Category: Photography

Is a Career in Travel Photography Right for You?

It sounds tempting and exotic. Traveling the world taking photos and seeing those photos appear in newspapers and magazines can be thrilling but are you made for a career in travel photography? Here are seven ways to know if a career in travel photography is right for you.

#1 – You have a longing to travel

The first requirement of being a travel photographer is actually enjoying traveling but it’s more than that. It’s a restlessness that simply doesn’t go away no matter what you are doing or where you have already been. You simply can’t sit still and want to explore everything and everywhere. Does that sound like you?

But it’s also important to remember that taking photos while traveling is different than traveling to take photos. Your time on the road as a travel photographer has one reason and one reason only and that’s to take photos. Nothing else matters and nothing can come between you and your next great shot.

#2 – You enjoy your own company

Travel photography is a lonely business and most of your time is spent on the road with your own thoughts. Yes you’ll have the odd conversation with a local but ultimately you are working alone. You are usually awake and out and about before others and you usually end up being the last one back to the hotel room. While spending time on your own can sometimes be nice, can you handle days, weeks or even months by yourself?

#3 – You can adapt quickly

There is a common theme amongst travel photographers and that is “not enough time”. You will usually find yourself with a long shot list and not enough time to fulfil it. So you need to be able to adapt quickly and hit the ground running straightaway, even in new destinations. There won’t be time to spend a couple of days getting to know a destination and every second wasted is eating into your time needed to cover off your shot list.

But you also need to learn to adapt while you are at a destination, for example, if the weather is causing problems to your shot list. You need to be able to think, act, and plan quickly and efficiently.

#4 – You have an eye for what people want

I remember learning very early in my career as a travel photographer that you need to learn what people want to see. This is a business after all, and the only way that you can earn a living from it is by being able to sell your images or getting paid for assignments. Some photographers are better at this than others. Ultimately the success or failure of your photography business comes down to being able to give people what they want to see and what they will pay for.

Part of this will come with experience through years of seeing which of your images sell. But you also need to actively spend time researching and looking at trends in the travel industry, be in the know with up and coming destinations and the news. For example a major airline could be starting a new route, or a previously “closed off” country could be opening its doors to tourists.

One of my images recently used by Tatler.

#5 – You can function with little sleep

There’s no getting around it, being a travel photographer on location is tiring work. You often have to function on little sleep as you’ll be getting up before sunrise, spending all day walking around, then hanging around until well after sunset to capture great shots.

In the summer months that could mean having to get by with just a few hours of sleep a night. Add to that carrying camera equipment all day and not eating properly and you will quickly learn that being on a photo assignment is completely different than being on holiday.

#6 – You are confident

As a travel photographer, you often have to do things by yourself. Whether that is adapting to a new location, finding your way around a city or trying to explain to a local why you want to take their photo. But arguably the biggest requirement for a travel photographer is being confident in your ability to capture great photos that will go on to sell.

Unlike working in a studio when you can set up and art direct your shoot and make adjustments as necessary, as a travel photographer sometimes you only get one shot at documenting a location. You may only have a few days at any given place so you have to capture what you need to in that time.

Because of this you need to believe in your ability both to compose and frame your photos, making sure things like the lighting and the subject are right, but also in your ability to execute that shot perfectly. Sometimes there are no second chances to correct a photo that is blurred or poorly focused.

#7 – You can work quickly

Travel photography is about telling the story of that destination. Whether it’s a famous monument, a beautiful cityscape or a local going about their day, a travel photographer’s job is to capture that. Often those moments are fleeting and don’t stay around for long. For example the gap in the flow of traffic in front of that famous monument could just be a few minutes. Or the interaction between a market vendor and a customer could last a few seconds. Even capturing landscape or city shots could only have a short window where the light is perfect.

The only way to ensure you don’t miss these moments is to be able to work quickly. This means being ready and knowing how to use your camera completely. With practice over time you will naturally improve and get faster in your work and your camera will become an extension of your arm.

Conclusion

Despite all of these points, there really aren’t many jobs that can give you the same excitement, anticipation, and satisfaction as being a travel photographer. Seeing your work published makes all of the early mornings and endless hours of walking around and waiting worth it.

So do you think a career in travel photography is right for you? Share your thoughts below.

The post Is a Career in Travel Photography Right for You? by Kav Dadfar appeared first on Digital Photography School.

Digital Photography School

September 4, 2017
Tips and Tricks for Night Photography of the Starry Sky
During the last year, I’ve become a big fan of night photography and the night sky. I’ve always enjoyed it but my hometown in Norway doesn’t have the most interesting landscape. So I rarely bothered to go out during night – unless there was a rare show of Northern Lights or meteorite showers. After packing up my stuff and moving to the north of Spain, however, I’ve found myself spending more and more time photographing the stars. What appears pitch black to the naked eye can be beautiful scenery through the camera.

In this article, I’ll share some tips and tricks on how you can photograph the various states of the night sky including The Milky Way, new moon, or northern lights.

Camera Settings for Night Photography

Light is the most important part of photography; without light, there’s no picture to be taken. During the night it is dark and the light is sparse, making it challenging to photograph. In fact, in order to capture an image during the night, you’ll most likely have to sacrifice some image quality – forget about using a narrow aperture and low ISO.

Unlike regular landscape photography, night photography requires less than ideal settings in order to capture enough light to properly expose the scene. Since there’s not a lot of available light, that means opening the aperture, increasing the ISO and lengthening the exposure time (shutter speed).

There isn’t one correct setting for each and every scenario as it depends on many factors (such as the brightness of the moon). But as a rule of thumb, you want to use the widest aperture your lens allows in order to get the sky as detailed as possible. Lenses with an aperture of f/2.8 are widely popular amongst nighttime and astrophotographers and if your lens allows for such an open aperture, this is where you should begin.

ISO and shutter speed

The ISO also needs to be increased quite a lot for night photography. For regular landscape photography, I always stress the importance of shooting with the lowest possible ISO. Even though we still want to shoot with the lowest possible setting we’re now looking at an ISO of at least 1600 at night. It’s not uncommon to use an ISO of 3200 or 6400 during the night. Still, to maintain as much quality as possible, try to use the lowest possible option.

Choosing the shutter speed is slightly more challenging as it depends on the focal length of your lens, but I recommend not going longer than 30 seconds unless you want to photograph star trails (I’ll come back to this later in the article). The 500 Rule is a good guideline when choosing the shutter speed. Basically, divide 500 by the focal length of the lens you’re using and you’ll know the maximum shutter speed you can use (to avoid star trails). If you’re using a crop sensor camera you’ll need to calculate the equivalent focal length of a full-frame lens (for example 20mm on crop sensor = 30mm. 500/30 = 16.6 seconds).

Remember that a tripod is essential for night photography in order to get a sharp image. It’s simply not possible to hold your camera still for several seconds!

