Category: Photography

5 Exercises to Improve Your Street Photography

The post 5 Exercises to Improve Your Street Photography appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey.

Do you want to capture amazing street photography, but you just feel like you’re not good enough? Don’t worry, because this article is going to give you five fantastic street photography exercises that are guaranteed to improve your street photography. It’ll provide you with the tools you need to take amazing street photos.

Let’s get started.

1. Find a scene and stand in place for an hour

It might not seem like it…

…but a lot of street photography is about being patient.

In fact, plenty of the best street photos were taken after a significant amount of standing in place and waiting.

You see, great street photography often involves a powerful background with a focal point. And that focal point is often a person.

But to get the right person in the right place is one of the toughest parts of this genre of photography.

So this exercise is designed to make sure you recognize the rewards of being patient.

Here’s what you do:

Start by finding a scene that you like. A building, an alley, an interesting background of some sort. Make sure there’s a decent amount of foot traffic.

Then previsualize. Where would you like your main subject to walk into the frame? Imagine the precise place you’d like them to be when you take the photo.

Then wait.

Now, plenty of people will walk through your scene who don’t fit with your previsualized photo. Maybe they don’t stand in the perfect place. Maybe they don’t have the silhouette you’re looking for.

And that’s okay. After all, this is an exercise in patience!

However, I recommend you take photos of these people anyway. You might end up with something unexpectedly powerful.

Even if you do get the shot you like, keep standing in place. Stay there until an hour has passed.

Because it’s important you understand, not just the rewards of patience, but how to be patient. So even once you’ve achieved your goal, stand in place, and keep taking photos. See what you can get.

Make sense?

2. Shoot an entire outing from an unusual angle

When you’re just starting out in street photography, it’s very easy to take every shot at eye-level.

Putting your camera up to your face is natural. And it can sometimes help you get over the stress of taking photos in public; you can feel like you’re hiding.

But shooting at eye-level is a recipe for consistently boring photos.

Instead, you want to take photos from many different angles. Different angles are the key to creating a dynamic, powerful portfolio.

So the street photography exercise is simple:

Go out with your camera. And only take photos from an uncommon angle.

Which angles count as “uncommon”?

The low angle is a great start. The lower you take your photo, the more awe your photos will generate because it’ll feel like the viewer is looking up at the scene. For the photo above, I shot up toward the clock tower in an attempt to make the image more dramatic.

Plus, a low angle can often clear the background, making it less distracting. It causes people in the background to fall away, leaving only buildings and sky behind your main subject.

To shoot at a low angle, you have a few options. You can sit down or crouch low. Or you can hold your camera down at your hip.

Of course, you don’t have to shoot from a low angle! If you like, you can try finding a vantage point (such as a parking garage), and shoot from high above.

The choice is yours. Just make sure you get used to trying new angles.

It’ll seriously improve your street photos!

3. Ask five strangers if you can take their picture

One of the biggest barriers to great street photography is your own nervousness.

After all, it’s hard to capture photos of people from a distance, let alone up close. You probably worry about people getting angry or even threatening you.

First of all, you should know that, in most countries, it’s legal to photograph people in public places. So you’re not breaking laws.

But the anxiety doesn’t always go away once you know your rights.

This is where this street photography exercise comes in handy.

All you have to do is go out shooting. And ask at least five people if you can take their photo.

It’s okay if they refuse. It’s okay if they agree but the picture is bad.

The only thing that matters is that you’re pushing yourself out of your comfort zone. You’re forcing yourself to see that plenty of people don’t mind having their photo taken in public. And when people do mind, it’s not the end of the world.

This is an exercise that I recommend you try once a week (or until you no longer struggle to photograph people in public).

Because even if you prefer to photograph people without approaching them, knowing that everything will turn out okay will significantly improve your levels of comfort (and, consequently, your street photos!).

4. Only photograph strangely-lit people for a day

If you want to capture amazing street photos, you’ve got to start paying attention to the light.

This is easy to forget about because street photography involves so many variables: people moving fast, cars causing distracting backgrounds, etc.

But you can’t fail to consider the light. Otherwise, your photos will be very inconsistent.

Which brings me to the exercise:

Only photograph people who are strangely lit for the day.

By “strangely lit,” I’m referring to non-standard lighting. The people shouldn’t be lit with standard front-lighting, cloudy lighting, or standard overhead lighting.

Instead, there should be strong backlighting, side lighting, or shadows running through the scene.

By forcing yourself to pay attention to this, you’ll get a better eye for lighting. And it’s the first step toward taking more creative, unique street photos.

Personally, I’m a fan of backlit street photography. So I recommend going out when the sun is low in the sky to see if you can find some backlit subjects.

But you can also shoot people who are walking through shadow. This works especially well if the area around the person is bathed in sunlight, in order to create a high-contrast shot.

Just find some unique lighting, and you’ll do just fine.

5. Spend a week only taking photos of small details

Most street photographers only ever take photos of people.

But here’s the thing:

The streets have plenty of compelling details, too. And a street photographer who can find these details is a street photographer worth watching.

Tiny details lend character to your street photos, even if the main subject is a person. And tiny details can be the sole subject of a photo, as well. You just have to know how to capture them.

This is why your final street photography exercise is dedicated to photographing those beautiful small details.

All you have to do is deliberately photograph little details for a week. Forget about photographing people. Forget about photographing architecture.

Instead, focus on capturing the most compelling details possible.

This might involve creating some abstract photos. Photograph contrasting colors up close. Or photograph spray-painted graffiti.

You can also capture some wider photos: the signs of restaurants, or the front door of buildings. All of these are excellent potential subjects.

Just remember: When you photograph small details, don’t just try to faithfully render the details themselves. Instead, create a compelling composition out of the details. Try to include multiple interesting features.

You’ll take a few boring photos, sure. But you’ll develop an appreciation for the smaller aspects of the city.

And you’ll take some stunning photos in the process.

5 exercises to immediately improve your street photography: Conclusion

Capturing beautiful street photos can be difficult. And for beginning photographers, it can seem impossible.

But if you do these street photography exercises, you’ll notice your outlook starting to change. Street photography won’t seem so difficult.

And you’ll start capturing some amazing street photos.

So get out and start practicing these street photography exercises!

Do you have any other street photography exercises you’d like to share? Please do so in the comments!

The post 5 Exercises to Improve Your Street Photography appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey.

Digital Photography School

January 7, 2020
DSLRs Aren’t Dead Just Yet!

The post DSLRs Aren’t Dead Just Yet! appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Simon Ringsmuth.

In the past few years, traditional DSLR cameras have started to cede significant market share to mirrorless cameras. This newer style of camera has risen from obscurity to mainstream in the last decade. Recent trends indicate that this is no mere blip on the radar. Sony, Fuji, and now Canon and Nikon have all jumped into the mirrorless market with a growing collection of cameras and lenses that show no sign of slowing down. However, just because many think mirrorless is the way of the future doesn’t mean the end of DSLRs. Contrary to what you might think, DSLRs aren’t dead!

Nikon D750, 85mm, f/2, ISO 2000, 1/350 second

The mirrorless vs. DSLR debate has been going for years, but thinking of the situation in binary terms is a bit misguided. It doesn’t have to be an either/or dichotomy. In fact, there is plenty of room in the photography community for both types of cameras.

