The post 4 Ways to Create Awesome Infrared Images appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Simon Bond.
A really interesting form of photography that can transform your images is infrared photography. This form of photography has been around for a long time, and today, you’ll discover how to make your own infrared images. Anyone can do this, and it’s possible to do with minimal or even no extra equipment at all. So read on and find out how you can enhance your photographs today.
Infrared works very well as a long exposure, especially with moving water.
1. Infrared photography with an infrared filter
The first and most accessible way for photographers with a digital camera to get into infrared photography is to buy a filter. Filters work by filtering out all light except infrared. This will lead to an infrared image rendered onto your camera sensor.
The imperfect solution
Using a filter is the quickest route into this genre of photography, but it’s not without it’s problems. The fact is your camera is built to resist infrared light, a fact that has both positive and negative results for you as a photographer. Let’s take a look at some of the factors you’ll need to consider.
Camera sensor – Different cameras will work better or worse when it comes to infrared photography with a filter. This comes down to how strong the filter that blocks infra-red light hitting your camera sensor is. A strong filter will mean you’ll need longer exposures, and the results are not always as strong.
Light leaking – With the long exposures needed it’s important to cover area’s of the camera that allow light in, other than of course the lens. If you fail to do this you’ll find light leaks in, effecting the outer area’s of your image. The most obvious area that needs covering on a dSLR camera is the viewfinder.
Camera noise – If your camera is not sensitive to infrared light you’re going to have two choices, both will lead to digital noise on your image. Those choices are upping the ISO, to allow a shorter long exposure, or exposing for several minutes in bulb mode.
In this photo the clouds in the sky work very well for infrared. There is also a lot of green leaves photosynthesizing.
The need for long exposure
As mentioned infrared photography with a filter requires long exposure, however this can often really add to your image. You’ll need a tripod, a way for triggering your shutter remotely, and you’ll need to cover your camera to prevent light leaking in. Using long exposure is often the choice of many landscape photographers anyway, so what will you gain? If you’re photographing anywhere with moving water or clouds, then you’ll capture their movement with long exposure. Coastlines and seawater are somewhat different in that it will flatten the water, again often a desirable effect.
This image shows an infrared photo without white balance adjustment.
Which filter?
There are plenty of options when it comes to filters you can buy. Obviously, as with different manufacturers, the results will vary, and you’ll need to choose a filter that suits your style. However, all of these filters will do the same thing, and that is filter out infrared light. The photos in this article were produced using the Hoya R72 filter.
The white balance
To get to your desired result with an infrared filter, you’re going to need to adjust the white balance. You’ll usually want to do this in post-processing, however, it’s also possible to do it in-camera.
The method needed to do this in-camera is as follows:
Compose your photo and aim at some grass that is well-lit by the sun – it needs to be photosynthesizing.
Use an exposure of 10 or 20 seconds – enough to correctly expose the photo.
During the exposure, which in this case can be handheld, move the camera around so you get a blurred photo.
Your image should now be red, with no sharp portions to your photo.
Now go to your camera’s white balance settings.
Select the custom white balance option.
Select the photo you have just taken, and use this to set the custom white balance. It will now set everything that is red in your image and make it white.
In this scene, I adjusted the camera’s custom white balance.
Post-processing required
If you chose not to use the camera’s custom white balance, then you’ll now need to process your image. You’ll have a RAW image that is mostly red. You can now decide whether to process for a color infrared image, or a black and white one. In both cases, you’ll need to adjust the red and blue channels to achieve this.
Post-processing is used here from the red image above, and a color infrared was produced.
2. Modify your camera to produce infrared images
Those more serious about infrared photography can look into modifying their camera. It’s important to mention that once modified, your camera will only be useful for infrared photography, so don’t get this done with your main camera.
Those that go down this road often have a second camera body, which they’re prepared to dedicate to infrared photography.
What’s involved?
Remember that most camera manufacturers produce cameras that block out infrared light? You will modify your camera to remove that infrared blocking filter in front of your camera sensor and put an infrared filter in place. That’s the process, and now your camera will be sensitive to infrared light.
What are the advantages?
You can now use this camera more like a regular camera, instead of only being able to take long exposure photos. That means techniques like panning and infrared are possible. You’ll be able to use fast exposures to capture moments. In other words, you will regain full artistic control of your camera, just now it only photographs in infrared.
Cityscapes can work well with infrared. This one has a sepia tone.
3. Film photography and infrared
Infrared images have been produced for a long time, and certainly predate digital photography. It’s possible to take beautiful infrared images with film, though you’ll need to get film that specifically for this form of photography.
An infrared filter used on a digital camera won’t be needed this time, as the film itself exposes for infrared light. However, you may well consider using filters anyway. The same filters that enhance regular black and white photos can also do the same for infrared. That means the classic yellow, orange, and red filters should be in your camera bag. Should you choose to use an infrared filter this will certainly work, but again it will block most of the light, meaning you’ll be taking a long exposure.
The technique creates a dreamscape mood for your photos.
4. Producing infrared images in post-processing
The last method to produce infrared images is post processing.
That means you can choose any of your existing photos, and process them to replicate the infrared effect. It’s worth choosing a photo that would work well if it were photographed as an infrared.
Think of a landscape photo with plenty of green foliage, and a blue sky with one or two clouds. Those wishing to learn how to process their images in this way can do so by reading this article.
Long exposure and reflection on water is a good combination.
Time to create your infrared image dreamscapes!
This article has given you all the information needed to create infrared images, or where to find that information.
Have you tried out this form of photography? If so, which of the above methods did you use, and do you have a preference?
Infrared photography is fun. If you’re waiting to get out on a sunny day, why not try the post-processing route? If you have any infrared images already, why not share them in the comments? We love to see your images!
The post 4 Ways to Create Awesome Infrared Images appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Simon Bond.
Picture this. You’re on an amazing trip. You’ve been taking photos left and right. You’re absolutely ecstatic because of the incredible images you’ve been blessed to capture. Then, on the last day of your trip, something happens. It could be anything, your camera gets stolen, or you lose the memory card, or you douse the whole kit and kaboodle in Continue Reading
The post 9 Ways To Backup Photos While Traveling Without A Computer appeared first on Photodoto.
Photographs have always been intended to provide us with memories to last a lifetime. Of course, the technology has certainly evolved over the past 150 years. There are now countless ways to display our most precious images. Photo albums and high-definition emails are two common examples. However, what if you instead wish to place photos throughout the home? What options Continue Reading
The post Creative Ways to Display Your Photography at Home appeared first on Photodoto.
The post Ways to Use Lightroom to Find Photos Worth Revisiting appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Rick Ohnsman.
I don’t have to tell you these are abnormal times. Like many others in every profession, photographers are experiencing a huge decrease in business due to stay-at-home and social distancing restrictions. While we hobbyist photographers may not rely on photography for our income, we just aren’t getting out as much to take pictures. So, maybe this is the time to go “back to the mine” (your photo archives), to see if you’ve overlooked some diamonds in the rough worth revisiting. Let’s take a look at how to use Adobe Lightroom to find photos you might have passed over. Also, how to use it to do some cleanup you just never got around to before.
I’d passed this shot by after an edit session I did years ago following a trip to Trillium Lake in Oregon. Now, using Lightroom to find photos I’d passed over, I found it was a diamond in the rough, simply needing some polishing.
See if this describes you
You’re a photographer and make photos pretty routinely on trips, photoshoots, studio sessions, weddings, portrait work, or whatever genre of photography you do.
You make dozens, if not hundreds of images, during just a single shoot.
Then, you want to quickly edit and get the best shots to your client, perhaps print some, or post the best to social media. When done, you’ve cherry-picked the best shots, edited them, wrapped up and moved on.
