Category: Photography

10 Tips to Help You Create Unique Storytelling People Photos
For most of us, the joy of photography goes beyond taking a great image, to being able to share our pictures and experiences with our friends and family. To do storytelling with images.

How many times have you been traveling and come across someone interesting that you wanted to share with your family? Did asking for permission hold you back? Did you get a photo or series of photos that really tell the story? Were your photographs different and did each add a new perspective?

The following tips will walk you through a real-life example of how I shot a glassblower in his shop and created a series of unique photos to tell his story.

#1 – Get clear on your goals for the shoot

Something attracted you to this person or situation. What peaked your interest? Do you like the subject’s purple hair? Do you love photographing people having fun? Do you want to try to capture the beautiful light on someone’s face? Or perhaps you love dance and would like to capture a dancer in a beautiful portrait?

Here are my thoughts on the glassblower. What I wanted to photograph, what I wanted to do and why I wanted to do it.

Why I wanted to photograph the glassblower:

I have been a Canon user for a long time and Sony lent me one of their new cameras and two lenses (50mm and a 90mm) for a trial run. I had already spent some time playing with the camera by photographing squirrels and I was ready to try something with a little bit more potential.

While on vacation in a small beach town, I noticed a small shop run by a local glass blower. He made beautiful glass as well as offered lessons to tourists. I liked the idea of photographing the glass blower for several reasons:
- He makes beautiful art.
- The workshop is interesting with a lot of picture possibilities.
- I could shoot available light in his workshop.
- He was there all day doing interesting things which means I had a lot of time to shoot.
- He seemed very proud of his work.
- He seemed to have an extroverted personality and a sense of showmanship.
What I wanted to do:

I wanted to be able to photograph him as he worked and interacted with others.

My most important goal was to have the opportunity to shoot something pretty simple as I learned to drive this new camera. I liked this situation because I could shoot available light and there was enough action and movement that I could test out the different autofocus settings as well as the creative features of the camera.

I also wanted to be able to shoot, leave to download my images, and come back to the same situation later to tweak my approach. I had found my subject, I just needed to get permission.

#2 – Be honest about what you want and don’t be afraid, just ask!

A lot of photographers are shy about asking friends, relatives, and strangers if they can take their photo. Asking is easy if you are honest, sincere, and you know why you want to photograph the person.

The truth is, some people hate to have their photo taken and so be prepared for a no. If someone shies away from the idea, perhaps they require more convincing. Some people actually enjoy being persuaded, so push gently after the first no. There could be a yes hiding behind a little bit of shyness.

And, if you get a no, remember that it’s never personal. Some people are just going to say no. Sometimes the person being asked has no idea why anyone would want to photograph them. They are afraid you are going to make them look dumb and they can’t imagine why anyone would want to take their photograph. That is why step #1 is important.

Before you ask permission, get clear on what you want so you can explain it and overcome any objections. Yes, it’s partly sales, but if you are sincere and enthused and truly want to photograph them, most of the time they will feel flattered and say yes.

How I approached the glassblower

When I approached John to ask him if I could photograph him, I had my camera over my shoulder. I told him his work was beautiful and I’d love to take some photographs. He beamed. He loved the attention.

Note: I didn’t run into the shop taking pictures without permission. I intentionally had my camera, though, so he knew from the start that I was interested in taking photographs. Having your camera on your shoulder, hanging loosely is non-threatening. If he had an aversion to having his picture taken, he would have felt much more relaxed than if I had put a camera in his face. This isn’t paparazzi. It’s about connecting with someone you want to spend some time with.

I told him the truth. That I was in town visiting and I wanted to learn how to use this new camera. I smiled and told him I had already photographed every squirrel in town and was ready to shoot some people. He laughed.

Being able to put people at ease is a great step toward getting a yes. I find it easier to connect with people as a student than a professional. When I approach people as a professional they put up more of a front. When I’m just trying to learn my camera, the pressure is off the subject to do or be anything.

If you are looking for great vacation photos and stories to share with your friends and family, say so. Imagine if a traveler approached you, said you looked amazing and would love to show people back home what people here looked like? You’d be flattered! Of course!

I also explained that I was testing the camera and I might shoot for awhile, go look at pictures, then come back again to shoot some more. Would that be okay? He got excited over the attention and immediately started to share photos another photographer had taken. He loved the idea of being photographed and I had a subject.

#3 – Be considerate

You are shooting in someone else’s home, yard, or business, so be courteous. If a customer comes in, the customer comes first. Always take the back seat. It’s a privilege when someone allows you to take their photo. Remember that and you will always be welcome.

#4 – Tell your subject to pretend you aren’t even there

First of all, you will get better pictures and expressions if your subject keeps busy doing what they love. You can watch how they do it and begin to anticipate their next move. Secondly, especially if you are working in a place of business, you don’t want to distract them from their livelihood. If you do, they will grow impatient and suggest the session is over.

I often get close to shoot and then back away for awhile. It relaxes the subject and keeps them off guard. It truly allows them to forget about me and get into their zone.

#5 – Really work the situation

Create a variety of shots, with the goal that each shot adds a different element or idea to the story. Walk around, shoot high and low, and use a variety of lenses. Work on cleaning up the background and capturing great expressions. Look for opportunities and unique ways of showing it. Experiment. Have fun. Get creative.

#6 – Shoot portraits

Look for different expressions, light, and angles. Shoot tight and shoot loose. Include the environment in some shots. Work on taking candids as well as photos with the subject looking at the camera. I loved the light on John’s face when he was looking at the fire and how it reflected in his glasses.

Remember, variety is the key. Notice how many different expressions John has in the different photos in this article. Each expression helps to add an element to the story.

#7 – Shoot action shots

Tell the story of what the person does. Try shooting the same activity in different ways.

#8 – Shoot close-ups and details

#9 – Shoot hands

#10 – Photograph relationships

Try to capture the relationship your subject has with other people. In these photos, a tourist stopped by to blow his own piece of glass.

You now have the tools to approach strangers to ask them if you can spend time with them taking pictures. These rules apply to every situation, whether it’s a musician in the street, your child’s ballet class, or a homeless person. Remember to know your intention and be honest with the subject. Sincerity has opened many, many doors for me.

Once you are inside the door, really work your subject to tell the story. Try different angles and remember to shoot close as well as far away. Shoot portraits, close-up shots, focus on recording what the subject is doing, as well as their relationships.

What story would you love to shoot? Do you know a musician in your neighborhood or a craftsperson? Share your thoughts below, go out and shoot and then share your images in the comments below.

googletag.cmd.push(function() {
tablet_slots.push( googletag.defineSlot( “/1005424/_dPSv4_tab-all-article-bottom_(300×250)”, [300, 250], “pb-ad-78623” ).addService( googletag.pubads() ) ); } );

googletag.cmd.push(function() {
mobile_slots.push( googletag.defineSlot( “/1005424/_dPSv4_mob-all-article-bottom_(300×250)”, [300, 250], “pb-ad-78158” ).addService( googletag.pubads() ) ); } );

The post 10 Tips to Help You Create Unique Storytelling People Photos by Vickie Lewis appeared first on Digital Photography School.

Digital Photography School
September 16, 2016
How to Get Started Making Extra Money with Your Nature Photography

Photography is expensive, there’s no doubt about that. Nature photographers have it bad, though, especially if you’re buying long telephoto lenses for wildlife. The Canon 200-400mm lens will set you back $ 11,000 – ouch. So it’s no wonder that many people want to make it in photography and start monetising their work. But can you make money with your nature photography?

