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The Pinhole Pro X — a pinhole zoom lens — launches on Kickstarter

10 Aug

On the back of the Pinhole Pro and Pinhole S ‘innovation incubator’ Thingyfy has launched what it is describing as the world’s first pinhole zoom lens. The Pinhole Pro X offers full frame users a range of focal lengths covering 40-60mm, while the APS-C and MFT version has focal lengths of 18-36mm.

Unlike the usual pin prick in a sheet of aluminium foil, the aperture for these lenses is created by micro drilling, which the manufacturer claims produces a rounder and cleaner hole and thus better image quality. This allows company to create an aperture measuring just 0.25mm in diameter and less than 0.1mm deep. The F-stop values than for the full frame model will be F160-240, and for the APS-C lens F72-144.

The below video was shot with Thingyfy’s previous pinhole lens, the Pinhole Pro S:

The metal bodied lens comes in mounts for Canon EF, Nikon F, Sony A, Sony E, Pentax K, Fujifilm X and Micro Four Thirds. Both the full frame and APS-C models cost $ 69 via the Kickstarter campaign. For more information see the Pinhole Pro X Kickstarter page.

Disclaimer: Remember to do your research with any crowdfunding project. DPReview does its best to share only the projects that look legitimate and come from reliable creators, but as with any crowdfunded campaign, there’s always the risk of the product or service never coming to fruition.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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SEO For Photographers – How to Bring More Business to Your Site

10 Aug

The post SEO For Photographers – How to Bring More Business to Your Site appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Darina Kopcok.

In today’s digital world, there is so much to learn on the technology side. As a photographer, Search Engine Optimization may be far down on your list of what you give your time to.

However, good SEO is vital to your success, as it can help your website rank higher in searches on major search engines such as Google.

It may come as no surprise that studies show up to 80% of click traffic goes to the top three search results. People are more likely to refine a search than go on to the second page if they don’t immediately find what they’re looking for.

Strong SEO translates into ranking high in organic searches, which means more potential clients for your photography business.

Here are some best practices of SEO for photographers to get you started.

Image: A screenshot of a Google Analytics Dashboard. Analytics is great for monitoring visitor traff...

A screenshot of a Google Analytics Dashboard. Analytics is great for monitoring visitor traffic and how different pages on your site are performing.

How search engines work

Search engines contain a huge database of all the content that they have discovered on the Internet called an “Index”. An estimated 35 trillion web pages across the Internet worldwide are indexed by Google alone. Google is the preferred search engine for about 90% of users.

Search engines scour the Internet for content, looking over the code and content for each URL found. It then stores and organizes the content found during this crawling process.

Once a page is in the index, it is available for display as a result. Finally, it “ranks” the pieces of content that will best answer a searcher’s query, and orders them from most relevant to least relevant. Different search engines use different algorithms, such as showing results in a different order. 

Search engines also pay attention to a lot of other “signals,” such as how often a domain is updated. There are more than 200 signals that can influence where your webpage shows up in any given search. No particular signal is likely to significantly affect your SEO on its own. There are “on-page” factors to SEO like URL structure, and “off-page” factors, such as social media presence.

While you can improve on-page factors right away, off-page factors are less tangible and take time to build. This is why marketing needs to be a big part of your overall SEO strategy.

SEO For Photographers - How to Bring More Business to Your Site

How to improve your photography site’s SEO

Make sure your website is mobile-optimized

The first thing you need to do to improve your SEO is to make sure that your site is mobile-friendly. Not only are a far greater number of searches now taking place on mobile devices, but Google also gives preferential results toward websites optimized for mobile viewing. This means that your site must be responsive – that your webpage design is based on the device used to view the content.

Your site may rank number one for a search term from a desktop computer, but it won’t necessarily be number one in the same search on a phone or iPad.

SEO For Photographers - How to Bring More Business to Your Site

Use relevant Keywords

Like hashtags used in social media, keywords are an important way to boost your SEO and ensure that your website comes up in search results. However, also like hashtags, you can’t use them willy-nilly and expect great results. Keywords must be relevant to your audience and your content. In other words, they must be researched and chosen with care. 

In order to do this, you have to have an understanding of who your clients are and what they’re looking for. For example, if you’re a wedding photographer, is your potential client looking for a destination wedding? Where are they located? Are they looking for someone locally or internationally?