Planning to Photograph the Night Sky

Scouting can be hard during the night so it’s often beneficial to have familiarized yourself with the area before going there in the dark. I know this isn’t always possible but the very least use an app such as PhotoPills to learn the phase of the moon, its position, as well as the time of sunrise, sunset, moonrise, moonset and anything else related to your shoot. The more you’ve prepared, the higher the chance you’ll get a great image.

Let’s summarize what you should know before going out photographing:
- Time of twilight
- Time of Nautical and Astronomical dark
- Phase of the moon
- Moon’s position in the sky
- Time of moonrise and moonset
- When The Milky Way is visible (if applicable)
- The Milky Way’s position (if applicable)
All this information is easy to find in an app such as PhotoPills or by doing a quick search online.

General Ideas for Night Photography

If your goal is photograph stars and the natural night sky, I think it’s fair to guess that you want to see as many stars as possible. In order to get the best possible view of the stars, you’ll need to position yourself at a location that’s away from larger cities and light pollution.

A subtle display of Northern Lights in Lofoten.

Website and maps such as DarkSiteFinder are great resources when searching for areas with less light pollution. If you live close to a major city you’ll probably have to travel a little further than if you live near a small town. There are filters, such as NiSi’s Natural Night Filter, that help reduce the light pollution but it won’t magically remove it all and give you a starry sky – it simply neutralizes the color of the light pollution.

For the most detailed night sky, it’s also ideal to avoid the weeks closest to a full moon. During that period, the sky is brighter and there are fewer stars visible to both the camera and the naked eye. However, that doesn’t mean that you should stay home; there are many interesting subjects during the full moon as well.

The Milky Way

Norway is known for Northern Lights, dark and starry nights, as well as the overall beautiful landscape but what we don’t have is The Milky Way. Let me be a little more specific; the Galactic Center (the brightest most visible part of The Milky Way that you see in most photos) is never visible in Norway – we only see the edges of it. So, you can imagine my excitement every time I get a chance to photograph the Galactic Center and The Milky Way in its most beautiful display.

The techniques for photographing The Milky Way are mostly similar to other types of night photography. You’ll want to use an open aperture, high ISO and a shutter speed of no more than 30 seconds. I find that a slightly higher ISO and a shutter speed of around 25 seconds (when shooting at 14mm @f/2.8) gives the highest amount of detail when photographing The Milky Way. By using a slower shutter speed, the camera starts picking up slight movement in the stars (due to earth’s rotation) and it begins to get blurry.

It’s also best to photograph The Milky Way during the new moon or before the moon has risen. The darker the sky, the more stars you see and the more detailed The Milky Way becomes.

Photographing a Meteor Shower

Whenever there’s a meteor shower, such as the recent Perseids Meteor Shower, I keep my fingers crossed for clear skies. There’s nothing more magical than being outside in the pitch black, looking up at dozens or even hundreds of shooting stars during a span of several hours.

Since most the shooting stars last for only a second or two, it can be hard to capture them in an image. In order to capture as many of them as possible, I set my camera to interval shooting and I let it go continuously. To pick up even the smaller shooting stars I increase the shutter speed slightly to approximately 15 seconds (depends on the brightness of the night).

Photographing the Northern Lights

Northern Lights is a phenomenon that we’re lucky to have in the northern hemisphere. It’s unlike anything else and I can guarantee that once you see it, you’ll want to witness it again.

The challenges when photographing the Northern Lights is that it often moves quite quickly and it can be rather bright. In order to freeze the motion, you’ll need a quicker shutter speed such as 1-10 seconds. Exactly how quick depends on the intensity of the lights. Just keep in mind that if they’re moving quickly, you should use a quicker shutter speed.

Also, pay attention to the histogram as it’s easy to blow out the highlights. Since it’s a bright phenomenon in the otherwise dark night, the contrast can be great. I recommend always exposing for the highlights and if needed take a second exposure for the landscape that you can blend in later during post-processing.

Slow it Down and Photograph Star Trails

Due to the rotation of the earth, your camera registers movement in the stars once the shutter speed becomes too long. This creates a blurry and soft sky and can be quite displeasing to watch.

That being said, every now and then this is something you want to use as an advantage rather than viewing it as a problem. By lengthening the shutter speed to several minutes or even an hour (this lets you use a low ISO and narrow aperture but may result in hot pixels) you’re able to capture what’s known as star trails. This effect can be really interesting but make sure that the shutter speed is long enough so that the stars don’t just look blurry.

Stars over the Sahara desert – image by dPS Editor Darlene Hildebrandt. Series of 30-second exposures over 45 minutes, stacked using StarStax, blended with a couple of light painted images of the tent.

Alternatively, you can capture a series of images using a shorter shutter speed and merge them together in Photoshop or a software such as StarStax.

Full Moon and Bright Moon Phases

As I’ve mentioned previously, nights, when the moon is small, are best for night photography as it’s during this period you’ll see most stars. However, when the moon is up there are still many interesting images to be captured.

First of all, since the moon is a bright source of light, you can get away with using a slightly lower ISO or narrower aperture. It can also be easier to find a composition as the landscape is brighter. Use this light to your advantage and pay attention to the shadows in the landscape. Perhaps the moon lights up a mountain? Perhaps it creates a nice reflection in a lake? During this period, it can be wise to compose your image to include more landscape than sky as that’s where the most interesting things are happening.

Personally, I prefer to photograph the moon when it has a low position in the sky as I find the shadows to be slightly more interesting during that time. Note: This is for the same reasons shooting at sunrise and sunset are best for daytime landscape photography.

Conclusion

Have you tried night photography before? If not, grab your camera and tripod (and maybe a buddy for some company) and get out and give it a go. Share any other night photo tips you have in the comments below as well as your night sky images. We’d love to see them.

The post Tips and Tricks for Night Photography of the Starry Sky by Christian Hoiberg appeared first on Digital Photography School.

Digital Photography School
September 4, 2017
Late Summer Stand Up Paddling with Olympus TG-5 Camera

After paddling a heavy expedition paddleboard in Missouri River 340 race I returned back to my racing board – 14×30 All Star by Starboard. It is definitely more fun for short 4-6 mile workouts. Of course, I wonder how my […]
paddling with a camera

September 4, 2017
How To Pick the Best Camera For Your Photography Needs

What is a good camera for me? Everyone might have a different answer to this question. At the end of the day, the best camera is subject to someone’s photography needs. Sometimes you don’t need to buy the most expensive one just to take that simple shot. And of course, you can’t just use your point and shoot if you Continue Reading

The post How To Pick the Best Camera For Your Photography Needs appeared first on Photodoto.

Photodoto

September 4, 2017
How to Make Sense of Photography Hardware Terminology
There are many different pieces of hardware that help to hold camera equipment together and attach things to stands. Here is an overview of some of the photograph hardware you need to understand. It’s not glamorous but having the right parts will help you get things done.

