Photography as a career is extremely challenging and rewarding at the same time. On the one hand, photographers seem to be blessed people, because they do what they love. On the other hand, it sometimes gets very hard to make money on doing what you love – especially when you’re a freelance photographer. Luckily, there are some ways to effortlessly Continue Reading
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When I travel into the city (San Francisco) I take along my furry assistant and mini model, Mila, for the trip. She’s been working with me for awhile now. She trades in Pup-Peroni and DentaStix, and her daily rate is affordable, but I think she’d work for free too without complaint. I’d always rather bring my pup along on photography walks than go solo.
There are a lot of great reasons to practice photography with your dog! I can already think of five good reasons to take your dog on photography walks.
What better way to get test shots of a location than to photograph an assistant? But assistants cost money or at least a glass of wine, so if you’re running a tight ship your dog is a great option. My girl Mila has stood in for me on many location scouting trips. The best part about it is that I now have gazillions of photos of her from all of our adventures.
Would this image have been as interesting without Mila posed in the middle?
I find this especially useful for street and travel photography. People are less leery of me walking around taking pictures of their homes, businesses, etc., when I have Mila with me. In fact, they often stop to take pictures of her. Her presence encourages positive interaction and engagement, which is very helpful for me when I am trying to get the pulse of a place. Plus, it relaxes people, which makes for all-around better photography in my book.
Mila always turns heads on the street. Who doesn’t love a dog that knows how to work the camera?
They need to be fed when they’re hungry. They need to drink when they’re hot. They fidget and don’t give you much time to get that winning shot. Oh, and they get tired and need to take naps in the middle of the street. If you thought child photography was difficult, try pet photography.
Mila is an exceptionally well-trained and mature dog, but she still reacts to her basic needs much as a toddler would. Practicing photography with her makes me very aware of my timing and helps me develop my patience, speed, accuracy, and client empathy. Dogs are great “personal trainers” for working with younger or more demanding subjects.
The hunched shoulders tell me all I need to know: it’s time to take a break. Even so, Mila was patient enough to let me snap this shot of her in front of the famous murals at the Mission District Women’s Center.
I will not lie, the thought of walking solo through San Francisco with the street value equivalent of a small sedan around my neck is somewhat unnerving. Couple that with a lack of situational awareness when I am focused on taking a shot, and I’ve got all the makings for a pretty nice mugging. I always feel better when Mila is with me because (a) thieves don’t like messing with chicks with dogs, and (b) she’s got really sharp teeth. (I learned the hard way not to hand-feed her bacon.) If you can’t take a human friend on your next photography walk, why not take man’s best friend?
Check out that sassy tongue! I challenge anyone to mess with me while my furry bodyguard is on the job.
It’s true that all photographers get into ruts. We get used to taking certain kinds of photos because we’ve had past success with them and therefore know they will be well-received. We have to continually challenge ourselves to seek out new perspectives, and a great way to do this is to imagine seeing the world through someone else’s eyes.
Why not a dog’s? When I work with Mila, I always get inspired to look at things differently because I have to get down on her level or compose shots to complement her smaller size. Just be prepared for lots of dirty knees, soiled shirts, and the occasional funny look as you combat crawl through grass and gutters towards your furry subject.
Get low. Amazing how the scenery changes when you’re 18 inches off the ground.
I love taking my dog with me on photography walks. Does it add some extra complexity? Absolutely. (I realized a little too late that I shouldn’t drink two glasses of water on the way to the city, it’s not easy to find dog-friendly bathrooms!) But I think about the rewards of having a pet companion with you on a photography walk, one that encourages you to interact with your environment and seek out new perspectives. It is well worth the extra effort.
If you don’t have a dog of your own to accompany you, perhaps you can borrow a friend’s.
Scroll below for more images from our San Francisco photography walk. Do you take your dogs on photo walks with you? Please share your photos and thoughts in the comments below:
Black Magic Woman. I never knew Mila was a Santana fan. The things you learn about your dog on a photography walk.
Funky fun style is a must in the Mission! Wear something colorful and bohemian and you are bound to blend in. Mila’s fashion sense led the way to this rack of hot threads.
Dog Friendly. There are lots of lovely outdoor seating options at cafes, making them great places to grab a bite with your furry friend.
I imagine this is what Mila sees when she looks up. The Mission District is renowned for its vibrant murals that celebrate the heritage and culture of the local Mexican community.>
Driveways in San Francisco are often small and on an incline, making backup mirrors like this an important garage accessory. They’re also convenient when you want to take a grungey selfie with your Sheltie.
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When learning photography, it can be tricky to understand how your DSLR works. Most of us started shooting in automatic because we did not know what we were doing when we switched our camera to manual mode.
Basically, your DSLR has four main shooting modes, they are; Program (P), Manual (M), Aperture Priority (Av/A) and Shutter Priority (Tv/S).
The different shooting modes on an advanced DSLR. |
Manual mode lets you control everything on your camera. |
In this article, I will try to explain shutter speed, aperture, and ISO in the easiest way possible. Hopefully, it will help you to never use automatic mode on your camera anymore. I do not hate automatic mode, but I think that it reduces your creativeness.