In the same way that film offers some advantages over digital, traditional DSLRs have a few tricks up their sleeves that make them uniquely relevant even in this age of modern mirrorless models.

Before I get too deep into the content of this piece, I want to make one thing clear: I’m not advocating that one type of camera is better than the other. Both types of cameras have strengths and weaknesses.

Just because you might prefer one or the other does not make you a good or bad photographer! Cameras are tools to get a job done. All I’m saying here is that DSLRs aren’t dead and still have plenty of advantages to offer.

Mirrorless cameras like this Fuji X100F have a lot of advantages. but sometimes a DSLR is the right tool for the job. Nikon D750, 85mm, f/2, ISO 640, 1/200 second.

Optical viewfinder

Mirrorless cameras have electronic viewfinders, which give them the ability to do things you simply can’t get with an optical viewfinder. That doesn’t mean that optical viewfinders, which are found on all DSLRs, have nothing to offer by comparison. Far from it! Optical viewfinders might not show you the exposure of your image in realtime, but they do give you a perfectly clear view of the scene you are shooting.

Nikon D7100, 85mm, f/2.8, ISO 100, 1/1000 second

Electronic viewfinders are composed of individual dots, or pixels, just like the images captured by all digital cameras. They are like looking at a very tiny, very high-resolution TV screen. As a result, they share some of the same limitations as those screens.

Pixel density, refresh rates, color accuracy, and dynamic range are still issues in a lot of mirrorless cameras. These are getting better, but all electronic viewfinders show a digital representation of the real world which does have some limitations.

Optical viewfinders have none of these issues. They show the real world without translating it to pixels. The display won’t slow down or get choppy depending on lighting conditions or how fast you pan the camera. You don’t need to worry about color accuracy with an optical viewfinder because what you see is exactly what the world looks like.

Power consumption is always going to be better with optical viewfinders because they consume no power at all. This means you can compose your shots without even turning your camera on. While mirrorless cameras have dramatically improved in this regard, DSLRs aren’t dead and still have an advantage in this area.

Lens selection

Companies like Sony and Fuji have a solid lineup of mirrorless cameras and lenses that they have been building for several years. Canon and Nikon will get there too with their mirrorless R and Z lenses. But in the meantime, traditional DSLRs are still the king of this particular hill.

Again, that’s not to say they are better! Just that DSLRs aren’t dead and well worth considering for many photographers today.

Nikon D750, 85mm, f/2.9, ISO 100, 1/1500 second

Canon and Nikon both have decades of lenses for their DSLR cameras, with Nikon’s reaching all the way back to 1959 when the first F-mount camera was released. Pentax, Canon, and others have massive lens catalogs as well, which means that if you buy a DSLR today, you immediately have access to a massive array of lenses. Older ones might lack autofocus or stabilization, but they are a lot cheaper and a great way to expand your photographic horizons.

All mirrorless cameras can use older lenses with adapters. It’s not as though a Sony A7IV or Canon Eos R is limited to a paltry selection of just the most recent lenses. But adapters are one more thing to buy and carry around, and sometimes features like autofocus are limited when working with adapters. If you want access to the widest array of native glass possible, DSLRs are still the way to go.

Size

Mirrorless cameras, by their very definition, are smaller in size than DSLRs because they don’t need to accommodate a flip-up mirror. That means they can be a lot slimmer and more compact, which a lot of people like.

On the flip side, one of the reasons DSLRs aren’t dead yet is because they appeal to people who like a bigger, chunkier camera.

The Nikon D750. EXIF: Canon Rebel Ti, 22mm, f/2.5, ISO 100, 1/250 second

The larger size of DSLRs means they often have bigger buttons, larger hand grips, and feel more substantial when shooting with them. None of this affects picture quality, but these traits do matter to many people who prefer a more robust, tactile approach when they shoot photos. Some actually prefer the larger size of a traditional DSLR, especially with a battery grip attached, because they feel more solid and substantial in the hand.

The size of traditional DSLRs is particularly important if you shoot with larger lenses, like a 70-200 f/2.8. Or even a walkaround zoom lens like an 18-270mm. The added camera weight serves to balance out the heavy lens and make the shooting experience a little easier than a small mirrorless camera.

Legacy

It’s easy to get caught up in the internet chatter about mirrorless cameras. There’s no doubt they are the way of the future. Also, seemingly, every photography-based blog and YouTube channel is filled with discussion about the latest mirrorless camera technology. It’s enough to make you think that if you prefer a DSLR you must be some kind of out-of-touch caveman.

The Nikon D750. Exif: Canon Rebel Ti, 21mm, f/5.6, ISO 100, 1/100 second

One of the big selling points of a traditional DSLR is precisely the opposite: they have been around for decades.

This means that, in addition to lenses, there are all kinds of resources for people who want to learn more about using this style of camera. A brand-new Canon or Nikon DSLR shares most of its buttons, menus, and controls with their counterparts from years or even decades ago.

Canon Rebel Ti, 10mm, f/5.6, ISO 100, 1/500 second

If you are new to photography and want to learn how to use a DSLR, there’s a good chance someone you know will have a similar model, perhaps even an older version of the same camera. This is a huge reason that DSLRs aren’t dead yet and a big help for people who want to make the most of their more traditional camera gear.

This isn’t to say that mirrorless cameras don’t have legacy support either. Some, like Fuji, model their dials and controls after cameras that were popular several decades ago. But just because they share similar controls doesn’t mean they have the same degree of support.

Nikon D200, 50mm, f/1.8, ISO 400, 1/320 second

You are more likely to know people who can help you learn to use a DSLR because they also have one. Plus, the sheer number of websites and online tutorials for DSLRs is greater simply because they have been around longer. Of course, mirrorless cameras will catch up, but for now, the message is clear: DSLRs aren’t dead. Moreover, there are still plenty of reasons to consider buying one.

What about you? Are you a traditional DSLR shooter or have you gone over to mirrorless? Or are you like me, and use both types of cameras? I’m curious to hear your thoughts in the comments below. If you have other reasons that DSLRs aren’t dead please feel free to share them.

The post DSLRs Aren’t Dead Just Yet! appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Simon Ringsmuth.

Digital Photography School

January 7, 2020
Tips and Tricks for Photographing Your Own Dog

The post Tips and Tricks for Photographing Your Own Dog appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Anabel DFlux.

Whether you’re a seasoned animal photographer or just someone who loves their pup, you’ll find that photographing your own dog can be a bit more difficult than anticipated. I work as a pet photographer, and have always found photographing someone else’s furry best friends easier than my own little beast!

As such, I’ve devised a little guide here for those of you wanting to snap images of your own dog that are as perfect as those sparkling images on the internet. Your dog’s Instagram account will thank you for it (admit it – you have one!)

The difficulty in photographing your own dog

This is my rescue dog, Lorelei. She’s not as easy to capture as she appears.

Sometimes, photographing our own pets is easy. We know our pets inside and out. But maybe that’s also the problem. We know our pets too well, and they know us too well.