Ask yourself what terms and questions your potential client might be entering in their preferred search engine. How is your audience searching for the service you provide?

To help you, try using a keyword research tool like Moz or Wordstream. These applications can help you discover and export keywords and performance data for improved searches.

Image: Have an understanding of what your potential client may search for when trying to find a phot...

Have an understanding of what your potential client may search for when trying to find a photographer.

Update your content frequently

It’s very common for photographers to spend a lot of time developing their initial portfolio for their site and then neglect to update it. I’ve seen photography websites where even the copyright notation hasn’t been updated since 2015.

As a photographer, you want to appear working and busy. You may in fact be incredibly busy, but if you’re not updating your content you won’t seem to be. From an SEO perspective, you should know that Google will often factor in new content when ranking search results.

This is one more reason to make sure to regularly add content to your website to make sure you stay relevant in search results. 

Use Social Media

Love it or hate it, social media is incredibly relevant to photographers, or anyone with an online presence. As mentioned earlier, social media is one of those on-page factors that act as a signal to drive SEO. Search engines look at social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram as a sign of what is influential on the Internet.

Social media is an important marketing tool and engaging in is will positively affect how you rank in search engine results.

Photography is a service-driven business. Relationships are the foundation. Customers are more likely to buy from you if they feel a rapport with you and feel like they can trust you. Social media is very helpful in putting your face to your business.

Image: A social media presence is important to ranking well in search engines like Google.

A social media presence is important to ranking well in search engines like Google.

Write a blog

Most photographers I know are very visual people and don’t consider themselves good at writing. However, you don’t need to be the next Ernest Hemingway to write a photography blog. In fact, using simple language and short posts of around 300 words or so (though longer can be better too) can really help you in your SEO-boosting efforts.

You can post a series of images on your blog from a portrait shoot, or post some behind-the-scenes snaps of a commercial product shoot you executed with a team of people.

A bit of a description or your thoughts on the shoot or the process will suffice. Give readers an idea of what it will be like to work with you.

This is great from a marketing perspective, but having a blog linked to your photography website allows you to build good textual content and backlinks. On the other hand, having links to only your homepage will have limited effect.

In particular, having a WordPress site attached to your portfolio site can be incredible in helping you rank higher in search results. 

Just be aware that when you do blog, be sure you post high-quality content. Search engines can penalize your domain for duplicate content or broken external links too.

Get others to link to you

Having other sites or blogs to link to you is a great way to boost your SEO. When your work is featured on a popular site, it creates a cascade of links from other sites. Links from other websites to yours are called backlinks and they’re important for good SEO. 

Apply to have your work featured on relevant industry websites or published in magazines. Also, consider writing guest posts on other blogs where you’re not a direct competitor of the blog owner. 

Getting featured in popular feeds on Instagram can lead to new followers on your own feed and potential, interested visitors to your site.

Create a free Google Business Listing

Creating a free Google Business listing will help increase your chances to be found in search results. It allows your company information to be output with high visibility in a variety of ways by Google.

A large percentage of searches are geography-specific, like “Vancouver food photographer.”

When Google returns results that have a geographic component, Google Maps pack prioritizes them over standard results. This is a set of results plotted on a clickable map as per the example below.

Image: When Google returns results that have a geographic component, Google Maps pack prioritizes th...

When Google returns results that have a geographic component, Google Maps pack prioritizes them over standard results and they are plotted on a clickable map.

When you set up your business listing, you’ll also have access to Google My Business Insights. This provides you with detailed information on how and where consumers are searching for your business. Along with your website’s Google Analytics data, it creates an overview of how people find your website and business listing and the actions they take. 

Note that to create a Google Business Listing, you need to be comfortable providing a physical address to your business, which may be your home address, if you don’t have a studio.

To sum up

As you may have gathered, success with SEO for photographers is a long-game. There are a variety of factors that are important in building good SEO for photographers, and they require consistency and analysis.

Be sure to sign up with Google Analytics to track your results. Information is power, and knowing how visitors are using your site will help you tweak your approach and get noticed in search results.

Do you have any other tips you’d like to share with us? Please do so in the comments section below.

 

seo-for-photographers

The post SEO For Photographers – How to Bring More Business to Your Site appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Darina Kopcok.


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Texture and Clarity Sliders in Lightroom Classic CC: What’s the difference?

10 Aug

The post Texture and Clarity Sliders in Lightroom Classic CC: What’s the difference? appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Adam Welch.

