Category: Photography

Your Workflow for Styling Food Photography

The post Your Workflow for Styling Food Photography appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Darina Kopcok.

The success of any shoot relies on the timing and organization of the various elements to your workflow. There are so many things to remember when shooting. In food photography, forgetting one detail can make the difference between a great picture and one that is so-so. Here are my tips on what to consider during every stage of your food shoot and styling food photography.

Choose the right lens

Like with any genre of photography, choosing the right lens for what you’re trying to achieve is essential. In food photography, you can get a lot of mileage out of a couple of key lenses.

One of these is a 100mm/110mm macro lens if you’re shooting with a camera with a full-frame sensor. The macro capabilities will allow you to take the tight shots of ingredients or dishes, but you can also step back to take beautiful “food portraits.” This can make it a really versatile lens.

Another important lens is a 50mm. This will allow you to take overhead shots, and it’s a good lens to have for food portraits as well. Just keep in mind that on a full-frame, a 50mm is actually a wide-angle lens for food photography. You might need to use large backgrounds, and you can also end up getting distortion when shooting at a 3/4 angle — another good reason to have 100mm macro in your kit.

A 35mm lens is best suited to overhead shots and capturing large spreads of food and some lifestyle type of shots.

If you have the budget for it, I recommend a 24-70mm, as it’s an excellent all-around food photography lens.

Check your camera settings and exposure

If you want to shoot food, it’s best to set your camera to take RAW images. JPEG images are processed, which is handy, but they have a very limited color range as opposed to a RAW file. They also degrade in quality each time you retouch them, whereas you can edit RAW images as much as required without losing important information.

Do what you can to obtain the best exposure in-camera. Getting things right in-camera saves you a lot of time. It’s much harder and more time-consuming to try to fix things in post-production, and you still can’t always get as good of a result as you would if you just took the time to get things right in-camera.

When shooting in natural light, put your white balance on Auto and correct it in post-production if you need to. If you’re shooting with flash, be sure to set it to Daylight white balance.

If you’re using artificial light, set your ISO to 100. Your shutter speed should not exceed the sync speed of your camera. If you don’t know that, you’ll have to look it up. It’s generally around 200.

When shooting in natural light, use a tripod and lower your shutter speed to account for lower light conditions rather than cranking up your ISO, which will give your images unwanted noise.

Harness the light

Before you put the “hero” food down on the table, do a lighting test with a stand-in that is a similar shape and size of the dish you are shooting. Food dies very quickly, so you don’t want it sitting around while you’re tinkering with your lights.

Soft light is usually best for food photography, so use a diffuser, scrim, or translucent fabric to diffuse the light. In most cases, directional light (coming from one direction) will look best. Use black cardboard to create shadows, white cardboard or reflectors to kick in light or fill shadows.

The light should come from the side, the back, or somewhere in between to be most flattering to food. Never use front light – it looks great in portraits, but is too flat for food and will cause unwanted shadows on your set.

Choose the right surfaces and backdrops

Styling food photography also includes your surfaces. Your surface is what you place your food on. The backdrop is what goes behind your scene.

Slightly textured backgrounds and surfaces add more dimension and interest. But you can have too much of a good thing; a lot of texture will detract from the food, so tread lightly.

Avoid backgrounds or wood surfaces that are orange in tone, which looks unattractive with food. Most food is warm-toned, so a cool or neutral backdrop will make it pop. A warm backdrop with warm food can end up looking dated.

When choosing custom backdrops, avoid those that are shiny or reflective in any way. Metallic paint, black marble and such will be difficult to work with. A lot of matte varnishes also end up having a bit of glare, so do a patch test first.

Get creative with your surfaces and backdrops. Tablecloths, tissue paper, craft paper, canvas, linen, cheesecloth are all inexpensive DIY backdrops you can use.

Choose the right props and shooting them correctly

There is a reason that “prop stylist” is a whole occupation on its own. Don’t underestimate how powerful the right props can be.

The key is to not over-prop your scene. One or two props are often all you need unless you’re telling a wider food story like a tablescape. Too many props distract from your food.

It’s also vital that you use dishes and flatware that are on the smaller size. Props can often appear to the camera much larger than they really are, and dominate the image.

Go for matte dishes as much as possible. You can manage reflections in glass and cutlery by spraying them with “Dulling Spray” by Krylon.

You can also use a polarizing filter to cut down on reflections, although you’ll lose 1-2 stops in doing so.

Food styling tips

Use garnishes, herbs, seasonings, crumbs etc to create interest and texture on your set. Use them sparingly though, to avoid a messy look.

Keep herbs fresh by storing them between sheets of wet paper towels. You can also put them in a Mason jar filled with water to make them last longer.

When dressings salads, do so at the last minute, and always have extra dressings and sauces ready to brush on your food subjects.

One great tip used by pro food stylists is to use citric acid, a product like “Fruit Fresh,” to keep produce fresh-looking. Simply dissolve it in water and soak fruits and vegetables in the solution for 1/2 an hour. To keep a misted look on produce without having the water droplets evaporate quickly, use glycerine mixed with water and spray it on the items.

A food photographer should always have a food styling kit with items like brushes, cotton swabs, water spritzers, and squeeze bottles to bring to shoots. Other important items for your kit are drinking straws, tweezers, paper towel, and clean cloths.

Be aware of composition

Composition is a big subject and it can have a lot of impact on your food photography. Without it, the eye loses interest in what’s in the frame.

When shooting, check that you don’t have too much empty/passive space; crop tighter or rearrange your composition. On the other hand, you can shoot a bit wider to give yourself more leeway for cropping your compositions in post-production.

Remember that odd numbers of elements create balance and harmony, while even numbers compete with one another and weaken the impact of the image. There are many other principles of composition, like the Golden Mean, as well as leading lines, patterns, repetition, and texture.

Color is also a part of composition, so think carefully about how the colors of your props and backdrops complement your food.

Colors that are opposite the color wheel are called “complementary colors” and are especially pleasing to the eye.

Shooting your image

It’s best to shoot with a tripod and tether to your computer or laptop so you can see a larger and more accurate rendition of your image on the screen.

If you’re working with clients, they will expect you to shoot tethered. You’ll need to be able to show them every image and get their approval before moving on to the next shot to avoid them coming back to you, saying they didn’t like the image.

Shoot at a minimum of f/5.6 if you’re shooting overhead images

As for your aperture in general, f/5.6 or f/8 is a good default for food shots. You can have some nice bokeh with more of the food in focus.

While you’re shooting, don’t forget to take an image with a grey card or Color Checker to properly white balance in post-processing.

Focus and angle

To get the correct focus and angle, think about which would best complement the food and show it to the best advantage.