It tends to be easier to photograph someone else’s pet because you don’t have the same emotional connection to one another. Sure you’ll be an interesting commodity for a short period of time, but that pup will still gravitate back to its owner and away from you (making for better images). With your own dog, you are the main attention.

For the hyperactive and overly invested, this means a dog too close in your face all the time – especially when you get low to the ground for those really amazing eye-level compositions.

For the shy, this means a dog that will turn away from you the moment they see a lens or go hide somewhere. Doing basic obedience can become a chore as the dog becomes impatient with you as you set up your camera equipment. So many negative variables at hand here!

There is also an emotional component and, oftentimes, more frustration involved with utilizing our own pets as photography models. We know when our pups look best, how they are capable of behaving, and what we want them to do. However, because it’s us, they may push the buttons and not want to particularly cooperate.

There is a lot more leniency involved in photographing someone else’s pet, and we often forget that leniency with our own animals (akin to parents and their own children versus parents watching someone else’s children). We become so set on getting a specific type of shot that we forget the beauty of being a bit more spontaneous!

Tips and tricks for less headaches

Fret not, fellow pet lovers, there are some solutions. Here are our tips and tricks to ease you on making sure your pup’s photographs are all perfectly delightful.

Note: If you are using a DSLR or Mirrorless camera, before even getting into these tips, make sure your camera is set to Continuous Autofocus Mode (AI Servo in Canon, AF-C in Nikon and Sony) which allows your camera to refocus on your pup despite their erratic movements. Set your shutter to High-Speed Continuous/Burst Mode (depending on camera brand) to take advantage of the camera’s frames-per-second and take many fast photos!

Tip 1: There is some training required

Unlike our cameras, dogs aren’t ready straight out of the box! It requires some training to get those epic dog shots.

First and foremost, getting your dog used to the camera is a huge key to success. Show that the camera is not something scary, something to get overly excited about, or something to chew (yikes). I am a big positive reinforcement proponent. Reward your dog for doing good around the camera and make sure that Fido is aware that they are doing a terrific job. Make the camera a good experience for your pup, not something to be afraid of.

Secondly, some basic commands go a very long way. A good ‘sit and stay’ will do wonders for you, allowing the distance you need to capture the right image. A ‘down’ is also helpful, as is a ‘mark’ (in which the dog is trained to put their paws up on something you set as a marker). This is how those canine actors do it too!

Training is a great bonding tool for you and your dog and makes for a good canine citizen. So this doesn’t just have a photographic benefit tied in.

Tip 2: A tired dog is a good dog!

Each old saying has a grain of truth to it, and in this case, significantly more than just a grain. An animal that is tired is less likely to have the energy to misbehave!

A key tip in working with pets is getting them too tired to exert their boisterous behavior or protest having to stay still. Playing, running, and stimulating your dog before taking pictures will keep them mellower when it comes time to take the photographs.

Tip 3: Filters, use them!

Filters are the nifty little panes of glass that screw on to the front element of our lenses. This glass can protect expenses lenses from scratches, dust, and most definitely wet dog noses! The problem I often have with my own beast is that she wants to come right into the glass element of my lens, the filter offers extra protection for those times when she’s faster than I am!

Equally so, the glass absorbs the shock of impacts, such as accidentally getting the camera bumped out of our hands by an overexcited pooch.

Tip 4: Location makes all of the difference

Much like with people, the location you are shooting in makes a world of difference. Is your dog an adventurer? Why not capture shots of your pup doing what they love best – exploring a beautiful hike! You can capture their love for the outdoors while your pet is distracted by something beautiful.

Do you have a lazy bum? Maybe the house is their favorite place to be? Catch a lovely in-home session with your dog playing with a favorite toy or hanging out on the couch!

Some dogs are more difficult to capture in unfamiliar locations as they get either nervous and anxious or over-excited. You know your dog best. Do what you think is best to get them comfortable with their surroundings before taking a photograph.

Remember, your dog’s comfort and happiness is first on the priority list; photographs are second.

Tip 5: Get their attention!

Ears up, ears up! You want to get those ears up and those faces smiling. As such, this requires a bit of attention-grabbing on your end. Whether through high-value treats (foods that your dog finds irresistible) or their favorite toy, you know your pooch best when it concerns getting their ears up.

Tip 6: Patience is a virtue

Patience is a virtue indeed and is even more valuable when capturing our own pets. As stated before, patience seems easier with someone else’s dog than with our own, and that’s a frustration that comes out of something that is yours. Remember to breathe and relax, as your anxiety affects your pup. Be patient and the right moment will come!

Tip 7: Rapid shutter fire!

As mentioned above, when you set your camera to burst mode or high-speed continuous shooting, you take advantage of your camera’s speed. This is especially important for animal photography in which pups move rapidly! Capturing a whole sequence of movements allows you to pick out the best of the best shot.

Tip 8: Bring a friend!

It’s okay to bribe your friends with pizza in order to get them to help pose your dog! Having a second person around always helps. That’s the reason photographing someone else’s dog is much easier too.

A second pair of hands can catch your dog’s attention, help you make sure the pup isn’t running away, and generally help when photographing your own dog.

Final thoughts

Photographing your own dog may not always be a simple endeavor, but it is always a worthwhile one! Just remember to have fun and keep it all lighthearted, and you’ll do great.

Do you have any other tips for photographing your own dog? If so share with us in the comments. We’d also love to see the pictures you have taken of your own dog, so feel free to share those with us too!

The post Tips and Tricks for Photographing Your Own Dog appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Anabel DFlux.

Digital Photography School

January 6, 2020
Minimalist Photography: A Powerful Medium That’s Not as Easy as You Think
The post Minimalist Photography: A Powerful Medium That’s Not as Easy as You Think appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Ana Mireles.

Do you want to make more powerful minimalist photography? Then this is the article for you. Here, I’ll clarify what minimalism is, and more importantly, what is not. I’ll also give you some tips and tricks to improve your own images and share some quotes and links from the masters on the subject to get you inspired.

What is minimalist photography?

I find that some people use the term minimalism to describe a kind of photography, for example, when they are replying to what type of photography they do. That’s why it’s important to clarify that minimalism is a style of photography that you can apply to any genre of photography from landscape through to food photography.

1/1000, f8, ISO 200

Actually, minimalism is a style that not only exists in photography but in everything from paintings through to design. It is even a way of life that has recently become popular. The one thing that minimalism has in common, no matter where you use it, is the idea that less is more. Because of this, the details are very important.

Know-how

While minimalism is simplistic in it’s visual aesthetic, it is not always easy to achieve. In fact, it can be more difficult because there’s really no place to hide. If it’s not a good photo, it will be fairly evident. One of the first rules of powerful minimalist photography is to isolate the subject and let the background be just that, a background. You can achieve this by using neutral backdrops or a shallow depth of field.

1/320, f11, ISO 400

An isolated subject on a neutral background is not yet enough to qualify as minimalist because this description could include product photography from an e-commerce site and, of course, we are not talking about that.

So to achieve minimalism, you also have to give a message or emotion. Michael Kena, the great minimalist photographer says: “For me, approaching subject matter to photograph is a bit like meeting a person and beginning a conversation“.

Composition

You can use composition to give more impact to your image. There aren’t many elements in a minimalist image, so you have to be sure they are well-positioned and distributed correctly. You want to use composition to create a harmonic image and emphasize the subject. Always keep in mind the message and not just the aesthetics.

