Category: Photography

How to Blur the Background in Lightroom: A Complete Guide
The post How to Blur the Background in Lightroom: A Complete Guide appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Rick Ohnsman.

If you want to give more emphasis to your subject, you must minimize the background. The best way to achieve this is in-camera; you can focus on the subject but pick a wide aperture and a long focal length for limited depth of field. The result is a sharp subject but a blurred, simplified background:

The best way to blur the background in a photo is with a combination of focal length and aperture.

That is the ideal method. I’m going to teach you how to blur the background in Lightroom, but with the caveat that it is not the best way.

What if your image is sharp from front to back but the background now competes for attention? You didn’t think about it and made your shot with a smaller aperture, wide focal length, or both. Or perhaps you’re dealing with a smartphone image, where a small sensor size and a very short focal length almost always creates images with everything in focus.

Smartphone photos typically have a deep depth of field due to the small sensors and very short focal lengths. The image on the left is straight out of the phone. The version on the right had the background blurred with Lightroom to put more emphasis on the subject.

If you failed to get a blurred background in-camera, your next best option is Photoshop – or another sophisticated editing program that supports layers, selections, and functions like gradients and Gaussian blur.

As for Lightroom: It’s a fair option. It will work, but using it to blur your background probably ought to be thought of as a “rescue mission.” I don’t want to discourage you – Lightroom often can produce a very acceptable blur – but I’d strongly encourage you to shoot multiple images during your photo session and vary the aperture if you think you might want to soften the background.

But all the coulda, woulda, and shoulda regrets over how you might have made a better in-camera capture don’t count when the session is over, the images are already made, and Lightroom is the only editing tool you have.

So let me show you how to blur the background in Lightroom.

“Chuck” the rockchuck blended in a bit too much with the background. Using Lightroom, I blurred the areas around him to simulate a shot with a long lens and a wide aperture.

Two major steps

There are two major things to consider when blurring the background in Lightroom:
- What area(s) you want blurred
- The kind and amount of blurring you want
The what and how of masking

In Photoshop, defining the area you want to work with is typically done with selections. There are a variety of tools to create selections, and once you’ve made them, you’ll typically see the “marching ants” – the animated dotted-line border that defines your selected area.

But in Lightroom, there are no selections, and you’ll never see the ants. Instead, Lightroom uses what it calls “masks” to allow you to select areas where you want effects applied.

There are three local adjustment tools you can use in Lightroom to select areas and apply masks:
- The Adjustment Brush
- The Graduated Filter
- The Radial Filter
Blurring the background with a Graduated Filter and the filter brush

This statue photo has a busy background. Background blurring techniques in Lightroom can help keep more attention on the subject.

Step 1: Drag a Graduated Filter from the right edge across the entire image. The Mask Overlay is turned on (in green).

Step 2: With the Graduated Filter still selected, get the filter brush tool. (Find the word “Brush” at the top of the editing panels and click that, not the picture of the brush). Either hold down the Alt/Option key while you work so the symbol inside the brush is a “-” sign or click the Erase option. Erase portions of the mask you don’t want to be blurred. The Auto Mask option can be helpful to find edges.

Step 3: Finish erasing the portions of the subject you want to be sharp. Then think about other areas that would be sharp if you had shot with a limited depth of field, such as the foreground. Erase those areas, too, making sure to use a very feathered brush with a low flow. After your image is masked, drag down the Sharpness slider to create the blur. (It’s good to toggle off the Mask Overlay here so you can see what you’re doing; just hit “O” on the keyboard to toggle it on and off.)

It’s probably best to think of your filter brush more as an airbrush than a paintbrush. There are four settings you can use to control its application:
- Size: Changes the size of the brush. Roll the mouse wheel, use the left and right bracket keys, or use the slider.
- Feather: Changes how hard the edge of the brush is and how rapidly the effect falls off. Use Shift while rolling the mouse wheel, Shift and the bracket keys together, or the Feather slider.
- Flow: Controls how quickly the effect is applied with each stroke of the brush. Use the slider to adjust the flow, or with the brush tool selected, change the flow with the number keys on the keyboard. Using multiple strokes will build up the effect.
- Density: Controls the maximum opacity of the brush effect. For example, if the Flow was at 100 but the Density was at 50, one stroke of the brush would apply the effect at 50% opacity.
It is possible to simply select the Adjustment Brush, drag the sharpness slider all the way down (“reverse sharpening”), and start painting away on your image, watching the painted sections become more blurred. (You are still creating a mask this way, but you will not see it unless you turn on the Mask Overlay).

The Adjustment Brush method might work fine if you don’t mind being imprecise about how finely the blur is applied, but it is not the best method for finer work.

Radial Filter

The Radial Filter has a shape that is restricted to circles and ovals. The effect radiates out from the center of the spot where it is applied. You can control its size, feathering, and orientation.

Using the Invert checkbox, you can also control whether the filter effect occurs outside the oval (the default), or inside the oval (if the Invert box is checked).

Blurring the background with the Radial Filter is a three-step process:

1) Mask the entire image with the Radial Filter. (Turn on the Mask Overlay to see where the mask is applied.)

2) Use the filter brush to erase portions of the mask you want to remain sharp.

3) Slide the Sharpness slider to the left for reverse sharpening (softening) of the masked areas.

The image on the left is prior to masking; the image in the center shows the masked area after removing the mask on the barn; the image on the right shows a blurred background.

The Overlay option

Being able to see where you’ve applied a mask makes things easier, so turning on the Mask Overlay option is a good idea. This can be done by either checking the box at the bottom of the screen labeled Show Selected Mask Overlay or by tapping the “O” key on your keyboard.

You can cycle through various overlay colors (which can help to make your mask stand out over different photo colors) by using Shift + O.

This background blur was created by simply loading the Adjustment Brush with the Sharpness slider turned down, then painting over the areas I wanted to soften. I added a Radial Mask with a slightly raised exposure to the fern to give added attention there.

Modifying masks

Though the Adjustment Brush, Radial Filter, and Graduated Filter are the only tools for applying masks, there are other tools for modifying them.
- Auto Mask – Checking this box while working with a brush will help the brush find edges in your image and can make masking much easier.
- Erase – You can use the Adjustment Brush to paint on a mask. When doing so, you will see a “+” symbol at the center of the brush. Clicking the Erase option will change the symbol at the center of the brush to a “-” symbol so that you can erase portions of the mask you already painted on. You can also easily switch from painting to erasing by holding down the Alt/Option key.
- You can add or subtract from Graduated Filter or Radial Filter masks with the filter brush tool. If you are working with a Graduated or Radial Filter mask, you will see the word “Brush” appear to the right of the word “Mask.” Important: This is a different brush than the Adjustment Brush tool. It will allow you to add to or subtract from your existing Graduated Filter or Radial Filter mask.
Range masking

Lightroom has recently added what is called the Range Mask.

With Range Masking, you still apply an initial mask using the three tools mentioned above (the Adjustment Brush, the Radial Filter, and the Graduated Filter). But by turning on Range Masking, you can control more specifically where the mask is applied.

The Luminance Range Mask will allow you to selectively apply a mask to a range of luminance (brightness) in the photo, while Color Range Masking allows the mask to be applied to a range of color (hue). Being proficient with the Range Mask will serve you well as you become a more skilled Lightroom editor.