Overhead shots are the most graphic and work for many types of flat foods, such as pizza. They’re also a great way of getting more elements into the shot because the depth becomes flattened.

Use lower angles or straight-on angles for tall foods, such as burgers and stacks of pancakes. Keep in mind that lower angles create more surface shine

In general, you usually want to focus on the front of the food.

Post-Processing

Everyone has their own personalized workflow, but here are some tips for editing and retouching that you might find helpful.

If you use Lightroom, work on virtual copies of your files and keep the original untouched. Organize your images in Collections and input metadata that will help you find certain images according to keywords and other attributes.

If you’re more of a Photoshop person, save working copies as you retouch to avoid losing your work. Make sure you are using the correct color space for your purposes.

Always back up your RAW files and your work in at least three places, including a cloud backup system.

Your workflow for styling food photography: conclusion

There are a lot of details to remember while shooting and styling food photography. Hopefully, these workflow points can function as a kind of checklist for you of all things to keep in mind so you can take your images to the next level.

Do you have any other tips on styling food photography that you’d like to share? Please do so in the comments!

The post Your Workflow for Styling Food Photography appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Darina Kopcok.

Digital Photography School

November 5, 2019
Best Fujifilm X-Series Kit for Urban Portraits

The post Best Fujifilm X-Series Kit for Urban Portraits appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Matt Murray.

With a range of feature-packed cameras that are fun to use, and a line of stunning lenses, a Fujifilm X-Series kit is the ideal companion for urban portrait shoots.

I have been shooting with the X-Series for four years and love the system and the results I get from it. However, with so many good options available, one problem you may have is choosing a lens or kit to shoot with!

In this guide, I discuss what you need to consider when choosing a lens for a shoot, and a list of my favorite Fujifilm lenses for shooting urban portraits.

Advantages of using a Fujifilm X-Series Kit

There are a few key advantages that the Fujifilm X-Series has for urban portrait shoots. Being a mirrorless system, it’s generally smaller and lighter than DSLR kits. In practice, though, my camera bag probably isn’t much lighter because I usually fill it with more of the excellent Fujinon lenses.

Fujifilm’s X-Series is ideal for urban portrait shoots for so many reasons.

Excellent ergonomics and usability is a hallmark of the system. I love that I can change aperture on the lens instead of via a menu – in fact, I could never move back to a system where I have to change aperture via a menu now. The camera bodies feature shutter speed and ISO dials on top of the camera, so you have all the elements of the exposure triangle at your fingertips without a menu in sight.

Live view is another feature I couldn’t live without – it’s amazing seeing what your exposure will look like before pressing the shutter button. This is particularly useful in low light situations that you often encounter in urban shoots. Another dial on top of the camera is exposure compensation – you can easily adjust the exposure as you look through the viewfinder, which is perfect for the way I shoot.

Using live view on my Fujifilm X-T3, I could see exactly what adding extra exposure compensation would do when photographing Anne.

Another big advantage of Fujifilm cameras is their stunning color rendition – the best of any digital camera manufacturer. Fujifilm has used their decades of knowledge to produce JPG simulations that bear the names of class film emulsions: Provia, Astia, and Velvia, to name three.

The images in this article are JPGs (Provia simulation) with only small edits made in Adobe Lightroom. You can, of course, shoot in RAW alongside JPG and add your own looks or presets in post-production.

Camera bodies

I prefer to take two camera bodies with me on my shoots: the Fujifilm X-T3 and X-T2.

You can pretty much substitute any of the excellent X-Series lineups into your urban portrait kit, from the X-T series I use to the X-Pro line and the X-E line. I’ve even shot urban portraits with the X100 line of fixed-lens compact cameras.

If you only have one camera body, that is workable – you just need to be careful if you plan on changing lenses in urban environments to minimize the possibility of dust ending up on your sensor. The last thing you want on your mind during a shoot is the feeling of dread that you just let a whole lot of dust bunnies inside your camera.

Choosing a lens for an urban portrait shoot is a balancing act between a focal length that flatters your subject, but still allows you to be close. This image of Bailey was taken with a Fujinon 23mm f1.4 lens.

Lenses for urban portraits

The Fujifilm X-Series boasts a stunning range of superb lenses, with more being added every year. Fujifilm regularly updates a lens road map to let photographers know what new additions are coming. Portrait shooters have many fast primes available to them, as well as weather-resistant primes and a fantastic range of zoom lenses.

When choosing a lens for a shoot, I consider the following things:

Focal length

How flattering is this focal length for portrait photography? The images should flatter your client or model and make them look amazing.

Working distance

What’s the practical working distance of your lens? Ideally, for urban portraits, it’s good to have a lens choice that flatters your client for portraits, but without you being too far away. For me, this rules out some options such as the Fujinon XF 90mm F2 R LM WR lens.

In low light, I often find myself shooting at, or close to, the maximum aperture of the lens (the smallest number). In this image of Natasha, I was using the Fujinon 56mm f1.2 lens at f1.6.

Maximum aperture

The maximum aperture of the lens determines how wide it can open. The smaller the number, the ‘faster’ the lens is, allowing you to take images at high shutter speeds in lower light. ‘Slower’ lenses will not be able to shoot at the same shutter speeds unless you crank up the ISO, which can affect image quality.

During the middle of the day, this may not be important, but with less light after the sun goes down, fast lenses are important for sharp images and to keep the ISO lower. The X-series lineup has a range of very fast prime lenses with many maximum apertures at F1.4 and even F1.2.

Weather resistance

If planning a shoot in the rain or snow, a weather-resistant lens and body are a must. This is generally something I don’t need to think about – if it does start raining during a shoot, I usually move to an undercover location. Usually, clients don’t want their hair, makeup, and outfits ruined by a downpour.

Listed below are my choices for urban portrait lenses.

Fujinon XF 35mm F1.4 R

I love this lens – there is real magic to it. It’s my number one choice for urban portraits. The XF 35mm F1.4 is the closest Fujifilm has to the full-frame equivalent angle of view of 50mm – a classic focal length used by photographers for decades.

One of the three original lenses in the X-Series lineup, it has a fast maximum aperture of F1.4, making it perfect for images with a shallow depth of field and night shooting.

Featuring stunning optics and pleasing bokeh, this lens gives you a relatively short working distance for portraits. Best of all, it’s a lot cheaper than most of the other lenses in this guide.

I love this shot – so much fun! Alyssa in a phone booth, Brisbane, Australia.

The 35mm F1.4 lens has a magic quality. I love that the lens is flattering for clients, yet it allows you to get quite close to them while shooting.

Fujinon XF 16mm F1.4 R WR

The next choice on my list is arguably one of the best lenses Fujifilm has ever produced – the stunning Fujinon XF 16mm F1.4 lens.

