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How Including People or Manmade Objects in Your Landscapes Can Add a Sense of Scale

25 May

My natural instinct as a landscape photographer has always been to keep people and manmade objects out of my images. I want to create images of nature that are pure and free (or at least appear to be free) of human interference. That said, over the past few years, I have started to backtrack on this a bit, especially when the camera fails to show the true scale of a landscape. In this article, I’ll share a small collection of images from my portfolio that include situations where allowing people or objects into the scene made the image a success.

Add a manmade object to show size

Na Pali Coast Sunset Sony A7RII and Sony 16-35 f/4 | ISO 500, f/4.5, 1/800th.

Here is (quite possibly) the most beautiful and rugged stretch of coastline on Earth, the Na Pali Coast of Kauai. I’ve photographed it from land, sea and air and still there is just no way to truly capture how incredible it is in person. On my most recent trip to the Garden Isle, I took my workshop group on a sunset cruise up to photograph whales and the Na Pali Coast.

As we were taking in the incredible scenery, I noticed one of the many helicopters that tour the coastline cutting through the scene. Using my Sony FE 16-35 f/4 lens, I framed a shot with the helicopter (flying right to left) on the right side of the frame (it’s the tiny little white spot) with plenty of space on the left side to see where it was headed. Take away the helicopter and it’s still an incredible scene, but without the helicopter, there’s just no way to accurately communicate how massive these cliffs are.

Use tourists to show scale

Balanced Rock Sunset Sony A7 and Canon 16-35 f/2.8 | ISO 100, f/11, 1/20th.

One of the easiest to reach landmarks in Arches National Park (located in Moab, Utah) is Balanced Rock. You just drive to the parking lot, and you’re pretty much there. But to get the sunset in the background, you’ll need to walk to the other side.

As our group was getting into position for what was turning out to be a beautiful sunset, a tourist climbed right up onto the rocks and started taking selfies. Ugh. Well, instead of getting upset, I decided to make lemonade out of the lemons and yelled over to him, asking if he’d mind throwing his hands up in the air. We were able to get a shot showing just how huge this sandstone rock formation really is, and the pose of the tourist turned out quite nice.

Go with the flow

Grand Canyon Lookout Sony A7RII and Sony 16-35 f/4 | ISO 100, f/7.1, 1/10th.

Like the previous image, sometimes you just have to go with the flow. As Bruce Lee so famously said, “Be water, my friend.”

As the sun set over Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona, I was in position to walk away with some really nice shots of the pink glow over the canyon. And just like in Moab, I saw a tourist walk right into the frame as I was about to press the shutter. This time though, he was much closer to the camera and as luck would have it, he was dressed in a cowboy hat, boots, and a leather backpack. Perfect! I never said a single word to this guy, he just stood there looking out over the canyon holding onto the tip of his cowboy hat. I assume he posing for someone else, but I was plenty happy to steal a few frames for myself.

Add yourself into the shot

Delicate Arch Beneath the Milky Way Sony A7S and Sony 16-35 f/4 | ISO 4000, f/4, 30 seconds.

You can’t always have people walk into your frame at the perfect time, wearing clothing that perfectly matches the location you’re photographing. Sometimes you have to take matters into your own hands, as I did here at Delicate Arch in Arches National Park.

My workshop group and co-instructor Mike were down inside the “bowl” beneath the arch and I stayed up top to light paint the arch for them during their 30-second exposures. We had walkie-talkies and Mike would give me a countdown to begin painting the arch in different ways. Since I couldn’t really concentrate on getting any of my own shots, I set my Sony A7S on a tripod, put it in time-lapse mode and just hoped to come out with one or two shots at the end of the night.

In the image above, that light shining under the arch is yours truly. I was standing beneath it, wearing a headlamp, so the students could get a silhouette of me looking up at the arch. After the shot, I looked over toward my camera (not on purpose though) and the direct light caused a starburst effect. This turned out to be my favorite image I’ve taken at this location by far. Not bad for the “set it and forget it” method!

Conclusion

Sometimes there just isn’t a good way to transfer a three-dimensional landscape to a two-dimensional photograph. Things always get lost in translation to some extent. At the end of the day, we are part of nature and if including a human or manmade object into an image help give the viewer a more accurate sense of scale, I say go for it.

The post How Including People or Manmade Objects in Your Landscapes Can Add a Sense of Scale by James Brandon appeared first on Digital Photography School.

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Underwater Photography: Tips And Equipment

25 May

There is a lot of intrigue and mystery about underwater photography, but there is also also a lot of information out there about it. Mostly what you will find when doing your research is information about wildlife photography, but it is still very useful when dealing with Fashion or Beauty Advertising Underwater photography. I believe what is important is knowing Continue Reading

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How to Design a Wedding Album Simply and Painlessly

25 May

I’ve been photographing weddings for about nine years now, and I’ve found this to be the most effective and efficient way of designing and delivering a client’s dream wedding album. The method that I am going to describe keeps you in control of the process and still gives the client what they want and need. You might be surprised to know that it only takes me about 30 minutes to design an album from beginning to end.

In fact, just to test, I created an album right now for this article to see exactly how long it might take. I had 150 images to choose from; I used 118 images, created 31 spreads, and it took me 26 minutes. Let’s talk about how to achieve this, and how to work with your clients so you don’t find yourself dealing with wedding album orders months or years after the wedding.

How to Design a Wedding Album Simply and Painlessly

One spread of images created in Pixellu SmartAlbums2.