Tripod connection

Ever since the early days of photography, the need to keep the camera steady has been a prominent issue. The long exposure times and the size of the equipment in those days made it impossible to handheld the camera with sharp results. So, the tripod was invented and to this day it remains as the go-to solution to stabilize your photographic equipment.

The tripod is connected to the camera via a thumbscrew that secures both parts. Virtually every camera on the market has a threaded hole on the bottom dedicated to the attachment of a tripod.

Tripod mount on the bottom of most cameras.

As recommended by The Royal Photographic Society and regulated by ISO 1222:2010 these female threads are compatible with one of these two stud sizes used on tripod plates:
- The 1/4 20 stud that measures 1/4 inch or 6.5 mm in diameter and has 20 threads per inch.
- The 3/8 16 stud that measures 3/8 inch or 9.5 mm in diameter and has 16 threads per inch.
Tripod insert.

The 1/4 20 thread is the most common and used in the majority of equipment in the market. Meanwhile the 3/8 16 is used for heavier equipment as it is much sturdier and able to stand heavier load. It is fairly easy to convert between the two threads with adapters like this male 1/4 to 3/8 or female 3/8 to 1/4.

Connecting light stands to gear

Even though camera tripod connection is the main use for these threads, there are a lot more uses for them as well. These are the standard size for a vast array of photography accessories connection compatibility.

The spigot connection complements the threaded system as it is quick and easy to use, and it is not limited by the thread tightness positioning. It is used as a building block for many things around the studio from holding flash heads on a light stand to background and reflectors holding systems.

A 3/8″ spigot left, and ¼” one on the right.

The combination of these two systems allows the mounting of accessories like a flash and umbrella swivel bracket. You can use the spigot system to connect to the tripod and the 1/4 thread for a flash cold shoe.

All the female and male thread combinations are possible with a conversion kit. It is composed of three elements, a spigot with 1/4 and 3/8 female thread, a 1/4 to 3/8 male converter and a double 1/4 male stud.

Combining this three pieces in different positions allows all the threaded spigot combinations and interlocking of different pieces of hardware. Sets are available that contain all of these pieces.

Other uses

There are many other things you can connect using these bits. A good example is the use of a magic arm. It is a really sturdy system for holding things in place and has many thread options on each side.

Connecting it to a clamp with a female thread is a great combination for holding reflectors, lights, or positioning production accessories in your photography set.

Another great accessory that allows the combination of all these pieces of equipment in the same place is the universal junction sphere. This handy little gadget has multiple 3/8 threads and allows many accessories to be mounted on the same base.

Conclusion

So, here are just a few examples of photography hardware accessories that are not of great use by themselves, but make powerful tools when connected together. It is just a matter of picking the right combination to get the job done!

Let us know in the comments what combinations you use.

The post How to Make Sense of Photography Hardware Terminology by Ivo Guimaraes appeared first on Digital Photography School.

Digital Photography School
September 1, 2017
Overview of Photo Studio Ultimate 2018 for Windows by ACDSee

ACDSee has released Photo Studio Ultimate 2018 for Windows and is the new update for their photo editing software. They have given it a new name, introduced new features, and made improvements to others. With so many people looking for other software packages that you don’t have to pay a monthly subscription for, this makes it a very attractive program for people to use.

What part of Photo Studio Ultimate 2018 looks like when you open it up.

I recently wrote an article, Photo Editing Alternative – An Overview of ACDSee Ultimate 10, that will guide you through the different modes and what they do. If you are new to this software, it would be best if you read that first. This review goes into more detail about Edit mode and what is possible. It will also look at some of the features that are now available in this new release.

First Impressions

It would be easy to expect it to look like Photoshop when you first open it up. However, there are many similarities that can help make it more familiar to use. You can work in layers for your images, which enables you to go back and make adjustments to particular ones or delete them if you no longer want them. Many of the adjustments and tools have similar names which make it easier for you to learn. You can use the History function to go back to see what you have done. You can work nondestructively so your original images are always protected.

Edit Mode, working on an image.

There are also many differences. Some of the tools may have the same name, but to get the same results you have to use them in a different way. When you click on one of the tools and adjustments in the Edit mode menu, located on the left side of the workspace, you are taken to a different screen to make the changes. When you are done, you click either Done or Cancel, and you are taken back to the main Edit mode window.

New and Improved

As you start using Photo Studio Ultimate, you will find many new tools and adjustments to help you work on your images. The latest release features many new tools that work really well and will be mentioned soon. It also includes older tools, which have been developed over decades, yet still, stand up to today’s demand. The software is becoming very sophisticated and should suit the needs of most.

Working on an image in Edit Mode.

There are so many improvements, it would be hard to do them all in one article. So, this overview is focused on the ones that ACDSee is the most excited about and those that I really like.

Pixel Targeting

There is a new feature in the software that gives you more opportunities to be creative with your work. You can select a specific color to apply adjustments to, for example, you may want to make the reds brighter, or tone them down. You may want to sharpen only the greens. Or you can decide to change all the yellow tones to purple. With Pixel Targeting, you can do so as you please. You can also apply masks to specific colors or brightness ranges.

Using Pixel Targeting to give the yellows and oranges more saturation.

One application that a lot of people may use this feature for is to convert an image to black and white and have just one color coming through. By selecting your image and then going to Select to choose Pixel Targeting, you can decide which color you want to select. Once you click OK, you will see your selection and when you add the Black and White adjustment layer, the selection is turned into the mask. You will have your image in monochrome, except for the one chosen color.

Using the tool to select which color you will target with Pixel Targeting.

It is easy to use, although, you may have to play around with it a little. Remember that all colors are made of other colors. You may also need to do more work on the mask to get the look you really want. Overall, it does a decent job of the task, and there will be many people who will like this function.

Once you have done the selection and created the mask, then inverted it, you are left with color only for the tulips.

Smart Erase Tool

Along the top of the toolbar in Edit mode you will find the Smart Erase tool. This tool allows you to remove objects in your image that you don’t like, or don’t want. You often find unwanted subjects in your images, and being able to remove them is important. This has always been one of the best things about digital photography.

The tool is easy to use; you simply click on the image and start painting over what you want to be removed. You can set it to show up as a red overlay so that you can see what you’re doing.

When you find an unwanted person in an image you can use the Smart Erase to remove them. The Red shows where it is being applied and then the final result.

The Smart Erase tool seems to work best on small areas and on images with a plain background. Think about what you want to remove and look at the size of it, and the background. If you don’t get the results you’re looking for, you can always run the Smart Erase command again and again until you get a natural look. Play around and see what you can achieve.

The Smart Erase did a good job of removing the woman from just inside the door.

Liquify

The Liquify tool is what they use in the fashion industry to make models thinner. It is easy to use, however, should always be done with caution and used subtly. This tool allows you to move the pixels around to where you want them.

You can use Liquify to move pixels around and to make someone look slimmer.