With a full-frame equivalent of 24mm, you may think this is an odd choice for a portrait session, but it’s a perfect lens for wide-angle environmental shots. With a minimum focus distance of just 15cm, this lens is the perfect option when working in confined spaces.

The excellent build quality of the lens is also matched by its stunning optics. Although any distortion is corrected in-body by the camera, you still need to be careful when shooting with it. Place your model or client towards the center of the frame for the best results.

Sasha sitting on beer kegs in a Brisbane laneway. There wasn’t much room in the laneway, so the 16mm F1.4 was a perfect choice for this shot.

The short working distance and wide angle-of-view enabled me to take this image of Natasha in front of some metal shutters.

Fujinon XF 56mm F1.2 R

The XF 56mm F1.2 R lens is perhaps the jewel in the crown of the X-Series lineup. Stunning image quality and beautiful bokeh make it a winner in anyone’s book.

This is the lens that all Fujifilm portrait photographers either have in their kit or on their wishlist. With a full-frame equivalent of around 85mm, it is substantially lighter than full-frame equivalent lenses for DSLRs. It boasts a super-fast F1.2 maximum aperture, is tack sharp, and has the most pleasing bokeh in the X-Series lineup.

For portrait work, this lens is fantastic. Just bear in mind that in urban environments, it’s not always a suitable choice, as you need a greater working distance when using this lens.

Sasha in Brisbane, Australia. I love how sharp she looks in this frame, and how the out-of-focus lights have rendered in the background.

Natasha in a laneway, Brisbane. With a bit more working distance, full-length portraits are also possible with this lens.

Fujinon XF 60mm F2.4 R Macro

Perhaps the most underrated lens in the entire Fujifilm line up, the XF 60mm F2.4 R Macro, was another of the original three lenses released for the system. It had a reputation for being slow to focus, but improvements to the firmware for this lens have made a big difference. I have no hesitation in using it on shoots.

Although it has the word macro in its name, the lens can only shoot at a 1:2 magnification ratio. (Generally, a 1:1 magnification ratio is regarded as true macro.) With a maximum aperture of F2.4, it’s not as fast as other lenses in this article, but the lens still provides excellent image quality and has a very good bang for your buck.

Alyssa at dusk, Brisbane. The XF 60mm F2.4 is an excellent option if the XF56mm F1.2 is out of your budget.

Alyssa in Brisbane. The XF 60mm F2.4 is stunningly sharp.

Fujinon XF 23mm F1.4 R

The Fujinon XF 23mm F1.4 R is another lens often mentioned as the best in the X-Series lineup. With the 1.5 crop factor, it’s Fujifilm’s closest lens to the traditional full-frame 35mm angle of view. This angle of view makes it perhaps the most versatile lens in the lineup for any given range of shooting scenarios – a big plus.

Another fast lens with a maximum aperture of F1.4, the lens is optically stunning and produces sharp images and beautiful bokeh.

Although I love this lens, I often leave it at home and take along the XF 16mm 1.4 and the XF 35mm 1.4 instead. However, it still deserves a place in this guide as it’s an excellent choice for urban portrait shoots.

Bailey, Cleveland, Australia. The XF 23mm F1.4 lens is super-sharp and produces beautiful bokeh.

Bailey, Raby Bay Harbour, Australia. It was quite dark when I took this shot, but with a higher ISO and some exposure compensation, Bailey looks fantastic – as do the pretty lights in the background.

Conclusion

The Fujifilm X-Series lineup is ideal for shooting urban portraits. The range features a range of compact, feature-packed camera bodies, along with optically stunning fast prime lenses.

Although you could invest some serious money in this system, there are many excellent value-for-money options, including the X-E line of camera bodies, as well as the X-T30 and the X-T20. In terms of lens choices, two of the original X-Series lineup – the XF 35mm F1.4 and XF 60mm F2.4 lenses – represent excellent value for money, blowing the competitor’s budget lenses out of the water in terms of quality.

If you have a bigger budget, also consider the X-T3, the new X-Pro 3, and the excellent XF 16mm F1.4, XF 23 1.4, and XF 56mm 1.2 lenses.

I’ve been using the system for four years and love the images the system produces straight out of the camera, thanks to the magic of Fujifilm’s JPG film simulations. The beautiful rendering of colors makes post-processing work a breeze.

What Fujifilm X-Series camera bodies and lenses do you use for urban portrait shoots? Let us know in the comments below.

The post Best Fujifilm X-Series Kit for Urban Portraits appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Matt Murray.

Digital Photography School

November 5, 2019
Tips for Doing Fine Art Underwater Bubble Photography

The post Tips for Doing Fine Art Underwater Bubble Photography appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Joanne Taylor.

Doing underwater bubble photography is both fun and challenging! Read on for easy-to-follow techniques, tips, and tricks for you to try no matter which underwater environment you’re in!

Safety

For your safety, have someone on land, in a boat or in the water with you to act as a spotter. Have them keep a floatation device with them at all times too. Underwater photography can be tiring, and you might feel the need for assistance from time to time.

Have drinking water accessible regardless of the weather. Be sure to have sunscreen on and beware of the sun reflections off the water: sunburns hurt!

Equipment

There are many devices you can use, including a GoPro, underwater phones, and the disposable ones they sell at the drug store. However, the best way to achieve shots like these is to have an SLR camera within a professionally-made underwater housing. You can still try these types of shots with whichever device you do have, but it is easier to take them with a lot of control going in.

I achieved these shots with a Nikon D7100 and a custom Ikelite housing.

You can shop for professional underwater equipment from a variety of places, but Ikelite – www.ikelite.com has a strong reputation internationally, and for good reasons. You can also check out Mozaik Underwater Camera – www.housingcamera.com

Both websites sell camera and housing packages for underwater photography and also individual housing cases. You definitely want reliable, trustworthy equipment to achieve consistent, sharp images.

Equipment check

Please note that human error causes most floods (where water breaches the housing compartment, and you risk losing your camera and every photo you’ve taken). Common causes of floods are sand, hair, or dust in the O-ring (which you should lightly lubricate every so often) and improperly secured latches.

With a professional underwater housing, you have the same capabilities underwater as you do on land. This saves much time if you’re in deep water – no need to climb in and out of the boat or in and out from the beach. Same for scuba diving – sometimes coming up from a deeper depth is simply not an option. For those using other devices, be sure to know the depth limit of the device, or you risk losing everything!

Camera settings and taking the first few shots

Make sure the lens on both the camera and the housing is clean. There is nothing worse than getting underwater, taking some fantastic bubble photos, and then seeing a sunscreen finger smear in the corner of each shot.