1. Who is in Control of the Process?

If a client has indicated at some point in the process that they want a wedding album, then the very first draft of the wedding album is 100% created by me. That includes the selection of images, design, the number of spreads created, etc. I have one friend, Tim Halberg, who creates a preview wedding album on the night of the wedding and has it ready for the clients the next day. He chooses the images and design all on his own.

To a bride or groom, every photo is important to them. So telling them to choose their favorite photos for the album is a recipe for disaster. I don’t consult with my couples about which images I am going to use, how many images to use, or the number of page spreads they might want. How would a person ever know how many spreads he/she wants? 10? 100? It’s an abstract idea to anyone who has never made a wedding album before.

In the same way, you probably don’t give your client all the raw files from their wedding day and let them choose the photos they want you to edit. The same philosophy applies to album design.

The opening image for my sample album.

The first time I made the mistake of giving my clients the option to pick their own images, they came back to me with about 300+ photos, many of which were almost duplicates of each other. I ended up just choosing the best images of those 300, which is what I should have done from the beginning. I also would have saved myself a month or so of waiting for the client to come up with their selections and saved them the hassle and stress of narrowing it down.

My Process

An average wedding album should have around 80 images that will fill about 20-30 spreads. Some album companies don’t even support albums beyond 30 spreads.

Essentially, I do this:

Create a first draft of the album.
Tell the clients they get two rounds of edits where they can add, subtract or replace any photos.
Create a second draft of the album based on the first round of suggestions.
Let the client see their changes and decide on any final edits.
Make final edits to the album, and begin the ordering process.

After a wedding, I tell my clients I will have a rough draft of the wedding album for them within a week or two. This puts me in control of the situation from the first moment.

Now, let’s talk about how to create a wedding album in a quick and painless way.

Some spreads have open space between the images. These are some of the getting ready images on one double-page spread.

2. Before You Begin

You’ll need three things to create your wedding album.

Good software.
A highlights gallery of about 100 images from the wedding.
A family gallery of images (just the formal family photos).

There are three software companies that I am aware of that most of my professional wedding photographer friends use to create their wedding albums:

Pixellu SmartAlbums 2 (this is the one I use)
Fundy Designer
KISS

You can research online to see what might suit your needs best for software. You’ll have to pay to play the wedding album game, but you should earn back your investment in good software from your very first album sale. Don’t be cheap! Pixellu SmartAlbums costs about $ 300 and it was the best software purchase I have made (besides Lightroom) for my wedding business.

If you had read my article on How to Edit and Deliver Wedding Photographs in One Day you would know my philosophy on creating a highlights gallery. Everyone should have one. Your highlights gallery will also be the foundation of your wedding album. The top 100 photos from the wedding will tell the best story of the day, and that is exactly what a wedding album is supposed to do.

Export all of your images in Lightroom with these settings:

Lightroom export settings.

This will guarantee that every image will print properly on any spread of a 10×10 inch or 12×12 inch album. I personally like creating square albums (8×8 inches, 10×10 inches, 12×12 inches).

3. Designing the Album

When designing your album, go with your gut, and keep it simple. With my software, I can select a number of images, throw them into a spread and then quickly scroll through a number of arrangement options by simply pressing the up/down arrow on my keyboard. Here are some examples that show up when I use the same three images from the ceremony:

Six random sample page designs that my album software created for me in under a minute.

It’s really fun to scroll through the designs that the software creates for you. Simply press the up or down arrow to scroll through them. I like full bleed spreads so I chose the second option on the left. You can also grab any image and drag it to another position to swap the two images. You can see in the examples above that the software will also sometimes do square designs even if your image is horizontal or vertical. Sometimes it works perfectly and other times it doesn’t.

Things to keep in mind when designing your wedding album:

Keep a good visual balance and flow for each spread and throughout the album as a whole. Notice in the example above that I have two black and white images and two color images. In some spreads, I will do all color, or all black and white. Also, if I have a few spreads in a row with a multiple of four or more images, I like to break it up with one strong double-page-spread single image, like this:

Try and create a balance of pages with many pictures and some with only a few pictures in your spreads.

Side note: I didn’t export my images at 20 inches long for this sample album so you are seeing that exclamation warning in the bottom-right corner of the image because the software knows that the image is not large enough to print at the designated 12×12 inch size. If you see this warning on your images, check the sizes carefully.

This part of the design process should only take about 20-30 minutes once you get the hang of your software. All the photos are imported into your album project and usually sorted by time, so you can start grabbing photos from each scene and putting them into your book.

Don’t feel like you need to use every single image. Sometimes cutting something out makes the whole spread work better. In fact, like most things in life, less is almost always better. After you have finished your album design you should have the option to export and upload your album to the cloud for review.

4. Feedback and Edits

One spread of images made in Pixellu SmartAlbums 2

These are the exact words I have used to explain to my clients about how the process will go when creating a wedding album:

Okay, I have sent out draft number one! You should have an email with a link to be able to view the album and leave comments. If you haven’t seen that in your inbox please check your spam folder. Or, hey, I’ll just give you the link right now:

View draft #1 of your wedding album layout here

I do two rounds of edits, so if you see anything you want to replace, add, or delete from there let me know! I’ll make your first round of suggestions and then show you the updated version of the album online, and you can have one more go at it before I hit purchase.”