You can turn objects in your images into funny shapes with the Liquify tool. However, common sense and what works best for the image always must be the first consideration.

Inside the tool, there is a Restore setting, which allows you to brush or push the moved pixels back into place without losing image quality. Even after you press Done in the Liquify tool, you can still undo while still in Edit mode. That said, since the Liquify tool is not a non-destructive adjustment layer, you cannot exit out of Edit mode and then later undo what you did.

Why would you use it? It is usually used to change parts of people, to remove a double chin, or a bit of overhanging skin. You can make people thinner, as previously noted. You can pull the waist in, or make legs that look a little less chunky, or make clothes fit better. Every time you use it, remember you are moving all the pixels in the area, and that includes the background.

The Liquify tool is great to play around with to familiarize yourself with what it does. Try out the different settings within the tool to see which one will suits your needs.

You can just play with it to see what else you can do. This flower now looks crazy, but great effect.

Frequency Separation

This is a technique used by many portrait photographers. It allows you to soften the skin, but keep detail around the eyes, nose, and mouth. When doing close-ups of people, you often find the skin looks dry, or you may see the pores. By using Frequency Separation, you can add some blur to the skin, but leave the detail at the same time.

What a normal face looks like just after you have taken the photo.

In other programs, you need to do the layers yourself and work it all out. But with Photo Studio Ultimate, you just click the Frequency Separation button and it works like an action, separating the high-frequency and low-frequency layers for you. It will provide the low-frequency layer for blurring and then the high-frequency layer that holds the detail. You are all set to go.

You can use Frequency Separation to give their skin a much softer appearance.

This is a great tool and anyone doing portraits will find it useful. It doesn’t require a lot of research to figure out how to use it and anyone could start playing with it. You could try and use it with other types of photography as well. I’ve tried it on images of macro flowers and have found it really good. There are possibly other ways of using it as well.

Frequency Separation was used on the flower to soften parts and give more detail to the edges.

Lens Correction and Perspective Correction

It’s always good to use lens correction wherever possible. It helps fix up any distortions that your particular lens will give an image.

You can also use the Perspective Correction, which will allow you to change the perspective. If you have an image that looks strange because all the buildings are pointing in towards the center, you can correct them. You can click on the corners and move them so you get what you remember seeing, buildings with straight lines.

Using the Lens Correction and Perspective Correction together to make buildings straighter.

In some ways, the Perspective Correction is far more useful than Lens Correction. It is not something that Photoshop seems to offer. You can do it, but have to do it in a completely different way. This works really well and I use it a lot.

Chromatic Aberration

These are colored lines that appear around objects in your images. They seem to appear around buildings a lot but can happen anywhere. Chromatic aberration is caused by your lens, and there is nothing you can do to stop it, but you can work on this in post-production.

Photo Studio Ultimate has a special adjustment for correcting chromatic aberration. You will find it under the Repair section in the column on the left. Click it and you will get a new window where you find five sliders. Zoom into 100% on the image so you can see the edges and the aberrations. Move the sliders around and see what happens. Each image is going to be different, so you might have to try different adjustments.

Using the Chromatic Aberration adjustment to remove the color fringes around objects caused by your lens.

Once you are happy, press Done and it will take you back to the normal workspace.

Split Tone

A new split tone adjustment layer has been added so that you can nondestructively tint highlights and shadows in Edit Mode. As an adjustment layer, you have the advantage of being able to apply split toning any time in your processing, and on several layers. You can also easily delete the layer if you decide you don’t like it.

A before and after with the Split Toning.

Clone Tool Pressure Slider

If you go to the Edit mode menu and look under Repair, you will see the Repair Tool. When you click on it, you are taken to the work area for the tool and from there, you can see the options, Heal or Clone. If you click Clone, a new slider will appear called Pressure under the Nib Width and Feathering sliders. This allows you to control the strength of the cloning.

At the default setting, it will do a straight copy. However, as you reduce it, the strength is also decreased. This is especially useful when you want to want to clone something out, but you don’t want to lose all the detail. A perfect example is when you want to reduce the darkness under someone’s eyes. You want to reduce the dark color, but you may want to keep the lines that are there as well but soften them at the same time.

Adjusting the Pressure slide for the Clone tool you can use to it remove the bags under the eyes, without taking away too much of the detail.

A Couple More Options to Mention

A Grain tool has been added to Edit Mode. You can add grain to your images to give it texture and create a vintage effect.

A new tool has been added to the toolkit; the Polygon Selection Tool. This selection tool and allows you to select an object in your image by pressing on the outside of it and doing like a dot to dot to get the selection you want.

Working in a Different Way

If you are used to using a program, like Photoshop, you will find that some functions don’t work the same. That is to be expected, it is different software. However, it doesn’t take you long to get your head around how you can do certain processes. In many ways, you do have to think outside the box, and so far I’ve managed to find many ways to do what I would do in Photoshop by using different tools.

I do a lot of processing in Photoshop and I wanted to see if I could achieve a similar look on one of my images, this is the final result. It’s good.

Overall

It is good to see other software that makes it possible to do just about anything you want to your image. While Photo Studio Ultimate may not be as big as Photoshop, there is no doubt that it will enable you to do just about everything you want to your images. The new release will offer users more tools and adjustments to help them get the look they want. It is a great program and one of the best alternatives I’ve seen. You can download and have a free trial for 30 days. Just remember that you will have to work differently, but it is worth it.

The post Overview of Photo Studio Ultimate 2018 for Windows by ACDSee by Leanne Cole appeared first on Digital Photography School.

Digital Photography School

September 1, 2017
How to Make Your Own DIY Light Box with Tape, Paper and a Window
Photographers are pretty savvy when it comes to saving money. This DIY light box is a surprisingly simple method for photographing small, translucent objects like flower petals.

Remember holding sheets of paper against a window to trace out a design? This process is similar in technique. The sheet of baking paper will act as a diffuser, spreading light evenly through a translucent object so it can be photographed in detail. Using a well-lit sheet of paper also isolates the subject from the background with a nice, even, white backdrop. Plus, you get to take great photos without leaving the comfort of your own home. So really, it’s win-win!

Supplies you will need
- Camera
- Tripod
- Macro lens or extension tubes
- A well-lit glass window or door
- Butcher’s paper
- Clear sticky tape
- Glass cleaner or rubbing alcohol
- Eucalyptus oil (for removing any remaining sticky tape from the glass surface once you have finished shooting)
- Small transparent objects to photograph (I like using flowers)
Picking a location

Before you start, you’ll need to locate a light source. While the butcher’s paper will serve as a background for your image, you’ll need a strong, even amount of light to illuminate the subject.

Depending on the time of day, you might have to try different windows around your house. The position of the sun will dictate the strength of the light penetrating the butcher’s paper. Choose a window that is unimpeded by exterior blinds or trees if possible.

