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Macro Photography for Beginners

18 Aug

The post Macro Photography for Beginners appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Barrie Smith.

The advent of digital photography swept away one of the most challenging problems in image capture: how to shoot macro without a pile of specialised gear. Now you can get down, dirty, and close in the image capture business, and make macro the digital way with a 100 percent success rate.

ngeblues by Alfian Ismail on 500px.com

I know I’m not alone when I say that macro photography is an absorbing activity: to be able to reach into ‘near space’ and record an image that is not easily visible to the naked eye is an attractive option. There is nothing more satisfying than to make a huge print of an insect, mineral specimen, or any small object that is normally so tiny to the naked eye and captured with the technique of macro photography.

To shoot macro in the days of film — aside from the requirement of using an SLR camera — you needed a few add-ons to take highly magnified images of extremely small subjects.

You could begin by slipping a diopter lens to the front of the existing standard lens, which would impart a degree of magnification; you could also install extension tubes between your normal lens and the camera body; you could also acquire a set of macro bellows and place them between lens and body; and finally, you could invest in a fairly expensive — and optically superb — macro lens that was dedicated to macro shooting. Another option was to fit a reversing ring that allowed you to mount the lens on backward, which improved the close-up resolution and allowed you to focus much more closely. But to be honest, it was a hassle — although you can still use these methods if using a DSLR to shoot macro.

These days, digital does it with a dash! With a digital camera — compact, mirrorless, or DSLR — even newbies are surprised by how easy it is to capture really, really big shots of tiny subjects.

In truth, you can make digital macro photography as basic or as complex as you wish it to be. Even with a budget camera, you can capture images of the tiny world before you, subjects as small as a matchbox, a match-head, or even tinier. The higher-priced compact digital cameras can do it even better, some offering macro shooting with a powerful zoom lens, so you can stand back a bit.

The other approach is to use a DSLR or a mirrorless model; it is surprising how powerful a macro camera circa-$ 1200 USD can become.

Image by macropoulos

What is macro photography?

First, an explanatory note for all those with a modicum of photo history and tech basics: the term macro used to refer to the capture of an insect or whatever that resulted in an image on the 35mm film frame (24x36mm) that ranged from 1:10 to 1:1 the size of the original subject. The term micro referred to a film image that was larger than 1:1; micro photography could easily give you a 35mm film image of an ant that was itself larger than the original ant.

A CCD or CMOS sensor can be as tiny as 3x4mm, so any definition term that applied in the film days is now obsolete. But the rules that apply in accomplishing successful and satisfying macro photography still stand.

Normal photography works in using a camera to record a sharp image by adjusting the lens-to-sensor distance to attain precise focus. For distant subjects at infinity, like landscapes, the lens is positioned at a minimum lens-to-sensor distance; to capture sharp images of closer subjects, like people, the lens-to-sensor is increased.

In macro photography, a sharp image of a tiny object requires the lens to be positioned much closer still, with the lens moved even further out than for normal photography.

Just about all compact cameras and some DSLRs have a selectable macro mode. In some cameras you can select the macro mode via an external control, while in others you must select it in the internal menu.

Think about it: no extra lenses, no macro tubes or bellows, no special lenses. What a wonderful world in which to shoot macro!

Image by macropoulos

Tips for macro photography beginners

Being curious about how digital cameras can capture macro so easily, I investigated the subject. Here are my findings, gained by chatting to the tech expert at a major camera company.

Engage macro mode on a digital camera, and the system adjusts the lens elements to re-arrange them into an array that best suits close focusing. Quite a feat, as even simple camera lenses have a surprising number of lens elements to juggle.

Unfortunately, by engaging macro mode with the vast majority of cameras, you lose control of both the lens aperture (f-stop) and shutter speed.

Why is this so important?

The best macro photography — regardless of camera — requires that you use the smallest lens aperture to gain optimum image sharpness and depth of field. Using a small lens aperture means you need more light, so you need to extend the exposure time to make a correctly exposed photograph.

So you can’t reduce the lens aperture to a smaller, more favorable setting, nor can you slow the shutter speed to permit the use of a smaller lens aperture.

For the keen macro makers, I’ve discovered a few digital cameras that do allow the use of macro mode and lens and shutter speed adjustment.

With DSLR cameras, the macro operation is somewhat different. Select a macro mode and you activate a different chain of events: With any lens fixed to the camera, engaging macro mode on the camera commands the lens aperture to close to its minimum, therefore extending the depth of field and allowing you to move closer to the subject.

Shooting macro with a compact camera is easy, but you have to forgo a fair bit of control, and you need to understand that the demands of an amateur as far as resolution and color quality are less stringent than the pros.

The pro approach would be to use a purpose-built macro lens on a DSLR or mirrorless camera. Dedicated macro lenses are not cheap, but they are optimized to operate at closer than normal distances. With macro lenses, you are unlikely to experience problems such as color fringing and optical distortion; many macro lenses also compensate for the additional exposure necessary when racking out the lens to distances very different from those used in normal photography.

