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Posts Tagged ‘Using’

Using Framing in Composition – Weekly Photography Challenge

30 Nov

Framing is exactly as it implies: seeing your image through something that frames it such as: a doorway, a window, through leaves of a tree, etc.

Shot at Cafe du Monde in New Orleans. To me the people in the foreground help tell the story.

Framing your subject within a another is a strong, graphical composition. It adds a three dimensional quality to your images, and creates depth. Using framing adds a foreground element that can help set the scene, tell the story, and lead the viewer’s eye into the image.

Start looking for ways to shoot through natural frames to highlight your subject.

HINT: back up and look through the doorway behind you. Show the viewer exactly where to look.

To frame this Japanese temple in Hawaii I walked away from it until I had this overhanging tree to frame the image. It adds depth and dimension to your images when you use this technique.

For some inspiration check out 25 Images using Framing in Composition posted earlier today.

Find beauty in the story

Beauty is not only a visual characteristic. Try to create images that will cause your mind to invent a story.

It is important to note that these stories don’t have to have a resolution. Some of the most powerful images will cause you to think about them differently over time or depending on how you feel that viewing, in that moment.

Lady in Red, 5th Avenue

Take a look at the image above. For me, there is a story here somewhere within the disconnect between the image of the free flowing girl in red on the iPhone case and the rigid stance of the woman dressed in jewelry and muted tones.

Slow down

It’s so hard to pay attention to what’s going on around you if you are running around, overstimulated, and trying to immediately capture everything around you.

Take a deep breath, put the camera down to your side, and just wait and look around a bit. Unique photographs are hidden all around us, but you need to pay attention to be able to seek them out.

An image that is different might not stand out at first

The Cigarette Break

Have you ever listened to a song and disliked it the first time, but then the second or third time you hear it you start to appreciate it. Then you can’t get enough of it? (and then it’s played so much that you can’t stand it again, but that’s another story)

Some of the best, most extraordinary images will not always hit you at first.

The same idea happens within imagery. Some of the best, most extraordinary images will not always hit you at first. With photography, and especially with the amount of imagery that passes our eyes daily, an image only has a millisecond to grab our attention and then a couple seconds of our attention if we do decide to click on it. This trend can affect how we photograp,h and how we see the world. I think this is a reason why coloured filter effects are so prevalent these days, because they catch our attention so well, but just as quickly as they enter our lives, they fade off into the sea of similar photographs that we forget about.

The best images are the ones that grow with you over time – that you can put next to your desk and look at over and over again without losing interest.

These images don’t care about the first two seconds.

If everyone’s looking one way, look the other

Designated Photo Spot

This idea works for so many things; investing, real estate, but also for photography. If everyone is fixated on one thing, or one way of doing something, then it’s often best to head in a different direction.

What direction that is, who knows. But it will be easier to figure that out if you are able to rule out the wrong directions.

Find beauty in the mundane

This idea doesn’t mean to photograph things that are boring. It means to search for interest in areas that would normally be thought of as mundane. Don’t rule out areas or objects to photograph and don’t be afraid to capture something as ‘mundane’ as an empty wall.

You don’t need to know why you are capturing something, you don’t have to know the meaning of what you are capturing, and it doesn’t have to be beautiful in the traditional sense. The most important gauge is that it makes you feel something when you look at the image.

Don’t fixate on getting attention

Lost in Lisbon

Photographing this way might mean that people are going to pass by these types of images the first, second, or fifth time they see them.

Not everyone is guaranteed to like it, to be used to it, or to understand it. Even more likely, most people might not even stop and notice it at first. So don’t be discouraged if this happens. With this type of photography you are interested in influencing one person significantly, not catching the eye of most people right away.

It is a good idea to find one photograph,y or art-loving friend, to talk about these images instead of worrying about how everyone feels about them. If you stick with one or a few people to show your work consistently, they can grow to understand it better and can give you advice and feedback.

Anyway, the real success of an image is if you like it.

Post originally from: Digital Photography Tips.

Check out our more Photography Tips at Photography Tips for Beginners, Portrait Photography Tips and Wedding Photography Tips.

Using Street Photography to See Beyond the Ordinary

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Balancing Flash and Ambient Light Using an Incident Light Meter

22 Nov

Contribution by Shiv Verma

Balancing Exposure

Ambient underexposed by two stops by changing the shutter speed to 1/40th of a second

Why is an incident meter important for flash photography?

How often have you struggled trying to capture a well-exposed portrait in a dimly lit room or hall. All you have is the ambient light and your speedlight. With an understanding of exposure and flash techniques you can learn to successfully balance ambient and flash exposures to create exceptional photographs. Ones that look natural, without the harsh appearance of flash, and without detracting from the ambient light.