Clockwise from top left: 1) the Before image. 2) The background selected with the Color Range Mask. 3) The background blurred with one blur layer. 4) The background blurred with three duplicate blur layers.

Learning how to create a mask to work with the areas you want is the most important part of how to blur the background in Lightroom. Take time to carefully apply and fine-tune your masks. How convincing your final image will be is highly dependent on the careful application of your mask.

This is the original edited image. It had been foggy earlier in the day, and I wanted to emulate that look.

I first brought in Graduated Filters from both the right and the left with the Sharpen slider down to about -28.

I then brought another Graduated Filter down from the top with the Sharpen slider all the way down to -95.

I then added some additional masking with the Adjustment Brush tool, and I dropped the Sharpening down to about -33.

Here is the final result with some additional negative Dehaze added to my masks.

Creating the blur

Creating your masks will determine where your blurring effect is applied. It’s the more time-consuming and critical step.

But these next steps will determine how the blur looks.

Let’s say you have a person in your foreground as the main subject. You want them to be sharp, but you’d like to blur the background. Using the masking tools and techniques I’ve outlined above, here’s how I’d approach the image:
1. Drag a Graduated Filter across the image so the entire scene is masked.
2. Use the filter brush tool (the one that’s part of the Graduated Filter) to fine-tune the mask, erasing portions over the subject, adding back as needed, and perhaps also using the Auto Mask feature to help you better mask near the edges.
3. Now, with your Graduated Filter selected, drag the Sharpness slider down, perhaps all the way to the left.
4. See if dragging down the Clarity slider a bit helps achieve the blur you want. Use this more sparingly than the Sharpness slider as it can create a strange look if applied too strongly.
5. Play with the other sliders to see what effect they might have. Remember that each slider will only affect the masked area.
Double down on the blur

You might find that even if you drag your Sharpness or Clarity sliders all the way to the left, you still aren’t getting the amount of blur you’d like. Time to double down.

Once you’ve added the sharpening or clarity effect, right-click the pin and hit Duplicate. A copy of the adjustments will be applied on top of the existing adjustments, and the blur will be multiplied.

Still not enough? Repeat and duplicate again. You can make as many duplicates as you like, slowly building up the effect.

Top left: The Before image. Top right: The mask applied. Bottom left: The background blurred with one pass of reverse sharpening. Bottom right: The background blurred with three duplicates of the reverse sharpening adjustment.

When you blur the background in Lightroom, less is more

Let’s come back around to what I said at the beginning of this article:

Using Lightroom to blur your background is not the best way to achieve the look you’re after. Softening details with editing is a bit of fakery and cannot begin to truly reproduce the kind of bokeh blur achieved with a lens.

So instead of creating something that is immediately obvious and calls attention to itself, be subtle. If an untrained observer would say, “This looks like an editing effect,” you’ve failed.

Less can be more. Just a little reverse sharpening to the background and foreground simulates a narrow depth of field.

Spend whatever time it takes to create and refine your masks so that it’s not obvious where the edge is. Consider the different parts of the scene that should – and shouldn’t! – be blurred.

Then be sparing in your application of reverse sharpness and clarity. It’s always a good practice to take a break after an editing session to give your eyes a rest, then look at your image again later. You might even ask someone else to view the image. (They should not be able to tell that anything was doctored.)

Front-to-back sharpness or a simulation of limited depth of field? For this shot, there wouldn’t have been time to shoot it both ways, so the ability to blur the background in editing was useful.

How to blur the background in Lightroom: final words

In teaching you how to blur the background in Lightroom, I want you to be successful with your editing and make beautiful images.

So test out the techniques I’ve shared. And if you get good results, post some of your before and after images in the comments below!

Why should you blur the background of a photo?

You should always decide on the most important subject in your photo and use techniques to put the most attention on that subject. Sometimes backgrounds can be distracting, so blurring them while keeping the main subject sharp can be a good idea.

Is Lightroom a good application for blurring the background?

It works, but you will be using tools not especially created for this purpose. Adobe Photoshop or a different editing application with selections, layers, and Gaussian blur would be better.

Is there a Blur tool in Lightroom?

Not really. To blur backgrounds in Lightroom, you add reverse sharpness and reverse clarity over selected portions of the image.

What is the best way to blur the background in a photo?

The best way is to shoot your photos with a limited depth of field. Wide apertures and longer focal lengths would be the in-camera approach to the blurred background look.

Will the “Portrait mode” of newer smartphone cameras allow you to blur the background?

Yes, this mode actually takes multiple shots and combines them in-camera to create a blurred background effect. It might be better than what you can do in Lightroom, but it provides limited user control and is not nearly as good as what can be done with a traditional camera.

The post How to Blur the Background in Lightroom: A Complete Guide appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Rick Ohnsman.

Digital Photography School
April 8, 2021
Photography Terminology: A Glossary of 69 Essential Photographic Terms
The post Photography Terminology: A Glossary of 69 Essential Photographic Terms appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Darlene Hildebrandt.

Are you overwhelmed or confused by photography terminology? Do you want to speak “photographer” like the pros?

That’s what this article is all about.

I’ll go over some of the most common technical photography terms as well as some less common slang and photographer jargon. By the end, I promise you will have a better grasp of the language. You’ll even be able to have a conversation with a seasoned pro and hold your own!

Let’s get started.

