Using Polar Coordinates to Turn Landscapes into Planets and More

Jose Antunes on Sep 29th 2012 with 3 Comments Photoshop lets you do some curious experiments, like creating your own planets. Its a fantasy world that starts with a panoramic image and ends with a photograph that will amaze your friends. Try this!

The technique lets you create orb shaped photographs that look like planets.

Let me show you how to create a planet. I call them planets because of the round shape they get and that in some cases looks exactly like a planet. The idea is not mine, in fact I recall it from the first Yes album with a cover drawn by Roger Dean (I still have the LP in my collection), launched in November 1971. Yes was/is an English progressive rock band. So progressive, in fact, that they needed a different image for the cover of their fourth album, and this was the first of a series of works by Roger Dean for them and other rock groups. And it was a planet. I guess all of us dreamed of these planets for years and drew some on pieces of paper while in college. I know I did. But it was only with Photoshop or any program letting you do this trick you could start to create your own planets using photographs. Ive done some this new way, from time to time, and while the technique is not hard to learn, youll soon discover that not all images, even panoramas, are suitable for this treatment. But once you get the right image its a fun experience.

1. Choosing the Right Image

Sometimes choosing the right image to use takes more time than the technique itself.

You start by choosing an image that shows potential, usually one with clean edges, so it will be easier to clean the final stitched area. Once you learn the process, it is rather quick to see results, trying different images, to define which are best. The best way to do this is to follow the tutorial. Choosing the image is the first part of the equation. Then you need to define which area to use. Panoramic images are usually presented as the right choice. But Ive found out that sometimes you need to crop them to get rid of areas that can be troublesome. For this example I used a panoramic image cropped to get trees about the same size on each side, to make a cleaner join when the image rotates.

2. A Perfect Square

You have to forget the idea that images are proportional, if you want to create planets.

Once the image is cropped I need to make a square. To do that I go to the Image Size menu in Photoshop, deselect Constrain Proportions and define the side of the image, making sure that Height and Width are the same. Click OK and youve a perfect square on the screen.

3. Upside Down

To make things even more strange for a normal photo workflow, you have to rotate the image.

The next step is to get the image upside down. To do that go back to the Image menu, choose Rotate Canvas and choose 180 degrees. Youll get the image in position for your next step, which is the most fun part of the process.

4: Polar Coordinates

The preview window gives you an idea of the final result.

Once youve the image upside down you can go back to the menu and choose, Filter, then Distort , then, again, Polar Coordinates and click on the Rectangle to Polar option. You can see a small preview of your final image and once you accept it, depending on the size of the image and speed of your computer, youll get your results in a few seconds. Amazing!

5. Your First Planet!

The result can be astounding but believe me, sometimes it can take time to get everything right.

The feeling one gets once the first planet is done is about the same as the older of us got when they saw Roger Deans cover for Yess Fragile album cover: amazing! Its true, but it might not be that easy when you first try. Looking closely at your final image you might find it has problems in the join area that are difficult to solve. Sometimes a little retouching will be enough, other times is better to crop the image another way as I did with this one in order to get both sides looking similar, so they blend almost perfectly. Its a bit of trial and error but with practice youll begin to understand what works best. For my example above I cropped the image to make sure I had the round area on the green lawn forming a circle that is almost perfect. And because I had cut both sides to have trees at about the same height, I just had to use the healing brush on a small area of the green lawn and then the clone stamp and healing brush on the single join line formed on the right side of the image. Obviously, I rotated the image until I got the Palace in the position I wanted.

6. Its Not Just For Landscapes!

Pick a few images from your collection and try this technique. Not all of them work but youll get an idea of the possibilities.

Planets seem to work rather well with landscapes, in nature and sometimes urban, but nothing stops you from trying with other types of photographs. Ive tried the process with some of my photos of flowers, and I like the results. Especially with flowers that have a single element or group in focus with a fuzzy background, the planets trick seems to do rather well, as the picture above shows.

7. Ideal for Monuments

Monuments seem to work fine, especially those that have enough space around them to get a perfect planet.

When you travel, its only natural you take pictures of monuments to share with your friends on the way back home. Besides the regular postcard like pictures you may show them, place one or two transformed into planets using this technique. This photo, of one of the most emblematic monuments in the area of Sintra, in Portugal, is an example of the possibilities open to you as a photographer.

8. Another Option

When you only apply part of the technique, the results look different.

The trick to get the planets the way they look in the first images is to Rotate the photo 180 degrees before using the Polar Coordinates panel and clicking on the Rectangle to Polar option. If you want something different, try to apply the effect without rotating the image. It will look differently, with the inside out, as the image above shows. There is a practical use for this other technique. If youve seen fisheye lens images of town squares, for example, and want to do something that looks like it without having to buy an expensive fisheye lens, just choose a place close to you, photograph it so you cover 360 degrees the whole circle around you as you would for a normal panorama, and once home create a big panorama and apply this same technique to it. Magic! Most probably youll have some tidying to do in terms of join areas, but it will give you an interesting image to share with your friends.

9: And Another Approach

You can choose any image you deem suitable, crop it different ways and study the effects.

In fact, you do not need to do a full panorama to create some unique images using the techniques above. Although they are not something that you can use everyday and for each photograph you take, there are times you might need a special effect to depict an emotion, pass on a message. I think the image published just above is a good example. This picture was taken some years ago at a wetlands Nature Reserve and shows a man walking on a wooden boardwalk from a series that crisscross the area. Its a very nice image that shows the ambiance found in the area, a bird sanctuary in the North of Portugal. I always imagined the man as walking into a black hole, vanishing into another dimension.

10: A Creative Image

This is a good example of the rather strange look you can get from an image that initially did not show much potential.

While preparing images for this article I picked that image and decided to try to apply the Polar Coordinates effect to it. As you can see, it works. It creates something like a vortex that could be sucking the man into it. This is a good example that different kinds of images will work with this technique. You just have to try to see the results you get with them. Take some time aside to experiment. Remember that cropping different ways will provide different results. And try, try, try. It is only through experimentation that youll discover new ways to present your own images. And broaden your own horizons.
Tip: One last and important note: I mention Adobe Photoshop but you can do this technique in different programs, some of them free, as GIMP, that I wrote about here recently. So no excuses. You can create planets for free!

Adobe Camera RAW for Beginners: Histogram & White Balance

Travis King on Sep 1st 2009 with 15 Comments
This entry is part 1 of 8 in the Camera RAW for Beginners Session - Show All Next

Adobe Camera RAW (not to be confused with RAW picture format your camera takes) is a powerful tool for editing and tweaking your photography. The software gives you artistic control over your files while still maintaining the original photo. I like to call it non-destructive editing. Adobe Camera RAW comes packaged with Adobe Photoshop and Photoshop Elements, and while it is similar to Adobe Lightroom, it is more of an editing program than a complete digital darkroom and management program like Lightroom. If youre wondering about which program you should use, Scott Kelby has a good article on the differences of Camera Raw, Bridge, and Lightroom. In this tutorial youll learn how to manipulate the histogram and white balance in your RAW images. Typically youll start your work in Adobe Bridge and open your photos in Camera Raw by either right clicking on the file and choosing Open in Camera Raw, or holding down Cmd+R/Ctrl+R (Mac/PC) while clicking on the file.

View Tutorial The Histogram

The histogram can be a little intimidating at first, and a lot of first-time users tend to skip over it. However, the histogram can be a great tool to quickly get an overall feel for the photo and diagnose any trouble areas quickly. Heres a quick rundown of the histogram:

The furthest left contains your shadow information. Here you will find how much dark areas you have in your photo. The middle is you midtones. The furthest right is your highlights. Here you will find your light areas of the photo. If you histogram is dominating either side it means your photo is either under or overexposed.

Clipping

The spikes found on the right or left of the histogram indicate clipping is occurring. Clipping is usually bad; it signals that you have no detail in certain areas of your photo. That means that some of your blacks or whites are 100% solid color. You can see where clipping is occurring by using the triangle buttons found on the upper right and left of the histogram. Blue areas signal trouble in your shadows. Red areas indicate blown out highlights. As a tip, its better for your pictures to be underexposed rather than over.

White Balance
When you take a picture your cameras sensor attempts to define what is white in the photograph so that it can determine the correct color balance. While the Auto White Balance (AWD) setting works really well on most digital cameras, there are times when you will need to set and tweak the white balance of a photograph after you have shot it. If you find that the colors are off in a photo, or the picture appears too cool or warm, you will need to adjust the white balance using one of several methods.

The White Balance drop down menu allows you to choose from several lighting conditions. You will only be able to use this if you captured your photo in the RAW format.

The White Balance Tool allows you to pick a spot on your photo that is supposed to be neutral. Neutral colors found in a sidewalk, blue jeans, shirt collar, etc. are best. If you choose an area that is not neutral you can always click again and pick a better area. The Temperature and Tint bars allow you to manually adjust your white balance making it warmer/cooler or adding more green or magenta.

Shooting & Stitching a Panoramic Photo From Start to Finish

Simon Plant on Feb 9th 2011 with 19 Comments Tutorial Details
Requirements: SLR, Tripod, Spirit Level, Photoshop Completion Time: 2-3 Hours Difficulty: Intermediate

Twice a month we revisit some of our reader favorite posts from throughout the history of Phototuts+. This tutorial was first published in October, 2009. In this video tutorial, we look at the camera set up and post-production technique for creating stunning panoramic image. Youll be shown how to position your camera and tripod at the scene, experiment with portrait vs. landscape shooting, and given a walkthrough of stitching the various images together in Photoshop.

The Final Result

Watch the Video Key Points for Shooting Panoramics

A tripod & spirit level are advised Set exposure on manual or aperture priority Focus manually Lens: Focal length 35-70mm Wider lenses may cause stitching problems Overlap each frame by 15-20% Be aware of lighting within the scene Average your exposure or bridge them

Quick Tip: Double Expose for Better Landscapes

Jose Antunes on Aug 18th 2012 with 6 Comments Surprised by a beautiful afternoon sunset over a field and caught without a graduated filter? You do not have to give up taking the picture. Your camera and a tripod will suffice. Today, well look at a simple technique to overcome high contrast situations.

Open Bridge and select the pair of images that looks best and send them to Photoshop.

Many people are so dependent on gear that they forget that we can get pictures without too much equipment. The image of a sunflower field published in this article is such an example. I came across this field on a late afternoon trip, going out for some night sky photography, and I had no graduated filter to reduce the contrast between the sky and ground. Should I give up and go home? Nope!

In Photoshop you create a mask for the top image (here the sky picture) and paint over it to reveal the layer below, that represents the ground.

In fact, there are different ways to solve this problem, and this is just one of them, a simple one, that everyone can use without much trouble. I am not even thinking about a HDR (High Dynamic Range) solution, I just wanted to get the shot. And the easy way to do that, in my book, is to shoot two pictures. One for the sky, so I got the rich colors that made me stop, and the second shot to get details on the sunflower field.

The darker image, with a good representation of the sky as I saw it. But the sensor on my camera can not see the sunflower field I also saw.

Purists will probably say that this is not photography. I dont care. I dont even think I am cheating. I am just trying to get the camera to show what I saw with my eyes. Its just the sensor that does not have the ability to see light the same way I do. In fact, the final picture, with an extra touch of color that I like, is what I saw. How did I do it?

To get details on the sunflower field I had to burn the sky, so most of the detail is lost. But in Photoshop I can fix that quickly, something that would take ages in film days.

First I took the two shots I mentioned, keeping the aperture constant between them (f/11), with exposures of 1/4 and 2 seconds. I took a few pairs, to be sure I had enough images to choose from, using a tripod and the camera with mirror raised up and the timer delay on 2 seconds.

After processing each layer, this is the final aspect of the image in Photoshop. Its not an image created in Photoshop but a real representation of what I saw.

Once home I selected the images in Bridge and sent them to Photoshop CS6, stacked both layers in the same document, confirmed theyre precisely aligned and created a mask for the top layer (the one with the sky), to paint the bottom area so as to reveal the ground. Once I had done that, I selected the lighter layer and adjusted the exposure, contrast and vibrance to get the sunflowers the way I wanted. After doing that I just had to do the same on the top level, to get a bit more vibrant colors in the clouds and sky.

Sunset over the sunflower field in all its glory. A picture showing how easy it is to make better photographs if you learn to use your camera and the tools available.

After finishing working on each different layer, I merged them to save the final picture, which I sharpened a bit and thats it. A great late afternoon picture taken with just a camera and a tripod. Try this yourself and see how easy it is to create images that really show what your eyes saw and not what your camera registers. Remember this technique the next time you find a situation where conventional exposure does not let you get everything right in a single shot.

Laketop Lady: Photographing a Woman on Water Tuts+ Premium

Daniel Sone on Jun 6th 2012 with 4 Comments Download Source Files
Source files for this tutorial are available to Premium members. Get a Premium Membership

We have another Photo Premium tutorial exclusively available to Premium members today. In this tutorial, well teach you how to create a photo of person floating on water. Learn more after the jump! Two days after Christmas, I was out at the crack of dawn with my friends, in water, photographing a model. Ill talk about how this shoot came to be and how much planning and work it took to pull off this quick n dirty concept.< Youll also see just how little gear was used to pull off these shots and that the bulk of the work was in the planning and having good understanding of photographic technique to execute what was bouncing around in my brain.