Guiding your clients in this way gives them some options, but not too many. You are dictating the terms of the album making process and they get to participate in a healthy and helpful way. This is also an effecting parenting technique with a small child. Saying things like, “You can sleep with stuffed animal A or stuffed animal B when you go to bed right now” is nice because it embeds the idea that they are already going to bed (no question about it), but they have some power and free will in the matter (what animal they are going to sleep next to). This psychology can be used everywhere, including in a classroom, in your business, etc.

Getting feedback and doing the edits

With my software (and I’m assuming the others out there) your client can view the album and submit comments online for each individual spread. Each photo will have a number attached to it, so your client can easily say something like, “Love spread number 9! But let’s get rid of photo number 1 and replace it with one more of the two of us.”

What your client sees after you’ve uploaded your album to the cloud.

Once your client has written comments on each spread, they can submit that and you will receive an email that will take you to the album and their comments. At this point, the changes should be pretty straightforward. You will add, subtract, or swap out any images necessary.

Then you can upload the next draft and let your client see the changes that they made. I would include language like this:

“Okay, I’ve made all the edits you requested. I think the album looks awesome! If there are any last changes you think should happen let me know, otherwise I’ll submit an order for the album tonight and you’ll have it in your hands by next week.”

Notice how my language is encouraging them to approve and finish the project. This makes the next round of changes feel like they should be made only if necessary, not like the first round.

I don’t always have a lot of family photos in the highlights gallery, so I make sure to add family photos into the mix when creating the album. This is very important for your couples!

5. Ordering the album

The next step is to order the album. This is a very different process than the album design. There are many many companies out there that can do this. All of them have different benefits and drawbacks. I happen to use Miller’s Lab. They deliver albums extremely fast (within a week) and have great customer service.

You need to use a special uploading software (usually free) to order your album. You can’t just order from the design software (unless you are building an album with KISS). For Miller’s Lab, there is a supplemental program to use called Miller’s Designer Plus. You tell it what project you want to create (12×12 inch leather bound album or book), drag all the exported photos into the program, and fill in each page.

The final spreads are shown on the left. You need to create a new “fullpage” spread and drag each photo onto it to purchase your album

After you have manually input each spread you can order your album. At this point, you will have to communicate with your client about what color leather they want on the album, and any other options they can choose. Again, keep the options limited. I usually offer black, tan, gray, or white, even though there are many other options available like blue, red, etc.

Once they respond with a color and their address, your job is done! Order the album and have it delivered straight to their doorstep with some boutique packaging ($ 6 extra with Miller’s). If you want to deliver it yourself and make it pretty with some personalized packaging, then ship it to your own address.

Sample albums for display

The last thing to note is that you can also order discounted sample albums (check with your supplier) for yourself and your studio if you want to show potential clients how their album could look. I would highly recommend creating your first album for yourself and your studio so you can feel what this process is like from beginning to end. The sample albums are exactly the same as a normal album you would sell to a client, but they have a big stamp or sticker on the back page that says “Sample Album.” (Note: may vary from supplier to supplier).

The final spread

Summary – everyone wins

So let’s get back to how this method will help you avoid dealing with wedding album orders much later. By following these steps and controlling the process you will not only help your clients to be less stressed and get their albums faster, but you will be less stressed as well.

In order to have a smooth and happy album designing process it’s important to guide expectations from the very beginning of your conversation/process. It’s important that you take control of the conversation and let your clients know how the design process will go, according to what works best for you. You limit options but you still GIVE options. You make it easier for them to make decisions about the album and you can do this all from the comfort of your home using just your computer and the internet.

Everyone wins in this process – the couple get their album super fast, they don’t have to spend hours pouring over their photos, and you don’t get 20 wedding album orders right before Christmas every year.

That’s it! Happy designing

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Overview of the New Canon 5D Mark IV

24 May

Canon’s 5D Mark line has embedded itself deeply in the heart of photographers. Although the price generally keeps this camera in the hands of professionals, hobbyists have equally drooled over its capabilities and power. It comes as no surprise that the newest edition to the line, the Canon 5D Mark IV, sparked a lot of excitement and interest. But does this model really live up to the expectations it has set itself?

Subject: Rusty the Golden Retriever

As a Canon camera enthusiast myself, having gone through many different cameras in my career (and currently working with four), I have been pleasantly impressed by the new model. Each camera has its high points and its low points, but the Canon 5D Mark IV lends itself to being an excellent piece of machinery with more pros than cons. In comparison to its predecessor the 5D Mark III, beloved features have been better optimized and improved while adding new capabilities that were previously missing.

Review of the Canon 5D Mark IV

Physical Specs of the Canon 5D Mark IV

In terms of the camera’s physicality, the Canon 5D Mark IV weighs at 28.2 ounces, versus its predecessor which weighed 30.4 ounces. Although this doesn’t sound like a significant difference, your arms will thank you for the lighter weight of the Mark IV after several hours of shooting. Lighter equipment weight is an aspect that many photographers consistently request from their beloved camera companies, as heavy gear often leads to various body aches.

The body feels sturdy and comfortable. The fact that Canon found a way to decrease the weight of their newest 5D camera shows that the brand was certainly listening. Alongside this, the camera’s weather sealing shows quite an improvement over the previous models. I have taken the camera out to the snow, beach, heat, and rain with no trouble.

Otherwise, The 5D Mark IV feels almost indistinguishable to the 5D Mark III. They have virtually the same ergonomics, buttons, and menu layout. The camera continues to have the dual card slots, much like the Mark III; one slot for a compact flash card and one slot for an SD card. The settings allow you to write on either both simultaneously or switch over to the secondary card once the main card is full.

