How to use lens flare to create atmospheric photos Jason Parnell-Brookes reveals how to use lens flare to your advantage to create atmospheric, summery scenes. Usually photographers work hard to avoid lens flare. It can be distracting, causing metering issues and introducing specular highlights. Sometimes, however, you can take advantage of it. For this technique to work, the sun needs to be near the edges of the frame, so check the forecast before you head out, and shoot early or late in the day when the sun is close to the horizon. Position your model between the camera and the sun; the low sun will backlight the subject and give you some great flare. Most manuals tell you to “keep your lens free from dust” – well, break the rules this time! Just take care when taking any dust off, particularly if it’s on the front element of your lens rather than a filter. SEE MORE: 7 Questions photographers must ask before buying their next piece of glass Step by step: How to shoot into the sun SEE MORE: 11 common lens errors and how you can avoid them
Seven photographic hacks, one short video: Digital Photography Review Photographers love simple solutions to challenging problems. How many of us have saved a shoot with a strip of duct tape and a piece of cardboard? This three-minute video from COOPH shows seven clever photographic 'hacks' - from using an egg timer and GoPro for a panorama to creating a Gary-Fong style diffuser with a Tupperware container to creating a neutral-density filter out of welder glass and rubber bands. Some of these have been around for years - using vaseline on a lens for a soft blur effect was the staple of Hollywood in the 1940s - and just a few minutes is all it takes to see this collection of creative solutions. If one of these comes in handy on a shoot, then it's time well spent. What's the most interesting 'hack' you've created?
The Path to Better Photography Ed Verosky is a professional photographer and author based in New York. In this article, Ed presents his recommended path to learning photography. If you’ve ever wanted a little guidance when it comes to learning photography from top to bottom, this DPS post is for you! There’s a lot of information out there, and tons of books, tutorials, workshops, etc. to learn from. Getting Started First of all, I want to thank you for taking the time to read this. Photography means something special to you; it’s a kind of magic that allows you to express yourself. How to Use this Post as a Guide Print this post out. I’m very excited about this journey you’re on, and it’s my goal to do everything in my power to help you get everything you want out of your photography. Now, we’ll begin our discussion of the four topics that I feel are most important in your development as a good photographer: the camera, the lighting, the subject, and post-processing. The Camera Raw and JPEG. Lighting The Subject
Never forget a Photoshop or Lightroom shortcut again: Digital Photography Review Even longtime Photoshop and Lightroom users sometimes forget the myriad of keyboard shortcuts used to trigger the program’s powerful features. For newcomers it’s even harder to remember (or even realize) more obscure actions like Alt-F9, which shows or hides the Action pane in Photoshop (did you know that? We didn't) or that Command-Shift-B sets a target catalog in Lightroom. If you also consider the different keystrokes which are only available in different modules or modes, and a user can experience what we like to call 'Keyboard Overload Syndrome'. Previously the only treatment for this condition was by purchasing color-coded stickers to overlay on top of a keyboard as a reminder of its function, but now web developer Waldo Bronchart has made a web application called 'Application Shortcut Manager'. The site is a great training tool and photographers with dual monitors can even keep it open on one display while working in another.
How to Take Photos with the Zoom Blur Effect [Includes Printable Cheat Sheet] I was walking around London recently with my camera and I got a bit bored, as I had been wandering by the same part of the city a thousand times, waiting for inspiration. To make it more fun I thought I would try experimenting with long shutter speeds. All of a sudden things got interesting and before I knew it a few hours had passed by. 1. The main principle to taking these types of shots is really quite simple. 2. Although the secret to creating these types of photographs is to have a slow shutter speed, this will only work well in dim lighting and on overcast days. 3. This is a no brainer but it really does pay to keep the camera as still as possible – this is easer said than done though as you inevitably move your hand when you turn the zoom. 4. Putting your camera in shutter priority is a good place to start with your ISO set to a low value, just turn the dial down to increase the shutter time until you get the results you are looking for. 5. 6.
Unique Flower Photography Using Multiple Exposures Most of the new cameras from both Nikon and Canon now have the capability to create multiple exposures. The technique is rather simple to set up, but the results can be both unlimited and unpredictable. So try using this feature to create some unique floral images. Set-up Select Multiple Exposure from your camera’s menu. Taking multiple exposure images does take some practice to perfect, and you will have a lot of throwaways. Type of Multiple Exposure Images to Try The resulting photos you can accomplish with this technique are limited only by your own creativity. The TwistThe FillThe Shoot Through The Twist In this method, set the number of shots to three. The Fill In this method you will fill the frame with flowers by shooting however many multiple exposures you choose and placing flowers in different locations within the frame with each exposure. The Shoot Through Set your number of exposures to two. Other Tips Creating Multiples in Photoshop
What is maximum aperture? Which lenses go widest (and why it matters) What is maximum aperture? It’s a question we often hear from new photographers who are getting to grips with their lenses or trying to understand depth of field. In this guide we explain what it means to set the maximum aperture, which lenses go widest and what you actually gain in terms of your images. Click on the infographic to see the larger version, or drag and drop to your desktop to save. The aperture setting of the lens controls the amount of light that passes through, so you can use this setting as part of your exposure adjustments. In dim light you can use a wider lens aperture so that more of the light gets through to reach the sensor, and in bright light you can use a smaller lens aperture to reduce the intensity. There are other exposure adjustments too, of course, including the shutter speed, or exposure time, and the ISO, or sensitivity setting of the sensor. SEE MORE: What is aperture – everything you need to know about controlling light creatively
A Beginners Introduction to Using Layers Using layers in your photo editing software is one of the most important things you can do to create great images. Layers are so powerful, even the most basic understanding of them can improve your photography tremendously. The good news is that using layers is extremely easy, and very quick. If you follow along with this tutorial and incorporate the techniques, you’ll see a huge difference in the quality of your images. While there are countless things you can do with layers, it’s convenient to group them into three main categories: Exposure blendingLocal adjustments to specific parts of an imageSpecial techniques We’ll go through all three categories in this tutorial. Exposure blending is one of the best techniques you can use to improve your photos. First, let’s understand why you need to blend exposures. You simply take two or more photos of the scene at various exposures and blend the best parts of each exposure to produce a single image where all areas are exposed correctly. Before
Where to Focus When Taking a Photo Most beginner photographers don’t know where to focus when taking a photo, and worse still, they don’t seem to know why it’s a problem either. You may think that because you’re shooting a landscape photo, and your horizon is miles away, it’s best to focus to infinity. Wrong. Let me show you the error of your ways. Hyperfocal Distance You don’t need to fully understand how the following works, but you do need to understand the concept. The depth of field is largely dependant on your aperture, as well as your distance from the subject. Half of the distance between the hyperfocal length and the lens will also remain acceptably sharp too. Working out your hyperfocal distance involves complicated maths which involves your distance from a subject, your f/stop, your focal length, and the size of your sensor. I’ll go into this in further detail in another post, but for now, this is what you need to know: Don’t focus to infinity, unless you’re trying to focus on a single subject, located at infinity.
