So why put up with them on your camera’s LCD? If you’ve ever tried to apply, or thought about applying, or even looked at a screen protector before – you might want to read this. Fancy receiving a ‘spanking new Nikon D800, only to find a wafer thin scratch down the main screen within weeks. You were careful with it, Continue Reading
The post Lose the Bubbles: How to Properly Apply a Screen Protector on Your Camera’s LCD appeared first on Photodoto.
Big changes continue to ripple through the high-quality, 3rd-party flash industry this month. To wit: I've been testing a new $ 300 Phottix Mitros [Nikon] flash for several weeks now.
Here's the five-word short version: "Nikon, you should be very afraid."
Why? Because this solid, Manual/TTL/CLS/HSS flash delivers all of the punch and practically all of the functionality of your flagsship Nikon SB-910 for about half the price. With twice the warranty.
Put differently: as soon as word gets out, the days of the high profit margin OEM speedlights are numbered.
(More words, getting out, below…)
Read more »
Strobist
Sunsets are a huge draw for landscape photographers due to the unique light at the end of the day. Not only is the colour of the light attractive but also its low angle as the sun goes down gives greater texture to the landscape.
Whilst the conditions at sunset have the potential to yield great images, they also provide challenges that need to be overcome to maximise that potential. Here I want to share some tips and approaches for shooting landscapes at sunset.
One thing I am often asked is “what settings should I use to photograph a sunset?”. Photographing at sunset is no different to shooting any other landscape; therefore the following make a good starting point:
Shooting mode: Manual
ISO: 100
Aperture: f/11 (maximising depth of field, without compromising image quality)
Shutter speed: Adjust so that detail is retained in the sky highlights (if too bright, make it faster, if too dark, make it slower)
White balance: Daylight/Sunny (if shooting in JPEG)
However camera settings alone do not guarantee success, there are a few other things to consider.
Shot into the sun as the sun crossed the tree line (ISO 200, f/11, 30s, using 3-stop graduated ND filter, 10-stop ND filter)
Often, the draw of a sunset is a brightly coloured sky containing reds, pinks and oranges and the temptation can be to make the sky the focal point of the image, expose for it, and throw everything else into silhouette. If there is an interesting skyline, this can work compositionally however if not, you will be left with an image that can lose the viewers interest quickly – after the sky, there is nowhere left for the eye to go.
Also, one of the joys of sunset is capturing the golden light illuminating the world in front of you and casting long shadows. Therefore, capturing both the land and sky correctly exposed can produce images with a much higher impact that will hold the viewers attention for longer. However, therein lies one of the challenges.
When the sun is low, the sky will appear very bright in comparison to the land. Due to the limited dynamic range of digital sensors, the difference in brightness between the sky and the land can cause problems for the resulting image – if the difference is too great, you will either lose detail in the highlights (sky) or shadows (land).
There are two ways to overcome this:
Both approaches come with complications (the potential for unwanted flare or colour casts from filters, or unwanted movement between exposures for the blending). My preference is to use graduated neutral density filters, with the aim of getting as much right in-camera in one image, to save having to spend time blending exposures when back at my computer.
Shot with the sun at 90 degrees to my right highlighting the foreground rock detail (ISO 100, f/11, 1.6s, using 3-stop graduated ND filter)
Too many people pack up and head home when the sun goes down, but it’s only 10 or so minutes after the sun has set that the real colour display in the sky begins. A small amount of time after the sun drops below the horizon, you often see any clouds in the sky take on a red/pink hue. As there is no bright light source at this time, shutter speeds soon increase to a few seconds, so a tripod is a must, but you will be able to capture images with incredible saturation in the sky, without any post processing.
Taken approx. 30 minutes after the first image above, showing the clouds taking on the pink/purple tones (ISO 200, f/11, 4s, using 2-stop graduated ND filter)
Everything I’ve written here discusses shooting at sunset, but it all applies to sunrise too. It is a much more difficult to motivate yourself to go out at sunrise, but it is my favourite time of day to take landscape images as the light is just as magical and, depending on the overnight temperatures, you can often be greeted with early morning mists that can add a whole new dimension to your landscape images.