Read the second part of this series here: Macro Photography for Beginners, Part 2.

Image by ecstaticist

The post Macro Photography for Beginners appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Barrie Smith.

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Decline in Camera Sales Continues While Sony Outpaces Nikon

17 Aug

The post Decline in Camera Sales Continues While Sony Outpaces Nikon appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey.

Nikkei has unveiled the 2019 sales and market share data for digital cameras, and numbers are looking bad across the board:

In 2019, camera units sold dropped by over 22%, which mirrors last year’s 22% decline, and suggests that the shrinking digital camera market won’t stabilize anytime soon.

Nikkei also revealed individual market share numbers:

Canon is the industry leader (45.4% market share)
Sony is now second (20.2% market share)
Nikon comes in to third (18.6% market share)
Fujifilm claims fourth (4.7% market share)
Panasonic nabs fifth (4.7% market share)

Last July, we reported on market share data, and the biggest news was Nikon’s decline. If you compare the 2019 data (above) to last year’s data (here), you’ll see that Nikon has descended yet again, dropping from the second spot to third (to be replaced by Sony, which increased its market share after a 2018 downturn).

This is in spite of the Nikon Z6, Z7, and Z50 models, which were Nikon’s (seemingly unsuccessful) attempt at refreshing its DSLR-centric camera program to compete better with major mirrorless players. As is clear from the numbers, a few high-performing mirrorless models just weren’t enough to outcompete Sony, a company that has been steadily capturing photographers thanks to a well-rounded APS-C and full-frame camera lineup.

But despite Sony’s impressive array of mirrorless models, it is Canon that managed to capture the largest digital camera market share in 2019, and has continued to eclipse its competitors by showing significant overall market share growth from 2018.

And while Canon has gained a lot of negative press lately thanks to EOS R5 overheating issues, it’s tough to see Canon losing its dominance anytime soon, especially when you consider the company’s “full steam ahead” approach to mirrorless development in 2020, with the release of both the EOS R5 and EOS R6, new RF lenses, and more.

Also notable is the fifth position in the market share rankings, previously occupied by Olympus but now held by Panasonic. This is hardly a surprise, given Olympus’s decision to sell off their camera division, but note that Panasonic is now pretty much on par with Fujifilm (a company that had seen a significant increase of market share in 2018, only to drop again in 2019).

Now over to you:

When do you think the camera market decline will end? Or is this the end of mass-market digital cameras? Also, how do you feel about Nikon’s descent? Do you think the company will rebound for this year’s data? Share your thoughts in the comments!

The post Decline in Camera Sales Continues While Sony Outpaces Nikon appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey.

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How to do Long Exposure Photography and Light Trails at Night

16 Aug

The post How to do Long Exposure Photography and Light Trails at Night appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Barry J Brady.

Gastown light trails, Vancouver, Canada

Before I understood how photography worked, I was always intrigued by light trails in images. I never understood how that happened. When I began to study photography, one of the first assignments I did was an advanced course on night photography. I decided I would try and capture some light trails.

I set up my camera, made sure the settings were correct and waited. A few cars went past, but my timing was off and the shots were not great. I continued to wait. After about an hour of trying and experimenting, I got the shot I was looking for. It was like magic to me.

The car was not in the shot but the lights seemed to float in mid-air. I was hooked. This was something that had mystified me for a long time, yet I had managed to get it right. What was so mesmerizing for me was that the image I saw on my LCD screen was not what I saw in real life. The camera had managed to capture a scene that my eyes could not capture in the same way. This seemed amazing to me.

I soon realized that the camera was able to “see” things differently compared to the way my eyes saw them. I spent many nights trying to capture light trails in various locations. I was also doing lots of reading and research and came across a technique called long exposure.

This too was amazing. It had the ability to alter a scene in such a way that it looked totally different to the way our eyes normally see it. Again I was hooked; to this day, long exposures and light trails are some of my favorite techniques in photography.

Long exposure photography and light trails have similar techniques; it is the subject matter that differs. So I will discuss each technique separately, and tell you how to get the best results in both.

How to do long exposure photography

Shooting long exposures effectively requires that you should be shooting in Manual mode as much as possible. If you are not sure how to shoot in Manual, take a look at “Getting Off Auto – Manual, Aperture and Shutter Priority Modes Explained to learn more about these modes. To be able to get sharp and effective long exposure images, here is a checklist of items you will need.

