

Focus

Using manual focus, set it before you turn off the lights. Focus the source of steam or smoke you’re using. For example, the tip of the incense stick if you’re going to do some abstract smoke shots. For this to work, you need to use a tripod so you don’t change your distance.

How to Photograph Smoke in a Studio Setting

Extra tip: to create more smoke, capture the image just after you put out the flame. If you placed it inside a container, keep it covered to concentrate the smoke, then uncover it to let it all out at once.

ISO

Keep your ISO as low as your lighting and other settings allow you to go. This is because you want to avoid noise as much as possible, and dark colors make it more evident.

Higher ISO settings create more digital noise. This image was taken with a 12800 ISO. Notice all the color speckles? That’s the noise.

Conclusion

This is a very basic studio set-up to photograph smoke that can be done at home with minimum equipment. As you can see, it can still be very effective to photograph smoke. While this can be very easy, capturing the perfect smoke shot may not be, so keep shooting until you’re happy with it.

smoke, abstract, low key photography

If you have any other tips to photograph smoke, or would like to share your smoke photos with us, please do so in the comments!

The post How to Light and Photograph Smoke and Steam in a Home Studio Setting appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Ana Mireles.

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Creative Photography Exercises: Setting Limitations to Achieve Better Photography

19 Nov

The post Creative Photography Exercises: Setting Limitations to Achieve Better Photography appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Ana Mireles.

Every photographer can feel stuck at some point. I find this often happens when you have learned all the technical basics, and it’s time for you to start finding your way. Is this you? Here are some creative photography exercises than can help you shake things up. Keep on reading to see how setting limitations can help you to achieve better photography.

Creative photography exercises

Have you ever been to a restaurant that has a huge menu but you can’t decide what to order? The same thing can happen with your photography. Having the ability to photograph anything can seem daunting. That’s why setting limits before you start shooting can help you focus.

Creative photography exercises

You can set a limit regarding the idea or project you want. In this photo, I decided to limit my idea to fruits as a topic. You can also limit the tools and techniques that you can use – for example, using long exposure times. Here are some creative photography exercises to get you started.

Technical Limitations

Use only one focal length

As you probably know, there are zoom lenses and prime lenses. A zoom lens means that you can change your angle of view in seconds, which gives you great versatility. A prime lens has a fixed focal length, and this will force you to move around and re-compose your images.

Creative Photography Exercises: Setting Limitations to Achieve Better Photography

If you don’t have a prime lens, use your zoom but choose a focal length and stick with it for the entire exercise. Here I used an 18-55mm and put some tape as a reference on 40mm. This doesn’t mean that you can’t use both lenses, it’s just a way for you to practice without buying new gear.

Think in terms of film photography

Pretend you’re using a film camera and set yourself a limit of 12, 24 or 36 images that you can use. I suggest these numbers because film rolls were sold like that, but feel free to set a different limit without overdoing it. This will push you to put more thought into the final image before you press the shutter button.

Creative Photography Exercises: Setting Limitations to Achieve Better Photography

If you want to make it more challenging, try only using the viewfinder and not reviewing your images after shooting. Not having the chance to delete images in order to stay within the maximum amount gives you that extra push.

Project Limitations

Ride the bus

This is a fun project because you can approach it in many different ways. For example, you can choose to photograph the street while riding the bus or the metro. This takes away much of your control over the scene in front of you. You also have to deal with motion and reflections. And most of all, you have to react quick before you’re gone.

Creative photography exercises

You can also choose to photograph the inside of the vehicle. This is very close quarters so it will help you to overcome shyness. It is also challenging to compose and focus on short distances. So you may want to explore a wide-angle lens if you want to capture the full scene. The light probably won’t be very bright so you may need to bump up your ISO. Combined with the fact that you’re moving, you may find it challenging, but give it a try!

