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4 Key Elements to Help You Create Stronger Landscape Photography

08 Aug

If you’re like me and love great landscape photography, then you’ve probably wondered how the same photographers seem to be able to pull off beautiful shots of sweeping mountain vistas or incredible black and white images of rolling hills and valleys. It’s as if they have some secret formula for “getting lucky” time and time again. Have you ever thought about what goes into making a strong landscape photograph? The techniques, the composition, the timing, the tools?

4 Key Elements to Help You Create Stronger Landscape Photography

The fact is, there is no secret formula for making better photos of landscapes. There’s almost always much more that goes into the task than simply snapping a picture of a pretty place. Most great landscape photos are made in beautiful places but that doesn’t mean that every picture of beautiful scenery is a great landscape. While there are no concrete “rules” for doing solid landscape photography there are a few ways to strengthen your landscape work and make those “awesome shots” happen more frequently.

#1 – Construct Interesting Elements

I once had a professor of photography tell me that any photograph could be judged by how much information it contained. It’s easy to say that a successful landscape photo shows the beauty and majesty of a place, but the truth is there is so much more. When setting up for your photo, pay attention to everything that falls within the frame. Look for interesting foreground elements such as trees or rocks, water, even people or animals.

4 Key Elements to Help You Create Stronger Landscape Photography

Look for ways to add more information to the photograph. Generally, the more you fill the frame with interesting elements the more interesting and appealing the overall photograph will be. But there is also a flip side to this concept as sometimes less is more. There are times when you must know what to NOT include in order to give a better feel to the photo. Look at this photo from a blustery winter morning.

4 Key Elements to Help You Create Stronger Landscape Photography

The feelings of solitude and isolation are brought about by the use of empty space. More on composing your landscape photos a little later.

#2 – Lighting

Yes, yes…I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase “chasing the light” when it comes to making good photos. This is especially true when it comes to landscape photography. There’s a reason why photographers love to shoot in the early morning hours (ugh) or in the waning light of the afternoon or late evening.

4 Key Elements to Help You Create Stronger Landscape Photography

It comes down to the quality of light which again, adds more interest to a landscape. When you have beautiful light, the entire landscape is transformed into something different. It becomes less ordinary and more extraordinary.

4 Key Elements to Help You Create Stronger Landscape Photography

As much as it pains me, getting up early and staying out late is virtually a necessity for landscape photographers. The reason being is that some of the most gorgeous golden light comes in the late afternoon as the sun gives way to night. Just as true, the early morning “Blue Hour” as the first glimpses light begin to appear, is another prime time for shooting landscapes.

Even locations that seem somewhat lackluster at midday can take on an entirely new feel in the late or early hours of the day. So be sure to try out different spots at daybreak and sundown. There’s a good reason why we landscape junkies really do chase the light.

#3 – Composition

The very word “composition” describes the nature of how something’s parts are constructed or arranged together. Having all the best ingredients doesn’t help you much if you don’t know how to put them all together into an awesome cake, a beautiful symphony, or in your case…a strong landscape photograph. The way you compose the elements in your landscapes can often make or break the photograph. Again, there are no actual rules to composing your photo but there are some tried and true practices.

4 Key Elements to Help You Create Stronger Landscape Photography

Adjust the horizon so that it isn’t exactly in the middle of the frame and place foreground or background elements off-center to add interest and make stronger images.

4 Key Elements to Help You Create Stronger Landscape Photography

It helps to use imaginary lines such as the Rule of Thirds (again, not exactly a rule) to help compose your image.

4 Key Elements to Help You Create Stronger Landscape Photography

Just as importantly, always remember to shoot your landscapes in accordance with how they “feel”. Composition in landscape photography is about conveying a feeling, not just how the scene looks. Shoot different compositions of the same location until you find one that works best for that particular landscape.

#4 – Gear and Technical Considerations

While a successful landscape photo doesn’t rely on having the latest or greatest gear, there are a few gear and technical aspects that make for better photos. Here are a few tips.

Use a wider lens

Even though many solid landscape photos can be shot at long focal lengths using zoom lenses, generally short focal length (wider angle) lenses work best. Wide angle lenses allow you to include more into the frame of your photo.

4 Key Elements to Help You Create Stronger Landscape Photography

Use smaller apertures

Continuing on from lenses, using a smaller aperture increases the depth of field and brings more elements into focus. Remember, the larger the F-Number the smaller the physical aperture of the lens becomes.

….and wait for it…..

Use a tripod

If you’ve read any of my other articles, you’ll know that when it comes to landscape photography I believe a sturdy tripod is worth its weight in gold. Reducing motion as much as possible is key for obtaining sharper landscape photographs. Using a tripod helps to eliminate as much camera shake as possible. This becomes important because generally the smaller apertures used in landscape photography call for longer shutter speeds which make hand holding the camera less desirable.

Final Thoughts

A successful landscape photo is a careful construction of multiple ingredients. Knowing what to include (or exclude from your photo) and understanding when the best light happens, go a long way to making a better image.

4 Key Elements to Help You Create Stronger Landscape Photography

Just as importantly, knowledge of how to compose the elements in the frame and what techniques or gear will be needed are both essential to “getting lucky” time and time again. Producing stronger landscapes takes patience and a little planning but it is well worth the effort.

The post 4 Key Elements to Help You Create Stronger Landscape Photography by Adam Welch appeared first on Digital Photography School.

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4 Lessons for Aspiring Family Portrait Photographers

08 Aug

Over the past four years as my wife and I have done more family photography we have learned quite a bit. Going through some of those early shots I’m sometimes amazed that anyone paid us money for them at all! Self-reflection is critical not just for photographers, but any artist and indeed anyone who wants to improve at a given skill over time. In thinking about what has worked and what hasn’t worked I repeatedly noticed four key elements that I wanted to share with you. Hopefully, these will be useful to you if you are just starting out as a family portrait photographer, and you won’t have to make the same mistakes I did as I was learning them!

4 Lessons for Aspiring Family Portrait Photographers

1. Location, location, location

I live in Stillwater, Oklahoma, and there’s a spot in the middle of our town that a lot of people think is the ideal location for photography. It’s called Theta Pond and sits in the heart of the campus of our very own Oklahoma State University.

When you go there for an afternoon stroll it’s almost impossible not to be taken in by the beautiful flowers, towering trees, and flocks of waterfowl that dot the serene landscape. There are stone paths, wooden bridges, and several fountains sending water high into the air. They all combine to create a scene which practically screams “Do your family portrait photography here!” So a lot of people do just that, and it’s how I started out as well.