For the most part, your camera’s meter and exposure evaluation will be just fine when you are capturing images in even light situations. However, the onboard system will usually fail when you are trying to properly expose a subject in a dimly lit room. In these situations, you must be in a position to balance the ambient light that is in the room ,and the light from the flash that will light your subject. The same concept applies to photographing subjects in low light situations outdoors.

The camera’s metering system is not capable of evaluating the two light sources and establish the correct exposure for the scene, or in other words, balancing flash and ambient light. The camera’s meter when set to evaluative (Canon) , matrix (Nikon), centre-weighted, or spot metering works great for a balanced scene, but not when the exposure of the environment is vastly different than the exposure of the flash lit subject.

Two examples of how in-camera metering systems fail

Choose a camera capable of using a hot shoe or off-camera flash to follow along. The pop-up flash is not suitable for this exercise. Keep the aperture value at f/4 and the ISO at 400 for each scenario.

In the first image, below, the flash is set to ETTL (electronic through the lens meter system). The camera is set on aperture priority and evaluative metering mode.

Notice that the subject is reasonably well lit but the background is under exposed

For this next example, set the meter to the spot metering mode and take the reading for the background. All other settings remain the same and the flash is still on ETTL. Notice the overall image is now underexposed. The metering system is unable to properly evaluate the scene and the primary subject. (image below)

flash-photography-lighting-metering-02b

For the third image in the sequence turned off your flash, and set your camera evaluative/matrix metering. The idea is to try and get the best exposure for the background. Make note of your shutter speed and exposure settings.

Shutter speed 1/13th second and the background is reasonably well exposed, though not perfect

Using a hand-held incident light meter to solve the problem

Good hand-held meters have multiple modes: a spot metering mode which is a reflective reading (usually 2 degrees or less), an incident mode using the meter’s light dome, and one or more flash modes. It is imperative you learn the proper use of these modes in order to be successful at flash photography.

You want all your images to be good, not the occasional 1%. You need to stop struggling and juggling settings to produce the image you want. Experiments are good only if you know what you are doing and what your tools are. Realize that there are infinite ways to light your subject with strobes, as there are infinite scenarios that your subject can be in. So learn how to expose correctly, learn how to balance ambient light and flash, but most of all, learn how to read light.

Set up the ambient exposure first

Let’s go back to the scene as we had above. Set your camera to manual exposure mode. As before, keep your aperture at f/4. Next, to properly expose the room you measure the ambient light using the spot meter function of the hand held meter pointed at an area that is mid tone (approximately the same as medium grey) in the scene. In this test case the meter indicated 1/10 sec at f/4. Set your camera to these settings. Take a test shot to ensure your exposure is correct for the ambient light. See below:

Test exposure using ambient light only

Next set the flash exposure for the primary subject

You can experiment with off-camera flash if you do not have remote triggering capability, using an off-camera remote flash cord (for Canon, or Nikon). On-camera hot shoe flash use is not recommended as it produces harsh, flat lighting. But in order to simplify this exercise, you can use the hot shoe flash mounted on you camera. It will be just slightly off center when you have your camera oriented in portrait mode.

To read the flash exposure, set the hand held meter to “incident” mode, and the exposure on the “flash non-cord” setting (do not use the corded or triggered setting). This will read the light falling on the subject when the flash is fired. If you are using a remote trigger, then the next step is easy. If not, then have someone assist you for the next reading. Position the meter such that the dome points to the camera and fire the flash. At full power, in this test case, the reading was f/19. See the image below:

How to point your meter and measure the flash, this is obviously too much power

An f/19 reading indicates overexposure, as your camera is set at f/4 for the depth of field you want. To resolve this, you need to dial down the output of the flash by five stops (f4 > f5.6 > f8 > f11 > f16 > f19>. Set the flash to 1/32 power which is five stops below full power. It is always good to take another test reading and adjust the distance of the flash to subject to compensate for a half stop variance (to f/19). Now you should get a reading of f/4 and you are ready to shoot.

Flash and ambient balanced successfully. The exposure on the subject is perfect and the room is properly exposed too.

Adjust shutter speed to feature the subject more

Basically, the settings on camera indicate equal exposure and you can see that both the subject and the room are exposed correctly at an aperture of f/4. This is good. But, if you want to emphasize the subject more, you want to underexpose the room. With the way you have your exposure already set up, this is really easy. All you need to do is increase the shutter speed by a stop, two stops, or more. This under exposes all the areas lit by the ambient light but the exposure on the subject remains the same and is always correctly exposed.