Capturing the intricate detail of organic materials like leaves is made much easier with the glow of light coming through the subject from behind.

Setting up

Once you’ve settled on a well-lit window, you’ll need to prepare the glass. Wipe a small amount of rubbing alcohol or glass cleaner over the window and pat down with a cloth. This will minimize any particles that may impede light from coming through. It will also allow the sticky tape to adhere to the glass more effectively. Make sure that the glass surface is completely dry, however, or the tape and butcher’s paper will become soggy and unusable.

Take your piece of butcher’s paper and hold it against the window. The reason I use butcher’s paper is because I’ve found that run-of-the-mill copy-paper disperses light in mottled and uneven patches, which looks poor in photographs. Butcher’s paper diffuses light more evenly and makes for a uniformly white background. You can use a piece as large as you like, just make sure there is enough paper to fill the viewfinder in your camera.

Not all paper is created equal. This is an example of the uneven, mottled light caused by a sheet of standard A4 copy paper.

Fix your piece of butcher’s paper to the glass. I recommend using clear sticky tape rather than blue-tack or colored tape because it may show up in your photographs and can wrinkle the paper. Once you have fixed the paper flush with the glass, you can begin adding your subjects.

Carefully stick your objects to the butcher’s paper with small amounts of clear sticky tape. This can be tricky on a vertical surface, so having lightweight, translucent subject matter like flowers work best. I also like to sit on a chair for this part, to avoid a backache.

Fix your subject matter to the butcher’s paper with bits of clear sticky tape.

Taking the shot

Once your subjects have been adequately adhered to your butcher’s paper, it’s time to get the camera out. Mount your camera on a tripod and position it so that the subject and the butcher’s paper fill your viewfinder. To capture the detail in your subject, a macro lens is ideal. I used my Kenko extension tubes to get a nice detailed shot. Of course, you could also arrange larger subjects or patterns on the butcher’s paper, focusing on pattern and light rather than macro detail.

Set your camera to Aperture priority mode (Av on Canon and A on Nikon) and adjust the aperture to allow for the desired depth of field. Remember, to maintain focus throughout the whole image, use a smaller aperture like f/22. However, this may be limited depending on the lens you use.

For the sharpest detail, using a low ISO count is also a good idea. Although this will cause your camera to automatically increase the shutter speed, your tripod will minimize camera shake, especially if you view your composition using with the LCD screen and Live View rather than the viewfinder.

Conclusion

Once you start photographing, you’ll notice the diffused light enveloping and illuminating your subjects. With the abundance of the soft light, you’ll discover that detail is much easier to capture and view. Using this butcher’s paper method eliminates pesky shadows, allowing the subject to lift off the background with striking contrast and intricacy.

Try photographing all sorts of flowers, fruits, leaves and other transparent materials and see your subjects in a whole new light!

The post How to Make Your Own DIY Light Box with Tape, Paper and a Window by Megan Kennedy appeared first on Digital Photography School.

Digital Photography School
September 1, 2017
How to Understand the Difference Between TTL Versus Manual Flash Modes
It is no secret that the popup flash which comes built-in to your digital camera simply isn’t enough in most situations. For a variety of reasons, shooting using just the popup flash is not a feasible option. That is why you will find photographers everywhere you look, going for an external flash and using it increasingly during their shoots.

External flash, also known by the term “speedlight” provides many benefits and advantages to photographers, even while shooting in extremely low light conditions. They allow us to have a far superior control over the lighting of an image. Flashes are available in the market from a variety of manufacturers including camera makers like Canon and Nikon, or third-party companies like Godox, Yongnuo, Nissin, etc.

If you step out in the market to buy your first flash, you will come across two variants, a fully manual flash, and a TTL (Through The Lens) flash. You may end up getting confused over which flash will suit you the best and which one you should invest your money in. Both the Manual and TTL flash have their own plus and minus points which appeal to photographers. What is important is to properly understand their systems, functionalities, advantages, and disadvantages.

Understanding Manual Flash

On a fully Manual flash, there is no control (d either by the camera or the flash) over the intensity or duration of the light emitted from the flash. Instead, it is the photographer who controls the output of the flash by adjusting the settings, either in-camera or on the flash itself.

While using a manual flash, there are four controls you can use to set your flash output manually as per your requirements:
- Adjust the ISO on the camera.
- Raise or lower the level of output from oyur flash (½, ¼, 1/8th power, etc.)
- Alter the distance between the subject and the flash (light source).
- Adjust the aperture value on the camera.
Manual mode – check the user manual for your flash to see how to set it.

Not all flashes are equal

An important point to remember and consider is that the majority of flashes can shoot in manual mode, but not every flash can shoot in TTL mode. A manual flash also gives you specific control over the light and exposure, and allows you to set it exactly to your requirements. You do not have to use exposure compensation while using a manual flash as your composition, frame, etc., does not have any affect on the overall exposure and lighting of the scene.

Pros and cons of manual flash

In situations where the distance between the flash and the subject is constant and fixed, you can opt to use manual flash settings. A manual flash is extremely useful in situations where you have to fire away a series of shots of the subject repeatedly, under similar exposure conditions. E.g., in food photography, product shoots, and more this is the case. The power level is fixed, and it remains the same, which ensures that the exposure does not vary from shot to shot.

Manual flash works best when the subject is not moving like this setup, posed shot.

One of the main drawbacks of using a flash in manual mode is that you still need to figure out the optimal power output needed to obtain the correct exposure, which can be a time consuming process. And thus, a manual flash can mainly be used while shooting portraits, headshots, and fine art. In other words, in situations where you can take time to setup the scene.

Many also believe that manual mode is the best to use to learn about external flash photography. You choose the output, click the picture and then review it. If it does not come out the way you were expecting and wanted it to, then you can tweak the settings and try again. So you end up learning more in the process.

Understanding Automatic or TTL Flash

When the flash output is directly controlled by your camera, it is called Through-the-Lens metering or TTL. In the case of an Automatic or TTL enabled flash, the flash output is directly controlled by the flash or by the camera’s exposure metering system. Thus, using a flash in TTL mode will give you varied flash output.

Flash in TTL or Automatic mode.

The only method to control a TTL enabled flash is to use the flash exposure compensation function on the flash or through your camera settings. Also, while using a TTL flash, your chosen Aperture and ISO levels do not affect the flash output because the camera tells the flash to emit a particular output based on the camera’s readings. If the settings change, so will the output to compensate automatically.

When you half-press our shutter release button on your camera to focus, your camera not only focuses, but it also takes a metering of the scene and its exposure. It measures the amount of ambient light which is being returned “Through the Lens” to the sensor.

How it works

A TTL enabled flash fires a “pre-flash” before the actual shot is taken. The camera then measures the pre-flash with the ambient light level to calculate the power needed from the actual flash to make a correct exposure. This pre flash happens really quickly, only micro-seconds before the main flash, and thus cannot be seen by the human eye. Based on the model of your flash, this pre-flash can be an actual white light flash or an infrared one.