Basic photography terms

These are the photography terms you’ll find in your camera’s manual and in most beginner tutorials:
- Aperture – The variable opening in the lens through which light passes to the film or digital sensor. Aperture is measured in f-stops. I like to compare it to your pupil, which opens and closes to allow more or less light into your eye depending on the brightness level of the room.
- Bracketing – Taking a series of images at different exposures. You may see a setting on your camera that says AEB (auto exposure bracketing). Bracketing is often used when creating HDR images or in difficult lighting situations where you may want to have a range of exposures from light to dark.
- Bulb – the “B” setting on your camera where the shutter remains open for as long as the button or cable release (remote trigger) is pressed.
- DSLR – A digital single-lens reflex camera. Any digital camera with interchangeable lenses where the image is viewed using a mirror and prism and the image is taken directly through the lens. What you see in your viewfinder is what the lens sees.
- EV – Exposure value; this is a number that represents the various different combinations of aperture and shutter speed that can create the same exposure effect.
- Exposure compensation – Modifying the shutter speed or aperture from the camera’s recommended exposure to create a certain effect or correct for exposure problems. Your camera reads light bouncing off your subject and is designed to expose for medium gray. So when photographing a subject that is lighter or darker than 18% gray, you can use this setting to tell the camera the proper exposure (by dialing in – or + exposure compensation).
- Exposure – The total amount of light reaching the digital sensor. It is determined by the aperture, shutter speed, and ISO.
- F-stop – A measure of the aperture opening in the lens defined by dividing the focal length of the lens by the aperture diameter. The sequence of f-stops features multiples of the square root of 2 (1.4): 1, 1.4, 2, 2.8, 4, 5.6, 8, 11, 16, 22, etc. Though these numbers are rather cryptic, make sure to remember that each step is double the amount of light. Know that, and you’ve won half the battle.
- ISO – Represents the sensitivity of your camera’s digital sensor to light. The lower the number (ISO 100), the less sensitive to light; the higher the number (ISO 3200), the more sensitive to light. A higher ISO allows you to shoot in low-light conditions.
- Shutter speed – The amount of time the shutter is open during an exposure. The shutter speed controls the appearance of motion. Use a fast shutter speed (such as 1/2000s) to freeze motion or a slow shutter speed (such as 1/30s or longer) to blur moving objects.
- Zoom lens – Any lens that has a variable focal length, such as a 24-70mm or an 18-55mm lens. You generally zoom in or out by rotating the barrel of the lens.
- Prime or fixed lens – Any lens that does not zoom and features a set focal length, such as a nifty 50mm lens.
- Remote trigger or digital cable release – A device that allows the camera to be fired without pressing the shutter button or touching the camera. Helps eliminate camera movement during long exposures.
- Macro lens – A lens that focuses very close to a subject, so you can capture highly detailed, magnified images.
- “Normal” lens – Generally a 50mm lens (on a full-frame camera). This lens closely parallels what the human eye sees. If you have a crop-sensor camera, a “normal” lens will be closer to 35mm.
- Telephoto lens – Offers a tighter field of view than a normal lens (i.e., it takes more magnified images). Generally from around 70mm to 300mm. A super-telephoto lens is usually 300mm or longer.
- Wide-angle lens – A lens that features a wider field of view than a normal lens. Generally spans from over 10mm to under 50mm. Depending on the focal length, there may also be edge distortion (i.e., in super wide-angle lenses).
- Tilt-shift lens – A special-effect lens. Allows for realignment of the plane of focus (tilt). Allows for adjusting the placement of the subject within the frame without angling the camera, thus keeping parallel lines from converging (shift). A popular lens for architectural and landscape photographers and is becoming more widely used by portrait photographers to create a unique, stylized look.
- Camera resolution – The dimensions your camera’s sensor is capable of capturing, expressed in megapixels. This is not the only factor in image quality, but the greater the resolution, the larger the prints you can produce without significant loss of quality (generally speaking).
- JPEG vs RAW – Two different image file types. Most cameras have the ability to shoot in JPEG and RAW. If you choose JPEG, the camera will shoot a RAW file, process it using the picture style you’ve selected in your menu, save it as a JPEG, and discard the RAW version. If you choose RAW, the resulting file will be larger, carry more information, and require software to process. It gives you – the photographer – more control over the final look of the image.
- Full-frame vs crop/APS-C sensor – A full-frame sensor is roughly the size of 35mm film. Most lenses create a circle of light just large enough to cover the 35mm sensor area. But in a crop-sensor camera, the physical size of the sensor is smaller; it only captures a portion of the entire image the lens is projecting, effectively cropping out part of the shot. Common crop factors are 1.5x and 1.6x, so if you use a 50mm lens on an APS-C camera, it offers a 75mm focal length equivalent.
- Camera modes – There are four standard camera modes. Auto mode selects settings without user input. Manual mode allows the user to control the ISO, shutter speed, and aperture. Shutter Priority mode allows the user to select the ISO and shutter speed while the camera selects the aperture. Aperture Priority mode allows the user to select the ISO and aperture while the camera picks the shutter speed. Program mode allows the user to select the ISO while the camera picks the aperture and shutter speed.
Lighting and portrait photography terms
- Ambient light – Also referred to as available light. Ambient light occurs in the scene without adding any flash or light modifiers. It can be daylight, or it can be artificial light such as tungsten or fluorescent bulbs.
- Main light or key light – The main light source for a photograph. It could be the sun, a studio strobe, a flash, a reflector, or something else. It’s the source that produces the pattern of light on the subject with the most intensity.
- Fill light – The light source that is secondary to the key light. Used to “fill” in the shadows. Can be produced with a flash, a reflector, or a studio strobe.
- Lighting pattern – The way the light falls on the subject’s face (e.g., at a 45-degree angle).
- Lighting ratio – A comparison between the intensity (brightness) of the main light and the fill light. In other words: the difference between the lit and shadow sides of the subject’s face.
- Incident light meter – A handheld device that measures the amount of light falling on a subject. An incident meter is not fooled by the brightness range of the subject, whereas in-camera reflective meters can be fooled (resulting in overexposure and underexposure).
- Speedlight – A small, portable flash that can attach to your camera’s hot shoe or stand on its own when activated remotely.
- Reflector – A device used to reflect light (generally back toward the subject). It can be a specialized, factory-made reflector (I recommend getting a 5-in-1), or a piece of white cardboard.
- Light meter – A device that measures the amount of light in a scene. Pretty much all modern cameras offer a built-in light meter, though it uses reflective readings (see the entry on incident light meters, above).
- Remote flash trigger – A device used to fire speedlights off-camera.
- Subtractive lighting – Taking away light to create a darker look. It often involves holding a reflector or an opaque panel over the subject’s head to block light from above and open up deep eye shadows caused by overhead lighting. It can also involve holding a black reflector opposite your main light to create a deeper shadow (i.e., essentially reflecting black onto the subject instead of light.)
- Hard light – Harsh or non-diffused light such as that produced by bright sunlight, a small speedlight, or an on-camera flash. Creates harsh shadows with well-defined edges, contrast, and texture (if used at an angle to the subject). Emphasizes texture, lines, and wrinkles. Often used to create a more dramatic type of portrait.
- Soft light – Diffused light, such as that from an overcast sky, north-facing window with no direct light, or a large studio softbox. This type of light produces soft shadows with soft edges, lower contrast, and less texture. Soft light is generally preferred by most wedding and portrait photographers because it flatters the subject.
- Edge transfer – How quickly shadow edges go from dark to light. With harsh light, the edge transfer is very defined and sudden (almost a clear line). With soft lighting, the edge transfer is much more subtle – almost imperceptible – as it gradually changes from dark to light.
- Flash sync – The synchronization of the firing of an electronic flash and the shutter speed. You need to know what shutter speed your camera syncs at; otherwise, if you use a too-fast shutter speed, you may get a partially illuminated image. For most cameras, the sync speed is around 1/200s.
Slang and photography jargon