Five Photoshop Tools to Take Your Images from Good to Great Seascape image – Before and After image editing We hear it all the time, “That photo has been Photoshopped”. Sometimes it sounds like the photo has caught a disease or that Photoshop is some undesirable effect that has been added to the image. Photoshop is the KEY to making your good images look spectacular. Yes, I said “good” images. NOTE: the examples in this article simply show you how to make the adjustments on a separate layer. 1. This tool will be used to get more detail in the shadow areas of your image. Open your image in Photoshop and go to: IMAGE > ADJUSTMENTS > SHADOW AND HIGHLIGHTS. Finding the Shadow and Highlights tool The tool will pop up and you will see this (as shown below), if you don’t see all these sliders, click “more options” to expand the box. Making adjustments to the Shadows in the image The best way to work with the tool is to slide the Amount slider under the Shadows box to about one third across (33%). 2. 3. You will want make small adjustments here too. 4. 5.
Deep Depth of Field vs Shallow: 10 common questions and answers Ever wondered why some backgrounds are pin-sharp and others are out of focus? This is what’s called deep depth of field and shallow depth of field. Find out how to take full control of this in-camera photography effect and answer any of the common photography questions you may have. Click on the infographic to see the larger version Common questions about shallow and deep depth of field What’s depth of field all about? It is this zone of ‘acceptable sharpness’ that is the depth of field. How does knowing this help to improve my shots? Alternatively, you can make sure that depth of field is restricted to such an extent that parts of your picture are thrown anonymously out of focus, for artistic effect or to hide distracting features in a scene. SEE MORE: 99 common photography problems (and how to solve them) So what’s the dark secret, then? What’s the easiest way to control depth of field? So I can set the depth of field precisely for every shot? What are these other factors?
digital-photography-school A Post By: James Maher Recently I wrote a New Photographer’s Guide to Camera Settings. Once you become comfortable with your camera settings, the next step is to learn the rules of good composition and design for your photography. So here are the 10 most important tips to take into account when framing your scene. Your guide to composition. Grand Central Terminal and Chrysler Building, NYC #1 How will the viewer’s eyes flow through the scene? I prefer to think about composition as if it is a game to please the eyes, and if you want to please the eyes, they need something to do and somewhere to go. Fluid Path – an image with leading lines, such as a road or stream, or an image with a foreground, middle ground, and background, which leads your eyes gradually from one level to the other.Jarring path - an image with multiple, well spaced subjects for the eyes to bounce around between. #2 Watch the Edge of your Images Central Park South, NYC #3 Rule of Thirds Versus Centered Images Rule of thirds
A Beginner's Guide to Choosing Shooting Mode Even the most seasoned veteran photographer may use a pre-programmed mode occasionally in order to concentrate immediately on a shot rather than take the time to calculate exposure and miss the opportunity for the great image. But if you are a beginner at photography or want to advance your photography skills beyond the use of Auto mode, begin by adventuring away from the green box. When you are setting up your camera to capture an image, there are four basic results to consider: wide depth of field, shallow depth of field, motion blur or freeze motion. How do you know which mode to use to control these basics of photography? Let’s take a look. Auto (Green box) In Auto mode, your camera will automatically set the shutter, aperture, ISO, white balance, and even the pop-up flash for you. Advantages: This is a great option for beginners with a digital camera – but don’t become dependent on it! Disadvantages: In certain lighting conditions the auto settings may produce undesirable images.
digital-photography-school A Post By: Michael Walker-Toye I don’t use a flash for my photography, it’s a personal preference. Available light, in its many forms, is both challenging and rewarding so I rarely find a need to turn to creative lighting. Natural light, golden hour What is ‘available light’? Let’s be clear on definitions first. The available light around us is a great opportunity for our photography and photographers should be passionate about making best use of this light when capturing a photo. George Eastman said, “Light makes photography. On a basic level we all recognise the beautiful sprawling vista before us looks wonderful bathed in the rays of the setting sun, and less so beneath an overcast grey sky. What are the different qualities of light? Starting with the obvious, the sun, the qualities of its light are wildly variable. Natural light, sunset Direct sun The sun is warmer and softer at each end of the day. Harsh direct sun Indirect sun Indirect sun from a side window Artificial light Open shade