Review of the Canon 5D Mark IV

New feature – touch screen

Possibly the most noticeable new feature is the inclusion of a touch screen, the first of any of the 5D models. The touchscreen has been present in several of Canon’s other models, and this was highly requested as an addition to the new 5D lineup. In Live View Mode, the touchscreen allows you to tangibly tap the screen to adjust the focus or the exposure settings. This is a significant benefit to video shooters, as tapping the screen allows you to silently make your adjustments without adding noise to your rolling video.

The touchscreen is also customizable, similar to the live view features of the 1Dx Mark II. It can be programmed so that the touch of the LCD screen actually takes the picture. The rear LCD on the 5D Mark IV is an improved 1.62 million-dot 3.2-inch screen, unlike the 5D MK III’s 1.04 million-dot LCD. Although Canon did not include a swivel LCD screen as wanted by many shooters, the touchscreen is a welcome addition.

Review of the Canon 5D Mark IV

Megapixels – big increase

Although both are full-frame cameras, the Canon 5D Mark IV sports a whopping 30.4 megapixels versus the 5D Mark III’s mere 22.3 megapixels. 30.4 MP offer a solid 17% linear resolution increase. In addition, the new camera features Canon’s DIGIC 6+ image processor. Pair the processor with the increase in megapixels, and the 5D Mark IV officially has a better dynamic range (an aspect of the Mark III that often gets criticized).

ISO range – not much change

The Canon 5D Mark IV at ISO 25,600 shutter speed 1/500th.

The Canon 5D Mark III at ISO 25,600 shutter speed 1/500th.

The ISO range for the 5D Mark IV is ISO 100 – 32,000, versus the Mark III’s 100 – 25,600. However, both models offer the same expanded ISO range of 50 to 102,400. The high ISO and low light performance continue to be quite excellent, as is to be expected from a full-frame Canon DSLR. However, there is no real significant difference in higher ISO performance from the Mark III to the Mark IV.

Canon does have significantly better low light cameras in its highest end models (such as the ID X series), but the 5D holds its own very well for the price point. A big change in the ISO aspect of the camera, however, is the move to on-sensor analog-to-digital circuitry (ADC) that results in noteworthy improvement in base ISO dynamic range. Canon DSLRs prior to the 1D X Mark II and 80D were very well known for poor shadow recovery. This is not an issue in the Mark IV.

Subject: Kiss the Border Collie

Frames per second burst rate

The Canon 5D Mark IV has a 7 FPS burst rate, about one frame per second faster than the 5D Mark III. Not a huge difference in hindsight, but where the 5D Mark IV really excels is the buffer performance. Continuous JPEG shooting is essentially unlimited; the camera will shoot until the memory card is full, whereas the 5D Mark III’s buffer filled after about 63 JPEG images. Still an impressive feat, but the unlimited is certainly better.

21 RAW frames can be captured before the buffer fills and the camera comes to a halt, which is fantastic considering that each RAW frame is from a 30.4 MP sensor. Wildlife photographers will really enjoy the 7 FPS burst rate and increased buffer performance.

Subject: Valkyrium

New Dual Pixel Raw Mode

On the topic of RAW, the Canon 5D Mark IV includes a very powerful new Dual Pixel Raw mode, which advances upon the Dual Pixel CMOS AF technology. This makes use of the split-pixel design to capture two images at once. The outcome allows you to be able to make subtle adjustments and changes to focus/sharpness, bokeh, and ghosting. The downside is that the file sizes of Dual Pixel Raw images are nearly twice as large, and the burst rate and buffer capacity are reduced while in Dual Pixel Raw mode.

Canon 5D Mark IV with Canon 70-200mm F/2.8 L IS USM II

Autofocus

The autofocus in this model is downright incredible. While the 5D Mark IV offers the same 61 AF points as in the 5D Mark III, the new model uses an upgraded AF system. Now all 61 points can focus down to f/8 and they can cover much more of the frame. The 5D Mark III only offered f/8 autofocusing at the center point. These changes are very similar to features inside the EOS-1D X Mark II, Canon’s high-end model. Photographers that use super-telephoto lenses and teleconverters are sure to appreciate this improvement.

21 of these points also remain cross type for extra sensitivity. Unfortunately, there is no way to link spot metering to a chosen AF point. One of the big changes to autofocus on the 5D Mark IV is the use of the infamous Dual Pixel CMOS AF, frequently touted by Canon. Equally, the model has inherited the AI Servo AF III with EOS iTR AF from EOS 7D Mark II and EOS-1D X Mark II. This AF feature truly shines when using the camera to photograph sports or action.

The AF system’s detection range has also been broadened, from -2 EV on the EOS 5D Mark III to -3 EV, and this drops down even further to -4 EV when using Live View. As well as this, there’s also now an AF Area Selection button on the back plate.

WiFi!!

Review of the Canon 5D Mark IV

Another brand new feature to the Canon 5D line is the presence of WiFi capabilities and NFC technology. This new aspect of the model allows the camera to be controlled remotely from a smartphone or tablet and have images transferred wirelessly to a multitude of other devices. The camera utilizes the same Canon Camera Connect app as other WiFi models, which is available for both iOS and Android platforms. This feature was also widely requested from Canon users and allows photographers to bypass the need to purchase wireless triggers for their camera.

Self-portrait photographers rejoice! GPS/Geo Tagging continues to be included in this upgrade to the Mark III.