Left behind on your drive are perhaps the other 95-percent of shots that didn’t jump out at the time. There are quite possibly some good images still there that might only take a little extra editing to polish up, diamonds in the rough as it were.
Perhaps the shots were taken years ago, maybe even with lesser cameras, but now with more editing experience, you have skills to bring them to life.
There are also photos you’ll never use. Trash that just never got taken out. Images just taking up room on your hard drive.
Let’s cover how to use Lightroom to find photos, flag them for a second look or clean them out.
Get a DAM
Lightroom is a very capable photo editor, but there’s little dispute that Photoshop is the more powerful program for really serious photo editing.
Other programs have also risen to the forefront; Skylum Luminar, Phase One Capture One Pro, Corel Paintshop Pro, DXO Photolab, and ACDSee Ultimate. The list is growing and joined by many free and quite capable photo editing programs.
Using the Flags, Star-Ratings, and Color Codes in Lightroom is a great way to better manage your photo library.
One of the greatest strengths of Adobe Lightroom, however, is as a Digital Asset Management (DAM) tool.
In layman’s terms, that means it does a great job of organizing your photos, helping you search for images using keywords, ratings, color-codes, flags, collections, filters, and other means of organizing, sorting, and searching. At its core, Lightroom is a database program.
Many photographers who have spent years learning Photoshop still use that tool for most of their editing but are now looking to Lightroom as a partner program for organizing their photo libraries. What they had previously done with Adobe Camera Raw and Bridge can be done with Lightroom, which if desired, can simply send images out to Photoshop for editing or be used as an editor and more.
A jealous secretary
A concept many new Lightroom users find hard to grasp is that the photos you work with while using it are not “in” Lightroom. Lightroom is strictly a note-taker, a “secretary” to use that term, that records everything about an image; where it is, the metadata, how you’ve rated, flagged, color-coded, keyworded, and otherwise tagged it.
When you edit a photo in Lightroom, each and every step of that edit, text data, is stored in what is called the “catalog.” Your images are never altered, Lightroom just appends “notes” to them.
I tell you that to tell you this – Lightroom is a “jealous secretary.” She will keep meticulous notes about everything you do with your images, so long as you use “her” to do the work.
If you work with your images outside of Lightroom, say using the File Explorer in Windows or the Finder on a Mac, you are essentially working “behind Lightroom’s back.” She will let you know it too, losing track of where your images are and what you’ve done to them.
Ever see a “?” mark on your Lightroom photo or folder? That’s your secretary scolding you. There are ways to recover from this, but my recommendation is if you are going to use Lightroom as your DAM program, keep your jealous secretary happy and do all your image management with her exclusively.
Question marks on folders of photos in Lightroom means the program can’t locate the item. This will happen when you use tools outside of Lightroom to move or change your image.
A culling session
If culling is not a term familiar to you, here’s a dictionary definition: “A selection of things you intend to reject.”
In Lightroom, one of the first things you need to do to work with images is to “import” them. This is sometimes where people become confused. An “import” in Lightroom is simply a means of telling the program where your images are.
Let’s use two examples of how this might work.
Returning from a shoot, I have my images on my camera card. I pull the card from the camera, put it in a card reader, open Lightroom and using the Import process. Here, I copy the files from the card to a location on a computer hard drive, be it an internal or external drive. Lightroom copies the images to that location, builds thumbnails for them, and stores the information in its catalog.
I already have the photos somewhere on one of my computer drives. I use the Import function of Lightroom to Add the photos to the LR catalog. Lightroom does not move or copy anything, it simply now has information about those images and where they are.
If you are importing images from a camera card into Lightroom and want it to copy them to a location on your hard drive, the “Copy” method is what you want.
In both scenarios, the photo files are not “in” Lightroom, and not in a subfolder of that program. They are wherever you chose to store them. However, now your “LR secretary” is keeping track of them.
If your images are already on one of your computer drives and you simply want to be able to work with them in Lightroom use the Import “Add” function, not the “Copy” function.
Once visible in Lightroom, the temptation is to look through them and start editing the ones that jump out at you. I’ve done that many times, in a hurry to get to the obvious “nuggets” and start editing them.
Instead, I’d like to introduce you to a way to more formally, and with greater organization, go through a folder of images.
The proper way to do this is when you first start working with that new folder of images. But, if you are like me, you might not have known to, were lazy and impatient, or for whatever reason just didn’t do this. No worries, it’s not too late for a proper culling session.
Here are the steps:
Go to the folder where you have the images. You should be in the Library module of Lightroom and in the grid view (Hit “G” on your keyboard) so you can see all of your images.
Do some folder-level keywording. If all of the images in the folder were, for example, taken at the beach, you might want all of them to have that keyword to aid in searching later. Hit Ctrl (Cmd on Mac) A to select all of the images. Then click in the Keywords section at the right and type in the keywords you want. If you want more than one to apply to just certain selected images, pick those first and then use a comma between them. i.e., Fireworks, Still-Life, Sparklers.
This entire folder of images were shots of fireworks, so I selected all images in the folder and added the keyword “Fireworks.”Selecting several images within the folder, I added additional keywords – Still-Life, and Sparklers. You can have multiple keywords for an image if you separate them with a comma.
Time to quickly go through your images one-by-one. To move faster through the images, first, turn on Auto-Advance. You can either turn this on by going to Photo in the top pulldown menu and selecting Auto Advance or simply by holding down the Shift key while you work. Now bring up just the first image in Loupe View (Hit the Enter key).
For this first pass, you want to flag the images you want to keep and cull out the ones you know you’ll never use. Viewing each image, hit either the “P” key to flag the image as a Pick or “X” key to reject it.
If you just can’t decide, the right arrow key “>” to move on.
To quickly cull your images in Lightroom, turn on Auto Advance and then use the “P” key to flag an image as a Pick, the “X” key to mark it as a Reject, or just use the Right Arrow Key to move to the next image with no flagging. Note the white flags are picks, the black flags with an X are rejects.
Try to be selective here. This does not immediately throw out any images and you can change your mind later. However, your objective ought to be to do some serious housekeeping, X-ing out the images you are unlikely to ever use, and Picking the ones you will probably want to edit later.
Everyone is different. Some people are tidy and have no problem tossing things out they don’t expect to use. Then there are folks like me, packrats for whom this is a tougher task.
Time to be brave. You can check to see which images you flagged with an “X” as rejects if you like. Hit “G” to go back to the Grid view. Now using the Library Filter (top of the grid), click the word “Attribute” and then click the Black flag. This will show the images you flagged as Rejects with the “X.” You can take another look at these if you have to and if you decide it is not one you want to be rejected, hit the “P” key to change it back to a Pick.
Taking out the trash
So let’s get rid of the rejects. To see what you flagged with an “X” as a reject, hit Ctrl- Backspace (Cmd on Mac). You will see two options:
Delete from Disk – This will permanently delete the images from your hard drive. You might still find them in your recycle bin if you accidentally pick this, but consider this the trash for the most part.
Remove from Lightroom – The files will remain on your drive, but you will no longer see them in Lightroom. This is the safer option if you are unsure, but it’s also like just putting your garbage in the hall closet. If you plan to clean the house, do it and don’t look back.
Decision time. After you’ve using the culling step to flag your Picks and Reject images, hit Ctrl-Backspace. This question will appear. You can delete your rejected images entirely or, simply remove them from showing up in Lightroom but retain them on your drive. Choose wisely.
Colors and flags and stars, oh my!
If you were disciplined, using the Pick and Reject options helped you separate the wheat from the chaff, getting rid of things you’ll never use and perhaps freeing up all kinds of space on your hard drives. So now let’s use some tools to go a little deeper, helping you to organize and find images warranting further work.