Taken just after sunrise with mist rolling in the valley below (ISO 100, f/11, 1/40s, using 3-stop graduated ND filter)
So whilst sunrise or sunset are challenging times of day to shoot effectively, hopefully the above tips will help you go out and capture the full potential of the landscape in front of your lens.
Post originally from: Digital Photography Tips.
Check out our more Photography Tips at Photography Tips for Beginners, Portrait Photography Tips and Wedding Photography Tips.
How to Shoot Landscapes at Sunset
I’ve had lots of experience with these mega zoom cameras: some enjoyable, some not so much.
If you’re new to the field, approach them with caution: the zoom range is appealing, impressive and somewhat frustrating.
For one, you simply cannot use them handheld at the full tele end: at best, use a tripod; at worst, lean them on something substantial, like a fence or a wall.
If you’re crazy enough to want to shoot video with the zoom working mid shot … practice, practice.
The HX50V initially surprised me: feels solid, pocketable, well-balanced in the hand, thanks to a prominent speed grip.
At rest, the camera is only 38mm deep; powered up, the lens protrudes and the depth increases to 73mm; with the zoom fully extended, it reaches 100mm depth.
Most external controls are id’d in white but some are rendered in off-white text. Designers: make ‘em all white next time!
Sony claims it’s the world’s smallest 30x zoom, a claim with which I have no argument. The zoom range has a 35 SLR equivalent of 24-720mm, which makes it a very powerful shooting tool.
What sets it apart from most other mega zoom cameras is it ability to capture 20.4 million pixel images. This large image size is of course burdened by a small CMOS size, so noise will be a factor in large prints.
Maximum image size is 5184×3888 pixels or as a 44x33cm print.
Video can be shot in either MPEG4 or AVCHD formats up to Full HD 1920×1080 pixel resolution. You can’t shoot stills while recording video.
For what it’s worth the HX50V model offers enhanced Optical SteadyShot image stabilisation that is claimed to be about twice as effective as the HX200V high-zoom model of last year. It seems to me that each HX model raises the bar in image stabilising. Where will it end?
At first glance I felt the camera had minimal external controls. Anything missing?
No, as far as I could tell, everything appeared to be on deck.
Top surface: at left is the flash cell, with activating button just below; mid-surface is the multi interface shoe to attach electronic viewfinders, flashes or mics.
Moving further right is the power button, zoom lever, leading to the mode dial, with positions for intelligent and superior auto, PASM, scene modes, video, sweep panorama, memory recall. And a dial for exposure compensation.
The scene modes (17 in all) include positions for 3D shooting, fireworks, night portraits etc. Nine picture effects are accessed via the finder menu and these include HDR painting, rich tone mono, pop colour etc.
Rear: buttons for video record, replay, menu and trash. The four position control wheel gives access to self timer/burst shooting, flash options, display and ‘photo creative’ options. There is also a custom button that takes you directly to ISO, white balance, metering mode and smile shutter choices.
The finder menu is graphically clear and not at all intimidating.
The PDF manual I found to be sufficient bot no more than that. For a beginner, it’s poorly laid out and a little jumbled in access to important features.
Only at ISO 6400 did noise become a problem. At ISO 12800 noise was well up and definition down.
No problems at either end of the zoom.
About two seconds from power on I could shoot the first shot; follow-ons as fast as I could tap the button.
Quality: above average.
Why you would buy it: compact; powerful zoom range; integrated WiFi; GPS functionality.
Why you wouldn’t: no RAW capture; no optical finder; no vari-angle finder.
Having already bought a couple of mega zoom compacts, I am loathe to invest more hard-earned shekels in acquiring another one, but this baby is enormously appealing. Please, mummy, can I raid the piggy bank one more time?
Image Sensor: 20.4 million effective pixels.
Metering: Multi pattern, centre-weighted, spot.
Sensor Size: 11mm CMOS.
Lens: Sony G f3.5-6.3/4.3-129mm (24-720mm as 35 SLR equivalent).