Subject: Jessica Bari

Video features – pros and cons

Arguably the most marketed aspect of the Canon 5D Mark IV is the ability to film in 4K. This model is one of the first DSLRs to allow you to shoot in 4K and showcases Canon’s interest in shifting high-quality videography to DSLRs. The benefit to shooting footage with these smaller cameras is maneuverability, portability, and other such size benefits. The videography portion of the camera does sport very accurate autofocus, the touch screen allows you to switch focus points and exposure levels silently, and it is all-around a smooth piece of filming equipment. Due to its on-sensor

Due to its on-sensor phase-detect system, Live View AF on the Mark IV is super-quick, smooth and precise. By comparison, the 5D Mark III offered only contrast-detect AF with Live View, which was slower and had a tendency to hunt, making for distracting wobbling as focus adjusted.

Much like Canon’s other 4K models, the EOS 5D Mark IV allows you to extract JPEG frames from the 4K footage. The images have a resolution of 8.8MP, as opposed to the lower 8-8.3MP resolution of images extracted from cameras recording the slightly lower resolution UHD 4K footage.

That being said, being one of the most marketed features also opens the doorway to major scrutiny. Videographers have mentioned the 4K video being limited to Motion JPEG, the 4K/30p video requiring the use of a CF card, the 1.64x crop factor in 4K video limiting FOV, the HDMI-out limited to 1080 video, and the lack of log gamma, focus peaking, or zebras for video as all major cons to this feature.

Canon 5D Mark IV with Canon 16-35mm F/2.8L USM II

Special features

As far as built-ins go, the 5D Mark IV has a movie time-lapse mode, an intervalometer, HDR and multiple exposure capabilities, mirror vibration control, and a “Fine Detail” picture style. The camera also has an anti-flicker feature that was originally introduced in the 7D Mark II and 1D X Mark II, in which the camera can be set to adjust the moment of exposure to compensate for flickering electric lighting.

Subject: Desiree Perkins

Summary

In conclusion, the Canon 5D Mark IV keeps itself familiar and sentimental, while improving upon features that attracted photographers to the 5D line in the first place. Although not every desired feature was implemented in this model, Canon certainly showed that the company listened to its customers and took their feedback into strong consideration. The product that resulted is a well-rounded, functional, and incredible piece of equipment. On the value-for-dollar front, the 5D Mark IV is absolutely worth its price tag.

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Round and Round – 19 Images of Circular Things

23 May

The earth is round and travels in an elliptical orbit around the sun which is also round. There are many natural objects that take on a round or circular shape. Let’s see how these 21 photographers captured a few of them.

By Travis Wise

By Bradford Evans

By Colin

By mazaletel

By Brian Ralphs

By Jessica C

By Susanne Nilsson

By Wolfgang Staudt

By Ruth Hartnup

By Richard Walker

By Gorgeous Eyes

By Christian Yves Ocampo

By Phil Romans

By Jonas Tana

By Guglielmo D’Arezzo

By Frank Behrens

By Sean O’Neill

By Pat O’Malley

By Nick Harris

The post Round and Round – 19 Images of Circular Things by Darlene Hildebrandt appeared first on Digital Photography School.

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Weekly Photography Challenge – Round

22 May

To get a head start on this week’s challenge, first head over to see these 19 images of round subjects. Then come right back!

Weekly Photography Challenge – Round

By FraserElliot

As you set out to photograph round things this week, keep in mind you don’t need to show the full circumference of it, as in the photo above of the lime slices. The viewer can still get the idea that the object is round even if it is only partially shown.

Look all around you (no pun intended) and see what types of things are in fact round or circular. How can you photograph them to look interesting? Think about lens selection, lighting, composition, and processing.

By Manfred Huszar

By murray l

By RHiNO NEAL

By Olli Henze

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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How to do Post-Processing of Focus Stacked Images

22 May

Let me take you on a short walk through Lightroom and Photoshop. There are relatively few steps required to process focus stacked images. In a previous article (How to Photograph the Images Needed For Focus Stacking), I went through what I think you will find is the best and easiest way to take the required photographs.

My Melbourne tea cup

This image is acceptably in focus from the front to the back. You can only achieve this sort of large depth of field by taking, and computationally combining, several photographs. You can work through the image, taking photographs which are focused on different points, then combine those photographs with software. Photoshop does the job well, but there are also other specialized programs for doing focus stacked images. Zerene Stacker and Helicon Focus are the ones which seem to be mentioned most often.

I hoped that the tea cup made a bright, attractive image, and gave a clear illustration. However, it is hardly a great photograph, is it? Being a little more aspirational, I have mostly used this technique to produce images of palm leaves. It would really be great if you could find your own project, your personal muse to apply this technique.

Palm leaf

I confess that I am not always the most patient person when it comes to processing. Every now and then, I have spent hours on one image, but I generally like to get things done quickly. However, with focus stacked images, working in Lightroom, then Photoshop, I actually rather enjoy the process. I think part of the reason for that is that I am happy with the final product, but it is also quite a pleasant, simple routine, which can be almost relaxing.

Stage One – Lightroom

One of the joys of photography, and computers too is that there is often more than one way of doing things. This is my approach, it is probably not the only approach, but it works well.

Firstly, I import the RAW files into Lightroom.

Import to Lightroom

The images to be focus stacked

The images below have not been processed, just converted to jpegs. I thought you should have some idea what I started with, and that it might be helpful for you to see where each individual shot was focused.

Image #1

The next shot was focused on the other side of the frame, on the left. In the actual situation of taking the photographs, it was easy to see which part of the leaf was furthest from the camera, and which was just a little closer.

