How to Remove Location and Camera Data (EXIF) from your Photographs. Before sharing your digital photographs over email or on a public website, learn how to remove the camera EXIF data, GPS location and other metadata from these images. This iconic Situation Room photograph, captured at the White House, has now been viewed more the 2.5 million times on the web. There’s little information available about the photograph but if you download the full-size version, you can get details about the camera model, the camera settings and even the software that were used to edit this picture before it was published online. This information is stored in every digital image, in the form of EXIF tags, and you can extract it using Windows Explorer or with the help of even the most basic image editing software. In the case of mobile phones, your pictures may even include location information thus giving others an idea of the exact geographic coordinates where that shot was taken.
See related guide: Tools for Reading & Editing EXIF Data. Learn to Master the Manual Modes on your Digital Camera. Learn to master the various manual modes of a digital camera with this online camera simulator – you can adjust aperture, shutter and other settings and instantly the results. Most digital cameras these days, including the consumer-level point and shoot models, offer manual modes to help you capture even better photographs. There’s Shutter Priority (Tv) that makes it possible for you to capture sharp images of moving objects (like a racing car) while the Aperture Priority (Av) mode helps you alter the depth-of-field in a photograph. Finally, if you want control over both aperture and shutter speed, you go with the Manual Mode (M). This Canon document explains Shutter and Aperture in pretty simple language: A fast shutter speed will ‘freeze’ movement, giving a crisp, sharp image of the subject.
A slow shutter speed can create deliberate blur in a moving subject – when photographing moving water, for example. Landscape rules. A Post By: Darren Rowse While I’m not always a fan of sticking strictly to the ‘rules’ or ‘guidelines’ of photography I think they can be well worth knowing and keeping in the back of your mind as you shoot (whether it’s so you can follow them or break them for effect).
Here’s four ‘rules’ for landscape photography that might be helpful for those just starting out (ie they’re not meant as a definitive guide but rather a starting point) : 1. Diagonal Lines Using diagonal lines can be a very effective way of drawing the eye of those viewing an image into it and to the main focal point. The ‘lines’ need not be actual lines – they could be the shape of a path, a line of trees, a fence, river or any other feature in an image.
Converging lines (two or more lines coming from different parts of an image to a single point) can be all the more effective. Read more about using Diagonal Lines in your digital photography. 2. You can see this illustrated (to a point) in the photomontage image to the right. Randomness & Creativity. One of the wonderful things about digital photography is the creativity that you can engage in once you’ve got your image on your computer and in Photoshop. All kinds of effects can be achieved to make your shots look any number of ways. But what about in-camera techniques for more creative and artistic shots? Here are twelve fun in-camera hacks to experiment with to get more abstract and artistic shots – the results are only limited by your imagination! 1. Move your Camera Every good photography course drums into it’s participants the importance of keeping your camera absolutely still while shooting to ensure fantastically sharp images.
Of course sharp isn’t always what you’re after and one way to add motion into your shots is to experiment with moving your camera while shooting. Panning – a technique often used in sports photography.rotate – ever whirled a child around you? 2. Combine this with slow sync flash (see below) and you can achieve some pretty special results. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Using Focal Points. By Robert Parviainen Next time you take your digital camera out and line it up for a shot pause before you press the shutter button and ask yourself: “What is the Focal Point in this Picture?” Some other ways to ask the same question might include – What is the central point of interest?
What will draw the eye of the viewers of this picture? What in this image will make it stand out from others? The reason a focal point is important is that when you look at an image your eye will generally need a ‘resting place’ or something of interest to really hold it. Once you’ve identified a point of interest or focal point you then should ask yourself how you can enhance it. 6 Techniques to Enhance the Focal Point in an Image A focal point can be virtually anything ranging from a person, to a building, to a mountain, to a flower etc.
Keep in mind that a combination of above elements can work well together. Rule of Thirds. The Rule of Thirds is perhaps the most well known principle of photographic composition. The “Rule of Thirds” one of the first things that budding digital photographers learn about in classes on photography and rightly so as it is the basis for well balanced and interesting shots. I will say right up front however that rules are meant to be broken and ignoring this one doesn’t mean your images are necessarily unbalanced or uninteresting. However a wise person once told me that if you intend to break a rule you should always learn it first to make sure your breaking of it is all the more effective! What is the Rule of Thirds? The basic principle behind the rule of thirds is to imagine breaking an image down into thirds (both horizontally and vertically) so that you have 9 parts. As you’re taking an image you would have done this in your mind through your viewfinder or in the LCD display that you use to frame your shot.
Another Rule of Thirds Example. Lens cleaning howto. A Post By: Darren Rowse I’ve noticed that my DSLR’s lens has lots of smudges on it that are starting to impact the quality of my images but I’m too scared to clean it because I’m worried about scratching it. Do you have any suggestions? – Chris Cleaning your camera’s lenses should be a regular (although not too regular) part of any camera owner’s maintenance. While you do need to be very careful during this process it’s not something to be frightened about.