Lightroom lets you tag photos with several different things to add in organizing, sorting, filtering, and finding them. Let’s look at the options.
Sorting – There are many different ways to sort your images in the Library view of Lightroom. This doesn’t change anything but simply allows you to see them in whatever sort order you like. Some are obvious, like sorting by Capture time so you can see the images in the order you took them. Others, like sorting by aspect ratio, are less obvious but sometimes very useful. Say you need an image for a magazine cover and want a portrait-orientation image. Sorting by aspect ratio is the ticket. Explore what this very simple option can do for you.
Using the Sort by Aspect Ratio option can be handy if you want to group your portrait and landscape orientation images together.
Color – You can flag your photos with any of five different colors (Red, Yellow, Green, Blue or Purple). What each color signifies is strictly up to you. Maybe you want to flag all of your very best images with Red, your Landscapes with Green, your images you want to edit with Yellow – whatever you like. To flag an image, click on the image(s) you want that color applied to, then click on the color patch you want to apply that color tag to. You can also use the keyboard shortcuts – 6-Red, 7-Yellow, 8-Green, 9-Blue. There is no number shortcut for Purple.
If you’ve used color codes to identify different photo types, sorting by color can be useful.
Star Rating – How to apply a star rating is easy. When on an image, just click the number key for the rating you want to assign or use the star symbol on the toolbar at the bottom. What a certain rating means…that’s your call. Is a 5-star image your best ever? Is a 1-star image one that barely escaped deletion? What does a 3-Star rating mean? Whatever you come up with, be consistent and the rating system will be more useful.
Come up with your own scheme of using the star-rating in Lightroom and then sort by rating.
Flags – We already discussed flags earlier. Basically, they are a way to mark an image as a pick or a reject. Use several or none. You can use these tagging tools singularly or in combination, depending on how you choose to mark up your images. For example, a really great landscape photo might be a green, 4-star, flagged as a Pick image. The power comes in how once marked up, you can filter and sort your images.
Finding, filtering, and sorting
So you’ve cleaned up your folders, eliminated the rejects, and flagged your images with color codes, star ratings, and perhaps added some keywords. (We didn’t get into keywording much as that can be an art unto itself. I refer you to this article to learn more about the power of this tool).
Now we want to use this organization to help us find all our best lighthouse images taken in the past three years, for example. If we were good about marking up our images, we might have put the keyword “lighthouse” on them, flagged them with red (which we decided were our best photos), or maybe just made our top images 5-star.
How do we use the markups to find what we seek?
Creative use of the Library filter in Lightroom can bring up just the image you’re looking for if you’ve properly labeled your images with star ratings, pick flags, color codes and keywords. Here, I was looking for all my photos that had the keyword Lighthouse, were 4-star images, and color-coded red.
The better you are at marking-up your images, the greater the degree of precision you will have in finding that needle in a haystack when it comes time for that. I personally have over 100,000 images in my Lightroom catalog. (That’s a big haystack!) So, to use Lightroom to find photos requires some creativity with the Library filtering tool.
You will be able to search through basic things you may have added; keywords, file names, folder names or anyplace else where text might be. You can search your Attributes, the star ratings, color codes, flags.
Another very powerful Attribute is being able to search for unedited photos. Note the filter selection in the image below. Using that icon, I can have Lightroom show all photos for which Lightroom has no edit history.
If I bring up a folder with images that were edited elsewhere before coming into Lightroom, they will also show up as unedited. But, assuming this is a folder with images that have been brought in directly off your camera card and never been touched with anything other than Lightroom, this is a fantastic way to show those “passed over nuggets” we might want to revisit.
Using the Library filter, I’m able to see all the images for a particular year shot with my Canon 6D that are unedited by Lightroom. Creative use of the Text, Attribute, and Metadata filter in the Library Filter function of Lightroom can tell you much about your images and help you find that missing needle in the haystack.
Searching through metadata can also be a powerful way to find photos. Without you even having to enter any information, your camera captures a wealth of data about each image it takes. (Have a look at my article on Irfanview which gets into metadata.)
So, say you’re still looking for those lighthouse photos, but you never put keywords on them. Searching for “lighthouse” isn’t going to help. But say you do know you took the photos on a trip in September of 2017 and shot them with your Canon 6D. Putting just that information into the search filter in the Library module should greatly reduce the size of the “haystack.”
The more precise you can be with your search parameters, the more precise your search will be. Explore all the search options in the Text, Attribute, and Metadata areas and how using them in combination can greatly help you find what you seek.
Become a Collector
Using the Library filter is a great way to search through your photos when you’re looking for something, particularly an ad hoc search for something you don’t need to find often. When you really want to tap the power of the database that is Lightroom, Smart Collections are really cool. First, let’s describe what a Lightroom collection is.
Say you like to take pictures of flowers. Even when you’re out on some other kind of shoot, when you see a nice flower, you take a shot. Thus, you have flower pictures scattered throughout your folders. Now, how would it be to see all of those in one place, without having to move, copy, or duplicate anything? That’s what a Lightroom collection can be, a “pointer” to images that groups them all into one “folder” without moving anything.
There are two kinds of collections in Lightroom.
The first is a regular collection. You can add the photos manually. You can drag them from their folder location to a collection you have set up. Alternatively, if you designate a collection as the “Target collection,” while viewing that image in the Library module, you can just hit the “B” key on your keyboard to add the image to the target collection. You can also select multiple images in the Library module, hit the “B” key to add them all to the target collection.
Remember that nothing really moves, no duplicates get made, no additional drive space is needed. Collections are virtual – only pointers to the original files.
Collections can be very handy. When I’m gathering photos for an article, I will often create a Lightroom collection with the title of the article, make it the target collection, and then as I prowl through my library looking for photos I might want to use, I hit the “B” key on the keyboard and they are added to the collection. Fantastic!
Be a Smarter Collector
Collections are a great tool, but we can go a step further.
Let’s go back to our flower photos example. If I took some flower shots every time I did a shoot, I want them to automatically show up in my Best Flowers collection without any additional work on my part? A smart collection uses filters and conditions like the Library filter but runs continuously in the background.
To set up a new Smart Collection, go to the Collections tab in the panel on the left side of Lightroom. Click the + symbol. Select Create a Smart Collection. Then use the controls in that menu to set up the parameters defining what will be selected.
So, if I set up a smart collection, name it “Best Flowers” and use the parameters where, for example, keywords contained “flowers” and the rating was 3-stars or above, any photo added meeting those conditions automatically appear in that smart collection without any additional work by me. Once built, your smart collections just work silently in the background of Lightroom. (I would just have to remember to be diligent about rating and keywording my flower photos each time I had some new ones brought in.)
Once you set up the parameters for a Smart Filter in Lightroom, it will watch for any images that meet those qualifications and add them to the collection. Here, I have a filter that looks for photos with the keyword “Flowers” that are rated 4-stars or higher. Now, if I’m good about rating and keywording my flowers photos as I take them and import them into Lightroom, they will automatically be added to this collection
Another great use for a smart collection – make one to show all your unedited photos, wherever they might be in your library.
Set your smart collection parameters to something like my example below. It has the Has edits set to False, the camera as the one I’m interested in, my Canon EOS 6D, the File Type Raw, and the Pick Flag is on.
Now, unedited images I’ve flagged as Picks will immediately show up here as soon as I imported them in Lightroom. As I edit them, they will fall off this list. Think of this kind of Smart collection as your “In Box” of photos for editing.
I can also use the other tools and filters we’ve discussed to determine if I will keep them at all. I can do additional culling here if I decide I won’t edit them and perhaps delete them.