4 Lessons for Aspiring Family Portrait Photographers

You might think a location like this would be ideal for family photos. But you’d be wrong.

Your town probably has a Theta Pond too; a park, garden, waterway, or another setting that seems like it has been tailor-made for capturing poster-size prints of happy families with cute kids. However, if your town is anything like mine, your Theta Pond is probably one of the last places you really want to shoot.

Great for a picnic, not always optimal for portrait sessions

While locations like these are ideal for getting out and enjoying nature, they are often plagued by a host of other issues that make it quite difficult for taking good pictures. There’s traffic whizzing by in the background, people walking around and getting in the way of your shots, and trash bins and informational signs scattered all about. And then there’s the matter of all those ducks and geese you’ll find at just about any pond, lake, or river. You might think they’re fun to have around but they leave some nasty messes behind that can stain jeans and ruin dresses if you ever want your clients to sit on the ground.

The kids look great in this photo, but there are way too many distractions in the background including a person walking through the frame between the boys. I actually gave this shot to a client and even though she liked it, I have since learned that I prefer to go to other locations for photo sessions.

When I started getting more serious with family portrait photography I began looking at other places besides just what was popular, and found that a whole new world of opportunities opened up for me. I found places off the beaten path that were much more convenient for me and my clients to meet, much less crowded, and often just as scenic and pretty.

Your subjects take priority over the background

Also, it’s important that you find locations which complement your subjects and don’t distract the viewers. The local botanical garden might seem like a great place for a photo session. But you may end up taking your viewers’ attention away from the people and putting it on the plants and flowers by accident. Nowadays I like simple groves of trees, empty fields, or old barns and farm settings that aren’t flashy but make for great photography. Wherever you shoot your photos, choose your locations intentionally such that they fit your photography and your subjects, not just because a friend thinks it would be pretty.

Wherever you shoot your family portrait photography, choose your locations intentionally such that they fit your style and your subjects, not just because a friend thinks it would be pretty.

This location may not be as flashy, fancy, or popular as a park with fountains, but that’s exactly why I like it so much for photography sessions.

2. There’s no substitute for good lighting

This second rule works in tandem with the first regarding location. Wherever you choose to do your photo sessions, you need to make sure to pay attention to lighting. Great photographers can wrest beautiful images from the most challenging lighting conditions. But for the rest of us mere mortals, it’s essential to stick to the fundamentals. For family sessions that usually comes down to two basic tips: be careful when shooting in broad daylight, and make sure your subjects are evenly lit.

Avoid direct sunlight

Bright sunlight is, contrary to what some beginning photographers may think, far from ideal in terms of taking good photos of people. The harsh overhead lighting often creates shadows, causes people to squint, and results in uneven lighting across the entire frame with some parts of a picture being very bright and others ending up quite dark. You don’t want Grandma looking perfect while Grandpa is squinting to keep the sun out of his eyes, or bright patches of light showing up on shirts and ruining haircuts.

Use even diffused light

Fortunately, it’s not too difficult to make sure your subjects are well-lit even if you are shooting at high noon, as long as you are aware of your surroundings and use the elements to your advantage. Look for buildings that cast nice long shadows, overhangs that you can stand beneath, or even trees that block out a lot of the sun and allow for nice even lighting.

I had this family sit in a park shelter to combat the harsh overhead sun. They’re evenly lit and properly exposed, which is what really mattered to me when taking the shot.

You can also use accessories like a diffusion panel to cast a pleasing shadow on your subjects which help mitigate the effects of harsh, bright sunlight.

These videographers are using a diffusion panel to make sure their subject is evenly lit, despite the harsh overhead sunlight. The background will be overexposed, but that’s fine because the person being filmed is going to look fantastic.

Shoot at golden hour

Another option is to forego the afternoon hours entirely and shoot photos during what’s known as the golden hour. This generally starts about an hour prior to sunset (or from sunrise to an hour after) but can vary depending on your exact location.

During this short window of time, the sun is low on the horizon and it bathes your scene in a rich, warm light that is amazing for portraits. You can have your subjects stand almost anywhere and face any direction, or ask them to face the sun which will make their eyes sparkle nice and bright. Everything looks so rich and beautiful during this time, but it passes quickly so make sure to use your time wisely and work efficiently to get the shots you want.

I shot this as the sun was setting which resulted in rich, deep colors. I also put these kids in the shadow of a tree to make sure they were evenly lit, which resulted in a pleasing picture overall.

The message that I hope I’m conveying here is that there’s just no substitute for good lighting. I didn’t touch on things like off-camera flash which can also be used to manipulate the light in a scene. But if you’re looking to get started with family, child, or senior portraits one of the best things you can do is use the tools you already have to make sure your subjects are evenly lit and properly exposed.

You can fix a lot of things in Lightroom and Photoshop afterward, but poor lighting isn’t really one of them.

3. Know your camera settings and how to change them

There’s an old Greek amorphism, gnothi seauton, which has been the basis for countless philosophical discussions over the ages. Roughly translated, it means know thyself and often functions as an exhortation for an individual to be intimately aware of who they are, what makes them tick, what their goals in life are, etc.

Even in the most controlled studio environment, things can change at a moment’s notice, and often there isn’t much you can do about it. So it’s important to know your camera settings and how to change them if you need to fast.

Your camera might have so many buttons and menu options that it seems overwhelming. It’s good to figure out how they work on your own time, not when you’re on location with clients.

It’s not enough to simply know about fundamentals like aperture, shutter speed, and ISO when you are doing formal photo sessions. You need to know how to control these parameters on your camera and when to change them if you need to in a hurry. The former comes from reading your manual, looking at articles online like the ones we have here at dPS, and a lot of experimentation. The latter often comes only from years of experience.

Get up to speed with your camera on your own time

I’m a big proponent of poring over your camera’s manual. But when you’re on location with clients that is not the time to try and figure out how to use your exposure compensation button or in which menu the auto-ISO setting is buried. You need to be intimately familiar with how to access and alter the settings on your camera in order to get the shots you want and deal with conditions as things change.

One of my favorite tricks to help learn the camera better is to do a practice session with a friend or family member. Go out to a location and make sure you know how to adjust various camera settings on the fly. Then tell your helper to try something you aren’t expecting which could require a faster shutter, higher ISO, etc. Practice changing your camera settings in this type of environment before you go out with clients, so when the unexpected happens you’re as ready as you can possibly be to deal with it in the moment.

Remember that Theta Pond example from earlier? When this moment came up during that same session I was able to think on my feet and quickly adjust my aperture and ISO to get this impromptu headshot which the boy’s mom really liked.