Always shoot at the same time

Program an alarm on your phone to remind you to take a picture exactly at the same time every day. If you have a routinary life, it will challenge you to shoot the same thing or place differently. If you have a flexible schedule, and the time, you will find yourself in different places, where you’ll have to deal with a variety of challenges each time.

Creative photography exercises

Either way, it will kick start your creativity. This image, for example, is only the heater from my studio. Try looking for different angles, play with lighting, etc.

Conclusion

These are just some ideas for creative photography exercises. Feel free to create your own according to your interest, gear and even the place you live. You just need to follow the same rule of establishing some guidelines as limitations to strengthen your abilities and creativity. I’ll leave you here some other articles that can give you more ideas:

Expand Your Creativity by Taking Self-Portraits.
An Apple a Day Keeps Creativity Awake.
How to Boost Your Creativity by Including Props in Your Photography.
How to Reboot Your Creativity with 15-Minute Exercises.

Feel free to share any other creative photography exercises in the comments. And, as always, we love to see your images, so try some of these techniques, and share your images below.

The post Creative Photography Exercises: Setting Limitations to Achieve Better Photography appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Ana Mireles.

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Tips for Setting Up and Photographing Mini-Sessions for Extra Income

17 Dec

The post Tips for Setting Up and Photographing Mini-Sessions for Extra Income appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jackie Lamas.

Photographing mini-sessions is a perfect way to generate extra income from both new and returning clients. They can also create buzz and word of mouth during the slow season for many photographers. Knowing how to set them up and photograph them ensures you are successful and offer your clients the best mini-session experience.

1 - Photographing Mini-Sessions

What is a mini-session?

Mini-sessions are sessions that offer your clients a session at a reduced price and usually photographed in less time than a regular full session.

Typically, the sessions run between 30 and 45-minute time slots for each client. It is up to you if you want to offer your mini-sessions to families, individuals, or children. Perhaps you are willing to do all types of photography, which can also create more buzz in different niches.

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Mini-sessions are a reduced price, but it is up to you to factor in costs so that you are still earning enough to generate income for your photography business. These mini-sessions are all about booking volume, and so don’t price it not too low, or you may burn out quickly. Set your price, so you are making enough money, however, not too high where it’s not cost-effective for your clients who perhaps don’t have money to spend on a full session.

How do you set up a mini-session?

It’s important to make sure that you have all of your mini-session details set up and prepped before sending the information out to social media or your client list.

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Before you begin, figure out how much you to charge and what you intend to include in the mini-sessions. For instance, if you are charging $ 250 per session, perhaps you can include an 11×14 wall print. If you are only including digital prints, make sure to state how many your clients receive. Including a product can be an excellent incentive for clients to book rather than just getting a digital product.

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For example, if you’re doing holiday minis, you may include a set of greeting cards. If you are doing beach mini-summer-sessions, perhaps a beautiful wall portrait is the best option. Either way, work out your costs and be sure that you price your sessions accordingly to avoid losing money or just breaking even.

This is an example of all the different poses you can do in the same location to make the most of the time limit of your mini sessions.

Once you have figured out the basic details of the session, it’s time to determine what season of the year you are planning on having the sessions. Weekend dates are advisable because many people tend to have the weekends off from work and are free from other obligations.

If you plan on doing fall minis, schedule them far in advance so that you have time to edit and deliver all of the materials to your clients before the holidays. For example, scheduling holiday minis from mid to the end of October is perfect because you still have plenty of time before the major holidays to deliver your photos.

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Be sure to schedule enough time slots during the day so that enough clients can have their photos taken without overlap or running into each other. For example, start at 10 a.m. and photograph every hour and a half until 5 p.m., or an hour before the sun sets.

Depending on the season you’ve chosen to do the mini-sessions, you can photograph them all in one particular location or two very different locations to offer variety. For example, you can offer mini-sessions at a park on Saturday and Sunday photograph downtown. Offering two different locations for different days means clients can choose which look they would prefer.

You can also set up just one day, say a Sunday, and photograph in only one location like a park or field.