Ambient underexposed by one stop by changing the shutter speed to 1/20th of a second

Ambient underexposed by two stops by changing the shutter speed to 1/40th of a second

The reason for this is that the meter reading for the background is based on the ambient light. The subject however, is lit using the flash, an instantaneous light source. Your flash exposure is controlled by its power output, increasing or decreasing the flash’s distance from the subject and by the aperture setting on your camera. Typically, flash exposure is not affected by shutter speeds as long as your camera’s shutter speed is set to the flash sync speed or slower. As a result, changing the shutter speed affects the ambient light exposure (the exposure of the room) without affecting the flash exposure (the exposure of the subject).

Summary and action plan

In conclusion, relying on your camera’s metering system, be it evaluative, spot or centre-weighted, never gives you the kind of exposure control that you can achieve when using a good hand-held incident light meter.

If you have additional tips or tricks please share them in the comments below, and if you haven’t tried your flash off the camera yet why not give it a go!? Grab yourself a light meter and try it!

Shiv Verma, is a photographer, educator and technologist and lives in Wrentham Massachusetts. He is an avid wildlife and commercial photographer and conducts photo workshops and tours worldwide. You can check out more of his work on his website at: www.shivverma.com. Follow him on: Google+, Facebook and Twitter

Post originally from: Digital Photography Tips.

Check out our more Photography Tips at Photography Tips for Beginners, Portrait Photography Tips and Wedding Photography Tips.

Balancing Flash and Ambient Light Using an Incident Light Meter

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How To Save An Underexposed Photo Using Lightroom

10 Nov

Before we even get started I should make clear that this is to be used as a last resort effort to save a photograph that can’t possibly be retaken any time soon, not something we should make a habit out of. We all know that the best way to save an underexposed photograph is to simply pay attention to the histogram while taking photos and if it’s pushed all the way to the left adjust our settings and reshoot.

Of course with that said, there are cases where it’s impossible to reshoot, or we just forgot to check our settings and get home to realize everything is underexposed and in that case we can do one of two things – toss the photo in the trash or try and save it.

Today I’m going to show you…

after underexposed

I’d like to mention upfront that to be able to achieve these kinds of results you really must be photographing in the RAW format – no ifs, ands or buts about it! If you need a bit of clarification as to why RAW is important you can read all about the RAW format here.

Let’s Save An Underexposed Photo

Underexposed histogram

If you do get home and your histogram looks the one to the right than you’ve got an underexposed photograph in serious need of some help. It probably looks very similar to the before image above with just peaks of light in the very brightest parts of the photograph.

Before you give up hope and assume that your shoot is a complete failure there are a few things you can do to try and salvage the underexposed photographs that you’ve taken.

I’m going to be presenting you with three techniques that you can use to get the most out of what you have. However it is important to note that every photograph is different and will present its own unique set of challenges. These three ideas will give you something to try in the event that you do get home and find your photographs have taken a turn for the dark side, but they might not be able to bring them back, sometimes they truly are too far gone.

For this tutorial I’m using a fairly serious example, in most cases I would hope that you won’t have nearly as bad a situation as I have for you today, so let’s get started!

#1 – Save what you can get rid of what you can’t

This might not be the best way to go about things, but it certainly is the easiest way to get something out of nothing.

By simply adjusting the basic settings a bit to expose for the sky in the photograph I create a simple silhouette of the trees and leave it at that. The final step was to clone out the little bits of the run down shack that were peaking out asking for attention, but not adding to the photograph.

Definitely not the best option for this photo, but it is an option worth considering when you are processing your own photos – sometimes you really don’t have to save everything – it might not be what you had intended the shot to be, but that doesn’t mean it’s a complete loss.

Expose for what you have clone out what you can’t save.

#2 – Use Graduated Filters and Adjustment Brushes Until You Can’t Use Them Anymore

For this second attempt at saving this image I did a lot of the same processing as I did on the first one to get the sky the way I wanted it. Once I got to that point instead of simply giving up and cloning out the run down shack I decided to add a graduated filter and some adjustment brushes to try and save the foreground.

As you can see with just a few modifications I was able to really bring out the hut and add some light to the grass as well as some much needed contrast to the road. This became the after image scene above.

Use a graduated filter to bring light back into the foreground.

Add light to the grass and hut with one adjustment brush

Darken the road to add contrast and remove some noise with a second adjustment brush.

#3 – Convert to Black and White

If we have a really bad case of underexposure, as I do in this photograph, noise will become a problem. As you recover data from the darkest of the shadows you will find that there just isn’t any data there to recover and you’ll end up with pixelated noise in those regions. This is especially true if you were already shooting at a higher ISO.

In cases like this sometimes the only solution left to do is convert to black and white. By converting the image to black and white you essentially are able to hide the color noise leaving only the luminance noise in the photograph. While it’s still not ideal, it can be a useable alternative if you have no other options.

Reduce noise by converting to black and white

Convert the image to black and white to minimize the effect of noise

For those who enjoy videos this photograph’s edit was part of a weekly series I run on YouTube called Let’s Edit you can watch the video of that episode below.