Here are a few other photography terms that are a bit more advanced (including some wacky jargon and slang!). Become familiar with this terminology so you can talk to pros with confidence.
- Fast glass – Refers to a lens with a very large maximum aperture (such as f/1.8 or f/1.2). The lens is “fast” because it lets you shoot with a fast shutter speed.
- Chimping – Slang term for looking at the back of your camera after every image. Has a negative connotation; if you chimp, you’re spending too much time reviewing images on the camera and not enough time shooting.
- Bokeh – The out-of-focus blurred bits in an image background. Most often bokeh occurs when small light sources are in the background.
- Depth of field (DOF or DoF) – The distance between the nearest and farthest objects in your scene that appear in focus. Controlled by many factors, including the aperture, lens focal length, and distance to the subject.
- Hyperfocal distance – The focus distance providing the maximum depth of field for a particular aperture and focal length. Older prime lenses often have hyperfocal distance marks to aid in finding this depth-of-field sweet spot. With today’s lenses, it is possible to calculate the hyperfocal distance, but it takes a bit more work and a hyperfocal distance calculator.
- Gobo – Something used to block unwanted or stray light from falling onto the subject. Often the dark side of a reflector is used as a gobo.
- Scrim – A translucent device used to diffuse and soften the light. Can be a reflector with a translucent panel. Scrims can be made extremely large and clamped in place to create shade even in direct sunlight.
- Shutter lag – The slight delay from the time you press the shutter button to the time the shutter actually opens. In DSLRs and mirrorless cameras, shutter lag is minimal and almost unnoticeable. In smaller point-and-shoot cameras, the delay is more pronounced (and can cause you to miss shots of fast-moving subjects).
- Chromatic aberration – Color fringing that can appear in areas of images where dark meets light (e.g., the edge of a building against the sky). CA is correctable to a great degree using Photoshop, Lightroom, and most other editing software.
- Rear-curtain sync – Rear-curtain sync fires the flash at the end of an exposure. By default, most cameras are set to front-curtain sync (i.e., if the flash fires, it does so at the beginning of the exposure). When shooting a moving subject, front-curtain sync will put any motion blur in front of the subject, whereas rear-curtain sync will place the blur behind the subject. Neither is wrong; it depends on the effect you’re after.
- Camera shake – When a camera moves during an exposure and creates blur.
- Lens flare – Stray light that creates haze, circles, or other artifacts in an image. Some photographers actually desire lens flare; they position their cameras to create flare and use it as a compositional element.
- Kelvin – The absolute measurement of color temperature. Lower numbers represent warmer colors like orange (tungsten light), whereas the higher numbers are cooler (blues). Play with the color temperature to create different effects.
- ND filter – Stands for neutral density filter. It’s a filter designed to go in front of the lens to block out some of the light entering the camera. Often used by landscape photographers to get slow shutter speeds when photographing waterfalls and streams in full daylight.
- Panning – The act of using a slow shutter speed and moving the camera in the same direction as a moving subject. Creates an artistic, blurred background.
- Stopping down – Closing down the aperture to a smaller opening (e.g., going from f/5.6 to f/8).
- TTL and ETTL – TTL stands for through the lens; it refers to the metering system in regard to flash exposure. The flash emits light until it is turned off by the camera sensor. ETTL stands for evaluative through-the-lens metering. It fires a “preflash” to evaluate and calculate for lost light, then compensates and fires the main flash. It happens so fast you do not see two flashes.
- Photog – Short for “photographer.” Something pros often call each other.
- Glass – A lens. As in, “What glass do you own?”
- Golden hour – Also called “magic hour.” This is the hour or two right before sunset and right after sunrise. The sun is low on the horizon, and it is an optimal time for photography.
- Spray and pray – Shoot as many images as possible while praying you get something good.
- Blown out – An image with no details in the white areas.
- Clipped – Either blown out areas (above) or dark, detailless shadows.
- Grip-and-grin – A quick photoshoot at an event or a setup with two people shaking hands. Most portrait and event photographers have to shoot these at some point in their careers.
- Selfie – A self-portrait.
- SOOC – Straight out of camera; an image with no post-processing.
- Dust bunnies – Dark spots that appear on an image caused by bits of dust on the digital sensor.
- Pixel peeper – Someone who spends too much time looking at images magnified in Photoshop.
- Nifty fifty – A 50mm prime lens. Great to have!
- ACR – Adobe Camera Raw. The editing software that’s packaged alongside Photoshop.
- Flash and drag – The method of using a slow shutter speed combined with flash to capture more of the ambient light in proportion to the flash.
- Wide open – Using your lens with the aperture at its widest setting (f/1.8, for example).
Photography terminology: final words

Whew! That was a long list. If you made it this far, congratulations; you know how to use photography terms like a pro.

So get out there and start practicing your photography terminology. Be sure to have lots of fun!

Now over to you:

What photography terms do you struggle with? Do you have any more terms I should add to this list? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

The post Photography Terminology: A Glossary of 69 Essential Photographic Terms appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Darlene Hildebrandt.

Digital Photography School
April 6, 2021
9 Night Photography Tips for Nailing Your Exposure (Every Time)
The post 9 Night Photography Tips for Nailing Your Exposure (Every Time) appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jim Hamel.

In this article, I’m going to tell you everything you need to know about getting beautiful night photography exposures.

As a longtime night photographer, I’m well-equipped to share with you the best night exposure techniques – so that you can create stunning shots every time you take out your camera.

Specifically, I’m going to discuss:
- the best exposure mode for night photography
- the best night photography shutter speed, aperture, and ISO settings
- a quick way to check your night exposures
- much, much more!
So if you’re ready to become a night photography master, then let’s get started!

Note: If you’re serious about night photography and want to really take your night photos to the next level, check out my night photography course. It offers easy-to-follow night photography tutorials with hours of helpful videos and case studies.

1. Work in Manual mode

Here’s your first night photography tip, and it’s a big one:

Make sure you’re shooting in Manual mode.

In Manual mode, you will set the shutter speed, aperture, and ISO. This gives you complete control over your camera.

When shooting at night, your camera will be on a tripod, and you will be working slowly. So there is no need to use any automatic mode; even if you’re not totally comfortable with camera settings, you can take your time, carefully dialing in your aperture and shutter speed and checking your exposure.

Further, there might be a little trial and error with the exposure settings (the camera can be fooled by the large differences in bright and dark areas of the picture), and you want to make sure you have plenty of control over this process.

Manual mode gives you that control.

4s | f/5.6 | ISO 400

2. Make sure you are comfortable with Bulb mode

Manual mode only works for exposures up to 30 seconds.

So if you need a shutter speed that is longer than 30 seconds, the only option is Bulb mode. Therefore, while you should generally shoot in Manual, you should also get comfortable with Bulb.

In Bulb mode, the shutter stays open as long as you hold down the shutter button. When you hit the button, the shutter opens. When you release the button, the shutter closes.

(Of course, to avoid introducing any shake or movement into the exposure, you must use a remote shutter release when working in Bulb mode.)

With Bulb mode, you can make your exposure several minutes long. If your remote shutter release doesn’t have a built-in timer, make sure you keep another timer handy (e.g., on your phone).

Also, if your remote does not have a timer, make sure it has a locking feature, so you don’t have to hold the shutter button during the entire exposure.

6s | f/5.6 | ISO 1600

3. Shoot in RAW

When shooting at night, it is particularly important to make sure you are shooting in RAW format.

RAW files coming out of most cameras are 14 bits, whereas JPEGS are only 8-bit files. The more bits, the higher the range of available colors and the smoother the transitions between them.

(In other words: RAW files look better.)

Plus, most of the colors a camera can capture are at the top (bright) end of the scale. The range of available colors at the low (dark) end of the scale is extremely limited. At night, your pictures will almost always include a large dark portion. A JPEG file, with its reduced color options, will likely display (very ugly) banding.

So always, always, always shoot in RAW.

4. Bring a flashlight

Knowing your camera controls pays off at night. You can make changes to the settings without being able to see everything.

Nevertheless, a small flashlight is tremendously useful. Keep one handy to make sure you can see everything on your camera and tripod.

(It occasionally comes in handy for lighting areas of your picture, as well!)