1. What equipment is needed to shoot long exposures?

A tripod – this is a good piece of equipment to have in most instances, but is a critical piece of equipment for shooting long exposures. Make sure your camera is properly mounted onto the tripod before you start shooting.
A camera – obviously you will need a camera, but many people assume you can only do this type of photography with an SLR. Some advanced point-and-shoot cameras can also do long exposures if they have a Shutter Priority function. Take a look in your camera’s manual to see if it has this function; you may be surprised.
Cable release – your camera will be on a tripod, so it should be very still. However, sometimes the action of pressing the shutter release button can cause the camera to move slightly and this movement can cause your image to blur very slightly. You may not notice this on the LCD screen, but when you open the image on your computer, it will be evident. I recommend getting a cable release (also called a remote trigger). It is simply a cable that attaches to your camera and acts as a shutter release button. Using a cable release means you can set up your camera, step away from the tripod, and press the button without touching the camera. Cable releases can be wireless too. If you don’t have a cable release or don’t want to buy one, you could use your camera’s self-timer function to trigger the shutter.
Warm clothes and comfortable shoes – depending on where you live, and depending on the time of year you plan to be shooting, you may need to dress warmly. Long exposures work well after dark and it may get cold, so be sure to wear warm clothes. Be sure that you have comfortable footwear, too, as you may be standing for a few hours.

2. What subjects are best for long exposure photography?

Long exposures work well for certain types of subjects like seascapes, landscapes, and cityscapes. The key to getting a successful long exposure image is to have something in your image that is perfectly still and something that is moving. Water, clouds, and trees blowing in the wind all work well if the rest of the scene is stationary. This difference between the elements in the scene will create drama, and will add significant value to your image. The viewer will be seeing something that cannot be seen with the naked eye.

The reason why long exposure images are so compelling is that they warp time. Water looks like a soft mist, trees look like a dull blur, and clouds become long and streaky. This is what makes a familiar scene more compelling.

Long exposure scene in Vancouver, Canada

3. What camera settings should be used?

Long exposures are ideally shot in Manual mode. If you are not sure how to shoot in Manual mode, you can use one of the other semi-manual modes such as Aperture priority or Shutter priority. Here are some quick pointers on the settings:

Shutter speed – depending on the light in your scene, your shutter time will need to be at least 10 to 15 seconds, or longer if necessary. If you are doing a seascape and the water is moving quickly, then a few seconds may be long enough to make the water look misty.
Aperture – you will want to have your aperture set at anywhere between f/8 and f/16. This will be determined by how much light is in the scene and how long you want to expose for.
ISO – keep your ISO settings as low as possible. ISO 100 is what I use for long exposures.

4. When is the best time of day to shoot long exposures?

It’s normally a good idea to shoot long exposures as the sun is setting, or just after sunset. My suggestion is to be on the scene an hour before sunset. That way you can test some shots, make sure your composition is good, and be sure all your settings are correct. Then wait.

I will sometimes simply sit there and enjoy the scene; other times I may listen to some music. But I like to be relaxed and ready for when the light starts to work. Normally you will want to start shooting about 15 minutes before the sun has completely set and up to an hour after it is below the horizon. The important part is to be willing to experiment.

Each time you decide to shoot long exposures will be a little different. The light may be brighter than you think, the sunset may not be as dramatic as you hoped, or the shot may not be just as you imagined. Be patient and experiment. I will sometimes go back to a location two or three times to try and get the shot I am looking for. Once I have it, though, the sense of reward is fantastic, and the patience and effort are paid off!

Long exposure of Science World in Vancouver

How to shoot light trails

Much of the advice for shooting light trails is very similar to the tips above. The key difference is in the timing and location of your shoot.

1. What equipment is needed to shoot light trails?

Same as above

2. What subjects are best for light trails?

For light trails to work, you need to have something with lights moving through your scene. A car, a bus, a train, and even an aircraft can work. Be sure to be out of the direction of the vehicle you are photographing. Please do not stand in the middle of the road, or on train tracks. Position yourself in a safe place to make this work. Always be aware of your surroundings. It is easy to become immersed in what you are shooting and lose sight of where you are standing. Be safe, first and foremost!

A moving bus in the scene made this shot more dynamic

3. What camera settings should be used?

Light trails, like long exposures, are ideally shot in Manual mode.

Shutter speed – depending on the light in your scene, your shutter time will need to be at least 10 to 15 seconds, or longer if necessary. Make sure that your shutter speed is long enough to capture longish light trails. You don’t want to cut them off too soon as you will have some short trails in your image that may look strange.
Aperture – you will want to have your aperture set at anywhere between f/5 and f/11. This will be determined by how much light is in the scene and how long you want the exposure.
ISO – keep your ISO settings as low as possible; ISO 100 is what I use for light trails. If your ISO is set to 500 or higher, your exposure will be shorter and you run the risk of overexposing the highlights, especially when shooting car headlights.

4. When is the best time of day to shoot light trails?

Light trails can be shot in the early evening, or after the sun has set. Each scene will be different, but sometimes it is too light to get effective light trails just after sunset. You may need to wait until 30 minutes after the sun has set to get longer light trails.

The important part, once again, is to be willing to experiment. Try different times after sunset and see what works for you. Spend time behind your camera perfecting your timing. Scout locations during the day that you will think will work for light trails and then go and try it out.