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 Save An Underexposed Photo Using Lightroom

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3 Tips for Creating Dramatic Images using Motion

18 Oct

motion-dps-09

There is a common misconception that if your image isn’t tack sharp and free of motion blur then it isn’t a good image. I’d like to show you three ways you can use motion blur to add drama and interest to your photography.

Misconception: motion blur in photography = a bad image

I would disagree and say, not necessarily so! It really depends on the subject you are shooting and your intention as the photographer and artist. Using blur can add interest and show implied movement in the image. It can help add a feeling of speed. If your are shooting a subject like sports, for example, you have use a fast lens and fast shutter speed to freeze motion at the peak of the action. OR you can introduce intentional motion blur by using a slower shutter speed to add a sense of speed. Neither is right or wrong, they’re just different. You get to choose and if you aren’t sure, do both!

Three tips for adding motion to your images

panning a moving subject
long exposures for affect
zooming or moving the camera during the exposure

Let’s look at each in more detail.

PANNING

DandC-Feb2013-0011-PPT

Panning is a technique for photographing moving subjects which allows you to get the subject relatively sharp, and blur the background. This adds a sense of speed and works particularly well when you have a background that is unattractive or distracting. The basics behind panning is you choose a slow shutter speed, and move your camera to follow the subject. Here are some tips on setting your camera for panning and giving it a try.

use high speed or “burst” shooting mode to take multiple images while holding down the shutter button
select Shutter Priority on your mode dial
start with 1/30th of a second and adjust slower and faster as necessary
practice following the moving object after it passes by
just like in golf, follow through is the key. Point your camera towards the approaching subject, shoot and follow them as they move through your field of view, and keep following their motion even after you stop shooting.

It takes a little bit of practice and a lot of trial and error but can result in some really stunning and creative images. Try shooting the same subject using a fast shutter speed and freezing the motion, then try panning and compare. It’s not something you will use for every subject, but it’s a good technique to have in your bag of tricks!

Here are a few examples of panning.

1/25th of a second panned

1/30th of a second, panned

1/25th of a second, panned

LONG EXPOSURES

By long exposures I’m taking about a shutter speed slower than you would usually be able to hand hold the camera. There are many reasons to use long exposures including: moving water, capturing star trails at night, car headlights moving through your scene, and night photography in general. You will need a sturdy tripod, a remote trigger to fire your camera and time. I say time for two reasons: one you will have to wait for some really long exposures sometimes, especially star trails; and two because you will need time to shoot, adjust and correct. A lot of photography is trial and error and in this age of digital photography we have the huge benefit of being able to have instant feedback so we can correct or adjust in the field and continue shooting.

Here’s an example of the same subject photographed at different shutter speeds. Which do you prefer?

1/5000th of a second

1/40th of a second

Besides night photography another common reason to use long exposures during the day is to photograph waterfalls and moving water. Keep in mind neither approach is right or wrong, you just yield different results based on the choice you make. A faster shutter speed will freeze the water in mid air (like the first image above). A long exposure will blur the water, and if you use a long enough exposure it can even disappear or become misty looking. Here’s a comparison:

1/100th of a second

2.5 seconds

With moving water, there also comes a point where doing a longer exposure doesn’t look any different. Compare the image below a 5 seconds, to the one above at 2.5 seconds. The water looks pretty similar, but what did happen was the tree above was blurrier in the 5 second one, so I chose to use the 2.5 exposure.

5 seconds

Here are a few more examples of long exposures.

Do you see the motion in the images below? What is moving in each?

motion-dps-01 motion-dps-02 motion-dps-03 motion-dps-04 motion-dps-05

For more information on how to shoot these types of scenes read:

15 Tips for Successful Fireworks Photography
Three Special Effects for Night Photography

ZOOMING

Last but not least, you can add motion by zooming your lens during the exposure. Basically what you do is physically rotate your zoom lens to change the focal length during a long exposure. This works really well and gives some really neat affects on night scenes with lights, neon signs, and even fireworks. But try it during the day too and see what you can create. It often results in a rather abstract image, sometimes completely obscuring the subject to make it unidentifiable. But that’s okay! Experiment and play with this idea. Have fun with it and get creative.

Some tips for zooming during your exposure:

Zoom in first to focus and lock it there so it doesn’t shift when you press the shutter button. You can use focus lock (a bit cumbersome), use autofocus and then turn it off, or use your camera’s back button focus capability. Whichever you choose just make sure you’ve focused with the lens at the longest focal length where it’s more critical than a wide one
Practice rotating the zoom mechanism on your lens. Get comfortable with which way to turn it, and how to turn it smoothly without making a bumpy mess.
Use an exposure of one second or longer. It’s pretty hard to do this a a/100th of a second!
Experiment with different zoom speeds (how fast you rotate the lens) and timing. The image will look different if you pause at the beginning and then zoom quickly, versus zoom slowly at the beginning and pause at the end of the exposure.