10s | f/9 | ISO 200

5. Choose proper settings

Proper settings will always depend on the situation. Nevertheless, there are some helpful guidelines for choosing settings at night:
- Aperture: Open up your aperture more at night than you would during the day (i.e., use a lower f-number). Most night photographs tend to require less depth of field than shots during the day. Plus, the background and sky will be black. The larger aperture also has the benefit of letting more light into your camera.
- ISO: Keep your ISO setting as low as you can. Night photography always has dark areas, and these dark areas inevitably lead to digital noise. Raising the ISO will compound the problem.
- Shutter speed: Whereas shutter speed might be the first exposure setting you worry about during the day, it should generally be the last one you think about at night. Since you will be shooting from a tripod, you can let the shutter stay open as long as you need. If you have traffic (streaking lights), a fountain, or running water in your picture, the longer shutter speed will create a very cool effect. (Note, however, that if you’re shooting in high winds or if the ground is unstable, you’ll need to boost your shutter speed to prevent blur.)
One other setting to check is Long Exposure Noise Reduction, which will be in your camera’s menu. If you enable this option, the camera will take two exposures, one normal and one with the shutter closed. Your camera will then use the second image to filter out noise from the normal picture.

Of course, photos shot with this option enabled will take twice as long to expose, but they’ll also be less noisy.

6. Meter for the highlights

Determining the proper exposure level can be tricky at night, and each metering mode presents its own challenges.

If you use evaluative metering, the camera is likely to be confused. If you use spot or partial metering, the meter will jump around, depending on whether you’ve aimed at a bright light or a dark background.

One answer to this problem is to use spot metering and expose for the highlights. So meter off the highlights, then set your exposure between +1 and +2. The +1/+2 setting will keep your highlights looking bright but will also keep the highlights within the dynamic range of your camera.

Do not worry as much about the dark portions of your picture. If the dark areas happen to turn black, it is nighttime, so there is supposed to be some black. But you can always take test shots and adjust as necessary.

5s | f/16 | ISO 400

7. Take a test shot at a high ISO

You should make liberal use of test shots when shooting at night.

However, you generally don’t want to sit around for 30 seconds, a minute, or even longer, just waiting to see if the test shot is going to work out.

So the best way to create a test file without wasting a lot of time is to take a shot at a much higher ISO than you would ordinarily use.

Let’s say you think the proper exposure settings for a given shot are 30 seconds at f/5.6 with an ISO of 400. Rather than taking that shot and waiting around 30 seconds for the exposure, just crank up the ISO, then boost the shutter speed by the same number of stops. The exposure will stay the same, but it will take much less time to capture the test picture.

For the above example, I would raise the ISO to 6400. Why? Well, raising the ISO by one stop takes it to ISO 800, two stops increases it to ISO 1600, three stops to ISO 3200, and four stops gets you to ISO 6400.

Once you’ve set your ISO to 6400, you can reduce your shutter speed by four stops to 2 seconds. After all, reducing the shutter speed by one stop shortens it to 15 seconds, two stops shortens it to 8 seconds, three stops to 4 seconds, and four stops takes the shutter speed down to 2 seconds.

Then, when you are satisfied with your exposure, just decrease the ISO and lengthen the shutter speed by a comparable amount to get back to the final settings.

8. Bracket your photos

Night photography is one area where you will want to bracket your photos. Blending and HDR can work wonders at night, but even if you don’t like to use those processes, bracket your photos anyway. Think of it as exposure insurance.

After all, if you overexpose or underexpose your file, having a bracket on hand will be the difference between a failed and a successful photoshoot.

30s | f/11 | ISO 200

9. Verify the exposure with the histogram

After you have taken your exposures, you should always check them on your camera’s rear LCD.

However, while the picture on the LCD will show you if the exposure is close to correct, you should also check the histogram.

Why?

Because a histogram is more accurate than your camera’s LCD. You can use it to carefully determine whether the exposure is within your camera’s dynamic range.

Specifically, make sure to keep the highlights on the right side of the histogram, but avoid a spike on the far right. If the dark areas spike on the left side of the histogram, that’s okay; parts of your picture are supposed to be black.

In general, however, keep as much of the image as possible within the range of the histogram, though err on the side of keeping the highlights from blowing out.

4s | f/11 | ISO 400

Night photography exposure: final words

When you follow the night photography exposure tips I’ve given above, you are likely to get some great shots. Every city lights up its major attractions, bridges, and museums – often in colorful ways. So a scene that might be boring during the day can offer great photos at night.

Because of the effects of the lights, you’ll often be surprised by what you end up with (in a good way!). Taking your time and applying these tips to nail the exposure will help you maximize the experience.

And remember:

If you want to improve your night photography skills fast, then check out my night photography course. It’ll teach you everything you need to know about night photography through hours of helpful videos and case studies!

The post 9 Night Photography Tips for Nailing Your Exposure (Every Time) appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jim Hamel.

Digital Photography School
April 6, 2021
6 Places to Use ND Filters for Long Exposure Photography

The post 6 Places to Use ND Filters for Long Exposure Photography appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Matt Murray.

A neutral density (ND) filter is one of the most versatile accessories you can have in your camera bag. They may be small, but ND filters open up a range of creative options for photographers.

If you need some inspiration on where to use your neutral density filter, keep reading. In this article, I’ll share with you some of my favorite places to use ND filters for long exposure photography.

What is an ND filter, and why would I want to use one?

A neutral density or ND filter is a piece of glass that sits in front of your lens and reduces the amount of light that reaches the sensor.

If you’ve never used an ND filter before, you might be wondering why you’d want to do this; let me explain.

Many long exposure photography beginners shoot at night. Here, a shutter speed of a few seconds or more is necessary for an accurate exposure of the scene, and any movement captured in the image is magically transformed into a thing of beauty. If your camera is steady on a tripod, buildings remain in sharp focus, but the movement of car headlights or rushing water is captured as interesting streaks in the image:

A neutral density filter can be a photographer’s best friend.

Capturing this kind of effect can only be done after dark, right?

Wrong.

With an ND filter, you can take stunning long exposures during the day.

You see, if you don’t use an ND filter, a long exposure in bright daylight conditions would result in an overexposed image. But with an ND filter reducing the amount of light that reaches the sensor, you need to use a much slower shutter speed to photograph the scene. This allows you to capture movement.

There are so many amazing places where you can use an ND filter to take stunning long exposure photos. I’ve listed some of my favorites below, starting with:

1. Waterfalls

Waterfalls are the place many photographers try out their ND filters for the first time.

They’re certainly a fantastic location for you to start; flowing water is transformed into a silky-soft cascade, which gives images a real wow factor.

Just watch out for mist and water spray and make sure it doesn’t cover your filter and lens!

Waterfalls are a popular place to try out an ND filter.
Captured with my Fujifilm 16mm f/1.4 lens at Springbrook National Park in Queensland.

The intensity of a waterfall can depend on recent rainfall. But the good news is that, no matter how large or small the waterfall is, it’ll look amazing when shot with an ND filter.

2. Rivers and harbors

Rivers and harbors are fantastic places to capture movement and lights along with the flow of water.

During daylight hours, it’s possible to capture the movement of boats along the water. And as the sun goes down and the city lights come on, ferries and boats create colorful light trails that can bring an image to life.

I love this image of a ferry on Sydney Harbour:

Rivers and harbors provide an array of long exposure opportunities.