Making money from your photography isn’t easy, and it doesn’t get any easier as a nature photographer either. There’s less demand, and more people doing it. That means increased competition for a smaller slice of the pie. If you want to make money from your nature photos, then you must realize that it’s not easy by any means – but it’s also not impossible.

I’ve been working as a professional nature photographer for about six years now. What I’ve learned over my relatively short career so far is that you need to think outside the box to stay ahead of the competition. A bit of a cliché statement maybe, but one that you’ll have to embrace – especially if you want to be a full-time photographer.

But you’re probably reading this wondering how you can make a bit of extra cash from your photos on the side, rather than an entire life-altering career move. Well, that I can help you with! Let’s take a look at some of the main ways you can start to make money with your nature photography.

Prints and Other Products

The first print I ever sold was in 2008. That’s eight years ago now, and I’ve been doing it ever since. To the surprise of some, people do buy photographs to hang on their walls. This isn’t a space reserved solely for paintings.

Personally, I have my photos printed and framed myself, but you can have this process automated by dedicated web hosts. Zenfolio is a popular choice amongst photographers for a website, and they offer the ability to have orders automatically fulfilled by printing labs. This means you can sit back and relax, selling prints from your website.

Beauty and picturesque scenes sell better as prints, rather than action-packed shots.

It’s not just online though. You can sell prints in the real world too! Head to a market or trade show, set up a stall and get selling. It’s great fun talking to customers about your work and to sell your photos this way. Doing just a couple of shows a year can buy you a new camera or lens, so that’s something to think about.

What sells best? Well, I find the more traditional wildlife photography like; clean bokeh shots, cute animals, or dramatic scenes. You’re looking for something that someone will want to look at over and over again. After all, when was the last time you moved a framed picture in your house? They stay up for a long time.

Workshops

If you really know your way around your camera and can take a decent photograph, then this is something you could consider. Day workshops offer clients tuition in photography, let them know your secrets and just help them to take a better photo and understand their equipment. It’s a popular move amongst photographers nowadays, and almost everyone trying to make a living out of nature photography is offering workshops.

The best thing about it is that you can set your own hours and choose when you work. You can fit sessions in on the weekend around your full-time job, and have a little extra money coming in on the side. All of this helps to take the sting out the costs of new photography kit.

There are different types of workshops you can offer. Some photographers partake in one-to-one guiding days, showing clients different locations for landscapes or wildlife sightings while imparting photographic knowledge. Others may rent out a blind they have built to view a particular animal (see image above), something that is often in high demand by those who don’t have the time to create such possibilities themselves.

Sell Stock Images

The stock photography industry is depleting day by day, unfortunately. It used to be the case that you could make a five-figure salary, or more, from stock photography alone. Maybe not just as a nature photographer, but you could definitely make big bucks in comparison to nowadays.

But with the rise of microstock, photographers are seeing their earnings decrease. On top of that, many stock websites are taking increased percentages as a commission, leaving photographers with little left of the few sales they may still make.

Despite that bleak picture, there are specialist nature photography stock agencies you can submit to. The likes of Nature Picture Library still sell well, at least in the UK, and photographers are able to make a decent income from them. However, they are very selective about who they work with – you need something unique in your portfolio to be accepted.

Selling to Publications

This is where there is definitely still money. Selling images to newspapers or magazines can be pretty lucrative indeed – the trick is making it a regular gig. Publications are often looking to buy not just one photo, but a sequence of photos that tell a story. That’s where your best chance to get published sits.

Selling to newspapers and other publications can be a good source of income.

Working with a press agency to get your photos syndicated and in front of the right people is the best way to go about it. While you can contact publications yourself, you’re likely to be ignored and if your photos are used you may have to spend months chasing them for payment. Press agents take the stress out of it. There are plenty around the world, and they’ll take a commission (usually 40-50%) of the sale price for their services. I work with

Press agents take the stress out of it. There are plenty around the world, and they’ll take a commission (usually 40-50%) of the sale price for their services. I work with REX Features, but there are plenty out there such as Caters News and Associated Press. If you think you have a good, fresh sequence of images then send some low-resolution copies over and you’ll soon find out if they are sellable or not.

In Conclusion

Here are just some ways that you can make money as a nature photographer. It takes work and dedication, especially if you want to make it a full-time job. It’s definitely not the path everyone will be able to take. But, there’s no harm in trying to make a bit of extra money at first and seeing where it takes you. You just have to take that first step.

googletag.cmd.push(function() {
tablet_slots.push( googletag.defineSlot( “/1005424/_dPSv4_tab-all-article-bottom_(300×250)”, [300, 250], “pb-ad-78623” ).addService( googletag.pubads() ) ); } );

googletag.cmd.push(function() {
mobile_slots.push( googletag.defineSlot( “/1005424/_dPSv4_mob-all-article-bottom_(300×250)”, [300, 250], “pb-ad-78158” ).addService( googletag.pubads() ) ); } );

The post How to Get Started Making Extra Money with Your Nature Photography by Will Nicholls appeared first on Digital Photography School.

Digital Photography School

September 16, 2016
How to Create Stunning Architecture Photography by Painting with Light

My name is Mike Kelley. I’ve been lucky enough to travel the world and see incredible architecture while working for hotels, architects, designers, and developers.

In this article, I’d like to share with you one of my favorite techniques for photographing architecture. If you’ve ever tried to photograph a building at twilight, you know how tough it can be to properly expose all parts of the scene. You know how some areas tend to fall into darkness.

When this happens, many photographers will just try to recover the shadows with a brighter exposure or some dodging and burning. Unfortunately, that can lead to muddy results which often display a lack of texture and color.

Although this article touches on my basic processes, a full tutorial on my workflow is $ 100 off right now over at Snapndeals – Mike Kelley’s Where Art Meets Architecture Course

Light painting for architecture photography

One technique that I’ve adapted to use with modern photographic tools is light painting. Back in the old days, depending on how old you are, there were many photographers who painted with light. They would literally stop down the aperture, wear an all-black outfit, and wave a light around for a 30-60 second exposure to fill in shadows and give the image some nice snap.

Luckily, things are a bit easier these days (to me, at least). You can use a single Speedlight and see the results instantly. All without burning through expensive sheets of 4×5 film, or having to dress like Steve Jobs to keep yourself from showing up in the exposure.

I personally use either a Lowel GL1, Yonguo Speedlight or Profoto B1 light to pull it off, depending on how much power I’ll need. The aim here is to add light in spots that appear to have natural light falling on them – either from landscape lighting or interior lighting. Adding flash or hot light will dramatically clean up the quality of light, by giving it direction and fall off. Whereas the ambient light may create a muddier appearance due to having no directionality, incoherent color casts, or being mixed with the falling light of the day.

So you’re all set up for your twilight. You’re waiting for that perfect balance between falling ambient exterior light and interior glow. Before, during, and after twilight, you should have the camera set in one place on a tripod and every couple of minutes, shoot a bracketed set of images at 0 EV, -2, and +2, or something similar, whatever your preference may be.

Shooting at twilight

When the time for the perfect twilight has arrived, and the falling ambient exterior light and interior glow from the practical lights are perfectly balanced, it’s time to add your hot light or flash. Moving quickly (it helps to have a plan ahead of time for what you’ll flash) add light to areas that you think have fallen into too much shadow or places that could use a little texture and color.

