Its hard to imagine a time without photography. With access to small but powerful cameras that will fit in your pocket a normal occurrence in the world today, not being able to capture a moment seems like such an alien concept. There are over 95 million photos and videos shared on Instagram every single day but not too long ago Continue Reading
The post When Was Photography Invented? appeared first on Photodoto.
The post 9 Solutions for Common Camera Mistakes Beginners Make appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Kevin Landwer-Johan.
One of the most common camera mistakes beginner photographers make is to not learn to use their new camera well. Photography is about the only art-form you don’t need to practice to get a half-decent result.
You can pop a battery in your brand new camera, turn it on and set it to one of the scene modes and take a picture. Most often, the photo will be reasonably well exposed – not too light or too dark. You might be pretty happy with the results and initially think you don’t need to learn much to be able to take photos.
Buying your first musical instrument or learning to paint will be much more challenging. Most people can’t pick up a guitar and play a tune without having some understanding of music theory. Most people certainly couldn’t play a recognizable tune without practicing. To learn to use your camera well, you must also practice with it.
One of the most common camera mistakes is poor focusing. Out-of-focus photos can’t be fixed during post-production. The only solution is to make sure you get your main subject sharp when you are taking your photos. Check that your auto-focus indicator is precisely where you want it to be before you press your shutter button.
I prefer to use single-point focus rather than multi-point focus. This allows me to choose exactly what part of my composition will be the sharpest. This is particularly important when you use very wide aperture settings, as the depth of field is so shallow.
Underexposed and overexposed photographs are disappointing. Pay careful attention to your exposure as you are setting your camera up to take a photo. Make sure your main subject is being well exposed. This can be challenging in certain lighting conditions.
Backlighting your subject can often mean the camera will underexpose it. You need to adjust your exposure settings so your main subject looks the way you want it to. This may be different than how the camera’s exposure meter determines it to look.
Getting the wrong white balance means your photos will have an unnatural-looking color cast to them. The most practical fix for this is to use the auto white balance setting on your camera. This is the only auto setting I use most of the time because it’s most often correct.
Using manual white balance it’s very easy to forget to alter it. Even when you do, the setting you choose may not be the best when the light changes slightly. Using auto white balance can help you overcome one of the most common camera mistakes.
Using a faster shutter speed is the solution to unwanted motion blur in your photos.
Learning what shutter speed to use when photographing moving subjects is important. A person walking will not require such a fast shutter speed as a person running fast will.
Be aware of the relationship between your shutter speed and the speed of movement you want to capture. This will help you alleviate this problem.
Some people can handhold a camera at slower shutter speeds than others. Once the shutter speed is so slow you are experiencing blurring in your images, you need to make some choices. Either adjust your exposure controls so your shutter speed is faster, or use a tripod.
One of the other common camera mistakes I see people making is using an ISO setting that is too high. Using a very high ISO, you will see digital noise, lack of contrast, and flatter colors in your photos.
The solution is to keep your ISO as low as possible. This will mean you get the best technical quality photos with the best color, contrast, and the least noise.
Always make sure you charge your batteries before you head out with your camera. Carrying fully-charged camera batteries is always a good idea. You never know when you might come across some fabulous event or happening that you want to photograph. Save yourself the disappointment of a dead battery by having some extra ones in your camera bag.
Being busy taking photos and all of a sudden not being able to is very frustrating. This is what can happen when your card is full. Make sure to off-load images on your card and format it after each photo session. This will mean you always have the maximum amount of space on your card.
Having some extra cards with you is a good backup strategy too. Finding your card full half-way through the day is so disappointing when you don’t have a spare.
You can always start deleting photos from your card. This is slow and you might make a mistake and delete a good image. Doing this in-camera, the process is irreversible and your images will be lost.
Always having your camera on one of the auto or scene settings is another of the most common camera mistakes I come across.
Most people who take our photography workshops come with their cameras on Aperture Priority because it’s easy. This is not a good reason to use this setting, and they are not happy with their photos. They know they are not getting the most from their camera.
The solution I encourage them to use is switching to manual mode and sticking with it. There’s no point in using manual mode only occasionally. If you do, you are unlikely to ever master it. If you commit to it, you will pick it up in no time. You will also begin to think differently about your photography in regards to light, exposure, and composition.