Use a Lightroom Smart Collection to act as your “In Box” telling you which photos need editing. I’ve set this Smart filter to add photos that are not edited (Has Edits is False), where the file type is Raw, I’ve flagged the photo as a Pick, and the photos were taken with my Canon 6D. Smart Collections can be very powerful and the beauty is, as collections are strictly virtual, there’s no need for additional copies, folders, or duplicates that would take up more drive space.
Also, remember images in a collection are just pointers to the original files. So if you click on an image in a collection and open it in the Edit module to make changes, you are also editing the photo in the folder where it really lives.
Polishing up the diamonds
When you can’t be out taking more photos, a good use of your time might be to use Lightroom to find photos worth revisiting.
I’m betting that you’ve passed over many diamonds in the rough, and a trip back through the mine that is your photo library will yield some yet undiscovered treasures. Happy prospecting. For now, stay home, be well, and “Live long and prosper.”
The post Ways to Use Lightroom to Find Photos Worth Revisiting appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Rick Ohnsman.
The post Stuck at Home? – Ways Still Life Photography Can Keep Your Skills Sharp appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Rick Ohnsman.
As I write this, many of us are holed up at home. So what can we do to continue to practice our craft as photographers, have a bit of diversion and enjoyment, and maybe learn some new techniques? I suggest you give still life photography at home a try.
Still life images like this were what painters often did back before there was photography. This shot needed no fancy equipment. The “light-painted” shot used only a flashlight and a long exposure. This is just one of the techniques you can try if you want to give still life photography at home a try. Canon 6D with Canon 50mm “nifty-fifty” lens, 5 sec. f/14 ISO 100
If you’re a landscape, sports, fashion, portrait, or type of photographer who does work requiring you to get out and about, working at home doing still life photos on the kitchen table could be a new thing. Still life? Really? Why? Well, stay with me here and we’ll explore all the things you can learn.
1. Composition
In much of photography, you deal with the scene as you find it. Maybe one of the best things about still life photography is you are in complete control. You pick the subjects, the arrangement, and the background.
Making a shot in a hurry before the moment passes isn’t an issue. You can take your time, practice compositional concepts like the Rule of Thirds, the Rule of Odds, leading lines, negative space, simplification, background choice, depth-of-field, and many other artistic concepts of composition.
You set the scene and are in complete control. Few other genres of photography offer such an advantage.
A simple photo that explores some of the standard composition rules – Rule of Thirds, Rule of Odds, Leading Lines, etc. The monochrome version simplifies the image even further, making the shot even more about shape, line, tone, and texture. Sony DSC-HX5V, 1/100 sec. f/10 ISO 125
2. Lighting
Let there be light.
You decide what type, how many sources, whether to use hard or soft lighting. Might some colored lighting using gels give the look you want?
How will you use light to draw the viewer’s eye where you want it?
Have you explored the use of reflectors, fill light, or “flags” to block light from certain portions of the scene? Do you know what a gobo or a cucoloris is? A shoot, grid, or gridded-snoot?
Still life photography at home lets you be the set and lighting director.
It’s all about the lighting. I photographed the clock in front of a computer monitor with clock-themed images on it. The clock itself, I light-painted with a flashlight. Canon 50D with Tamron 17-50mm lens, 10 sec. f/18 ISO 100. The kiwi slices were placed in a glass dish and lit from below with an LED flashlight. LG G4 cellphone camera, 1/30 sec. f/1.8 ISO 200
3. Explore camera angles
A distinction between a snapshooter and a photographer is the former sees a scene, raises the camera to their eye, and snaps a shot. Little thought is given to composition and most photos are taken from the eye-level of the photographer. Yawn.
In a world where we are inundated with images, making yours different is the only way to stand out. Finding perspectives others haven’t thought of is one way to do that.
Learn to see differently. This is a window blind shot as illuminated by the morning sun. The photo was then rotated 90-degrees counter-clockwise. Canon 6D with Canon 24-105 f4 Lens, 1/6000 sec. f/16 ISO 800
Rather than always shooting from eye or tripod level, mix it up. Get up and look down for a birds-eye vantage point. Get down and try a worms-eye view. Have you heard of a “Dutch-tilt”? Maybe try looking through objects, using them as frames for your subject.
Much of my photography is landscape work, so I’m a dedicated tripod shooter. The advantages of that are, of course, stability and repeatability. I can leave the camera in a fixed spot and move other things; the lights and subjects, use long and different exposures and have variations of the same shot.
There’s something to be said, however, for getting off the tripod.
Going handheld will help you move more easily and explore different angles. Whatever you do, let me repeat something I said earlier…work to make your image different.
See if you can identify these household objects. When doing macro, and seeing differently, even stuck in the house you can find subjects for still life photography. (Clockwise from top left – Canon 6D , reversed lens, 1/40 sec. ISO 400, Canon 6D w/ reversed lens, 1/40 sec ISO 400, Canon 6D with Tamron 90mm macro lens, 1/4 sec. f/32 ISO 1250, Canon 6D with Tamron 90mm macro lens, 1.3 sec, f/32, ISO 1250
4. Lens selection
Doing still life photography at home is a great time to explore how different lenses can give you different looks.
You won’t have to worry so much about dust getting on your sensor as you change lenses and you’ll have a place to put lenses down while you do change them (rather than fearing a fumble onto the ground).
Try some things. Note how a wide-angle lens emphasizes the size of objects nearest the lens, how a telephoto compresses space between objects, or how a wide aperture reduces your depth-of-field. Learn what the “sweet-spot” is of each of your lenses, that aperture where the lens is at its sharpest.
Table-top photography is also a great opportunity to play with prime lenses, moving the camera or subject rather than zooming. I’ve grown to love my little Canon “nifty-fifty” for use in doing still life photography at home. This economical little lens might be one of my sharpest.
Using my shell/beach-stone collection and a pair of my wife’s sandals I was able to make this product-photography-like shot. Note the camera angle looking almost straight down. Canon 6D with Canon 50mm f/1.8 prime lens, 1/80 sec. f/20 ISO 200
5. Get close with macro
If you’ve not tried macro photography, being sequestered at home is a perfect opportunity to give it a try. It requires practice, patience, and a controlled environment where you are in charge of the composition and lighting (and there’s no wind). Being able to slow down and pay careful attention is a real plus, as being meticulous is a key to making good macro shots.
Often, your cell phone camera can take a great macro photo. This feather was shot with my LG V30 cell phone.
So you don’t have a macro lens? Try some alternatives.
The reversed-lens macro technique is a great way to dip your toe in macro waters on a budget. You will also find that common household objects become fascinating subjects when photographed at a macro level. Just be careful – macro-photography is contagious.
Don’t have a dedicated macro lens? This extreme macro, (the drop was only about 2mm wide), was shot with an old Vivitar film camera lens. The lens was reversed and combined with three (12mm, 20mm, and 36mm) extension tubes combined with the reversed lens at 28mm. This is also a 2-image focus stack – one for the drop and the other for the flower inside. Extension tubes on my Canon 6D. 15 sec. reversed lens, ISO 100
6. Tell a story
When choosing your subjects for a session of still life photography at home, give thought to telling a story. Rather than just choose random objects, think like a movie set director using the scene to tell the story.
Use your objects, background, lighting, camera angle, and whatever other photographic tricks you can summon. Your objective is to make the viewer see the story in your photo. A picture can be worth a thousand words, if you choose those “words” carefully.
Carefully selecting your still life subjects can allow you to create a story. My titles might help you understand what I was illustrating here. “Awaiting Santa” – Canon 50D, Canon 50mm prime lens, .5 sec,f/5.6, ISO 100 , “Family Album Photographs” – Canon 6D, Canon 50mm prime lens, f/22, ISO 800 , “Doc Brown makes a housecall,” – Canon 50D, XX lens, f/XX, ISO XXX , “The Conchologist” – Canon 6D, Canon 24-105 lens, 1/6 sec. f/4, ISO 100
7. Simple is better
A photo friend once said something that has stuck with me about a good photo – “Anything that doesn’t add, detracts.”