1/60, f4, ISO 400

Using composition rules can really help you to master minimalist photography. Once you’re comfortable with them, keep experimenting because breaking the rules can sometimes be equally helpful.

Colors, shapes, and textures

You can try using only one color to emphasize the message or create an atmosphere and a feeling. There’s a long history in the arts about the cultural meaning and the psychological impact different colors have on the viewer. Use this to your advantage when doing minimalist images.

1/640, f4.5, ISO 250

You can also go the other way and use bold, contrasting colors to create more compelling photographs.

Lea De Meulenaere said in an interview that she lives in a place that is not very colorful, so she does more profound research to use other characteristics of the minimalist style. Keeping this in mind, you can also use shapes and textures.

Constructing images

Minimalism can be found during long walks in the city for urban photography or nature for landscapes, but you can also construct it in still-life, food photography, advertising and other genres.

1/60, f11, ISO 400

Some big brands like Disney or LG are using minimalism for their printed advertising. You can follow the creators of such campaigns on Instagram for inspiration. I particularly like Anna Devis and Daniel Rueda under the account name anniset.

Why you should give it a try
- Trying new things will keep your photography improving. Going minimal doesn’t require you to buy any new equipment. You have nothing to lose and much to gain.
- It will exercise your mind and creative process to give a clear and concise message with your images.
- There’s such a big variety of minimalism that you can find your own. You can go about it as a meditative state or as a fun creative project. The choice is yours.
In conclusion

It’s not by chance that advertising is using minimalism. An image that clearly communicates what you want is something that stands out in between all the images we see every day. To make powerful minimalist photography is a skill that can take your work to the next level.

1/500, f5.6, ISO 100

Try it, practice it and most of all, enjoy it. Share with us your results in the comments section to get other readers inspired!

Want to read more about minimalist photography?

See these articles:
- Tips for Minimalist Photography in an Urban Environment
- Minimalist Photography ~ 4 Tips To Keep It Simple With A Maximum Impact
- 21 Simple Images That Exemplify Minimalism
- 4 Tips for the Minimalist Photographer
- The Minimalist Landscape Photographer: What do you really need?
- 5 Guidelines of Minimalist Photography to Help Improve Your Work
- How to Embrace MINIMALISM for IMPROVED Landscape Photos
- Tips for Achieving Minimalism in Photography
The post Minimalist Photography: A Powerful Medium That’s Not as Easy as You Think appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Ana Mireles.

Digital Photography School
January 5, 2020
RAW Photo Editing in Lightroom: How to Make Your Photos Look Real to Life
The post RAW Photo Editing in Lightroom: How to Make Your Photos Look Real to Life appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Kevin Landwer-Johan.

RAW photo editing in Lightroom is necessary to make your photos look realistic. Saving your photos as RAW files, they will not look like what you see with your eyes. Photos your camera captures look different than how we see. This is especially so in high-contrast lighting.

We can see more detail in highlights and shadows. This will change as camera technology advances.

RAW files are always flat and dull-looking before post-processing. RAW photo editing is necessary to balance the light and color to get your photos looking lifelike.

Edited image made to look more vibrant and lifelike from the original RAW file. © Kevin Landwer-Johan

Don’t believe what you see

Chimping will rarely give you a true picture of the detail in your RAW images. What you see on your camera screen is a JPG photo that contains less information than the RAW file. This is different for each make and model of camera. You need to use your imagination and fill in where there appears to be no detail. You must also consult your histogram to keep your imagination in check.

You can extract more detail during RAW photo editing than is displayed on your camera’s monitor. Know your camera well and how the RAW files respond when you post-process them. Then you can have a better idea when you chimp your pictures.

What shows on your camera monitor after you take a photo may show loss of detail in the highlights or shadows. High contrast lighting exaggerates this. Learn to recognize the difference between what you are looking at and the way the pictures of it look. This will help you make better exposure choices.

Having presets active when you import photos to Lightroom will alter the images. Otherwise, images import as the camera recorded them. I prefer to have all my Lightroom settings at zero when I import. This means that when I start my RAW photo editing, I know precisely what I am dealing with.

Original, unedited image showing all the Lightroom sliders zeroed. © Kevin Landwer-Johan

RAW photo editing from scratch

Lightroom has many presets. Some of them come with the software, others you can download and install. Many of them, when applied, will give your photos a somewhat surreal look. You can create:
- Monotone images
- Add a sepia look
- Saturate or Desaturate
- Colorize, Posterize and Solarize
Gimmicks abound. Sometimes applying a creative preset can enhance a photo. The ways you can transform your photos are endless.

RAW image wit a ‘Cool Light’ preset applied. © Kevin Landwer-Johan

You can edit to make photos look however you want them to. It’s up to your creative ideas. But often you will want to edit your RAW photos to make them look realistic.

When you edit RAW photos for a natural-looking result, keep in mind how you saw what you photographed. How was the lighting? Was it high or low contrast? Did it have a warm or cold cast? Was it more neutral? What did the colors look like? If you consider the reality of a scene then you can recreate this during RAW photo editing.

Thinking about what you saw when you were taking your photos will help you edit them more realistically. It’s not always possible to remember clearly. This is when you need to think objectively and aim to find a balance in lighting, contrast, and color when you working on RAW photo editing.

Find a balance – what looks right?

Editing your photos so they look real to life means you must find the right balance. In Lightroom, the sliders I use most often to achieve this are (in no particular order):
- White Balance Temp
- Exposure
- Highlights
- Shadows
- Blacks
Use the sliders on the Develop Module to make photos look life like. © Kevin Landwer-Johan

The other sliders in the Basic panel I will use less often. Their use depends on the lighting condition from when I took the photo. At times I will make alterations to individual colors using the Saturation and Luminance sliders. You can find these in the HSL/Color panel.

There are many ways to achieve similar results in Lightroom. The ones I mention here are the ones I find to give me the best results. If you prefer an alternative way of doing the same thing, please share it in the comments below.

Photos taken at different times of the day and night require editing to suit the lighting. Whether the light is high or low contrast will also make a difference. Photos taken on a sunny day require different editing to photos you take when it’s cloudy, or you’re indoors.

Don’t overdo any of the changes you make. Avoid pushing sliders to their extremes. This will help you keep a more realistic look to your photos. Once you start having to max out the sliders, you will find that image quality begins to deteriorate. Pixelation, banding, and other imperfections will begin to appear.

Zeroed Settings

Sliders adjusted to make the photo more realistic-looking. © Kevin Landwer-Johan

Contrast and exposure challenges

How well-exposed your photos are will affect the amount of effective RAW photo editing you can carry out. When you have to push sliders to their extremes, it’s usually a sign your photo was not well exposed. It can mean the contrast range in your composition is too broad for your sensor to capture detail in both the shadow areas and highlights.

RAW photo editing has its limits. You will not always be able to make a photo look like what you saw. This is most often true when contrast is high because camera sensors are still more limited than how we see.

Generally, aiming to bring down the highlights and draw up the detail in shadows will make a photo look more real to life. If an image was poorly exposed, in part or whole, it is more challenging to make it look how you remembered seeing it.