Here are a few examples of zoomed exposures

No zoom. Notice all the small lights in this hotel lobby.

2 seconds

Also 2 seconds, notice how different they are? That’s the zoom timing.

2.5 seconds. Abstracted image of the sculpture in the first non-zoomed image (bottom left corner)

motion-dps-06

No zoom, I thought it was boring so I played with panning and zooming while on the carousel. Parents were looking at me funny after my 4th time around.

Zoomed version. Is it better? Debatable but it’s the process of playing that leads to creating great images. Always continue to play.

ACTION PLAN

If you haven’t really played with long exposures much, I challenge you to try some of these techniques. Find some moving subjects and blur them on purpose. Or find something that will make an interesting abstract and blur it by zooming.

The point is that not every image has to be tack sharp and some have absolutely nothing in focus and they’re still great images. Don’t get stuck on technical things like sharpness and try experimenting with out of focus for a while. Add some motion using these tips, or maybe even shoot completely out of focus on purpose. Come back and share your images and experience with us.

Have you got some great motion blur images? Do share those as well in the comments below.

Got another tip you want to add to the list? Please do!

Cheers,

Darlene-1-250x130

Post originally from: Digital Photography Tips.

Check out our more Photography Tips at Photography Tips for Beginners, Portrait Photography Tips and Wedding Photography Tips.

3 Tips for Creating Dramatic Images using Motion

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Using Smart Previews in Lightroom 5

10 Oct

Smart Previews in Lightroom opener

If you’ve ever encountered a “The Folder Could Not Be Found” message in the Lightroom Develop module or seen a question mark over a folder name in the Library module you’ll love the new Smart Previews in Lightroom 5.

Smart Previews are an editable preview image and they make working with Lightroom when you are using removable drives a cinch.

Here I’ll explain what smart previews are and why you might use them.

Understanding the problem
Lightroom can only work with images that have been imported into its catalog. When your import your images Lightroom notes where the images are on your disk so it can access them when you want to edit them.

As Lightroom doesn’t store the actual images you will encounter problems if the drive the images are stored on is not connected to your computer when you try to edit them. In this case, you will see a preview of the image in the Library module but if you select the image and open the Develop module you will see a message saying “The folder could not be found”. The editing tools are all disabled and you can’t proceed.

Lightroom 5 smart previews 2

If you look at that same folder of images in the Library, the folder name will appear in the Folders panel but with a question mark over it. This is because the folder is on a drive that is not currently attached to your computer.

Lightroom 5 smart previews 2

In earlier versions of Lightroom, the only solution for this issue was to reattach the drive so the original images would be available to Lightroom.

With Lightroom 5 the situation has changed to the extent that, with a little forethought and some spare disk space, you can edit images even if they are stored on a disk not attached to your computer. The solution is provided by the new Smart Previews feature.

What are Smart Previews in Lightroom?

Smart Previews are lossy DNG files which are a maximum size of 2540 pixels on their longest edge. They are created from the original raw files and they are stored in a folder in the same location as the Lightroom catalog.

You can use these Smart Previews if the original images are not available not only in the Library module but also in the Develop module.

If you have Smart Previews rendered for an images you will still see a question mark in the Library module indicating that the folder is not available but below the histogram there will be a small white icon indicating that a Smart Preview is available for this image. The Smart Preview can be edited in the Develop module just like the original image and it can be exported too.

Lightroom 5 smart previews 3

Smart Previews can be created for DNG and for Camera Raw images as well as for TIF and JPG. You can create them on import by selecting the Create Smart Preview checkbox in the Import dialog.

Lightroom 5 smart previews 4

You should note that Smart Previews and regular Previews are two different types of previews so you should continue to choose the same option in the Render Preview list that you have chosen in the past. So, I choose to Render Standard previews at a size appropriate for my monitor size – as well as rendering Smart Previews for those images I want to be able to edit even if the drive they are stored on is not connected.

You can also create Smart Previews at any time – provided the original images are available at the time you are making them – using a menu option in the Library module. To do this, select the images to build Smart Previews for and choose Library > Previews > Build Smart Previews. You’ll be prompted to build smart previews for all photos or just one. Select Build All to create smart previews for all the selected images.

Lightroom 5 smart previews 5

You can also build smart previews using an icon in the histogram. For example if you select either a folder of images or a selection of images in the Library module you can learn the smart preview status of those images by reading the information below the histogram. You’ll see the number of images without smart previews and the number with.

Lightroom 5 smart previews 6

Click the originals without smart previews box and you’ll be prompted to build smart previews for these images. There is a slight glitch with the numbering – if you have a large number of images selected then the actual numbers in the histogram won’t be correct but the process still works for all the selected images.