It’s important that, with a glance, the viewer immediately “gets it.” Without even thinking, they know what your intended subject is and what you are trying to communicate.
Landscape photographers must find ways to simplify the scenes they photograph, but as a still life table-top photographer, you have complete control.
Carefully consider what to put in and what to take out, where to concentrate the light, what to leave in shadow, and what is in and out-of-focus. The strongest photos will be those with a single, powerful message.
Sometimes the simplest images can be the most powerful. Canon 50D, Canon 50mm prime lens, 8 sec. f/22, ISO 100. Frozen with flash. Ordinary objects can become much more interesting with dramatic lighting. This one was light-painted with a flashlight. Canon 6D, Canon 24-105 lens, 10 sec. f/11, ISO 100
8. Reflect on this
Reflections can elevate an otherwise ho-hum subject to a new and exciting level. When doing still life photography at home, a good method of creating a reflection is to use a piece of black plexiglass under your set-up.
Unlike a mirror, which will create two reflections due to the surface and the mirrored back of the glass, the acrylic sheet creates just one. Of course, the inventive photographer will find other ways to create reflections as well.
A piece of black plexiglass reflects the jar of marbles. The string of Christmas lights provides a background of bokeh highlights. Canon 6D, Canon 24-105mm lens, 1/8 sec. f/4, ISO 800
9. Bokeh and how to use it
“Bokeh” (however you pronounce it), is defined as the “blurred quality or effect seen in the out-of-focus portion of a photograph taken with a narrow depth of field.”
Still life photography is a great opportunity to explore how you can use it to simplify the background, keep viewer attention where you want it, and enhance the story you’re trying to tell. You can also try some special effects bokeh using patterns cut in pieces of paper and put on your lens. If you’re a shut-in frustrated photographer, why not brighten your day making some fun “bokehlicious” pics?
My Canon “nifty-fifty”, the 50mm f/1.8 prime which often isn’t much over $ 100 US, is one of my sharpest lenses. It also creates interesting bokeh highlights when opened up to a wide aperture. Canon 50D, Canon 50mm “nifty-fifty” lens, 1/25 sec. f/2.8, ISO 100
10. Food photography
Food photography is by its very nature, still life photography.
Top food photographers make good money by making food images look especially delicious. Study great food photos for clues as to composition, lighting, backgrounds, props, camera angles, and other tricks. Then see if you can emulate those tricks.
Maybe grab some cookies and a glass of milk, or a beer and some pretzels, and see what you can do to replicate great photo photography looks. Not only will you hone your photo skills, but when you’re done, you can have a snack.
Food photography certainly falls into the genre of still life. This is definitely something to try if you’re having to stay home. Canon 20D, Canon 50mm prime lens, 1/250 sec. f/4, ISO 200
11. For my next trick
Two different years I did what some call a “Project 52,” a photo assignment a week for an entire year. I made it a point to try some special tricks I’d never tried before – photographing smoke, water splashes, flames and sparks, and oil and water abstracts.
Using both long exposures, as well as the extremely short duration of a flash and a camera trigger, were things I learned.
If you need ideas, search dPS, or Google “creative photography” and see what catches your eye, then figure out how to do it yourself. Part of the fun of still life photography at home is using your creativity to make shots you’ve never before attempted.
Light for these shots is provided solely by the sparklers used. The long exposure allows for interesting light trails. Left – Canon 50D, Canon 50mm prime lens lens, 4 sec. f/11, ISO 100 Right – Canon 50D, Canon 50mm prime lens, 1 sec. f/11, ISO 100 Who says still life photos must be still? The “Raspberry Milk Splash” froze the action using the short duration of a speedlight, Canon 50D, Tamron 17-50 lens, 1/60 f/25, ISO 100. “Tumblin’ Dice” was a longer exposure with a second-curtain sync flash. Canon 50D, Canon 17-40 lens, 1.0 sec f/13 ISO 100
12. Advertising and product photography
Making the ordinary extraordinary is why skilled advertising photographers get paid the big bucks. Pick up a magazine and study the way common objects are staged, lit, and photographed. Then find some objects at home and see if you can emulate those looks.
What might look like a simple shot is often much more complex if you were to take a look behind the scenes. Don’t have a studio with a bunch of fancy lights and modifiers? No worry, see what you can do “on the cheap” with simpler lighting equipment. You might be surprised at how using brains rather than bucks can still result in a stunning photo.
When doing still life photography at home, remember that rather than having powerful studio lights or even Speedlights, you can simply increase the exposure time since your subject isn’t moving and you can shoot using a tripod. Small, inexpensive hardware store LED lights like these can work surprising well.
Something else to consider is making photos for items you’d like to sell on places like eBay, Craigslist, or other online sites.
Your item with a nicely lit and composed shot will attract much more attention (and perhaps even fetch a higher price) than a “quicky” snapshot someone else made with their cellphone.
If you plan to do a lot of this kind of work, you might also look into buying a simple light tent or perhaps making your own. For smaller objects, a collapsible light tent can be had for under $ 20.00 U.S. and will give you pretty good results.
Note the lighting set-up in the inset shot using just the cheap LED flashlights for illumination. When doing still life photography at home, learn how you can get big results with little lights. Canon 6D, Canon 24-105 lens, 3.2 sec, f/14 ISO 100I wanted to accentuate the “emergency feel” of this police badge and so used a blue-gelled light on camera left and a red-gelled light on the right. Canon 6D, Canon 50mm prime lens, 2 sec. f/20 ISO 100.
13. No travel required
Even in times when we feel more comfortable traveling, not all of us can get to the exotic hot spots where we see other photographers going. I’m not expecting to get to Iceland anytime soon.
When doing still life photography at home, that’s not an issue. No one is going to guess that the location where you took that really cool still life photo was your kitchen table.
I formerly wrote for another now discontinued online photo site, Improve Photography, and did an article called “Tips for the Non-Traveling Photographer.” I’d encourage you to have a look, as almost all of the images in that piece were done at home or within 20-miles of my house. Imagination can often take you much further as a photographer than a passport.
Stuck at home? Drag out that collection of whatever you might have and photograph it for fun. “Campaign Buttons” – Canon 6D, Canon 24-105mm lens, 6 sec. f/22 ISO XXX. “Foreign Coins” – Canon 6D, Canon 24-105mm lens, 2.5 sec. f/22 ISO 100
14. Exercise for photo fitness
Want to be more photographically-fit? The key is the same as increasing your physical fitness – work out more.
The key to being a better photographer is routinely making more photos, learning new techniques, and practicing. Waiting to pick up the camera until you go on a special trip, attend an event or make family photos isn’t going to cut it if you want to be good. Unless you’re taking photos at least a few times a week, you’re probably not getting enough “photographic exercise” to be a strong photographer.
No flash, but high noon sun, a reflector, an aquarium, a high shutter speed, a fast trigger finger, timing, some luck and a lot of tries were what was needed for this shot. I had a fun afternoon making all kinds of splash photos on a picnic table in the backyard. Canon 50D, Canon 50mm f/1.8 lens, 1/3200 sec. f/4 ISO 400.
These are unusual times. You may find you’re not able to get out as much, perhaps not even going to your regular job. So why not use that free time to keep yourself engaged, entertained, and further your photo education?
Try some still life photography at home. Shoot, review, repeat.
As you get better, do as you would with exercise, and make the next session more challenging. Then post your images online and here in the comments section of this site so we can admire your work.
Be engaged, be productive, be learning and growing as a photographer and above all… Until next time, be well my friends.
The post Stuck at Home? – Ways Still Life Photography Can Keep Your Skills Sharp appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Rick Ohnsman.