4. Make the experience memorable

One of the most important aspects of doing a photo session for clients is that it’s about much more than the end product. Wells, Valacich, and Hess (2011) found that the quality of a website is related to the perception of quality regarding the products being sold on the website. A higher-quality website, their data tended to show, meant that consumers perceived the things they were buying as being higher quality than the same products purchased from lower-quality websites.

The same holds true for photography, in that how your clients view the final photos you deliver to them is directly related to how they feel about the session itself. If you make the experience fun, enjoyable, and stress-free while engaging your clients in friendly conversation they will be more likely to enjoy, appreciate, and share the pictures when they receive them. Conversely, if your clients get top-notch pictures but you showed up for the session late, unprepared, and stressed-out, then they will likely have a lower opinion of the photographs.

This family’s dog wandered into the photo shoot totally uninvited. I’m not much of a dog person but I set that aside, went with the flow, and got some shots that the family really liked. It also helped put the kids at ease and so they enjoyed the rest of the session more.

The overall experience is important

To put this in a different context, let’s say you are looking to buy a new microwave. Two stores in town have the one you want at the exact same price. One store has a clean parking lot and interior, bright lights, neat shelves, and friendly employees. The other store has a dirty trash-filled parking lot, dim and flickering lights, haphazard shelves, and employees who will barely give you the time of day. From which store are you likely to purchase the appliance? If you’re like me you’ll go to the first store. Then if your friends are ever looking for a similar appliance you will probably recommend the same store with great enthusiasm. Budding family photographers would do well to remember this concept and apply it to their approach to dealing with clients.

Taking photos is not just about the end product but the whole photographic experience. Make it fun for your clients from the time you first interact with them to when you deliver the final products. Get to know them, and don’t be afraid to show your own personality too. Make the photo session fun and enjoyable, and if there are kids involved, make sure to spend time getting to know their names and finding a bit more about them. (This has a couple of bonus side effects too – parents are thrilled when photographers spend time getting to know their kids, and the children will be more likely to listen to you and follow directions during the session.)

Don’t underestimate the value of providing a good experience

The point is that if your clients enjoy the photo session, they are likely to assign a high perceived level of quality to the end product and will recommend you to their friends, coworkers, and especially their acquaintances on social media.

This couple invited me into their home for a rather emotional photo session due to a medical condition their daughter has. While I had a job to do as a photographer, that was only a small part of the whole experience.

It’s not your job to be your clients’ best friend, but it is your job to make the photo session something they will remember in a positive light. Do what you can to earn their trust and respect, as this can pay off in many ways long after you deliver the pictures.

Conclusion

One of my biggest weaknesses as a photographer, or even as a person, is that it’s difficult for me to go back and look through things I’ve done in years past. I often find it more than a little embarrassing to read things I’ve written, examine things I’ve built, and look at photographs I’ve taken because I think the work I’m doing now is so much better. Yet in five years I’ll probably dust off a few of the pictures I’m taking now and wonder what in the world I was thinking when I took them!

However, this type of self-reflection is essential for growth in any profession, hobby, or craft. It’s only by learning from our previous experiences and examining our mistakes as well as our successes that we can truly grow and refine our skills.

The four lessons I have detailed in this article are by no means comprehensive, but they are things that have turned out to be extremely important to me over the years and I hope they prove helpful for you also. I’m also curious to hear from you, especially those of you who have been doing family portrait photography for a long time. What are some of the important lessons you have learned over the years? Please share in the comments below and I look forward to reading them.

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Photography Lessons I Learned Growing Up Around Ansel Adams

08 Aug

Ansel Adams was a young man of 14 when he first came to California‚ Yosemite National Park. The valley had a strong pull for him and he returned to work there in 1920 at the age of 18 to be the caretaker for the Sierra Club‚ LeConte Lodge.

Ansel became vigilant about protecting Yosemite and the Sierras from human impact while showing the world his view of this almost mystical place through his growing photography career. He met Virginia Best, the daughter of the gallery owner in Yosemite Valley. They married, and the gallery became a source of income for the young photographer and his wife. His complete works became the gallery best sellers. They continued to add products such as art books and other photographic services.

By 1940, his photographic workshops started as one of the first photographic education sources in the country. The workshops were usually a week long and for many, became a life changing experience.

ANSEL IN WAGON Photographic Lessons Learned from Ansel Adams

Image by Holden Higbee used courtesy of the Ansel Adams Gallery in Yosemite

That was the case for my father, Holden Higbee, who attended Ansel Adams’ photography workshop in 1965. He, along with my older sister (who was 12 at the time), attended a week long workshop of photographic bliss in beautiful Yosemite Valley with lectures by Ansel Adams himself. In 1965, Adams was a respected photographer, but not yet the photographic icon that he has become in the present day. At that point, his prints were selling for about $ 50 and he would gift his images to his favorite students. My sister received a copy of his “Mirror Lake” image for participating as a model in the workshop.

MEDIUM FORMAT Photographic Lessons Learned from Ansel Adams

Image by Holden Higbee used courtesy of the Ansel Adams Gallery in Yosemite

The Workshop with Ansel Adams

The workshop was held in the Wawona Big Trees area, the Yosemite Valley, and up into Tuolumne Meadows covering the basics of photography, Ansel’s Zone system, composition, and creativity. The students in Ansel’s classes were mostly young men, just honing their craft from the master, using their medium format and 35mm cameras. Their exuberance for learning photography was evident as they spread out to practice their lessons.

TOLUMNE MEADOWS - Photographic Lessons Learned from Ansel Adams

Image by Holden Higbee used courtesy of the Ansel Adams Gallery in Yosemite

This class stuck with my father, as the photography gene runs long and deep in my family. Holden, as an avid photographer and college professor, would drive across the country to document the countryside for his geography and geology classes and stop every 50 miles to take a picture, much to our dismay. He always had two or three cameras around his neck so he didn’t have to change lenses and he could easily document “how man uses the land”.

The Zone System

ANSEL ZONE SYSTEM - Image used courtesy of the Ansel Adams Gallery in Yosemite

Image by Holden Higbee used courtesy of the Ansel Adams Gallery in Yosemite

My father was particularly interested in The Zone System and how that would affect his photography. For many years after, my father would practice with the grey cards to set up the zone system. I am now the proud owner of his signed set of books from Ansel Adams; The Camera, The Negative, and The Print.