I also recommend adding a CTO gel to your lights to warm them up so that they match the interior glow of the house or any exterior lighting that may be present. This process should take no more than five minutes and should be shot tethered, whether to a computer or a wireless solution like a CamRanger, so you can see what you’re doing immediately and adjust accordingly.

After you’ve gone around and added light, continue to bracket exposures to cover your bases. Sometimes I’ll use an exposure from when it’s completely dark outside and the only light in my scene is from the interior glow to remove any distracting reflections or color casts that popped up.

Processing the images

When in post-production, try to keep it simple. I used to think it was a source of pride to edit these photos and have to use 50, 70, or even more layers. But the fewer layers there are in Photoshop, the less of a chance there is for something to go awry. Depending on the subject, 10-15 flash pops should be more than enough to get this amazing effect on your images. You may want to add or remove some color using curves, and it would also be wise to make sure that everything blends together seamlessly by setting the blend mode of your flash pop layers to Lighten.

Replace the sky if necessary

Lastly, in many of my images I end up replacing the sky. Don’t underestimate what an amazing impact a new sky can have on your image – but only when it’s done perfectly! If there’s anything that takes people out of an image and ruins the moment, it’s a poorly composited sky that doesn’t match the color and brightness of the rest of the image So choose your sky carefully. I personally like to vary the opacity of my sky layer to taste so that things all blend seamlessly.

No architectural photo would be complete without nice, straight verticals lines, so use CMD/CNTL + alt + shift + E to stamp all to a new layer. Then drag out some ruler lines and make sure there’s no distortion – we don’t need people thinking our clients can’t build straight homes.

Here is the final image

You can watch a video of this entire process below and see me in action:

Summary

I hope you enjoyed this quick tour through one of my favorite techniques. The more you use it, the more flexible you will become with adding light and mood to make your photos really stand out.

If you would like to go more in depth with this technique and learn how to build your own business in real estate and architectural photography, Kelly’s full-length tutorial is currently 33% off over at Snapndeals – grab it before the sale ends September 27th, 2016.

googletag.cmd.push(function() {
tablet_slots.push( googletag.defineSlot( “/1005424/_dPSv4_tab-all-article-bottom_(300×250)”, [300, 250], “pb-ad-78623” ).addService( googletag.pubads() ) ); } );

googletag.cmd.push(function() {
mobile_slots.push( googletag.defineSlot( “/1005424/_dPSv4_mob-all-article-bottom_(300×250)”, [300, 250], “pb-ad-78158” ).addService( googletag.pubads() ) ); } );

The post How to Create Stunning Architecture Photography by Painting with Light by Mike Kelley appeared first on Digital Photography School.

Digital Photography School

September 15, 2016
6 Tips for Planning the Perfect Landscape Photo Shoot

How many times have you shown your pictures to someone and said, ”You should have seen that sunset in person to understand how magic it was!” We can make many excuses as to why the photo doesn’t look the same, complaining about our equipment, settings or post-production, but let’s face reality, maybe there was something wrong with our landscape photo!

Before you open Photoshop, and even before you press the shutter button, you need to plan the kind of image you want to create. Planning plays a key role in landscape photography. Here are some things that are useful to think about if you want to capture the perfect light and transmit some feelings with your images.

Tip 1: Check the weather forecast

Calton Hill – Edinburgh, Scotland

Landscape photography is one of the most difficult genres, or at least among the most unpredictable, as you don’t have any control over the weather at the scene.

What kind of atmosphere do you want to create with your image? The weather can completely transform a landscape, so think carefully about what mood you want to evoke. If you want to create a bright, cheerful image you might already know that a blue sky with fluffy white clouds would be better than a flat blue sky, or even worse a grey one.

So, before you drive for two hours and you arrive to see is a dull landscape, use the only weapon at your disposal: the weather forecast.

Tip 2: Choose the right time of the day and year

The perfect weather condition alone is useless without proper light. In landscape photography, the light is given by the position of the sun in the sky in relation to your subject. Fortunately, this is something more predictable than the weather. Calculate where the sun will be at particular times of day, and it will be easier for you to foresee how the scene will be illuminated. Again, think about the atmosphere you want to create. Light and peaceful? Dark and moody? Are there any particular landmarks you want to highlight? The answer to these questions will inform where you want your light to be, and consequently what time of day to shoot.

Groningen, Netherlands

Bear in mind that the sun’s position doesn’t change only during the day, but also throughout the year. As a result, in one year there are many different lighting conditions for the same place. It would be a shame not to use them to your advantage. You can use many websites and apps for this; the one that I use the most is PhotoPills, which is very well outlined in this article.

Tip 3: Be inspired by other photographers

When you plan your holiday, after booking the tickets and the hotel, you may buy a travel guide with detailed information about the location. Like where to go and what to eat, to make sure you won’t miss anything. Or you might just ask some friends who have been there before. In both cases, you’re relying on someone who went there before you, and who therefore knows what’s worthwhile to visit, or what’s a good typical (local) dish to try.

Even if you can’t do exactly the same thing with photography, you can get pretty close, thanks to the multitude of photography websites and social networks full of pictures from all over the world. The ones I personally use most of the time are; Google Images, 500px, Instagram, Flickr, and Pinterest. Obviously, the list doesn’t end here.

Feel free to use whatever sites you want, as long as you do it. It doesn’t matter if the picture isn’t the best quality, after all, you don’t want to copy it, but you’re just looking for some inspiration

Zaanse Schaans, Netherlands

Tip 4: Enjoy the place and get familiar with it

When arriving somewhere, especially if it’s for the first time, it’s really tempting to take your camera and shoot whatever you see! This isn’t wrong in itself, but remember you’ll probably take dozens of nice pictures and lose the opportunity to take that single outstanding one. Because when the moment comes you’ll be tired of taking other pictures, or even worse, the battery is dead. (By the way, do you have a spare battery, don’t you?)

It’s better to be patient and spend more time exploring your location and the surrounding area. This way you are more likely to discover some interesting spots, hopefully different from the classic ones. You can use your smartphone for your normal tourist pictures, so don’t worry about anything but composition. This way, you can enjoy the place where you are, instead of spending all the time behind your camera. After all, landscape photography should be the happy ending of a good day outside, not the only reason for being there.

Land’s end – Cornwall, England

Tip 5: Use both golden and blue hours wisely

I’m sure you already know what the golden hour is: the time of the day around dawn and dusk when the sun gives its best warm light and long soft shadows. Hence the adjective golden. Many photographers, including me for a while, consider it as solely the right moment for obtaining good photos. This is wrong, because there is another one, called blue hour, which occurs just before the golden hour at sunrise, and just after sunset.

As you can imagine from the name, its particularity is in the blue colour of the sky, not warm anymore and not totally dark like in the middle of the night. It is very effective for urban landscapes, because it emphasizes artificial lights that wouldn’t be as visible during the golden hour. Furthermore, since the sky is not totally dark, you’ll have a better contrast with the warmer colours of the city, which will add drama to your picture.

Manarola – Liguria, Italy

Tip 6: Take location related issues into account

So, you’ve planned your shoot by choosing the right day, with good weather and explored the place properly. Is that all?

Almost… There’s still something to be considered and it depends on the place. For example, in the case that you want to photograph a coastline, you will need to consider tides. It can be useful for composition purposes, but most importantly it’s for your personal safety. Tides in the ocean are really rapid and wide, and in some cases, it could be difficult (if not impossible) to escape from the waves if you decided to shoot from the rocks along the shore, with a rocky wall behind you.