Safety First

Since were going to be bringing electricity and water together, safety is a big issue. To reduce the risk of electric shock, keep all flashheads, cable connections, batteries, and power packs out of the water and dry. Have someone whose sole job is to supervise the electrical equipment and keep it safe. Also, since this shoot takes place on a lake in Florida, there is a small chance that an alligator could be lurking around. To mitigate the risk, we shot early morning, in the shallows, and had someone keep a constant eye out the entire time. Alligators are reptiles and therefore cold-blooded. They need the sun to warm up before becoming active. I planned to be done before the alligators, if any, started basking. When doing productions like this, dont cut corners. Have clear instructions for your team and assemble and use your rigging properly. Make sure everybody knows their role. Dont endanger your friends just to get a nice shot.

The Idea
The plan is to photograph an attractive young lady and make it appear as if she is standing on the water. I wanted the sky to be a dramatic sunrise or sunset and the waters surface to be calm and hopefully mirror-like.

The sketch of the general idea and likely lighting setup.

The idea is simple enough, but how do I get her on the water without Photoshop? I personally dont like using Photoshop to do heavy lifting with my photography. I want to get as much done inside the camera so that post-production isnt as much of a pain.

Scouting

With this idea in mind, I set about looking for a suitable place. I knew of a nearby lake in a public park that could work, but didnt know what it would look like a dawn. So, there I was, December 26th, sitting in a park waiting for the sun to come up so I can figure out my camera settings and shooting window. It was important that I knew what my sky was going to look like, where I was going to shoot, and how long I had to do it since I was going to have people come in from their vacations before sunrise.

Take your camera with you on location scouts. You never know what youll find.

I had about 15 to 20 minute window of excellent light where the sky was the right rainbow of colors and my shadows wouldnt be filled in by the ambient. I snapped several photos and noted the ISO, shutter, aperture, and times of the photos that were within that window. That way, I could be dialed-in and ready before that window opens so I could use every minute of it.

Simple Tools
The technical challenge of this shoot wasnt going to happen with the lighting or the camera settings or any of that stuff. It was going to be how do I get her onto the surface of the water and not have to retouch things like platforms, assistants arms, or poles? I also, didnt want to spend a ton of money on rigging (that already went to Christmas gifts). I figured out the best way to save money was to DIY a platform and weigh it down with sandbags from a local landscaping business. Just a few dollars. To save even more I chose a location where the water was shallow and the floor level, about thigh-deep. Choosing such a shallow depth meant I didnt need as much material to get my model high enough. I hopped over to Home Depot to get my materials for the platform and pick up a roll of heavy-duty painters tape a good substitute for gaffers tape. I stumbled across something better than a DIY pathway and it was a $9 stepping stool, in black, and the right height! Sometimes you just get lucky.

DIY is great, but this was better.

Final Image Preview

Quick Tip: When and How to Use a Neutral Density Filter

Peter Sawyer on Sep 11th 2010 with 11 Comments Were continuing our investigation of camera filters this week, taking a look at Neutral Density filters and Graduated ND Filters. These give you a large degree of control over the exposure in an image, and are brilliant for water and landscape photography.

What Does a Neutral Density Filter Do?

A Neutral Density filter allows a photographer to control the exposure in an image very easily. The filter stops light reaching the camera sensor, therefore allowing us to leave the camera with a higher aperture for a longer amount of time. Instead of changing the aperture to reduce the amount of light in the image, we simply add on a ND filter, then adjust the exposure to the amount we want. It is easy and very effective, plus we can still set the aperture to a low value for sharper images, or wide open for a shallow DOF. ND filters do not effect the colour in the photo in any way. What you see is what you get. This is a big difference compared to the Polarizer filter. Photographers commonly use a ND filter when shooting water as it blurs the moment, and you get a smooth silky look. Without the ND filter, most cameras are unable to find an aperture small enough to get the same effect. Other helpful uses of ND filters include: Reducing the depth of field in bright sunlight

Adding motion blur to moving objects When using a wider aperture

Image courtesy of TropicaLiving

What Is a Graduated Neutral Density Filter?

Its the same as a ND filter, but graduated! This simply means that the ND effect is not on the whole of the glass, it fades gradually as the name suggests. This is useful because photographers often want to darken the sky, but leave the foreground as it is. To do this you simply move the filter up and down in the holder to match the landscape you are shooting. Disadvantages of using a graduated filer include the fact that often the landscape is not flat like the straight edge on the filter. You can buy different graduated ND filters depending on the effect you are after. You can get a soft edge which has a large fading distance or a hard-edge with a sharper quicker fade. The image below shows a use of a graduated filter. The left photo has no filter attached but the image on the right has a 2 stop Grad ND filter. As you can see the sky shows up perfectly.

Image courtesy of Jez B

What Different Types Are There?

You can get different strength ND filters to block out more light than others. This is very useful, but also requires you to buy more expensive filters, as well as know this very large F stop chart pictured below (click for larger version) The most common kinds are a 1 stop, 2 stop and 3 stop filter. You can also purchase a 10 stop filter if you really want to slow things down. If you dont understand f stops, check out Phototuts+ Basix tutorial! An example would be if you are shooting at f11 with a speed of 1/500, then decided to use a 10 stop filter with the same aperture then youll get an exposure of 2 seconds. This is quite a large jump and you will need to use a tripod no matter what. If you are using a filter holder remember you can double the filters up. So you can put a 3 stop and 2 stop on top of each other. Useful, but beware of vignette around the final image.

Image courtesy of David M71

Recommended Brands
LEE filters: LEE Filters 46" Graduated ND Resin Filter Set (0.3, 0.6, 0.9) Currently $245 Requires the LEE filter holder LEE Filters RF75 Standard Neutral Density (ND) 0.3 Filter Currently $110 Requires the LEE filter holder Cokin: Cokin H250A P-Series ND Grad Kit Currently $60 Requires Cokin P holder Cokin CU960 Pro ND Graduated Filter Kit Currently $165 Pack includes filter holder Hoya: Hoya HMC NDx8 Filter neutral density 8x 77 mm Currently $54 Screws into lens. Dolica: Dolica CF-NDK72 72mm 0.3, 0.6, 0.9ND Neutral Density Filter Kit Currently $50 Screws into lens. The LEE filter is aimed at professionals and has the price tag to match but if you are looking to try out playing with ND filters why not pick up a cheaper set made by Dolica? Good quality for the money and they work a treat.

Further Reading
If you have found the subject interesting then you might want to take a look at these articles: Achieve Beautiful Landscape Photos with a Neutral Density Filter Darken Skies by Replicated ND Grad Filter Effects in Photoshop

How to Use a 10 Stop Neutral Density Filter

Image courtesy of djniks

Thanks for Reading

If you own a ND filter please post up your photos we always take the time to view them all. Also, if you would like information on any other filters, please feel free to leave a comment with your question!

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Turn Your Photo Into a Stylish Watercolour Painting

Martin Lawrence on Mar 29th 2010 with 8 Comments Tutorial Details
Program: Photoshop Difficulty: Beginner Completion Time: 30 minutes

Final Product What You'll Be Creating

Turning your images into pen and ink drawings with a watercolour wash gives them a more abstract, painted feel whilst retaining much of the detail. It combines the blurry edges of a watercolour with the skeleton lines of a pen and ink drawing, allowing you to emphasise certain features whilst leaving others to the imagination. The end result, with a matte frame added (a useful technique in its own right), is a very sellable product.

Watch the Video Introduction

Firstly, we will create a watercolour and a pen and ink ink drawing from our image. Then we will combine the two together to produce a pen and ink drawing with a watercolour wash. The final stage will be to add a matte frame around the image and print it on watercolour paper ready for framing. For this tutorial, I am using an image of a famous post box in Great Langdale near Ambleside in the English Lake District. Its very popular with photographers as there is a great view of the Langdale Pikes behind it and the splash of red colour adds another dimension to the image. While these techniques work well with this image, they may work better or not as well on your particular image. You will need to experiment with the settings given for the filters used. But with a little practice, you will soon learn how to get a good result. I am using Photoshop CS4 for my tutorial but you can use other versions of Photoshop or Photoshop Elements equally well.

Choosing an Image
This technique works best if your image is at least 1200 x 1600 pixels in size (approx A4). If your image has a dpi greater than 150 you will need to reduce it to this value or lower as the filters and printing technique that we are going to use give a better end result this way. We are looking for quite a simple and stylistic look here.

I chose a portrait format so that I could fill the frame with just the post box and the fells behind. I used the wall as a lead-in line from the left hand front corner to take the eye up to the metal railings on top of the wall and then to the mountains behind. Using the rule of thirds, I placed the post box directly onto the intersection of the first line in from the bottom right. You can see this illustrated below where I have superimposed a Rule of Third template over the image. You can download this for free from Shutterfreaks I used my Canon EOS 5D with a Canon L series 24-105mm lens. The shutter speed was 1/125th of a second @ f11, ISO 100. I used my Lee 0.3 ND grad to compensate for the difference of 1-stop between the sky and the foreground.

Step 1: Create Copies of Your Image

Using Image > Image Size, reduce the resolution of your image to 150 dpi. Using Image > Duplicate Make two copies of your image and name them watercolour and drawing.

Step 2: Create Your Watercolour

I could have just used the Photoshop Watercolour filter here but I prefer to use the following method as I find that it produces better results. Make the watercolour image active and select Filter > Artistic > Dry Brush to get the Dry Brush dialogue box up. There are 3 settings: Brush Size : The smaller the brush size, the more detailed the final image.

Brush Detail : The higher the Brush Detail value, the more detailed the final image. Texture: The higher the value, the rougher the texture of the final image. I used settings of 6, 2 and 1 for my image. You can see the results as you adjust these settings in the Preview Window, so just play around here and experiment until you get a result that you like.

Next, I used the Smart Blur filter to soften the brush strokes making the effect look more like a watercolour wash. This filter gives you very precise control over blur, and smooths transitions by averaging the pixels next to the hard edges of defined lines and shaded areas in an image. Select Filter > Blur > Smart Blur to get the Smart Blur dialogue box up. There are four settings: Quality: The higher the Quality, the smoother the results.

Mode: Normal works for the entire selection, Edge Only and Overlay Edge for the edges of colour transitions. Where significant contrast occurs, Edge Only applies black-and-white edges, and Overlay Edge applies white. Radius: This determines the size of the area searched for dissimilar pixels. Threshold: This determines how dissimilar the pixels must be before they are affected. I used settings of High, Normal, 10 and 10 for my image.

You may then need to lighten the finished result a little depending on your image using Image > Adjustments > Brightness/Contrast. I increased the Brightness slider by 10.

These steps produce quite a realistic watercolour image which you could print out and frame as it stands. But as I mentioned before, you will definitely need to play around with the settings I have given you to get the required result on your own image.

Step 3: Create Your Pen and Ink Drawing

Make the drawing image active and select Image > Adjustments > Desaturate to reduce the image to grayscale.

Select Filter > Blur > Smart Blur and set the Quality and Mode settings to High and Edge Only. The art here was to maintain a reasonable amount of detail on the post box and mountains but not to make the moss and grass in the foreground look like a pan scrub! I found it helpful to drag the area of my image with the moss and grass in it into the preview window to do this. In this case, I settled for a Radius of 20 and a Threshold of 75. The result will be an image with white lines on a black background which is similar to a drawing on an old-fashioned school black board.

Select Image > Adjustments > Invert to reverse this and you have your finished pen and ink drawing similar to something that you would find in a book (and which looks quite good in its own right!)

Step 4: Combine the Two Images Together

Select the watercolour image to make it active and copy it into memory (Select > All then Edit > Copy). Select the drawing image and paste the watercolour image onto it creating a new Layer called Composite (Edit > Paste). Click the Composite thumbnail in the Layers palette once to make sure that it is the active layer then set the blend mode to Multiply and the Opacity to 100%.

Step 5: Make Final Colour Adjustments

Flatten the layers by using Layer > Flatten Image. You may want to play around a little with Levels, Hue/Saturation or Brightness/Contrast to fine turn your results, Personally, I prefer the colours to be still quite bright.

Step 6: Add Inner White Matte Frame

To add a white border all around your image first click the small black and white squares icon towards the bottom of the toolbox to set the background colour to white. Then, with your Composite image active, select Image > Canvas Size to get the Canvas Size dialog box up.

I left the Anchor setting set to the middle square in the box as I wanted an even border all around my image. To add a 50 pixel border, I increased my canvas size by 100 pixels each way.

Step 7: Add a Narrow Dark Matte Frame

Using the same methods as described in Step 1, add a dark border of 10 pixels around your image but this time, select a colour for the matte. Using the Canvas extension colour drop list in the Canvas Size dialogue box, set this to Other and the the Color Picker dialogue box will appear as shown below. Here you can either select a colour using the colour square or click inside your image with the Eye Dropper tool that appears when you hover over it to select a toning colour.