The post 3 Ways Photography Can Ease Anxiety appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Megan Kennedy.
Anxiety is a condition that can be utterly debilitating. From intrusive anxious thoughts to overwhelming fear or panic, anxiety can make it difficult to cope with everyday life. Fortunately, studies have demonstrated that it is possible to lessen the effects of anxiety through art therapy. In this article I’ll have a look at some of the ways photography can ease anxiety symptoms.
f/1.8 1/4000 ISO 100
1. Perspective
One of the key ways photography can ease anxiety is through perspective. In photography circles, perspective usually refers to the camera’s point of view. Perspective can also be used to describe the relationship between objects in an image.
However, perspective in everyday language also refers to “a particular way of considering something“. An individual’s perspective is guided by their own experience. Therefore, a person suffering from anxiety may view the world through a prism of distress.
The beauty of photography is that it can change visual experience – which in turn alters personal perspective.
f/3.5 1/320 ISO 100
With an eye to the viewfinder, priorities can shift from the internal to the external. Energies are funneled into discovering and negotiating subject matter. A focus on composition and exposure stimulates a perceptible reach beyond mental distress and sustained visual-analysis distracts the mind which can loosen the grip of anxiety, improving perspective.
2. Getting out
When anxiety starts to creep in, the first instinct can be to hole-up at home. Some downtime alone can be therapeutic. But anxiety can exacerbate the desire to self-isolate, which, in turn, can amplify anxiety – a vicious cycle.
Sufferers of anxiety and are often advised to get out of the house and exercise. Go for a run, or a walk, get into yoga… something that gets endorphins happening. And for a good reason too: it’s proven that exercise propagates good mental health. But exercising while combating anxiety is easier said than done. That’s where photography comes in.
For many photographers, the potential for a great photographic opportunity is a powerful motivator to actively seek photographic subjects outside the confines of the home, helping to shift the burden of anxiety a little. In addition, placing emphasis on the familiarity of the photographic process expands the comfort zone, making leaving the house a bit less daunting.
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The physical nature of photography decreases the tension in anxious muscles and can divert attention away from the experience of anxiety in general. Of course, photography may not be as labor-intensive as a session at the gym (although it could well be, depending on the situation), but the physically and mentally active role of the photographer behind the camera is one of the best ways photography can ease anxiety symptoms.
3. Expression
When Nicéphore Nièpce succeeded in making the earliest surviving camera-made photograph in 1826, he probably didn’t envisage the far-reaching impact his endeavor would have on the human transferal of information.
Nevertheless, as photography evolved, so too did the capacity for people to communicate ideas and experiences through the photographic image.
Because no two experiences are the same, anxiety can be hard to endure and even harder to explain. Many photographers, however, have found ways to channel their experiences within the photographic medium.
For example, the Let’s Talk campaign looks to promote mental health awareness by photographing sitters with their mental health stories written on their faces.
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Another website, fragmentary.org curates photographic bodies of work that document the highly personal experience of mental health photographically. By delving into the complexities of anxiety and depression, photographers like Courtney Lowry and John Mannell express creatively what words cannot adequately describe.
Exploring mental health artistically is an impactful way photography can ease anxiety. Self-portraits, abstract renderings, photo-manipulation… photography enables photographers to share experiences, lessening the often lonesome burden of anxiety and perhaps creating new relationships along the way.
Conclusion
Whether you are a seasoned photographer or just starting out, the ways photography can ease anxiety are far-reaching. From altering perspective to influencing motivation and cultivating expression, photography can ride with you through highs of mental health, and support you in the lows.
Have you found that photography helps you to ease the anxiety in your life? Share your thoughts with us in the comments.
The post 3 Ways Photography Can Ease Anxiety appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Megan Kennedy.
The post 5 Ways to Capture More Diverse Landscape Photos appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jeremy Flint.
One of the most challenging things with landscape photography is to capture images that stand out. Planning to get to a destination at the right time is the easy part, and usually requires minimal effort. So when you have arrived at your location, how do you go about capturing more diverse landscape photos?
Well, there are several ways to represent greater diversity in your landscape images. Read on to discover how to make your landscape photos more interesting.
1. Minimalist scene
1/400 sec at f/11, Canon 5D Mark IV, 70-200mm f/2.8 lens
The first thing to consider when you are out in nature doing landscape photography is to decide what you are going to capture.
You may decide to photograph the entire view of the beautiful scenery in front of you. However, while executing a wide-angle shot of everything in the scene is a great way to start, why not try simplifying a scene to make it stand out.
Take a moment to think about what is actually appealing about the landscape. Are there any interesting features on show? What elements help to make the landscape look stunning? Is there an attractive outbuilding or a tree, for example?
I find limiting the number of components in a scene helps to convey the spirit of a place more fluently. Try adopting a “less is more approach” and bring certain elements together, such as a visually enticing cloud formation or evocative mist floating over an alluring landscape. The natural light and components within a scene can play an important part in the overall composition and look of your final image.
2. Extract patterns
1/100 sec at f/11, Canon 5D Mark IV, 70-200mm f/2.8 lens
Have you ever felt your landscape images are overly complicated or lack impact?
Another great technique to capture more diverse landscape photos that depict a location in a better way is to draw out patterns or details within the environment.
One method to do this is to shoot with a long lens from afar and compress the perspective to reduce the sense of space. A long lens helps to focus on capturing a certain part of the landscape, bringing near and far objects closer together and emphasizing shapes and patterns more effectively. An example of this may be to capture an attractive building with a field.
3. Aerial views
When looking to capture diverse landscape photos, a great way to alter the perspective of your shots is to vary your viewpoint. Shooting from a high viewpoint provides a great way to capture scenes from an angle that people may not normally see. This can be a good strategy to photograph something new and develop some creative landscape photography.
Elevated views can help to flatten the perspective of your image as it eliminates distance indicators. You can reduce the amount of sky in your photos and concentrate on creating images with interesting shapes. You can achieve aerial views by walking up to a higher vantage point, or shooting from a plane or hot-air balloon, for example.
1/180 sec at f/11, Canon 5D SR, 24-70mm f/2.8 lens
4. Shoot in overcast conditions
Don’t limit your landscape photography to sunny days or only wait for perfect light to appear, you can achieve diverse landscape photos in all weathers.
Capturing a scene in overcast conditions can lead to particularly striking results. The flat lighting will remove shadows and help to simplify a scene. Also, the reduced contrast will help to provide a simpler and more minimalist composition.
Overcast skies provide beautiful diffused light that can be really appealing for landscape photography.
5. Shoot fleeting light
Working with light can be a great way to capture remarkable images. With the right amount of light and cloud, you can convert a dull scene into a special scene, taking your photos to the next level.
For example, after a storm has passed, interesting light can transform a photo of the landscape into something incredible. This is especially so where the sun paints the land with magical pockets of light.
The precise combination of light, sky, and atmosphere can be blended to create an incomparable beauty within a frame.
1/320 sec at f/8, Canon 5D Mark IV, 24-70mm f/2.8 lens
Following a rain shower, keep a lookout for rainbows, as they provide an extraordinary addition to your pictures and help them to stand out. Remember to ensure your gear is kept dry during any rain too. That way, your camera will work well when capturing these great lighting moments after the rain has stopped.
Conclusion
In summary, you can capture more diverse landscape photos by applying a few important techniques. Go for a minimalist look by focussing on attractive elements within the landscape, and extract patterns by using a long lens to compress the perspective.
Shoot from above, shoot in overcast conditions, and capture momentary light and rainbows for more varied landscape images.
Apply these techniques next time you are out with your camera photographing the landscape and share your pictures with us below.
Do you have any other tips for capturing more diverse landscape photos? Share them with us also.