Aperture Priority mode lets you control everything except the shutter speed – it will be set automatically depending on your other settings. You can control your ISO or leave it on automatic. |
Shutter Priority mode lets you control everything except the aperture – it will be set automatically depending on your other settings. You can control your ISO or leave it on automatic. |
When you take a photo in auto mode, you’re just capturing a moment objectively. For example, let’s say you’re taking a picture of a cat. Your only intention is to have the cat pictured , that’s a snapshot. Automatic mode gives you the right exposure straight away whereas in Manual Mode, you have to go through a creative process in your brain to take the image.
Let’s say you’re taking a picture of the same cat in Manual Mode, you’re not just clicking a button. You’re actually thinking about what you want to do. You might want to picture the cat with a blurred background, you might want to photograph the cat in motion or freeze the moment while it’s blinking. My point is that manual mode brings more subjectiveness to your photographs, a bigger piece of consciousness about your intent, and what you need to do to achieve the end result you want.
The problem many people have with Manual Mode, or at least I did, is how to get the right exposure. My pictures would be either over or underexposed.
You will have a correct exposure when you are able to create the perfect balance between the shutter speed, aperture and ISO depending on the amount of light that’s available. When you are shooting outside, your exposure will always change, let’s say you are doing a portrait session in natural light. Your exposure will change every five minutes because the light varies all the time.
Comparison between a correctly exposed image, overexposed and underexposed one (left to right).
There might be a cloud covering the sun or it may be setting, so the intensity of the light will change. In a studio session, once you get your lights positioned the way you want and have found the correct exposure, you will not need to change your settings again unless you change the position of your light and its intensity. Basically, my point is you have to consider the amount of light available, the intensity, and its direction.
A studio portrait. As soon as I get my exposure settings right, I will not change them.
Before I get to the main subject of this article and you finally leave the automatic mode for good, I want to explain shutter speed, aperture, and ISO.
The shutter speed is the amount of time the sensor inside your DSLR is exposed to light. A faster shutter speed will let in less light than a longer one. That is why we use very long shutter speeds in low light photography. The time between the shutter opening and closing will vary depending on how much light you want in your picture.
The shutter speed controls ambient light, that is one very important thing. If you need less light, then get a faster shutter speed. Do the opposite if you need more light. A fast shutter speed will also freeze action because the picture will be taken much quicker than a longer shutter speed. This will let you control if you want a moving subject to appear in motion or frozen in your image
Using a fast shutter speed to freeze a moving sports car
Using a slow shutter speed shows cars in motion or only the light trails from their headlights.
The aperture (opening in the lens) controls the amount of light that is let inside the camera. There is one confusing thing about apertures. A large aperture lets in more light but large apertures are translated with small numbers. In other words, an aperture of f/1.8 is a large aperture (opening) but the number is small, whereas an aperture of f/16 is a small opening but the number is big. Once you get this straight in your mind, it should be fine because the aperture is not that difficult to understand.
Basically, you use aperture for two main things. If you have low light conditions, you will need to use a big aperture (small number) to let in more light. But mostly we use aperture to control the sharpness of an image. A bigger aperture (small number) will give you a shallower depth of field (a blurred background), and a small aperture (bigger number) will give you a larger depth of field (there won’t be any blur in the background, most of the photo will be sharp).
Shot with an aperture of f/5.6 during a concert, I had no flash and had to boost up my ISO to over 1000 to get a proper exposure. I used a focal length of 50mm.
The ISO is the sensitivity of your camera sensor to light. With a higher ISO, the sensitivity to light is increased, therefore you will have more light in your photograph. One tip I can give you is not to be scared of the ISO. It does damage your photo quality wise by adding grain (noise) but with today’s DSLRs you can boost up the ISO to 1000 (or more) and still have good quality. Besides, you can always reduce noise later in post-production. I sometimes take portraits up to 1250 ISO, because I don’t really have a choice and choice is the whole point of this article.
Manual mode in photography is all about making choices. Sometimes use an ISO of 1250 for portraits. Most people would tell me I have no idea what I am doing if they see my settings because they’re scared of a grainy high-ISO picture. But I made the choice to use a high ISO to compensate for the shutter speed (make sure it was fast enough).
This a portrait using a large aperture of f/1.8 and an ISO of 1000, I had no flash with me and it was long after the sunset.
If I use a long focal length with an aperture of f/5.6, I will mostly likely get satisfying bokeh. A shutter speed of at least 1/125th or 1/160th is needed to avoid any blurred shots due to camera shake as my lens is pretty heavy. I really need a sharp photo, so this will make me boost my ISO to 1250 because my choice was to shoot with that lens, at that aperture and that shutter speed.
To use manual mode, you have to make artistic choices and play with the shutter speed and the aperture, leaving the ISO as an additive compensation to get the correct exposure. If you want to photograph a road with cars passing by in the middle of the day, you will most likely want a sharp photo so you will use a small aperture. You then need a fast shutter speed to freeze the cars so the ISO, in this case, will most likely be pretty high.
An image during daylight of a fast car using a fast shutter speed. The amount of light available enabled me to use a fast shutter speed with an ISO of 100 and a small aperture. If it was during sunset I would have needed to increase my ISO to compensate for the lack of light.
If you’re shooting sunsets and you want to capture some clouds moving in the sky; you will most likely use a small aperture to cut down the light, which will force a long (slow) shutter speed so you will likely need to decrease the ISO to 100. What you are doing is playing around with the shutter speed, the aperture, and the ISO to get the desired effect.