GREY CARD - Photographic Lessons Learned from Ansel Adams

Image by Holden Higbee

Visits with Ansel

On later visits to Yosemite Valley, we would see Ansel on a regular basis. I was a young girl but was impressed by his stature and his gray beard. In the evenings after dinner, we would all assemble in the lodge which had huge fireplaces, comfy 60s style couches, and tall vast windows with views of Yosemite Falls. My father and sister would play Backgammon, and watch the side door to see when Ansel would make his quiet entrance.

Our Dad would wave at Ansel and he would make his way over to our couch where the Backgammon board lay precariously on the cushions. Ansel would give my sister a tip or two on what her next move should be. Often he would sit awhile and watch them play before the Warren Miller Ski Film would start. Then Ansel would disappear as we became engrossed in the film.

ANSEL ZONE SYSTEM - Photographic Lessons Learned from Ansel Adams

Image by Holden Higbee used courtesy of the Ansel Adams Gallery in Yosemite

As children, we had no idea the impact that this nice bearded man would have on the world of photography and our lives as creative artists. We thought he was just another photographer and friend of my father’s.

ANSEL AT WORK - Photographic Lessons Learned from Ansel Adams

Image by Holden Higbee used courtesy of the Ansel Adams Gallery in Yosemite

Respect Nature

Even though I didn’t attend the workshops, Ansel Adams greatly influenced my life, my love of landscape photography and nature, as he did for millions of others. At 6 years old, my father put a 35mm camera in my hands and I was off and running. After that week with Ansel Adams, we would talk about photography and composition frequently at dinner. “When you are shooting landscapes” he would say, “never move a leaf or a flower, respect nature for what it is. Learn to create a composition from what is naturally there.” From that point on, I never put the camera down, it has always been an extension of my life and my personality and landscape photography became my love.

After 50 years of traveling in Yosemite, it continues to take my breath away. We now return to Yosemite three times a year to teach photography workshops. We visit the park mid-week to avoid the tourists and also when there is the greatest chance of changing weather.

“Yosemite Valley, to me, is always a sunrise, a glitter of green and golden wonder in a vast edifice of stone and space.” – Ansel Adams

Full circle

Late last fall, we had the great fortune of spending three weeks teaching workshops in the valley as it turned from fall to winter. Every day the light would change and the photographic options would take our breath away, but we felt like we were in sync with the ever changing conditions. We got into the rhythm of life there and found it an easy and wonderful experience.

Yosemite Fall - Photographic Lessons Learned from Ansel Adams

In January, we returned to the valley to do a private workshop and the forecast was for snow. As we drove into the park, the snow had started to come down and the roads were quite slushy. Little did we know, we were one of the last cars they would let into the valley for the next four days. As we arrived in the valley, it was covered in a thick coating of snow and was quickly adding up. I don’t know how many people were there that week in Yosemite, but it was a photographic wonderland.

We arrived and handed our client a pair of snow shoes and off we went on a winter photographic adventure. I would like to think that those few days of bliss might have been a bit like some days Ansel Adams experienced in Yosemite back in his day. An experience I won’t soon forget.

Yosemite Winter - Photographic Lessons Learned from Ansel Adams

“A great photograph is one that fully expresses what one feels, in the deepest sense, about what is being photographed.” – Ansel Adams

Conclusion

If you come to Yosemite, come in the off season when you can appreciate the beauty of the place without the throngs of tour buses and distracted selfie takers. Everyone that comes to the valley fancies themselves a photographer, so when you are in Yosemite, be sure to embrace the spirit of Ansel Adams.

Do you have any Ansel Adam’s stories to share? What lessons have you learned from his teachings? Please share in the comments below.

The post Photography Lessons I Learned Growing Up Around Ansel Adams by Holly Higbee-Jansen appeared first on Digital Photography School.

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17 Highly Detailed Images That Display Texture

08 Aug

I hope you enjoy this detailed image collection of subjects with a lot of texture. To capture texture in an image requires a few elements to come together – the right lighting, the right camera angle, and a good degree of image sharpness.

I’ll start you off with a couple of my own images, and then we’ll branch out to see what a few other photographers have done to capture texture with their cameras.

By Darlene Hildebrandt (shot in Havana Cuba)

By Darlene Hildebrandt (shot in Granada, Nicaragua)

By JLS Photography – Alaska

By Nicholas Erwin

By ROBERTO CABRAL PHOTOGRAPHY

By Thad Zajdowicz

By Suzy Hazelwood

By Gabriel Caparó

By Sandy Sarsfield

By BriarCraft – crazy busy in July

By Kate Ter Haar

By XoMEoX

By Peyton Stanton

By Hernán Piñera

By Iain Merchant

By Marco Verch

By Alexander Day

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Weekly Photography Challenge – Texture

08 Aug

Detail and texture are two things that tend to draw the viewer’s eye into an image. I shared 17 images that are great examples of the use of texture in a photo here.

By Matthias Ripp

Weekly Photography Challenge – Texture

So what things have to come together to capture an image that showcases and subject with texture?

Quality of light – ideally the harder (harsher) and more contrasty the lighting the better, but not 100% necessary.
The direction of light – to enhance texture in a subject the light must come from the side, skimming across the surface.
Get close – this one is obvious, right?
Get it in sharp focus – also fairly obvious. Use the right focus point, focus mode, and aperture for maximum sharpness.
Lastly, find a good subject. Remember people can have texture too!

By Priya Saihgal

By Snipps Whispers

By Carlyle Ellis Photography/Human Quotient

By four12

Share your images below:

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. Sometimes it takes a while for an image to appear so be patient and try not to post the same image twice.

Share in the dPS Facebook Group

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

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X-Pedition: Cuba

07 Aug

Are you busy next January? I’ve been given the opportunity to lead a small-group photo trip to Havana, Cuba.

I was last in Havana in 2013, teaching for Santa Fe Workshops. But that was someone else’s curriculum. This time the program is ours to design, and we are planning a week of exploring, learning and lots of time behind the camera.

If that sounds like your thing, keep reading.

An Immersive Week

This is not the typical photo tour group, which invariably ends up as some version of a photo walk with everyone getting versions of the same pictures. I’m working with Focus On The Story, a D.C.-based organization for photographers. The trip leaders are myself and fellow journalist Joe Newman, whom I’ve known for over 30 years.

Our trip will be more of a small-team experience, and very photo-centric. It will include instructional time as well as plenty of time to explore on your own—or with a teammate, if you prefer.

We’ll always be out shooting at the edges of the day when the light is good, and at other times as dictated by the locations we have lined up. During the harsh light of midday, we’ll typically be in instructional mode. We’ll also be editing, comparing notes, evaluating what we can do better and preparing to go out and do it again.