The post 5 Ways to Capture More Diverse Landscape Photos appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jeremy Flint.
The post Focusing Tips for Beginners – Ways to Achieve Spot-on Focus in Photography appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Kevin Landwer-Johan.
Focus is vital. Capturing your subject in crisp, sharp focus requires skill and practice. You need to understand the various auto-focus controls on your camera. Here are some focusing tips for beginners to help you get sharp photos more consistently.
Many digital photographers like to use the various sharpening options available in software. Don’t be tempted. I have never known an out-of-focus photo to be well improved with post-production manipulations.
Sharpening in post can, however, help images that are a little soft. This is often due to lens quality rather than poor focusing. Either your photos are in focus or they are not. Focusing tips for beginners are important to understand. There is no fixing an out of focus photo with your computer.
Pick your point and focus on it. Having the wrong part of your composition in focus will not result in a good photograph. You must decide what’s in your frame that’s most important and focus on it.
Focusing tips for beginners often contain information about operating your camera better. I will include these tips here also. But first, it’s important to know what you want to focus on. This is something I prefer not to let my camera choose for me.
As you are composing your photo, be mindful of your main subject. Consider it’s depth. Is most of your subject the same distance from your camera? Or is some of it closer to you than other parts?
Photographing a bicycle that’s side on to you, most of it is about the same distance from your camera. Taking a photo of the bike as it faces the camera will mean you need to choose whereabouts on it to focus. If you focus on the back wheel, the front wheel may be out of focus.
One rule of thumb I use most of the time is, if your subject has eyes, focus on them. If one eye is closer to your camera than the other, focus on the closest one. Subjects with eyes that are out of focus rarely look good in photos.
Digital cameras usually have various setting options for choosing your focus point. You can set your camera to only focus on a single point. Or you can set it to choose from multiple points. More advanced cameras allow you to set the area and number of focus points.
I prefer to have my camera set to single point auto-focus. This allows me to be precise and in control of what I focus on. Having your camera set to multi-point auto-focus means your camera chooses what part of your composition to focus on.
Some camera models allow you to move the single focus point to position it where you want in the frame. In other cameras, the single point for auto-focusing is central in the frame and you cannot move it. To use the single point on these cameras, you must shift your camera to focus where you want and then re-compose. I would find this frustrating. It will not always provide correct focus when you are using a very wide aperture setting.
Using a camera where you can precisely control the single point the camera will auto-focus on, gives you control. You can move the point to the portion of the frame where you want to focus easily. This may take some practice to become quick at it, but it’s worthwhile when you want to be in control.
About the only time I use multi-point auto-focusing, is when I am tracking a moving subject that is constant. The camera will often be able to lock on and keep with a subject unless the subject is moving erratically. Accuracy when using this mode can also depend on how fast your subject is moving. Your subject will be easier to track when it’s slow-moving.
Choosing continuous or single-servo auto-focus is another important decision. When you choose continuous focus, your camera will always be refocusing while you have the focus button activated. With single-servo auto-focus, pressing the focus control, it will focus once and remain set on that point – even when your subject or camera moves.
Continuous-servo focusing is most useful when you have a moving subject, or you are moving with your camera. If I am using continuous-servo focus, I am often also using a multi-point setting. However, most of the time, I use single-servo focusing.
By default, cameras are configured to use the shutter release button to focus. You will half depress the shutter button to focus. Some cameras allow you to turn off focusing on the shutter button and assign the focus function to another button.
Many photographers like to change the focus function to be controlled by one of the buttons on the back of the camera. Hence the name, back button focus.
Doing this allows you to focus independently from taking a photo. Assigning a button other than the shutter release to control focus, gives you more flexibility. You can focus and take photos independently when different buttons control these functions.
Back button focus can take a little getting used to, but I have found it well worthwhile because it gives me more control of my focus.
There are many situations where you might want to take a photo without refocusing, and back-button focusing allows you to do this.
Another of the focusing tips for beginners is manual focusing. Some may think that manual focusing is too slow or difficult, but it’s not if you practice it.
You can become proficient in a short space of time if you commit to learning. Once you know how you will be surprised at how often manual focus skills come in handy.
Auto-focus is a wonderful technology, but it’s not always perfect. When you find your lens searching for a focus point and struggling to find one, it pays to switch over to manual if you know what you are doing.
Manually controlling your focus in low light can often be faster and more precise than your camera’s auto-focus. Learning to focus manually is also a lot cheaper than upgrading to a higher quality camera that has better auto-focus.
I hope you have found these focusing tips for beginners useful. Remember, don’t leave it all to your camera. Getting well-focused images is not all about managing your camera’s auto-focus system. You need to work on your focus techniques and know what to do when you are photographing different subjects. This is particularly important when your subject is moving.
Sometimes you’ll want to track focus. At other times you’ll want to pre-focus and wait for your subject to enter your frame. When doing macro photography, it can be useful to set your focus and then move your camera or subject forwards or back a little to fine-tune.
Practice, as always, will make you sharper, and your images too.
Do you have any other focusing tips for beginners that you’d like to share? If so, please do so in the comments.
The post Focusing Tips for Beginners – Ways to Achieve Spot-on Focus in Photography appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Kevin Landwer-Johan.
The post 5 Ways to Shoot Architecture More Creatively appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jeremy Flint.
Architecture photography is an enjoyable genre of photography that can be photographed almost anywhere. With the expansion of the built environment globally, opportunities for photographing urban scenes have increased significantly. This makes architecture photography an attractive proposition. Buildings can make very rewarding photography subjects, especially as they are generally designed to be attractive to the eye. As buildings are a permanent part of our urban landscapes, you have as much time as you like to photograph the architecture. So, it is just a case of finding different ways to shoot architecture more creatively.
Read on to discover some useful techniques to help you with your architecture photography.
1. Shoot from afar
A popular choice for shooting architecture is from directly in front of it. Once you have captured architecture from nearby, try and find another viewpoint further away.
Shooting from afar is one of the best ways to shoot architecture more creatively. If you position yourself at a distance from the building, you will be able to get more of the structure in your scene and some of the surroundings. Is the building near a waterfront? If so, capture the reflection of the building in the water or take photos of the boats going by the building.
Alternatively, you may want to capture the bustle of the crowds around the building too.
You can capture an epic angle from a distance just by walking a bit further away and changing your perspective.
2. Find a higher vantage point
When looking for other ways to shoot architecture more creatively, try finding a higher vantage point for an alternative point of view. Buildings can look great shot from above.
Climbing up a flight of stairs or jumping in a lift can lead to other great vantage points to photograph structures from. From up high, buildings can look fascinating where you can be innovative with your shots and do justice to the people who designed the building.
Aim to fill the frame with your chosen subject and reveal some of its details. Alternatively, capture the structure as part of the wider cityscape.
3. Go inside
Not only is architecture designed to look beautiful on the outside, but their structures can also be just as great on the inside.
There are places all over the world that have great interior structures. Places like castles, cathedrals or famous landmarks can look great on the inside. Windsor Castle, Westminster Abbey and the Tower of London in England, for example. Other structures can have attractive stairwells, whilst some will house ornate rooms with decorative features.
The lighting inside buildings can also add to the drama of a place. This can either be from lanterns placed inside a building, interior lights or external light shining through providing shadows that transform the area.
You may need to learn more about capturing ambient lighting. See an article here.
4. Look for interesting patterns
Another brilliant way to shoot architecture more creatively is to explore the different aspects of a building and look for interesting patterns.
Look for leading lines, geometry, structures, and shapes. Walk around and change your viewpoint to convey the various features and reveal something different.
Shooting centerpieces or components on a wall are great ways to shoot architecture more creatively. Try to find a good angle from which to present the building and show it in a unique way that is not the same as the familiar-looking, regularly-captured shots.