Steam Clock in Gastown, light trails on the road

Photographing after dark can be very rewarding. It is worth the effort to learn how to use these techniques to bring new images into your portfolio, and to have new skills which will enable you to shoot under any lighting conditions. Experiment and enjoy it! Happy shooting.

The post How to do Long Exposure Photography and Light Trails at Night appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Barry J Brady.

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How to Create Dramatic Portraits in Your Garage

15 Aug

The post How to Create Dramatic Portraits in Your Garage appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Nick Fancher.

The setup

If you want to take dramatic portraits on a black backdrop (without even needing a single light), a garage is your new go-to spot.

This is the simplest (and most makeshift looking) setup that I use. As you can see in the image above, all I am using is a piece of black foam core, folded into a “V,” set inside a garage on a sunny day.

While you can accomplish this setup on overcast days, having a sunny day helps to increase the brightness of everything outside the garage, thus increasing the catch light in the model’s eyes. The sunny daylight scene outside the garage essentially acts as a giant reflector, which illuminates the area under the subject’s chin to soften shadows.

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The reason why a garage is great for this kind of setup is that it allows you to place your subject closer or further away from the bright, outdoor light, depending on how much light you want in your subject’s eyes or how even you want the light to appear.

For example, if the subject is right at the edge of the garage, just out of the sun, the exposure will be very bright, requiring a very fast shutter speed and/or a small aperture, but they will have large catchlights in their eyes. Note that the smaller aperture will cause the image to be sharper from the front to the back. Also, the closer the subject is to the bright outside, the darker the background will be once you’ve adjusted your exposure for their skin tone.

Alternatively, if the subject is placed deeper into the garage, it allows you to use a wider aperture or slower shutter speed, which can create a flattering, softer, shallow depth of field look, though the catch light and overall light quality will change.

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Shooting in a garage is the equivalent to a one-light studio portrait since the only light source is the open garage door. This increases the appearance of the image being a studio portrait, as it mimics a large softbox or octabox (though an open garage door is larger and less expensive).

If you want to have more light, such as hair light and rim light, to create separation between a subject and the background, there is another option available to you. Simply place your subject on the shaded side of the garage, allowing the sun to light just the edges of your subject’s hair and shoulders, as seen below.

The one downside to having a huge wall of soft light in front of your subject is that it can flatten out the subject, which can make the lighting appear flat or boring. One remedy for this is flagging off portions of the light, as seen in the image below. Note that any object you place in front of the model to flag the light will also change the shape of the catchlights in their eyes.

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For portraits like this, you will want to use a focal length of at least 50mm or longer. Anything wider angle will lead to distortion of the subject’s features. Since you are shooting outdoors, you have unlimited space to back away from the subject. So I like to use my 70-200mm lens for these types of headshots.

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The other perks that come with shooting outside or in a garage are that you have a free hair fan and plenty of ventilation, which comes in handy when you’re shooting smoke.

My buddy Colin is a drummer in the band House of Heroes. He approached me to shoot the cover of their latest EP, Smoke. He wanted a dramatic, close-up of a girl’s face with smoke all around. I knew that my garage would be the perfect spot to conduct the shoot (as it’s open-air with bright light).

I placed whiteboards on either side of Courtney, which helped to not only fill in any shadows under her jaw but also add catchlights to her eyes. In addition to the images of Courtney, I also shot several frames of smoke being exhaled by Colin (try doing that inside a studio) isolated on the black backdrop, which was later overlaid on the final image of the model in post-production.

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Have you tried doing portraits in your garage or other makeshift location? Have any additional tips? Please share in the comments.

The post How to Create Dramatic Portraits in Your Garage appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Nick Fancher.

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Weekly Photography Challenge – Looking Up

15 Aug

The post Weekly Photography Challenge – Looking Up appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Sime.

This week we’re going to go with ‘Looking up’ and yes, you could spin that more than one way! Things are looking up, or looking up, as in pointing straight up (or near enough) with your camera! What will you choose and how will you portray your choice?

Or maybe ‘looking up’ along a city street (I nearly said ‘busy city street’ but we certainly have less of those right now!) Maybe ‘looking up’ could be your positive frame of mind on the current state of the world, etc? How will you depict that?

If you’re in isolation at home, maybe this article will help to give you some ideas, work on a theme of ‘looking up in or around your house’ We’ll share some as we go, through the week, in the Facebook group and on our Instagram

Great! Where do I upload my photos?

Simply upload your shot into the comment field (look for the little camera icon in the Disqus comments section) and they’ll get embedded for us all to see. Or, if you’d prefer, upload them to your favourite photo-sharing site and leave the link to them. We’re interested to see how you revisit the images that you’ve taken before now in this re-edit challenge!

Share in the dPS Facebook Group

You can also share your images in the dPS Facebook group as the challenge is posted there each week as well.

If you tag your photos on Flickr, Instagram, Twitter or other sites – tag them as #DPSLookingUp to help others find them. Linking back to this page might also help others know what you’re doing so that they can share in the fun.