In underwater photography, your body will be moving, so too is the water and the bubbles. So if in doubt, use your camera in Auto Mode the first few times. Alternatively, try setting your camera to F22 and F20 at 1/2000th, 1/4000th, and rely on natural light.

Next, you are ready to get into the water and don’t forget to defog your goggles before putting them on (spit or a defogging spray work great).

Bring your equipment in and determine if it’s working underwater with a few test shots (aim at your feet) and then check the image on your viewfinder. Make any adjustments necessary.

Water and weather

Take into consideration the appearance of the water. You are looking for water clarity. Sometimes, the bottom can be churned up by a recent storm, and there can be a lot of debris. Debris can cause low visibility and definitely with underwater photography, the clearer the water, the better.

If you are in a controlled setting such as a pool, the clarity of the water will depend on the chemicals added. If the water is cloudy due to improper chemical balance, there will be a hazy quality in all of the photographs.

The weather affects the light in your photographs. A cloudy day will allow you to use a flash if you have one. Only add a small amount of flash, or you run the risk of blowing out the bubbles entirely.

If you don’t have a flash, keep shallow and try taking photos in the top two feet or so as the light will only decrease the further down you go. If it’s raining, you can still take photographs. It is fun to get the water droplets falling on the surface of the water while bubbles are rising towards them.

When it’s a sunny day, light streams through the water surface and lights up the bubbles from behind. Try to take a few pictures with the sun in the shot as well.

How to create bubbles with containers

Use a variety of containers for different sized bubbles. Try sand buckets, Tupperware, or other plastic bowls. Children’s stacking cups are great too, as long as they don’t have a hole or holes in the bottom. Anything can work (re-usable drinking bottles are great too) but avoid all breakables like glass.

Bring them one by one into the water, so they don’t float away. You would benefit from a helper to pass them to you, so it’s easier to juggle your camera and the buckets.

Start with the smallest, easiest to manage container, and work up to the largest as they are the hardest to maneuver underwater.

Take the container underwater by holding the opening directly over the surface and pushing it down underwater to catch the air inside. Practice tilting the cup slowly underwater to let the air trickle out in a trail of bubbles and practice tilting the cup quickly to let all the air out at one time.

Now take a few test shots of the air escaping the container. You might have to practice a few times not to catch your hand or the container in the shot.

Try taking the container deeper. Be patient until you get the right balance of speed of the bubbles versus shutter speed. Check your viewfinder and make any necessary adjustments regarding shutter speed, focal length, or the strength of your flash if you’re using one.

Try taking a series of images of bubbles using multi-shot (continuous shooting) for a better choice of images later.

Move into another section of the water for a variety of images. If you’re using the sun as a backlight, you may also have to angle your camera up towards the surface of the water to get a better shot.

How to create bubbles without containers

Take the containers out of the water and try kicking your feet and making lots of tiny bubbles.

Editing

Once you have downloaded your images, you are ready to edit.

Adobe Lightroom will make editing easy – though, you can use any editing software of your choice. Cropping will be your most used tool as you eliminate any hands, containers, or debris. Cropping is also necessary to zoom in on a section as you attempt to create the most aesthetically pleasing bubble photograph.

Occasionally, you may want to adjust the color of the photograph by making it bluer or taking all color away to see the bubble shapes in black and white.

Conclusion

Fine art underwater bubble photography takes a lot of patience, so relax and have fun. Bubbles are fragile, finite, and often hard to predict. Your best shots may be a string of bubbles, a cloud of little ones, or a single, large one.

Let’s see what you can do! Please share your underwater bubble photography with us in the comments!

The post Tips for Doing Fine Art Underwater Bubble Photography appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Joanne Taylor.

Digital Photography School

November 4, 2019
Your Posing Guide for Maternity Sessions
The post Your Posing Guide for Maternity Sessions appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jackie Lamas.

Posing can feel a little repetitive after a few shots during maternity photo sessions and if this is how you feel, read the following posing guide for maternity sessions, so that you can get more ideas for your next shoot!

Interacting with the belly is a great pose for maternity photos.

Basic posing for maternity

Basic posing for maternity sessions is centered around the baby bump and the mama-to-be, specifically. You can use very basic posing to build from and add more variety to the poses. However, these basic poses are perfect for any session and can work well in any situation or location.

At 45-degrees from the camera is the best way to highlight the bump. Notice the hand placing to accentuate the silhouette.

In order to flatter the baby bump the best, turn your client at least 45-degrees from the camera to either side. Ask which side is more natural to your client, so they feel more stable and at ease.

After you have turned your client, give her some shape by adding lines to her body. This creates more flow and adds some curves to break up the body. To do this, have your client pop out the knee that is closest to the camera. This helps guide the eye up from her leg to the bump, then ultimately resting on her face.

The knee closest to the camera is best for giving shape to the body, creating a natural leading line.

Finally, use her hands to cradle the bump, further adding emphasis to it. You can pose hands in a variety of ways:
- Place one on top of the bump and one under
- Both under
- One on the side and one under
- Only one hand on the bump
If your client is wearing a long, flowy dress, pose her hand under the belly, so that the bump is more prominent. With a flowy or loose dress, it can be difficult to fully see the bump’s shape if it’s not gathered underneath.

Same hand position in two different posed shots.

Using this basic set up is easy to build upon and add partners or other siblings to the mix. Posing the mama first is helpful as well, so that she doesn’t have to move around too much.

One great tip is to avoid having your clients look directly down at her belly. This can create an unflattering photo. Instead, have her look down with her eyes keeping her chin slightly up. Have her look down as if is she is trying to look past her belly and at her feet.

Posing with partners

Next in your posing guide for maternity sessions, is posing with partners. Posing with partners makes any maternity session a little more intimate.

Pose the mama first and have her partner fit in. This makes it easier to build poses and change it up when you want variety without tiring the mama out.

Using props can help with posing and highlighting certain details of the session.

Fit the partner in slightly behind your client and have their arms holding the baby bump. The partner can place their hand closest to the photographer under the belly. This might require the partner to come out a bit from behind. That’s okay. If they look comfortable in the pose, it’ll look better in the final image.

With the hands farthest from the camera, have the partner put their hand on the arm close to the shoulder. The mama can place her other hand on top of her bump.

Another great pose with the partner is to turn the partner away from your client slightly so they’re facing opposite each other with their shoulders touching.

Here, ask them to hold hands and have the mama lean into her partner. With her other hand, have her place it under the bump and pop one knee out to give her body a curve.

The bump isn’t the only focus. Try posing the partner caressing and cradling the bump by kneeling and getting close. Here you can ask them to give the bump gentle kisses. Talk to the baby, or simply close their eyes and enjoy.