Throughout the last couple of years, Adobe has released an absolute tsunami of updates for their photo editing platforms. Adobe Lightroom Classic went through a plethora of upgrades and changes, with new (and sometimes major) add-on’s seemingly incorporated with each new build. One of these sizable fresh additions to the Lightroom Classic toolkit came in May of 2019 with the release of v8.3. It’s called the Texture slider.

Texture and Clarity Sliders in Lightroom Classic CC: What's the difference?

Yep, that little guy right there.

You’ll find the texture slider nestled comfortably in the Presence section of the basic panel alongside the now veteran Clarity and Dehaze adjustments. These Presence sliders are extremely interesting in their effects and how they each accomplish their separate actions. Clarity, Dehaze, and now Texture, all perform similar adjustments. They each tweak contrast within our photos to varying degrees with wholly different results.

Texture and Clarity are particularly interesting. Both perform quite similarly, while at the same, remaining their own animals…if that makes any sense? In this article, we’re going to have a closer look at the Clarity and Texture sliders.

I’ll explain how they work and show the different effects each of these powerful sliders can have on your photos.

Texture vs Clarity

All right, so what’s the difference between Clarity and Texture?

We’ve already surmised they are similar in that they function to bring out detail within a photo. However, you’ll notice some very obvious differences as soon as you view the effects of each slider side by side. Have a look at this. Here’s the original photo:

Texture and Clarity Sliders in Lightroom Classic CC: What's the difference?

And now a side-by-side comparison of some Clarity and Texture Slider adjustments.

Texture and Clarity Sliders in Lightroom Classic CC: What's the difference?

In the photo on the left, I’ve increased the Clarity slider to +100. I’ve applied +100 Texture to the photo on the right. The difference is apparent, but what exactly is happening here? First, let me remind you what our beloved Clarity slider actually does.

A refresher on Clarity

In short, Clarity interacts with our photos by increasing or decreasing the contrast between midtone luminance values. This essentially gives the illusion of our image becoming clearer. However, in reality, all that is happening is the application of more or less contrast to the light and dark areas which fall as midtones (between highlights and shadow).

You’ll also notice that the photo is perceptively brighter and that the color saturation diminishes slightly when increasing Clarity. On the other end of the spectrum, decreasing clarity adds in a soft-focus effect. This can sometimes work extremely well, depending on your subject. For a little more of a breakdown on Clarity check out my other article, How to Make Your Photos Shine Using Clarity, Sharpening, and Dehaze in Lightroom. You’ll also learn some great tips on using Clarity along with the Sharpening and Dehaze sliders.

What is Texture?

Now let’s talk about the new kid on the block, the Texture slider.

Ironically enough, the idea for the Texture slider was born not from the goal of increasing the textures (positive) within an image but rather decreasing them (negative) thereby essentially smoothing out a photo. The Texture slider was initially named the “Smoothing slider” in the early stages of its development.

The team at Adobe were aiming to migrate into Lightroom (at least to some extent) the skin retouching capabilities of Photoshop. Their goal was to offer a feature that packed a less drastic punch than the Clarity slider. All while still being able to increase (or decrease) the apparent contrasts in the photo to give the illusion of enhanced textures within the images.*

Image: +69 texture added globally

+69 texture added globally

The Texture slider lands somewhere between Clarity and Sharpening in Lightroom. A good way to think about Texture is that it is much less harsh than Clarity and offers more subtle results without affecting absolute brightness or color saturation.

Texture focuses it’s smoothing or clearing effects on areas of a photo which possess “mid-frequency” features. You can think of these as medium detail areas. For reference, a cloudless sky would be considered a low-frequency feature while a cluster of trees would be considered a high-frequency feature.

It is also worth mentioning that like many of the tools found in Lightroom Classic, you can apply the texture effect both globally (the entire photo) and locally to specific areas. Local negative texture adjustments work wonders for smoothing out skin wrinkles and blemishes in your portraits.

Image: Before localized skin smoothing

Before localized skin smoothing

Image: After some retouching using a negative texture with Lightroom’s adjustment brush. Now I...

After some retouching using a negative texture with Lightroom’s adjustment brush. Now I only look nominally haggard…

*Note: This is an extremely basic explanation of the Texture slider. If you’re feeling truly adventurous and want to learn more about the technical makeup of the Texture slider, I highly recommend this post over on the Adobe Blog.