Step 8: Add a Wider White Matte Frame

Repeat Step 1 increasing your canvas size by 100 pixels each way after re-setting the background colour to white.

Step 9: Add Final Outer Dark Matte Frame

Repeat Step 1 increasing your canvas size by 30 pixels each way and selecting your canvas extension colour using the Eye Dropper. Your image should now have a matte frame like the one below. Now you know the technique, you can play around with colours and widths to get a result you like. You may prefer to have a darker colour nearest to your image or to increase or decrease the number of borders that you add.

Printing Out Your Finished Image

Now that youve gone to all this trouble creating your image, you need to ensure that you print it out properly ready for framing. For this you will need to obtain some watercolour paper. This comes in a handy A4 size which you can use for your first experiments but, obviously, also comes in much larger sizes. I find that coated watercolour paper gives the best results, as the ink bleeds less than it does on an uncoated paper which can make the finished result a little unsightly. There is a wide selection of watercolour papers on the market but my preference is for St Cuthberts Mill Bockingford 300gsm white. It has a velvet textured finish which allows the ink to sink just slightly into the paper giving a softness to the image. This is ideal for producing prints which have the look and feel of an original watercolour painting. This paper is fairly rigid, and may cause paper feed problems in some desktop ink jet printers if you feed it in through the normal tray feed. For this reason, I always load a single sheet only through the back feed of my Canon MP620 printer. Note that there is a right side and a wrong side to the paper which will be clearly shown on the pack, so make sure that you print your image on the correct side or you will not get the right effect.

Conclusion
I hope that you will be pleased with your final image. Once framed, its a beautiful piece of art and I have found them to sell very well. As I mentioned at the beginning of this tutorial, what I have given you here are the basics of a technique. Each image will require slightly different manipulation and you will need to change the settings in the filters used. Have fun, and I hope you enjoy the final product!

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A Comprehensive Guide to Creating Silhouettes Photo Premium

Steve Berardi on May 11th 2011 with 1 Comment Tutorial Details
Difficulty: Intermediate Completion Time: 2-3 hours Equipment: DSLR camera, tripod, a good view, and optional accessories

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We have another Photo Premium tutorial exclusively available to Premium members today. If youve ever wondered how to capture beautiful silhouette images or youre hoping to sharpen your skills in this area, this tutorial will provide a comprehensive look at shooting and processing silhouettes. Learn more at the jump! One of the simplest ways to photograph the beautiful colors of a sunrise or sunset is to capture a silhouette. Its a great way to emphasize the shape and outline of a subject while including some brilliant colors in the background.

This tutorial will guide you through the process of photographing silhouettes. It will discuss what equipment you need, what settings to use on your camera, how to find the right aperture and shutter speed, what makes a good subject, and how to process your images in Photoshop.

Using the right equipment

Before you get into photographing silhouettes, its important to get the right equipment. This tutorial provides a list of the basics, and explanations about why each item is important. Digital SLR

Tripod (and head) Telephoto lens (300mm or longer) And more!

Setting up your camera

Youll find a guide for settings you should consider using when photographing silhouettes and reasons why to use them. From file and ISO settings to way to stablize your camera, theyre all covered here.

Finding a Good Subject

Learn about two basic types of silhouettes, and which subjects work best for each technique.

Special Effect Filters: Star, Fog, CentreSpot & DFN

Peter Sawyer on Oct 2nd 2010 with 8 Comments
This entry is part 11 of 18 in the Photography Gear Session - Show All PreviousNext

Today we continue our investigation into photography filters, following on from our previous look at a selection of special effect filters. Well be introducing you to the second batch of wacky and wonderful filters today star, fog and center spot to name a few! Join us after the break to spice up your photography.

Star Filters
Star filters are simply designed to produce stars on your images. A series of thin lines are etched into the flat optical surface of a clear filter. These lines diffract the light coming into the lens into long thin lines. If the lines are positioned horizontally then you will get vertically oriented star lines. The line spacing also matters; the closer the gaps the brighter and more intense the stars will be. In order to get a really sharp star, you have to use the lowest aperture you can you might find a 50mm prime lens is the best to use. Only the strongest light can produce star shapes, for example the image below only has one star due to the sun being the strongest light source. Now like most filters, star filters come in many different shapes and sizes. You can also purchase filters designed to produce 2, 4 and 8 stars. The effect can be recreated inside of Photoshop but if you want a quick and easy way to create stars then simply purchase a filter! Recommendations: Tiffen 58mm 6-Point Star Filter Currently $29 B + W 77mm 4 Point Star Creative Special Effects Filter Currently $60 Tiffen appears to have the best range with many more filters producing different styles of stars.

Image courtesy of jonnyfixedgear

Fog Filters
When shooting real fog you will notice that the fog blurs the light source(s) in your image. The fog filter attempts to recreate that same effect. A fog filter will add a soft glow/flare to the image as well as lowering the contrast and the sharpness of the image. One good use of fog filter would be when you are attempting to show the user how humid any area is. The disadvantages are that fog filters cannot recreate the effects of strong fog because the image becomes too fuzzy. Instead you would need to buy a double fog filter, which have a milder flare and softening characteristics that the standard fog filter doesnt produce. Recommendations: Tiffen 58mm Double Fog 3 Filter Currently $30 Tiffen 49F3 49mm Fog 3 Filter - Currently $36

Image courtesy of Lowell_Mariannika

Center Spot Filters

The idea of a center spot filter is that the center of the image will stay nice and sharp while the rest of the image is diffused and the detail in the background is blurred. This effect is created by the center of the filter containing either a hole or simply a piece of clear glass. In my opinion, they are a really poor type of filter to use. You would be better off spending more money and purchasing a lens with a really high aperture such as a 50mm F1.4 in order to shoot images with a shallow DOF. Although dont be put off by my opinion! Try one yourself at a local camera store and see for yourself! If you own Photoshop, Alien Skin sell a nice plugin designed to create the same effect for about the same price as the filter. For more information have alook at their website.

Image courtesy of lone photowolf

Day For Night Filters (DFN)

Want to shoot at night but would rather shoot in the day? Then a day for night filter is for you. Hollywood blockbusters use to use them all the time before CGI improved to todays standard. There are many tips to try and get a fake looking twilight effect using a SLR camera, mostly involving tricking the white balance into thinking white is orange, which will give you a tinted blue coloured image. The filter is designed to underexpose the shot by about two stops but also at the same time create a slightly blue overcast. Post production is still often needed (adding lights for example) but it is a useful filter for those planning to fake lots of shots. Disadvantages of the filter include the fact light sources dont appear as natural as in twilight as their colour is effected. Currently the only brand I could find producing DFN filters was Tiffin. Other brands only offered ND filters which would reduce the stops but would not tint the image at the same time.

Enhancing Filters
Enhancing filters, also known as Intensifying and Didymium filters, are designed to increase the intensity and saturation of red objects. They are all designed to provide better colour saturation and contrast on the red, brown and orange colours without effecting the cooler range of colours. They are perfect for use when shooting landscapes containing natural objects such as trees and bushes, perfect for use in the autumn with dead trees etc. Do you need one? If you live in an almost season-less location such as California, I wouldnt bother. Personally I shoot RAW and edit the colours afterwards its easier and cheaper. If you shoot JPEG then you will be glad to know that Photoshop contains a handy warming (and cooling) filter built into the program. Recommendations: Tiffen 52EF1 52mm Enhancing Filter Currently $32

Image courtesy of Szeke

Conclusion
If you have followed the series so far you will have seen us cover a huge range of filters including ND, UV, Polarizers and more. I hope you have enjoyed learning about them and I hope they help you improve your photography. You also might want to think about purchasing a filter wrench! These help get those filters off your lenses which you have put on too tightly! Thanks for reading, and let us know if you have any other suggestions in the comments!

A Photographers Guide to Working with Magazines

Dak Dillon on Feb 16th 2010 with 10 Comments
This entry is part 1 of 8 in the Photojournalism Session - Show All Next

So, youre looking for more exposure for your work? Are you wanting to get a good collection of clips from publications?

Magazines present a great opportunity to have your work seen by many people in diverse places. Magazines, like most of the journalism field, have had their ups and downs over the past years, but many still exist and are always in need of great photography. This article will help you understand what magazines and publishers are looking for in terms of photos, quality, standards and editing.

Does Photo Size Matter?

With recent changes in DSLR cameras from cropped to full frame, picture sizes continue to increase and megapixels continue to go up. For some of the top-of-the-line cameras, way up. But, what does it take to fill a magazines glossy pages? The real answer is it really depends. For news/sports/editorial publications, a picture from a standard DSLR will work quite well because megapixels arent as important as they use to be. Ken Rockwell, a photographer and avid gear reviewer, deciphers the megapixel myth, a myth that you need a camera with a high number of megapixels to produce high quality prints.

Today, even the cheapest cameras have at least 5 or 6 MP, which enough for any size print. How? Simple: when you print three-feet (1m) wide, you stand further back. Print a billboard, and you stand 100 feet back. 6MP is plenty.
Any modern DSLR (10MP and up) can have pictures used for a double-truck spread (or two pages). If your camera shoots less than about 10MP, your pictures can still be used to fill up a full page. As with any kind of photo print, its less about megapixels and more about quality of the photograph.

Horizontal vs. Vertical

The above picture shows a horizontal picture cropped to a vertical image. In this case, the picture would not work as a vertical. A magazine is a much different canvas for your work than a typical print. When you print your photo, you can frame it and hang it any way you please. It can be 810 or 108. With magazines its different. Most magazines are designed for vertical pictures. Otherwise, youd have to really crop a picture down. Inside a magazine, horizontals will be found, but many of photos are verticals because they allow for better text wrapping and layout design. And 9 times out of 10, the cover shot will be a vertical (unless the magazine has a unique layout or they crop down a horizontal). Remember this when youre shooting. Or, do like many professionals and take a photo both horizontally and vertically, to cover all your bases if your not sure how the photo will be used.

Editing Pictures

Toning Tips
Professionally produced magazines use the CMYK color process, and unless your monitor is toned for CMYK, it can be a pain to ensure the perfect tone. This is why magazines hire photo editors who can ensure that the magazines photos look good and showcase what the magazine is covering. Dont let this stop you from toning on your own, but be aware that theyll probably retone the photo to match their in-house standards.

Take Care With Editing

In recent years, many magazines have had big gaffes with picture editing. In the commercial photography world, airbrushing and extreme editing is commonplace, but not so in the editorial and photojournalism world. Make sure you know the standards and practices for the kind of magazine you are dealing with. This way, everyone is on the same page and the pictures are treated appropriately. You dont want to end up on Photoshop Disasters, a website all about bad editing in Adobe Photoshop.

Ownership & Rights

This is one of the trickiest subjects to discuss. The big question is: after you shoot something for a publication, who owns it? In the United States, copyright can work one of two ways. Most of the time for photographers, either you (the author) own the work under the Copyright Act of 1976, or its work for hire. Work for hire is a common place practice, but many photographers dislike it and have given it a bad connotation. Work for hire is defined in United States law as:

A work made for hire is (1) a work prepared by an employee within the scope of his or her employment; or (2) a work specially ordered or commissioned for use as a contribution to a collective work, as a part of a motion picture or other audiovisual work, as a translation, as a supplementary work, as a compilation, as an instructional text, as a test, as answer material for a test, or as an atlas, if the parties expressly agree in a written instrument signed by them that the work shall be considered a work made for hire. (17 U.S.C. 101)

For more information on work for hire, Dan Heller has written a great post detailing work for hire for photographers. So, where does this leave ownership of the photos youve shot? It really depends on how the contract you signed is worded. Note how they have everything spelled out. Are the clients getting a lifetime license to use the pictures in any medium, or are they granted a one-time use in print? Photo Critic has written a great post on different licensing types for photographers. The key with ownership is to know what youre signing and to make sure both parties are aware of the setup.

Tack Sharp Pictures Matter

Magazines are one of the few media where non-sharp photos will be very obvious. Photo editors want photos that will pop off the page and draw readers interest, for this reason they need tack sharp photos (the highest level of sharp photos a photographer can shoot). When shooting pictures, make sure your hand is steady so that your photos are crisp to begin with. If needed, sharpen in Adobe Photoshop afterwards. If you are shooting something like an interior photo or a landscape, use a tripod and a shutter release remote to help improve the cameras stability and steadiness.

Nail The Deadline

As with any job or photo assignment, deadline is key. If a magazine hires you, make sure you clearly know the deadlines so that you can deliver a quality product on time. Magazines and publications use a much different timetable than newspapers and corporate clients. Be aware of the publications art deadlines and know when they send it off to print. Make sure to communicate with them while working and preparing for any assignments so they know what to expect.

Start Local

Before you try and approach a national publication such as Time, start locally and build up your portfolio. Now more than ever, local magazines that cover local interests are popping up. Since youre in their coverage area already, you should have a better chance of getting in and shooting local subjects without having to worry about transportation and added expenses like food, lodging, or travel fees. Work locally to gain experience and a sampling of work which ought to help get you more jobs in the future and possibly more local photography business.