The post Weekly Photography Challenge – Looking Up appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Sime.

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5 Creative Uses for a Fisheye Lens in Photography

14 Aug

The post 5 Creative Uses for a Fisheye Lens in Photography appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Simon Bond.

The search for that unique angle that sets your photography apart from the rest is a common aspiration for most photographers. In today’s article, you’ll learn creative uses for a fisheye lens that will give your photos the wow factor.

A fisheye lens is a unique lens with niche qualities that set it apart from other kinds of lenses. Read on and discover what you can do with this type of lens.

Kinetic light painting is one of the examples of creative uses for a fisheye lens.

What is a fisheye lens?

A fisheye lens is essentially a super wide-angle lens. However, it has more properties than this. This type of lens will cause distortion in your photo which, when correctly applied to your image, will enhance the photo. One of the key characteristics of this lens is the curved shape of the optic at the front of the lens. This means that you won’t be able to use a regular lens cap for this lens. It’s possible to get a fisheye as a prime lens or a zoom lens.

Prime lens: The majority of fisheye lenses are prime lenses. They come with a typical aperture of f/2.8 and a focal length of 8mm or 15mm, depending on whether you have a full-frame sensor or a crop sensor camera.
Zoom lens: Zoom lens fisheyes have a smaller aperture at f/4, but allow you to change the focal length. This can give you even more creative options, as at the widest focal length your photo will be circular with a black frame.

1. Create distortion on the horizon line

One of the obvious creative uses for a fisheye lens is to create distortion on the horizon line. You can use the lens to make the horizon line curve upward or downward.

In order to make the horizon line bend downward, you’ll need to aim the camera down toward the ground. This means a large portion of the photo will feature the ground, so make sure the foreground contains enough interest to do that.

Then, as you may have guessed:

To make the horizon line bend upward, you’ll need to aim the camera up and toward the sky. If you’re aiming at the sky, try to do this when the sky is dramatic as it will fill the frame.

2. Use a fisheye for an ultra-wide perspective

It’s possible to use your fisheye lens as a regular wide-angle lens, but even wider. This is best achieved by aiming your camera at the horizon line and keeping the angle of your camera flat.

Look to avoid objects on the edge of the frame, as they’ll still distort and aim inwards unless you use post-processing to correct this. Locations with a minimalist feel like coastlines or deserts will work best for this kind of photo.

3. Take photos of architecture

The fisheye lens is a real gift for architectural photographers. Its distortion can be used for creative effect to frame the scene you’re photographing. You’ll often be able to incorporate elements that are behind you, because the focal length is that wide. This all means you’ll really be able to emphasis the lines in your composition to create powerful architecture photos.

4. Use intentional camera movement

Intentional camera movement means moving the camera during the course of an exposure. The exposure length will need to be long enough for the camera movement to be obvious in your final image. An exposure of 1/15s during the day will work, and even longer exposures can be tried at night when using a tripod. Whether you’re photographing during the day or at night will lead to two distinct types of photography.

Radial blur: This effect is produced handheld, and involves rotating the camera around an imaginary central point. The result is best when you keep the camera steady as you rotate, and an exposure of around 1/15s is often needed.
Kinetic light painting: This is the nighttime variant of the radial blur, but taken from a tripod. This type of photo is a form of kinetic light painting, with the camera pivoting on the head of your tripod.

5. Interesting portrait photos

The fisheye lens can be a great lens for portrait photography, as well. It has some versatility, even though it’s a niche wide-angle lens. If you choose to get close to your model you can distort their appearance for an interesting effect, though make sure your results are okay with the subject!

A popular approach is to make one body part especially large, perhaps the person’s eye or a hand stretched out toward the camera. Another approach is to emphasize the architecture around the model. In this case, they’ll be smaller in the frame, with perhaps a tunnel surrounding them.

The fisheye effect in a lensball

A cheaper alternative is to buy a lensball or, as many people know it, a crystal ball. The optics of a lensball, with its spherical surface, replicate those of a fisheye lens. The effect is different, but this can be a great introduction to the perspective offered by a fisheye lens with its distortion. If the composition works for a lensball, the composition will also work for a fisheye lens.

Try out creative uses for a fisheye lens!

There are lots of creative uses for a fisheye lens; have you tried any of the methods mentioned in this article?

If you have any thoughts on fisheye photography, then please leave them in the comments section! As always, we encourage you to get out and practice your photography. So if you have examples of creative fisheye photos, then go ahead and share those in the comments section, too!

The post 5 Creative Uses for a Fisheye Lens in Photography appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Simon Bond.

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5 Things You Can Do To Improve Your Photography

13 Aug

The post 5 Things You Can Do To Improve Your Photography appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Karthika Gupta.

Photography is an art form that just gets better and better as technology improves and people invest in themselves. Like any other craft out there, the more you commit to working on your skills, the better you will become. There are lots of simple and easy ways for you to improve your photography. Here are a few you can try today to help you become a better artist tomorrow!