Shutter Speed: 4 to 1/1600 second.
Memory: Memory Stick Duo, PRO Duo/PRO-HG Duo/SD/SDHC/SDXC and Micro SD/SDHC cards plus 48MB.
Image Sizes (pixels): 5184×3888 to 640×480.
Movies (pixels): 1920×1080, 1440×1080, 1280×720, 640×480.
Rear LCD Screen: 7.6cm LCD (921,600 pixels).
File Formats: JPEG, AVCHD, MPEG4.
ISO Sensitivity: Auto, 80 to 12800.
Interface: USB 2.0, HDMI, WiFi, DC.
Power: Rechargeable lithium ion battery, DC input.
Dimensions: 108.1×63.6×38.3 WHDmm.
Weight: 272 g (with battery and card).
Price: Get a price on the Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-HX50V at Amazon.
Post originally from: Digital Photography Tips.
Check out our more Photography Tips at Photography Tips for Beginners, Portrait Photography Tips and Wedding Photography Tips.
Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-HX50V Review
Image created with Daylight to Sunset preset
This post was written to coincide with my latest deal over at the DPS sister site – Snapndeals. Over the years I’ve created and stockpiled tons of presets in Lightroom, just for personal use. I finally made them available to the public earlier this year at the request of many of my blog readers and the feedback has been amazing! The collection on Snapndeals includes all of the presets I have released (80 total in 7 different groups) and they are all, of course, fully customizable. I put a ton of work into these and I really think you will love them!
So Lightroom presets are something I’ve become really obsessed with. I use them with pretty much 100% of my family photos and about 70-80% of my other images. Sometimes it’s just one click and I can take an image from it’s RAW state to a completely post processed and finished image. Other times I can apply a preset and be about 80-90% finished. From there it’s just a few minor adjustments to get the image looking great but the total time saved by adding the preset is still incredibly valuable. So here’s a few tips for using my new JamesB Lightroom Presets to help your workflow and create amazing images. Let’s go!
I’ve found that using presets becomes more efficient the more you use them. If you use them rarely, you aren’t very familiar with the presets you own. Therefore, when it comes time to use one you have to wade through them all to find the right one which can take a lot of time (especially with a collection of 80 presets like this one). When you use presets regularly you memorize where each one is, you know where your favorite presets are and how to get to them fast, you know which presets will work better for certain images. When you get into this mindset, your workflow in Lightroom really becomes optimized. And who among us doesn’t need more time on our hands?
I broke the presets into 7 different groups and each group has presets that were specifically designed for different genres/styles of photography. That doesn’t mean you can’t use a portrait preset on a landscape image, I’ve done that several times. But more often that not, I use travel presets for travel images. Portrait presets for portrait images.
Over time, you’ll discover that there are certain presets that you use quite often. Feel free to create a new folder in your presets catalog and the drag your favorites into that one. A few of my favorites are Day At The Zoo and Bright and Sunny from my “Family Lifestyle” set, B&W Film Grain and B&W High Contrast from my “Monochrome” set, Sweet Pea Vintage in my “Nostalgia Film” set and Rome in my “Travel” set.
Creating a new folder in the presets panel is easy, although not very intuitive if you haven’t done it before. Clicking the + mark at the top right won’t do it, that’s just for creating new presets. You have to hover over your presets and right click, choose New Folder and then give the folder a name. Then it’s as easy as dragging the presets from one folder to another.
The Develop module can be pretty intimidating to those who haven’t used it before. There are a LOT of options over there. A lot of ways to make a photo look great, and a lot of ways to make a photo look terrible! When you add a preset, you’ll be able to see the changes that it made over on the right side of Lightroom. If the photo doesn’t look just how you were hoping, go over and play around with the sliders a bit to get it just where you want it. The truth is, there’s no preset out there that will work perfectly for every photo, so most of the time you will have to make slight adjustments.