How Do I Break In?

The most important part is getting your work seen and published. This is something you have to figure out on your own as you market your skills and business. Find a niche, or something you can shoot better than anyone else, then market yourself to magazines that fill that niche. Example niches would be food photography, interior photography, corporate head shots, etc. Find something that you specialize in really well, put together a special portfolio of just that and then send it to various magazines you hope to work with. Magazines routinely hire freelancers to do shoots, especially when its too expensive or impractical to send their own person. In other words, get in on the ground floor of your own special focus, and hopefully you can work your way up.

Thoughts to Take Away

Breaking into magazine photography isnt as hard as it seems. With so many magazines out there, find a niche and shoot it well. Then, approach a magazine and start your portfolio of print work. And remember, deadlines are always important. This is even more true in magazines, so think before you shoot to make sure your pictures will work in the layout and you wont have to worry about last-minute changes. It also makes you look more professional when they have to do less editing on their end.

Further Resources

Here are a few sites to help you launch your magazine career: Mastheads provides a comprehensive listing of magazine mastheads, where information such as editor and photo editor are listed. Photo Business News & Forum provides a great resource full of business advice and tips to help you with best practices. Have fun, and best of luck shooting for magazines!

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Painting Your Subject With Light Photo Premium

Jason Moore on Sep 7th 2011 with 5 Comments Download Source Files
Source files for this tutorial are available to Premium members. Get a Premium Membership

We have another Photo Premium tutorial exclusively available to Premium members today. In this tutorial, well examine light painting, not drawing with a penlight, but applying light to your subject in a very focused and selective way. Learn more at the jump! Premium Members click here to get the full tutorial. Ive been in real need of creative inspiration lately and Ive been feeling an urge to experiment with new techniques as I continue to discover my vision and refine my craft. To that end, I remembered a guy I came across about a year and a half ago, fine art photographer Harold Ross, who has a very unique style which he has developed over nearly 20 years. I was impressed not only by his amazing photography but also his ability to communicate his art in a consistent manner, something I feel that I am always struggling with. At first glance, the images in his gallery have a very HDR feel to them. But upon further examination, there is something more going on here. Harold is a master of the technique known as light painting. Im not talking about the practice of taking a shot while drawing with a light pen, though the idea isnt too far off. Light painting is the process of applying light onto a subject in a very focused and selective way to bring out its unique shapes, textures and colors. You arent just using your off-camera flash(es) and reflectors to bounce or throw light at your subject, you are physically using your source to brush the light onto your subject, giving each element in your frame its own personalized treatment. Im certainly not the light painting master that Harold Ross is, but with a little experimentation, after only a few tries I was able to get a pretty good handle on the process and create some pretty cool composites. Lets get started!

Step 1: Darkness is Key

This technique requires a much slower shutter speed than we are more accustomed to shooting with. In such a case, any light from the room has the potential of having an effect on the image. To minimize this, be sure to setup your shoot in a dark room or, when shooting outdoors, at night so you can have as much control over the scene as possible.

Step 2: Use a Tripod

When shooting in low light situations where longer exposure times are required it is absolutely essential to use a tripod to ensure that your images are as sharp as possible. That proves doubly important for this technique because you will be taking a series of shots that you will then be compositing later on.

A tripod will help make sure that each frame is properly lined up from the start and will minimize the amount of screwdriver work later on in Photoshop. To further avoid any slight shifting of the camera when you press the shutter, you may want to consider using a cable or other remote shutter release.

Step 3: Light Source

Ive seen anything from a simple flashlight to an LED light to a very fine point source used effectively in this technique. From my experience a good option to consider, for those of you with smart phones, is to download a flashlight app. I used Flashlight by John Haney Software on my iPhone, which you can download for free from the App Store. I am usually a stickler with my battery life and try to keep my screen brightness turned down a bit to make it last longer between charges, but for this process, I crank it all the way up. It puts out more light than you might think, especially when you have a long exposure. One of the major benefits of using an iPhone app like this for light painting is how comfortable it is to handle the phone. The app actually turns your phone into a mini handheld softbox, allowing for softer shadows and more even lighting overall. Really, whatever type of light source you want to use could do a good job depending on the look youre going for. The only thing to keep in mind is that it needs to be continuous lighting from a relatively small source so you have the control you need to make the effect work.

Final Image

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How to Set Up and Shoot an Enchanted Photoshoot in the Woods

Miguel Santana da Silva on Mar 9th 2011 with 33 Comments Tutorial Details
Requirements: Digital SLR, Model, Photoshop, Woodland! Completion Time: An afternoon/evening Difficulty: Intermediate

Final Product What You'll Be Creating

Twice a month we revisit some of our reader favorite posts from throughout the history of Phototuts+. This tutorial was first published in September, 2009. In this article Miguel will be taking you through the process of a portrait-based outdoor photoshoot on a budget. The only things you need to recreate this collection of images are yourself, a friend or client, a camera with a lens and the great outdoors. This set of tips will show you that you dont need an expensive setup of lenses, reflectors and lights to create stunning portraits to be proud of.

1. Introduction
This series of portraits was recently taken for a local client to serve as promotional shots for his solo musical project. His brief to me was that he wanted the photographs to not necessarily feature himself as the main focus, but rather of the beautiful surroundings with himself within them. He didnt want the photos to be clich or cutesy, and he requested that they were to be as natural as possible. In the following steps I hope to show you what it takes to nail an outdoor photoshoot with as little equipment as possible, cover the difficulties you might encounter, and share several killer tips for working in the fieldno pun intended! You can catch the full collection of these images on Flickr.

2.Equipment and Props Used

Canon 400D Digital SLR camera with standard 18-55mm lens kit. For this purpose, try to use a DSLR for best results, but any digital camera can be used as long as it has some manual control of exposure.

Model/subject with an extra change of clothes. One reason its smart to bring an extra set of clothes is that if you get one outfit dirty within 15 minutes, you dont have to call off the rest of the shoot since youll have a backup change of clothes. Another reason you might do this is purely for variety. Different outfits instantly make your set of photos more versatile as a package, and this is a bonus for both your portfolio and the clients promotional material. Adobe Photoshop, for post-processing the photographs.

Step 1
Choosing the right time and weather conditions Believe it or not, a sunny day is a pain for taking portraits more often than not. You get models squinting in the sunlight, nasty blown-out skin highlights as well as incredibly difficult to tame exposureyou either end up with shaded areas that are too dark or brightly lit areas that are too bright. Its a nightmare! Slightly duller and cloudier lighting can be the best to diffuse the light evenly, and even if the photos look dull in-camera you can always add the needed punch later in Photoshop. Rememberits next to impossible to bring back detail in a photo. This applies to blacked-out shadows and blown-out highlights, so ideally youll want tonal information in both ends of the light spectrum. Time-wise, the best period of the day to shoot is just after sunrise, or for the lazy, just before sunset. This time period skips the intense afternoon sun that creates harsh lighting conditions and it can create lovely long shadows due to the sun being so low in the horizon. But make sure it isnt too close to sunset either, as light escapes quicker than you realize. A good rule of thumb I have is to go out and shoot approximately one-and-a-half to two-hours before sunset. This set of photos took place between 17:30 and 19:30 during early August in the UK.

Step 2
Camera settings For the vast majority of the photographs, I shot in Av mode which adjusts the shutter speed automatically to calibrate against the desired aperture. During this mode, youll want to have your aperture on about 5.6 to make sure you still get nice, sharp focus, though you can go as open as your lens allows if you find the shutter speed is slower than 1/30. If you still find that with the widest aperture your shutter speed is still too slow, you may need to increase the ISO at the cost of some grain in the image (and DSLR grain is not the good type of grain). Many would advise you to use a tripod, but I personally feel the dynamics of doing a natural photoshoot with a tripod to be too slow and cumbersome. Ideally, you need to constantly move around, be creative, get down low and up high from one shot to the next, which isnt possible with a tripod. It definitely feels less organic and you want to keep a fast paced, positive uplifting atmosphere with your model. Having said that, it doesnt hurt to be prepared if you need to capture that one shot that seems to come out blurry every time. Another thing Id like to mention is that I find the automatic metering (be it with shutter, aperture or full automatic) will come out too bright. If you have the option, move the exposure metering down a couple of notches so the automatic modes create a slightly more low-key photograph. I tend to find the shadow areas are easier to recover light detail from than the overly bright areas.

Step 3
When you are in the woods at this sort of time, you can usually find pools of light on the floor created by the sunlight leaking through the trees, which breaks up the shadows they cast. The aforementioned long shadows created by a low sun can be integrated within these pools of light to create interesting light compositions. Setting your lens on its widest angle setting and getting close to the floor will emphasize the length of the shadowas you can see in the image below. When making light and shadow your main concept in an image like this, having your subject face away from the camera and letting the sun create a rim of light around the figure can add to the charm of the image.

Step 4
Dont be afraid of the dark side In areas of little light where the foliage is slightly denser, you can still position your subject to be mainly illuminated from behind by the sun, creating a nice rim light effect that can pop part of your subject from the background in these dim situations.

Step 5
Try to add depth to your composition When composing a photograph like this, one of the first steps I tend to take is to find a foreground to help add depth to the photograph. Its nice to always have a foreground, middle ground and background in an image. If you get nice and low, you can usually find foliage to frame your subject. If you can incorporate a layer between the lens and the subject, thats perfect. Try it!

Step 6

Be creative with your focus This step goes hand-in-hand with the previous. If you experiment with focusing on the foreground rather than your middle ground, you can be pleasantly surprised with the results. Doing so will add variety and interest to some of your photos, and I think youll agree that just because the model isnt the main focus, this image is still just as good as the rest.

Step 7
Experiment with tilting your camera sideways slightly. This can instantly make the feel of your image very different. It adds a certain edge that can make your shot.

Step 8
I previously mentioned not to be afraid of the dark side. This applies equally to the bright side. You can position your subject so that he or she is facing the sun sideways, then position yourself in front of him or her and adjust your angle until you get a slight lens flare. There is nothing wrong with a bit of lens flare, but please use this sparingly! When used well, it can create a nice washed-out vintage dreamy effect.

Step 9
A low angle can work well when trying to emphasize a figure In this shot I tried to make the model the focus point so that he demands attention, and getting down low and using the tree trunk as a lead to the top of the image helped me achieve that. When shooting from below you tend to make a person seem menacing and authoritative, and similarly when you photograph someone from above they tend to be diminished and made to seem less important.

Step 10
Some photographs work better as black and white images In this particular shot, the original colors seemed to suck the life out of the photo. In Photoshop you can desaturate an image and then give it a subtle color tint. This will turn your photo into a more artsy shot. Like in the example below, it makes the difference between binning a shot and keeping it in the final collection. When you think a photo doesnt really work for you but theres something about it that makes you wonder what could be done to salvage it, I suggest trying to desaturate it to see how it works in black and white.

Step 11 Post-Processing
Over the next few steps Ill show you how I normally edit shots such as these, and the techniques I used when trying to bring that glowing warm essence of a summery forest to life before handing the shots over to the client. The first thing you do when you open an image in Photoshop is to crop the image if needed. Next, you may want to duplicate the original layer into a new layer so you can always strip it back to the original if needed at any point, even if you mainly use adjustment layers.

Step 12
You may need to adjust the contrast using a Curves adjustment layer, but the contrast of this image is pretty well balanced from the camera as it is. In that case, you would proceed to create a new Gradient Map adjustment layer, and tone it so that it goes from a warm orange to a lighter, yellower tone.

Step 13
Bring the opacity of the Gradient Map layer to about 30% (or whatever looks best with your image). You can now start to see a more vintage and washed out tone.

Step 14
Create a new Curves adjustment layer and adjust it so as to darken the shadow areas of the image, and set this adjustment layers mode to Luminosity.

Step 15
A neat tip to help force attention on the middle of the photo is to create a new empty layer and fill it with Black, then get the Eraser tool with a soft round brush set to about 20% opacity, and start to erase into the main focus of the image so as to darken the edges of the photo. One thing Id advise you to do is to always erase light areas such as light sources (the sun in my case), as otherwise they will look obvious when a vignette is applied to them.

Step 16
Drop the Black layer to around 15%, as this effect looks best when used subtly. The Layers palette should look something like the one below.

Step 17
Once youve saved your .Psd copy of the image you can flatten the layers, resize the image for webwhich in this case is 600px highand then slightly sharpen it by going to Filter -> Sharpen -> Sharpen. If the image looks overly sharp, you can fade the last applied effect by pressing Cmd+Shift+F, and in this example I set fade to 40%. Thats it! You can then save your image. However, if youre applying this look to a lot of photographs you could save a template version as a .Psd file right at the step before you applied the vignette, so that the adjustment layers are all still editable. Once you have another document open, you can simply drag these adjustment layers to the new image and adjust them as needed.