Things You Can Do To Improve Your Photography Karthika Gupta — You can never miss the opportunity to photography a yellow house.

1. Start a daily practice and set up unique challenges

One of the best things I did for my photography and my mindset when I was just starting out was set up a daily practice.

Oftentimes, we are our biggest critic. We feel that the lighting has to be perfect, the subject has to be perfect, and the situation has to be perfect for us to create art. But that is far from the truth. In order to improve your photography, or anything for that matter, all you have to do is practice. Practice regularly and consistently.

If daily practice is not possible, that’s okay. Don’t let that stop you from creating consistently. Find a schedule that works for you and stick to it. Give yourself challenges like photographing food, photographing pets, macro photography, and more to get out and simply create. This will also help you train your eye to see images before you even take them.

2. Shoot in Manual mode

When I first started my business, I photographed in Auto mode for the first six to eight months. The whole process of interacting with clients, photographing, editing, delivering images, and marketing a business was intimidating enough; the last thing I needed was to figure out my gear on the fly. So I pushed that button on my camera to Auto and happily clicked along.

But once I gave myself the permission to fail, learn, and try Manual mode, I never looked back. Manual mode is more than just a button on your camera. It is a chance for you to really understand how exposure works by controlling shutter speed, f-stop, and ISO.

The more you play around with these elements, the more you will learn about your own style of photography. I realized that I loved images that were clean and crisp. The images that were light and airy spoke to my style; they were the kind of images that I wanted to create. I realized that I needed to shoot wide open with a low ISO to get the look that I wanted. This meant I only had my shutter speed to play with.

I also learned the lowest shutter speed I could use while handholding my camera to get a crisp image in any situation. None of these would have been possible if I had let the camera dictate the settings for each scene (i.e., by shooting in Auto mode).

3. Experiment with different editing styles

Earlier I mentioned that I love light bright and airy style images. But that does not mean I don’t like moody images or those with a lot of contrast. I think there is a place for each type of image, and I encourage you to experiment and try out different editing styles.

While you might have a primary editing style, there is nothing stopping you from trying out other editing styles from time to time. This does not mean you are undecided; this just means that you like to get creative and experiment with your art. And that is a great way to learn editing software like Lightroom and Photoshop.

Things You Can Do To Improve Your Photography — The image on the left is a lighter, brighter style, while the one on the right is the matte look many photographers enjoy.

4. Try creative shooting in your photography

There are many different ways to add a little creativity to your photography. Using double or triple exposures, shooting through elements, or even playing with shutter speed can be a way to deviate from the norm. All these techniques bring an element of uniqueness into your imagery and help you break up the monotony of your own work. These will help you improve your photography in the long run as you start thinking on your feet when you are out and about or even at a client shoot.

5. Learn about light in different situations

As a photographer, you need to not only see light but also need to learn the art of reading light: the type of light, the quality of light, and also how the light will affect your final image.

For the first few years of my business, I had a very limited knowledge of light. I did not even own an external flash, and so I limited myself to photographing in bright, open, natural light conditions.

Living in Chicago, our summers are quite short, and fall is usually a mix of rain, thunderstorms and more rain. I learned very quickly that I needed to get out of my comfort zone and figure out how to photograph different lighting situations and do it confidently and creatively.

So the next time you are out and about, or even if you are in your home, pay attention to how the light changes as the day progresses. Photograph in each of these situations to understand how light affects the look and feel of your imagery.

Conclusion

I hope these simple tips help you get confident in your photography. Perhaps you have limited access to gear, models or even places to photograph. Don’t let that stop you from doing these things to improve your photography on a day to day basis. All you need is the right mindset and the tenacity to see it through.

The post 5 Things You Can Do To Improve Your Photography appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Karthika Gupta.

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Become a Better Photo Editor with the New Lightroom Mobile ‘Discover’ Feature

12 Aug

The post Become a Better Photo Editor with the New Lightroom Mobile ‘Discover’ Feature appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Simon Ringsmuth.

Every time you see a photo that strikes you as beautiful, brilliant, or breathtaking, you are only witnessing the tip of the iceberg. In nearly every case, the photo is the end result of dozens, even hundreds, of edits made by the photographer. From simple cropping and white balance to in-depth editing like curves and color mix, these edits are what turn an ordinary image into a work of art.

Unfortunately, such edits on a photo have been impossible to see. But, thanks to the recent addition of a ‘Share Your Edit’ feature in Lightroom Mobile, you’re now able to view the behind-the-scenes edits made to images.

Lightroom Mobile Share Your Edit Feature Sunset Wind Turbines — Nikon D750 | AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II | 200mm | 1/4000s | f/22 | ISO 100

One of the best ways to grow as a photographer is to learn from others. Find out what works for photographers you admire and respect, and then adopt those techniques into your own workflow. This is the foundation for almost any trade, craft, or artistic pursuit. Yet, for photographers, this knowledge is often locked away behind a door. People can see the end result, but not the process.