Image #2

This is moving forward, with focus along the left edge of the leaf.

Image #3

If you are photographing a subject which has a distinct edge, like this leaf, something running from the back to the front of the object, it can be very useful. It makes focusing easier, and it gives you something which you can work along in equal increments.

Image #4

For the next shot, I moved to the other side of the leaf.

You may notice that I like to be extra careful to make sure that the front part of the photograph, where the viewer’s eye will go first, is extra sharp.

Image #5

Three shots cover the front section at slightly different depths.

Image #6

Lightroom adjustments

For these shots, I knew what my goal is for the final image. To that end, I did a modest amount of processing, using only the Basic panel in Lightroom. I certainly would not do anything like lens corrections, or transformations, or local adjustments – nothing beyond the basics, only global adjustments. The real work is going to be done by Photoshop, and we should give it the best possible chance to do its job.

It might be leaves, your favorite possessions, or even be a landscape (I would love to try and make a focus stacked portrait, a tight portrait with focus from front to back) the point is that your project will require your own individual processing. This is what I did for the highly-textured leaves.

Lightroom settings

This processing revealed a few details and gave the images a little more bite or edge. That seemed to work well, and move towards what I had in mind for the final image. I then synchronized all settings in Lightroom.

So far so good?

With all the images selected, in this case just six, press G and then CTRL/CMD + A. You can then move to the second stage, by going to Photo > Edit in > Open as layers in Photoshop.

Select Photo > Edit In > Open as Layers in Photoshop

Stage Two – Photoshop

You may well have Photoshop set up in your own individual way. This is what you should see in the Layers panel once your images are opened.

focus stacked image

The first step in Photoshop is to select all the layers. My habit is to do this by clicking on the top layer, holding down shift and clicking on the bottom layer.

All layers, all six images, selected.

Another confession? There is a part of me which would like to make this sound much more difficult, at least a little bit cleverer. There would then be more chance of you being impressed. However, the next two steps are too easy.

Align the images

Because the point of focus has moved through the image, the size of the object in the frame will have shifted slightly. But, Photoshop can handle this for you.

Edit > Auto-Align Layers has always worked perfectly for me.

You could choose to go to great lengths to resize the images by hand, making the actual object the same size in each image, being careful to align parts of the subject in each of the photographs. I have never found it necessary, and any extra steps to achieve alignment, would probably be best covered by a video. For the moment, I am happy that Photoshop has never let me down using Auto-Align Layers.

The auto-align layers dialog box

Under the Projection area, I have found that Auto works perfectly well.

For the Lens Correction section, I have found it best to uncheck Vignette Removal and Geometric Distortion (as shown above). Those choices gave me a couple of strange results and did not provide any discernible benefit. I like to think that the secret for this smooth progress is having taken good images in the first place. Push OK, and Photoshop does its thing and does it very well.

Of course, you are welcome to try whatever settings you like. In fact, I would very much encourage you to experiment, have a play! However, the old KIS acronym, of Keeping It Simple, seems to work well enough.

Blend the layers

Next, go to Edit > Auto-Blend Layers. I do wish I could make this sound more difficult.

Auto-Blend Layers…

As I am sure you will realize, you should choose the Stack Images option in the Auto-Blend Layer dialog box that pops up. With the images I have been feeding to Photoshop, I have chosen to put a check mark next to Seamless Tones and Colors.

But, if that does not produce a result you are happy with, it costs you very little time to experiment. This is what has worked well for me. The images which you have loaded into Photoshop may have been created in different circumstances to mine, and your desired final image may be very different too. The important thing is that the main steps will be the same.

Auto-Blend Layers dialog box.

Below, you can see the layer masks which Photoshop has created. On a layer mask white reveals, so the white areas are where Photoshop has determined that the focus is good. The white areas are the parts that are allowed to come through and contribute to the final image. In this example, looking at the masking of the layers, you can see the focus stepping forward.

I think the masks are quite interesting, pretty even.

Merge layers

Finally, right click on any layer and choose either of the Merge commands.

Merge the layers.

What you see now, in your main Photoshop window, is your single, focus stacked image.

Final focus stacked image result!

You might see the marching ants indicating a selection by Photoshop of part of the image. My advice is simple. It seems random in its placement, I have never found it helpful, so just ignore it.

When closing the image in Photoshop, simply click save, and you will find a file added to your Lightroom library. In this example, where there were six files to start with, there are now seven (the new focus stacked image has been added).

This extra file will be in TIFF or PSD format (whatever you have setup in your LR preferences).

That is just about it. Stages Two and Three, fulfill our initial brief. You have produced a focus stacked image. All that remains is to export the image from Lightroom.

However, I think you might find it a little unsatisfactory to leave the process at that point, to walk away with the job not completely finished. I think you might want to see what happened next.

Stage three – final processing

I chose to so some further processing to the TIFF file in Lightroom. Using the Adjustment brush I added some positive clarity, +20, on to the top section of the image. By pushing the ‘O’ key, you can see the red mask where painting has been applied.

focus stacked image - location adjustments

The red area is where a local adjustment has been applied of +20 Clarity.

I added a graduated filter with the exposure pulled down 2 stops to the left side of the image.

A Graduated filter of -2 Exposure was added to the left side of the image.

Another was added to the bottom too, as I really like the black to be unquestionably pure black.

Another Graduated filter with -2 Exposure was added to the bottom of the image.

I then took that image back into Photoshop, where I used the bucket to fill some more bits of black around the bottom left corner of the leaf.