There are many ways to balance them, but each choice produces a different artistic result. It’s up to you to make that choice.
This is a long exposure of 30 seconds with an ISO of 100, the camera was placed on a tripod, I used a small aperture of f/14 for a sharp image.
Using Manual Mode makes you put more thought and reflexion into the photo you are about to take; I call this the artistic choice. Like I previously said, the shutter speed, the aperture, and the ISO make the photograph. Between your artistic choices, you can choose to have a shallow depth of field, a large depth of field, a subject in motion, or frozen.
Think about what you want to do before pressing the shutter button.
You can also choose how much light you want in your photo. If your artistic choice is determined by the aperture, then you have play around with the shutter speed and the ISO to find the right exposure. However, if it is determined by your shutter speed then you need to play around with the aperture and the ISO to find the correct exposure.
Note: your camera will reach its limits. But, you can use ND filters to darken your image or flash to brighten it up.
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Until very recently, my mindset was decidedly anti-drone. To me, drones seemed like a complicated plaything for geeks. After all, isn’t this photography hobby expensive enough without adding flying apparatuses to the equation? Plus there was very little doubt in my mind that if I bought a drone I would send it flying into the ocean on its first flight. No thanks.
I had a problem though. I had a coastal photography trip planned, and in coastal photography it is often difficult to take pictures of the coast while standing on the coast. I have long wanted some way to be able to look back at the coast from out to sea and photograph it from that perspective. A drone was the only real answer for me, so I bit the bullet and bought one.
After having used the drone for several months now, I can say my attitude has changed markedly. Much of what I thought about drones was wrong, or at least the problems were overemphasized. Flying them is actually very easy. It isn’t that complicated. It isn’t even that expensive (at least not compared to what we spend on cameras and lenses).
You may be pondering buying a drone, or at least wondering what they are all about. You might also see all the video footage from drones and wonder how drones are used in still photography. So let me introduce you to drones and how they can add a new dimension to your photography.
First, let’s talk about flying drones. This is something you are probably concerned about. You might wonder if flying will require skills you don’t have. Or perhaps you just don’t want to devote time to learning it. This is one area where you have nothing to worry about. Flying a drone is remarkably easy. That’s not to say you shouldn’t be careful or that you won’t be nervous every time you fly it, but flying is really easy.
The main thing to understand is that if you have your drone in the air, and you completely let go of the controls, it will just hover harmlessly in the air. It literally just sits there until you tell it what to do. Another thing that people worry about is having the battery run out while you are in the air. That won’t happen. Most drones have a feature that brings the drone back to its take-off point when the battery gets down to a certain level. In fact, most drones have a return to home feature you can press if you ever find yourself in an uncomfortable situation. You always have a way out.
Controlling the drone is easy. You have a controller with two joysticks on it. Pushing on one of them sends the drone up or down; doing the same to the other joystick sends it forward and backward. Each of the joysticks also goes right and left. One will turn the drone to the right and left; the other will make it move to whichever side you push to. I’ll talk more about the specifics of the control later. For now, I just want you to get a feel for how easy it is. If you were worried about being able to fly a drone, don’t be.
You may have heard a lot about the new laws affecting drones. It is true that most countries are enacting regulations for drones. In the U.S., the FAA has recently finalized its rules regarding drones. But many of the rules and restrictions apply to those using drones commercially. Most of us are just doing this for fun, so let me try to make this simple for you.
If you are flying your drone for recreational purposes, you don’t need a permit. There are no pilot requirements. Just register your drone with the FAA and you are set. The registration process is simple and only costs $ 5. To do so, just go to this page, create an account, and follow the instructions to register your drone.
That said, you cannot just fly your drone wherever you want. The main limitations you should understand are as follows:
There are other restricted areas as well. For example, you cannot fly anywhere in Washington D.C. or in national parks. There are online maps and apps for your phone – including the FAA’s B4U Fly app – that will tell you when you are in a restricted space.
Anyway, the regulations above apply to the U.S. Other countries will have their own regulations. Here are links to the regulations for Australia, New Zealand, and the UK.
Next, let’s talk about getting a drone, if you don’t already have one.
You may have dreams of buying a drone and sending up your DSLR to take high quality pictures. Forget about that, unless you want to spend upwards of $ 6,000. Instead, you’ll probably want to get a drone that comes with its own camera, but there are also models that work with the GoPro. The most common models are the Phantom 4 by DJI (check prices on Amazon or B&H Photo) or the Typhoon H by Yuneec (check prices on Amazon or B&H Photo). These will cost you about $ 1,300 – $ 1,500 for the drone and camera, although you can still get older models cheaper.
What will you get for that? You’ll get a drone that will fly up to about 40 miles per hour, which can operate up to a few miles away from you. It will remain aloft on a battery charge for about 20-30 minutes. You can expect it to have features like an automatic return to home, collision avoidance, and the ability to follow you. Of course, specific features will depend on the actual model you choose.
As to the camera, you can expect to get one that shoots both stills and video (usually 4K). We’ll talk more about the specifics of the cameras in a minute. First let’s talk more about how to fly.
When you fly the drone for still photography, things are pretty simple. Unlike shooting video, you won’t need to do any fancy pans or reveals. You just want to get the drone to the right spot(s) to take the picture. It’s just a matter of getting it up in the air, watching where you are going with it, and moving it where you want.