3. Download Source File

Miguel has kindly provided the template he used to post-process his photo series. Download .Psd (2.2mb)

4. Conclusion
There are a few more tips that I thought I ought to mention before wrapping up: Be trigger happy. Take along a few gigabytes worth of memory cards, because you never know just how well a photoshoot can go. You may find yourself using up dozens of photos trying to nail just one shot. Remember to have fun and to have a good relationship with your model. If neither of you communicate, your model may start to feel uncomfortable and the quality of the photoshoot will ultimately suffer as a consequence. Know your camera! It is beyond useful knowing how to properly operate your camera and the shooting modes it has to offer.

Know the basics of photography such as what affects exposure and some compositional concepts such as the rule of thirds. Abstain from using in-camera effects such as sepia or black and white. You can always do this in Photoshop with a hundred-times more control, but you cant get color back once you shoot without it. If you dont have Photoshop but want to recreate the same soft warm color-tone used in my photos above, a great little trick you can use while shooting is to hold the lens of a pair of brown gradient sunglasses in front of your cameras own lens, as seen in the photos here. Once again, you can see the full collection of images submitted to the client at the Flickr set here.

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How To Capture Stunning Fine Art Landscape Photographs

Andrew Gibson on Feb 24th 2010 with 22 Comments
This entry is part 4 of 14 in the Landscapes Session - Show All PreviousNext

Nearly every survey Ive seen published in a photography magazine that asks readers their favourite subject has the same winner landscapes. Why is this? I suspect its because landscape photography is seen as a relatively easy subject. Most people live within, or relatively close to, a landscape of some sort, and Im sure that most photographers enjoy capturing the natural beauty around them. Today well be exploring the idea of landscape photography in a new direction fine art, black and white images. Along with explaining the reason and thinking behind this technique, Ill offer a few tips to get started.

What is Fine Art?

The irony is that landscape photography is extremely difficult to do well. Youre relying not only on finding beautiful landscapes to photograph, but being there at the same time the weather and light are working together to create the conditions that you can use to photograph the landscape in a way that fulfills your creative vision. It takes a dedication that most of us dont have. Some of these landscape photographers are working in the field of fine art. What is fine art? A good working definition is that fine art photography is imagery whose final destination is designed to be the wall of someones house or office. Fine art photographers, freed up from the commercial restraints of stock and editorial photography, have tremendous creative freedom. They can pursue their personal vision, and many choose to do it in black and white. This article is about how you too can take some fine art black and white landscape photos. Its an article about ideas rather than technique (but we also have articles on technique on this site, there are links at the bottom of the article). Its also about inspiration, and there are links to some of our favourite fine art black and white landscape photographers at the end.

Why Black and White?

When were in a landscape, we see it in colour. Black and white photography strips away the colour, leaving the bare bones. The features of the landscap, such as rocks, trees and mountains, become compositional elements made up of light, texture and tonal contrast. Black and white is beautiful. The photo becomes an interpretation, rather than a literal representation, of the landscape. Were seeing the artists personal vision, and emotional response to the landscape, as well as the place itself.

1. Travel
Its a harsh fact that most of us arent fortunate enough to live in the worlds most beautiful landscapes. The upside is that we get to travel to these places on our holidays and, once there, we have the advantage of seeing the location through fresh eyes. Ill never forget my first trip to the Andes, travelling through remote towns and villages and mountain valleys. It was so spectacular and creatively stimulating, that I took hundreds of photos. The memories of this experience will remain with me forever. This is one of the landscapes that I took on that journey:

2. Stay at Home
On the other hand, staying at home or getting to know a landscape thats a relatively short distance from where you live, means you can get to know a place intimately. It means you can go deep and find the hidden corners that the typical visitor never finds. Youll get to know (and photograph) the landscape through all the seasons. Does this contradict the first point? A little. Theres room for both approaches. Travelling in the few spare weeks that most of us have every year, and getting to know our local areas the rest of the time. This photo was taken in late spring, my favourite time of year, just a few hundred meters from my home at the time:

3. Light, Subject and Composition

I think of a photograph as a triangle. One side represents subject, another lighting and the third composition. A great photo has great lighting, great composition and a great subject. Each element is as important as the other. Take one away, and the photo is lessened. A photo of a boring subject beautifully composed and lit can never be as good as a photo with an interesting subject that is also beautifully composed and lit. What does this mean for the black and white landscape photographer? You need to seek out the most interesting landscapes. They can be interesting in a dramatic way (like the Andes) or in a quiet way (like local woodland) but they must be interesting. You then need to find the best composition and lighting to fulfill your personal vision of that landscape. What emotions does the landscape make you feel? What lighting conditions and composition will convey that emotion to the viewer? If you can solve this puzzle, youre on the way to becoming a great fine art landscape photographer.

4. People in the Landscape

Most landscapes are not pure wilderness. People live and work in them. Good photography tells stories and explores themes. The story of the people that live in the landscape is a great theme to explore. For me, this seems much easier when Im travelling than when Im at home, probably because everything Im seeing is so new and exciting.

The man in this photo is working to extract salt from the Salinas Grandes, a large salt pan in north-west Argentina. The photo shows the relationship between the man and the otherworldly landscape that he works in. Another approach is to place someone in the landscape. A fashion photographer would do this (fashion photographers create art sometimes too!) as would a fine art nude photographer. The nude in the landscape is a common theme. The photographer can contrast the soft curves and pale skin of the female form, for example, with the hard shapes of rocks and other elements of the landscape.

This photo contrasts the girl against the black volcanic sand and seascape. The tonal contrast between the girls skin and the black sand is an important visual element of the photo.

5. Historical Landscapes
Man has left his mark on the landscape. Not everywhere, thankfully, but there are many places where the buildings, walls and roads constructed by people are as much a part of the landscape as the trees and rivers. This is very picturesque when the man made elements are old and seem to have become a natural part of the environment.

This photo of an old village in the Argentine Andes shows the relationship between the old buildings and the landscape.

6. Man in the Landscape

Theres also potential for exploring the relationship between man and the landscape in places where people have only just arrived, or where the influence of man has been destructive. Perhaps youve seen Sebastiao Salgados photos of Brazilian gold miners. These hellish scenes were created by a world class photojournalist pursuing a personal vision. Their story, and message, is strong.

This photo of an old car was taken in Ketchikan, Alaska. As well as showing the impact of man on the environment, its another example of tonal contrast the white car against the dark background.

7. Get Close-Up
Landscape photography isnt just about sweeping vistas and dramatic views. Sometimes, a detail can express just as much as a wide view. Details are a great way of exploring your personal vision. The grand view is easily captured by other photographers, and it can be very difficult to get an original photo in these places. That said, details are very personal, and if you can create an image that expresses how you feel about a place by capturing a detail, you can make a unique image. Thats what I did with this photo of stones taken on a beach in Alaska.

8. Creative Techniques
Fine art is an interpretation. It doesnt have to be literal. There are in-camera techniques that you can use to alter the reality that the camera sees. A good example would be the use of a Lens Baby to take photos with creative blur. Another technique that Ive been using recently is to move the camera as I take a photo, deliberately introducing blur into the image. I got the idea after seeing the work of landscape photographerChris Friel, and I like the results:

9. Minimalism
There are many approaches to composition, and one that I like is minimalism. A minimalist composition has as few elements possible in the photo that are required to tell the story. It goes beyond the principle of excluding anything from the composition that doesnt contribute to the photo, and tries to capture the spirit of a place with as little as possible. Black and white photography itself is minimalist in a way because the photographer is subtracting colour from the photo. A minimalist composition takes the concept even further.

I took the minimalist approach with this photo taken in Avebury Stone Circle, England. I wanted to show the shape of one of the stones against the sky.

10. More Black and White Techniques

Here are links to some more black and white tutorials that will help you understand the Photoshop techniques behind the photos in this article:

Mastering the Art of Black and White Photography 7 Black and White Photoshop Conversion Techniques Mastering the Art of Black and White Toning

Photo Gallery
These are some my favourite fine art black and white landscape photographers. Their work is amazing and a constant source of inspiration:

Xavi Fuentes

Flux

Chris Friel

Pica

Femtowork

Kevin Saint Grey

Cardston

Arkadius Zagrabski

Peter Scammell

Flickr Groups

Fine Art Classic Black and White Landscape

Reading the Writing on the Wall: Sign Photography and Selling Stock Tuts+ Premium
Sadequl Hussain on Mar 28th 2012 with 3 Comments We have another Photo Premium tutorial exclusively available to Premium members today. In this tutorial, well examine sign photography and its possibilities as stock imagery. Learn more after the jump! Photographing signs, signposts or signboards can be an interesting and rewarding experience. Its a kind of still life photography thats done outdoors most of the time under natural lighting conditions. Its a kind of documentary photography where powerful messages can be conveyed for a number of purposes. There are no props, no light stands and softboxes, no tripods to be set up: it just you and the camera capturing a found still life object.

Whats the purpose?

Okay, so you may wonder why you should be photographing a normal signpost. Maybe I should clarify what I mean by sign photography. It means photographing not only signposts, but any signage, any poster or graffiti or a notice, any writing on the wall. It can be the message written on a T-shirt that you saw in a tourist shop in Bali or it can be the funny message written on the back of a parked car. This can be as simple as the head-on shot of a danger sign in a power substation, or it can be as creative as a unique shop sign that you happened to discover.

Photo by slightlywinded

There is whole range of usage for these kinds of images. Advertisements, news stories, articles, book covers are to name just a few. As concept photographs, sign images are also accepted in stock photo agencies. Here is a photo I took in South Australia during our honeymoon. This has been a top seller in one of the stock photo sites where I contribute.

A simpler form of photography

There are some inherent advantages when you are photographing a still life like a signboard. Photographing still life is done mostly in studio environments where you have the option of changing, modifying or enhancing lighting conditions until you are satisfied. Thats not the case when you are photographing a signpost or a notice: most of the time you are shooting outdoors. Although you are at the mercy of the weather or how the sunlight is falling on your subject, in a sense it frees you up so you can concentrate more on the compositional side of things. And best of all, your subject is not moving, nor is it going away, nor will it be any different the next day. So if you cannot get the shot you would like to have, you can always come back the next day. Having said this, you may also be shooting indoors sometimes and thats when you may have to use extra lighting equipments like a flash or a reflector. It will be highly unlikely that you will be commissioned to do a sign photography, so most of the time your lighting equipment will have to be minimal. Finally, you may not have to think about the perfection of your subject either. For product shoots, the object has to be clean of any dents, scratches, smudges or fingerprints. Not so much when you are photographing signage. In fact your sign or notice can be written on a rusty metallic surface with countless scratch marks and you still do not have to spend hours working in Photoshop fixing those. As with any other form documentary photography, its what your images says or used to say that is important.

What to look for

Signage photography should convey a powerful message and/or a message thats generic enough to be used time and again for different purposes. Street signs or directional signs can be a good example of that. Consider the following two images. The inherent messages of both are similar: a prohibition, saying no.

Photo by Johnny Jet

It does not have to be a street sign always. I shot the following image a few metres away from a taxi stand using a 300 mm focal length. Think of the ways this can be used: a news story on taxi drivers working hours? The cover for a handbook from the transport company that will be distributed to taxi drivers?

8 Tips for Taking Interior Shots Like a Pro

Dak Dillon on Mar 2nd 2010 with 25 Comments In this article youll learn some of the tips and secrets to lighting and staging a room for great interior photos. These include how to approach lighting, flash, styling, where to position yourself, and how to stay creative.

Introduction
This article does not deal with camera settings, but rather with the general principles to getting the perfect shot and making sure the scene looks good. Some general camera tips, however, include shooting above f/6.3 to allow good depth of field and shooting at a low ISO to avoid noise. Other than that, it all depends on the situation youre in. For the purposes of this article, interior photography refers to architectural photography of interiors, not to be confused with general photography indoors. Interior photography is a great photography niche to have skills in, as many companies, real estate agents and publications are always in need of good interior shots.

1. Lighting Is Key to Making the Shot

With indoor shots more than anywhere else, lighting is key. To start, first turn on every light in the room. This helps add depth and color variance to the scene. Make sure there are no reflections from lights on pictures, mirrors and windows and then look to see if you need additional external lights. When Im shooting an interior, I like to do it with natural light when possible, but sometimes you have to add some extra lighting. In that situation, you can use either small flash units or large strobes. I use a combination of both. Well detail this more later. You want the light to flow naturally in your picture and help lead the eye. In pictures, large white spaces draw the eye in, so avoid blown out areas as much as possible, such as windows. With that said, it is now more acceptable to leave windows and doors blown out than in the past. Many major publications do it, but use your eye and you can usually tell if its too much and looks distracting. You want your lighting to be transparent, and you want people to know its there, but you dont want them to be able to figure out how you did it. Your goal is natural-looking, realistic lighting across the whole frame.