The Discover feature in Lightroom Mobile solves this by giving you access to a worldwide community of artists who have willingly shared their editing process. There are hundreds, even thousands, of photo communities online that let you view pictures and share your own. However, none of these—not Instagram, Flickr, SmugMug, or anything else—let you see the editing process. You can only see the final image, which isn’t much use if you want to know how the photographer edited their photo to actually create the picture.

This is Lightroom Mobile’s ace in the hole: Because the Discover feature is part of the same software used to edit the images being shared, it allows for a level of freedom unmatched by any other photosharing site. In minutes, you can be learning from experts and professionals all over the world to see how they have edited their pictures, and you can adopt their techniques into your own workflow.

Discovering the Share Your Edit feature

Accessing the Discover option requires nothing more than a few taps on your mobile device. Open the Lightroom Mobile app and then tap on the icon that looks like a globe. If you hold your device vertically the icon will appear at the bottom of your screen along with the Discover label.

Tap the globe icon at the top left to access the Discover feature.

What you see next might remind you of many other photosharing apps, but dig a little deeper and you’ll see so much more. Scroll up and down to see more photos, and tap the heart icon in the lower right corner of any picture to mark it as one that you like. In the lower left corner, you will see the profile photo of the photographer who shot the picture. At the top is a list of categories for you to explore: Featured, New, Abstract, Landscape, Nature, and more.

So far so good, right? If the point of the Lightroom Mobile Discover feature is to help you find photos (or photographers) that you like, then there’s not much to distinguish this from any other photosharing app. The real fun begins when you tap on a photo to see the edit history.

Learning from the edits

When you tap on a picture it’s almost like stepping through a time machine or, more accurately, into a classroom.

Lightroom Mobile Share Your Edit Feature — Nearly every photo in the Discover feature lets you look at the edits that were made to it.

Lightroom Mobile now shows you the picture you tapped on, along with a blue bar at the bottom of your screen that fills from left to right. As the bar moves, the picture changes right before your very eyes, almost as though you’re watching it being edited in realtime. And, in a way, that’s exactly what’s happening.

Tap the Edits button at the bottom of the screen or just press and scroll upwards on the photo to load the entire editing history of the image. This is where the Lightroom Mobile Discover feature rockets into the stratosphere and becomes an amazing tool for photographers who want to learn from others, not just be inspired by their photos.

Lightroom Mobile Share Your Edit Discover Feature — Scroll up and down through the list of edits to see them applied in real-time.

After tapping the Edits button you are presented with a scrolling list of every single edit that the photographer applied to the photo. Scroll to the top to see the initial import, and then slowly scroll down to watch the image change before your very eyes as each individual edit was applied. Lightroom Mobile shows you each particular edit along with the specific number for each individual adjustment.

This linear edit history lets you look over the shoulder of the photographer, watching every edit they made and seeing how each decision changed the image. The Discover feature lets you stand in a room with thousands of photographers, learning from each of them as you see how they arrived at their final images.

Share Your Edit feature — Looking through the edits to a photo is like being in the same room as the photographer while the image is being refined.

One limitation you will quickly realize is that this feature only shows you the edits. You are not allowed to change any of the editing values and, as a result, alter the image in any way. However, you can save the edits as a preset so you can use them in your own photography.

Click the three-dot icon in the top right corner and then tap Save as Preset to download the edits to your own Lightroom app. You can then apply these edits to any of your photos and adjust any of the parameters that you want.

The Lightroom Mobile Discover feature has a few more tricks up its sleeve to help you get inside the mind of photographers who have shared their images. Tap the Info button to see additional details that the photographer has shared about the image. This often includes a title, written description, keywords related to the subject, EXIF data, and camera information. All this is extraordinarily useful for anyone who wants to learn more about a particular photo beyond just how it was edited.

Share your own

After diving into the Discover feature and learning more about how other photos were edited, you might be inclined to share your own images and edits. You can do this easily from Lightroom Mobile with just a few taps.

To get started with sharing your images to the Discover community, just open Lightroom Mobile and tap on any of the images in your library. Then tap the Share icon in the top right corner.

Then click the Share Edit option.

Note that as of this writing (July 2020) this process is still in Beta. Adobe will no doubt improve and refine it over time, and the exact steps might change.

The next screen prompts you to enter some information about the photo. This is similar to Instagram and other photosharing sites, but keep in mind that the point here is to help other photographers learn more about the photo. You aren’t competing for likes or upvotes; you’re sharing valuable information along with your edits to help a larger community of photographers learn more about their craft.

It helps to be as descriptive as possible in your title, description, and category sections. That way, you are not only helping other people learn more about your photo; you’re helping them to discover it, as well, by using categories that are similar to hashtags on other photosharing sites.