Your drone will have a controller with two joysticks. The controller plugs into your phone or other device. You control the drone with the two joysticks. At the same time, you can see through the drones camera on your device. To send the drone up into the air, all you do is press up on the left joystick. That stick controls altitude. It is as simple as pushing up on the stick to increase the altitude, and pulling down to bring the drone down. That stick will also turn the drone from side to side. The other (right) joystick will fly the drone forward and backward by pressing up and down. When you press that joystick left or right, it moves the drone in that direction.
To keep an eye on where your drone is going, you can either watch the drone itself or watch where it is going via the screen on your phone. Of course, you can operate the controller while keeping your eyes on the drone to make it go where you want. But you can also see what the drone sees to control it, which is often much easier. You will have a controller that connects to your phone or other device. Your screen will show the view from the drone’s camera as well as other pertinent data. Remember that your drone has to be kept in direct eyesight though.
That doesn’t sound too difficult, does it? It’s really not. After a few flights, it will be even easier. Of course, there are additional nuances and things will be a little different depending on what model you buy. Be sure to read the instructions and watch a few online videos on your specific model.
Next let’s talk about the camera that will come with your drone. First, the good news. When it comes to shooting video, the cameras in drones are top notch. They routinely shoot Ultra HD and most shoot 4K video. It doesn’t get better than that.
The bad news is that still photography is something of an afterthought for drones. The sensors are small. In most cases they are what you’d get in a compact camera. The resolution is moderate (12-16 MP is standard). The dynamic range is extremely limited and the low light performance isn’t great.
In addition, the lens will likely be very limited; a fixed focal length. It will be a wide angle lens, usually around 15-20 mm. The lens will also have a fixed aperture, meaning you cannot change it.
Virtually none of us would feel good about going out shooting with such a limited camera and lens. However, in drones it isn’t that bad. As to the camera, remember you will be shooting in daylight (you can only fly drones during the day – within 30 minutes of sunrise and sunset – in the U.S.), so there will usually be plenty of light. As to the lens, the fixed aperture isn’t as limiting as it would first appear. Keep in mind that everything in your picture will be so far away that the focus will be at infinity. You don’t need a lot of deep depth of field for everything to be sharp.
So the cameras are pretty limited, but you can make do. In any event, the cameras are getting better all the time, so you can expect significant improvements in camera quality in the near future.
We’ve talked about the capabilities of drones and the basics of how to fly them. Let’s talk now about taking pictures with them. For the most part, it is similar to operating a normal camera. You have the normal modes to choose from. You can set the shutter speed and ISO yourself or have the camera set them for you. That said, there are some aspects of using cameras on drones you should be aware of. Here are some tips to get you started:
I am a dedicated manual mode shooter when it comes to shooting with my DSLR. I would not think of using an automatic exposure mode. But when it comes to shooting with a drone, I put it in automatic exposure mode more often than not.
Why? Because there is enough to worry about when it comes to drones. I don’t want to add exposure control to my list of issues to think about. So when you are starting out using a drone for photography, consider using automatic mode. When you get more comfortable with the other controls, you can then set the exposure controls yourself. In any case, your camera will typically do a pretty good job setting the exposure level. You’ll rarely have tricky exposure scenarios here.
One way to make sure you get the right exposure every time is to bracket your photos. Drone cameras are usually capable of doing 3-shot brackets. Use this to overexpose and underexpose your shots by a stop. Think of this as exposure insurance. Sometimes you will just like one of the over or underexposed shots better. In that case, just use it. In addition, you can blend the exposures or use HDR software to combine the exposures later.
As mentioned earlier, the lens on your drone will likely have only one aperture. That leaves you limited options for changing shutter speeds. You aren’t completely out of luck though; you can still buy neutral density filters for your lens. These filters are used more for video, but they also help still photographers. They restrict the amount of light that gets into the camera, thereby forcing the camera to use a longer shutter speed.
You can also get polarizing filters for your drone. These filters cut down on reflections and make skies appear a deeper, richer blue. This is helpful for drone photography, where the sky is often a significant part of the picture.
This isn’t strictly a photography tip, but it is important nonetheless. Be sure to get more than one battery for your drone. Drone batteries typically last only 20-30 minutes. That isn’t a lot of time. Further, you may also want to fly in a few different locations on the same day. Most of the time you won’t be able to charge your battery in between locations. So, you’ll need more than one.
How many do you need? That depends. You can get away with only two batteries (I do), but many drone photographers have three or four. You shouldn’t need more than that. Batteries are not cheap so think carefully about what you will need.
Obviously, when you are flying the blades on your drone will be spinning. Remember that you will also be using an extremely wide angle lens. If you aren’t careful, your picture will include the spinning blades.
The best way to avoid this problem is to simply angle the camera down. That will keep the spinning blades out of the camera’s field of view. Of course, changing the angle of the camera will change the composition of your picture. Flying higher while angling the camera down might keep the composition similar to the picture you originally had in mind.
In any case, just be sure to look for blades in your pictures. You will need to look closely sometimes because it isn’t always obvious. You don’t want to get home and discover that your pictures are all ruined because there are spinning blades in all your pictures. If they are present, just change things up and take another shot without the blades in the picture.