2. Flash Is Your Friend

As mentioned in step one, lighting makes the shot. With this in mind, flash is a must in many situations where lighting is dim or you need to balance daylight and indoor lights to make a natural scene. Small portable flashes, such as a Nikon SB 900 or Canon Speedlite 580EX II, are great for quickly setting and spreading light in a dark or underlit room. I also use larger strobe units, such as Alien Bees or Westcott Spiderlites. Larger units allow for greater distribution of light, but can be bulky and a hassle to setup. Know your setting beforehand to choose the best solution for each situation. For best results, I typically aim the flashes or strobes at a flat surface, such as a wall or ceiling off camera. This acts as a large softbox and projects the light through the room. Be careful to not bounce the light off bold colored walls, such as deep blues, reds and purples. This could cause some of the tint to reflect causing a red light in the picture, almost like the flash was gelled. The key to good lighting is trial and error, as every room is different and every light source is different. Start by setting up your shot on a tripod with no lights, then add one light at a time and check your results.

3. Flash Is Your Enemy

Yes, you read correctly. While flashes can be very helpful, they can also be your worst nightmare. An off-camera flash can be a powerful thing that must be used wisely. As I wrote earlier, I like to try using natural light sources first and then see what needs to be lit with a flash. Natural light can sometimes get the job done, like in the above picture, but you may need to bracket your exposure and edit in Adobe Photoshop to ensure the picture looks perfect. When you shoot with no flashes, you are at the mercy of the weather and natural lighting. One way to help shoot with just natural light is to shoot with longer exposure times, such as a few seconds. This allows the camera to soak up the light, but be careful, this can easily blow out windows and doors. Sometimes the best light can be the one around you, so always look first and see what your canvas presents before setting everything upit might save you a long setup.

4. Styling Is an Important Part of the Shoot

Whether youre shooting interior photos for a magazine or for a real estate agent, styling of the room is an important step in the process. Just like models need time to apply makeup for studio shoots, you need to allow time to clean the room to prep for the shoot. De-cluttering is important to help remove distractions for the eye. In particular, watch for piles of stuff, coffee tables full of magazines, too many kitsch items sitting on a bookcase, etc. These things clutter a picture and can be distracting in the final shot. Treat every shoot like a shoot for a magazine and stage the room. On that note:

5. Everything Is Staged Anyway

Usually when youre shooting interiors, its for a very distinct reason, and usually that includes showing off the room and making it look attractive. Since the owner has a reason for you to be there, the room has usually been staged or refined for the picture before you arrive. Thus, youre not taking a picture of what the room really looks like in most cases, but instead a picture of what the owner wants to portray. With this in mind, dont be afraid to move furniture, decorative items, etc. Ive had to move couches and rearrange living rooms before to take better advantage of lighting and placement. Many things can be fixed or corrected in Adobe Photoshop, but its a good idea to try and correct as much in person to save you time and hassle.

6. Shoot Into the Corner

This is one of the most important tips to interior photography and its very simple: shoot into the corner of a room to make the space appear larger. Just like how mirrors work, shooting into a corner makes a room appear larger and more livable. Take this tip a step further by shooting from a low position and a with a wide lens, but not too wide to avoid distortion. When you shoot straight at a wall, it can make the room seem flat, and sometimes walls can end up bending oddly on camera. Look through any major interior magazine and youll see the corner of the room is the best place to shoot towards.

7. Let the Interior Tell the Story

Look for unique ways to capture a locations personality and showcase its true character. If the building is an old brick house, look for unique brick details you can highlight. If its an ultra-sleek modern building, look for unique light patterns or quirky architectural details. Every interior and building has a story, so a good way to succeed is to find it and capture it for your client. Along these lines, if you use too much fake light, it will show, as its not the same interior they are used to seeing.

8. Get Creative

This is one of those tips I always recommend to people. Get creative with your shots and dont be afraid to try something new. Try new things with lighting (maybe use a gelled flash) or shoot with a zoom lens. Each photo is yours to experiment with, and usually youll end up with something that actually looks good that maybe you werent expecting. Even if you dont, it might give you an idea for something else to try. Angles can work great for some close up shots, but watch out: inside it can make walls look like theyre crashing down.

Have Fun and Good Luck

Interior photography can take you to interesting places and get your work noticed by lots of people. Each shoot presents new lighting challenges and new spaces to work with which makes interior photography a great skill to know. These tips represent a starting point for some fundamentals that will help guide you in your setup and picture taking. On top of all the tips Ive mentioned, have fun and good luck with shooting interiors!

More Resources

Strobist provides lots of great information on off camera flash. Photography for Real Estate is a great resource if your looking at shooting interiors for real estate agents and want to market yourself.

How to Perfectly Capture the Rise of a Full Moon

Peter West Carey on Jan 19th 2010 with 12 Comments The full moon. Steeped in legend and myth, a full, orange moon rising from the horizon has sparked the imagination of humans for millennia. For photographers, capturing a full moon rise can present some challenges and opportunities. Specifically, the moon is relatively bright compared to the darkening scene through which it is rising. In this article Ill show you, step by step, how I went about capturing a wonderful moon rise on a chilly December evening.

Step 1: Recommend Equipment

As the full moon rises approximately at the same time the sun sets, a tripod is imperative to a proper capture. While I used a relatively fast shutter speed for the situation (half of a second), hand holding would result in much blur. For this shot I used a Canon EOS 5D and a Canon 28-300mm L lens. A lens with a magnification from 200mm and longer is advised so the moon will fill more of the sensor. If the lens is too short, detail of the moon is lost as it becomes a speck on the horizon. Its important to find a sturdy surface that is also safe. In my situation I was forced to stand the tripod (and myself) on the roof of my truck to gain a good vantage point.

Step 2: Scouting A Location

The first task in capturing a full moon rise begins a day or two before. You will need to check your local newspaper or the US Navys fine site which helps calculate moon rise times all over the planet. Armed with the moonrise time (hint: the full moon rises within 30 minutes of the sun setting) head to a location with a clear view of the Eastern sky. As it is the day before the full moon, the moon will be up about 30-60 minutes before the sun sets, so try to get out at least an hour before sunset. This way you will be able to note the location on the horizon where the moon rises. The moon will rise in different locations, North to South, all through the year, so dont expect it to come up where it did two months ago. Set your camera to about 200mm to check for foreground objects and to the sides of where the moon will show itself. Its often handy to include human and non-human elements within the picture.

Step 3: Setting Up For The Shot

On the night of the full moon, arrive at your location approximately 30 minutes before the moons scheduled appearance. Make sure you pack a fair amount of patience as you may be sitting around for a bit. While the calculated rise time is accurate, hills, mountains or buildings may make the rise a bit later than anticipated. In this example, I had to wait 20 minutes past the calculated time before the moon inched above the Cascade Mountains.

Step 4: Composing The Shot

As you had scouted the location the night before, compose your shot on the most likely location of the moon rise. Remembering that you will have to adapt to whatever Mother Nature throws at you and adjust things if your guess isnt totally accurate. Consider both horizontal and vertical orientations for the shot. If there are a lot of higher clouds in your area, you may want to consider including them and centering the moon and horizon on the lower section of the frame. Otherwise, include some foreground features if you are not blessed with a 600mm lens which will isolate the moon within the frame. Using the rule of thirds is a good start to framing the moon shot. Try to avoid placing the moon in the center of the frame.

Step 5: Lighting And Metering

Metering before the moon comes up can be tricky. As the sun fades behind you, the scene will get darker and darker in front of you. Your meter will tell you it wants longer and longer shutter times and chances are the f-stop will hit the full open setting on your lens. While this will result in a pleasant lighting situation for the scene in front of you, it will blow out any

detail in the moon. Take for instance this correct exposure below. This image was exposed at 300mm, f/5.6 and 4 seconds as the camera suggested. While the foreground is visible, the detail on the moon is gone. Remember, the moon is a mighty reflector and will be brighter than the scene in which it arises when full. To combat this challenge, there are two things you can do. 1) Wait until the moon is partially up and spot meter directly off of it or 2) Underexpose by two stops as a starting point. I chose to spot meter when the moon appeared.

Step 6: Camera Settings

I prefer to use a low ISO to avoid too much noise. Noise can be a problem though with longer shutter speeds created by the lower ISO. Its some thing of a catch 22 but as digital cameras improve, higher ISOs are possible with less and less noise. In this case, I went with ISO 50 but its likely your camera will only go down to 100. When the moon came up I spot metered off of it and got the resulting shutter speed of .5 seconds and f/5.6. I had switched to manual focus as the scene was getting rather dark and I wanted to make sure the moon itself was in tight focus. I wasnt concerned about the foreground objects as much.

Step 7: Importing Into Photoshop Lightroom

Bringing the photo into Photoshop Lightroom, my editor of choice, the image is fairly dark as you can see below. This is what well work with on our way through to the final image.

Step 8: Adjusting Exposure And Removing Vignette

First, I upped the exposure by two stops and then Adjusted the Vignette setting to +83 to remove the dark corners.

Step 9: Remove Dust

Its hard to see in this smaller image, but there is a lot of dust from my sensor (which has since been cleaned!). Almost always there is a little something on the sensor and I prefer to remove it as soon in the process as feasible. After adjusting the exposure, its plain to see this image needed cleaning.

Step 10: Highlight Recovery And Black Clipping

Next I ran the Highlight Recovery slider up to +57 in hopes of toning down the moon a bit. This didnt quite do the trick for me with the moon itself but it did get the image closer to my ideal. I then increased the Black Clipping to +8 to further bring back a darker mood to the scene.

Step 11: Adjusting The Moon

At this point the moon is still too bright for my liking. When I zoom in I can see more detail but its not coming through the overall brightness of the moon. I click on the Adjustment Brush and draw a circle over the moon. Then I fiddled with the exposure, contrast and saturation to bring out the golden color I saw that night. Im not one for making things artificially bold, I prefer to make them close to what reality I saw through the viewfinder. In the end I chose to drop the Exposure by 1.00, leave the contrast unchanged and increase the Saturation to +28. Again, this is just for the mask of the Adjustment Brush on the moon itself.

Step 12: Crop

Theres a bit too much sky in this image for my liking. If the moon was a bit higher itd be ok, but I dont like that much open sky above. After the Adjustment Brush changes in Step 11 and cropping, this is the image.

Step 13: Adjust Horizon

After staring at this same image for a while I realize something is just a little off and its the horizon. I take a moment to click on the Crop tool and then adjust the image angle by 1.33 clockwise. I love the angle tool in Lightroom because its so simple to use. Find a line that you want level in your picture (in this case, its easy) and then click-drag a line across it. Lightroom will then tilt the image and make a crop to maximize the new image. Its pretty slick and useful.

Step 14: Exposure Compensation And Highlight Recovery, Again

The image is still a bit dark for me. Adjusting the Exposure to +.80 and then bringing back the highlights ever so slightly by increasing them from the previous +57 to +71 keeps things in check.

Step 15: Fine Tune The Moon

Im just about done with the edits but the moon is still bugging me. I go back to the Adjustment Brush and click on the dot over the moon from Step 11, which allows me to continue fine tuning the mask Ive painted over the moon. This is another handy feature of Lightroom, you can go back to any area youve adjusted like this and continue tweaking even after many other steps. I adjust the Brightness by -55 which takes the moon from this first image to the second.

Step 16: Minor Vignette Adjustment

The corners are a bit too dark, still. I adjust the Vignette to +71 to even the tones out. And then Im finished! The image is to a state I can enjoy. Endless tweaking is always a looming pitfall with post-process editing so its always good to walk away from the screen for 15 minutes, go outside and soak up some fresh air (and possibly rain or snow) and then come back in with fresh eyes. Most of the time youll find you are quite happy with where things stand and those tiny tweaks arent really needed.

A Step-By-Step Guide to Shooting Your First Product Photograph

Jennifer Carrigan on Dec 5th 2011 with 5 Comments Tutorial Details
Difficulty: Beginner Time Needed: 2 hours Equipment: Camera, two lights, product, white backdrop, reflector

Today, well be taking a walkthrough simple product shoot. This type of photography is in some demand on stock photography sites and is perfect for showcasing an item in order to sell it on Ebay or Etsy. As reported our recent still life article, once youve mastered this type of photography, it can be personally rewarding and pay very well. The most basic form of product photography is an object in front of a white or solid colored seamless background. This is often utilized in retail catalogs when they want to display their products without distractions. These are sometimes called cutouts because its easy to cut out and insert into another image.

Many photographers can successfully shoot product photographs at home with little trouble. Ideally, you would have at least three or four lights to work with, but it is possible to do it with just two. Well explore that in this tutorial.