Finally, choose whether you want your edits to be saved as presets. I always recommend enabling this option because of the sharing mentality that makes the Lightroom Mobile Discover feature so valuable. If you have benefitted from viewing edits that other photographers have made, it’s nice to respond in kind by sharing your own edits, as well.

I don’t recommend including location information, which is turned off by default.

After you have all the basic information about your photo ready to go, tap the checkmark icon in the top right corner. This uploads your image, editing information, title, description, and categories to the Discover feature.

Tap the OK button and then head over to the Discover feature to see your image in the New section. Soon other photographers will start viewing it and learning from your edits! To see all the images you have shared with the Discover community, along with the number of likes each photo has gotten, tap your profile icon.

Keep in mind that the point of Discover is not to get likes but to learn and help others do the same. Thus, the number of likes on each of your images is almost entirely irrelevant and I recommend not paying attention to it all.

Conclusion

The Lightroom Mobile Discover feature is still in its infancy, and I’m excited to see where Adobe takes it in the coming years. Even though it’s still a bit rough around the edges in a few places, it’s an incredibly useful tool for learning more about the editing process. I hope you give it a chance and, if you learn anything from it, I’d love to have your thoughts in the comments below!

The post Become a Better Photo Editor with the New Lightroom Mobile ‘Discover’ Feature appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Simon Ringsmuth.

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Photography portfolio 101 – how to create a portfolio that puts your brand on display

11 Aug

Everyone was there once. Fruitful inspiration. Plenty of photos, but no idea on how to create a portfolio. And if you’re just like all the other photographers, you put off this moment for as long as you could. But with no portfolio to present your work, there are no clients interested in hiring you. For a passionate photographer, the thought Continue Reading

The post Photography portfolio 101 – how to create a portfolio that puts your brand on display appeared first on Photodoto.

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Olympus Announces the OM-D E-M10 Mark IV, With 20 MP and an AF Boost

10 Aug

The post Olympus Announces the OM-D E-M10 Mark IV, With 20 MP and an AF Boost appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey.

Earlier this year, Olympus made news with the reveal that it will be selling off its camera division, yet it seems that the company plans to go full steam ahead (at least for now).

Because Olympus has just unveiled its latest Micro Four Thirds camera model, the OM-D E-M10 Mark IV, a compact, low-cost, travel-ready option for entry-level photographers and successor to the well-received OM-D E-M10 Mark III.

Olympus cameras are known for their small size and limited weight, thanks to the compact dimensions of a Four Thirds sensor. This makes Olympus models a favorite of travel and street photographers, especially when you factor in the size of the lenses (which are some of the most compact options on the market, and will feel positively dainty in your hands).

But the OM-D E-M10 Mark IV takes portability to a new level, coming in at just 0.85 lbs (0.385 kg), which is the lightest of any Olympus mirrorless model to date. It’s perfect for anyone looking to shave off weight from their camera bag, and stays featherlight even when combined with some of Olympus’s longer zoom lenses.

The main drawback to a Micro Four Thirds system is limited resolution, which is why the OM-D E-M10 Mark III only offered a 16 MP sensor. But Olympus has finally decided to give the Mark IV a megapixel boost, up to 20 MP for added detail, which increases both cropping capabilities and printing possibilities, though you should also expect a potential hit to high ISO performance and dynamic range.

Personally, I’d like to see a 24 MP MFT sensor, but this still isn’t a spec offered by Olympus’s higher-end models, so I doubt we’ll see it on a camera like the OM-D E-M10 anytime soon. Plus, 20 MP really is enough for most purposes, including relatively large prints, so there’s not really much worth complaining about.

Moving along, Olympus offers the best in-body image stabilization in the business, which is why you can expect up to 4.5 stops of IBIS on an entry-level model like the OM-D E-M10 Mark IV. This will allow for tack-sharp images at shutter speeds far beyond what would normally be considered possible, as well as smooth video recording (and did I mention that the camera offers 4K?).

As for additional noteworthy specs, the OM-D E-M10 promises improved autofocus over the E-M10 Mark III, thanks to upgraded tracking algorithms, as well as 8.7 fps continuous shooting speeds; also relevant is an interesting flip-down LCD design, which allows you to see previews of images and footage from in front of the camera, but by tilting the LCD below the camera.

Oh, and you get Olympus’s now-standard electronic viewfinder resolution, at 2.36M dots. I didn’t expect anything better (there are only so many upgrades you can make to a camera at a sub-$ 1000 USD price), but Olympus’s EVF game is frustratingly limited, even on its higher-end models, and I’d ideally like to see a resolution boost here.

The Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark IV will debut in late September, for a relatively cheap MSRP of $ 699.99 (body only). It is available for preorder here.

Now over to you:

What do you think of Olympus’s latest mirrorless model? Are you impressed? Disappointed? Are there any features that the E-M10 Mark IV is lacking but that you’d like to have seen? Share your thoughts in the comments!

The post Olympus Announces the OM-D E-M10 Mark IV, With 20 MP and an AF Boost appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey.

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