Your drone will fly up to 400 feet in the air. It is fun to fly it high, and it also ensures that you are far away from trees, power lines, and other obstacles. But for the best photos, you will not want to be anywhere near that high. Your shot will look like something from Google Earth. Instead, keep your drones pretty low to the ground (under 100 feet) to get the best shots. That will help you establish a foreground for your picture.
So I admit it, I was wrong about drones. They are fun, easy to fly, and they really add something to your photography. Is one right for you? The answer will be different for everybody, but if you are on the fence I really encourage you to give it a shot.
A “just get out there and do it” attitude might not seem appropriate when it comes to drones. After all, any mistake can lead to a crash. But there is one simple rule that will make flying drones easy. That is to just stay away from everything. In fact, stay far away. Don’t go anywhere near trees, buildings, power lines, etc. If you do that, very little can go wrong.
Do you have any other drone tips to share with dPS readers? Please do so and share your drone images in the comments below.
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The post Tips for Getting Started Doing Photography with Drones by Jim Hamel appeared first on Digital Photography School.
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The Dinagyang Festival is a religious and cultural festival in Iloio City, Philippines held on the fourth Sunday of January
© Raniel Jose Castan?eda, Philippines, Entry, Open, Culture, 2017 Sony World Photography Awards
The 2017 Sony World Photography Awards are open for business and accepting entries in four main competitions: Professional, Open, Youth and Student Focus. The Open competition includes 10 separate categories including Architecture, Street Photography and Wildlife, and Open competition entries are automatically submitted to an applicable National award.
If you’re looking for some inspiration, you can find how one DPR regular took home a World Photo National prize last year, and flip through a selection of early entries here. Submissions will be accepted for the Open and National competitions until January 5, 2017.
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Bear Apartment Six. © Alexandra Cearns, Australia, Entry, Open, Enhanced, 2017 Sony World Photography Awards
Little bears can be very busy and the cub residents of Free the Bears Fund’s enclosure number six in Cambodia are no exception. ‘Bear Apartment Six’ is a composite print made up of 16 photographs taken by photographer Alex Cearns. The single images have been meticulously pieced together to form a visually enthralling scene of bustling bear activity, indicative of an apartment building. Photographed over 90 consecutive minutes in June 2016, three sun bear cubs are the stars of the show as they climb in and out of their den entrance. Cheeky, joyful and adorable, sometimes they’re solo and sometimes they’re with their bear buddies. Each bear was rescued from the illegal wildlife trade when they were only a few months old, and will now be in the care of Free The Bears for the rest of their lives.
We have 2 year old Bearzilla, seized from people keeping him as a pet in Phnom Penh; Pooh, aged just under 2 years, surrendered by developers building a hydro dam in the Stung Treng Provence; and 15 month old Soriya Sundance, handed over by a Government Official who obtained her from ethnic minority hunters in the Mondulkiri Province.
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Manta. © Daniel Hunter, UK, Entry, Open, Wildlife, 2017 Sony World Photography Awards
A manta ray swimming in the Indian ocean, Indonesia.
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The Midnight Blossom. © Ellie Victoria Gale, UK, Entry, Open, Enhanced, 2017 Sony World Photography Awards
Part of the series ‘The Flower Keepers’, a personal series exploring my imagination and thoughts, creating whimsical characters in a world filled with flowers.
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Paper Mill. © Jassen Todorov, US, Entry, Open, Architecture, 2017 Sony World Photography Awards
Waste from a paper mill is agitated by aerators, producing steam and foam, which are pushed by the wind. Clearwater Paper Reservoire, Lewiston, Idaho. Aerial Image (shot from a plane at 1,500 feet).
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The Majestic Dance. © Satvik Bhatt, India, Entry, Open, Wildlife, 2017 Sony World Photography Awards
This picture was taken in the forest area of Jaipur, Rajasthan (India). Rajasthan has a huge population of the National Bird and they are found in most areas (both urban and rural). This picture was taken during rain season, in which it’s a common sight to see the Peacocks dancing.
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Equilibrium. © Jose? Mari?a Pe?rez, Argentina, Entry, Open, Enhanced, 2017 Sony World Photography Awards
Digital edition
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Politechnika Warszawska. © Lorenzo Linthout, Italy, Entry, Open, Architecture, 2017 Sony World Photography Awards
The Warsaw University of Technology (Polish: Politechnika Warszawska; literally, “Warsaw Polytechnic”) is one of the leading institutes of technology in Poland and one of the largest in Central Europe.
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Soar in the blue. © Zuorong Li, China, Entry, Open, Motion, 2017 Sony World Photography Awards
There was a diving practice, after that, the swimming coach was swimming in the pool, and I was standing in the 5m diving platform, waiting for the right moment, although the light was quiet dim, I still managed to get this shot.
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Disciplinant. © ?? ?, China, Entry, Open, Culture, 2017 Sony World Photography Awards
On 8.23.2016, I was traveling to Sertar County (a county of Sichuan Province, China), and visited the Serthar Buddhist Institute here, Lamaism’s piety and the grand scene shocked me. I have never before feel my heart be so pure. When I wanted to take a photo there was a Lamaism walking by – so I got this photo.