Please note that this is not a lighting seminar. I am traveling very light—an X100F and a similar backup body just in case—and probably won’t even bring a flash. We’ll be more in photojournalist mode than studio mode.

In the evenings we’ll continue the conversation, perhaps over a mojito or a glass of Cuba’s famous dark rum. Nights in Havana are vibrant, with the sound of music filling the city. Its economic hardships may be well-known, but life and culture always find a way.

Finding Your Balance

We are traveling under a people-to-people license, which means you’ll get lots of interaction with locals throughout the week. You’ll also have time to absorb the city; to sit and watch the world go by. Whether along the Malecón or on the Paseo Prado, Cuban life is always on display.

To always be in 100% photo mode is to miss one of the most important parts of the travel experience. Taking the time to observe the city both creates memories and informs your approach as a photographer when you pick the camera back up.

The X-Factor

The “X” in X-Pedition is a nod to Fuji’s X series cameras. Small, light, quiet and unobtrusive, Fuji X series bodies are ideal travel cameras. I took a leap of faith on my first trip to Havana, bringing only a Fuji X100s with its fixed 35mm equivalent lens. In retrospect, it was a great decision. And it has changed the way I approach travel photography ever since.

So if you are also a Fuji shooter, you can expect tips and advice on how to get the most out of your cameras. Or to even borrow a lens if you like.

Do you have to be a Fuji shooter to come along? No, you don’t. (And don’t worry, we promise not to try to convert you.) But we do strongly suggest that you travel very light with respect to photo gear. It’s good travel photo advice in general, but especially in a place like Cuba where the economic disparity is a factor.

The Bigger Picture

Havana is a unique opportunity for photographers. It goes without saying that it is not going to stay unique for very long. The island is already experiencing rapid change.

Our goal with this trip is to help you grow as both travelers and photographers; to gain the skills and confidence to choose future destinations that are off the beaten path.

__________

This trip will sell out. So if you are interested in joining us, don’t sit on the fence too long. You can find full details and information on Focus On The Story’s X-Pedition Cuba page.

Hope to see you there.
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Good, Better, and Best Noise Reduction Techniques

07 Aug

When it comes to noise reduction, you always have two goals. First, obviously, you want to get rid of any digital noise in your picture. But secondly, you want to preserve detail. These often work against each other because increasing noise reduction often leads to a loss of image detail, but if you focus on preserving the detail then you may end up with a noisy picture.

Good, Better, and Best Noise Reduction Techniques

So what can you do about it? Different people have different methods, but for me, there is a good, better, and best way to go about noise reduction. As you might imagine, my good way is simple, the better way involves a little more effort, and my best way requires a lot more effort (and can be rather complicated). In this article, I will walk through my favorite options so that you can decide if one of them is appropriate for your own noise reduction workflow.

“Good” Noise Reduction

Lightroom has very good noise reduction tools. They are powerful and really easy to use. They reduce noise and do a decent job of preserving detail. Further, the noise reduction in Lightroom seems to get a little better with each new iteration. If you want a good noise reduction tool that will take up almost none of your time, simply use Lightroom.

Good, Better, and Best Noise Reduction Techniques

Lightroom noise reduction sliders.

The primary slider is the top one labeled Luminance. I think of that as the amount of noise reduction being adding to your photo. From there, you can fine-tune your noise reduction using the additional sliders below it. Frankly, however, if I am using Lightroom for noise reduction, it is because I want it to be quick and easy, so I usually just use the Luminance slider.

Suggested starting points

You may be wondering about a starting point for the amount of noise reduction to apply. Of course, that is hard to do, and it depends on a lot of things. First of all, it depends on the ISO value you used. It also depends on the low-light performance of your camera. However, I hate the “it depends” answer, so to give you an idea of a starting point taking into account those variables, here is a chart with some suggested values for the Luminance slider.

Suggested starting points for noise reduction settings in Lightroom.

Of course, there are other factors involved as well, which this chart does not take into consideration. For example, dark tones will show noise much more than lighter tones, so you may need to increase the amount where you have darker tones. Just use this chart as a starting point, and don’t take it as a definitive range that you must stay within. Always do whatever the picture requires, even if it is drastically different than what is set forth here.

Read more on noise reduction in Lightroom here: How to do Noise Reduction in Lightroom

Selective Adjustments in Lightroom

The noise reduction settings within Lightroom will apply to your entire picture. We are going to get into selective noise reduction later, but I should mention here that you can also use the Adjustment Brush in Lightroom to selectively add noise reduction.

Select the Adjustment Brush and find the slider labeled Noise. That’s right – you only have one slider for this, so think of it as the equivalent of the Luminance slider you used above. From there, just set your brush size (you can use your left and right bracket keys for this) and paint in the effect where you want it. You’ll see better ways to selectively apply noise reduction in a minute, but if you aren’t too picky about the selection then the Adjustment Brush might be the tool for you.

Noise reduction slider inside Lightroom’s Adjustment Brush.

“Better” Noise Reduction

Normally, when I want to bring out the heavy artillery in any aspect of post processing, I find that I need to head into Photoshop. That is sort of true here, in that we will be heading to Photoshop, but then again not true in that we won’t be using Photoshop’s noise reduction. I find that Photoshop’s noise reduction tools aren’t that great, and Lightroom actually works better (there are plenty of people that disagree with me though, so make up your own mind about that as you use them both).

Instead, I merely use Photoshop to take advantage of third party noise reduction software that works within Photoshop. Yes, you could also use them from Lightroom, but using them within Photoshop will allow you to take advantage of Photoshop’s powerful masking techniques (which you will see in a minute).

Noise reduction plugins

What are these noise reduction applications that are available? Let’s take a look.

Noiseware: First, we have Noiseware by Imaginomic. I mention this first because it is the application I have used for my own noise reduction for the past several years. It works really well, does a great job eliminating noise, is simple to use, and it preserves a lot of detail. There are several presets to choose from and then a few sliders to make adjustments from there.

Nik Define: A free option is Nik Define. It is part of the Google Nik Collection, which is now free. It does a nice job of reducing noise, and if you are looking for a free option this is a good one. The downside is that it appears this software is no longer being updated and its days are numbered.

Noise Ninja: This is part of the Photo Ninja Suite by Picture Code. The entire suite costs $ 129. I personally have not used it, but the reports I have heard from others and the reviews have always been positive. Read: How to Reduce Noise with Photo Ninja for more info.