In the case of very famous landmarks, a common issue is that it will be full of other photographers and tourists that want the same shot as you. This can obviously create problems for your composition, or you won’t have enough space for your tripod. So, try to be in that place before it gets too busy. This not only reduces the risk of finding other photographers who have decided to photograph from your same spot, it also permits you to slow down and avoid making mistakes.

London, England

Conclusions

When I started taking pictures several years ago, I didn’t have anything in my mind other than to take pictures of what I liked. But looking at other photographer’s work I realized that I was missing something. In my opinion, proper planning is the most important thing that I could have learned.

Obviously learning new techniques is useful, but it’s the most obvious. Planning is often underestimated, but it can really help you to go somewhere already having a picture in mind. If this isn’t the case, remember again: landscape photography is just the happy ending, you can still enjoy the place!

Do you have any other tips for planning your landscape photography shoots? I’d love if you shared them in the comments below as well as your images.

googletag.cmd.push(function() {
tablet_slots.push( googletag.defineSlot( “/1005424/_dPSv4_tab-all-article-bottom_(300×250)”, [300, 250], “pb-ad-78623” ).addService( googletag.pubads() ) ); } );

googletag.cmd.push(function() {
mobile_slots.push( googletag.defineSlot( “/1005424/_dPSv4_mob-all-article-bottom_(300×250)”, [300, 250], “pb-ad-78158” ).addService( googletag.pubads() ) ); } );

The post 6 Tips for Planning the Perfect Landscape Photo Shoot by Luigi Trevisi appeared first on Digital Photography School.

Digital Photography School

September 15, 2016
dPS Writer’s Favorite Lens: Nikon 35mm f/1.8G

A few years ago Nikon started revamping their lens lineup to include faster focusing, better coatings on the glass elements, and for the first time, no manual control over the size of the aperture. This series of lenses was given the “G” moniker, and one of the earliest that went into production is still one of the best: the 35mm f/1.8G.

This inexpensive little workhorse is not only supremely versatile but performs well beyond its price range in almost any shooting situation. It was designed to work for crop-sensor cameras, which Nikon refers to as DX models, but in many circumstances, it works just fine on full-frame FX cameras as well. I enjoy shooting mostly portraits and nature photography and there’s hardly a situation in which this 35mm lens doesn’t give me good results. It’s by far my favorite lens, and I’d like to share a little bit more to let you know why.

Seattle skyline, photographed with the 35mm f/1.8G DX on a Nikon D7100.

One of the best features of the 35mm 1.8G lens is something that could also be seen as a significant limitation: it does not zoom in and out. It’s a prime lens which means it has a fixed focal length. So if you are used to twisting your lens to get a close-up view of your subject, you will have to train your mind to think about things a bit differently when using this lens. Since it is permanently stuck at 35mm you have to use your feet and get creative when shooting pictures. But once you get past this limitation you will start to notice that it pales in comparison to one of its most important strengths: a super wide aperture.

Fixed focal length, amazing results

If you’re not entirely familiar with what the term aperture means, it’s basically the opening in your lens that lets light pass through. This is an f/1.8 lens which means it has a huge maximum aperture, or opening, compared to some other lenses, especially most zooms. This feature allows the lens to capture much more light so you rarely have to use the flash, and also helps you get the kind of smooth blurry backgrounds you see in professional-style portraits. The f/1.8 aperture is the one key factor that makes this lens so incredibly useful and versatile. Even though it lacks the ability to zoom in and out it’s a tradeoff well worth making, in my opinion.

I took this quick snapshot of my niece while she was playing with her cousins. The wide f/1.8 aperture on the 35mm lens gave me a nice blurry background.

Avoid dreaded pop-up flash issues

Before I got into more advanced photography several years ago I owned a decent pocket camera. While it did take good pictures in broad daylight, any time the sun even started to get low on the horizon it would fire the flash and bathe everything in a weird artificial light. I noticed the same thing happening to my friends with DSLR cameras too, and couldn’t figure out why even the more expensive cameras were always turning on the pop-up flash when the lighting was dim.

If you have wondered about this yourself, the answer almost certainly relates to the aperture of your lens. Smaller apertures let in less light, which therefore require the use of an additional light source like a flash in order to take a picture. The 35mm f/1.8 lens almost never has that problem because it lets in so much light (when you shoot at f/1.8), which can seem like a miracle from heaven if you are tired of shooting so many of your photos with the flash turned on.

The lighting in this church was very poor, but thanks to the wide f/1.8 aperture I got several photos of this baby at his baptism without using the flash.

Whether you are out taking photos of nature and wildlife, doing paid portrait sessions, or just snapping photos of your kids playing around the house, the f/1.8 aperture is going to give you outstanding results if you are used to a lens with a smaller aperture. I was blown away when I first started shooting with this and other prime lenses and began realizing that I could use the natural light all around me to get the photos I was really trying to shoot. That, instead of constantly relying on a tiny little pop-up flash.

No zoom, no problem

Many years ago when some of my photographer friends first recommended a prime lens to me I thought they were joking. Why on earth would anyone want a lens that doesn’t zoom in and out? The fixed focal length of a prime lens, I soon realized, forces you to be more creative and puts you in a different frame of mind than a zooming lens by making you work around a limitation. In the years since, as my collection of lenses has grown to include several prime lenses, I keep coming back to this specific 35mm f/1.8 lens as a workhorse not just for daily pictures of my family but for professional photo sessions too. 35mm is somewhere between a wide angle and telephoto lens, which makes it ideally suited for a variety of types of photography. It’s not too zoomed out and not too zoomed in, so it’s kind of like the Goldilocks of camera lenses. It’s just right.

In the years since, as my collection of lenses has grown to include several prime lenses, I keep coming back to this specific 35mm f/1.8 lens as a workhorse. It’s not just for daily pictures of my family but for professional photo sessions too. 35mm is somewhere between a wide angle and telephoto lens, which makes it ideally suited for a variety of genres of photography. It’s not too zoomed out and not too zoomed in, so it’s kind of like the Goldilocks of camera lenses. It’s just right.

The Cascade Mountains: shot with the 35mm 1.8G DX on a Nikon D7100

Is like “normal”

On a crop-sensor camera like the Nikon D3300 or D7200 the focal length of this lens is multiplied 1.5x which puts it right about 50mm, or very close to what the human eye naturally perceives. This means that the image you see when you hold your camera up to compose a shot is very similar to that which you would see without any camera at all. There is very little distortion, and everything just tends to look…well…

There is very little distortion, and everything just tends to look…well…normal. I know some people are put off by this type of lens because it’s so pedestrian that it borders on boring, and because it does so many things well it also excels at nothing in particular. However I happen to like the 35mm focal length precisely because of the photos I can get with it, and also because it’s wide enough that I can take pictures at relatively slow shutter speeds like 1/45 second and not worry too much about motion blur.

Hay bales in Kansas: shot with the 35mm 1.8G DX on a Nikon D7100

Works on full frame too

One bonus feature, of this lens in particular, is that, unlike some other lenses that are designed for crop-sensor cameras, this one performs quite well on full-frame models too. If I put it on my D750 I can get outstanding results provided I shoot around f/4. If I use an aperture much smaller than that, however, it starts to exhibit some pretty bad vignetting on the corners.

This makes the lens ideal for situations where you want to get a little closer to your subjects for pictures that are a little more personal and intimate, and also for landscapes where you want to take in a much broader view of the scene. All this for a lens that costs about $ 200 and you can hopefully see why it is, without question, my favorite lens.