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
Let’s look at the definition of silhouette:
If you want to see some good examples have a look here:
By Haricharan
To complete your challenge this week to shoot a silhouette these articles may have some helpful tips for you:
By Roberto Trombetta
By AdA Durden
By Jeff S. PhotoArt at HDCanvas.ca
Simply upload your shot into the comment field (look for the little camera icon in the Disqus comments section) and they’ll get embedded for us all to see or if you’d prefer, upload them to your favourite photo sharing site and leave the link to them. Show me your best images in this week’s challenge. Sometimes it takes a while for an image to appear so be patient and try not to post the same image twice.
You can also share your images on the dPS Facebook group as the challenge is posted there each week as well.
By ???9? – Photographer No.9
By brian.abeling
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The post Weekly Photography Challenge – Silhouettes by Darlene Hildebrandt appeared first on Digital Photography School.
This is the second part of a series that will explore a studio setup aimed at product photography. You can see the first here: Equipment Tips for Quick and Efficient Studio Product Photography.
Although this is built primarily for product photography you can use it for a few other genres. In this second part I will be going hands on with an actual shoot. I will show you how to set up a shoot based on the equipment from part one and go over some tips that I have gathered over the years of using it. If you haven’t read part one yet, head over there and give it a quick look so that you are up to speed with how we are about to implement that system.
Now that you are caught up let’s dive in. For almost every shoot I start by turning on my table lights. Those include the lights behind and beneath my table to allow the surface to glow from within (see photo above).
I have one of my Spiderlite TD6 heads above the table aimed straight down. This really helps fill in the top of the product and knock down the shadows caused by the table that underlights the product. My second TD6 light is the one that moves around my set. This is my main light as it is set brighter than the others and it is responsible for the main direction of light.
Settings for my lights will differ slightly from what you will need but this is a good starting point. The overhead TD6 is set for 30% power. The two Flashpoint lights under the table are set to 50% power. I have two small fluorescent softboxes behind the table at full power. My main TD6 is usually at 66% power (two switches turned on).
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These are the settings I run on my lights, and they work for almost all of my clients that need photos shot for their Amazon, Ebay, Etsy stores or their online company catalog. You need to realize that all bulbs are not created equal and that if you are mixing different daylight balanced fluorescents that colors can come out altered in your shots.
To counter this problem, invest in the Xrite color checker. Make a custom profile for your camera using your lights and this will ensure that colors are accurate. To find more information on incorporating the Xrite into your workflow check out this article by Andrew Gibson: How to Use the X-Rite ColorChecker Passport to Obtain Perfect Color.
As for my camera, I have one of my custom buttons pre-programmed and ready to go, I simply switch to C2 and I am shooting in seconds. My C2 settings are fixed for Manual Mode at f/16 and 1/6th of a second, highlight detection on, and a square crop. This will get me very close with my studio setup. If I need a little more blowout on my white table I slow my shutter speed, or alternatively if any clipped whites creep into my product I can increase the shutter speed.
I also find that manual focus is much faster in this situation. Focus hunt happens a lot during shoots and it eats time quickly when you are shooting 20+ products with 4+ angles per part. With a quick flick of a button on the back of my camera, I can enter Live View mode, zoom in, and get the exact focus that I would like. I shoot with highlight detection on so that when the image comes up for review anything that is clipped will flash black.
From there I am able to determine if I obtained a proper exposure. The histogram doesn’t help very much here as it is always going to be spiked to the right because I am purposely blowing out the background. I have also set my camera to crop the image to a square as this tends to be the only format my customers want for this style of photography.
A big tip that I can share with you is to use a raised platform. The reason you need a raised platform is because when an object gets placed directly on the table surface it tends to add a glaring highlight to the bottom of the product. The tabletop and the highlight are so close in terms of power it becomes difficult to blow out your table and keep the highlight on the bottom of your product from clipping. I have a super easy solution to get around this dilemma. What I did was take two boxes, stack them on top of each other, and then wrapped both in regular old white printer paper.
If you leave them unwrapped then you will have black strips reflecting in your product. The next thing I did was get a sheet of clear acrylic from Lowes. It is a quarter inch thick, and is 18×24″. It cost me around $ 20. I place this acrylic on top of the wrapped boxes which raises the shooting surface by seven inches.
What this does is allow the table to blow out, but because of light falloff it prohibits the product from being overly lit on the bottom and clipping the highlight. While I was at it I wrapped two smaller boxes of different sizes in white paper as well. I use these quite often to bounce light back into the shadows.
Now that we have gone over power settings for the lights, the configuration of my camera, and some tips on knocking down blown highlights by raising the surface, let’s set up an actual shoot. We will ease into it and start with something that doesn’t give you a whole lot to think about. Let’s do a regular coffee mug.
I placed the mug directly in the middle of the acrylic. The overhead light is directly over the mug aimed down. The other TD6 is at 90 degrees, hitting the mug from camera right.
The resulting image is 95% ready to go online almost straight out of the camera. There are a few things you might want to obsess over, like adding more white reflection and narrowing the dark gap. But honestly, it’s ready to go as is. I did say this was an easy subject so let’s move onto something a bit harder, shall we?
The next thing we will attempt is something that gives plenty of photographers fits; a white subject on a white background. Well, because we have a blown out table top and we are controlling the amount of light that the tabletop is introducing to our subject, it actually isn’t difficult to get great results.