Not all common camera mistakes result in ruined photos, but they can. Being aware of how you are setting your camera and the choices you make will help you overcome these problems.
Slow down and be mindful of what you are doing. Plan your photo session, and make sure you are well prepared for anything that might come up. Know your camera well, like a best friend.
The post 9 Solutions for Common Camera Mistakes Beginners Make appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Kevin Landwer-Johan.
Live your passion. That’s what you’d like to do, right? Spend your days doing what you enjoy? Unfortunately, you gotta eat and do adulting things like paying bills. For that, you need money and your passion might not be good enough. Or is it? There are many ways to turn your passion for photography into an income stream. None of Continue Reading
The post How to Make Money With Photography and How Much Can You Expect appeared first on Photodoto.
The post Flash Softbox Diffuser Review appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jackie Lamas.
In this article, we’re reviewing this budget-friendly flash softbox diffuser that fits over your external flash so that you too can have a great tool to add to your camera bag.
While the diffuser that comes with most external flashes gets the job done, this attachable softbox will work much better to spread light more evenly and create a softer light source for your portraits or other types of photography.
The softbox has no poles to assemble or extra equipment that might get lost in transport or by using it. It folds out, and you can straighten it into shape by simply using your hands. This is a plus when it comes to setting up and tearing down, which saves you much time and not having to worry about fiddling with assembly parts.
The flash diffuser softbox comes with a case and holding strap. This allows you to attach it to your bag without any extra attachments or worrying about bending it while using it.
At Although the material the softbox is made out of is a clear indicator that it won’t stand up to longterm wear and tear, the softbox, measuring at 30cm length and 20 cm wide, it does what it’s supposed to diffuse and spread evenly the light of your external flash.
On camera, it adds nothing to the weight of your camera. It stays in place by using an elastic band that wraps around the flash head and is secured by a strip of Velcro.
On the inside, the flash diffuser softbox has a silver lining to help bounce light back out. It also has an added diffuser that crosses the front of the flash that is secured by Velcro. This can be useful in situations where you need softer light.
The universal size makes it perfect for one-light portraits, tabletop and product photography, and using it on or off your camera.
The soft box is really simple to use. It comes in its own zippered pouch ready to use right away as it easily unfolds. With a little pull, it shapes into the flash softbox diffuser you see in the photos.
It has no wires, poles, or additional hardware making it really easy to set up and use on the go, in a studio, or anywhere your flash goes.
Using the flash softbox diffuser for your flash is really easy, given that it simply pops out and attaches quickly.
You can notice how the light gets softer just by adding the softbox to your flash. It goes further in softening the light with the additional white diffuser strip that is inside of the softbox.
In the images above and below, I angled the flash down at my model in a small bathroom. Using the flash softbox diffuser allowed me to be in a small space and use directional light on the subject without it being too harsh or creating undesired shadows.
In the following images, I placed the subject in harsh sunlight to see how the softbox would fill in shadows or otherwise light the subject.
For these photos, I directed the flash straight onto the doll without the diffuser. The middle image is with the softbox diffuser on, and the third image is with the softbox diffuser and the added diffuser inside.
You can see a big difference in how the light from the flash got softer. These are not retouched and straight out of the camera.
Here I used the flash at 1/16th power to fill in the shadows on the child. I also got really nice catchlights in his eyes that make the portraits pop a little bit more. The flash softens the catchlights making them appear more natural like a big window.
Using the flash in darker lighting situations also proves effective. I photographed the toy in a dark room and used the flash off-camera and on-camera.
This flash softbox diffuser is perfect for someone who is just getting into flash photography and learning about how to control and modify light. It is for someone who perhaps doesn’t have a lot of space to set up a full studio with bigger strobes or flash systems.
Being that the diffuser is lightweight and can be taken outdoors, it is also perfect for the photographer who shoots outside a lot. For example, on the beach, macro photography to get close to the subjects, or someone who shoots tabletop and still life.
It’s perfect for the photographer who likes to keep their equipment simple and light when shooting or traveling.
The flash softbox diffuser would also be a perfect addition for a tabletop and product photographer who shoots in small spaces or travels for shoots.
The flash softbox diffuser works as is expected and does soften the harsh light the external flashes sometimes gives.
While the material the flash softbox is made from isn’t too convincing of its longevity, it is a great starter light modifier to help photographers control and soften lights for portraits.