Using a TTL enabled flash is extremely helpful in situations when you are moving around a lot, shooting in different or changing lighting settings, etc., and do not have the time to fire a series of test shots before the shoot.

One of the drawbacks which accompany the use of a TTL flash is less control and less precision over the lighting. If you get an incorrect exposure while using a flash in TTL mode, it is really difficult for you to know the power setting which was used for that shot.

Conclusion

If you have recently purchased your first digital camera and plan to buy an external flash, then you have two options.

Either go for a manual flash, as it will urge you to learn more about how to control and adjust the lighting in various situations. But if you want to take up professional assignments and cannot afford to experiment with a manual flash, then go for a TTL enabled flash.

Which do you use? Do you have a flash that does both? Which do you prefer for different situations? Please tell us in the comments below.

The post How to Understand the Difference Between TTL Versus Manual Flash Modes by Kunal Malhotra appeared first on Digital Photography School.

Digital Photography School
September 1, 2017
The 10 Most Important Marketing Strategies to Grow Your Photography Business

No photographer wants to get into the photography business with the aim of becoming a marketing expert. But the reality is that if you don’t focus on the marketing and business end of photography, your business will not be able to survive long enough to do the fun stuff. It stinks, but this is the truth.

Luckily, the learning curve at the beginning is the toughest part, and as you get used to the business side, everything will come much more naturally to you. Eventually, you might even learn to enjoy it, or at least appreciate the work, after you see how powerful it can be in getting you where you want to go.

So here are 10 of the most important strategies you can start right away to make sure your photography business succeeds.

1. Use Your Personal Network

Nobody wants to be that annoying marketer that always pushes their business on their friends and acquaintances. However, this fear can push photographers way too far in the opposite direction, never working with the people that have grown to trust them the most. Your personal network is your strongest asset and even more so at the beginning of your photography business. These are the people who will give you your first jobs and introduce you to your first clients.

Photography is unique in that no matter what genre you are involved in, people in your network will most likely need your services at some point, whether it’s wedding or event photography, business portraiture, family portraiture, or print selling. So let your network know what you do and how you can help them.

Create a mailing list and send out an announcement to your network. Show your best work, talk about your photography business, and make sure to explain how you can help people. How can your business benefit them? They will not know unless you tell them. In addition, make sure to ask for referrals.

2. Take Advantage of Local Marketing

Whenever you say the word marketing these days, for some reason everyone immediately starts talking about social media. That is funny, because as important as social media is, it should be one of the last steps to think about for any marketing plan.

Your first step should be working within your local community. Similar to the last point, these are people who know you. You are just down the street from them. There are businesses of all types in your community that can probably use your work, so create a plan for how to get in front of them.

Make a good impression

Keep in mind that you only get one first impression, so be smart about how you reach out. First and foremost, figure out how you can benefit them. If you are going to reach out to someone, you need to know how their business or life will be better with your services and explain how you can help. Always be kind and courteous with their time, and if possible see if you can get an introduction before contacting someone cold. Does anyone in your personal network know the person you want to contact? That’s always a great first step, but if not, just reach out yourself.

The more you are seen, the more people in your community will notice you and start to think about working with you. Whether it’s local events, business events, fundraisers, you name it, you should make the point to be there, particularly at first. This is the way to create new relationships and to spread your reach.

Similarly, reach out to the other photographers in your area. Many photographers will assist others when they need help and vice versus, and this will help strengthen everyone as a whole. It can be easy for photographers to feel competitive with each other but avoid this. The ones that work together and refer each other will do much better in the long-run than the ones who try to do it all on their own.

3. Create a Mailing List

Use a mailing list provider such as MailChimp or Aweber to keep up with your clients, personal network, and fans. Email lists have the highest engagement of any form of marketing, and it is the way for you to stay on people’s minds.

Ask people if you can add them to your list, and always have them opt into the subscription. Put signup forms or popups on your website that encourage people to join. Consider giving away something to encourage them to do so, such as free computer wallpapers of your photography.

When sending out emails, create content that your list will enjoy. Do not sell too often with it. The more benefit and interest that you provide for the people on your list, the more they will enjoy it and the more they will like you. Then when you sell, they will be primed to purchase your services or product. When it’s time to sell, sell.

4. Create a Personal Project

This image is part of a personal project I’ve been working on involving talking to and making portraits of people in my community.

Personal projects will not bring new clients to you right away, and they will take away time from building your business and making a living. This is the tougher side of doing projects, but they are immensely important for the long term growth of your business and for growing your voice as a photographer. A project can be done slowly over a long period of time, so you can build it into your weekly schedule.

Think of an idea that will resonate with both you and your community. This is a way of keeping your passion for photography alive. It will also help to set you apart from the other photographers in your community. It will show people that you are an interesting person. They will be more interested in working with you, even if the paid work you do is a completely different genre. It will be a way for you to gain press coverage and something for you to talk about to engage people. All in all, a personal project will make marketing yourself so much easier, and it will feel much more natural.

5. Respond Quickly

There is no point in building your photography business or marketing your work if you are not going to respond quickly to inquiries. Respond quickly at every step of the process throughout a job as well. Responding quickly does not have to mean within the hour, although sometimes that can help when getting a new inquiry. It can mean responding within 12 hours or a day, as long as you are consistent and prompt.

Fortunately for you, a lot of photographers are terrible at this, so this will quickly set you apart. It will show people that you are a responsible person, and it will make them more comfortable working with you.

6. Build Your Connections (Both Local and Online)

Building your network is a lifetime process. As you go further and further in your career, you will begin to create connections with people who can do more and more for you (and who are tougher to get in contact with).

Whichever point in your career you are at, and whatever level your skill level as a photographer, start at that point and build connections there. Then over time, work your way up the ladder. Be patient, be smart, and don’t try to push too hard at first, particularly with people who don’t know you. First impressions are impossible to get back. Grow your network carefully and consistently.

7. Keep Your Existing Clients Coming Back

It can help to create a client management system. You can start off with an excel document at first and eventually grow to a more robust system, such as Sprout Studio. Keep in contact with your best clients, and even consider sending them holiday cards or a small gift to stay on their minds. A small gesture can go a long way, and it is much easier to get an existing client to come back than it is to reach a new one.

8. Makes Sure Your Website Sells

Think about your website as your number one selling tool. Whatever your primary service is, your site should be developed for the specific purpose of leading people to hire you for that service or for purchasing one of your products.

Study the basics of copywriting, create specific sales pages for your offerings, and even consider creating sales funnels that lead people to an end goal. These can be very powerful ways of priming people to want to work with you.

9. Take Advantage of SEO

SEO, or ranking highly in search engines, is a long term strategy that takes some studying to understand how to do (beyond what we will be able to cover completely here). My belief is that you should always focus on local networking first, as that has the ability to get you very quick gains, whereas an SEO campaign can take years to truly get you where you want to be.