Let’s start with the same lighting. Light from directly above, and one more light at 90 degrees to camera right. Straight out of camera we can see we did a pretty good job.
There is no major clipping going on the subject yet the background is completely white. There is not a lot of shape and dimension to the item, however. So let’s move the right light so that instead of 90 degrees it is 45 degrees. Now the light will hit the product on the front of this USB hub. Bingo.
We now have highlights on the leading edges which helps give it shape and dimension. It’s very close, but we can still do a little better. Let’s add one of those white wrapped boxes we made earlier to the shadow side and bounce some of our key light back into the product.
Now what we get is just a subtle fill in the shadow and that just about does it for this product. Yes, we could obsess further over some other details and finesse it some more, but remember this is a speed table. We are trying to get products on and off the table quickly. This image would pass for all of my clients.
For our final demonstration let’s do a reflective surface. Leaving the lights exactly the same as the previous shot (again because this is about speed) I will remove the white box that is acting as a fill and shoot this RCA adapter.
Again right out of camera it is pretty good. You can see some red reflecting on the shadow side in the lower left which is coming from a red bag out of frame, and there is a really dark strip running down the left/center side. Let’s clean those two things up and try again. I will remove the red bag from out of the frame and put the smaller white box fairly close to the adapter.
With just those two changes it has made a large difference in the shot. Let’s try and clean this up a tad more. The reason there is a black line is because it is reflecting the much darker room behind the camera. Using the angle of incidence I will use my large white box just below my lens and throw light back into the subject.
There we go! A perfectly acceptable image for an online catalog. The RCA adapter is cleanly lit, no harsh black lines, a fully white background and it is already squared because of our camera settings. This image is ready to go.
Read more info about shooting reflective surfaces here.
The reason I built this system is for speed. If you are trying to knock out 100 products a day, with this system you could absolutely do it. I know because I have done it.
Of course, there is the third and final part of the process and that is editing using your favorite software.
I use Lightroom, and it will really going up your product photography game. You need it to catalog all of your client’s images, keep track of the part numbers, export to their specification and clean up shoot errors using very little time.
Please share your questions and comments in the space below.
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The post Tips for Fast and Effective Studio Product Photography by Jacob Macias appeared first on Digital Photography School.
A wiser person than myself once said that if someone does not know to which port they are sailing, no wind is favorable. I heard that advice early in my photographic journey and it has stuck with me throughout the years. Learning about photography is important. Developing your skills as photo maker is even more important.
However, one of the most important things that you can do in order to grow as an artist (and business person) is to recognize the importance of finding a direction, setting photography goals for yourself. Without a direction or goals, all the passion, skill, and creativity you possess will not be enough to help you reach your full potential as a photographer.
That is the hard part. Figuring out which direction to focus your energy on can be frustrating and at times extremely confusing. There really are no shortcuts. The key is to shoot, shoot, and shoot some more. Shoot a lot. You won’t know what kind of photography you truly love until you let yourself go and become lost in your own work.
Don’t limit yourself to only one type of photo when you’re just starting out in the art; meaning don’t exclusively do street work or only shoot portraits. Make photographs of anything: people, landscapes, architecture, food, toasters – anything. You might find that your true passion strangely discovers you when you least expect it. The important thing is to keep shooting and keep yourself open to new opportunities.
Bear in mind, however, that directions can and often do change. Even though you may be firmly set on the path you want to pursue with your photography remember that you are not confined to it exclusively. As you grow as a photographer so will your tastes and your inclinations may evolve. Again, keep your creative mind free and be willing to try something completely different if the muse strikes you to do so. You make the photograph…the photograph does not make you.
For a moment let’s imagine that you have found your direction. You’re elated and you can’t describe how great it feels to have that overwhelming urge to create photographs. Now what? Do you just go out into the world and hope for the best? Of course not. Instead, take all of that excitement and artistic energy and channel it into something tangible.
In short, you must set clear goals for yourself as a photographer. Setting goals for your photography will help you immeasurably. There are so many things to consider when first starting out. At times it becomes shockingly easy to lose your focus which will lead to frustration. Developing goals will keep you grounded in your work and heading in the direction you have chosen. Not only will having clearly defined goals keep you focused but will also keep you motivated and make you more determined to accomplish what you have set out to do.
No one that I know of ever had their first photograph published on the cover of National Geographic Magazine. If that’s your goal that’s great. But understand that while setting goals is essential to success, they must also be realistic goals.
Find goals for your work which are challenging but attainable. Examples of realistic goals could be learning a new technique or getting your work in a local gallery. Don’t set yourself up for disappointment because you set the bar unimaginably high. Success is a ladder that must be climbed one step at a time.
Gaining confidence is somewhat of a paradox because you need confidence in order to find it – think about that for a moment. Boosting your confidence level is perhaps the most important reward that will come out of setting goals for your photography.
Taken as whole, going from a beginner to a professional photo maker is a daunting task to say the least. There is just so much that can go wrong on the journey from point A to point B. Instead of attempting to cover the distance in a single leap, lay out achievable goals that will eventually take you where you want to go. Along the way, with each goal met and overcome, you will naturally build confidence. The next goal will be met and then the next and the next, and so on.
As you become more confident in your work and your abilities each new goal you set will be more and more ambitious. One day you will look back to see how far you’ve come and how much you’ve accomplished just by focusing on each step one at a time.