In this pose, have mama look away and get a close shot of the moment. This can eliminate double chins or unflattering poses.

Posing with siblings

The next point in your posing guide for maternity sessions is working with children.

Working with children during a maternity session doesn’t need to get out of control. It’s best to start with the complete family, move onto shots with the mama and siblings, then some creative shots of everyone. Then, finally, let them go and play.

Allow children to cuddle and get close.

Getting photos of the siblings first can make the whole session go smoother in general. Again, begin by posing mama first. If they are in the session, place the partner next. Then place the children, or child, next to the parents.

For creative posing, if the children are 5 years or younger, you can have the parents hold them. Then get close-up shots of the family interacting.

Have them hold hands and walk along a path while they talk and interact with each other. These poses are more authentic and help children to be more active in the photos rather than forced to pose.

Switch between natural posing and posed

What is natural posing? It is when you give your clients an activity to do and allow them to enjoy the moment. For example, you can ask your clients to walk along the shore while they look at each other and enjoy the beach views.

Alternatively, it can be having the partner kneel down to the level of the belly and have them talk to the baby. Capture these moments from a bit of a distance so that your clients feel that they can enjoy the intimate moments.

Posed is when you direct your clients to stand, sit, or pose how you want for the final image. This can feel stiff after a while, so mixing natural poses with posed ones can offer a lot of variety in the final gallery.

In conclusion

Posing for maternity photos doesn’t have to be just posed, you can mix in a bit of the excitement and natural expressions adding to a variety of poses to build from.

I hope your posing guide for maternity sessions helps you with your next shoot. Do you have any posing ideas that work for maternity photos? Post in the comments below!

The post Your Posing Guide for Maternity Sessions appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jackie Lamas.

Digital Photography School
November 4, 2019
Photoshop Layers for Beginners – What, When and How to Use them Best
The post Photoshop Layers for Beginners – What, When and How to Use them Best appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Nisha Ramroop.

This introduction to Photoshop Layers for beginners will help you learn a great editing habit. So, what exactly is a Photoshop layer? Quite simply put, if you imagine a stack of transparent paper, each sheet is equivalent to a Photoshop layer. When you add/change/remove any of the layers, what you see at the top of the stack forms your entire image.

The first time you open Photoshop, by default, the layers panel is on the right side of your screen and your image opens as a layer named “Background”. Keep this in mind as you read on.

Why use Photoshop Layers?

Now that you have an idea of what a layer is, here is why you should use them:

1. It is a way to work non-destructively

Destructive editing occurs when you move and change the pixels directly in your original image. This happens if you edit your original image/background layer when working in Photoshop. While you can undo your changes, if you exceed the number of “undos” you can apply, those changes commit. Also, you may like some changes, but not others, and there is no way to go back to just that change without undoing other changes you have made too.

Alternatively, when you edit your image on separate layers, both the edited image and the original save (they are saved to a .psd file and this maintains all your layers). This allows you to go back to your original image at any time, simply by hiding layers, or deleting them entirely. This is a form of non-destructive editing.

One thing to remember, however, is that if you resize your entire document (via menu->image->image resize) at any point, that is a form of destructive editing, and you will lose image quality if you try to resize it back to the original size later.

As your editing style evolves, you will appreciate the option of going back to original images at a later date.

Easily add text without affecting your original image

2. It allows organized and flexible editing

Photoshop is usually a great option when you want more control over your editing process. While you start off with a certain end result in mind, you may change your mind, during (or even at the completion of) your process. Surely there are better ways than undoing multiple changes or starting over from scratch right?

Enter, layers.

Since your original image is unaffected, you can change the text at a later date

Layers allow you to work with your vision without affecting/destroying the original. Since you can work on each layer separately, you have major flexibility. With layers, you can also combine several images into one (composite), These include (but is not limited to), swapping out elements from your image, changing color, tones, and lighting, adding text and resizing, replacing or rotating an object independent of everything else in your image.

You can use layers to replace a plain sky

This non-destructive editing style allows you to undo a change at any point in time, and you have control over each individual layer. This means you can work with different objects and elements of your image without affecting anything else.

How to use Photoshop Layers

If you do not see the Layers Panel on the right-hand of your screen, you need to turn it on. To do so, go to Menu->Window->Layers.

As mentioned before, when you open an image in Photoshop, it opens as a background layer. You will notice that there is a small lock icon on the right side of the background layer. This lock is intended to prevent inadvertent changes.

The first step is usually to duplicate this layer. That way, the background layer remains untouched (original).

To start, duplicate your background layer:
1. Open an image in Photoshop
2. Right-click on the thumbnail image in your layers panel named “Background,” and choose the duplicate layer option
3. Click OK. A new layer will appear above your original layer with the default name “Background Copy” – you can rename it to anything you want. I suggest renaming it to something that relates to the changes you are making. This makes it easier to find later if you have many layers.
As you become comfortable working with layers, you will find yourself making new layers for each change you want to make e.g. if you are retouching an image or replacing a sky. This comes with the knowledge that, later on, you can adjust the intensity of any of those changes independently.

I used Layers for Sky Replacement, with a Layer Mask to recover the top branches

Adjustment Layers

Photoshop also has another layer type called Adjustment Layers. These layers are not a duplicate of other layers; instead, they adjust the information of the layer directly beneath it. Thus you can simply use an Adjustment Layer to effect change on the image without changing the original layer image. For example, you can increase/decrease the contrast or brightness of your layer.

Notice how adjustment layers look different from other layer types. These adjust the layer below them.

Adjustment layers do not actually contain any pixels but instead are a series of instructions for Photoshop on what changes you ask it to make. You can access the Adjustments Layer menu at the bottom of the Layers panel or choose Windows and check the Adjustments option.

Layer Masks

A Layer mask is another non-destructive editing technique in Photoshop, used to control the transparency of the layer you apply it to. An even simpler definition is that a layer mask can make a layer visible or invisible. This is done by painting either white (to make it visible) or black (to make it invisible).

Blending Modes

At the upper left corner of the Layers panel is the blend modes drop-down menu. These “modes” are set to Normal by default and control how pixels on the different layers interact with each other. An easy way to understand what the different blending modes do is to duplicate your image (as described above) and cycle through them.

An example of how different blend modes change the look and feel of your image: 1. Normal 2. Multiply 3. Soft Light 4. Vivid Light 5. Hue 6. Luminosity

Important layering notes for beginners

When there are several layers, your changes only affect the layer that is active or selected. This is why it is a good practice to name your layer (Step 3 above) based on what you are using the layer for.