Once you’ve used presets for a while, you will start to get more and more comfortable tweaking and fine tuning them to your taste. The more comfortable you get, the more you will start using certain looks time and time again. Feel free to use some of my presets as a base or a starting point. Then add to it, change it up, tear it down and rebuild it, then create new preset that’s all your own. I do this quite often and not only is it a great learning experience, to see how much work goes in to creating a great preset, it’s also a lot of fun!
Be sure to grab a set of the presets for yourself, I promise you’ll love them!
Post originally from: Digital Photography Tips.
Check out our more Photography Tips at Photography Tips for Beginners, Portrait Photography Tips and Wedding Photography Tips.
4 Quick Tips For Getting The Most Out of Lightroom Presets
It takes a lot to hold my interest. Scratch that—it takes a lot to get my interest, then hold it, and finally (and especially) to keep it. This makes my dating life quite hard. And sometimes my relationship with photography even harder. And with less Happy Hours and coffee dates. One bad shoot and I’m ready to sell my equipment and call it good. And go work at Starbucks, where there are benefits and free coffee and cool mandatory aprons. In my career that has spanned a decade, I have quit, retired, and ran away more times than Brett Farve. (This comparison really only makes sense if you live in the States, but if you don’t just imagine David Beckham retiring a bunch of times, changing his mind and coming back, and you get the general idea.)
I always come crawling back to photography. Like a moth to a flame. Or a crazy ex-girlfriend to your doorstep in the middle of the night, begging for another chance. Since I’m trying not to do that anymore (both the faux retirement and the crazy ex-girlfriend thing), I have come up with a couple of things that allow a little reset to my photography passion. Or a jolting wake-up call to remind me of exactly what I love about photography. Here are 5 of my favorites. My 6th favorite: completely freak-out and skip town in the middle of the night never to be heard from again, is pretty self-explanatory.
Not the kind where you take your camera with you for beach sunsets and lively Main Street scenes of locals. The kind where you go nowhere and your camera gets locked up safe and sound in a closet. It may sound extreme, but a good week (or two…..or three) away may be just what the doctor ordered. And what’s fair is fair: this means no Photoshop, no point and shoots, and no saying “if only I had my camera”. Instead you get to think: how cool that I am seeing this with my own eyes this time and not through a lens. I will permit an occasional cell phone photo, but only because if I make that off limits, you’ll just rebel anyway. A week or two away and you’ll crave photography again with rested eyes and fresh ideas.
This one is my go-to and not only recharges me, but almost always brings me back good energy in some form. There is no wrong way to do it—compassionately and with great tact, offer up your services to a family that is going through a rough time and may not be able to afford to document their lives at this time. Or call a non-profit service and brainstorm a way that you taking a few shots could help their efforts in marketing. Contact a nursing facility and ask if they would like you to donate an hour of your time on their next family day to photograph loved ones with people they don’t get to see often for free. Hospice organizations, humane societies and animal shelters, and wildlife rehabilitation centers are always thrilled when a photographer is willing and interested in donating their special skill set to their cause. The photo above is an Executive Director of a homeless outreach program and one of her beloved clients. It has been featured in gallery shows, used for marketing collateral for their organization, and been auctioned for donation. I did not receive a penny in compensation for it, but what I did get out of it both personally and professionally is vast and grand and worth more than any fee I’ve ever charged.
I am fascinated by this cell phone “selfie” phenomenon on social media right now. And by “fascinated”, I mean terrified. I’m not a fan of the other side of the lens in the first place, but you can darn well bet I sure don’t want to be on that other side, blindly taking a self-portrait with a bad camera phone in a bar or a car or whatever. Not in a house, not with a mouse, not in a box, not with a fox. However (and I hope you said that “however” with a big giant sigh like I wrote it), not only can it be helpful to getting back in a solid mindset but beneficial in many other ways. I find that I seem to need a recent photo of myself often as a photographer. And, let’s be fair here; if I’m not willing to have my picture taken once in a while how can I justify asking others to let me take theirs? It’s a bit humbling, but also gives me new ideas to try when I’m on the other side. The photo above (and also by my byline below) was taken by my 9 year old son. He is darling and thoughtful and creative and perfect and takes after me. Photography is just a basic part of our lives, so when I asked him to take a picture of me I could use professionally, it wasn’t that big of a deal to hand over two thousand dollars in equipment to a kid that had just used my hair dryer to try to power some Lego contraption he made. I ended up with a couple of pictures that I like very much, but more than that, I got a bit of confidence and a lovely reminder of how great it feels to look at a picture of yourself you like. I have the ability to do that for people. And sometimes I need a little smack in the face to remind myself to stop being a whiney brat and be grateful for my abilities. Or at the very least, to start renting out my kid.