But that being said, SEO should not be ignored, because most people will use Google to find the right photographer for them. Always remember, the goal of Google is to serve up the most relevant websites for the query topic. If you want to rank for a specific term, make sure to create the best possible page that will answer that query. Without this, an SEO strategy will not work.

Listen to Google

Google runs on links, so you need to figure out how to get other related websites to link to yours. It’s interesting because while it may seem annoying to gain these links, Google is actually forcing you to do things you should be doing in the first place.

Network with websites that you would like to be featured on, and figure out how you can provide that site with some value before you contact them. You will get nowhere if you just ask for something, but if you contact them willing to help them out, it will help immensely. As you grow with your abilities and your marketing, your opportunities for getting covered will grow as well. Internet marketing gets much easier over time.

This is another area where a personal project can help grow your business. People want to share interesting topics, so even if you are not generating income from the project directly, you can use the project to get covered on websites and to make people more aware of you, which will ultimately help improve SEO and grow your network and mailing list.

10. Create a Daily Plan

All of this is way too much to do in a feverish month of working. Similarly, your marketing skills will grow gradually, so take your time and be strategic about how you work through your marketing plan. You do not want to spend a whole month contacting everyone you can only to burn out soon after.

Set aside a daily block of time to build your business. Contact a few people every day or every few days. Use the feedback from those to tweak your next pitch. Over time, you will figure out what works and what does not work. A small amount of work each day will eventually snowball into much bigger things.

Conclusion

The main theme throughout this article is that you need to put yourself out there. The work will not just come to you. Create an organized plan, stick to it, and go for it. Be both careful and relentless. That is what is needed.

It may seem like there is a huge wall in front of you that is impossible to cross. But if you chip away at it a little bit each day, within a few years you will find that you have opened up many paths through it.

For even more business help – join the Focus Summit 2017 Online Business and Marketing Conference for Photographers on Sept 26-28th 2017. We will cover marketing, business development, law, SEO, branding, blogging, and much more. Use the code “DPS” for a $ 50 discount.

The post The 10 Most Important Marketing Strategies to Grow Your Photography Business by James Maher appeared first on Digital Photography School.

Digital Photography School

August 31, 2017
Troubleshooting 4 Tricky Photography Situations – What Would You Do?
Recently on a road trip to Newfoundland, and a visit to Sable Island in Novia Scotia, I ran into a handful of tricky photography situations. Like you, I’m typically pretty well prepared. I know my gear and I have a good idea of how I want my final images to look. In some of these cases though, I was a little out of my depth. Have you ever felt that way? You thought you knew what you were doing but then when you were actually doing it, things didn’t go as planned?

Bridge on the Avalon Peninsula in Newfoundland. Canon 5DIII with 24-105mm lens at 60mm, 1/125th, f/16, ISO 800, hand held, processed in Lightroom.

I’m going to tell you a little bit about four situations, my goals, my gear choices, and my oh-no-this-isn’t-going-the-way-I-thought-it-would moments. Then I’ll own up, show you some images and tell you if think I made the right choices or not. Of course, then I want YOU to share what you would have done in these same situations.

This was my gear list for the trip:
- Canon 5D Mark III (full frame)
- Canon 7D Mark II (crop sensor)
- 70-200mm L f/2.8 lens II
- 100-400mm L f/4.5-5.6 lens Mark II
- Canon 1.4x Teleconverter Mark III
- Canon 24-105mm L f/4 Mark I lens
- Polarizing filter
Situation #1 – Overcast day and a boat

On my first full day in Newfoundland, I scheduled a boat tour out of Bay Bulls to photograph Atlantic Puffins in the Witless Bay Ecological Reserve, with a sidecar of Humpback and Minke whales as we ferried to and from the reserve. The boat was about 50 feet long and 22 feet wide, making it relatively stable for photography though with about 100 people on board, it was a bit crowded.

The morning of the boat tour was overcast and foggy. Canon 5DIII with 24-105mm lens at 32mm, 1/180th, f/16, ISO 800, hand held, processed in Lightroom CC.

Skies were overcast so I pulled out my full frame body Canon 5DIII with 100-400mm lens. I didn’t worry about the 5DIII’s somewhat laggy shutter speed since I’m not the best at photographing birds in flight. I didn’t even plan to try it from a moving boat. Instead, I hoped to photograph some nice puffin behaviors in their nesting grounds as well as whales, if they cooperated by breaching or showing us their tails. At the last minute, I tucked the 1.4x teleconverter into my bag.

Canon 5DIII with 100-400mm lens plus 1.4x converter at 560mm, 1/6000th, f/8, ISO 2000, hand held, processed in Lightroom CC.

I can tell you the first huge mistake I made right off the bat. I didn’t take a motion sickness pill that morning. So, I spent most of the boat trip feeling rather green and taking deep meditative breaths while trying to shoot. Mistake number two, deep-breathing near a bird rookery. (I think you know what I mean).

The wise choice around all these birds is to hold your breath or breathe through your mouth. Canon 5DIII with 100-400mm lens 1.4x converter at 140mm, 1/1500th, f/9.5, ISO 2000, hand held, processed in Lightroom CC.

The third mistake I made was leaving on my polarizing filter. Blown out spectral highlights are hard to fix in post-production so I almost always use a polarizer when shooting on or near water. However, the 1-stop loss of light was too much on the rocking boat. I removed the filter and shoved it in my pocket immediately.

Canon 5DIII with 100-400mm lens 1.4x converter at 560mm, 1/6000th, f/8, ISO 2000, hand held, processed in Lightroom CC.

The fourth mistake I made was underestimating how far away we’d be from both the whales and birds. Barely 15 minutes into the trip I was digging out my teleconverter, and hunkering down to protect my gear while I connected the teleconverter between the lens and camera body. Thank goodness it was in my bag.

Puffins are comical little birds! Canon 5DIII with 100-400mm 1.4x converter @ 560mm, 1/750th, f/9.5, ISO 2000, hand held, processed in Lightroom CC.

In the end, I recovered from my motion sickness (and I didn’t vomit from the odiferous bird smell). A common murre (bird) did have the temerity to hit me in the head as it flew off the rookery but it didn’t poop on me (much, anyway). Ultimately, I was only moderately happy with my images – mostly because of the super flat light.

Have you photographed from boats before? Would you have made the same choices? Do you have any suggestions for anyone that will be shooting in a similar situation?

Situation #2 – Adjusting exposure for fog

In Cape Saint Mary’s, Newfoundland, there is a renowned ecological reserve for seabirds, many of them Northern Gannets, which are white. The reserve is supposed to be stunningly beautiful. I can’t actually confirm if it was beautiful or not. Both times I visited, the fog was so thick that the visibility was terrible.