Hard light with overexposed highlights. © Kevin Landwer-Johan

To avoid this, compose your photos so that the contrast range you capture is within the dynamic range of your camera. If there are very bright and dark areas in your composition, recompose. Aim to have the tone range narrower. This often means taking photos where there’s no bright lights or deep shadows in your frame.

If you can not do this, don’t be overly concerned about losing detail in the highlights, as this is not such a problem. In bright lighting conditions, our eyes will often not be able to see detail on light-colored or very reflective surfaces. We will still be able to see detail in the shadows.

Setting your exposure so you can capture shadow detail will make it easier to edit the RAW photos in Lightroom. This will help you get them looking realistic.

Edit each photo individually to get them looking most realistic. © Kevin Landwer-Johan

Think about Lightroom RAW photo editing when you take photos

When you take photos, consider the changes you can make to your RAW images later. The more photos you take and edit, the more naturally this will occur.

Thinking about what you can do in post-production might seem like cheating to some. I don’t see it that way. It’s a matter of working with the tools we have available to us. Modern digital technology gives us opportunities to make photos look more realistic.

When RAW photo editing well-exposed images, you can make them look real to life when this is your intention. Having well-exposed RAW files means you can balance light, contrast, and color.

Have a look back over some photos you have post-processed recently. Do they look how you remember seeing what you photographed? How could you alter them to make them look more real to life?

The post RAW Photo Editing in Lightroom: How to Make Your Photos Look Real to Life appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Kevin Landwer-Johan.

Digital Photography School
January 5, 2020
2 Years with the Sony A7R III – Was it Worth Switching from Canon DSLR ?
The post 2 Years with the Sony A7R III – Was it Worth Switching from Canon DSLR ? appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Suzi Pratt.

It’s been almost two years since I purchased the Sony A7R III mirrorless camera as a second body to my Canon 5D Mark III DSLR. Since then, I’ve used the two cameras side-by-side to shoot a wide variety of professional events, from concerts to food to corporate conventions. There have been pluses and minuses to using both systems simultaneously, which I thought I’d share for those of you considering the switch.

Why go mirrorless?

Prior to the A7R III, I had been using the Sony a6300 and was thoroughly impressed with its autofocus capabilities and video features. On both fronts, this tiny camera seemed lightyears ahead of my DSLR, so I was curious about how much better Sony’s full-frame cameras could be. I was also expanding my photography business to include video services and needed a camera that could shoot in 4K video resolution, which the 5D Mark III could not do.

Why keep both systems?

So why keep the Canon DSLRs at all?

I have a large library of Canon L glass that I intended to use on the Sony via a lens adapter. This worked with mixed results, but long story short, lens adapting did not work with my style of photography (more on that below). Given the significantly higher prices of Sony lenses, it made more financial sense to keep the DSLR kit and simply purchase a couple of Sony lenses to use. In the end, here’s what my resulting camera kit looked like:
- Canon 5D Mark III with 16-35mm f/2.8, 24-70mm f/2.8, 70-200mm f/2.8, plus various prime lenses.
- Sony A7R III with 24-70mm f/4 and 55mm f/1.8.
*The overlapping 24-70mm lenses might seem like overkill, but there is such a HUGE size difference between the two.

What was worth it

1. Video features

The Sony A7R III and A7 III are packed with video features including the ability to shoot in 4K resolution, 120 fps slow motion, in-camera timelapse, and in-body-stabilization (IBIS), to name a few. Since this is a photography site, I won’t go on more about the video features. But the specs are more than what the newer Canon 5D Mark IV offers. So from a video perspective, the Sony A7R III was completely worth it.

2. Having an Electronic Viewfinder (EVF)

One of the ways mirrorless cameras differ from DSLRs is that they tend to have an electronic viewfinder (EVF), while DSLRs have optical viewfinders (OVF). An OVF shows you what the camera lens sees, while an EVF shows you what the camera sensor sees. An EVF shows you almost exactly what your final image will look like before you press the shutter button.

There are pros and cons to using an EVF over an OVF, and most people prefer one over the other. For me, the EVF is preferred mainly because it allows for composing and shooting still photos with the LCD – something that is still hard to do with a DSLR.

Shooting with a tilting LCD has been a complete gamechanger, allowing me to find creative compositions that I wouldn’t have been able to do with a DSLR.

3. A truly silent shutter

Another advantage of mirrorless cameras is that they can have truly silent shutters. For the effort that Canon makes to offer a “silent shutter” on its DSLRs, it’s still a jarring sound compared to a mirrorless camera’s silent shutter.

The only thing to note is that silent shutters on mirrorless cameras can produce banding in images where LED lights are present, so be wary of that.

Sony A7R III with Sony 55mm f/1.8

4. Insane and Accurate Autofocus

My experience with the Sony a6300 taught me that Sony autofocus was truly on another level compared to DSLRs. That’s still true on the Sony A7R III. Not only do you have phase detection and contrast detection autofocus with 5 focus modes, but you also get Sony’s acclaimed face detection and eye autofocus.

To be fair, Canon has upped their autofocus game with dual pixel autofocus, something that isn’t on the Canon 5D Mark III and thus isn’t a feature I can compare. However, there are reports that a recent firmware update to Canon’s new EOS R includes “Sony-like eye autofocus,” so that much seems to have always been in Sony’s favor.

5. Rapidly developing lens library with lots of third-party options

Compared to the Canon and Nikon mirrorless camera systems, Sony, by far, has the biggest lens library for both its full-frame and mirrorless cameras. Even third-party brands like Sigma and Tamron have latched on, currently offering high-quality lens options at a fraction of Sony’s prices.

Better yet, lens adapters, such as the excellent Metabones V, allow you to pull from Canon’s EF and EF-S lens library as well. So when it comes to lens options, the Sony mirrorless is hard to beat.

Sony A7R III with Sony 24-70mm f/4. Look at the height of that stage – I couldn’t get this shot without the tilting LCD.

What wasn’t worth it

1. Size and weight savings

The argument of switching to mirrorless cameras to have a smaller and lighter system compared to DSLRs isn’t completely true. Sure, the Sony A7R III is smaller and lighter than any of the Canon 5D cameras. However, the fast Sony lenses that I would need to replace my DSLR equivalents are just as heavy and bulky. When it comes to full-frame cameras and fast glass packed with features such as image stabilization (IS), there’s not much of a size and weight difference.

2. Adapting lenses isn’t for every scenario

There are some great lens adapters out there, such as the Metabones V that I was initially sold on. In practice, the lens adapter worked 90% of the time, which was okay when shooting things like food or portraits. But that 10% failure rate wasn’t acceptable for the fast-moving concerts and events when it could mean missing THE shot of the night.

If you choose to adapt lenses, give yourself ample time for testing to make sure it works for your photography style.

Canon 5D Mark III with 24-70mm f/2.8

3. Realizing they aren’t completely dead yet

While many photography news sites publish headlines proclaiming the death of DSLRs, Nikon and Canon prove otherwise. Both camera brands are rumored to be releasing new DSLRs in 2020, and there’s even supposed to be a 5D Mark V on the way! So if you shoot with DSLRs, there’s no pressure to make the switch yet.