Lightroom 5 smart previews 7

If you have rendered Smart Previews for your images and if you later decide you no longer want them you can delete them by clicking the smart preview indicator below the histogram.

Editing Smart Previews

You can edit an image for which you have rendered a Smart Preview in the Develop module. The smart preview will only be used if the original image is not available. Any changes you make to the smart preview will be written back into the original image when it is next available in Lightroom.

In this case I am editing the Smart Preview as the original is not available:

Lightroom 5 smart previews 8

Here both the original and smart preview are available, so the original is being edited:

Lightroom 5 smart previews 9

In this case there is no smart preview available, the original is being edited and if it were not available, then editing would not be possible:

Lightroom 5 smart previews 10

If you store all your photos on the same drive as you store your Lightroom catalog then you may find you have no use for smart previews. However if you, like me, store your images or some of them on a drive other than the one on which your Lightroom catalog is stored then you’ll find that smart previews useful. Create smart previews for those images that are not stored on the same drive as your Lightroom catalog and you will have those images accessible and editable even when the originals are not available.

Post originally from: Digital Photography Tips.

Check out our more Photography Tips at Photography Tips for Beginners, Portrait Photography Tips and Wedding Photography Tips.

Using Smart Previews in Lightroom 5

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Make Lightroom Faster by Using DNG

03 Oct

Using DNG in Lightroom

A question about Lightroom that often arises is how to make it run faster. On my computer the biggest bottleneck comes when I’m looking at images in the Library module’s Loupe view or in the Develop module. Even images for which Lightroom has created 1:1 previews can take a few seconds to render properly. This may not sound much, but it’s annoying when flicking through images trying to decide which ones to process. It’s even more frustrating when zooming in 100% to check details which are important to me, such as that the eyes are in focus in portraits (above).

Luckily, there’s a relatively easy fix – and it doesn’t involve upgrading your computer or adding RAM (although those things may help). You can put it into action without spending money, and you should see a benefit regardless of how low- or high-spec your computer is.

Fast Load Data

The key is to convert your Raw files to the DNG format. You may not like the sound of it (I’ll explore some of the pros and cons later on the article) but it really does help. Why? It’s all to do with something called Fast Load Data – a partially processed preview of the image that enables Lightroom to render previews faster than it can from a non-DNG Raw file or a DNG file without Fast Load Data.

The net result of converting your Raw files to DNG and including Fast Load Data is that it enables Lightroom to rapidly display previews of your images. That means less time waiting and less frustration for you.

Converting to DNG

Using DNG in Lightroom

The best time to convert your Raw files to DNG is when you import them from your camera’s memory card. To ensure you get the full benefit of using DNG, make sure you go to the File Handling tab in Preferences and tick the Embed Fast Load Data box (above). Do this before you convert any Raw files to DNG, otherwise you will miss out on the speed increase that DNG can give you.

These are the key steps to follow during the import:

Using DNG in Lightroom

Select the Copy as DNG option in the Import window (above). This tells Lightroom to copy the Raw files from the memory card to the specified folder on your hard drive, converting them to DNG as it does so.

Using DNG in Lightroom

Set Build Previews to 1:1 in the File Handling panel (above).

Using DNG in Lightroom

After the import, go to the Catalog panel and select Previous Import. Then go to Library > Validate DNG files. Lightroom checks the files you have just imported and converted to DNG to ensure they are not corrupted. Any corrupted files are placed in a Temporary Collection that appears in the Catalog panel. I’ve yet to see a corrupted DNG file, so I don’t think it happens often.

Other pros and cons of DNG

If you read around on the topic of DNG you will find that opinion varies widely as to whether it is good idea to convert your Raw files to the format.

Note that some Leica and Hasselblad cameras use the DNG format already – so if you are lucky enough to own one of those then the discussion is irrelevant. There’s also at least one Pentax camera that gives you the option of using either DNG or Pentax’s own Raw format (.PEF). If you own one, selecting DNG saves you having to do it at the import stage (if you choose to use DNG).

Bear in mind that camera generated DNG files don’t contain Fast Load Data – only DNG files created by Adobe software do so.

First, the case against using DNG:

It takes longer to convert your Raw files to DNG than it does to simply copy them. This is true – but as long as you’re happy to go away and do something else while your computer gets on with it, it won’t be much trouble. I often leave mine running overnight, especially if I have a lot of images to import and convert.

Not all applications open DNG. If you ever use, or think you may use, your camera maker’s proprietary Raw conversion software (such as Canon’s Digital Photo Professional) you should probably stick with your camera’s native Raw format, as the majority of these programs don’t recognise DNG. Check the documentation if you are unsure.