You will need

At least two good light sources, more the better A 18% gray card (optional) A clean, bright white poster paper or similar A light box (optional) Translucent paper white tissue paper, tracing paper, wax paper, or white umbrellas A table or workspace Image editing program such as Photoshop, Lightroom or Gimp

Lights, Camera Action

For this tutorial, I use only a pair of flashes. While I could, as I describe below, use lamps or other light sources, I prefer my flashes because they are easy to reposition and are fairly powerful. If you dont have flashes or speedlights, incandescent lightbulbs, florescent bulbs or tubes, whatever you have handy, are all suitable. If possible, purchase a number of same-brand, same wattage bulbs. The bulbs hues can vary from brand to brand, and while your eyes may not detect the slight difference, your camera can. Lamps, especially the type with bendy arms, are great for this sort of product photography. There is another light option: daylight. Preferably a nice, overcast day. However, daylights intensity can be unpredictable, depending on the weather and the time of the day. Relying on daylight isnt always feasible, and if youre limited to shooting in evenings when it gets dark early. This is where artificial light comes in handy its a consistent, steady light source that give you the confidence that the light levels will not change from one moment to the next. Whichever light source you opt for, use multiples of the same light sources is because it can be difficult to compensate for mixed lights. For example, florescent bulbs tend to emit green- or orange-tinted light. Most incandescents cast a yellowish hue. And tungsten is orange. While it is possible to compensate for the mixed tint in-camera or in the post-processing, it is easier, especially if youre just starting to explore this genre of photography, to use a consistent light source because its one less step to futz with. Dont forget to use a manual white balance setting thats appropriate for your light source.

Gray Card
A 18% gray card is very handy for fine-tuning the white balance, especially important when youre photographing something with a white background. Color casts from your lights or even the light reflecting off your object will be apparent on the white backdrop. Some newer dSLRs have a customizable WB setting. If yours does, photograph the card and it will help you determine the proper white balance. For further details on how, check your cameras manual. If your camera does not have customizable WB setting, you can still use this card to determine and alter the white balance in post-processing.

Your camera doesnt have this custom feature or you lack a 18% gray card? After youve set your table up, set the WB to whichever light mode youre using, take a few photographs of the white poster paper and fine-tune the WB the best you can.

The Set-up
There are a number of different ways you can set up your table. You can purchase one or make your own DIY lightbox.

Photo by DArcy Norman

Or go the lazy route and tape your paper poster up to a wall.

Getting the Lights Right

Even lighting is important. One of the main requirements of this type of product photography is that its easy to cut out the object; and in order to do so, its important that the outlines of the object are crisp and clear and the shadow on the backdrop is minimal.

The Object Du Jour

For this tutorial, I have chosen a toy thats not reflective (well explore reflective objects another time). I suspended the toy on strings for a couple reasons. First, because of the limited number of light sources available, this will help minimize the

shadow underneath it. Second, the backdrop wasnt large enough for this object. When the toy was on the ground, the edge of the backdrop intersected with its feet. While that wasnt a huge issue its easily fixed in photoshop, certainly I prefer to rely on post-processing as little as possible. The strings are more easily cloned out and it will be less destructive to the image quality to repair in the post-process stage.

Single Light
With only one light placed at about three oclock (with the dragon in center of the clock), it casts too strong of a shadow. It makes no difference how I place it; there is a crisp shadow.

When I place an umbrella in between the flash and the toy, it helps soften the shadow. However, both the body of this toy and the left side of the backdrop are in shadow, it needs some light from the left side.

Note: If youre using a DIY lightbox and feel that the shadow is too strong, add a layer of your translucent paper one at a time until its soft enough.

Two lights
This is with no umbrellas to diffuse the light; the right light is still at three oclock, the left at about eight oclock, and now we have two harsh shadows. Unacceptable.

With umbrellas better. Depending on your goal in this project, this might be good enough. I feel this can be further improved upon, however.

Repositioning Lights

I moved the left light so its slightly above and left of the object. The right light has been repositioned it so it is aimed more downward, at the surface below the toy; the white surface bounces some light back up underneath the toy. I also added a small white reflector on the left just behind the toy, directly opposite the right flash; this bounces some fill light onto the rear of the toy. (Note for the DIY-ers: A white poster paper or wall can be used to similar effect.) The lighting is now more even throughout. Its not perfect, but much better. The shadow is nearly gone and if I so desire, I can dodge it out easily without affecting the quality too much in the postprocessing stage. Having played with a few other positions (not shown) of the lights, Ive conceded that this is the best placement for this object. If this toy was reflective, however, Id choose a different arrangement and replace the umbrellas with sheets of translucent paper.

Multiple Lights
As noted before, multiple lights is ideal. As you can see in all of the images, the backdrop isnt stark white this is in part due to the paper itself, and in part because I dont have a third light solely for illuminating the backdrop. Its not the end of the world if youre in the same boat, though; Ive sold images that were lit by only two lights just fine. If I had the option, I would place a third light above, with barn doors to control the light spread, aimed at the backdrop for a brighter white background. And perhaps a fourth to minimize the shadow below the toy even further. If you have access to multiple lights, I hope this description helps you find a good setup.

Choosing the Aperture

If youre photographing an object with the intent of selling it to a stock company as a cutout, you may want close down your aperture in order to maintain a crisp outline of the object.

In the above example, which was shot at f4, this is unusable. This toy is already fuzzy as is and probably too difficult for a graphic designer to cut out neatly.

At f8, its passable

At f18, its much better. The edges are still soft, but thats more due to the nature of the toy itself. This is still life; a fast shutter speed isnt necessary. Lower it as much as you need to in order to get a good exposure, and use a remote or the self timer to avoid camera shake. Do take note that, at this aperture, the backgrounds inherent flaws for example, creases in the paper backdrop may stand out too much. If youre doing this for fun or to sell an item of yours, the DOF isnt that crucial. Choose an aperture that appeals to you the best. In the end, I went with this setting: f18, ISO 200, shutter speed 1/30th of a second.

Final Image

Now Ive chosen my final image, all I have to do is clone out the strings and give the image a slight boost to the saturation (because Pentaxs dSLR cameras are set to desaturate the images in-camera, a known issue for all of the K line cameras). Voila.

Now I have to give the toy back to my dog!

Final Tips

Marketing-wise: consider leaving some space on either above, left or right; ad agencies, magazines and other buyers of stock images like room for text. Staging is important. Clean whatever item youre photographing dusty or dirty objects arent particularly attractive. In the dragons case, I tossed it in the wash before photographing it.

Tutorials\ Shooting

\Rating: 1 2 3

4 5

How To Shoot the Perfect Lightning Photograph

Ken Reynolds on Oct 13th 2009 with 22 Comments Photographing lightning is a lot of fun, but it can be quite challenging and even dangerous if you do not use a little forethought and planning. This tutorial will outline the necessary equipment, as well as explain the tricks and techniques that can be utilized to safely and successfully capture and post-process electrifying photographs of lightning the next time storms rumble through.

Final Image Preview

Step 1: Equipment

Required: Standard angle zoom or prime lens, polarizing filter, remote cable shutter release, bean bag, lots of patience! Recommended: SLR camera with continuous drive mode. Like many subjects in nature, lightning can be extremely unpredictable. Having the right equipment can go a long way toward capturing a successful lightning photograph. Using a standard angle zoom lens, such as either a 30mm prime for APS-C sensor cameras, or a 50mm prime for full-frame cameras, will assist in capturing images of lightning that fill the frame. A wide angle to standard angle zoom lens, such as a 16-35mm or 24-70mm, could be used, but a prime lens will normally capture a much sharper image than a zoom set at the same focal length. Minimum aperture does not matter, as the aperture setting that is used for lightning photos is slower than most lenses minimum apertures. Instead of a tripod, a bean bag is used to support the camera, as the photography will take place inside an automobile. Bean bags are also sometimes referred to as shot bags and can be bought at most any photographic or video supply store. I made mine, pictured above, by obtaining a suitable, durable bag in this case, an old lead shot bag. Next, I filled the bag with dry beans and, finally, sewed the open end together so the beans dont spill out of the bag. Its simple and the bean bag is a vital, extremely versatile component of my core photography kit. To capture the lightning photograph shown above, I used a Canon Digital Rebel XTi digital SLR camera, Canon EF-S 1855mm f/3.5-5.6 IS kit lens zoomed out to 35mm, Canon RS60-E3 cable release, and a homemade bean bag for support.

Step 2: Finding Lightning

Finding lightning to photograph can be tricky. Because I am a huge weather-geek and storm chaser I tend to check the weather forecast at least once a day, every day, so that I will know when stormy weather may be expected. The best place to check your local forecast is at the National Weather Service website. Besides the NWS site, another great resource for radar and forecasts is your favorite local television news stations website. Usually, especially on stormy days, news stations will dispaly animated radars on the front page of their websites for all site visitors to view and monitor. On a day that storms are expected I will pull up the local radar on the NWS site and watch for storms to approach my area. Once the storms get to within 20 miles of my predetermined shooting location, I will head to that location to set up and wait for the storm to arrive. This process is not strictly required, as you could simply setup your camera and shoot through a window or door of your house when you begin to hear thunder. The results should be the same. However, following the process outlined above will allow time to locate the optimal location from which to shoot.

Step 3: Finding the Best and Safest Location

When selecting a location for shooting lightning, you should always keep a mind for safety as well as having a great view of the sky. Local lakes lend themselves quite nicely to lightning photography, unless they happen to be surrounded by lots of trees. Even so, if you can find an unobstructed view in at least one direction, you should be okay. An open field could work, though your car may be more susceptible to being struck by lightning if there are no other, taller objects nearby. Rest assured, however, that if your car is struck by lightning while you are inside, you will be perfectly safe and unharmed, as the cars metal exterior will absorb the electricity from the lightning and deflect it safely to the ground. Believe it or not, one of the best places from which to shoot lightning is near tall power transmission lines. The photo shown in this tutorial was captured in just such a location. It may seem absurd, but lightning will be more likely to strike one of those towers than your car, as they let off plenty of charged ions with which lightning will interact. This has the added benefit, aside from safety, of possibly providing more opportunities to capture lightning. Once you have chosen a shooting location, safety should be the next concern. I would advise to never stand outside when photographing lightning. The chances of being struck by lightning are simply too great to warrant the risk. Remember that

lightning is the number one cause of weather related deaths in the United States each year. It is with a mind for safety alone that I always photograph lightning from inside my car.

Step 4: Setting Up for the Shot

Setting up the camera to shoot lightning from within an automobile is as simple as placing the bean bag, or other similar support, on the dash of the car and resting the camera on the dash, with the lens resting on the bean bag. Connect the cable release and that is all that is required! If it happens to be raining when you are shooting, dont forget to activate your windshield wipers. Doing this will not affect the photograph as slow shutter speeds will be utilized, thus causing the moving wipers to disappear. Now would be a good time to discuss composition. Photographing lightning is different from other subjects in that you have no control over where lightning will strike. In fact, usually, it will strike well outside your lenss field of view, thus rendering a frame empty of any lightning. This can be quite frustrating, which is why I recommend lots of patience. Setting the camera up in the middle of the dash and shooting through the windshield using a standard angle focal length will greatly increase your chances of capturing lightning bolts that strike within your cameras field of view.

Step 5: Recommended Camera Settings

Lightning photography generally requires slower shutter speeds, so as to provide enough time per exposure to get at least one bolt. This is where having at least an entry level digital SLR camera with a continous drive mode setting comes in handy. You can set your exposure settings, activate and lock the shutter release button on the cable release, then sit back and enjoy watching the lightning show while the camera and cable release do all the work for you.

The following is an outline and explanation of the recommended exposure settings for photographing lightning. As you may have guessed, you should be using the full manual setting for your camera so that you may independently set the aperture, shutter speed, and ISO. ISO: 100 I set my cameras ISO setting to 100 and leave it when photographing lightning. This allows longer shutter speeds with the minimum possible noise. Aperture, or f-stop: f/11 As with the ISO setting, I set the aperture to f/11 and leave it when photographing lightning. The main reason for this is to ensure as great a depth of field as possible without sacrificing sharpness of the photograph, or requiring shutter speeds that are too long. Setting the aperture to f/16 will give an even greater depth of field, but the required shutter speed would be 10 seconds or longer, introducing the risk of a lightning bolt blowing out the frame, or overexposing. Likewise, f/8 has similar issues. However, having said that, I have successfully photographed lightning at both apertures, but with less success than if I had shot at f/11. I would recommend that you start out with an aperture of f/11, capture a few shots there, then experiment with other apertures to see what can be achieved. Shutter Speed: 4 to 6 seconds The best time to attempt lightning photography is after dark, thus requiring long shutter speeds. Lightning photography can happen as early as magic hour, but better results will be achieved close to or after dark. The fastest shutter speed to be used for lightning photography is 4 seconds. This allows the shutter to be open long enough to capture a strike if the lightning activity is fairly frequent. The optimal shutter speed setting is 6 seconds. This allows the shutter to be open long enough to capture lightning without over- or underexposing the image in most cases. White Balance: Auto Again, I set my cameras white balance to the auto setting and leave it because this gives the greatest flexibility and control when post-processing in Lightroom, where I can fine-tune the white balance to suit my preferences for each individual image. Image Format: RAW Shooting in RAW format is best so as to allow the most editing options when post-processing, or developing, photographs in editing software. These recommended settings will allow the smallest margin of error and largest chance of success. The only remaining setting is to set your cameras drive mode to continous. By utilizing this setting you can activate and lock the shutter release button on the cable release. On most cable releases this is done by pressing down the shutter relase button and simultaneously sliding it forward so that it remains depressed. This causes the camera to continuously capture images, one after the other, with barely any delay between exposures. This is advantageous because it requires no further interaction from you. I would advise using a CF or SD card of 4 GB or greater, however, as images will quickly accumulate on the card when shooting this way, especially if shooting in RAW format.