You found the courage to follow your dreams and take up the mantle of “photographer”. It’s not always going to be an easy road, but by simply finding your direction and setting photography goals you will be able to achieve things you never thought were possible.
Learn to understand what it is that truly gives you a spark when you photograph, then develop a game plan by setting small goals to help you along your way. Those goals will be your signposts. With each goal you achieve you will build skill, confidence, experience, and knowledge. As you learn and grow you will undoubtedly change as an artist. Be mindful but don’t fight the natural current and healthy evolution of your own creativity.
Whether the goals you set are designed to facilitate a transition from hobbyist to pro photographer, or to just reach the next stage in your photographic journey, the important thing to remember is to never stop moving. Always strive to learn something new, set new goals, and reach new heights.
What are your photography goals? Please share in the comments below.
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The post The Importance of Setting Photography Goals for Yourself by Adam Welch appeared first on Digital Photography School.
Photography as a career is extremely challenging and rewarding at the same time. On the one hand, photographers seem to be blessed people, because they do what they love. On the other hand, it sometimes gets very hard to make money on doing what you love – especially when you’re a freelance photographer. Luckily, there are some ways to effortlessly Continue Reading
The post Where to Get Income When You’re New to Photography appeared first on Photodoto.
I’m a firm believer in the power of photographing details. Take a particular scenario… let’s say you walk into a restaurant. It’s busy, packed with people, and perhaps a little on the noisy side, even. You have just been told by the staff that it’s a 30-minute wait for a table and you have seconds to make up your mind. You take another glance at the buzzing scene before you and decide you like the feel of the place so you wait patiently in the queue. And then you ponder why….what made you stay?
You made your decision on a whim, a gut feeling, a mere glance at the place. Surely, there has to be a reason why this place has evoked such feeling enough for you to stay and wait. So you look carefully and analyze why.
The lights, they are all moody, set at different heights and levels, in nooks and crannies, giving an atmospheric ambience to the room. The low slung sofas in the corners are covered with lush velvet cushions, inviting you to come sit and relax. You feel relaxed already just at the thought of hunkering down on one of those. You then notice the little fireplace, alit with slow burning crackling flames, some interesting contemporary art hung above it on the chimney breast.
Your eyes dart to and fro across the room as you see many mismatched chairs full of character and wear and tear from being loved over the years. Each one deserving of a good look and admiration. Wild flowers and plants on the tables, a shelf filled with books and another with vinyls next to a turntable. It’s like your eyes have been opened and the list of details goes on. Now you know why.
The details – they may seem small and insignificant but never underestimate their power. It is the details that make anything – a place, a wedding, a special birthday, an anniversary, a family photoshoot.
However, it takes a special eye and some practice to notice details immediately. In fact, practice help make you look for details instantly. What is so unique about the place, the wedding, or your client’s home? What is the trademark of the couple that makes the photoshoot so them? The fabric and designs on the clothes they wear, their accessories, their props, the style they have decorated their home, the colors. What is the place known for, what makes them stand out from the crowd? Often, the answer is in the details.
I have been a professional photographer for eight years and over that time I have learned to see details so that they are the first things I look for at a location. If you are new to this concept of photographing details, here are five quick tips to get you started and you’ll be capturing places and people’s uniqueness in no time. You don’t need to practice on a photoshoot to see details. You can make your own detail-finding project, use a family day trip, or just go for a walk outside your house. Details are everywhere. The trick is in the selection and in the art of seeing them.
The photos below have been taken from a family visit to the Sky Garden in London.
Light is the most important element in photography. Study light, follow it, position yourself correctly in relation to the light when you take your image and you will be fine!
Soft light comes early and late in the day, filtering through at an angle, creating soft shadows. Adversely, harsh light often comes from when the sun is shining right over your subject or when they are facing the sun directly. This light creates harsh and dark shadows and is often avoided by photographers. Of course, there are ways you can counteract this effect by using strobes and light modifiers so that it is irrelevant at what time of day or night you shoot. It is important to understand light, its effect on your subject, and to look for light when you take your images.
Anything that looks interesting or repetitive can be a good starting point for a good image. The images below were simply table lamps and candlesticks waiting to be placed on the tables, that were arranged at the back of the bar. I liked the different textures at play here: shiny against matte, metallic against vinyl.
Contrast is so crucial in photography. Without it, you will have a very flat image. You want enough contrast going on in your image so that it looks more 3 dimensional, with details intersecting planes and adding more interest to your picture. Possible contrasts include:
This is one of my favorite challenges. Often I have to push myself to really see the unusual or have an original take on something that is otherwise cliche. Reflections help a lot here, as does layering. Positioning yourself at uncommon angles just to get a fresh view helps.
Quite possibly the most difficult thing to do out of these five tips is using juxtaposition. It is tricky and requires a strong sense of what goes together effectively. It is one of those times when you just have to trust your gut a bit more and listen to that inner voice that says ‘”That does not quite look right” or “Yes those two go perfectly together”.
This is difficult to describe and rationalize in my own opinion but something that will probably come to you naturally after training yourself at looking enough. So remember to be patient with yourself, take your time, and most of all enjoy the journey.
I hope you found these tips helpful. Do share in the comments below your images of details or any additional tips you may have.
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