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Prep before booking a single client

It is essential you be prepared for running mini-sessions. Otherwise, you can get lost in all of the small details. Here is a sample worksheet that you can use so that you can keep track of your mini-sessions.

Keep track of clients, payments, contracts, timeslots, and locations for each session. It can help you not get confused and also keep track of who has paid and who hasn’t.

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Also, prep an exclusive print package for your mini-sessions that include several products. Doing this to send out to booked clients can prepare them just in case they want to buy more photos from you. Giving them an exclusive print package can boost your income and make up the difference for the reduced price of the mini-session.

Having your business ready for the mini-sessions ensures that the campaign runs smoothly and without fuss. Plus, having all of your materials ready, like contracts and product guides, makes you look more professional to both returning and new clients.

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It also less stressful keeping track of all the mini-session details after the shoot and it’s time to edit and deliver.

Remember, photography is an art, but portrait photography is also a business. You must run your business efficiently to avoid burn-out or losing track of information or details.

Create a mini-session campaign

Now that you have all the details, the locations, and the dates set for the mini-sessions, it’s time to get the information out.

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Create a buzz. Send out an email or social media post informing people that you are prepping for a run of mini-sessions and details are coming soon. Doing so gets your clients excited and gives them time to book because you have already informed them.

First, send the information to your existing client list. Give them the chance to book first. Not only does it make it more exclusive but also keeps your current clients happy. Returning clients are much more willing to book than new clients. Send them all of the information about a week before you send it out to new clients. While it gives them exclusivity, it also adds urgency for them to book because someone else may get their slot.

Returning clients have a higher rate of booking than new clients.

Afterward, send out your mini-session campaign through the best form that brings in clients. Try an email list, social media, or your website. Wherever you get the most traffic and exposure, publish your campaign there.

Continue announcing the campaign. Make sure that you remind people daily through email and social media. Once a time slot gets filled, make sure to update the information. You don’t have to do this every single time, but it can save people from trying to book the same time slot and be turned down.

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Remember, the client who signs the contract and pays the retainer fee is the one who gets booked. People who message but don’t do those two things don’t get booked. Unless you know your client is reliable, don’t reserve the mini-session timeslot. Otherwise, you could miss out on a paying client.

Don’t be afraid of getting to the point! Mini-sessions have a reduced price, which makes them in-demand. Especially among your existing clients! If you get a request for a mini-session, direct them to where they can pay the retainer, and send them the contract as soon as possible.

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You can write them something like this: Thank you so much for wanting a mini-session! I do have that time and date available, however, it’s first-come-first-served. To book your preferred time and date, please go to this link and pay the session retainer. As soon as I receive confirmation, I can send you the contract. I’m excited and look forward to photographing your beautiful family!

It’s short, simple, but to the point. Letting your clients know the steps they have to take to book the mini-session ensures that you filter out the people who are just shopping around. This way you’re not wasting your time.

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How to photograph mini sessions

Mini sessions are wonderful because they usually mean that you have back to back sessions all in the same location. However, it also means that you are out there all day photographing in all types of light.

Prep your gear so that you are ready for any type of lighting situation that can occur during the sessions. For example, bring extra batteries for your flash in case you will be competing with the sun. Bring a reflector to bounce some light. Take a tripod.

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Sessions typically run from 30 to 45 minutes spaced at every hour and a half. This timing gives you at least 30 minutes between sessions to rest, eat a snack and drink some water. It also helps to adjust to new lighting conditions for the next session.

Mini-sessions can enable you to look for new ways to photograph multiple families in the same location. Use their energy to determine which angles and specific locations work best for them. It’s a great time to push your creativity and perhaps experiment new ideas you’ve wanted to try.

Here you can see all the variations in posing with different family combinations in the same location.

Make sure to set a timer so that you know when it’s time to stop photographing. Put your alarm about 5 minutes before the time is up to ensure you are aware you have a few extra minutes to get any last photos.