Should I use Clarity or Texture Slider?

The looming question is, “When should I use Texture, and when should I use Clarity?” Unlike most commentary I offer on the absolutes of post-processing, which often borders on a Zen-like existentialist approach of “it all depends on the image,” there are some relatively straightforward things to look for when deciding which adjustment will work best for your particular photo.

Try the Clarity slider if:

  • Your image consists of high-frequency features
  • The effect is needed on a more global scale
  • Your image is a landscape
  • The image is black and white

Try the Texture slider if:

  • Your image has large areas of mid to low-frequency features
  • A more subtle enhancement is needed
  • The image is a portrait
  • Your image has extreme color contrasts/saturation

Of course, these are just guidelines, and I hope you experiment with both the Clarity and Texture sliders.

Also, nothing is stopping you from using a combination of the two – especially when you are applying them using local adjustment tools.

Closing thoughts on Texture and Clarity Sliders

You’ve heard me say time and time again that less is generally more when it comes to applying adjustments in post-processing. Just because a tool is available doesn’t always mean you have to use it to its full strength.

Perhaps this is no truer than when it comes to using the tools found in the Presence section of Lightroom, in this case, the Texture and Clarity sliders. These nifty little adjustments can yield amazing results for your photos.

In fact, I use both local and global Clarity and Texture slider adjustments in virtually all of my photos to one extent or another.

With that said, it’s a good practice not to over-process your images. Some judicious use of negative Texture can shave years off your clients face. However, go too far, and they might end up looking like a wax doll.

Adding positive Texture can bring out the subtle beauty of tree bark, however, use too much, and you’ll end up with…well, you get the idea.

What are your thoughts on the new Texture slider in Lightroom Classic CC? Is it a feature you will use regularly? Sound off in the comments below!

 

texture-and-clarity-sliders-in-lightroom-classic-cc

The post Texture and Clarity Sliders in Lightroom Classic CC: What’s the difference? appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Adam Welch.


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Weekly Photography Challenge – Long Exposure

10 Aug

The post Weekly Photography Challenge – Long Exposure appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Caz Nowaczyk.

This week’s photography challenge topic is LONG EXPOSURE!

long exposure seascape

Image by Christian Hoiberg

Image: Image by Simon Bond

Image by Simon Bond

Go out and capture absolutely anything that includes long exposure. You can photograph beach landscapes, waterfalls, cityscapes, lightning, Milkyway, light painting, etc. They can be color, black and white, moody or bright. Just so long as they are long exposure photography! You get the picture! Have fun, and I look forward to seeing what you come up with!

Image: Image by Simon Ringsmuth

Image by Simon Ringsmuth

Check out some of the articles below that give you tips on this week’s challenge.

Tips for Shooting LONG EXPOSURE

 

Step-by-step Guide to Long Exposure Photography

10 Common Mistakes in Long Exposure photography

5 Tips for Getting Sharper Images When Doing Long Exposures

Easy Beginners Tips for Long Exposure Photography

How to Shoot Long Exposure Seascape Photography

Essential Equipment for Long Exposure Photography

6 Tips for Shooting Long Exposure Night Photographs

How to Make the Most of Creative Shutter Speed in Photography

 

Weekly Photography Challenge – LONG EXPOSURE

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 favorite photo-sharing site and leave the link to them. Show me your best images in this week’s challenge.

Share in the dPS Facebook Group

You can also share your images in the dPS Facebook group as the challenge is posted there each week as well.

If you tag your photos on Flickr, Instagram, Twitter or other sites – tag them as #DPSlongexposure to help others find them. Linking back to this page might also help others know what you’re doing so that they can share in the fun.

The post Weekly Photography Challenge – Long Exposure appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Caz Nowaczyk.


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Shoot 5x macro with this DIY 3D-printed 300mm extension tube

09 Aug

Can’t quite fill the frame with your macro subjects? New Zealander Nicholas Sherlock might have the answer you were looking for as he has shared his plans for a 3D printed macro extension tube that’s helped him achieve a whopping 5x magnification.

Software developer Sherlock designed and produced his extension tube for his Canon DSLR system, and incorporated electrical contacts to allow the camera and lens to communicate across the 300mm tube, allowing him control of the aperture settings from the camera body as well as metering and focusing functions. When mounted with the Sigma 180mm f/3.5 APO Macro DG HSM he is able to fill the frame with subject matter measuring only 7.2×4.8mm/0.28×0.19in with a working distance of 170mm.