Even though this lens is designed for crop-sensor cameras, it works fine on full-frame cameras like the D750 if you can put up with some vignetting around the corners. This allowed me to get right in the middle of the action while having a wide enough angle to get several people in the shot.

I recommend this lens often

I often have people ask me for recommendations when it comes to camera lenses, and if they are Nikon shooters my advice is always the same: The 35mm f/1.8G DX. I recently followed up with about a dozen friends and family members to see if my recommendation was to their liking after using the lens for several months. Every single one of them said that yes, the lens was great and did just what they were hoping it would do. Some said that it helped them explore new aspects of photography and while a few had since augmented their collection with zoom lenses or other primes, they all agreed that this particular lens worked like a charm.

Theta Pond: shot with the 35mm 1.8G DX lens on a Nikon D7100

At this point, it probably sounds like I’m some kind of paid shill for Nikon, but I promise you that is not the case. I buy all my gear the same as anyone else and have never gotten any lenses, cameras, or other gear from Nikon or any other company. I just like this lens so much, and I think you would too, that I can’t help but gush about how it’s by far the favorite one in my kit and the one that gets used more often than anything else. But what about you? Do you have this lens and if so, what do you think of it? What other lenses do you like that you wish other people would learn about? Leave your thoughts in the comments below!

But what about you? Do you have the Nikon 35mm f/1.8G lens? If so, what do you think of it? What other lenses do you like that you wish other people would learn about? Please leave your thoughts in the comments below!

googletag.cmd.push(function() {
tablet_slots.push( googletag.defineSlot( “/1005424/_dPSv4_tab-all-article-bottom_(300×250)”, [300, 250], “pb-ad-78623” ).addService( googletag.pubads() ) ); } );

googletag.cmd.push(function() {
mobile_slots.push( googletag.defineSlot( “/1005424/_dPSv4_mob-all-article-bottom_(300×250)”, [300, 250], “pb-ad-78158” ).addService( googletag.pubads() ) ); } );

The post dPS Writer’s Favorite Lens: Nikon 35mm f/1.8G by Simon Ringsmuth appeared first on Digital Photography School.

Digital Photography School

September 14, 2016
3 Ways to Make a Sky Selection Using Photoshop

There are many reasons why you would like to select the sky in your image using Photoshop. Maybe you would like to replace it, to add details, change the contrast, etc. Selections give you a precise contour of your subject and facilitate local adjustments, without altering the other elements in your images.

In landscape and architectural photography, the sky is a really important element. It has to be an exciting part of the image. Boring skies translate into boring images, and amazing skies can also translate into solid images because it will make the viewer forget about the foreground or middle ground if they are not that beautiful.

Three different methods for selecting the sky

Depending on the image and the subject, making precise selections of the sky can be quite difficult. That is why is this tutorial, I will show you three different ways to select the sky in three different situations

I replaced the sky in this image, and I love the results.

I personally love to play around with my skies and most of the time it is a fake one. Sometimes I am able to be at one location just for a day and if I get a solid image with no clouds, I will not hesitate to replace it.

Do not hesitate to try crazy things with your images, photo manipulation is really fun

I wanted to get some crazy result, so I added an image of the Milky Way behind the Eiffel Tower.

Be careful to use royalty free images with no copyrights, there are so many websites where you can pick images of skies without having any problems afterward.

Method #1 – Using the quick mask tool

This is the easiest of the three ways, and the most used. We will be working on an image with a blown out sky and a subject with easy contours.

The sky in this image will be easy to select because of the simple contours of the monument.

The first thing you need to do is open your image in Photoshop and duplicate the layer to avoid any destructive editing. You can always go back to the original layer if you make any mistakes. Do this all the time, it will save you a lot of time and hassle if you make a mistake.

Start by selecting the Quick Selection Tool on the tool’s panel, make sure to increase the size to facilitate the selection.

Then simply click on the sky starting at one end. In this case, I started from the bottom left and dragged all the way to the other end (bottom right). With these kinds of images, the selection will work 90% of the time on the first try and it should be pretty accurate. Do not forget to select the other parts of the sky, pay attention to your image and look where there is some sky left that is unselected.

Once you have your selection, you want to click on refine edge to make it more precise (Refine Edge is located on top of the Photoshop window). You will have multiple viewing options, a good one to use is On Black.

On the edge detection section, click on Smart Radius, then play around with cursor until you find the right radius. This will vary from image to image.

When you are satisfied with your selection, press on OK and you will go back to your image with your selection. Make sure you are still using the quick mask tool. To save your selection, simply right click and pick save selection. You just need to name it and press OK to confirm. Your selection will be saved and you can use it whenever you want by clicking on select on the top of the Photoshop window then choosing load selection at the bottom

Method #2 – Using Color Range

This selection is also quite easy to do, but it is very precise. We will basically select the sky while sampling a color. So logically your sky has to be uniform, these types of selections work really well during the blue hour or on clear days, with a vivid blue sky.

We will be working on this image, the sky is completely blue and easy to select. It would be much more difficult to do this selection with the quick mask (Quick Selection) tool because the image is quite dark and the contours of the building are quite difficult to separate from the sky.

Start the same way as the first image by duplicating the layer. You then want to go to select on the top of your window and select color range.

A small window will pop up, and the only thing you need to do is click on the sky in the main layer (not the pop up window) with the eye dropper tool (it will be set automatically as your cursor). Once you have selected your color, you will see a mask being created on the small color range window. Remember that white reveals and black conceals, so whatever is white is being selected: That will be your selection.

Play around with the fuzziness cursor on top of your selection in the color range window to decide how much you want of the sampled color to be selected.

Once you are satisfied with your color range selection, press OK. Redo the same thing as the first image with the refine edge tool, then finish off by saving your image.

This is the final result with the sky replaced.

Method #3 – Using a Levels Layer to Create a Luminosity Mask

This kind of selection is a bit more difficult to do. Use it when you don’t have only one color in the sky or subject has complex contours that will be difficult to separate from the sky.

This is quite advanced but it’s very easy once you understand how it works. It always works, and if it doesn’t do 100% of the job it will at least do about 90% of the work need. The rest can be completed with a brush and adjusting your mask after you are done with the first selection.

We will be working with this image and as you can see, the sky is quite dark just like the buildings so it will be difficult to use the quick mask tool. The colors in the sky are mixed between blue, orange and white (yes these are blown out highlights).

What we are going to do is quite simple. We’re going to create a luminosity mask selecting only the highlights, in other words, the brightest pixels of the images. The highlights correspond to the sky so that’s exactly what we want.

To make the selection easier we’re going to convert the image to black and white so we have an easier visual. We’re basically going to crush our whites and blacks to have a nice separation between the shadows and the highlights. We’ll be doing this using the levels layer adjustment, we are also going to remove all the mid tones from our image. Don’t forget to duplicate the layer first.

After converting your image to black and white and creating a levels layer, you’re going to play around with the three sliders to have a white sky and everything else black. White reveals and black conceals so your selection will be in white.

The three cursors should all meet at one point, you have to play around and see which selection works best for your image. You’re basically creating a luminosity mask.

After finding the sweet spot, you just need to close your levels layer and go to channels. Pick any channel, click on it, and type Command/CTRL + A to create the selection from the levels layer you just created.