Time goes quickly, and your clients may feel like they didn’t have lots of variety or even that you took enough photographs. One thing that I do is I tell them how many photos I’ve taken, which is usually anywhere between 200 and 400 photos. Clients know that they won’t get all of the 200 photos, but they feel more confident that you’ve taken enough for them to choose.

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If you offered your clients a set number of photographs, make sure that you photograph enough to cover that amount. For example, if you’ve offered 50 digital images, make sure you photograph more than double to have enough variety for them.

Making the most out of little time

Mini-sessions go by quickly, and if you have chosen to photograph for 30 minutes, it is important to make the most out of the time.

Make the most out of your time by having set poses for different combinations during the mini-session.

Prep yourself with 5 – 7 poses that work for all family types and sizes. Try to use poses that don’t require you to move your clients too much and waste time.

The most common set of poses include:

the whole family together
siblings only
parents only
each child
mothers and daughters
fathers and sons
mothers and sons
fathers and daughters

If grandparents are participating, you can also do the same above combinations with them included. Don’t forget to photograph the grandparents both individually and with only their grandchildren.

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Once you have all of the main portraits taken, allow the children to have a bit of fun. Have them walk with their parents or play so you can capture them in a natural state of joy and happiness.

After the session

Immediately after taking the last photo at the mini-session, give your clients a printed pricing sheet that includes other products you offer. Also, include any exclusive packages you’ve created for the promotion. That way they can keep it in mind before they view a single photo.

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After you’ve completed your mini-sessions, get one or two photos onto social media as sneak previews. Doing so can help drive more interest to your mini-sessions from potential clients.

Also, take the time to send a thank you message to your clients and email the price list again for the mini-sessions. If you have created something exclusively for the promotion, make sure to highlight the top three products. Do this before you show your clients the images so that they can plan how much they want to purchase and which products they like best.

Use this photo as inspiration for different posing during your next mini-session.

To keep the excitement of the mini-session going, edit and deliver the images to your clients quickly.

If your mini-sessions included a set number of images, allow downloads or choosing for that amount, but include all of the photos that you believe are great. For example, if your package includes 50 edited photographs for your client with only 10 downloadable images, include all 50 in the gallery or sales appointment slideshow.

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Including more photos makes it likely that your clients purchase more than the ones included in the mini-session promotion.

Online versus in person

You have two options for your mini-session image delivery. You can send your clients an online gallery or make in-person sales. It’s up to you which you prefer to do depending on your business style.

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If you do online, be sure you’ve outlined all the parameters regarding the gallery. Have your watermarks in place, limit the downloads to the number you’ve specified and use an expiration date. Also, add email logins to keep track of emails for future marketing.

Also, have your products displayed front and center so that your clients can find them quickly. If your clients have to jump through lots of hoops to get their images, they most likely won’t buy much. Make sure the gallery is user-friendly and easy to access.

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If you have opted for in-person sales, schedule the appointment after you’ve finished photographing the family. Doing so helps settle any delays in delivering photos. Have a physical calendar or use your phone calendar to note the time and date of your in-person sales.

In-person sales can happen at your studio or the client’s home. Take your top products, pricing sheet, and samples along. Include a preview of the images in a premade slideshow that highlights the top 15 photos.

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Work with your clients to choose their favorites from the promotion and any additional products they may want to purchase.

Take an order form and have a secure way to process payments. For example, use a PayPal credit card reader or Square software. Doing so allows clients to pay then and there, avoiding payment excuses. You also look more professional.

Pricing Sheet and Products

I want to highlight pricing sheets and products. I’ve repeated it throughout the entire article. Make it a point to put your pricing sheet and products in front of your client’s eyes at all times.

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Mini-sessions often bring in quick income because you are working in volume. In the long run, what brings you greater income and returning clients is selling prints and products.

Reminding your clients of pricing and products allows them to think about what they would like to purchase. If you only say it once, it doesn’t stick. You’ll need them to see the information at least three times for them to think about buying something other than digital images.