The front and back ends of the tube are fitted with a lens mount and camera mount borrowed from a Kenko 12mm extension tube, and in between Sherlock has printed two lengths of tube measuring 150mm each. He also used gold contacts on either end with connecting cable so information can be passed between camera and lens.

Below are a few sample images captured with the extension tube:

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On his Thingiverse profile Sherlock shares detailed information on how he went about making the extension tubes with step-by-step instructions for others to follow. He also lists known issues, advice on what to avoid and warnings about what could go wrong as well as recommended sources of the materials needed. Below is a comparison slipover showing 1x magnification without a tube and 5x magnification with his 300mm extension tube:

1x magnification 5x magnification

For more information see Nicholas Sherlock’s 300mm macro extension tube thingiverse page, and his personal website.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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UC Berkeley researchers have created a drone that shrinks to squeeze through small spaces

09 Aug

Since drones entered mainstream consciousness, people have gotten creative with developing new ideas for how they can be used. Drones can deliver food and other small items. They can even bake cakes or play instruments when configured properly. Now, a team of researchers at UC Berkeley’s High Performance Robotics Laboratory (HiPeRLab) has created a ‘Passively Morphing Quadcopter’ that can temporarily shrink down to squeeze through small spaces.

While this isn’t the first drone that can compress its shape mid-flight, it is the only one that can shift its shape without using any additional hardware components. This feature helps preserve battery life, enabling the aircraft the fly even longer. Engines enable the arms to rotate freely and constant force springs provide the momentum to change shape. When no thrust is applied, the springs pull the arms into a folded configuration.

When the drone approaches an opening smaller than it can fit, it can plot a course that allows its arms to retract as it’s flying through a small small space. The rotors shut off and after the drone passes through, it loses a bit of altitude as it powers back up. While this set up can offer up a number of useful real-world applications, like inspecting hard-to-reach areas, there is still work to be done by the HiPeRLab team for it to work in any other scenario where there isn’t a wide open area on the other side of a small space for the drone to squeeze though. Nevertheless, when perfected, it could make for an innovative filmmaking tool.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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SliderMini ultra-portable motorized camera slider can fit in a pocket

09 Aug

An Indiegogo campaign is seeking funds for SliderMini, an ‘ultra-portable and smooth’ motorized camera slider that’s small enough to fit in a pocket. SliderMini features a lightweight unibody and can support capacities up to 14.9kg (33lbs), offering operators access to three different shooting modes: timelapse, stop motion, and video.

SliderMini is 2cm (0.79in) thick with a weight of 0.56kg (1.2lbs) and travel length of 20cm (8in). The device features a fully enclosed CNC machined aluminum unibody design and can be controlled using either a hardware button on the unit or the companion mobile app. The Android and iOS apps include 10 timelapse presets, customization options, and more.

Smartta, the company behind the product, says SliderMini features two advanced functions: Silent Mode, which disables the device’s default beep alert, and Loop Mode, which prompts the sliders to continuously move back and forth until manually stopped.

The company has fully funded its Indiegogo campaign in which backers are offered a single SliderMini unit in exchange for pledges of $ 399 USD. In its most recent update on the campaign, Smartta said it has started shipping products to backers.

Disclaimer: Remember to do your research with any crowdfunding project. DPReview does its best to share only the projects that look legitimate and come from reliable creators, but as with any crowdfunded campaign, there’s always the risk of the product or service never coming to fruition.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Google reportedly ‘DSLR-like’ attachment for Pixel 4 smartphone

08 Aug

The upcoming Pixel 4 smartphone introduced by Google in June will reportedly be offered with a ‘DSLR-like attachment,’ according to 9to5Google, which recently leaked details about the model and its larger variant, the Pixel 4 XL.

The report claims Google is developing this attachment for the new Pixel 4 and that it will possibly be offered as an accessory for the handset. No other details about the attachment were provided, however. Google is expected to launch the Pixel 4 in October and will likely introduce this alleged accessory at the same time.

The Pixel 4 is expected to feature two rear cameras, a 12MP offering with phase-detect autofocus and a 16MP camera with a telephoto lens. Google confirmed in its June tweet that the Pixel 4 will be the first Pixel model to feature two rear cameras.