Topaz Denoise: Topaz makes a series of plug-ins that do a variety of functions really well. Their noise reduction software is called Denoise and it costs $ 79 (or you can get the whole suite of apps for $ 500). I haven’t used this one either, but the reviews have been good and my experience with other Topaz apps has been very good.
Macphun’s Noiseless: Inside Macphun’s Creative Kit you will find the Noiseless plugin (you can also buy it alone). Read this for more info on this option: Macphun Noiseless Pro Software Review

Any of these will do a nice job.

Screenshot of Noiseware interface.

“Best” Noise Reduction

The best way I have found to apply noise reduction is exactly the same as the way you just saw, except that you apply it selectively. The reason is that noise reduction reduces detail in your image. It is often hard for noise reduction software to tell the difference between noise and important detail. That is particularly true in night sky photos, where the many stars can resemble the random flecks that constitute noise.

Basic Masking

To avoid having your noise reduction software reduce detail, you can use Photoshop to mask off the more important areas of the sky. To accomplish that, you just create a layer mask so that the noise reduction only applies to certain parts – which will be white in the mask – of your image.

A simple, but admittedly imprecise, way to do this is with a brush. If you start with a “reveal all” (white) layer mask, you will then use the brush (color set to black), which will keep the noise reduction from reducing detail in the areas you choose. On the other hand, if you start with a “hide all” (black) layer mask, you will paint the entire mask with white except the part where you want to preserve detail. You can get as course or fine as you want (or time allows).

An example of masking off noise reduction in an area where you want to preserve detail in the picture. This applies to the cliffs picture at the top of this article.

How to do you do it? First create a new layer copy (Ctrl/Cmd+J if your picture only has one layer, or Ctrl/Cmd+Shift+Alt+E if you have multiple layers already), then apply your noise reduction as you normally would. After that, just click on the Add Layer Mask icon at the bottom, which will create a white (reveal all) layer mask (or press Alt while doing so to create a black layer mask to hide all). Then just use your Brush (B) to paint with the opposite color as your mask.

You can get as involved as you want with masking. You likely have your own favorite ways already, so go ahead and use them. There is no right or wrong way to mask.

Applying Noise Reduction

So those are my three ways to apply noise reduction. You can add some quick noise reduction in Lightroom, which takes only a second. For slightly more involved but also more powerful noise reduction, add the addition application of your choice. For your most important pictures – or the ones with the biggest problems – add noise reduction and then use masking to limit the effect to the specific areas you want.

These are just my ways though. Do you have your own special methods that are different? If so, let us know about it in the comments below.

If you found this article helpful it is just one of 31 tips you will get if you grab Jim’s new dPS course: 31 Days to Becoming a Better Photographer. Enrollment for this course is only opened for a limited time and closes August 11th (5 more days) so get it now.

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How to Find Your Photographic Zen – Tips to Recharge When You’re Feeling Stuck

07 Aug

Lately, I have been feeling very burned out and unmotivated with my photography. Several months ago I was preparing for a summer away from my business. My days were spent photographing editorials, working on client images and writing photography articles to prepare for a three-month sabbatical. I was working non-stop for several weeks as well as managing other aspects of my life. All that hustle to be prepared seemed to have gotten the best of me. I was feeling completely unmotivated and stuck, almost to a point of being irritated to pick up my camera and take a few shots.

I knew this was a phase, and that I just needed to ride it out. But at the same time, I was trying to understand how to effectively manage this so that my craft and my business wouldn’t suffer too much.

How to Find Your Photographic Zen - Tips to Recharge When You're Feeling Stuck

This was the scenery outside my bedroom window. I was so out of it that I did not even bother cleaning the window of raindrops before I took this shot (smudges seen in the bottom left of the frame) – I took the shot because I had to not because I wanted to!

As I write this article, I have spent the past 10 days living in a mountain village with incredible views of the Nanda Ghunti mountain range of the Himalayans right outside my bedroom window. My days are spent completely cut-off from most of the outside world, having copious amounts of tea, belly laughs with family, and intimate conversations by the fireplace listening to the frogs and beetles chirping all night long. I have probably lost many followers on social media, and I have several hundred unanswered emails. But I have come to the realization that time away from the outside world is just the thing I needed to recharge and get back my mojo!

So if you are like me and feeling a little deflated with your art, here are a few tips to help you overcome that lull and get back into it with renewed passion.

#1 – Permission to take a step back

Let me tell you something – burn out is very real and happens to everyone at some point in their lives, no matter what field of work you are in. For people in the creative arts, burn out tends to happen faster and more often because as a creative, all your senses are heightened and you are aware of everything around you 24/7. For photographers, burn out manifests either as a lack of interest in picking up the camera or disliking everything you create. If this sounds like you, acknowledge it and please give yourself permission to walk away from it all – even if it’s just for a day. If you can afford to take a longer break then do so.

#2 – Capture heartfelt stories and frames

As photographers, we have an incredible opportunity to document life stories – whether it is of people or for landscapes. The wrinkles and toothless smile of an elder speak volumes about his life’s journey. Don’t just take the shot and walk away. Spend a few minutes and listen with both your heart and your head. Then when you do take the shot, it will become so much more meaningful and special – even if it is just for you and your subject.

On the left – A young village girl gave me the sweetest of smiles when I handed her an extra piece of candy that I had purchased for my kids. She pointed to my camera and asked me to take her picture and was giggling with laughter when I showed her the back of the camera! On the right – the local temple priest was going to town and as we were waiting for a ride together he started chatting with us. Everything about him calmed me down and gave me a sense of peace!

These three generation of women were chatting up a storm as I passed them by during a photo walk. When they saw a camera in my hand, they called me back to come take their picture! – I happily obliged and was offered a hot cup of chai in exchange – Before I walked away, I had made a new set of friends!!

#3 – Take a wabi-sabi approach to your images

A wabi-sabi method requires a slower, quieter approach to life. The concept is very similar to Japanese Zen gardens that promote tranquility and calmness. Slow down and quiet your mind. Stop chasing that next award winning frame for just a few minutes and open your eyes to all that is around you. Stop – Look – Feel and then click. This will make each frame more meaningful and help you convey the story better once you yourself understand what is unfolding around you.

The fog was so thick that it covered the whole valley and only the tops of some of the trees were visible – this scene was so soothing and almost like a painting. It was the perfect zen for my troubled mind!

#4 – Rule of Thirds and negative space

Try and step away from rules and conformity. Resist the urge to put everything in the dead center of the frame. Instead embrace negative space, the rule of thirds and/or focus on singular elements in your frame. Not only will you create work that is different from the rest but you’ll also learn to approach life in a very different way – more relaxed and free flowing as opposed to stressful and rigid.