Thanks to my ND filter, I was able to use a shutter speed of around 1s, giving the ferry a nice, colorful blur (while buildings behind it remain in sharp focus).

3. Ocean pools

Saltwater ocean pools dot the Australian coastline, with most of them found in the state of New South Wales. The pools are very popular with locals and tourists alike and can get very busy each morning. But the good thing about these iconic locations is that you have another body of water to photograph alongside the sea.

This image was taken early one morning in Yamba, New South Wales:

I framed the pool in the foreground with the sea and the cliffs in the background. As I was taking a series of long exposures with a 10-stop ND filter, a swimmer jumped out of the pool right in front of me, creating a ghostly figure in the foreground of the frame.

The image below was taken at 6 AM (when it was already very bright). I was attracted to the scene by the reflections in the flooded area next to the pool, which contrasted nicely with the pool’s ethereal-looking water and the waves of the ocean on the far left.

I love the three different bodies of water in this ocean pool shot.

4. Traffic

Traffic trails are typically one of the first things photographers shoot when they start taking long exposure images. Well after the sun has sunk below the horizon, a shutter speed of between 5 and 15 seconds is often needed to create a properly exposed shot, resulting in a colorful blur of traffic trails.

But if you have an ND filter, there’s no need to wait until after dark.

This is a composite of images I took with my ND2 filter at a subway station in Taipei, Taiwan:

A composite image of dusk in Taipei, Taiwan.

I knew I needed an exposure of a few seconds to make the most of the traffic and the subway train in the image. But it was too bright, and my exposure times were barely a second. Adding an ND filter allowed me to capture this scene as I had envisioned, and the final file is a composite of some of those long-exposure images.

5. Funfairs

Funfairs and carnivals are fantastic places for photography. There are so many opportunities: people, rides, food, and animals, to name just a few.

And when the sun goes down, don’t head home – set up your tripod for some long exposure images.

That’s exactly what I did for this image of a sideshow alley at Brisbane’s Royal Queensland show four years ago. The photo has been shared on Instagram every year since – sometimes with my permission, sometimes without. With an ND2 filter, I was able to take exposures that were twice as long as usual.

My images of this funfair in Brisbane have been very popular on Instagram.

6. Unique natural attractions

Okay, so I’m cheating a little with this last image by combining two places I’ve already mentioned: a waterfall and the sea.

This stunning location (below) is the village of Gásadalur in the Faroe Islands. Unfortunately, there are not many places in the world where you can see such an incredible sight, though there are probably many unique natural locations near where you live.

Perhaps the most unique waterfall in the world, Gásadalur, Faroe Islands.

Gásadalur was number one on my list of places to photograph when I visited the Faroe Islands in 2017. Blessed with sunny weather on my first day, I headed to the coast just outside the village to take this shot. I wasn’t disappointed.

6 places to use ND filters: final thoughts

Neutral density filters are quite possibly the handiest accessory photographers can keep in their camera bags. They have many uses, but the most common is to take photos with a slow shutter speed.

This makes ND filters a must-have for long exposure photography during daylight hours; you can use them to blur subjects that would otherwise be frozen.

It’s always fun to get out your tripod and ND filter and experiment!

Now over to you:

What are your favorite places to use ND filters for long exposure photography? Share your thoughts (and long exposure images) in the comments below!

The post 6 Places to Use ND Filters for Long Exposure Photography appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Matt Murray.

Digital Photography School

April 5, 2021
Master Lightroom in Under 20 Minutes With This Video

The post Master Lightroom in Under 20 Minutes With This Video appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey.

Do you want to master Lightroom, but you never really have the time?

Then you’re going to love this video from photographer and editing-expert Sawyer Hartman. In just 18 minutes, Sawyer takes you through everything you need to know to start creating gorgeous Lightroom edits, from the absolute basics (such as importing and adjusting exposure) all the way down to Lightroom’s powerful Graduated Filter and Adjustment Brush.

He even includes a downloadable photo (the link is in the video description) so that you can follow along on your own computer.

Watch the video here:

And when you’re done, leave a comment letting us know your favorite Lightroom feature!

The post Master Lightroom in Under 20 Minutes With This Video appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey.

Digital Photography School

April 4, 2021
How to Create Environmental Portraits (Tips and Examples)
The post How to Create Environmental Portraits (Tips and Examples) appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Darren Rowse.

Are you looking to capture stunning environmental portraits?

You’ve come to the right place.

In this article, I’m going to share everything you need to know about environmental portrait photography.

And by the time you’re finished, you’ll be ready to create some beautiful portraits of your own!

Let’s get started.

What is an environmental portrait?

An environmental portrait is a photo taken of a person in a place that says something about who they are. It is often a place where they work, rest, or play.

Why do I prefer environmental portraits?

Environmental portrait photography:
- gives context to the subject you’re photographing
- adds additional points of interest to compositions (though this is something you need to watch, as you don’t want to distract from your subject too much)
- helps the subject relax
- often gives the viewer real insight into the personality and lifestyle of your subject
Environmental portraits sit somewhere between the purposely posed shots of a studio portrait (environmental portraits are posed and are unmistakably portraits) and candid shots, which capture people almost incidentally as they go about their daily lives.

Now let’s turn our attention to some how-to tips for stunning environmental portraits:

Tips for beautiful environmental portrait photography

Capturing gorgeous environmental portraits can seem tough.

But there are actually a few simple ways to enhance your portrait photos, starting with:

Spend time getting to know your subject

Before you select a location and start shooting, spend some time getting to know your subject.

Find out where they spend their time, what the rhythm of their life is like, and how they behave.

This will not only help you find appropriate locations but will also help you get a feel for the style of shots that might be appropriate for the session.

Plus, you’ll begin the process of helping your subject relax! If you can, you might even want to accompany your subject to some possible locations; that way, you can see both whether the location suits them, as well as how they behave and interact there.

Choose the right location

Sometimes a location chooses you – but on other occasions, you need to be quite deliberate and purposeful when making your choice. It can take a lot of searching.

You ideally want to find a location that:
- says something about your subject. After all, that’s what this style of photography is all about.
- adds interest to the shot. As I’ve written in previous tutorials, every element in an image can add or detract from the overall look. The environment in which you place your subject needs to provide context and interest without overwhelming the composition.
- doesn’t dominate the shot. Sometimes the location can dominate the image so much that it distracts your viewer from your main focal point (i.e., the subject). So try to avoid cluttered backgrounds (and foregrounds) and colors that are too bright, etc. Keep in mind that you might be able to remove the distractions with clever cropping, depth of field, and subject placement.
Use props naturally

Props can make or break an environmental portrait.

If your props are subtle and naturally fit in the environment, then they can be very appropriate and add to the image nicely.

But you’ll want to avoid any props that don’t quite fit or that distract the viewer.

The same goes for the clothes that your subject wears. Try to be true to the context without getting too outlandish.

Think about posing your subject

What sets an environmental portrait apart from a candid portrait is that you pose your subject.

(In truth, it’s a fine line between candid portraits and environmental portraits; you might end up doing a bit of both in any given shoot.)