4. Canon could make a mirrorless camera comeback

Actually, this part could already be true if you look at Canon’s crop-sensor mirrorless camera line.

Even though Canon seemed late to the mirrorless camera party, they are making big gains with their popular EOS M-Series APS-C mirrorless cameras, and the EOS R full-frame cameras continue getting better.

They are also developing innovative RF lenses (have you seen the RF 70-200mm f/2.8?!) and allowing Canon shooters to use DSLR lenses via their own lens adapter. It’s questionable if they will be able to catch up to and surpass Sony’s cameras and ever-growing lens library, but it is a good thing to see Canon continue to innovate.

Canon 5D Mark III with 16-35mm f/2.8.

In conclusion

So two years later, do I regret adding the Sony A7R III to my kit? Absolutely not.

The photos and videos that I’ve captured and the overall elevated experience of shooting with this camera have been worth it. However, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t quietly rooting for Canon and hoping that they beef up their full-frame mirrorless line. When they do, it might be worth making yet another switch.

Sony A7R III with 24-70mm f/4

Canon 5D Mark III with 16-35mm f/2.8

The post 2 Years with the Sony A7R III – Was it Worth Switching from Canon DSLR ? appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Suzi Pratt.

Digital Photography School
January 5, 2020
Weekly Photography Challenge – Resolutions

The post Weekly Photography Challenge – Resolutions appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Caz Nowaczyk.

This week’s photography challenge topic is RESOLUTIONS!

One of your resolutions may be to better your bird photography. Photo: Jaymes Dempsey.

A new year is upon us (it’s hard to believe, I know). And it is that time where we make resolutions for the year ahead.

Your resolutions might include making a special trip to do some landscape photography, or to capture some of the world’s landmarks. It may be to do more bird photography, macro photography, a 365-project or just more photography in general. You may decide this is the year to take the leap into doing photography full time. Alternatively, it could be that you want to slow down and take more notice of the things going on around you close to home.

Whatever they are, we’d like to see them represented in photography.

It could simply be a photo of a written list of resolutions, it could be photos of places you have been and want to return to this year. It could be photos of your family if you plan to spend more time with them this year. You get the picture.

So, check out these inspiring pics, have fun, and I look forward to seeing what you come up with!

You may decide you want to make your photography business and aim to get clients. Photo: Brooke Cagle

Alternatively, one of your resolutions may be to spend more time with your family. Photo Jackie Lamas

Perhaps one of your resolutions is to upgrade your camera gear? Image by Canon Inc.

Check out some of the articles below that give you tips on this week’s challenge.

Tips for Shooting RESOLUTIONS

5 Surprising Macro Photography Ideas to Jumpstart Your Creativity

10 Must-Use Bird Photography Camera Settings for Beginners

Why Goal Planning Is the Key to Growing as a Landscape Photographer

10 Quick Photography Business Tips to Kickstart The New Year

Jumpstart Your Photography – Start a 365 Project

How to do a Photography Alphabet Project

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.

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 #DPSresolutions 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 – Resolutions appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Caz Nowaczyk.

Digital Photography School

January 4, 2020
The 5 Best Portable Photo Printers in 2019
The post The 5 Best Portable Photo Printers in 2019 appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Caz Nowaczyk.

Do you like to print your photos? In this video from, 10BestOnes, they delve into the 5 Best portable photo printers in 2019. Starting from number 5 and working down to number 1.

Are there any others you would add to this list? If so, share with us in the comments!

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The 5 Best portable photo printers in 2019

5. Kodak Mini 2

The Kodak Mini 2 is a small size, measuring 1x3x5.2 inches, and features a colorful print quality that uses a 5-step layered printing process. The images have great vibrancy and detail.

It has ease of use, a fast set-up, and great functionality with the mobile app. The Kodak Mini 2 comes in white, black, blue, pink, and purple and is small enough to fit in your pocket.

Its uncomplicated design consists of a power button and a USB port for charging the printer. There is a built-in lithium battery lasting for around 15 prints.

The Kodak Mini comes with a Kodak app for Android and IOS devices. It is great for editing and adjusting images for print, and has some great templates for printing business or greeting cards. It prints wirelessly at a speed of 1min15sec for a 2.1×3.4 inch photo.

4. Fujifilm Instax SP-3

Fujifilm is a leading expert in photography, bringing the retro look back to photography. The Fujifilm Instax SP-3 continues the retro vibes with prints that look like polaroids.

It’s portable, with great ease-of-use, and works great with smartphones.

It has an attractive design with a high-quality build made from soft plastic. It’s expertly constructed, as it should be with its premium price tag.

The device measures 6.1×6.1×3.7 inches (weighs 1.3 pounds) in total, meaning it can fit in most backpacks.

The Fujifilm Instax SP-3 has a rechargeable battery. LED lights on the printer let you know how many shots you have remaining before having to recharge the printer. It also has a reprint button so you can easily reprint the same image as many times as you like without having to go through the app each time.

The app is attractive and intuitive and has a history section, too, so you can go back and easily print photos you’ve previously printed.

Fujifilm Instax SP-3 print size is a square format at 2.4×2.4 inches at a resolution of about 800×800, which gives 318dpi. The color and reproduction are fantastic, and it takes around 13 seconds to print.

3. Kodak Mini Shot

The Kodak Mini Shot is an instant camera and printer in one retro-style device. Available in a range of colors, the camera comes in blue, pink, yellow, purple, black, and white.

Measuring 5.2x3x0.9 inches in size, the Kodak Mini Shot weighs only 0.5 pounds, meaning it can easily fit into your pocket.

On the back are a small LCD display and set of buttons that allow you to select and print your photos.

However, there are a few downsides to this device.

There is no way to save your photos to the device for printing later. It has no viewfinder, making it difficult to see if your subject is in focus. The battery life is not great, and the LCD screen takes a while to refresh when you move the camera.

Downsides aside, the print quality is still relatively good. It prints in a 2.1×3.4 inch format and takes about 30 seconds to print.

Also, the app delivers filters and customizations before printing.

2. The Polaroid Mint

The Polaroid Mint has amazing qualities in a hipster, light package. It has the best battery life and photo quality from a portable printer. It’s pocket-sized, measuring in at 4.5x3x0.7 inches and weighing 7.2 ounces.

It has a simple design with the Polaroid logo engraved on its body and is available in black, blue, yellow, red, and white.

The Polaroid Mint can house 50 print sheets in its body. It has a rechargeable, 900mah battery with amazing run time, with the ability to print about 40 photos on a single charge. It uses zinc zero-ink paper that can easily slide into the device. Moreover, you don’t need to replace ink cartridges because it doesn’t use them.

The Polaroid Mint has wireless connectivity, linking to the app on your phone. It can also lodge a micro SD card up to 256GB so that you can store photos in it.

The print size is the standard 2×3 inches. It prints with amazing quality and contrast.

1. HP X7NO7A Sprocket

The best overall printer in the market is the HP X7NO7A Sprocket. It’s a small and portable device with easy-to-use functions, quick print speed, and integration with its app, Facebook and Instagram, and other features to make your life easier.

Utilizing zinc sheets, the HP X7NO7A Sprocket doesn’t use ink cartridges. It has a well-made design with a sleek look, and rounded corners. The size of the HP X7NO7A Sprocket is 4.5x3x0.9 inches, and it weighs 6 ounces.