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Send out the pricing sheet and all other selling materials in an email when your client books the session. Send it along with their signed contract or payment receipt. Hand them a printed pricing/product sheet at the end of the session. Be sure to include your logo and any other necessary information such as credit card payment details. When you send the gallery invitation or see them at the in-person sales appointment, give them the pricing/product sheet again.

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It’s important to keep the pricing/product sheet available to them and as a constant reminder to purchase printed products from their session. Having your work displayed in their home also serves as a good referral among friends and family who see their portraits.

In conclusion

Mini-sessions are a great way to drive volume business and get more experience in portrait photography. Price your mini-sessions according to your target market and business model so that you don’t lose money by doing the promotion.

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Remember to get your pricing sheet and product pricing to your clients at least three times to ensure extra income after the sessions have been completed.

Have you photographed mini-sessions before? What was your experience?

The post Tips for Setting Up and Photographing Mini-Sessions for Extra Income appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jackie Lamas.

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5 Common Camera Setting Mistakes Made by Newbie Photographers

01 Jun

Photography is a process of constant learning, so it’s only natural to make mistakes along the way. But with a little bit of advice from those who have been there already, fledgling photographers can avoid a few common camera setting mistakes and focus on bigger and better things. Here are a few tips and tricks I learned early on that will help you get stuck into quality image making.

1 – Leaving image stabilization on when using a tripod

Image stabilization is a handy device that can reduce camera shake and improve image quality when it’s used properly. When activated, image stabilization counteracts slight movements of the camera to help reduce blur in your photos. It can be so effective that cameras and lenses equipped with the system allow you to use a shutter speed of between three and five stops slower than cameras without the feature.

This makes for sharper images in lower light conditions. Sounds great right? Well yes, but not all the time. In fact, when image stabilization is used with a tripod, it can sometimes be more of a hindrance than a help.

If your camera is already set up on a tripod, it should be steady enough by itself. In this case, with the image stabilization left on, the system may try to compensate for minuscule vibrations that wouldn’t otherwise have an effect on the image, increasing blur rather than reducing it.

Check your camera or lens user manual to learn how to switch the system off while shooting with a tripod and you’ll get much sharper images. Just don’t forget to turn it on again when you are going to hand-hold the camera.

5 Common Camera Setting Mistakes Made by Newbie Photographers

In this example, you can see the difference in sharpness between the photograph taken with Image Stabilization on and the photograph taken with IS off. Notice that the photograph with IS off is sharper, with greater contrast.

2 – Using the wrong autofocus mode

When I started out in photography, I remember struggling to properly focus on a subject in my frame, often leaving the camera to select a point at random and hoping for the best. At the time, I didn’t realize the importance of different autofocus modes.

Autofocus offers several different modes which you can select. These are One-Shot AF (Canon)/AF-S (Nikon), AI Servo AF (Canon)/AF-C (Nikon), and final AI Focus (Canon) and AF-A (Nikon).

Probably the most commonly used focus mode is the One-Shot/Single-Servo option. It is the best choice for stationary subjects and serves as the standard setting on your camera. For this setting, the autofocus system achieves focus and then locks that setting in until the shutter is actuated. Once locked, you are assured that your subject will be sharply focused.

AI Servo/AF-C, on the other hand, focuses the lens continuously, which makes it ideal for tracking a moving subject. In this focus mode, the camera will let you take a picture at any time, even if the subject isn’t in focus. This mode is the best choice when you have a moving subject like children, animals, shooting sports, birds, etc.

You can change your focus mode in the quick control panel (this shows the Canon options).

Many cameras also offer a third autofocus mode: AI Focus (Canon) or AF-A (Nikon). This mode attempts to automatically detect whether the subject is stationary or moving and sets the focus mode depending on the situation. However, AI Focus isn’t as reliable as the other two dedicated settings, so it’s best to deliberately select between One-Shot/AF-S or AI Servo/AF-C where possible.