Don’t be afraid to direct your subject to sit, stand, or act in a way that fits the environment. Some of the poses might seem slightly unnatural and dramatic, but it’s often these purposely posed shots that are more interesting and give a sense of style to your photography.

The expression on the face of your subject is also very important in environmental photography, and you should consider how it fits with the overall scene.

For example, if you’re shooting in a formal environment, it may not be appropriate to photograph your subject with a big, cheesy smile; you might prefer a more somber or serious look.

Ultimately, just mix it up to see what does and doesn’t work!

Deliberately choose your camera settings (especially your aperture!)

There is no right or wrong way to set up your camera for an environmental portrait. It will depend completely upon the effect you’re after and the shooting scenario.

You might find that shooting at a smaller aperture (i.e., a larger f-number) will be appropriate as it’ll help keep the foreground and background in focus.

I generally shoot environmental portraits with a wider focal length to give the environment prominence in the shot.

Of course, that doesn’t mean you can’t shoot with a longer lens or with a large aperture and shallow depth of field. In the end, anything goes – plus, you’ll probably want to mix up your shots a little.

How to photograph environmental portraits: conclusion

Environmental portrait photography is a great way to create unique and beautiful images.

So the next time you’re doing portrait photography, try applying some of these tips.

You’ll love the results!

Now over to you:

Have you done any environmental portrait photography? What tips would you give other readers? Feel free to share your tips (and images!) in the comments below.

The post How to Create Environmental Portraits (Tips and Examples) appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Darren Rowse.

Digital Photography School
April 4, 2021
20 Star Planetarium Projectors for Astrophotographers

Astrophotography is one of those types of photography that when done right can produce some stunning photos. Just like any type of photography, understanding the scene and subject matter that you are photographing enables you to capture better images. This is why more and more astrophotographers are turning to star planetarium projectors, as they allow you to learn the locations Continue Reading
Photodoto

April 3, 2021
Weekly Photo Challenge – Shadows

The post Weekly Photo Challenge – Shadows appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Sime.

“Simply speaking, a shadow is an absence of light. If light cannot get through an object, the surface on the other side of that object (for example, the ground or a wall) will have less light reaching it” – Science Learning Hub

#dPSShadows

After the ‘lighting’ theme last week, this week we’re about the lack of light, or ‘shadow’ – and really, unless you live in a dark cave, void of light, you have no excuses to not go out and capture a shadow in some form – the idea behind these challenges being to make you think about what you’re photographing and work at getting better every time.

Camel Shadows by Simon Pollock

I remember the first time I took a specific shadow photograph, that’s it above, and it really was that orange in the late afternoon light of the amazing Sahara Desert in Morocco… It was a bit typical “People on camels” but it was an amazing experience and I loved the shadow photo (This was a Canon Powershot Pro 1… should tell you how long ago that was!) I’ve been noticing shadow to this day. SO, go forth and capture shadows! Share them in the comments below, on instagram or Facebook and make sure you tag us! (Details below)

Missed a Challenge? Don’t sweat it, find all of our previous challenges here!

Share on Instagram or Twitter and use the hashtag #dPSShadows so we can see them!

How do I upload my photo to the comments?

Simply upload your shot into the comments 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.

The post Weekly Photo Challenge – Shadows appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Sime.

Digital Photography School

April 3, 2021
Sony Unveils Three Compact Prime Lenses for E-Mount Cameras

The post Sony Unveils Three Compact Prime Lenses for E-Mount Cameras appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey.

Last week, Sony announced three E-mount lenses:

The FE 24mm f/2.8 G, the FE 40mm f/2.5 G, and the FE 50mm f/2.5 G; all promise to deliver excellent optics in a compact form.

The three lenses will launch this May. Designed as a set, they offer a beautifully wide field of view on the 24mm end for scenic shots and environmental portraits, plus a standard perspective at the 40mm and 50mm focal lengths, perfect for portraits, street photography, and even detail shots.

Sony explains, “The lenses were designed for a wide range of photo and video uses including portraiture, landscape, street photography, and more…With these three dynamic lenses, our customers can capture a wide range of perspectives with the excellent resolution and beautiful bokeh that Sony’s G lenses are known for.”

And while we can’t currently confirm the resolution of these lenses with a hands-on review of our own, sample images look very nice, and Sony’s own tests show tack-sharp results especially when stopped down to f/8. If you’re an APS-C shooter who demands the highest optical quality, or you’re working full frame and want some compact-yet-capable prime lenses, the 24mm f/2.8, 40mm f/2.5, and 50mm f/2.5 will deliver.

Plus, all three lenses offer fast maximum apertures, which translates to lovely bokeh – especially on the 50mm f/2.5, but also on the 40mm f/2.5 and even the 24mm f/2.8 when shooting close-ups.

Of course, f/2.5 and f/2.8 maximum apertures will get you more than just creamy backgrounds. With a wide aperture, you can shoot indoors or at twilight while still maintaining a reasonable ISO, so you can photograph events and night portraits – or record low-light video – and come away with clean results.

Sony also promises “fast, precise AF with excellent tracking performance” and top-notch build quality (all three lenses are dust and moisture resistant).

But while strong build quality, image quality, and focusing do make for a powerful package, even more impressive are the lenses’ compact builds. Travel photographers, street photographers, and videographers will love the pocket-sized design, perfect for on-the-go shooting, long hours behind the camera, and international travel. In fact, all three lenses are identical in size, so you can pack them all without sacrificing weight or space. Check out the lenses next to one another:

And the prices are surprisingly reasonable. You can grab each lens for just $ 600 USD – not bad at all, given the optics, build quality, and AF capabilities.

So if you’re a Sony shooter in need of a new lens (or two, or three) for travel photography, portrait photography, street photography, or handheld videography, I highly recommend you take a closer look at these options. You can currently preorder the 40mm f/2.5 G here, the 50mm f/2.5 G here, and the 24mm f/2.8 G here.

Now over to you:

What do you think of Sony’s new bundle of prime lenses? Are you impressed? Are there any features that you wish Sony would’ve included? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

The post Sony Unveils Three Compact Prime Lenses for E-Mount Cameras appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey.

Digital Photography School

April 2, 2021
10 Tips for Beautiful Black and White Headshots

The post 10 Tips for Beautiful Black and White Headshots appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by John McIntire.

Black and white has long been a popular way to capture headshots with impact and visual interest. The lack of color helps to emphasize the subject while discarding information that isn’t relevant.

And in this article, I’m going to share 10 black and white headshot tips to help you get the best results.

Let’s get started.

Headshots vs. portraits

A headshot is always a portrait, but a portrait (including a closely cropped portrait) is not always a headshot. Remember, headshots (no matter the type) come with a specific goal.

If you’re new to portrait photography, it might help to clear up what a headshot actually is before you try to create one.

Portraits: In general terms, a portrait photograph is a representation of a person. Portrait photography is a broad genre that encompasses nearly every subgenre that involves photographing people. It doesn’t matter if we’re talking studio portraits, street candids, or fashion photography. If it has a person in the frame, it’s probably a portrait.

Headshots: Headshots are a subgenre of portrait photography. The difference is that headshots serve a very specific purpose. Whether it’s actors’ headshots or corporate headshots, the purpose is to sell something. That something could be an actor’s ability to fit a role’s physical requirements, or it could be your business professionalism.