The white casing has copper details around the center and logo, and there are minimal details. It only has the power button and the USB socket. Its connectivity is only via Bluetooth.

The app is fool-proof and makes editing and printing your photos very easy. It can print a photo in 42 seconds. While the print quality is great, the color isn’t very saturated. However, overall, the device delivers tremendous value for the price.

You may also find the following helpful:
- Practical Color Management – How to Set Up Your Printer to Match Your Monitor
- How to get more from your printer – besides good quality prints!
- Printers – Laser vs Inkjet
- Polaroid PoGo Mobile Printer Review
- Photo Printers: Choosing the Best One for Your Needs
The post The 5 Best Portable Photo Printers in 2019 appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Caz Nowaczyk.

Digital Photography School
January 4, 2020
5 Camera Settings Every Bird Photographer Should Know

The post 5 Camera Settings Every Bird Photographer Should Know appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey.

If you want to capture amazing bird photos, you absolutely need to master your camera settings.

Because camera settings determine whether your bird photos look blurry or sharp, well-exposed or lacking details.

In other words, your camera settings can be the difference between a great photo and a mediocre photo.

Which is why this article is dedicated to giving you the five camera settings that every bird photographer should know.

That way, you’ll never struggle to choose the correct camera settings again.

Let’s get started.

1. Use Aperture Priority or Manual mode to set your exposure

First things first:

If you want to create beautiful bird photos, you have to make sure they’re well-exposed. This means that you need the right aperture and right shutter speed to create a bright, detailed photo.

How do you ensure that you capture a well-exposed bird photo?

You use Aperture Priority or Manual mode.

Both of these modes are available via the Mode Dial on most cameras. Aperture Priority is the easier mode to use: It allows you to choose an aperture, while your camera selects a shutter speed based on its evaluation of the ambient light.

Manual mode forces you to choose both an aperture and a shutter speed. However, the camera viewfinder displays a bar that shows whether your choices will result in underexposure, overexposure, or an exposure that’s just right. If you use Manual mode, then you must carefully observe this bar to determine the best aperture and shutter speed for each photo.

If you’re a beginner, or if you’re shooting fast-paced scenes, Aperture Priority is generally the best choice. You can dial in a wide aperture (usually between f/5.6 and f/7.1), then allow your camera to choose a shutter speed. If the shutter speed is too low (more on that later!), then you can raise the ISO to compensate.

Manual mode is a bit trickier to use and takes some getting used to. Once you feel confident in your exposure skills, Manual mode might be the way to go. Manual mode is also a good choice if the background is changing rapidly, but the light on the bird remains the same (such as when you’re photographing a bird in flight). In such a situation, Manual mode will prevent the camera meter from changing your shutter speed in response to the changing background.

Here’s the bottom line:

To get a perfect exposure, you need to take control of your camera settings. And that starts by choosing a camera mode.

Both Aperture Priority and Manual will work. Start with Aperture Priority and, if you like, you can always work up to using Manual.

2. Use back-button focus to capture tack-sharp photos

Back-button focus is one of my favorite camera features because it’s just so amazingly useful.

Here’s why:

Back-button autofocus allows you to control your camera’s focus via a button on the camera’s back (sometimes labeled AF-ON). Rather than pressing the shutter button halfway to focus, then the rest of the way to capture a shot, back-button focus allows you to separate these two functions.

The shutter button is used for taking pictures.

And the AF-ON button is used for focusing.

This is invaluable if you want to focus and recompose, then track a moving subject, then focus and recompose again.

(You’ll want to make sure you’ve set your autofocus mode to AI-Servo, also known as AF-C.)

You see, if you press and hold the AF-ON button, it activates the continuous autofocus, which will track a moving subject.

But once you let go of the AF-ON button, the autofocus locks in place. Now the autofocus acts like one-shot AF, which locks focus and stays focused.

So if you come upon a bird that’s moving, you can track it via back-button focus. But as soon as the bird stops moving, you can let go of the AF-ON button, and test out different compositions, knowing that the focus won’t change.

The ibis in the photo below was moving along the water’s edge, but then stopped so I could grab this photo. I focused on the eye, but then reframed (a perfect situation for back-button focus!).

Cool, right?

Plus, if you accidentally let go of the shutter button, you don’t have to deal with refocusing. Back-button focus stays locked in place.

That’s the power of back-button focus!

To set up back-button autofocus does take a bit of fiddling with camera settings, which is beyond the scope of this article. So take a look in your camera’s manual (or do a bit of Googling!). It’s worth it, I promise.

3. Use continuous shooting to nail the action shots

Bird photography often gives you the opportunity to capture amazing action shots. Photos of birds flying through the air, birds diving into the water, birds capturing fish.

But here’s the thing:

It’s easy to miss the action if you’re not prepared.

After all, birds move fast.

That’s why continuous shooting comes in handy.

Pretty much all cameras have a continuous shooting mode, these days. Continuous shooting allows you to fire off a burst of photos, generally between 5 frames per second and 15 frames per second.

So whenever you go out to do bird photography, switch your shooting mode to continuous shooting.

And then, when the action heats up, start shooting burst rather than single shots.

That’s what I did for this little blue heron shot. When the bird began to hunt, I started shooting in bursts, so I could be sure to get sharp shots with the beak near the water!

Will you get a lot of throwaway images? Sure.

But you’ll also have a much better chance of getting the perfect image. So it’s undoubtedly worth it!

You do want to be careful, however, because your camera’s buffer can fill up quickly. When that happens, you won’t be able to shoot bursts until the camera has processed some of the images.

Just be mindful of your camera’s buffer.

And you’ll get some shots of a lifetime.

4. Choose a shutter speed of at least 1/500s (and probably faster)

If you want to capture sharp bird photos, then you have to use a fast shutter speed.

Because the shutter speed is what determines whether you freeze the scene, or whether it turns into one unpleasant blur.

Now, there is no one ideal shutter speed. If the bird in your scene is stationary, you’ll need a much slower shutter speed than if the bird in your scene is flapping its wings wildly.

But I can give you some recommendations that should ensure you get sharp bird photos, consistently.

First, if you’re shooting a motionless bird (for instance, a bird that’s sleeping or standing still), I recommend using a shutter speed of at least 1/500th of a second. This is to compensate for the length of your lens because longer lenses result in more potential for camera shake.

Second, if you’re shooting a bird that’s moving at a slow to medium speed, around 1/1000th of a second is a good choice. This will freeze the movement, but won’t force you to crank up the ISO to compensate for underexposure.

Third, if you’re shooting a fast-moving bird, you should choose a shutter speed of at least 1/2000th. If the bird is flying at high speeds, then 1/2500th, 1/3200th, or even 1/4000th is a good choice. Birds move fast, and you don’t want to end up with a blurry shot because your shutter speed was a hair too slow.

5. Use the lowest ISO you can afford for noise-free photos

In bird photography, shutter speed and ISO tend to balance one another out.

If you choose a slower shutter speed, you don’t need a high ISO; if you choose a high ISO, you don’t need a slow shutter speed.