Then I spot retouched some bits of nature which were a bit too real. In particular, I think any white spots are very distracting. Then I turned to one of my long-term favorites, Nik’s Silver Efex Pro.

focus stacked image

Sadly, it seems likely that Google is going down the route which it has gone down many times before. Having purchased the German company Nik Software a few years back, it seems it is now allowing the software to die through lack of attention. However, I still like the results I get from Silver Efex Pro and still use it. In this case, I applied the High Structure – Smooth preset.

I then cropped the into a square. The final result is below.

Final focus stacked image.

Conclusion

I hope the first article helped you take photographs for focus stacking and this one helps you with the processing. Most of all, I hope that you might have a go at this. I hope you do not mind me repeating the same point, it would be great if you could find your own project and apply these techniques. For me, that is a major reason to write these articles.

Please share your questions, comments and focus stacked images in the section below.

The post How to do Post-Processing of Focus Stacked Images by Richard Messsenger appeared first on Digital Photography School.

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4 Tips for Capturing Beautiful Seascapes

22 May

Seascape photography can be both incredibly rewarding and incredibly frustrating at the same time. The entire process of photographing seascapes is slightly different than regular landscape photography and there are a few extra factors you need to keep in mind.

4 Things to Know Before Capturing Beautiful Seascapes

Coming from inland Norway it wasn’t until I moved to Northern Spain that I really got a taste of photographing seascapes. It took a while for me to adapt and feel comfortable with waves crashing around me (I know those who come from coastal towns might be laughing now!) However, after living along that coast for nearly a year, and revisiting several times since, I’ve picked up several tips and tricks that can make a huge difference in your seascape photography.

#1 – Know the Tides

Understanding how the tides will impact the location you’re photographing is most likely the most important factor of capturing beautiful seascapes.

I remember the first time I visited Playa de Barrika, a stunning beach outside of Bilbao in Spain, I didn’t take one single image. It was a warm and beautiful day but the beach looked nothing like what I had expected. In fact, there wasn’t much of a beach at all. Since the tide was high, the waves went almost up to the cliffs, leaving only a thin strip of beach left. In my defence, the main purpose of this trip wasn’t photography but I had hoped to at least see what all the fuss about this place was about.

Playa de Barrika during low tide.

A few weeks later, I revisited the beach and this time I made sure that the sunset was during medium to low tide, which is ideal for this location. What met me was a completely different beach which was nothing but spectacular.

Anyway, what I’m saying is that you need to familiarize yourself with the beach you’re visiting and learn what tide is optimal to photograph that spot. Some places are interesting during high tide only while others offer opportunities regardless of the tide. Just make sure that you’re aware of this so you don’t miss out on a potentially great image.

Rising tide at Los Urros, Spain

How to Research the Tides

There are several methods to research and learn about the tides but I prefer to do this via a website such as Tides4Fishing or Tide Forecast. What I like about these pages is that you’re able to see the tides for a long period into the future, making it possible to plan trips that are months ahead.

Even though I prefer to research the tides from my computer or on a web browser, smartphone applications such as My Tide Time will also do a great job.

#2 – Accessories for Seascape Photography

We can’t avoid talking a little about accessories, can we?

Quite honestly, the accessories I recommend for seascape photography is more or less the same as the ones I recommend for landscape photography in general. The requirements are pretty similar even though the conditions by the coast might require a heavier use of cleaning products!

Lens Wipes

If you don’t already have a couple lens cloths and pre-moisturized wipes in your camera bag I strongly recommend you get some right away. These cheap and small tools are essential in keeping your lens clean and free for unnecessary dust spots.

4 Things to Know Before Capturing Beautiful Seascapes

Zeiss lens cleaning wipes.

Pre-moisturized wipes are even more important for seascape photography. If there’s a little wind, or you’re standing close to the waves, it’s quite likely that salt will gather on the front of your lens or filters. By having a pre-moisturized wipe and a microfibre cloth nearby you can easily remove this dirt from the lens and continue to take smudge-free images. This will also save a lot of time in post-processing.

Filters

Filters aren’t an essential part of seascape photography but they do have an even greater impact than they do when photographing motionless landscapes. A slight increase in the shutter speed can benefit the image a lot, but we’ll come back to this in a few minutes.

4 Things to Know Before Capturing Beautiful Seascapes

There are many filters to choose between but if you are just getting started with photography I recommend starting with a Circular Polarizer, a medium strength ND Filter, and a Soft Graduated ND Filter. This combination is all you’ll need in most scenarios and will be a great start to capturing beautiful seascapes.

Keep in mind that the use of a slow shutter speed also requires the use of a tripod!

A Remote Shutter

When you’re working with shutter speeds of approximately 0.5 seconds you’ll want to use a remote shutter to avoid camera shake. This doesn’t need to be an expensive accessory; a cheap remote shutter from Best Buy will do the job.

A remote shutter can also be useful when your tripod is placed close to the water and you don’t want to get wet. You can stand on a rock next to the camera and take pictures exactly when the waves look the best. Just take care of your camera and watch out for big waves. You don’t want the tripod to fall over!

#3 – Choosing the Perspective

The perspective often plays a great role in an image’s composition regardless of what you’re photographing. But when working with seascapes and the water’s motion, I’ve found it to be even more impactful.

Changing from a high to low perspective can make a great difference to the image, especially the depth. When photographing with a low perspective you’ll get the sensation that the waves are actually surrounding you. In addition, you can benefit from the leading lines that the waves create, which also will greatly benefit your composition.