It is rather small in terms of size, which is a good thing and a bad thing. If you’re looking for something lightweight and portable, this is a good buy. However, the size limits the spread of light, then again perhaps with more flashes it could give a better effect.
For the price, at less than $ 10, it is an interesting purchase to play with and experiment without making a major investment.
The softbox diffuser would be more ideal for tabletop and product photography given the size.
Either way, it’s a fun accessory to add to your bag in the event you are starting to experiment with flash and light modifiers. And you can’t beat the price!
The post Flash Softbox Diffuser Review appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jackie Lamas.
The post Removing Reflections and Other Unwanted Elements in Photoshop appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Darina Kopcok.
Photoshop gives you a lot more options for retouching than Lightroom because it’s a pixel editor. This means you can manipulate the individual pixels in your image file to refine your images. It allows you to make complex adjustments, such as removing reflections and other unwanted elements in your photo.
You can do one thing in multiple different ways in Photoshop. For the scope of this article, we will focus on two tools: the Content-Aware Fill and the Clone Stamp tool.
Before you get started with any retouching, it’s important to assess your image and your end goal for it. Every image is different, and therefore requires a unique approach.
How complex is the adjustment you want to make? Is there a lot of pattern or other detail in the area you wish to retouch? How much contrast is there, and how will that influence your decisions? Will one technique be enough, or will you need to layer various techniques or tools to get the end result you are seeking?
Retouching is a process of problem-solving. It’s important to know where you want to get to before you get started.
Content-Aware Fill is an incredibly useful tool in retouching your photography. It works by analyzing the content in your image to provide a seamless blend in the elements or objects you wish to alter. It allows you to remove unwanted objects or move them to other areas of the image.
To use Content-Aware Fill, you must duplicate your layer to access the information contained within the image. It’s also important to work in a way that is non-destructive, so you can simply delete any mistakes or unfavorable results and start again.
I first created a layer called “Clean” to clean up any dust or small blemishes from the image and then went on to remove the seeds.
To duplicate your layer, hit the shortcut Cmd/Ctrl+J.
For simple edits, like removing small objects from your composition, you can do a quick Content-Aware Fill by using a selection tool to select the object, then hit Shift+Delete.
For example, in the pomegranate image below, I wanted to remove some seeds from the surface, as I felt there were too many causing distraction.
I used the Lasso tool to select the seeds I wanted to remove from my image, then hit Shift+Delete. This can often give you great results, but you might have to blend edges with the Clone Stamp tool.
The other way to use Content-Aware Fill is a method that allows you to bring up a Preview window so you can see how your adjustment will look before committing to any changes. This is a good way to work on larger objects or areas.
For the image of the raspberries below, I wanted to remove a couple of the raspberries so the client could add text to it.
To use this method, use the appropriate tool to make a selection of the area you wish to adjust.
Go to Edit->Content-Aware Fill.
This will bring up the Preview window.
The area in green shows you where Photoshop intends to sample from. However, you may not want it to include all of those areas. So use the brush found in the tool panel in the Preview window to brush out any area you don’t want it to sample from.
Be sure to brush out shadows that may cause your final adjustments to look uneven.
Set the desired Opacity.
Keep in mind that when you’re selecting areas for Content-Aware Fill, that you need to account for depth-of-field throughout your frame, or your image can end up looking fake.
Once you are satisfied with the look of your image, choose New Layer to keep the file size small, or Duplicate Layer for a larger file size. I usually choose the latter.
If your final result is good but not perfect, you might want to use the Clone Stamp tool to finesse it further.
With the Clone Stamp Tool, you’re copying pixels to a new location. This is one of the most utilized tools in Photoshop because it’s a great way to touch up the various elements in your image, especially when your object has a defined edge.
The Clone Stamp tool is perfect for removing reflections in Photoshop.
The shortcut for the Clone Stamp tool is Cmd/Ctrl+S.
Use the softest brush in Normal Mode.
10% to 20% Opacity at 100% Flow is generally a good place to start, but see what works for your individual image.
In the image of the chocolate cake below, I used the Clone Stamp tool to remove the hard reflection on the knife at 20% Opacity.
When using the Clone Stamp tool, you can flip it if your pattern looks too repetitious.