You can save the edits as a Photoshop (PSD) file, close it and open it at a later date to find all your layers (and changes) as you left it. Of note, saving it this way increases the size of your file. If you are finished with your edits and don’t need a large PSD file, you can merge all the layers (or flatten the file) and save it to a smaller, more compressed file type, such as a jpeg. Of course, in doing so, you will no longer have the ability to access those individual layers later.

Layers work in order. This means that the layer on top “covers” everything below it. You can, however, reorder your layers by moving them up or down by simply dragging them. Keep in mind that the layer on the top will be most visible.

Conclusion

The key thing to remember as a beginner is that Photoshop layers are a recommended non-destructive way to work. It is flexible, which allows you to organize your work, effect change in selected areas, and undo changes easily.

When you do not merge your layers, you can open your Photoshop file years later and make changes, all without affecting your original image.

I hope you can utilize these Photoshop Layers for Beginners tips, and if you have any tips on this topic, please share in the comments below.

The post Photoshop Layers for Beginners – What, When and How to Use them Best appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Nisha Ramroop.

Digital Photography School
November 3, 2019
Portrait Editing with Luminar 4 – Using Artificial Intelligence
The post Portrait Editing with Luminar 4 – Using Artificial Intelligence appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Caz Nowaczyk.

In this video by Jacques Gaines, he looks at Portrait editing in Luminar 4 using the artificial intelligence features.

?

Luminar 4 is a stand-alone software or works as a plugin in Adobe Photoshop (which is great if you like working in Photoshop and don’t want to completely swap to new software).

This video uses the plugin version with Photoshop.

Jacques uses a retouched, flattened image in Photoshop and then opens the Luminar 4 plugin and does further editing work on his portrait.

He discusses the different portrait enhancement options that Luminar 4 offers.

Within Luminar, there is a section called “Portrait.”

This is the section that consists of:
- AI Skin Enhancer
- Portrait Enhancer
- High Key
- Orton Effect
AI Skin Enhancer

Smoothes out the skin on a portrait and does it realistically. You can decide how much you want to apply it from 0-100%.
If you don’t want it to apply to certain sections, you can also mask it out using a brush tool.

Portrait Enhancer

The Portrait Enhance panel consists of:
- Face Light
- Red Eye Removal
- Eye Whitening
- Eye Enhancer
- Dark Circles Remover
- Slim Face
- Enlarge Eyes
- Eyebrow Improve
- Lips Saturation
- Lips Redness
- Lips Darkening
- Teeth Whitening
Jared shows the effects these settings have on a portrait.

When you apply the changes in Luminar, it makes the image as a new Photoshop layer. You can then use a mask to paint out any areas in the image that you don’t want the effects applied to.

Have you done portrait editing with Luminar 4? Share with us your thoughts in the comments!

You may also like:
- Five Common Portrait Retouching Mistakes to Avoid
- 5 Must-Know Photoshop Retouching Tips and Tricks for Photographers
- How to do Portrait Retouching With Luminar
- Top 10 Luminar 2018 Features That I Discovered by Accident
- How to Create a Grunge Look with Luminar 2018
- Your Guide to Understanding the Luminar 2018 Dashboard
The post Portrait Editing with Luminar 4 – Using Artificial Intelligence appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Caz Nowaczyk.

Digital Photography School
November 2, 2019
Weekly Photography Challenge – Black and White

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

This week’s photography challenge topic is BLACK AND WHITE!

Photo by Jim Hamel

Inspired by our Black and White Photography e-book sale, I decided to make this weekly photography challenge Black and White. Black and white offers so much depth and emotion and has a timeless nature to it.

So go out and capture anything in black and white. You can use Monochrome Mode on your camera, or turn them into black and white with your favorite post-processing application.

They can be street photography, landscapes, architecture, patterns and textures, automotive, or use creative techniques such as slow shutter speeds, night photography, or intentional camera movement. Whatever you decide to photograph, just be sure they are black and white!

Check out these inspiring pics by some of the dPS writers, have fun, and I look forward to seeing what you come up with!

Photo by Andrew S. Gibson

Photo by Simon Bond

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

Tips for Shooting BLACK AND WHITE

A Beginner’s Guide to Doing Black and White Photography

Avoid These 5 Common Mistakes in Black and White Photography

How to Make Brilliant Black and White Photos with Dramatic Composition

How to Use Color Temperature in Black and White Conversions

Mastering Monochrome Mode

Black and White in the Outdoors: Learning to see in Monochrome

The Pros and Cons of Black and White Versus Color for Street and Travel Photography

Experimenting with Low Key Black and White Photography

How to Use a Black and White Filter to Improve Your Photos

How to Create Silky Split Toned Black and White Photos Using Luminosity Masks

How to Enhance your Black and White images with Infrared Photography

Weekly Photography Challenge – BLACK AND WHITE

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 #DPSblackandwhite 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 – Black and White appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Caz Nowaczyk.

Digital Photography School

November 2, 2019
Are Photography Competitions Good for Your Soul?

The post Are Photography Competitions Good for Your Soul? appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Charlie Moss.

Are photography competitions good for your soul? The idea of diving headfirst into the promising ocean of photographic competitions is one that can be appealing. Imagine yourself surrounded by admirers – fame, and accolades aplenty for your work. The thought is pretty appealing, isn’t it?

But for most of us, that cool blue water of success turns out to be little more than a dream. Most competitions for most photographers and artists end with little more than a rejection letter, or a place on the shortlist if you’re very lucky.

What is there to gain?

Well, to be quite frank, there’s an awful lot to gain from entering your photography work into competitions. And pretty much all competitions will help you grow and improve as a photographer if you put some thought into the images you’re selecting.

Internet competitions can be a good way of working out which are your better images.

You can use competitions for different purposes. For instance, local club competitions or some of the online competition sites can be good for working out which variations of images appeal to people more. If you’re a little stuck with an image, then entering a local club competition might help you see some of the flaws in your shot.

Prizes, notoriety, or self-improvement?

At the top of the scale, there are huge cash awards and even residencies to win through photographic competitions. Of course, you can’t just make a living by winning competitions with your photos, but the kind of cash prizes that some competitions award will certainly pay a good chunk of your living expenses for a while!

But for most of us, what we gain is a wider audience and a better sense of our work. And these things are both important to photographers in their own way.

Having an audience isn’t just important for pros, it can open all kinds of doors for amateurs too. Plus, as much as we sometimes loathe to admit it – nice comments and ‘likes’ can go a long way to making us feel good about our work.

The process of selecting images to enter into a competition can be extremely powerful for your work. Trying to narrow all the photos you’ve taken into just a small handful that fit a brief is a difficult process. But this process should tell you something about yourself and your work, and perhaps even push your future work in a particular direction.

Entering competitions can be a great learning experience.