How to Find Your Photographic Zen - Tips to Recharge When You're Feeling Stuck

#5 – Free-range photography

The best thing I can do for myself based on my personality is to practice free-range photography. For me, this means breaking free from my norm (leaving the status-quo and photographing something completely out of character). Not only does this clear your mind of preconceived photography habits and notions but also gives you a fresh perspective in the art of photography.

Do not approach this exercise with the idea of perfecting it and getting award winning shots. Instead, approach it with the idea of doing something different, making mistakes, and yet having fun with it.

I am fascinated with the old doors, windows, and archways found in India. To me, their textures, colors and characteristics speak volumes about their history.

Conclusion

So if you are feeling stuck and burned out in your photography, know that it is absolutely normal and expected. Don’t fight that feeling. Instead, accept it and embrace it with open arms. Once you accept it, you will figure out a way to work around it and create a meaningful body of work because you have given yourself permission to recharge, renew and get reenergized with your craft.

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Flash Shopping Guide – 5 Things to Consider When Buying a Speedlight

07 Aug

Lighting is one of the most challenging aspects of photography and is often the thing which makes or breaks a photograph. There are several problems when you shoot with the built-in flash on your camera. The images appear washed out (overexposed), have red-eye, and many other issues. Using the built-in flash also creates harsh shadows, and gives you a rather flat-looking image.

External flashes, or speedlights, are photographic equipment which can be used to compensate for the pop-up flash. They allow far superior control over the lighting and exposure of an image, even in low-light shooting conditions.

Use a speedlight or flash to create better lighting.

For newbies in the field of photography, and even for people who have been shooting for quite a bit of time, choosing the correct external flash can be a huge challenge. There are countless brands on the market today offering a huge variety of flashes which makes it all even more confusing.

Below are the five essential things that we felt must be considered, before investing your money on an external light source. Read this if you are about to buy a new flash or speedlight for the first time.

Flash Shopping Guide - 5 Things to Consider When Buying a Speedlight

#1 – The Brand

Initially, buying a flash was really simple. If you wanted to buy a speedlight then you had to buy it from your camera manufacturer – usually Nikon or Canon. Today the situation is completely different, and the market is flooded with several other companies that sell speedlights such as; Yongnuo, Godox, Nissin, etc. So you can opt to buy the flashes by your camera manufacturer or purchase one sold by one of the third party companies.

Although the flashes sold by Nikon, Canon, etc., are really expensive compared to the third party options, many photographers believe that they are still a better buy as they have a longer life, are more durable and are more compatible with their DSLRs.

However, even the third party speedlights these days are increasingly giving competition to the big brand names in terms of performance, durability, and more. Another plus is that they are a lot cheaper. A flash by Godox is much easier on the pocket than one by Canon, which is a welcome point for many looking to buy their first flash.

#2 – Flash Life and Longevity

Speedlights are just like any other bulb, as in they too have a limited life before which they “burn out” and stop working. Thus, before purchasing any speedlight, be it of any company or any model, do some research about its longevity, and the amount of time it can be used effectively before it needs to be replaced.

If a flash does not fire properly and at full power, then it would disturb the lighting of an image and give you an unusable photograph as well in many cases.

#3 – Flexibility

Light from a speedlight used off-camera with light modifiers.

Apart from its many drawbacks, another major restriction with the pop-up flashes are that they are completely fixed and not movable at all. They only point in one direction, forward, and cannot be moved along with the camera. Thus, the light being fired cannot be controlled or bounced, as per the photographer’s wish.

This is why it is important to check the flexibility of a flash unit before purchasing it. If the head of the flash you buy cannot be moved, tilted, or angled up-down, left-right, etc., then that defeats the very purpose of using it. A speedlight is used to bounce light around, reflect it off different surfaces, and so on, and if the flash doesn’t have that much control, then using it would virtually be a waste of time.

#4 – Automatic (TTL) or Manual Control

There are two types of flashes or speedlights – TTL and fully manual. TTL simply stands for Through The Lens, which is a type of automatic flash.

Do you need TTL or will a Manual flash suffice for your needs?

A manual flash has to be told and directed by you, as to how much light is to be emitted. Any change in the power of the light emitted by a manually controlled flash has to be done by you according to your requirements. These manual flashes are cheaper because their build is much simpler and more basic than a TTL flash.

A TTL flash, on the other hand, is an automatic speedlight, which interacts and communicates with the camera to determine the optimal amount of light required to illuminate a particular scene properly. An additional advantage of TTL flashes is that they can also be used in full manual mode, if you wish, for greater control.

TTL flashes have proven to be extremely accurate and reliable. Although there is a slight chance that they might not give the expected results. But that is a very minimal risk.

#5 – Flash Recycle Time

This is a point to consider especially by sports and action photographers, who often have to shoot multiple bursts of shots together. The recycle time or recycle rate is simply the time taken between two pops/firings of the flash for it to be ready to fire again. The recycling rates are usually always mentioned by the manufacturers in terms of seconds.

The specs for a speedlight will usually have two different times mentioned (e.g. 0.3-5 seconds). The lower number denotes how soon another flash shot can be taken if the flash produces its lowest light output (lowest power setting) while the higher number indicates the time it will take before taking another flash shot when it has generated its maximum light output (full power).

If you need a flash that recharges and is ready to go quickly, make sure to check the recycle rate before you make your purchase.

The important recycling time to consider is the one at maximum output. Always aim to get a flash that has a shorter maximum light output time. However, even along with keeping this point in mind, remember that you also need to buy a proper battery for your flash to get the recycle rate mentioned by the manufacturer.

Conclusion

So, it all comes down to what you are comfortable with when buying a flash, depending on your usage needs and budget. To begin with, you can go with a basic manual flash and once you start understanding the application of a speedlight you can always upgrade. Nowadays, the third party flashes are almost on par with the brands such as Canon and Nikon, so nothing is stopping you from capturing creative frames irrespective of your budget.

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How to Take Control of Contrast Using Curves and Levels in Photoshop

07 Aug

Have you ever found your photos flat? The colors are muted and it just looks dull? That’s because it lacks contrast. Sometimes regardless of your best exposure skills, the conditions are not suited to get a wide range of tones. Not to worry though, it can be fixed in post-processing. I’ll show you my workflow for how you can take control of contrast in your images using Curves and Levels in Photoshop.

Of course, there are many ways to adjust the contrast on Photoshop, there’s even a tool called Brightness and Contrast, however, it doesn’t give you much control. What I like to do is to manipulate Curves and Levels. In this article, I’ll explain to you why and how I use these tools to boost contrast.