Once you have done that you can delete the levels and black and white layers to go back to your original image. Your selection is still going to be there. After that it is pretty much the same thing, click on refine edge on top of the Photoshop window and play around with your radius until you get the perfect selection.

This is the final image after some adjustments, I used the sky selection to add colors without affecting the rest of the image.

Whether you want to just edit or completely replace the sky is up to you. But, I hope that gives you some techniques that you can apply to your landscape and cityscape photography to perk up the sky.

Do you have any other methods you use for making a sky selection?

googletag.cmd.push(function() {
tablet_slots.push( googletag.defineSlot( “/1005424/_dPSv4_tab-all-article-bottom_(300×250)”, [300, 250], “pb-ad-78623” ).addService( googletag.pubads() ) ); } );

googletag.cmd.push(function() {
mobile_slots.push( googletag.defineSlot( “/1005424/_dPSv4_mob-all-article-bottom_(300×250)”, [300, 250], “pb-ad-78158” ).addService( googletag.pubads() ) ); } );

The post 3 Ways to Make a Sky Selection Using Photoshop by Yacine Bessekhouad appeared first on Digital Photography School.

Digital Photography School

September 14, 2016
How to Cull Your Images to Tell a Stronger Story in Your Blog or Social Media Posts
I have this photographer friend. This person is wildly talented, with impeccable images and an amazing eye. I love seeing what she is going to create next until she puts up a blog post. So let’s talk about how and why to cull your images.

These posts are usually a long, meandering wander through her shoots, with no thought to tell a story. Images that you swear are repeats – until you look closely and realize the model’s left pinky finger has maybe moved ever so slightly. Blurry shots that should have been culled in the first round. It boggles my dang mind to look at these posts because we as photographers should know better.

You are better served to share your images in a way that compels viewers to keep coming back for more. While I may not be a pro-level blogger, I still think it’s an excellent way to share your images, and there are a few tricks that I always try to keep in mind as I’m putting together a blog post.

Step 1: Be Brutal

Think about this from the viewer’s perspective. They weren’t at the shoot. So how can you tell them the story in a concise way that shows off your best work? To do this, you have to be brutal. Cull like a maniac, and then cull some more.

Does it hurt to eliminate images that you love from the narrative of your post? Yep, it’s like choosing your favorite child, but you gotta shrink down the number of images you share. You must. Beyond the obvious culling— things like strange facial expressions, awkward hands, etc., there are so many photographers who feel they need to share each and every image that they love. Unfortunately, this is a good way to head straight to Boring Postville.

Do not share the same scene, and the same pose five times in a row! The viewer’s eye will get bored and start to skip over. Your goal is for each new image to draw the eye, and surprise the viewer in some way. If the images start blurring together, the surprise element is gone and you’ve lost their interest. Be brutal in editing: your posts will thank you.

Lovely people, lovely images, but they’re so much alike and it’s killing me softly. These do not both need to be in a post together.

Step 2: Change Your Perspective

If you were an invisible spy at the photo shoot, how would you absorb all the information of the day? You’d start far away and move in closer. Too many posts start with the super-tight ring shot, or the close up of the hand on the face, and the viewer is left wondering subconsciously, “How did we get here?”

So aim to tell your story from the perspective of someone who was peeking over your shoulder. A great example is a wedding day. You don’t start a wedding day with the big dramatic first kiss, right? Set your scene. Show the viewer your location. Introduce them to the setup, then move in close to get the detail shots. It’s a much closer proximation to the reality of the day, and it helps our brains understand what’s going on when we’re viewing it on a computer after the fact.

Start broad.

Then move in for more detail…

… and then, even more detail.

From there, remember to include varying visual perspectives. If you’ve already shared a couple’s full-body portraits, don’t overdo it with the same angle. Move into a closeup of their faces, or a detail of their outfits. Or share a different detail from the day altogether. But for the love of Richard Avedon, please don’t share a dozen nearly-identical photos! Find a new perspective, and make it memorable.

Far away!

Close up! And it’s unique enough of a perspective, that including this shot rounds out the story of the previous one.

Step 3: Tell the Truth – Kind of

My favorite Emily Dickenson line is, “tell all the truth but tell it slant.” This is advice straight from a poet to a photographer, so use it wisely. Friends, there is no grand blog court that has ruled that you must share every image, from every scene, in every shoot. YOU are the artist, and YOU get to decide how you’re going to tell the truth! Let’s not squander that freedom! You’re an artist, and you can unfold a story in the most artistic way you deem worthy. Here’s what you do NOT have to do:
- Share images in the precise order you shot them.
- Share images from the scenes or poses that you wanted to try but didn’t quite work (and hey, good job trying new stuff!).
- Share images the client asked you to take that don’t totally represent your vision or your brand.
- Share images that don’t progress the story you want to tell.
The science of photography is that you always get to tell the truth. The art of photography is that you can tell it slant. Play that line because you can.

Step 4: Stay in the Flow

So, now that you’ve culled only the very best of your images, laid them out in a compelling story, shared your artistic skill with the world, and put together a bomb post, make sure the little details aren’t subtly throwing shade onto your creation.

Step away from your computer, go for a walk, have a glass of wine, do you… and then come back to review what you’ve written, shared, and how it all comes together. Try to have fresh eyes.

Is anything too repetitive? Do your shots flow together? Do your black and white images land in places throughout the post that make sense? If you include captions, do they add or detract from the overall effect of your story? These little details can take a post from good to truly excellent, so make sure you give your post another look before you click “Publish.”

What are your tips for culling photos for a great social media or blog post? What are your big no noes? I’d love to hear them.

googletag.cmd.push(function() {
tablet_slots.push( googletag.defineSlot( “/1005424/_dPSv4_tab-all-article-bottom_(300×250)”, [300, 250], “pb-ad-78623” ).addService( googletag.pubads() ) ); } );

googletag.cmd.push(function() {
mobile_slots.push( googletag.defineSlot( “/1005424/_dPSv4_mob-all-article-bottom_(300×250)”, [300, 250], “pb-ad-78158” ).addService( googletag.pubads() ) ); } );

The post How to Cull Your Images to Tell a Stronger Story in Your Blog or Social Media Posts by Laura Sullivan appeared first on Digital Photography School.

Digital Photography School
September 13, 2016
How to Use Angle of Light in People Photography for Added Punch

This may be something that you have already heard from landscape photographers. It is very important to be aware of the angle of the light (where does the light come from) to be able to get the best of a scene, and the best exposure for your image. Also, when using a polarizing filter, it is more effective when used at a 90 degrees angle to the sun for better blue sky results.

Angle of light – people photography

But when it comes to people photography I couldn’t find a lot mentioning the angle of light online. So here is what I think about it.

Keep the light behind you

When photographing people, it is also very important to be aware of the direction of the light. As I mention when teaching about composition, you should try, as much as possible, to keep the light behind you (or avoid facing the light). If the light remains behind you, the general exposure has more chance of being better, avoiding under and over exposed elements in the image.

Keeping the light behind you ensures a better general exposure through the whole image. Hoi An, Vietnam.

When facing the light, there are two options when it comes to people photography. You can either create a silhouette of your subjects while exposing for the brighter background. Or you can try to find a middle exposure, thus avoiding over exposing your background too much and keeping some details on the subject. This last method works very well in the early morning and late afternoon.

A silhouette created by directly facing the light. Isfahan, Iran.

The third option would be to expose for your subject and completely overexposing your background. I personally do not believe it looks that good though.

Finding a middle exposure between background and subject while facing the light works very well in the early morning and late afternoon. Kandovan, Iran.