This is a tough one for me, as I got into photography only because I like photographing people. If you asked me how to take a great picture of a sunset, I would likely try to tell you a very long story about sunsets in hopes that you forgot what we were talking about in the first place. I have zero interest in taking pictures that don’t involve people. But I do have a pretty fancy camera and more editing knowledge stored in my brain than song lyrics and that’s saying something. I also have a need to challenge myself. For all I know, my best abilities lay in photographing bugs, but I’m never going to find that out if I don’t try. (But let’s just assume I don’t have any abilities in bug photography and move on, you know?) One time in a desperate attempt to detour a throwing-my-camera-out-the-window moment of frustration, I came across the picture above. Taken on vacation a few years ago in Oregon. And while the raw image is nothing that a true landscape photographer would even look twice at, a little editing and it’s become a photo I’m proud of. It hangs in my home as the only non-people image allowed to grace the walls and I smile every time I walk past it. It’s not fancy art. But it serves as a great reminder that I have a good eye.
I’m not what you would call a “self motivator”. I need things like deadlines and the promise of a cookie when I’m done to get me to actually finish a task. I actually have to utilize an app that keeps my internet frozen for set times just so my mind doesn’t wander a bit while I’m waiting for a word to come to me and then BAM: I just blew an hour on Pinterest looking at pulled pork recipes and I don’t even eat pork. When I find myself in a little photographic coma, I sometimes ask a friend to give me an assignment. Maybe they need a picture of a yellow flower for their yellow flower bathroom. Maybe they want a picture of their house for a keepsake. Maybe they can’t think of anything either but know me well and are kind enough to lie to me and come up with something. Either way, getting an assignment from someone else feels important. It’s no longer about not feeling like shooting today; it’s about this friend needs this from me and I want to come through for them. And usually what happens in this little scenario is that I realize I take terrible flower pictures and I need to get back out there and take the kind of pictures I’m good at.
And just like that, I’m recharged, ready, and back in the saddle. Because to keep retiring gets exhausting.
Post originally from: Digital Photography Tips.
Check out our more Photography Tips at Photography Tips for Beginners, Portrait Photography Tips and Wedding Photography Tips.
5 Tips for Staying Infatuated With Photography
If you’re a photographer you may think, why should I care about Pinterest? The answer is quite simple. Everyone who have risen to the top will tell you that it’s all about who you know and who knows you, just as much as it’s about talent. Pinterest is one of the fastest and influential social-media platforms today. It’s not just Continue Reading
The post 60 Awesome Pinterest Boards Every Photographer Should Follow appeared first on Photodoto.
Today I’m very excited to announce the launch of an eBook that we’ve been working on all year at dPS HQ. It is called Living Landscapes: A Guide to Stunning Landscape Photography – an eBook authored by New Zealand Landscape Photographers Todd and Sarah Sisson.
Before this release we’ve built up a library of 12 dPS eBooks but the one request we keep getting from readers has been for a Landscape Photography guide.
I’ve long wanted to publish one as Landscape Photography was my own first love but have been waiting for just the right photographer to author the eBook.
I’m glad I waited because at the beginning of last year I stumbled on a Google Hangout with Trey Ratcliff which Todd Sisson. I was impressed with Todd for a couple of reasons.
Firstly his photos were gorgeous – I got lost for a good hour or so looking through his portfolio.
Secondly Todd was a great communicator. He was funny, personal and even on that short Google Hangout I learned a thing or two about shooting landscapes.