The famous “spire” is almost completely obscured by fog. Canon 5DIII with 24-105mm at 24mm, 1/350th, f/13, ISO 640, hand held, processed in Lightroom CC.

Photographing in heavy fog is a problem because your camera’s exposure meter reads the white fog as grayer than it is in reality. To get a properly exposed image, you need to systematically check your histogram as you shoot. Pushing your histogram to the right, towards the white end of the histogram’s range, can give you a more realistic exposure.

In this histogram, you can see that the recorded data for the image falls short of the white point (right side). It also falls short of the black point (left side) but that can easily be adjusted in post-production. Whites aren’t so easy to adjust because when you brighten an image, you also add noise.

However, if you push your exposure too far to the right, you can blow out the highlights, creating patches of white with no recoverable detail recorded in the file. I increased my exposure compensation in 1/3-stop increments until it was almost 2-stops above my camera’s recommended exposure.

Here you can see that the histogram climbs up the right edge indicating blown-out (unrecoverable) whites and highlights.

At 1 and 2/3rds-stops above the recommended exposure, the histogram still didn’t touch the right side, meaning no true whites were being recorded in the image. At two full stops above, the histogram crawled up the right side – indicating blown highlights. I decided that shooting at 1.66 stops above was the better choice.

It’s a subtle difference but the histogram I was looking for would have looked like this – just touching the right side but not crawling up it.

I said I’d own up to my mistakes, right? That choice was probably the wrong one. All the RAW files from that shoot look very flat and I only salvaged a few in post-production. I wish I’d experimented more with lowering my ISO to evaluate how that affected the exposure. If I’d lowered my ISO, I could possibly have increased my exposure compensation by two full stops without blowing out the highlights.

Later in my trip, completely frustrated by fog and exposure, I played with ISO values and – oddly – it did seem to help. With a lower ISO, I could increase my exposure compensation while limiting the number of blown highlights.

The moral of the story here is to think outside of the box. Don’t get stuck on what you think are the right settings. In situations like fog, change all your settings frequently to produce multiple files that are both under- and over-exposed and give yourself a better chance of having a RAW file that will give you the final images you were looking for.

Here’s a straight out of camera RAW file so that you can see exactly what I mean by “flat.” Canon 7DII with 100-400mm at 400mm, 1/800th, f/10, ISO 640, exposure compensation +1 2/3rd stops, hand held.

Here’s the same image processed in Lightroom CC. You can see I had a little fun with it to give it some oomph. Lavender birds are way more fun than pea soup fog birds!

Note that the RAW file could have been pushed far more but personally, I felt that produced unattractive results. With extreme increases of Clarity, Contrast, and Dehaze, the birds did become crisper but it was still obvious that the image was captured on a very foggy day. The heavy processing didn’t make the image look anything like an image taken on a clear day.

Have you photographed birds or wildlife in pea soup fog? Would you have made the same choice? Any other suggestions for the dPS community?

Situation #3 – Photographing in the rain

One lucky evening the fog didn’t blanket Sable Island like it usually did. The ship was anchored just a kilometer away, so I jumped into the waiting Zodiac to cruise around the island’s shoreline. In the best of circumstances, as you cruise you can see wild horses running along the beach, colonies of seals happily snoozing and seals cavorting around you in the ocean.

While this was taken earlier in the day, it gives you an idea of the logistics of shooting from a Zodiac boat. Many people never even pulled out their gear while on the water.

While there was no fog on that evening, it was still overcast. The wind and swell were also high. Salty sea spray was a significant gear hazard. Even though my camera was protected with a rain cover, I was nervous. It wouldn’t be easy shooting but there were three shots I wanted to capture:
1. Seals playing in the water around the boat.
2. Sleeping seals piled en-mass on the beach.
3. Wild horses on the beach, with the dunes as a backdrop behind them.
Twenty minutes into our shoreline cruise, the skies darkened and it started to rain. We continued to cruise but I tucked my camera away in the dry sack and just enjoyed the curious seals popping up around the boat. Before putting the camera away, I hadn’t checked off any of the three images I wanted but my gear stayed safe and I really enjoyed watching the seals.

Before I put my gear away, this was the sort of image I was getting. Canon 7DII with 100-400 II plus 1.4x III @ 560mm, 1/1250th, f/8, ISO 1250, hand held (in a small rocking boat), processed in Lightroom CC.

Ultimately, I captured two of three of the shots I wanted on another day but I’m curious, what would you have done? Have you ever photographed wildlife from a Zodiac? Would you have put your camera away once it started to rain? Or just kept shooting during this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity?

Situation #4 – Photographing far away wildlife

On one of my last hikes on Sable Island, I assembled what I call my “long combination” of the Canon 7D Mark II and 100-400mm with the 1.4x teleconverter. As much as I wanted to use my full frame Canon 5D Mark III, I just wasn’t able to get close enough to the horses on this trip. I needed the maximum focal length I could garner.

Here’s the focal length math:
- Multiply your focal length by the 1.4x teleconverter. For example, 400mm multiplied by 1.4 x equals and effective focal length of 560mm.
- Multiplied again by the 1.6 crop factor of the 7DII, the effective focal length increases to 896mm.
The lone horse I saw after hours of hiking. Canon 7D II with 100-400mm II plus 1.4x III @ 560mm, 1/500th, f/9, ISO 500, hand held, processed in Lightroom CC.

Ultimately, did I make the right decision with my gear? After hours of hiking, I only saw one wild horse. Considering that, I was darn glad not to be carrying two camera bodies with multiple heavy lenses.

Tenacity pays off! Even though it wasn’t the animal I was looking to photograph that day, I’m delighted with this seal portrait. Canon 7D II with 100-400mm II plus 1.4x III @ 368mm, 1/250th, f/8, ISO 400, hand held, processed in Lightroom CC.

On the way back to the Zodiac pick-up point at the beach though, I sighted a huge colony of seals. A ridge of sand actually obscured the hundreds of seals that were nearest to me until I was on the brink of being too close to them. I dropped to my knees and photographed them like a mad woman. The light was bright enough, if not soft and golden. And those shots of seals I wanted to get from the Zodiac cruise earlier in the trip? I captured them during this hike instead.

Canon 7D II with 100-400mm II plus 1.4x III @ 560mm, 1/640th, f/8, ISO 400, hand held, processed in Lightroom CC.

Conclusion

What would you have done? Take a look at my gear list (top of article). Would you have chosen the same gear? Or carried multiple cameras and lenses? Would you have headed back after hours of hiking and seeing only one horse? Or just kept hiking in hopes of seeing more?

Thanks for playing along today. Please take a minute to post a comment about a tricky photography situation you’ve encountered so that we can all learn from each other’s mistakes – and successes!

The post Troubleshooting 4 Tricky Photography Situations – What Would You Do? by Lara Joy Brynildssen appeared first on Digital Photography School.

Digital Photography School
August 29, 2017