Side light is magic

But when you put the light at a 90-degree angle, there is something magic that happens. When the light is softer and more colorful (at sunrise and sunset) it is possible to come up with some type of semi-silhouetted images. The part of your subject exposed to the light will be exposed correctly. The other part will be much darker (still preserving some details). That is going to create a more contrasty image, with a little more punch.

If you take an image which is slightly overexposed, there are no blacks in it and the histogram is slightly shifting to the right. As soon as the exposure goes down, some darker pixels will appear and add contrast to the image, making it instantly more powerful.

This is what a 90 degrees light will do to your subject: shadowing part of it and adding contrast and power to the image.

The light being on the right side, the back of this man is underexposed (in shadow), thus creating more contrast in the image. Hoi An, Vietnam.

For close-up portraits, the angle of the light has some superb effects on skin tones. Mostly when the tones are darker and more keen to reflect the light, this angle will enhance these tones. Because, as mentioned above, a part of your subject (the part which is not directly into the light) will be darker, the brighter parts will be enhanced.

Let’s compare

Here are two images of the same man, taken two minutes apart from each other. As you can see in the first one, the light is more even throughout the picture.

In this second image, there are some much darker areas on the left, adding contrast and punch to the image. The details on the skin tones are also much more interesting.

I hope that gives you some ideas for using the direction or angle of light to add punch to your people photography. Know where the light is coming from and make a conscious choice how to use it to your advantage.

Please share your people photos in the comments below.

googletag.cmd.push(function() {
tablet_slots.push( googletag.defineSlot( “/1005424/_dPSv4_tab-all-article-bottom_(300×250)”, [300, 250], “pb-ad-78623” ).addService( googletag.pubads() ) ); } );

googletag.cmd.push(function() {
mobile_slots.push( googletag.defineSlot( “/1005424/_dPSv4_mob-all-article-bottom_(300×250)”, [300, 250], “pb-ad-78158” ).addService( googletag.pubads() ) ); } );

The post How to Use Angle of Light in People Photography for Added Punch by Etienne Bossot appeared first on Digital Photography School.

Digital Photography School

September 12, 2016
Review: Inexpensive Time Lapse with the YI 4K Action Camera
While this is essentially a review of a small action camera, that produces both stills and video, I’m going to focus on using the little YI 4K Action Camera, to kickstart your love of time lapse photography.

YI Technology – YI 4K Action Camera

Time lapse photography can produce stunning results that can inspire you to travel, to capture behind the scenes of your photographic projects, even as a great way to capture your holidays. Your week at the beach might only last a few minutes as a time lapse (as opposed to a couple of hours of video to make your friends sit through!) However you use it, there’s no denying it’s fun to use, and fun to try.

Gear for time lapse photography

So, time lapse with amazing results requires a bit of gear, right? A camera that allows you to adjust your shutter and aperture. A trigger that allows you to set your camera to capture the time lapse, either indefinitely or for a certain period of time. If you want to take it further, you might look at something that allows you to have movement in your time lapse, rather than a static shot, just to add interest. (more on that, next article)

That being said, can you create a good enough looking time lapse, to start your journey into this fun and creative style of photography with an action camera? That’s the question I set out to find an answer to, with this latest hardware review.

I have a GoPro, it’s great! It’s the Hero4 Black, and it does time lapse, but it’s actually pretty expensive! Expensive enough, with some accessories and a spare battery, that you might actually consider just getting an entry level dSLR!

I also have a very brilliant Sony Action Cam 4K. Again, a spare battery and you’re up over half a grand. So, looking at options, I once again find myself wading into the “not really brand name” manufacturers of the lesser known! Enter YI Technology YI 4K Action Cam. There are a handful of reviews popping up online for this little camera, and most I’ve read or watched are positive. I’m not going to talk about the whole video side of the unit much, though it produces decent quality 4K footage for the price tag. This review is all about the camera’s time lapse ability.

The specs in brief are as follows:
- Main Processor – Ambarella A9SE chipset, includes a 800 MHz dual-core. Cortex-A9 ARM CPU and a high-performance digital signal processing (DSP) subsystem with a 32-Mpixel image sensor pipeline (ISP), and an advanced H.264 encoder capable of 4K resolution.
- Image Sensor – SONY IMX377, 1/2.3″, 12 megapixels CMOS image sensor with Exmor R ability.
- LCD Screen – 2.19″, 640×360 resolution touch screen, 330PPI, 250cd/m2 brightness, 30FPS, 160° FOV, 16:9.
- Lens – Lens f/2.8 aperture / 155° wide-angle lens, 7G, f=2.68mm.
- Wi-Fi – Broadcom BCM43340 Dual-band 5GHz /2.4GHz, built-in (802.11 abgn), offers 30Mbps download speed.
- Weight – 3.4 ounces camera + battery (96.4 grams).
- Size – 65 x 42 x 30 mm.
Said to have a Gorilla Glass rear touch screen, and I’ve got to say, that it’s actually useable! Responsive and clear, and also quite good at playing back your Time Lapse sequence on the camera.

What’s it like to work on your time lapse creation with the YI 4K?

It’s actually very simple, there’s a touch screen rear display (as per above) and you simply tap it, select time lapse (either photo or video version of time lapse), dial in some adjustment, and press the go button! Now, the unit saves the time lapse in one of two formats, you may have noticed I said “Photo or Video time lapse” above, which is basically the output you get when you select either. In video time lapse mode, you get a single file at the end of your sequence, with photo time lapse you get the time lapse movie as the individual images.

There are benefits to both. With the video version of the sequence, you get a simple video at the end, that you can directly upload and share with your friends. The downside of this is that if you get a dodgy image (bird flies across, a drastic light change, etc.) in the middle of your time lapse, with the photo version you can simply delete the offending frame and you’re good to go. In video mode, you would need to edit that frame out with a video editor of sorts. Keeping in mind you may lose a little continuity in your time lapse if you delete more than a couple of frames, and you’ll see jumps.

I’ve made a quick example. At 1:03 in this video mode time lapse, someone over my back fence switched on their outside light and the white balance (auto, in video time lapse mode) jumped a gate and ran off into the hills! Take a look, you’ll see what I mean. It’s only 4 frames and I could edit it out, but left it in to show you what I mean. In photo time lapse mode, you can preselect the white balance and this wouldn’t have happened. My sweet darkening purples changed to blue.

Does the YI 4K work as an entry level time lapse camera? Absolutely it does, and with better specs than the current GoPro Hero 4 Black, it’s a decent little all-round package if you want something less expensive to document your photoshoots with too.

Conclusion?

I really enjoyed using the YI 4K as I call it. It’s easy to use, produces a good result, and is very well priced for what you get. One other thing I really like is the inclusion of a 1/4 20″ metal tripod mount in the bottom of the camera. So, you can stick a tripod plate on it, or screw it straight onto a light stand for use on set, or just to get your YI4K up high for a time lapse.

I’m not about to bin my GoPro or Sony Action Cam, but there is rumoured to be a GoPro 5 dropping sometime very soon – we shall see how they stack up.