The issue of low contrast

Low contrast can happen for many different reasons; bad weather for example or photographing through glass. In any case, the resulting image doesn’t show a wide range of tones, in other words, there’s not enough difference between the lights and the darks.

I find this problem occurs especially while traveling, because you can’t go back to the location when the weather is better, or because you are seeing things through a pane of glass. For example, the image I will use for this tutorial was taken through the window while traveling on a tour bus.

How to Take Control of Contrast Using Curves and Levels in Photoshop

How do you know it’s low contrast?

I chose an image where the contrast is clearly low so that you can easily see the effects of every step. However, in some cases, it won’t be as obvious, but you can always review the histogram to know the tonal range of your image.

A typically correct exposure should have a histogram that reaches from black (left) to white (right) evenly spread, with the highest values in the middle. Please note that this can change if you are going for a different effect like low key or high key where you purposely choose a specific range to work with, so I am just talking about the average image here.

As you can see, in this case, all the information is concentrated in the middle tones, but it doesn’t reach the black or the white side (see histogram below). This is why the image has no contrast.

How to Take Control of Contrast Using Curves and Levels in Photoshop

Using Curves

First, we are going to manipulate the Curves tool. Remember to do it on an adjustment layer and not directly on your original (this is non-destructive editing), that way you won’t loose any information and you can always go back and start again if you don’t like the results. To do this go to the menu then: Layers > New Adjustment Layer > Curves and a new window will pop up.

Curves

You can also get to Curves on the Adjustment panel.

Curves adjustment

Inside that, you’ll find a graph with the histogram on it. The line that crosses the graph controls the contrast; the steeper it is, the greater the contrast.

Curves- How to Take Control of Contrast Using Curves and Levels in Photoshop

You can fix anchor points along the line that you can move up or down to adjust the contrast of the image. Add as many anchor points as you need. The higher right quadrant controls the highlights and on the lower left one, you have the dark tones.

Curves Anchors - How to Take Control of Contrast Using Curves and Levels in Photoshop

If you want to increase contrast, as we do in this case, add one anchor point in the lower left quadrant and slowly pull it down. Watch how it affects the dark areas of the image. Move it until you’re happy with the result. Then add another anchor point in the upper right quadrant and pull it up slowly until the highlights are bright enough for your preference. By making the straight line into more of an s-curve you will add contrast to the image.

Note: if you have an image with too much contrast the opposite can work. Pull down the highlights, and push up the dark areas on the curve to get an inverted s-curve.

After fixing the curves for the overall image, this tool allows you to fine-tune by channel. The step we did before was working on RGB, however, if you click on the drop down menu you can choose each channel to work with separately.

In this case, let’s start with the Blue channel. If you pull up an anchor point from the highlights (the upper right quadrant) you are making the sky, which is the lighter part of the picture bluer. In the left lower quadrant (the shadows) pulling the anchor a little bit down allows you to remove some of the color cast.

Next is green channel so that you can get a wider tonal range out of the forest and nature of the scene. The adjustments are very subtitle because when you are working in such detail the tools become very sensitive. Move around the graph until you are happy with the result.

Remember different light sources have different colors; a sunset has warmer colors than at noon, artificial light can be more yellow than natural light, etc. Apart from correcting any color bias, it works to add some special effects and get creative. In the next example, you can see what happens when the graph gets completely inverted in the red channel. You can also achieve this by playing with the different presets, in this case, color negative.

Using Levels

Next, you want to manipulate the Levels, also using an adjustment layer. You can do this by going to the menu > Layers > New Adjustment Layer > Levels (or you can find it on the Adjustments panel just to the left of Curves). Again a new window will appear with a different graph, this represents the darkest parts of the picture (0) to the lightest parts (255).

Levels - How to Take Control of Contrast Using Curves and Levels in Photoshop

You can manipulate contrast by dragging the sliders underneath the graph, however, you will have much more control if you use the eyedroppers. This is how to work with them:

First, choose the white eyedropper (bottom one next to the graph) and click on the lightest part of the image that still has information or detail. You’ll notice how your entire image becomes lighter and brighter. Don’t worry about getting it right on the first try, you can click around on the image until you are satisfied with how it looks.

Levels white eyedropper

Levels White - How to Take Control of Contrast Using Curves and Levels in Photoshop

Then pick the black eyedropper and click on the darkest part of the image with detail. Same as the white one, try it until you get it right. You can always do some final adjustments with the sliders as well.

Levels Black - How to Take Control of Contrast Using Curves and Levels in Photoshop

Finally use the gray (mid-tones) eyedropper to set the ambiance or mood of the scene, as it will change depending on where you click. Here some examples:

In Levels, you can also do the selective adjustments by channel if you need.

Before and after

And there you go, when you are satisfied with your results, flatten the image by going to the menu Layers – Flatten Image. See how the histogram has a much wider range now, and the final image has more impact.

How to Take Control of Contrast Using Curves and Levels in Photoshop

Before image.

Before - How to Take Control of Contrast Using Curves and Levels in Photoshop

Before adjustments for reference.

Histogram After - How to Take Control of Contrast Using Curves and Levels in Photoshop

Histogram after Curves and Levels adjustments.

after - How to Take Control of Contrast Using Curves and Levels in Photoshop

After image.

Handling reflections – example

Remember that when you are photographing through glass there might be reflections, and when you boost the contrast these reflections will be much more noticeable. So think about that before shooting, when you are composing your image.

In order to demonstrate this for you, I made a photo while enjoying a panoramic view from a skyscraper in Milan. It was a 360 degrees glass wall, so I was bound to have a reflection. In order to use it to my advantage, I decided to place my foot strategically so that its reflection would be in between two buildings and entitled the photo “Stepping into Milan”.

Skyscraper Before - How to Take Control of Contrast Using Curves and Levels in Photoshop

Before processing.

Skyscraper After - How to Take Control of Contrast Using Curves and Levels in Photoshop

After processing, notice my foot in the lower left corner?

Dull weather – example

As I mentioned before, it’s not only shooting through glass that can give you low contrast scenes. Here I have another example that had to do with the weather. It was a very cloudy day so there were no shadows, everything looked kind of gray and the light was very flat. This too can be fixed with Curves and Levels following the previous steps.

Canal Before - How to Take Control of Contrast Using Curves and Levels in Photoshop

Canal After - How to Take Control of Contrast Using Curves and Levels in Photoshop

Conclusion

Now you know that a low contrast photo doesn’t mean you’ll end up with a flat or dull image, so shoot away! I hope you found this helpful and if you have any doubts or tips about contrast, please share them with us in the comments section below.

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