Protecting your mental health

We don’t always win competitions. Of course, it would be impossible for everyone to win every competition that they entered. Not placing in shortlists time and time again can be tough on our mental health.

You must make sure you’re entering competitions for good reasons, and not those that end up lowering your mood when you face rejection. Finding these reasons can be difficult even for seasoned photographers.

So how can you change bad reasons to good?

Think about why you’re entering competitions

Every now and then I like to reassess where I am with my competition goals to make sure I’m on track, and I invite you to do the same right now. Take a notepad and a pen and spend no more than five minutes jotting down the reasons that you might want to enter competitions.

Once you’ve taken some time to make that list, grab a coffee and review it. Take particular note of reasons that relate to your self-esteem. They could be reasons such as “I want to win competitions to prove I’m not a bad photographer,” or “I want to win competitions to show that time spent on my hobby is worthwhile.”

By framing your ambitions in this way, you’re dangerously close to resting your photographing (and personal) self-esteem on the result of the competition. Screw up the competition, and your photographic self-esteem drops. Photography should be pleasurable and fun to participate in, and competitions should support that.

Setting better goals

Instead, try to focus on goals that aren’t tied to your self-esteem. Hone in on more positive reasons to enter competitions such as “I want to enter competitions to help me develop my photographic voice” or “I want to enter competitions to encourage me to shoot a wider variety of subjects.”

These goals are not only much more achievable, but we don’t face the same kind of mood drop if we end up not winning. We have met our goal because our goal was simply to refine our work or shoot more variety. Anything additional, like placing on a shortlist, is a bonus.

Don’t forget to be kind to yourself

It’s important when entering competitions to be kind to yourself. Winning a competition can be a glorious feeling, but allow yourself to fail too. Failing is a very human trait, and it’s not something you will be able to escape.

Have compassion for yourself when the lows happen. Treat yourself to something you enjoy photographically and then go back out and get those goals on track.

Ultimately, you mustn’t allow competitions to have power over you. If the results of competitions become tied to the worth of your photography, then you’re on a rocky path that could end up with you falling out of love with photography. And you wouldn’t be here on this site if you didn’t love taking pictures.

Finding competitions to enter

If you start building your network of photographers who also enter competitions, you’ll start hearing about opportunities via word of mouth. But that’s not the only way to find new places to enter your photographs.

I use a service by Google called Alerts to keep up to date with what competitions are opening for entries. All you need is a Google account, and you can set the service up to send you regular alerts every time it picks up new content using the keywords you define.

These alerts have led me to hear about some interesting photography competitions that I wouldn’t have otherwise found.

So are photography competitions good for your soul?

In my opinion, they certainly can be. I feel that they help me develop my practice as a photographer, allow me to experiment freely, and allow me to be judged amongst my peers. Those three things are very important to me.

Competitions can also be a great chance to meet new photographers and discover new work. Going to your local camera club, or even the exhibition from a larger competition can be both productive and exciting!

But you must take steps to understand why you want to enter competitions with your photography and if you’re entering for good reasons. When stepping into the competitive photography arena, you first of all need to take steps to protect your mental health and ensure you’re not putting yourself at risk.

Do you think photography competitions good for your soul? Share your thoughts with us in the comments!

The post Are Photography Competitions Good for Your Soul? appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Charlie Moss.

Digital Photography School

November 1, 2019
Why Blurry and Unfocused Photos Can be Great

The post Why Blurry and Unfocused Photos Can be Great appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Megan Kennedy.

Often looked over or discarded altogether, blurry and unfocused photos are usually dismissed as a waste of space on the hard drive.

Upon closer inspection, however, these photos can actually be beautiful and highly engaging.

Here are four ways in which blurry and unfocused photography can be great!

Blurry or unfocused…What’s the difference?

Blur occurs during an exposure when the camera and/or subject moves.

Unfocused imagery, on the other hand, is affected by aperture, focus, and distance.

Blurry images are directional or streaky, while unfocused images are fuzzy.

To achieve intentionally blurred images, photograph a moving subject and/or move the camera during an exposure.

To make unfocused photography, use a wide aperture for a very shallow depth of field and/or use distance and manual focus to keep sharpness down.

Of course, there are degrees of unfocused or blurry imagery. An unfocused image could still have elements nearing sharpness. Likewise, a blurry image could have aspects of near-stillness.

How blurry or unfocused an image is will be up to you and the incidental whims of the photographic process.

1. Color and light

We spend a lot of our photographic lives trying to achieve perfect sharpness, so why create intentionally blurry/unfocused imagery?

The first reason is color and light.

Color photography came into mainstream use in the 1930s. Since then, the incredible variety of colors in our world has been encapsulated both digitally and on film.

Blurry and unfocused imagery strips a photograph back to the bare bones of color and light, generating an abstracted visual study of the environment around us.

We assign specific properties to different colors too. For example, yellow is paired with joy and blue with sorrow.

Because of this, blurred and unfocused depictions of color and light draw connections with viewers through powerful emotional associations.We recommend buying your favorite toothbrush at super low prices with free shipping, and you can also pick up your order at the store on the same day.

2. Reflections on art history

In looking back over famous contributions to art history, many tend to think about literal subjects like Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa or Andy Warhol’s Campbell’s Soup Cans.

But many artists have transcended the rigidity of the representative, instead, focusing on the event of light, color, and form.

For example, Mark Rothko generated highly emotional responses from audiences with dreamlike forms and colors.

Color field artists like Helen Frankenthaler and Ronnie Landfield, painted artworks that conveyed the subliminal mechanism of seeing.

Blurry and unfocused photography makes images that are rooted in the history of visual art.

This history strengthens a blurry or unfocused image, giving it form and a conceptual standing of its own.

3. Abstraction

Also known as non-objective or conceptual photography, abstract photography depicts imagery free from an immediate association to the objective subject matter.

Photographers like Eileen Quinlan and Barbara Kasten work within the realm of abstract photography to elicit a unique visual response.

Without the presence of immediately identifiable subject matter, the experience of the ineffable filters through.

Both incidental and intentionally blurred and unfocused imagery can take on the life of the abstract. Like an abstract painting, unfocused and blurry photography reflects the viewer’s own impressions and associations.

In addition, abstract photography is subjective. Blurry or unfocused abstract photography encourages a viewer to imbue a photograph with their own meaning and experience.

4. Fun!

Nowadays there is a lot of emphasis on pin-sharp photography.

Letting loose and allowing unfocused of blurry photography to come through can be a lot of fun.

Unfocused or blurry photography is a little like finger-painting; part of the fun is in relinquishing the paintbrush and allowing the artistic impulse to guide your fingers.

Fresh color combinations, new approaches to the subject matter, engaging camera motions…experimenting with blurry and unfocused photography is a great way to discover new angles to incorporate into your future photography.