It’s also great when you want to mirror a reflection to make it look more realistic. This feature is one of the key reasons the Clone Stamp tool is the best tool to remove reflections in Photoshop.
To flip your brush, go to the Toggle Clone Stamp icon.
You can also use “T” to transform the clone stamp collection, to adjust its size and placement.
To sum up, use the Content-Aware Fill tool when you want to remove unwanted objects or elements by using the surrounding areas.
Use the Clone Stamp tool to copy and paste pixels to areas with more defined edges.
Keep in mind when you want to remove reflection in Photoshop, that you want to keep some of the reflection. Our eyes are used to seeing reflections in glass and similarly shiny objects, so removing all of the reflection tends to look fake.
Try this method for removing reflections in photoshop out, and show us your before and after results in the comments section!
The post Removing Reflections and Other Unwanted Elements in Photoshop appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Darina Kopcok.
The post 10 Creative DIY Photo IDEAS when Stuck at Home (video) appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Caz Nowaczyk.
In this video from Nicolas Doretti, he gives you 10 creative DIY photo ideas for when you are stuck at home. They are fun, interesting, and best of all, they may teach you some new techniques you hadn’t thought to try.
So try some of these ideas out, and share your results with us in the comments section!
The post 10 Creative DIY Photo IDEAS when Stuck at Home (video) appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Caz Nowaczyk.
The post Weekly Photography Challenge – ICM (Intentional Camera Movement) appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Caz Nowaczyk.
Since many of us are still limited to where we can go, this week’s photography challenge topic is the ICM (intentional camera movement)!
This is a fun exercise you can try inside your home or out in your yard (if you are lucky enough to have one). If you live in an apartment in the city, you may want to try capturing the night city lights with ICM instead.
You’ll want to use a relatively slow shutter speed – something slower than around 1/15th of a sec. Then you will want to physically move the camera in the direction you want as soon as you hit the shutter button.
You may want to follow the direction of the lines in your compostition or go against them – the creative decision is yours!
You can even make the exposures so long that we have to guess what photograph is actually of (you can probably tell what mine are, though!).
I look forward to seeing your shots.
Check out some of the articles below that give you tips on this week’s challenge.
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 favorite photo-sharing site and leave the link to them. Show me your best images in this week’s challenge.
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 #DPSICM 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 – ICM (Intentional Camera Movement) appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Caz Nowaczyk.
The post How to Use Intentional Camera Movement in Your Photography to Great Effect appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Simon Bond.
The presentation of motion in a static image is the subject of this article – a seeming contradiction in terms. This is not the case, and today you’ll discover how to use intentional camera movement to create dynamic images. You’ll learn the techniques you can use during the day and those which you can use at night. So read on and find out how you can make your photos dynamic!
The majority of the time, you’ll be taught to keep your camera still, to avoid blur in your photo. However, what if you moved the camera during an exposure, and you did it on purpose? This is what intentional camera movement is.
Now for this effect to work, you’ll need to use slow shutter speeds. You won’t see any worthwhile results from shutter speeds over 1/100th.
It’s possible to practice this handheld with shutter speeds between 1/50th and half a second. Anything slower than that will require a tripod for the best results.
There is more than one way you can apply intentional camera movement to your work. The most well known is probably panning. The following are the main ways you can move your camera, and produce interesting results.
Panning is a technique used to show the motion of a moving object. The aim is to move your camera at the same pace as a moving object and to expose the image for around a third of a second to produce blur in the background.
There are several ways you can refine this technique to produce even better results.
The shutter speed used will also be dependent on the speed of the object you are panning. This is a nice technique to try as there is a clear main subject, which is not always the case with intentional camera movement.
Using zoom during the day can also give interesting results. You’ll learn how you can add even more to this technique at night by reading below. The effect is produced by changing the focal distance of your lens, so primes lenses won’t work here.
The following are the steps you’ll need to take to create a daytime zoom burst.
This type of photo is often very abstract in nature. The goal is to move the camera in such a way it produces appealing blur patterns in your image. You’ll need a longer exposure to produce this.
The best movements are often defined shapes. If you move your camera in a straight line, a circular motion, or perhaps a heart shape, you should get a nice result.
It’s possible to carry out photos like this handheld if the exposure is short, and you keep to a simple movement. An exposure of around half a second would work for this.