The best time to clean a lens is when it’s dirty – don’t get in the habit of cleaning it off daily or you’ll do more damage than good. Use a UV or Skylight filter Before I get into cleaning techniques let me share a tip that all DSLR users should consider. Lens hoods can also help protect the end of your lens as do the lens caps for both the front and back end of your lens that come with it – always use them! Lens Cleaning Fluid In most camera stores you’ll find an alcohol based lens cleaning fluid that is well worth having. Blowers. Avoid dirty Sensor. A Post By: Darren Rowse If you’ve got a DSLR you’ve probably had the experience of uploading your photos onto your computer after a long day of photography – only to find that there are dark ‘spots’ and ‘blotches’ on your pictures.
These spots and blotches appear on all your shots in exactly the same position. They might be less noticeable on backgrounds with lots of detail (and more noticeable on plain backgrounds (like blue skies – especially when you have a small aperture) – but they’re there in all your shots (the picture to the left is one of the worst examples I’ve seen – and was the result of poor image sensor cleaning technique). The reason for these marks is that you’ve almost certainly got dust on your camera’s image sensor. Cameras are being developed that combat this problem (for example the Canon EOS 400D/Revel Xti and others) but until we all go out and upgrade our DSLR we’re all susceptible to it.
See some of the techniques for cleaning dirty and dusty image sensors below: Sdof howto. A Post By: Darren Rowse I’ve been taking a lot of portrait shots of our kids lately with my husband’s DSLR (Canon EOS 20D) and I’ve noticed that on some shots that I take the backgrounds is all soft and out of focus while in others it is completely clear. I’d like the soft background more but as I’ve been shooting in Auto mode I don’t know how the camera did it before. Can you give any suggestions? – submitted by DPS reader Sandra Thanks for the question Sandra. You’re right about the soft blurry backgrounds in portraits – in most cases they are a great way to highlight your main subject and get rid of any distractions in the background.
There are a number of things you might like to try. Positioning of Subject One of the easiest things you can do is position the subject you’re wanting to photograph as far away from any objects behind them as possible. Portrait Mode The Canon EOS 20D has a little wheel on top of it (on the left) with lots of little icons on it. Aperture Priority Mode. Dof guide. "I found the ExpoAperture incredibly easy to use and understand. Once you get the steps down, it makes figuring out depth of field simple and much more accurate than ever before. ExpoAperture would be a great tool for the classroom, and in fact they make a large size that can be used in the classroom setting. "-T. Michael Testi, Blogcritics Magazine, August 9, 2008. "... the ExpoAperture2 is one of the best depth-of-field learning tools I've come across in a long time... "The DOF Guide is designed just as much as a field tool as it is a teaching tool, and I found myself playing with it just to make some what-if calculations on various format and lens combinations.
The ExpoAperture2 Depth of Field Guide is a versatile and unique tool which instantly shows you the relationships between focal length, focus distance, aperture and resulting depth-of-field. What is Depth of Field? As a concept, depth-of-field is poorly understood by many beginning and amateur photographers. Features. Sharp Images howto. A Post By: James Brandon One very common question I get from photographers is why they can never get their images as sharp as the ones they see online. This is a loaded question, and it really made me think about all the things I go through to get tack sharp focus on my images. Sure there are the obvious tips like holding the camera properly, squeezing the shutter instead of stabbing it, tucking your elbows in, and so on.
The truth is, that is just the beginning to taking sharper photographs. Let me start off by saying that I still take blurry images from time to time. Back Button Auto-Focus I can honestly say that about 90% of the photographers I talk to don’t use this built in feature on almost all cameras. On most (nearly all) cameras, there is a button on the back of the camera titled “AF On.” Read more about Back Button Focus in James’ post – 3 Reasons Why You Should Switch To Back Button Focus Single Point AF AI Servo Focus Tracking Funny name, serious setting. Enter AI Servo Conclusion. Fireworks howto.
Do you want to know how to photograph fireworks? With 4th July just days away I thought I’d refresh this article in which I give 10 Fireworks Photography tips to help you get started. Fireworks Displays are something that evoke a lot of emotion in people as they are not only beautiful and spectacular to watch but they also are often used to celebrate momentous occasions. I’ve had many emails from readers asking how to photograph fireworks displays, quite a few of whom have expressed concern that they might just be too hard to really photograph. My response is always the same – ‘give it a go – you might be surprised at what you end up with’. My reason for this advice is that back when I bought my first ever SLR (a film one) one of the first things I photographed was fireworks and I was amazed by how easy it was and how spectacular the results were.
Of course it’s not just a matter of going out finding a fireworks display – there are, as usual, things you can do to improve your results. 1. Digital Photography Tips and Tutorials. Intro to tripods. DIY Light Tent. The following tutorial on constructing an Inexpensive Light Tent was Submitted by Jeffrey Bail. See Jeffrey’s Flickr Account here. Note: While this is a great DIY tutorial that thousands of our readers have used, Amazon has many inexpensive Light Tents here that will get you some great results.
How can you make a great DIY light box? It’s all in this article! You see, if you’re like me, you don’t want to spend money if you can do it yourself and yield the same results. I was going to purchase it until I saw the $100 price tag. Materials Needed: 1.) 2.) 3.) 4.) 5.) 6.) Also suggest a lighting fixture. 7.) Now that you have the Materials I will show you out to make a light tent step by step. Step By Step Process: A) Take your box with a tape ruler and marker and measure in 2″ from the side of the box marking multiple points with your marker. B) Cut out the boxes you’ve drawn. C) Now take your Bristol board and make lines with your marker for every two inches 16 times.
The Light box in action. Calibrate your monitors for cheap.