Todd and I began to talk about a potential collaboration on this eBook last year and as a result of that initial conversation he guest posted here on dPS with a post called Composing Dynamic Landscape Images. That post was our 3rd most popular post on the site in 2012 and helped hundreds of thousands of people improve their Landscape photography.
This showed us the need for a more comprehensive guide to shooting landscapes and so Todd – and his wife Sarah who is also an accomplished landscape photographer – began to work on creating this guide.
The result is a gorgeous eBook filled with some amazing photography – it is going to inspire you – but also some really practical tips from Todd and Sarah.
They write this guide in a very down to earth and personal way which will be accessible to those just starting out but also helpful to those who’ve been shooting landscapes for years.
Here’s some of what you’ll find in Living Landscapes:
I LOVE this eBook and am so excited to practice what I picked up in it in an upcoming family trip. I’m also looking forward to seeing the images that our readers take as a result of reading this eBook.
Living Landscapes is available for you to purchase and download right now at the special Early Bird Price of $ 19.99 – a 33% discount on it’s regular price.
Want more information about this eBook? Get the Full Lowdown Here. Or grab your copy by hitting the ‘download it now’ button below.
// < ![CDATA[ // < ![CDATA[ // < ![CDATA[ // < ![CDATA[ // < ![CDATA[ // < ![CDATA[ function EJEJC_lc(th) { return false; } // ]]>
Post originally from: Digital Photography Tips.
Check out our more Photography Tips at Photography Tips for Beginners, Portrait Photography Tips and Wedding Photography Tips.
Living Landscapes: A Guide to Stunning Landscape Photography
As I’ve begun teaching others how to edit their photos I’ve begun to realize that a lot of new photographers lack the confidence in their own work. I get questions like “Why don’t my photos look like this?” or “Should I buy a D800 so I can take better photos?” all the time and I’m starting to wonder if it’s simply because people don’t feel good about the work that they do create.
I’ll be the first to admit that I’m my hardest critic, but I do always feel good about the photographs that I share, even if I wish I’d done something differently I am always happy that I got a result and gained some experience in the process.
Of course, it can be pretty obvious why people might feel this way when you think about it. After all the internet is filled with amazing photographs, just look at any of these inspirational posts on DPS and unless your one of the featured photographers you might wonder how you too could get to that level.
The simple answer is… First you have to feel good about your photography, because the instant you start doubting your own work, your work will start to suffer.
Of course that’s easier said than done, so confronted with these questions about confidence, I decided I’d take the time to come up with five little nuggets of inspiration that everyone should keep in mind. By doing so I think you will start to feel good about your photography no matter who or where you are in your journey.
No matter who you are the best benchmark for improvement is yourself in the past. Take a minute and dig through your archives look back at the photos you took three months ago, a year ago, or even further.
When I do this task I’ll notice that my composition and my choice of settings continue to improve. I make smarter choices for focal points and I get better and better at picking the right exposure in camera. Whatever you do don’t compare your photography to another photographer’s work – good or bad – it’s not a fair benchmark and you won’t be helping yourself appreciate your work.
Gear envy is something we all struggle with from time to time and unless you’ve been blessed with that mythical tree made of money you’re going to be doing more wanting and less buying. Don’t let the idea that a better camera, lens, accessory, gadget or what-have-you will make you a better photographer – it won’t – and worrying about it won’t help either.
Be happy with what you have and spend your time learning to get the best photos that you can out of this equipment instead of daydreaming about your dream machine – your wallet will thank you later.
Even if the only fans you have are your friends and family let them be your motivation to continue to produce more work and better quality work. Let them move you beyond the point your at now and push you to where you want to be. Be happy with every like they give you on Facebook or every comment they leave on your site – or even – every time your mom tells you that she got your newsletter and loved the photo of that flower that you took at her house last weekend.
Fans are why I do what I do and I still remember when my Facebook page had less than 30 likes and almost no interaction. It takes time and a lot of work to grow, but if you’re consistent, true to yourself, your fans, and always remember it’s not a race you’ll start to feel good about what you’re doing and then the rest will fall into place.