It also possible to use intentional camera movement from a tripod, though you’ll be limited to the movements your tripod head will allow. That means you can produce all the shapes mentioned above, you’ll just be pivoting from a fixed position.
The advantage of using a tripod is that the camera will be that much steadier. The next advantage is that if you wish to combine intentional camera movement with a stationary phase to an exposure, this is possible with a tripod.
It’s that much easier to practice intentionally camera movement at night. That’s for two reason. The first is it’s easier to carry out long exposure, as the light level will be lower. The second is light sources you’ll see out night will light paint across your scene. In fact by night intentional camera movement might more accurately be described as kinetic light painting. The techniques listed above can be adapted to night photography. Panning is almost the same, so this won’t be discussed any further.
Kinetic light painting involves changing the focal distance of a zoom lens, during a long exposure photo. The exposure lengths at night mean you’ll now need to use a tripod to get good photos using this technique.
A key difference with daytime zooming is that it’s preferable to zoom out when practicing this. The reason for this is you want the light paint to zoom outwards across your scene. If you zoom in, the chances are you’ll have light painting across your main subject in the center of your scene. To find out more about this technique, you can read this article.
Another type of kinetic light painting is camera rotation. Once again, you’ll need a tripod for this, and you’ll move your camera body while it’s attached to the tripod. It’s a technique that works best where there are tall structures. These can be tall buildings, statues or perhaps Christmas trees.
To make this technique work, you’ll need these structures to have lights on them. To find out more about camera rotation read this article.
Now it’s your turn to get out and create some images. If you can’t get out and about, try some of these in your yard or home. It’s a great way of adding narrative to an image, or perhaps to create a completely abstract image.
Have you tried any of the ideas mentioned in this article? If you have what were your experiences?
As always, if you have images that display intentional camera movement, please share them in the comments.
The post How to Use Intentional Camera Movement in Your Photography to Great Effect appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Simon Bond.
The post 10 Photography Projects You Can Work on From Home appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Matt Murray.
If you’ve suddenly found yourself at home for an extended period, your first reaction could be to feel restricted in terms of what you can achieve. Fear not, there are lots of photography projects you can work on from home. In this guide, I’ve detailed ten projects I plan on working on in the coming weeks.
With time on your hands, there’s no better time to start thinking about creating a photography zine. I’ve just made my first zine with images I took while on holiday on the Isle of Wight last year.
There was quite a steep learning curve for me in putting it all together. Some of the skills I learned include: how to select images for a book, page layout using Adobe InDesign, and the difference in how images look printed in the CMYK color space instead of how they’re viewed on the screen in the RGB color space. The next step is to market and sell my zine.
The whole process has been very rewarding. Look out for a future Digital Photography School article coming soon about this topic.
If your Lightroom is anything like my Lightroom, of all the photography projects you can work on from home, this one could take the most time. Over the next few weeks, I’ve decided to start organizing it once and for all.
With well over 200,000 photos, this is a daunting task. Like all big projects, I’ve decided to break it down into manageable chunks. Starting with my 2019 photos, I’m aiming to sort, keyword and organize two months of photos per day.
My process includes adding keywords, adding ratings to photos I like, creating collections for shoots or locations, and flagging photos for deletion. It also includes exporting photos for a variety of uses: family photos, photo projects, stock photography, and for my portfolio and website.
The most rewarding part for me is flagging photos for deletion – this is a fantastic way to free up much-needed space on my hard drive. It’s so easy to forget that you have taken multiple photos – in both JPG and RAW format – of the same subject. I take great delight in flagging the ones I don’t need and deleting them forever.
If you’re anything like me, you probably have camera equipment in boxes, on shelves, everywhere! Getting it all down on the floor and sorting through it item by item can be a very useful activity. You may well find cameras, lenses, filters, or other items you forgot you had.
As I sort through my equipment, I like to catalog it all in a spreadsheet, making notes about each item. Noting if there’s an issue with its working or cosmetic condition, where I got the item from, and how much I paid for it. This is also a really good way to work out if there’s anything you don’t use anymore and could sell to fund other gear.
When I was on holiday last year on the Isle of Wight in England, quite by accident, I discovered an amazing place called Dimbola. This was the home of the 19th-century photographic pioneer, Julia Margaret Cameron.