Headshots are limited to close-up images of the subject’s head. They can also include head and shoulders as well as half-length shots. Before capturing a headshot, it’s important you understand where and how the photo will be used so you can get the right shot for the right purpose.

Tips for black and white headshots

Canon 5D Mark III | Canon EF 50mm f/2.5 Macro | 50mm | 1/80s | f/5.6 | ISO 100

There are no hard and fast rules for creating headshots. However, following these tips will hopefully help!

And as always with photography, remember: There is no one way to do anything.

In other words, nothing listed here is a rule of any sort. If a tip fails to help you get the results you want or need, then discard or revamp it.

1. Remember that a headshot is different from a portrait

Yes, we’ve already discussed this – but when you’re in the middle of a session, it’s easy to get caught up and start changing your approach. This may not be a problem in a normal portrait session, but with headshots, you need to make sure you’re focused on the specific end result. If you change tack and the results aren’t showing your subject in the desired manner, you’ll have wasted time and effort on images that are unsuitable for the subject’s uses.

One way to help keep you on track is to ask your subject to share the purpose of their headshot. Allow them to be as specific and detailed as possible. Once you have an answer to that question, you should find it much easier to stay on track.

If you are photographing an actor with representation, ask them for their agency’s headshot guidelines (or ask the agency yourself). This will give you a strict set of limitations and help to ensure you get the required result.

2. Getting it right in-camera is just as important as ever

By shooting with black and white in mind and getting it right in-camera, you can help make the conversion process much easier.
Canon 5D Mark III | Canon EF 50mm f/2.5 Macro | 50mm | 1/125s | f/5.6 | ISO 100

Depending on where your headshots are going to wind up, you might find that you can’t do any edits beyond basic retouching. You should be allowed a black and white conversion and some basic blemish removal, but much more than that might not be acceptable.

Therefore, do whatever you can to get your images right in the camera. Light your images well with good exposure and good contrast. Learn your lighting patterns and use a meter if you have to.

Get this step right, and you might find that you have little more editing to do beyond the actual black and white conversion.

3. Start in color

It might be tempting to set your camera to a black and white mode at the point of shooting. You can do this – but if you shoot JPEGs, I would advise against it.

By choosing this route, you will be discarding a huge amount of color information at the very beginning. For the best conversions, you’ll want to later manipulate your color information to get the very best black and white results.

(However, note that RAW shooters can use a black and white mode while still retaining color information.)

4. Avoid shooting to crop

By cropping down to a head-and-shoulders composition, you discard most of the information in the frame. Instead, try to get your compositions right at the shooting stage.

This might be controversial, but I’ll stand by it. When you are creating black and white headshots, try to get your composition as close as possible to how you want it to end up.

Doing this will ensure that your images are as big as possible and have as much detail as possible when you pass them on to your client. If you shoot before cropping out significant parts of your image, you will lose out on a large chunk of resolution.

5. Control contrast with light, not post-production

Using a medium-sized octabox up close allows for extremely soft light, thus controlling the contrast. Also, at camera right, you see a background light that reduces the overall contrast in the image.

This point goes back to getting it right in-camera, but specifically for lighting.

One of the quickest ways to ruin a portrait is to add a lot of unnatural contrast in the post-production phase.

Avoid this by setting up your lights to get the contrast you want from the very start.

You can do this through modifier selection and lighting ratios.

6. Use fill to control your contrast

Left: Without fill. Right: With fill. Here you can see how a fill light might help you lift the shadows and control the contrast in your images.

If you want to decrease contrast, make sure to do it in-camera.

You can do this with fill light. Whether you work with a dedicated second light source or a reflector, introducing fill into your images is a great way to control exactly how your black and white headshots turn out.

7. Think in values rather than color

In this image, you can see four distinct areas of value: The highlights of the skin, the midtones of the sweater, and two shadow areas for the hair and the background. Being able to see these at the time of shooting will help you design your black and white headshots better.
Canon 5D Mark III | Canon EF 50mm f/2.5 Macro | 50mm | 1/160 sec | f/4 | ISO 100

Because you are starting in color, it can help to think of things in terms of values.

At its most basic, value simply describes where colors fall on a spectrum between pure white and pure black.

Now, once converted to black and white, almost everything in your images will appear as a shade of gray. If you can visualize how the colors you see with your eyes will be represented in a black and white conversion, you will be better able to design your lighting before your subject even arrives.

How do you learn to do this?

Practice. A lot of it.

Get out there and photograph anything and everything you can, then convert to black and white so you can build this skill.

Remember, different conversion techniques affect color and value in different ways, so be sure to practice with as many conversion methods as possible.

8. Minimize details in the frame

Because we are talking about headshots, you’ll need to remember that the entire point of the photograph is the person. Any extra details will only serve to detract from your subject.

So do what you can to minimize the impact of the background, the subject’s clothing, and other elements in the photo.

For backgrounds, you can focus your efforts on finding the cleanest, most non-distracting backdrop. For clothing, ask your subjects to dress without distracting elements that would take the focus off of them. Patterns can be fine, but it might be best if you avoided particularly bold choices like leopard-print and zebra-stripe tops.

9. Focus on form

When you are lighting your subject, take the time to ensure that you’re using the light to shape their features in the best way possible.
Canon 5D Mark III | Canon EF 50mm f/2.5 Macro | 50mm | 1/100s | f/9 | ISO 100

This goes back to basic lighting skills.

You need to shape your subject’s face in a flattering way that also helps it stand out in the frame.

You are trying to minimize other details, so it is the subject’s features you must focus on. Make as much use of them as you can.

10. Eyes and expressions are more important than ever

With headshots, expressions and eye contact are more important than ever. Do what you can to develop a rapport with your subjects.

As the goal of a headshot is to make your subject look as good as possible, and as you have already reduced the impact of distracting elements, your subject’s eyes and expression become more important than ever.

Lighting for the eyes will keep them bright and prominent in the frame. Doing this also means you won’t have to spend time processing the eyes, which might work well for your client’s requirements.

Also, to get the best expressions, ensure that your subject is comfortable and that you have a good rapport with them.

Black and white headshots: (not) the end

On their own, headshot photography and black and white photography are broad topics that are truly impossible to distill into a short list of tips. However, I do hope that these ten tips for black and white headshots will help you get started on your journey.

As always, none of these tips are rules, just guidance. If you feel that something I said doesn’t suit you or your photography, that’s perfectly fine.

Now over to you:

Which of these black and white headshot tips did you like the most? Do you have any tips for black and white headshot photography? Share your thoughts (and photos) in the comments below!

Should I shoot headshots in black and white mode?

If you’re shooting in JPEG, no. But if you’re shooting in RAW, you can decide whether to shoot in black and white or color (you won’t lose any image information in either mode).

Is black and white a good option for headshots?

Yes. Black and white allows you to strip down the information in the photo to its key elements (in this case, the person whose headshot it is).

What kind of light should I use for headshots?

Any soft light that flatters your subject is a good choice.

How should I do black and white conversions for my headshot photography?

Use whatever method suits you and your workflow best. Photoshop and Lightroom both offer great options for black and white conversions.

The post 10 Tips for Beautiful Black and White Headshots appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by John McIntire.

Digital Photography School

April 1, 2021