Using DNG in Lightroom

Using DNG purely to increase Lightroom’s speed is little use if you don’t use 1:1 previews. By default Lightroom discards 1:1 previews after 30 days (you can change that under the File Handling tab in Catalog settings), so even if you tell Lightroom to create 1:1 previews when you import your images, they will eventually be deleted by Lightroom. Not sure if an image has a 1:1 preview? Just select the image (or images) and go to Library > Previews > Build 1:1 Previews (above). Lightroom will build 1:1 previews for any selected images that don’t currently have them.

Now, some other benefits of DNG:

DNG files are smaller than other Raw formats. Converting your Raw files to DNG upon import reduces the amount of space they take up on your hard drive by up to 20 percent. That could be useful, especially for high volume shooters.

You may own a new camera with Raw files that aren’t recognised by your version of Lightroom or Adobe Camera Raw (ACR) if you are using Photoshop (not all readers will have upgraded to the latest versions). In this situation you can use Adobe’s free DNG Converter application to convert them to DNG. Adobe usually updates the DNG Converter to work with files from new cameras before Lightroom and ACR.

Embedded file verification. A DNG file contains a checksum that enables Lightroom to check if the original source data is corrupted. DNG is the only Raw file format that does so. It means that you can check your images after you have converted them to DNG to make sure there are no issues with corruption.

Mastering Lightroom Book One: The Library Module

Using DNG in Lightroom

My latest ebook Mastering Lightroom Book One: The Library Module is a complete guide to using Lightroom’s Library module to import, organise and search your photo files. You’ll learn how to tame your growing photo collection using Collections and Collection Sets, and how to save time so you can spend more time in the Develop module processing your photos.

Post originally from: Digital Photography Tips.

Check out our more Photography Tips at Photography Tips for Beginners, Portrait Photography Tips and Wedding Photography Tips.

Make Lightroom Faster by Using DNG

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Zooming In: Using Telephotos In Landscape Photography

12 Sep

This shot of the Blue Ridge Mountains was taken with an EOS 5D Mark III and EF 70-200 f/2.8L IS II lens at 200mm. The telephoto nature of the lens compresses the distance between the ridges, creating a flat, graphic look with shades of blue created by the mountains and mist in the valleys. Exposure is 1/3″, f/16, ISO 400.

This shot of a lone pine on the side of a cliff was taken from Glacier Point at sunset. Using a 400mm lens allowed me isolate the tree being kissed by sunlight while the background behind went dark. I used an EOS 5D Mark II with EF 100-400mm L lens at 400mm. Exposure was 1/60 f/8, ISO 100.

If you’re anything like me, when presented with a beautiful landscape, your first instinct is to reach for the wide angle lenses and take it all in. And there’s no doubt about it- wide angle lenses can excel in those situations. But don’t neglect the telephoto lenses in your bag when you find yourself faced with nature’s beauty. Telephoto lenses can create shots that are every bit as breathtaking as their wide angled brethren.

Telephoto lenses, first and foremost, can allow you to isolate an area of the view you are shooting, because a telephoto sees a narrower angle of view than do wide angle lenses. Because of this narrower angle of view, telephotos also help normalize the size of near objects in relation to faraway objects. With wide angle lenses, when you fill the frame with a near object, it will appear much larger than a similar sized object placed further away. With telephoto lenses, near objects and far objects will appear to be similar in size, because telephoto lenses normalize the size and distance when comparing the two objects. The downside to this is that the scene can then appear to be static and flat.There are cases where the flatness can be used to advantage, for instance creating graphic images using the lines and colors of the landscape.

Telephoto lenses appear to compress distance, so two objects relatively far apart will appear to be very near to each other. This is helpful when trying to enhance the density of a subject, such as a field of flowers. Flowers will appear to be stacked right next to each other, even though they may be several feet apart. This can be used to great advantage for creative textures and patterns.

Often, when I’m trying to divide the space in my bag, a friend will ask why I need a telephoto lens when I’m planning to shoot landscapes. This is why. I may not use it every time, but when I do get an opportunity use a telephoto lens in a landscape situation, I like to be able to take advantage of it.

This shot, taken with an EOS 5D Mark III and EF 70-300 f/4-5.6L, shows how you can isolate one area of a landscape, here focusing on Bridal Veil Falls in Yosemite National Park.

This shot of the Alaska Range was taken from Denali Highway using an EOS-1Ds Mark III and EF 70-200 f/2.8L IS II. The telephoto lens compresses the distance between the foothills and the mountains, making them appear to be right next to each other.

Post originally from: Digital Photography Tips.

Check out our more Photography Tips at Photography Tips for Beginners, Portrait Photography Tips and Wedding Photography Tips.

Zooming In: Using Telephotos In Landscape Photography

Digital Photography School

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How to Create this “Fight Club” Inspired Portrait using One Light

05 Sep

By Gina Milicia – author of our brand new Portrait Lighting eBook.