5. Shoot the old and new
Whether you like to capture the latest structural designs or traditional buildings, both modern and ancient architecture can be beautiful.
To create an interesting image of a modern masterpiece or an ancient structure, you will need to interpret the building pleasingly.
You can achieve this with a good composition that draws on your own creative vision. Look up and capture its expanse, for example, to photograph the building uniquely.
Alternatively, look out for appealing surfaces and take a photo of something unusual. Original structures can be more rustic-looking, whilst newer buildings provide more modern and decorative aspects of architecture.
Photographing old and new architecture on bright sunny days is one of the best ways to shoot architecture more creatively. The play of light can be great for photographing strong shadows and deep contrasts.
The intensified shapes that result from the contrasting light are ideal for showing up form, bringing out texture and giving strong color. Sunlight can, therefore, enliven an image and make it more impressive.
Conclusion
In summary, architecture photography is becoming a popular genre of photography especially with the expansion of urban developments.
Some of the best ways to shoot architecture more creatively include photographing from afar, shooting inside as well as outside and capturing interesting patterns such as unusual geometry and shapes.
Finally, shoot old and new structures in an interesting way with your unique vision.
Do you have any further suggestions to shoot architecture more creatively? Share your comments and pictures with us below.
The post 5 Ways to Shoot Architecture More Creatively appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jeremy Flint.
The post 5 Ways to Create More Artistic Photos (Fast!) appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey.
Are you looking to create more artistic photos? Do you feel like your photos need a bit of an upgrade?
You’re not alone.
This type of struggle is one that most photographers feel at one point or another. I’ve felt it myself, which is why I developed several methods for increasing the artistry in my own photography.
And I’m going to share these methods with you today.
So if you’re looking to add a level of creative and artistic flair to your photos, keep reading.
300mm, 1/1250 sec, f/6.3, ISO 200
1. Use minimalism to improve your compositions
Creating more artistic photos can start by changing up your compositions.
Because here’s the thing:
After doing photography for a bit, you start to fall into compositional patterns. You’ll take the same type of photo, over and over again. You may not even realize it.
So in order to take things to the next level…
…you should make a strong effort to break free of your compositional patterns.
One of my favorite ways to do that is with minimalism. Minimalism involves using lots of negative space, while also positioning your subject toward the edges of the frame.
400mm, 1/320 sec, f/5.6, ISO 400
For instance, a minimalistic photographer might take a single plant and place it down at the very top or bottom of the frame, while the rest of the scene stays primarily white:
100mm, 1/125 sec, f/2.8, ISO 320
Minimalism is great, and one of the things I love most about it is how it feels so different from normal compositional techniques. Once you start thinking minimalist, your whole outlook can change.
And your photos will start to look far more artistic.
2. Add split toning to enhance the colors
If you’re looking to increase the artistry in your photos, ask yourself:
How am I doing with color?
Because color is one of the most neglected aspects of photography, despite its important role in most photos.
Color adds contrast, creates harmony and disharmony, and evokes different moods.
(All in a wonderfully subtle way!)
Now, one aspect of improving the use of color in your photography involves looking for interesting color combinations when out shooting.
But you can also make changes after you’ve finished your photoshoots.
More specifically, split toning will allow you to add a bit of mood and contrast to your photos.
Here’s a photo with a bit of split toning to deepen the yellow highlights and the green shadows:
90mm, 1/160 sec, f/9.0, ISO 320
Basically, a split tone just involves putting one color cast in the highlights of your photo and one color cast in the shadows of your photo. Cold shadows and warm highlights are pretty common, so you could easily go with a blue/yellow split-tone combination. But you should also experiment with other possibilities to make things as artistic (and interesting!) as possible.
Note that pretty much every RAW photo editor offers split toning in one form or another. So no matter your preferred post-processing software, you’ll be able to add some color!
3. Decrease the depth of field for a softer look
This is one of my personal favorites for making photos more artistic:
Bringing down that depth of field.
With a shallow depth of field, you can create all sorts of interesting effects: Stunning background bokeh, soft subjects, and even abstract-type images.
50mm, 1/2000 sec, Freelensed, ISO 250
Now, to create a shallow depth of field look, you’ll need to use a lens with a wide maximum aperture (something in the area of f/1.2 to f/2.8 is best). You’ll also want a lens of at least 50mm, and you’ll want to get close to your subject, if possible. The closer you are to your subject, the better the soft-focus effect.
Note that it can be difficult to focus when working at such a wide aperture. So you may need to switch your lens over to manual, in order to ensure you nail focus every time.
To add additional interest, you might try positioning a light source in the background, so that you can create cool bokeh, like this:
90mm, 1/100 sec, f/2.8, ISO 320
I’d also recommend thinking about your subject a bit differently. Don’t envision the subject as a single entity; instead, look for shapes and lines that you can use for a more powerful composition. That way, you’ll be able to use the soft-focus effect for more artistic, abstract-style images.
4. Look at the work of good photographers for inspiration
If you’re the type of person who likes to get out and practice photography, you may grumble at this suggestion. After all, practice makes perfect, right?
But it’s important to realize that it’s hard to know what perfect would mean…
…if you haven’t ever seen it.
That’s why I urge you to look at the work of photographers you admire. Do it all the time. If you like, you can simply look at photographers in your favorite genres.
One of the photographers whose work I view over and over again is Jess Findlay. While he and I gravitate toward different subjects, his work serves as a constant inspiration to me.
Or you can expand your horizons, looking for photographers in many different areas.
(In fact, I like to look at work that’s not in my areas of interest; I find that it gives me fresh ideas that would’ve never occurred to me if I’d stuck to my preferred genres.)
When you look at photography that you like, ask yourself:
What is it that makes this work special? What is it that makes it so artistic?
Then come up with some ideas for incorporating that level of artistry into your own work. Don’t copy blindly, but try to pull out bits and pieces of wisdom that you can use to enhance your own photos.
For instance, if you notice that a photographer likes to shoot from a low angle, start shooting from a low angle yourself.
If you notice that a photographer loves to juxtapose two contrasting subjects, try juxtaposing some contrasting subjects yourself.
Just give it a try. My guess is that you’ll notice improvements in your own photos pretty quickly.
And then you won’t want to stop looking at other photos!
5. Lengthen your shutter speeds for more abstract photos
Here’s a final, practical tip for creating more artistic photos:
Use creatively long shutter speeds.
For instance, photograph moving a flower, but drop the shutter speed way down, so you get a cool blur effect.
And then move your camera around, even as you’re taking the photo. That’ll give you an even more interesting abstract:
100mm, 1/6 sec, f/2.8, ISO 250
Personally, I love doing handheld abstracts with long shutter speeds. Sure, they take a lot of experimentation, but they’re also very liberating. And they’re great for situations where the light is too low to get sharp shots handheld and you don’t want to use a tripod.
Now, to pull off this type of abstract image, you’ll need to put your camera in Manual mode (or Shutter Priority) and drop the shutter speed until it reaches 1/10s to 1s (or longer). Then, as you hit the shutter button, move your camera. I’d recommend aligning the movement with compositional elements in your scene (e.g., if there are trees in the scene, move the camera along the tree trunks).
You’ll end up with some very artistic blurs!
Five ways to make your photography more artistic: Conclusion
Hopefully, you now know a few easy ways to make your photos more artistic.
After all, capturing artistic photos doesn’t have to be hard…
…it just involves changing things up!
So try some of the ideas I’ve suggested, and see how things go. I bet you’ll like the result!
300mm, 1/400 sec, f/6.3, ISO 320
Do you have ideas for creating more artistic photos? Share them in the comments!
The post 5 Ways to Create More Artistic Photos (Fast!) appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey.
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