Now, ISO comes with a big downside: The higher the ISO, the more noise you’ll get in your photos. And noise is pretty much always bad.

On the other hand, a high ISO increases the brightness of your photos, which allows you to use a lightning-fast shutter speed without worry.

So what do you do? How do you choose your ISO?

I recommend you start by determining an acceptable shutter speed. Use the guidelines in the previous tip if you’re struggling.

Then push your ISO up until you’ve reached your determined shutter speed – but don’t go any higher than you have to.

Because here’s the thing:

It’s better to get a noisy image than a blurry image. But the holy grail of photography is achieving sharp photos without noise.

So keep your ISO to a minimum.

And you’ll get the best possible shot.

5 camera settings every bird photographer should know: Conclusion

Choosing the best settings for bird photography may seem difficult, but it doesn’t have to be.

Just remember the five camera settings that I’ve shared.

And you’ll be capturing amazing photos in no time!

If you have any other tips on bird photography camera settings, please share with us in the comments below, along with any photos you’d like to share.

The post 5 Camera Settings Every Bird Photographer Should Know appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey.

Digital Photography School

January 4, 2020
Photoshop Sharpening for Beginners – Unsharp Mask, High Pass and Smart Sharpen Explained
The post Photoshop Sharpening for Beginners – Unsharp Mask, High Pass and Smart Sharpen Explained appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Nisha Ramroop.

With the constant improvement of technology, it is realistic to expect tack sharp images straight out of your camera. Many times, though, the image appears sharper on your camera than when uploaded to your computer. This is because images need to be sharpened for their specified output. In Photoshop sharpening for beginners, we look at why and how to sharpen your images. Also, you will review some of the sharpening filters and techniques that help make a huge difference to the overall quality of your final edit.

F/5.6 1/200/ ISO800 @420mm

Why sharpen?

Before we delve into the photoshop sharpening tools, it is important to know why and when you need to sharpen your images. The premise of sharpening is that it increases the contrasts around the edges in your image.

As previously mentioned, you need to sharpen images for their specific output types. This means you sharpen an image displayed on the internet differently than one meant for print.

Sharpening is also very useful when it comes to correcting smaller focus issues. For example, if you are shooting a portrait and the focus is on the ear instead of the eyes.

Sharpening the subject’s eyes brings the attention back where you intended. In other genres of photography, use sharpening in pretty much this same way. Sharpen the areas you want to draw the viewer’s eyes to and decrease the sharpness in areas you want to “fall away”.

Sharpen for your respective output: web vs print. Details make a difference F/11 1/250 ISO200 @10mm

Keep in mind that while sharpening takes your image to the next level, there are times when it is not needed. While sharpening a person’s eyes and lips can take their portrait to the next level, you want to avoid sharpening their skin!

How to sharpen

As with other editing techniques, Photoshop sharpening filters are destructive (when applied directly to your image). Use layers and smart objects, to maximize the following sharpening tools and avoid permanently changing it.

Bonus Tip: When post-processing, save the application of your sharpening technique for last.

Unsharp Masks

While the name “unsharp” sounds like a tool that would make your images less sharp, this counter-intuitively named filter is, in fact, a sharpening tool. Interestingly enough, it was regarded as the best tool to sharpen images in earlier iterations of Photoshop.

While it is still useful, some of the other tools afford you a greater amount of control.

Photoshop sharpening for beginners notes: When you sharpen an image too much, it starts to look a little noisy.

To use Unsharp Mask:
- Duplicate your original/background layer
- Right-click on your new layer and choose “Convert to Smart Object”
- Go to Filter -> Sharpen -> Unsharp Mask. This brings up a dialog box with the options: Amount, Radius and Threshold
Remember, we said that sharpening basically increases the contrasts around the edges in your image? Well, building on that will make these sliders easier to understand.

Use the Amount slider to increase or decrease the amount of contrast in the edges of your image.

Radius manages the level of detail. So a smaller radius will manage the smaller details, while a large radius affects a bigger area.

The last slider, Threshold, affects the areas of higher contrast.

When using these sliders, a good starting place is to figure out your radius first. Do you want to sharpen the smaller details or the larger ones? If you are still unsure how to work with Photoshop sharpening for beginners, experiment!

In this example, push your radius up and then work back down until you affect the areas that you want. From here, you can start moving around the other two sliders until you get your desired results.

One of the downsides of using Unsharp Mask is that it is Layer specific. This is because it affects your entire image, so you need Layer Masking to discard areas that you don’t want sharpening.

Smart Sharpen

The Smart Sharpen tool is like a child of Unsharp Masks, as it gives you some more options. One of the cool things with Smart Sharpening is that it ignores skin detail and focuses on areas with higher contrasts e.g. eyes, eyebrows, lips.

Use the same workflow as above to access the Smart Sharpen filter. The dialog box gives you more advanced options than the previous Unsharp Mask. Amount and Radius work the same way as previously described.

F/5.6 1/1600 ISO100 @420mm

A drop-down menu allows you to remove different types of blurs such as Gaussian, Lens and Motion blur. Lens blur is the most common removal used in this menu.

In Photoshop CC, your menu looks a little differently but has all the same options. Additionally, it includes a useful option to reduce noise.

Smart Sharpen also allows you to create presets. This is helpful if you are sharpening a batch of images at similar focal lengths. Remember, when you apply your filters/filter preset to a Smart Object, you can further adjust/refine it.

High Pass Sharpening

Another photoshop sharpening for beginners is the High Pass Sharpening technique. While it is a little more advanced than the other tools, you can still easily apply it. It is not a filter found in the Sharpen Menu like the Unsharp Mask and Smart Sharpen filters. What it is, however, is a combination of steps that sharpens your image.

To process with High Pass Sharpening:
- Duplicate your layer
- Desaturate your new layer. It seems like a strange step, but since sharpening increases saturation around your edges, your image may start to look surreal.
- Right-click on your desaturated layer and choose “Convert to Smart Object”
- Go to Filter -> Other- > High Pass. Your entire image now turns to gray, and when you move the radius slider, you will see the targeted detail areas affected.
Left: Using High-Pass in the default normal mode, see how your edges are defined. Right: Using High-Pass in Overlay Blend Mode allows you to see your changes in real-time

There is, of course, an alternate way to this gray image where you see your edit in real-time.

Prior to the last step above:
- Select your desaturated layer and go to Blend Modes
- Select Overlay
- Then go to Filter -> Other -> High Pass and adjust
At full size, you don’t always see that the eyes are not as sharp as they can be. Like Smart Sharpen, the eyes and lips are sharpened, but the skin is unaffected. F/7.1 1/125 ISO100 @70mm

Note: This sharpening technique is the only one that lets you apply sharpening with different blend modes.

Conclusion

Remember, sharpening should be the last step in your post-processing workflow. These filters and techniques in Photoshop Sharpening for Beginners will take your image to that next level. It helps to know when and why to sharpen an image and as with all processing, applying correctly makes a huge difference to your final image.

Do you have any other photoshop sharpening for beginners tips you’d like to share? Please do so in the comments!

The post Photoshop Sharpening for Beginners – Unsharp Mask, High Pass and Smart Sharpen Explained appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Nisha Ramroop.

Digital Photography School
January 2, 2020