There’s a wonderful photography museum inside the house, along with descriptions of how she took the images and many prints of her work. Looking around the house, I wondered how many other amazing photographers I had never heard of?
For this project, research a photographer from the past. It could be from 20 years ago or 120 years ago. You could research a photographer from the genre that you like the most, or someone in a completely different genre. Who knows what inspiration might strike?
Take a look at our Lessons From the Masters Series.
When I was growing up, we had a cupboard under the bookshelf that held all of our photo albums. At any time I could dig them out and have a look (and a laugh) at all the family memories they contained.
These days, most of our family photos are on hard drives and devices. One of my goals is to create a series of memories books for my family. When I show my children photos from a few years ago, they always get a kick out of it. Why not use your time at home to create a book for someone in your family as a gift?
One of the advantages of sorting through your Lightroom catalog is that you’ll already have a folder of images ready to go for your memories book.
If photography is your passion, you’ll no doubt have a bookshelf full of photography-related titles. I have dozens of photography books, yet there’s only a few that I’ve actually read cover to cover. Others I’ve put on the shelf telling myself that one day I would get around to reading them. Guess what? That ‘one day’ is here!
I now have a list of books that I will work through in the next month. Some I’ve read before, most I’ve only flicked through. For books that teach a technique, I like to make notes as I find that helps me remember the information more effectively.
Now is the perfect time to working on your lighting techniques. As far as photography projects you can work on from home, learning more about light could have the biggest impact on you as a photographer.
Even with a single flash, there are dozens of different ways to light an image.
Once you add a light stand, an umbrella or a softbox, your options grow. Find a book or search dPS for lighting techniques, or watch some YouTube tutorials. Play around with how light affects your images. Often it’s trial and error, seeing what works and what doesn’t.
The set up for the photo below was quite simple. I laid my camera on a black sheet. Then I attached my Godox flash to a stand, pointing away from the subject into a silver umbrella. I then took a series of photos with Fujifilm X-T3 – a remote on the hotshoe triggered the flash.
There wasn’t much to do in post-production. I darkened the blacks a little and removed a small scratch from the top of my camera. You could apply this or other lighting techniques to people, food, objects, anything.
In one of the many photography-themed Facebook Groups I’m in, someone organized a video conference a few days ago. About twenty of us dialled in from all over the world for a chat. Having the opportunity to talk to other people in different countries was amazing.
Lots of different topics were covered, including photography projects you can work on from home. Knowing that there are other people out there in the same boat can be quite comforting. Why not organize a video chat with a friend, or a group of people with the same interest? Many video conferencing tools are free, or have a free option.
It may not be spring everywhere in the world, but there’s no better time to spring clean your socials. Start by looking through your profile, is the description still accurate? Is your website listed? Is your profile photo up-to-date? Then take a look through your photos. Are there any that you’d like to hide or delete because they no longer fit with your profile or brand?
Next, look through the images you exported as part of your Lightroom Catalog clean-up. Think about the best order to post them in. Will you follow a theme based on location? Or simply post them in an order that looks good for the Instagram grid?
Finally, look at who you’re following on social media. Look for new accounts or hashtags to be inspired by, and also consider unfollowing accounts that you’re no longer interested in.
Photography is incredibly broad and diverse. There are so many different techniques to learn and master. As photographers many of us will only scratch the surface of what’s possible.
On Digital Photography School, there are articles on almost every kind of photography technique you can think of. Some of my favourites include how to shoot traffic trails, tips for shooting pet portraits, and taking better sunset photos.
You can also check out some of my recent articles for dPS including 17 Tips for Shooting Better Urban Portraits and Top Tips for Photographing the Best a City has to Offer in 48-hours.
Not being able to go out for an extended period of time can be daunting, but there are so many photography projects you can work on from home. From making zines to promote your work, creating photo books as gifts for family members, and of course, cleaning up your Lightroom catalog.
There’s also lots of inspiration you can take, from the thousands of articles here on dPS, or by researching a photographer or photographic technique.
What projects are you working on at home? Tell us in the comments below.
The post 10 Photography Projects You Can Work on From Home appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Matt Murray.
The post Photographing a Still Life Series for Exhibition or a Portfolio appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Charlie Moss.
If you’ve ever tried photographing still life images, you’ll know that making a single good picture is relatively easy, but shooting a still life series is much harder! Trying to make a set of images that feel like they belong together can be very challenging for many reasons.