What I like about the YI 4K Action Camera:
- Simple iOS app to change all settings on the YI 4K.
- Good quality images from an Action Cam.
- Multiple options for time lapse (Video / Stills).
- Fantastic touchscreen included in device by default.
- Good battery life.
- Tripod mount on the camera.
What I’d like to see improved:
- More standard accessories
I’m not really thinking I should give this a star rating as I’ve really only used it for time lapse, but if I were to give it a rating, it’d have to be a 4.5 out of 5 I think! Good job, YI Technology.

googletag.cmd.push(function() {
tablet_slots.push( googletag.defineSlot( “/1005424/_dPSv4_tab-all-article-bottom_(300×250)”, [300, 250], “pb-ad-78623” ).addService( googletag.pubads() ) ); } );

googletag.cmd.push(function() {
mobile_slots.push( googletag.defineSlot( “/1005424/_dPSv4_mob-all-article-bottom_(300×250)”, [300, 250], “pb-ad-78158” ).addService( googletag.pubads() ) ); } );

The post Review: Inexpensive Time Lapse with the YI 4K Action Camera by Sime appeared first on Digital Photography School.

Digital Photography School
September 12, 2016
Why Shooting with the Joyful Abandon Approach Can Improve Your Photography

A few months ago I was at a keynote speech given by a famous photographer and workshop leader (you’d know him). He had a lot of great advice to give, but one thing that he said still bugs me. He told us a story about one of his students who, at the end of a wildlife workshop, exclaimed that he’d captured over 8,000 images. In his keynote speech, this famous photographer laughed at his student for shooting so much, since he himself had only shot 800 images.

Shooting with a goal

I never like it when a workshop leader pokes fun at his students but, as he explained further, his reason for telling us the story was a pretty good one. As a workshop leader he would always set a daily goal. He would decide ahead of time what he wanted to capture and then he’d focus on making those images. He coached his students to work that way too.

I love the idea of setting a goal and having a vision. Setting goals is part of how we improve our photography. Every fall the squirrels descend upon my backyard tree and gorge themselves on nuts. During this time of year, I stealthily make images of the little rascals. I don’t shoot aimlessly when I work on this project. My on-going goal is to capture soft golden light, creamy blurred backgrounds, sharply focused eyes and engaging expressions. Squirrels move fast and I’m neither as speedy nor as stealthy as I’d like to be. I shoot a lot of frames when I work on this project.

But…

You knew there was a but, right? The singular vision of this workshop photographer might not work for all of his students. As great a teacher as he is, the first morning you head out together, you probably won’t have enough information to have an instant vision of the work you want to make during the workshop. You might even struggle as you climb the steep learning curve of wildlife photography – and you may shoot a lot as you learn.

Plus, shooting with a goal doesn’t equate to less shutter clicks, it equates to more focus. You might need even more shutter clicks than you usually do, depending on the goal you’ve set yourself.

This big cat, photographed at Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago, is one of the few images I’ve made there that I’ve been pleased with. Most of my images from the zoo don’t fulfill my vision. This one does because the she-lion is engaging with another lion (out of the frame). Her eyes are sharply focused and the background is not only blurred, but it frames her beautifully, and emphasizes her coloring.

I easily shot several hundred images of this lion one afternoon, to get this single image. Shooting my backyard squirrel project helped me define a vision of how I wanted this image to look, but it still took me a lot of frames to reach my goal.

Developing authentic vision

The way the keynote speaker made fun of his student for “over-shooting” bothers me because shooting wildlife images from inside a jeep or blind, elbow to elbow with four other workshop photographers, while steadying a super zoom lens, isn’t exactly easy stuff. Once you start to learn the technical aspects of this type of shooting, your authentic vision might kick in as early as Day 2 or 3 of your workshop. If it takes you all week to get comfortable with wildlife shooting techniques, your vision might not kick in until well after you get home.

Personally, that delayed vision is why I encourage photographers to shoot with what I call the joyful abandon approach. I especially recommend the joyful abandon approach when you’re visiting somewhere you’ve never been, or learning to shoot in a new way. Imagine that you do finally fully develop your vision well after you’ve finished your wildlife workshop. Won’t you want a huge pool of images to ensure that you have the raw materials to realize your vision?

I’ve traveled to Florida dozens of times but up until a few years ago, I’d never visited the Everglades, or ridden in an airboat. Even with an amazing guide explaining the ecosystem and gliding the boat slowly up to known alligator dens, it was a technically difficult shoot. With the movement of the boat and the reeds, my camera struggled to grab focus where I aimed.

The result? I shot. And shot. And shot some more. I’m grateful for all that shooting, since this is the one image I walked away with (above). It has that blurred golden background I love and – key for me when I shoot wildlife – that engaged expression, and tack-sharp focus on the eye.

Build your portfolio

You may never again have a chance to return to that wildlife workshop location, but your workshop leader does. He has the luxury of going annually with his students. He can take years to develop vision, shoot with measured patience, and build a portfolio of the 25 best wildlife images anyone has ever seen.

You, on the other hand, should shamelessly fill memory cards so that when you arrive home, you have access to a massive database of images that might yield 200 shareable gems. It will take work to cull those images and get to those gems, but it’s worth it, isn’t it?

Since your workshop leader has been on this type of shoot over and over, all that familiarity gives him increased comfort, and that increased comfort opens the portal for him to be more focused, and more creative, while shooting fewer frames. Plus, he already owns all of those classic wildlife images that you’ll still want to bring home. He has the luxury of pressing that shutter button once every 15 or 30 minutes. You don’t. You have work to do and a portfolio to build.

A wild horse rolling in dust is a classic, portfolio-building wildlife image. Over the years, I’ve easily shot a thousand frames of rolling horses, but for me, this is “the one.” The experience I’ve gained from shooting with joyful abandon taught me just where to stand and how to compose my image. To maximize the dust and light beams, while capturing all four legs in the air, a well-defined face, and a highlighted mane.

I continued to shoot as this horse lumbered back up to his feet and was rewarded with a glorious, dusty shake too.

Keep shooting with joyful abandon

While I’m using a wildlife workshop as an example, since that was this keynote speaker’s specific remark, this idea of shooting with joyful abandon really applies to any opportunity to shoot, anywhere, even if you’re not on a workshop.

Whenever I travel to a new-to-me wild horse range, I carry massive amounts of memory cards and storage, and I shoot with absolute gleeful, joyful abandon. When I have a chance to return to that same wild horse range, I still have stacks of memory cards and storage, plus a more informed, authentic vision of the images I’d like to capture. I continue to shoot with joyful abandon and I promise you, over the course of a week, I’ll shoot far more than 800 frames.

Making images isn’t just about how many frames we shoot, or how many keepers we get, it’s also about the process. Every single frame you shoot is part of your process, and that process helps you develop your unique vision. Whether that vision is focusing on the big picture or honing in on small details, or documenting grand moments or capturing subtle tender ones like these foals with their mothers, shooting with joyful abandon will help you achieve it.

The shooting with joyful abandon approach is how I’ve developed my vision – and how I continue to develop it and stay passionate about shooting. How do you develop your vision and fuel your passion for photography?

googletag.cmd.push(function() {
tablet_slots.push( googletag.defineSlot( “/1005424/_dPSv4_tab-all-article-bottom_(300×250)”, [300, 250], “pb-ad-78623” ).addService( googletag.pubads() ) ); } );

googletag.cmd.push(function() {
mobile_slots.push( googletag.defineSlot( “/1005424/_dPSv4_mob-all-article-bottom_(300×250)”, [300, 250], “pb-ad-78158” ).addService( googletag.pubads() ) ); } );

The post Why Shooting with the Joyful Abandon Approach Can Improve Your Photography by Lara Joy Brynildssen appeared first on Digital Photography School.

Digital Photography School

September 12, 2016