The Pixel 4 is expected to feature two rear cameras, a 12MP offering with phase-detect autofocus and a 16MP camera with a telephoto lens.

Until now, the Pixel line has featured only a single rear camera (though the Pixel 3 and 3a have dual front cameras), with Google electing to focus on computational photography utilizing artificial intelligence to produce the Pixel’s notable image quality. The inclusion of two front cameras on the Pixel 3 was largely viewed as writing on the wall for the eventual inclusion of two rear cameras on a Pixel phone.

Despite the company’s substantial AI capabilities, Google’s computational photography faced issues that only hardware could overcome. The inclusion of dual front cameras on the Pixel 3 enables the phone to capture wide-angle selfies. Google will overcome AI limitations surrounding focal length by adding a second rear camera to the Pixel 4.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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How to Shoot Abstract Flower Photography using Close-Up Filters

08 Aug

The post How to Shoot Abstract Flower Photography using Close-Up Filters appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Charlie Moss.

Shooting flowers is a passion for many photographers. Time spent out in the garden with your camera can become almost a form of meditative practice as you compose images surrounded by nature. It’s no wonder that so many photographers long to shoot beautiful flower images. But shooting close-up images of flowers can be an expensive business. Many tutorials will tell you that you need specialist macro lenses, proprietary macro extension tubes, or converters to reverse a lens that you already own. However, using close-up filters are a great alternative.

using-close-up-filters-for-flower-photography

Close-up filters are an option for macro photography that rarely makes it into the tutorial list. Many will tell you that they degrade the final image too much; they cause distortion and focus issues. However, in this article, I’m going to make the case that these filters can enable you to think in a more abstract way as you embrace their unique and imperfect properties!

What are close-up filters?

Close-up filters can also be called close-up lenses or macro filters. They are essentially a magnifying glass that screws into the filter thread on the front of your lens.

using-close-up-filters-for-flower-photography

When you buy a set of close-up filters, you need to know what lens you’re going to use them on. This is because you buy them according to the filter size of that lens. I suggest picking either a standard zoom or a prime lens in the 50mm to 100mm range and purchasing your filters for the thread size of that particular lens.

Close-up filters differ to budget extension tubes in one key way – you don’t lose electronic control of your lens. That means the autofocus will (just about) still work, and the aperture control in your camera settings will still work. Because budget extension tubes do not carry an electronic signal between your camera and your lens, you have to use it manually. For that reason I prefer close up filters – it makes changing your settings on the fly much easier!

using-close-up-filters-for-flower-photography

The image on the left was shot with just the Fujifilm 35mm f1.4 lens. The image on the right had a +10 close-up filter screwed onto the front of the lens.

The last thing to know about close up filters is that they have different magnification strengths – just like buying a magnifying glass. The higher the number, the more you will magnify your subject and the closer you can get. All of the images in this article have been shot using a +10 close-up filter on a Fujifilm 35mm f1.4 lens (roughly equivalent to a 50mm lens on a full-frame camera).

Why shoot abstract photos?

Abstract photos can really help to free you up from the common “rules” of photography. You can start to think outside of the box without wondering if an image is sharp enough all over, or if the colors are perfectly rendered.

How to Shoot Abstract Flower Photography using Close-Up Filters

That’s not to say that abstract photography is a way to “save” a bad photograph. As much thought and consideration should go into an abstract as it would a more traditional image.

Once you’ve learned to let go of the rules you might find that expressing yourself through color, shape, and texture can be relaxing. Experimenting with abstract photography can bring a whole new dimension to your work. It can even make you think about other kinds of photography differently. You’ll be much more careful when placing colors and lines in images in the future if you spend some time creating abstract compositions.

Tips for photographing flowers

Once you’ve got your close-up filter screwed to the front of your lens, head outside for a play. You won’t need a tripod at first – bump up your ISO and try handholding some close-up shots on a day with bright but overcast light (or shoot in the shade, of course).

Get the shot in focus

I recommend turning your autofocus off. We’re going to be working with some really shallow depth of field and that means your camera will often lock the focus on to something you don’t want it to.

How to Shoot Abstract Flower Photography using Close-Up Filters

Instead, you can use your body to move the subject in and out of focus. Carefully lean a fraction closer or further away, and you’ll see different parts of the images go in and out of focus. It takes some practice to get the hang of, but after a while, it’ll feel really natural.