AI Servo/AF-C focus mode is ideal for photographing moving subjects.

3 – Not shooting in RAW format

For much of my early photography, I shot in jpeg. It was a familiar file format, so I just went with it. Only later did I discovered what I was missing out on. JPEG files are processed by the camera. That means that while settings like color temperature and exposure are set based on your camera settings, the camera will process the image to adjust blacks, contrast, brightness, noise reduction and sharpening. The file will then be compressed into a JPEG.

But because the image has been edited, compressed and then saved as a JPEG, information in the original photograph gets discarded and cannot be recovered. This limits how much editing you can do with the image in post-production.

Advantages of RAW format

RAW files, on the other hand, are uncompressed and unprocessed. Although they come out looking flatter and darker than JPEG images, they retain all the information recorded in the original image. This allows for a lot more flexibility in post-production, allowing you to take full control over adjustments that you want to apply to a photograph.

Shooting in JPEG can be useful for happy-snaps or circumstances where output doesn’t need to be as higher quality. Otherwise, for professional-grade imagery, you want to shoot in camera RAW. And if you aren’t sure, it is possible to shoot both at the same time – just make sure you have an extra CF card or two on hand.

You can see that the unedited, uncompressed RAW image is a lot flatter than the JPEG because it retains all the information of the original shot. Only after processing will the RAW image match or surpass the look of the JPG.

4 – Always shooting in automatic mode

Automatic exposure mode means that the shutter speed, aperture and ISO are set automatically by the camera for a given situation, leaving you to depress the shutter button and move onto the next shot. But what if you want to take more control over your images?

The biggest advantage of shooting in manual mode (or shutter/aperture priority mode) over automatic is creative control. Plus, the camera doesn’t always get the algorithm for exposure right, so you can end up with underexposed or overexposed images.

Choose a semi-automatic mode instead

You don’t have to shoot fully manual to take better control of your images either. Aperture and Shutter Priority modes allow you to select and adjust either your aperture or shutter speed while the camera compensates to give you the right exposure.

Auto shooting mode.

By using Aperture Priority, you have much more control over the depth of field in your image, dictating how much of the image is in sharp focus. This is helpful for many genres from portraiture to landscape photography, changing the dynamic of your images depending on the situation and how deep you want your photographs to look.

As for using Shutter Priority, being able to take control of the motion in an image allows for a lot more creative leeway. Motion blur has long been used to make images more dynamic. Think waterfalls with smooth flowing water and time-lapse cityscapes, as well as intentional camera movement.

While Automatic exposure mode is useful and often effective, relying only on Auto is allowing your creative photographic potential go to waste. Experimenting with shooting in full Manual or Shutter or Aperture Priority Mode means that you can truly get to know your camera and exploit its artistic possibilities.

5 – Not backing up files

We have a saying in Australia; “She’ll be right”. The term asserts that whatever is wrong will right itself with time. It’s both an optimistic and an apathetic outlook, and when it comes to photography, it can be the start of a spiral into digital file oblivion. I’m talking about backing up files.

Okay, so it isn’t technically an in-camera setting mistake, but photography has an enormous output of content that needs to be maintained so that it is as fresh as the day it was created.

From day one, “she’ll be right” just doesn’t cut it. If you only have one copy of your images stored on a hard drive, and that hard drive fails, (as they often do) then you’ll completely lose all your work. Forever! The easy solution is to have a second or even third copy of your images stored somewhere else, either on an external hard drive or cloud storage service.

Make the investment now and you’ll thank yourself later.

An old favorite, this image is backed up on two separate hard drives!

Conclusion

Starting out in photography can sometimes seem like a daunting task – there’s so much to learn! But photographers, for the most part, are a friendly bunch. We’re happy to pass on the tips and tricks we’ve learned along the way.

By doing your research, there are plenty of ways to dig into photography, avoiding common mistakes, and delve into the world of photography with confidence!

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