4 Things to Know Before Capturing Beautiful Seascapes

On the other hand, using a higher perspective, or even an overview of the beach, can impact the image in a completely different way. You might not feel like your standing in the water but you get a better look at the beach and its surroundings. Some of my favorite images of beaches are taken from above rather than at sea level.

#4 – Choosing the Right Shutter Speed

The last factor you should keep in mind when photographing seascapes is the choice of shutter speed. Since I first began photographing with filters I’ve been fascinated by how great an impact a slight adjustment can have.

4 Things to Know Before Capturing Beautiful Seascapes

There are no right or wrong choices for shutter speed. It depends on your preference and what you wish to convey through that specific image. However, I’ll share some of my thoughts about this topic:

When photographing close to the water, with waves rolling in and leaving trails as they go back out, I prefer to use a shutter speed of approximately 1/2 second. I’ve found this to be the spot where I capture both the textures of the waves but still get the nice lines as the waves recede.

As I adjust to a higher perspective I tend to slow down the shutter speed more (longer exposures). Exactly how much depends on the specific scene, but normally I use an exposure between 5-30 seconds.

Again, that’s just my preferences and even I don’t follow them strictly. The best way of finding what you enjoy is to explore with different shutter speeds. If you want to learn more about the use of slow shutter speeds I’ve shared everything I know about the topic in The Ultimate Guide to Long Exposure Photography.

The post 4 Tips for Capturing Beautiful Seascapes by Christian Hoiberg appeared first on Digital Photography School.

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Side by Side Drone Comparison – DJI Mavic Pro Versus the Phantom Pro 4

22 May

Drones are becoming more and more popular and there is more competition on the market now. Phantom isn’t the only game in town anymore. But does the DJI Mavic match up?

DJI Mavic Pro Versus the Phantom Pro 4 – Drone Comparison

In this video, Colin Smith from PhotoshopCAFE shows you footage from each drone and a summary of his points. Each has their pros and cons, and ultimately it comes down to your needs.

Do you have a drone? Which one? What was the deciding factor for you in choosing yours?

Shop for the DJI Mavic Pro or the Phantom 4 Pro on Amazon.com.

The post Side by Side Drone Comparison – DJI Mavic Pro Versus the Phantom Pro 4 by Darlene Hildebrandt appeared first on Digital Photography School.

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How to Create a Beautiful Bokeh Background

22 May

Have you ever thought that a sheet of aluminium foil can be used as a backdrop in order to create stunning bokeh effect? Before we start talking about El Bokeh Wall and how it can be achieved, let us first get to know what exactly the term bokeh means.

Assuming that you may not be aware, bokeh is a term which comes from a Japanese word “boke”, which means blur. You can capture a photo with the blur effect, which makes the background out of focus by shooting at smaller aperture values (larger openings) such as f/1.8 or f/1.4.

Bokeh background or El Bokeh Wall

El Bokeh Wall is basically a technique in which you can capture a photo with the backdrop full of bokeh, which makes your photo eye-catching.

El bokeh background wall 01

Things required to prepare El Bokeh Wall:

An sheet of aluminium foil
A fast lens, an a maximum aperture of at least f/2.8 or larger
At least two speedlights or studio lights
A sheet of colored gel

Step 1

El bokeh wall - bokeh background

Take a sheet of aluminium foil long enough to fully cover the background in your frame. Now crumple the foil sheet gently and make a ball out of it, but do not press it too hard.

El bokeh wall - bokeh background

Step 2

Now open the foil ball that you just made and in doing so, make sure that you do not remove the crumples. These crumples on the aluminium foil sheet will be used to create the bokeh effect.

Simply lay the sheet on a flat surface and move your hand gently over it, without removing the wrinkles formed on the foil sheet.

El bokeh wall - bokeh background

Step 3

Once you have flattened the aluminium foil sheet, put it on the wall or hang it in such a manner that it fills the frame. Make sure that the crumples are evenly distributed and the sheet fills your entire frame in order to capture perfect results.

Step 4

Now place your subject in such a position that there is a gap of at least 2-3 feet between the foil sheet and the subject. This will allow you to capture shallow depth of field and make the background out of focus. In order to create a bokeh effect you need to allow some distance between the subject and the background.

Step 5

The last step is where you light up your subject and the foil sheet in order to create a well-lit photo. Start with lighting the aluminium foil sheet, you can either use a flash, studio light or even a table lamp. In order to make the bokeh appear colorful, you can place a colored gel in front of the light source.

El bokeh wall - bokeh background

Now light up the subject as per your desire. Make sure that the light source being used on the subject does not spill too much on the background which can make your background appear overexposed. This is another reason why you should maintain some distance from the background.

Some tips before you start clicking

Once you have positioned your subject and set up the lighting, take out your camera and start clicking. But before that, keep these tips in mind in order to capture a photo full of beautiful bokeh.

El bokeh wall - bokeh background

Try using a lens which allows you to shoot at low aperture value such as f/2.8 or f/1.8. The smaller the aperture value, the more bokeh effect you can achieve.

Use a telephoto lens with focal length of 50mm or more in order to get shallow depth of field and you will need a smaller foil sheet as well.

Using flash or studio lights will give you better control over the light and you can capture much better-quality results. On the other hand, if you are using a table lamp or a bulb, you might have to bump up the ISO sensitivity which will introduce noise.

Conclusion

This is an easy technique to create some stunning bokeh-licious images. Please share your questions, comments and bokeh background images in the section below.

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