If you’re a little unsteady and struggle to get the right part of the image in focus, try shooting a burst of three or five images and select the best one later. You can also use a tripod if you want to (if it is a very still day with no wind). However, I find that a tripod can often hinder creativity when you’re trying to think fast and look for new and fascinating angles and compositions.

Select an aperture

The aperture setting that you choose can change the whole feeling of an image. When you’re working this close to a subject, the depth of field can be as thin as a few millimeters.

using-close-up-filters-for-flower-photography

By using a very shallow depth of field, you can draw attention to just one part of a scene and throw the background and foreground completely out of focus. However, when shooting close up, it does mean that the whole flower or object might not be all in focus. That doesn’t mean it’s a bad thing – just picking a small part of the flower to be in focus can be a stylistic choice.

What can be interesting though is the way that the close-up filters interact with a wide-open lens. You begin to get these hazy, dreamy images that are somewhat unpredictable. It’s almost like a Lensbaby Velvet in some respects – or possibly a bit like smearing vaseline on your lens!

Composition is key

Since abstract photography often takes a subject and then makes it unrecognizable, all you have left is the composition and colors. That means you need to start thinking about how to mix shape, lines, form, textures, and colors to express emotions or tell stories. You cannot rely on recognizable and familiar objects anymore.

There are many compositional rules out there to study and put into practice. I have always found it helpful to spend as much time as possible looking at other peoples art (both in galleries and online) and trying to understand what makes a composition pleasing. You don’t have to know all of the rules of composition by name. But having a sense of how the position of elements in the frame and the color wheel work together to create interesting compositions can be a huge help when shooting abstracts.

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If you are shooting digital, don’t be afraid to shoot multiple images of the same scene and resist subjects. Try placing the main focus on different parts of the image, (including blurry foreground elements), and seeing how different aperture settings look.

You can also think about editing your photographs afterward to change the colors in the image. A slight shift in color, some noise added, or a touch of contrast on the focal point can really change the mood of the shot.

So for a very small investment (certainly compared to the rest of your camera gear), you can open up a new world of artistic abstract photography by using close-up filters. Also, better than that, it can happen entirely in your front garden!

Let us know if you shoot any images inspired by this article – post the results in the comments below!

 

using-close-up-filters-for-flower-photography

The post How to Shoot Abstract Flower Photography using Close-Up Filters appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Charlie Moss.


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Trump’s New Tariffs Could Drive Up the Prices of Cameras and Lenses

08 Aug

The post Trump’s New Tariffs Could Drive Up the Prices of Cameras and Lenses appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey.

President Donald Trump made waves last week when he announced new tariffs on Chinese goods via Twitter.

Trump writes:

“Our representatives have just returned from China where they had constructive talks having to do with a future Trade Deal…Trade talks are continuing.”

Trump goes on to explain that “the US will start, on September 1st, putting a small additional Tariff of 10% on the remaining 300 Billion Dollars of goods and products coming from China into our Country.”

In other words, certain goods will be taxed before arriving in the US.

For photographers, this is an especially painful blow.

Up to this point, photography equipment had largely managed to avoid any import taxes. But the new 10% tariff will be largely levied on electronics, including computers, phones, and camera gear. And it may cause serious consequences for American consumers of photo equipment.

Image: lucas Favre

lucas Favre

You see, prices of camera products exist in a delicate balance. When the cost to import the gear goes up, prices go up with it, in order to offset the cost paid by resellers. This cost is often felt by consumers.

While companies like Canon, Nikon, and Sony are based in Japan, a significant number of their imaging products are made in China. It’s these products that will be hit by the tariffs, and it’s these products consumers should be worried about.

Trump does promise that his administration will work toward a trade deal with China. However, you should note that these new tariffs follow on the heels of previous tariffs, which left camera gear largely untouched. If the trend continues, things are likely to get worse before they get better.

Of course, this news is only relevant to American readers. Prices in countries other than the US will remain unaffected. But for photography-lovers in America, you may want to purchase any China-made camera gear now, while you can still get it for cheap.

President Trump’s tweet indicates that the new tariffs will come into effect on September 1st.

So pretty soon, prices will be on the rise.

What do you think about the tariffs? Will they stop you buying new camera gear? Let me know in the comments!

The post Trump’s New Tariffs Could Drive Up the Prices of Cameras and Lenses appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey.


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