Are you taking photos because you want to pass time on the weekends, record family moments, or are you trying to make a career out of it? There many reasons why we take photos and before you can truly be happy with the results you capture you should define why you’re picking up the camera in the first place.
And finally – this is probably the most important one – share what you do. Open yourself up to the world and let others see the what you’ve captured. Take the critiques with dignity and class and revel in the compliments from your fans and family.
If you need a stiff kick of inspiration here are some tips to help you get the confidence to share your photos I wrote for my own site a few months ago. The truth of the matter is the more you share the more you’ll improve and the more you improve the more you’ll be able to look at step number one and say – “Wow, look at how far I’ve come!”.
And that is what feeling good is all about.
Post originally from: Digital Photography Tips.
Check out our more Photography Tips at Photography Tips for Beginners, Portrait Photography Tips and Wedding Photography Tips.
Start Feeling GOOD About YOUR Photography
If you’re looking for a book that takes you through the mysteries of natural light, shadows and highlights … this is not the one.
Instead, it gives:
‘Expert advice on the basics of on-camera and off-camera flash photography. Professional guidance on choosing flash equipment and accessories. Advice on setting up a photographic studio in the home. Tips on postprocessing techniques to get the best results from flash photography.’
And not a moment too soon for many people. Let’s face it, flash is one of the most misunderstood and misused technologies in photography. Bar none!
And then again, you wouldn’t put a raw amateur into a situation where he or she has access to a battery of studio lamps. Even more chaos.
The book’s chapters:
The help begins in the first chapter by spelling out the basics of flash: Guide numbers; on camera TTL; the inverse square law explained; reading a histogram; white balance; the RAW format explained; using on-flash colour gels. And we’ve only touched on the basics.
Although the book is relatively small, I was surprised at the depth of info passed on within its pages.
By the time we reach the second chapter we begin to learn how an on-camera flash is set up, power output, battery needs, operational modes, use of diffusion and bounce operation, shutter sync etc.
Matters get even more serious when author Harrington explains ‘Getting the flash off your camera is one of the best things you can do to advance your photographic skills.’ Hear, hear! He goes on to describe the various accessories such as boom arms, flash umbrellas etc. One very useful section recommends using a dummy styrofoam head (purchasable from art supply stores) to run test sessions on how to light a portrait.
Actual off-camera flash shooting situations are discussed and mention is made of some interesting devices which may help: such as Radio Poppers and Pocket wizards that can fire your flash from a distance with no need to use a connecting PC cord.
Also touched on are convertible flash umbrellas: these can be used in a reflective style or in shoot-through style; when used as originally intended, the former can deliver ‘beautiful contrasty light …’, while the latter allows you to shape light ‘and add or subtract softness.’
The degree of detail in the book is admirable and, IMHO, would take the photographer up a notch or two in skills level.
With each chapter there are multiple illustrations to support the text of sufficient size and quality that you quickly see what the info is all about.
Another chapter on choosing lenses will be of help when expanding your optical arsenal. Take heed: ‘buy the best you can afford until you can afford better.’
And then, right in the middle of the book is the sage advice that ‘Film is not dead.’ This is supported by the advice to play around with fun film cameras like the Holga and its ilk.
Creativity is foremost in the book’s pages, with ideas on how to extract the utmost, even when flying with one engine, or even one flash and one reflector.
An important factor in any photography and most especially with flash is post processing; the book deals with file formats and software choices and then gets into detail on white balance as ‘one of the main reasons photographers shoot in RAW format.’
A pair of pop out hint cards at the back of the book suggest the maximum shooting range, f stop, shutter speed and ISO setting with varying flash Guide Numbers.
All in all, a very useful, pocketable guide book.
Author: R Harrington.
Publisher: Ammonite Press.
Size: 18x15x1cm.
Length: 192 pages.
ISBN: 978 1 90770 875 6.
Price: Get a price on Photographic Lighting at Amazon (currently 23% off).
Post originally from: Digital Photography Tips.
Check out our more Photography Tips at Photography Tips for Beginners, Portrait Photography Tips and Wedding Photography Tips.
Photographic Lighting [Book Review]