Firass MAINWEB

Welcome to Fight Club. The first rule of Fight Club is: you do not talk about Fight Club.” -Chuck Palahniuk, Fight Club

Australian actor Firass Dirani in my Fight Club inspired shoot @firassd (twitter) @firazzle (Instagram).

Most of my inspiration for photo shoots comes from Movies, art and popular culture.

Ever since I saw the movie Fight Club I’ve always wanted to do a fight Club inspired shoot.

My aim was to create a really cool, gritty, edgy looking shot. I could have achieved this look using several different techniques but opted for my new Rotolux deep Octabox with my Elinchrom Ranger Quadra battery operated light system.

Firass 643web

For this shoot I worked with Melbourne make up artist Mia’Kate Russell an incredibly talented special effects make up artist. Her brief was to make Firass look like he’d just been in an old school fistfight – busted up but still looking incredibly cool.

If you are thinking of trying something like this then I suggest you check out your nearest school of hair and make up. Special effects make up like Mia used on Firass is taught at these schools and students are often looking for the opportunity to test out their skills.

Another version you may like to try is to just scuff the face up using dirt to give that gritty look. That’s the technique I used for this shot of Lachy Hulme who was playing a trapped minor in the TV Movie Beaconsfield.

Portrait shoot

A good Make Up artist will take your portraits from OK to amazing. This is definitely a relationship you should invest in and nurture.

The location I chose was an old warehouse near my actual studio. I had gone out scouting a week earlier. It’s important that you always have your locations worked out ahead of time rather than hoping it will all fall into place on the day of the shoot.

Some places will incur a hire fee to work in others you may get permission by finding the owners and just asking (which is exactly what I did to get access to this amazing warehouse!)

If a softbox and a beauty dish got married and had babies they would probably have little rotolux deep octaboxes. I love these light shapers because

They combine the softness and narrow spread of a soft box with the beautiful bone structure defining qualities of the beauty dish. It’s the best of both worlds.

For this image of Firass I converted my Octabox to a beauty dish by removing the outer diffuser and inner bevel and adding the beauty dish attachment.

I could have also just used a beauty dish but I prefer this softer style of lighting.

Here’s some visuals on how I took the shots (click to enlarge).

FirassBTSW.psd

For this shot I’m using my:

Canon 1DS MK111, with my 70-200mm f2.8L series Lens
2x Pocket wizards
I used fill flash from my Elinchrom Quadra lights with a Rotolux Deep Octabox

My settings for this shot are:

ISO is set to 100
Lens focus length is 200mm
Aperture is F/ 4* @ 1/200th of a second**

* I selected a wide aperture of F4 on my long lens because I wanted my background to be out of focus. I could have shot wide open at f2.8 but decided to play it safe at f4 as I find it really difficult to get my models eyes sharp at f2.8 using a long lens and focusing in low light.

** I shot at a very fast shutter speed of 1/200th sec because I wanted to keep my background really dark and moody.

This shot would also work using a Speedlight + Softbox without internal bevel.

If you want to increase the amount of shadow in eye sockets, jawline and cheekbones remove the reflector or replace it with a black cutter.

And here’s one more shot from the shoot.

Firass walking

Get more portrait lighting tips from Gina’s new dPS eBook – Portraits: Lighting the Shot.

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 Create this “Fight Club” Inspired Portrait using One Light

Digital Photography School

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Impressive Raw video sample from EOS-7D using Magic Lantern

06 Aug

Magic Lantern has been enhancing the features of Canon EOS digital SLRs for some time now, most recently giving the EOS 5D Mark III a significant increase in dynamic range. One feature found in the second alpha version of their EOS 7D software adds the ability to capture Raw video, albeit at a relatively low 1736 x 1156 resolution. A 7D owner named Florian has put this feature to the test, by combining a series of DNG files into a 33 second video which looks fantastic. See the video for yourself after the break.

News: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Posts Tagged ‘Using’

Further reading on the topic of composition:

Find beauty in the story

Slow down

An image that is different might not stand out at first

If everyone’s looking one way, look the other

Find beauty in the mundane

Don’t fixate on getting attention

Balancing Exposure

Why is an incident meter important for flash photography?

Two examples of how in-camera metering systems fail

Using a hand-held incident light meter to solve the problem

Set up the ambient exposure first

Next set the flash exposure for the primary subject

Adjust shutter speed to feature the subject more

Summary and action plan

Let’s Save An Underexposed Photo

Three tips for adding motion to your images

PANNING

LONG EXPOSURES

ZOOMING

ACTION PLAN

What are Smart Previews in Lightroom?

Editing Smart Previews

Fast Load Data

Converting to DNG

Other pros and cons of DNG

Mastering Lightroom Book One: The Library Module