Conclusion

Blurred and unfocused photography may seem like a strange approach to photography, however, letting go and experimenting with your camera is one of the most enjoyable and educational parts of photographic practice.

Blurry photography introduces dynamic movement to an image, while unfocused photography distributes soft renderings of light and color.

Moreover, blurry or unfocused photography can create engaging visual experiences that reflect the physical nature of seeing.

By experimenting with blurred or unfocused photographic practices, you can generate an abstract perspective that is both engaging and unique.

What are your thoughts? Do you think there is a place for blurry and unfocused photos? Share with us in the comments your thoughts, or your photos!

The post Why Blurry and Unfocused Photos Can be Great appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Megan Kennedy.

Digital Photography School

November 1, 2019
Lens Hoods: What Are They Really For, and Do You Need Them?

The post Lens Hoods: What Are They Really For, and Do You Need Them? appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Simon Ringsmuth.

Most camera lenses come with something called a Lens Hood, which looks like a short circular tube that attaches to the front. These diminutive devices seem a little strange, but they can serve several very useful purposes. While some people might be tempted to toss them on the shelf and never give them a second thought, knowing what lens hoods are and how to use them can have a significant impact on your photography.

Why use Lens Hoods?

Imagine this: it’s a bright, sunny day and you are outside for a stroll. The sun is beating down hard and you’re having a bit of trouble seeing clearly, so you hold your hand up to your forehead in an effort to block the light. Congratulations, you’ve just made your very own lens hood for your face! I know this is a bit of an oversimplification, but the lens hood on a camera is about the same as using your hand or a ball cap to block a bit of light when it’s bright out.

It’s kind of like putting a ball cap on your camera, but a lot more effective.

Why would this be beneficial for photography? Since you need light to make photographs, wouldn’t blocking the sunlight be counterproductive? It might seem so, but in reality, you aren’t making the scene any darker just as putting a cap on your head doesn’t make the sun any less potent.

Indeed, the primary reason to embrace your lens hood as an essential photographic companion is that it makes your pictures look better. Its purpose is to prevent your photos from developing a washed-out appearance that tends to happen under certain lighting conditions. They also offer other benefits mostly related to the protection of your camera gear.

The lack of a lens hood gave this picture a washed-out appearance.

These types of pictures happen because harsh, intense light enters the camera lens and gets scattered across a portion of the image as a result. Lens hoods can mitigate much of this problem by acting as a shade over the front glass element.

Attaching a lens hood gave the shot much more contrast and vibrance. Shadows can be brought up in post-production, but if a picture is too washed-out, it can be much more difficult to fix.

When I first got into digital photography many years ago, I didn’t understand the point of lens hoods. I kept them on a shelf at home because they mostly just got in the way and made my camera take up a lot more space in my bag than it needed to.

Or so I thought.

The nice thing about lens hoods is that they are a low-tech solution to what can often be a fairly major problem. Once you start to see the benefits of having a hood on your lens, you won’t see them as a useless waste of space, but essential components of your camera kit.

I always use my lens hoods for portraits. I never know when I will be shooting a backlit scene, and if it happens, it’s good to have the hood to shade the lens.

One thing I have realized over the years is that you need to be prepared to meet the demands of whatever situation you are photographing. Few things are more frustrating than realizing you messed up a picture because of something you could have easily solved with a little pre-planning.

Lens hoods can indeed be a little awkward. However, it’s better to have one on your lens than realize afterward that many shots appear hazy and poorly-lit because you didn’t shade your lens properly.

Lens hoods are particularly useful when shooting into the sun.

Additional benefits

Aside from protecting your pictures from harsh light, lens hoods can physically protect your camera gear too. This is one of the reasons I leave mine on at all times since I often bump and bang my camera. Having a hood protruding from your lens means it will absorb the brunt of most impacts.

If it does get broken, it’s far cheaper to replace than your lens.

After years of use, my lens hoods are full of scratches and scuffs. I’d rather have these easily-replaceable plastic parts bear the brunt of any impacts instead of my actual camera lenses!

I try to be careful with my camera gear and I don’t intentionally abuse it, and I think the same is true of most photographers. But despite my best efforts, accidents certainly can happen. In the normal course of a photoshoot, my camera gets picked up, set down, bounced around, tossed into a bag, put in the trunk of my car, used, and maybe even abused just a little.

A protruding plastic ring isn’t going to save my camera if it gets run over by a dump truck, but it has helped avoid countless bumps and bruises over the years. Is it inconvenient to have the hood always sticking out of my lens? A little, but it’s a lot less inconvenient than having to buy new gear!

I had to follow this cat for a little while and practically lay flat on the ground, to get this shot. Having a hood on my zoom lens was a little extra peace of mind knowing that it wasn’t going to get scratched or dinged in the process.

If you do feel like your lens hood is a little too much to deal with, most of them have a simple solution. Reverse the hood and screw it on your lens backward. This might cover some of the knobs and switches on your lens, but it will keep the hood handy while simultaneously storing it in a convenient and easy-to-access location.

You can attach most lens hoods backward for easy storage. This helps protect the barrel of your lens but can leave some controls covered up.

Drawbacks

There are a couple things to note about lens hoods that could be a factor in helping you decide whether to use them. The first and most important issue involves vignetting. Some lenses, particularly wide-angle lenses, can result in photos with darker corners with the lens hood attached. This isn’t a huge issue and can often be fixed on your computer, especially if you shoot in RAW, but it is something to keep in mind.

Additionally, there’s no getting around the fact that the added length of a lens with a hood attached can be inconvenient. This is especially noticeable on telephoto lenses and it can be annoying if you’re not used to it.

My solution has been to treat the hood as a normal part of any lens in my kit. If it means I need to find a larger camera bag or be a little uncomfortable shooting in tight spaces, so be it. For me, the tradeoff is worth it, but your opinion might be different. Regardless, it is something to keep in mind.

Hoods on telephoto lenses can stick out quite far, but I have just come to accept this as a normal part of my kit. I don’t see it as an inconvenience in the same way that I don’t treat a seat belt in my car as an inconvenience.

Conclusion

Despite a few downsides, lens hoods can be an important part of your camera collection. I recommend using one at all times, even if you’re not entirely sure you will need it. I have found myself in more than a few frustrating situations where I know I would have gotten the shot if only I had a lens hood. As such, I rarely take them off my lenses now.

What about you? Do you use lens hoods, or have you learned to live without them? What other advantages or disadvantages do they have that I might have missed? Leave your thoughts in the comments below!

The post Lens Hoods: What Are They Really For, and Do You Need Them? appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Simon Ringsmuth.

Digital Photography School

October 31, 2019