If you’re shooting to create a portfolio, or perhaps even for an exhibition, you’ll want to create images that feel like they belong together. That way, the body of work will appear more thoughtful, and its message will be stronger.
But no matter how hard you try to make images look like they are a series, there often seems to be something that doesn’t look quite right. So how can you overcome these challenges and shoot a still life series that feels like the pictures are coherent?
When it comes to these images there’s a number of ways that a still life series can look like they belong together. But it really starts at the beginning.
The most useful thing that you can do is have a series in mind when you shoot your first image. Picking a theme that will weave through your images and tie them all together is probably the easiest way to get a coherent feel to your series of shots.
If you shoot images around a theme, then the theme should automatically help to make them feel like they’re all a part of the same project. Perhaps the easiest way to approach still life thematically is to try to tell a story through the images. When you try to include storytelling in a still life series, it should help the images feel like they belong together.
But sometimes it’s not all about the theme and the storytelling; sometimes, you want to pull images together visually. So here are some suggestions on how to go about doing just that.
When you’re planning out your still life series, experiment initially with a few different viewpoints. But consider sticking to one throughout the series. Swapping viewpoints between pictures can make the images feel like they’re not quite part of a coherent set.
Consider using a tripod in order to keep everything the same. It’ll make it easier to keep your framing consistent for each shot, as well as keeping your distance the same from the camera to the object. And don’t forget to think about your composition as you place objects into your frame.
Of course, it is possible to change the viewpoint and still keep the images looking like they are part of the same still life series, as the image above shows. You’ll just have to make sure that you keep some of the other variables about your shot the same. Perhaps make sure that your theme or story is stronger than you might otherwise have needed to make it.
Keeping the distance between the camera and object the same, and also the focal length of the lens, can be a really great trick to keep your images looking like part of a series. When we use different focal lengths or vary the distance from the object to the lens it can cause distortion. Distortion causes our brain to realise that something isn’t really quite right.
While on the surface, the left and right images above look similar, you can see on closer inspection that there is distortion. In the right-hand image above, that I shot with a wider focal length, you can see more of the top of the apple, less of the bottom. And the apple appears to be bulging out towards the camera.
Of course, there’s really no “correct” focal length to use when it comes to shooting still life images. You may want the distortion that a wider angle lens brings to the image. In a way, the wide-angle creates a strange look that could almost pay homage to the artist Paul Cézanne who painted both the side and top of objects in his still life – an “impossible” view.
And on the other hand, a 50mm equivalent focal length gives a much more “natural” view because it’s closer to how the human eye views objects.
The important thing if you choose to vary your focal length or distance from the camera to object is to keep enough other variables the same. That way, your images still look like they are part of the same series.
If I was going to shoot a still life series on film, I’d definitely make sure I shoot the same film type for all of my images. That way, they’d all be similar in color, tone, and feel.
Digital is no different. Post-processing images to make them look as similar as possible in style and feel can make a huge difference when it comes to feeling like they’re part of a series.
This is a great time to think about introducing something unique to your post-processing rather than just going for a totally natural look. It could be a slight split-toning in Lightroom with colors in the shadows, or a particular black and white recipe.
The key is to create a distinctive look and then apply it to all images, applying minor adjustments to each one to make them look coherent. Then your images, even if they are of quite different subjects, will be pulled together with a common look and feel.
Keeping your studio setup and lighting the same can really help when it comes to post-processing to make your shots look similar. Starting from the same “canvas” will mean that you don’t need to be a total post-processing wizard. Instead, small adjustments will pack a real punch when it comes to coherency.
When you’re planning your series, make sure that you keep experimenting. Try all kinds of different technical approaches to start with and narrow it down to the ones that suit the theme (and your style) the best. And then, once you have your images, experiment with the post-processing before saving your recipe as a preset so that you can use it to help you create a coherent look amongst all your images.
Don’t forget that you can apply these ideas to other kinds of photography too.
For instance, when creating a series of portraits, you might want to think about using a single focal length, aperture, and a post-processing recipe. It will help all your shots feel similar. These ideas about shooting a still life series can be applied to more than just inanimate objects!
The post Photographing a Still Life Series for Exhibition or a Portfolio appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Charlie Moss.
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