Step 6: Developing Lightning Photos in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom

Pictured below is a screenshot of the Basic and Tone Curve settings that I used in the Develop module of Adobe Photoshop Lightroom

When post-processing lightning photos in Lightroom, there really is nothing different to be done compared to any other photo. I use Lightroom to develop all of my RAW photos, since its basically the same as Camera Raw in Photoshop. With all of my images, I set the contrast curve to the Strong Contrast setting. Every image I have ever developed in Lightroom has needed this specific adjustment. The one specific thing to note is something that really is a matter of taste, more than a rule of thumb, and that is the matter of color temperature in a lightning photo. I prefer my lightning photos to be much cooler than normal, giving them more of an electrical feel. As you can see in the screen capture above, for this lightning photo the only other adjustment I made is a slight darkening of the black levels. This pushes the saturation of the image up just a tad as well as darkening the already black areas in order to bring even more focus to the lightning. Below is an example of the finished, developed lightning photo. These bolts were captured from underneath power transmission lines along the shore of Mountain Creek Lake at the eastern edge of Grand Prairie, TX during a late summer thunderstorm.

Inspiration
Below are 5 additional images for your enjoyment and to inspire you in your lightning photography pursuits.

Captured from the same location as the finished photo above, these bolts flashed just a few minutes before the previous photos bolts.

This photo was captured near the intersection of two major highways in Grand Prairie, TX. The spider lightning, as it is commonly called, seen in this photo, was a precursor to the main light show that would unfold several mintues later, with huge, brilliant, fields of lightning crawling across the entire horizon in all directions at once. A better example of this can be seen further below. The following two photos were also captured from along the shore of Mountain Creek Lake, at the eastern edge of Grand Prairie, TX. The late summer thunderstorm that produced the lightning in these photos rained out and, as it weakened and slid to the south, proceeded to put on a magnificent show of CG (cloud-to-ground) lightning bolts.

This final photo, seen below, portrays a magnificent example of spider lightning, and was captured from near the intersection of two major highways in Grand Prairie, TX. Not easily seen in the photo, this particular spider lightning display stretched, literally, to both horizons to the left and right.

Conclusion
As with most things in the world of photography, the method I have outlined here is not the be-all and end-all for photographing lightning. Hopefully it offers a good starting place and, if safety is of the utmost concern, this method will work very well. So, the next time a thunderstorm rumbles through, get out with your gear and try your hand at some electrifying lightning photography!

So a Friend Asked You to Shoot their Wedding

Peter West Carey on Apr 30th 2012 with 21 Comments We would be honored if you would take photos for our wedding! A few of the most glorious words a photographer can hear (at least the ones that enjoy weddings). But what happens when you dont have a lot of experience? And the speaker is also one of your friends? Sometimes these words can be the beginning of the nightmare, but Im here to help. I started in photography soon after high school and quickly became known as the friend who had a camera. When your friends are also just out of high school, they often dont have a lot of money for a wedding and are looking to cut corners. And we all know wedding photographers can be expensive. So the call goes out (back then, it was an actual call) to help on the special day. If you find yourself in a similar situation, and are weighing the pros and cons of taking such an offer, I hope to give you some advice to clarify your decision. It can be a minefield or a real fun gig.

Remain Calm

The first thing to do in this situation, if it is a new experience for you, is to remain calm. Once youve been asked this question about three times, you will know your answer without having to think. But the first few times cause a plethora of questions to bounce around in your head, creating uncertainty. The best way to cut through that uncertainty is to remain calm. Freaking out will not, ever, help. It might make you feel better for a while, but it wont help give your friend an answer. Freaking out in front of your friend will help less, especially if you say yes and they are entrusting someone prone to freaking out with their wedding photos. Remain calm and work through the questions in your head.

For Pay or Not For Pay, That is t he Question

Copyright TaxBrackets.org

One important question to get out of the way is: Do you want to be paid? This is entirely subjective. Some people feel fine with being paid by a friend to perform a wedding shoot while others couldnt imagine taking a friends cash. There is no set rule and its up to all parties involved as to whether payment is

made. Some will suggest shooting the event as a gift and this can tend to make everyone happy. Others will take the route of not being paid so the pressure is off, in a sense. Personally, I hold myself to the same standard whether I get paid or not. I will do my best to take the quality shots I know the bride and groom will enjoy. For a long time, before making the switch to being a professional, I refused payment and shot the wedding because I liked the couple and enjoyed the work. My advice: if you arent going to enjoy it, you might want to consider asking for payment or passing altogether.

Set Expectations
After deciding if you want payment or not, set expectations with the happy couple. This is the best way to make sure no hard feelings are created. Meet with one or both halves of the couple and discuss what they can expect from you. Maybe they have seen some of your landscape shots and think you have a great eye. But have you shot a wedding before? Let them know this.

Show them some of your people shots, even if in a studio. Let them know if you are a little nervous. Be realistic in setting expectations, always. It helps to send a quick email after meeting to recap what you talked about and what they can expect.

This will include how long it will take you to edit the photos and how many you expect to deliver (hint: 100-150 is a decent number). This email will also include how you will deliver them (online, in a data DVD, in a playable DVD, etc.) and the level of editing done on the images. Maybe the groom has a brother who is a Photoshop whiz and they will be happy just to receive the RAW images so this brother can edit them. This is something a professional will likely never do, but if editing is not your thing and you dont look to make this one time gig a profession, then go for it.

Know What They Want

Now that expectations are set (and Im assuming you have said yes) move on to knowing what they want. This is actually the flip side of setting expectations for them, they are setting expectation for you. Different couples will have different requirements. I have worked with a wide variety and can come close to figuring out what the couple finds important after meeting them and email exchanges. You have an advantage, you already know their personalities.

Add to that knowledge a check list and youre golden. I have a shot list you are free to use and cannibalize as you like. I created it from my own experience and from browsing about 20 different lists online. Its not meant for every possible solution and certain ethnicities and religions will need additions, but it will get you started. Print this list two days before the wedding and make sure you know it. Keep it in your back pocket with a pen to mark off shots that are done. Use it to remind the couple of what is important to them (to say they may forget which shots they wanted during their own ceremony, would be telling the truth) on their wedding day. Its a great way to get it in writing. If the bride is into using Pinterest, use it! I have found it is a great way to let her gather images as she comes across them and not have to send them to you every time. Plus she can get suggestions from friends and have more fun with it. It is also

important to keep setting those expectations with her, as shell find some dazzling images you have no idea how to recreate. Let her dream, but also bring her back to reality.

Rent Quality Gear

Copyright Greg Cee

Consider renting a quality lens or two, or even a camera. A 70-200mm f/2.8 professional lens is the default lens to look to first. It helps with shots from a distance so you arent the highlight of the show at the altar. A 24-105mm lens would also be useful for working the party after or for closer shots. The camera body need not be professional so consider a body one or two stops down from the top (in your favorite brand). Lighting is another thing to think about, even if you will be shooting an outdoor wedding. My favorite online camera rental shop is BorrowLenses.com, but also check around for a local shop (the West Coast has them in Vancouver, Seattle, Portland, San Francisco and LA, for instance), who can give you further pointers.

Practice With The Quality Gear

If you are renting or borrowing gear, take time to practice with it first. I know this sounds obvious, but I have received a couple of calls from people asked to shoot a friends wedding. These calls often come the day before and they have no clue how get the most of the equipment. Practice! Try to practice in the environment where the wedding and reception will be held if possible. Bring along some willing models to stand in locations so you can test lighting and get an idea of how everything performs. If possible, attend the rehearsal (if there is one) and shoot as if you mean it. This is the best time to practice; everyone is relaxed, you can figure out which angles work best and you can fire the flash 1000 times and not annoy people too much.

Study
Hand in hand with practicing is the need to study. Grab some books from the library and read about the actual shooting side of wedding photography, foregoing the business books. Consider dropping some change on Scott Kelbys Wedding tutorials and also take a look at the quality content here on Phototuts+. What Im getting at here is: READ!

This includes viewing other photographers sites. While taking in the grandmasters is worthwhile, dont get too stuck on hoping to imitate someone who has been in the game for 30 years and has a team of Photoshop experts who turn their images into pure gold. Take a look at a variety of photographer sites and pull apart images to figure out how they were made. Look for a simple lighting tutorial that will only require one light to keep things simple.

Ask Questions
The best way to find answers is to ask questions. Here Im thinking of asking friends and family what they liked about their wedding photographer and what they disliked. Im not expecting you to go out and turn pro, so some advice might not be

valuable, but hearing what others enjoyed about the experience will help. If you know any professional photographers, ask them as well. They may be able to put you in touch with the right people who will open up a world of answers.

Attend a Wedding If You Can and Observe

Copyright Lee Haywood

If there is time before the wedding to witness another wedding, take it. Maybe its inviting yourself as someones date or offering to help in some way. Or maybe its just summer and you are going to a bazillion weddings anyway. Dont pass up the chance to go, just so you can watch the photographer(s). Where are they standing when the groom comes in and when the bride comes in? What is going on when the couple is in front of everyone? What about during vows and ring exchanges? Are you ready for the Seven Blessings and glass breaking? If the couples faith is different than your own, try to attend a wedding so you can familiarize yourself with the pattern of events and timing.

Learn A Few Poses

If people arent your normal subject matter, you will need to learn a thing or two about posing brides and grooms so they do not seem like stoic statues with painted on smiles. I would suggest picking up the book500 Poses For Photographing Brides. And, stop me if you heard this already, but practice!

Choose A Mode
My mode of choice for shooting a wedding is Aperture Priority (A or Av, depending on your equipment). I choose this mode because controlling depth-of-field is often the most important aspect to me. I want to highlight the bride and not show all the distraction around her. Or I want to make sure the depth pulls in the entire cast of characters for a group shot. I also use Aperture Priority to help ensure I dont get blurry shots by opening up the aperture all the way when it is important.

Choosing A mode doesnt mean I ignore the shutter speed. To the contrary, it is very important as photos need to be crisp and free of the blur I might cause. Dont forget the rule of thumb 1/focal length for your shutter speed. If you have that 70200mm f/2.8 lens and you are zoomed to 200mm and capturing the bride walking down the aisle, keep the shutter speed above 1/200th to help ensure there is no blur (and having a f/2.8 lens will help greatly compared to the f/5.6 or f/6.3 lens you might own for every day shooting). When shooting poses and portraits, know where your aperture is set to grab the right amount of focus. With a 70mm zoom on a full frame body, f/5.6 will often be just enough depth for a portrait while you might want to up it to f/8 when two people are in frame. This is where practicing with the equipment before the wedding day will help. Make notes of the settings on the shot list previously described so you have a cheat sheet to help you.

Shoot The Decorations

This may seem obvious when looking through a gallery of images from the comfort of your computer, but if this is your first wedding, you might find yourself disappointed at the end of the day if you forgot to take pictures of the little things. The important thing to remember with a wedding shoot is it is a culmination of all the parts, big and little. Sure, the bride will want a photo of herself in her dress. And she will likely appreciate one shot of centerpieces or party favors left on tables or seats. Find an artistic way to capture her flowers and shoes, the basket the programs are in or the guest book. All of these little things will not make great cover photos for a magazine but the important thing to remember is they are pieces of a puzzle, to be reassembled in a photo album or online when the event is done. You have a nearly unlimited amount of shots you can take thanks to digital technology, use it!

Spray And Pray

This is a controversial method for any type of photography and especially more so with wedding photography. I do not suggest this method for those looking to learn wedding photography and improve their wedding shooting techniques. Im strictly speaking to someone who may be slightly uncomfortable with the prospect of shooting a wedding but agrees nonetheless.

Spray and pray is a method whereby you will hold down the shutter and take a series of images instead of timing your shots to capture special moments. The pray part of the equation is due to the fact that you are using the sailors motto, If you cant tie a knot, tie a lot, to capture that moment. Times when this method works are: the first kiss, tossing of any item for single members of the audience to catch or when the couple feeds each other anything. Times when it does not help? The first dance. The brides entrance. Toasts. Or any other time that the constant CLICK, CLICK, CLICK, CLICK pounding of your shutter and mirror will actually take away from the event rather than add to it with that 1 in 100 image later on. Be sensitive to the event, mood and noise level.

Back It Up
I have had a (non-paid) second shooter have problems with a memory card while taking photos of the bride getting ready. This was not a critical piece and not requested, so the situation was more relaxed, but had this been a paid request, I would have been extremely frustrated. Dont put yourself in the same situation. First, bring multiple cards. Dont trust the shoot to one card even if this is how you normally shoot. Bring multiple smaller cards to help not only spread the images across multiple cards, but also to give yourself spare cards to swap to should a card cause an issue.

Second, backup your images as soon as humanly possible. Chances are, if you are a friend or family member, you might forget your duties to the bride and groom if you have a drink or two (or five) and join in the fun. Before you relax for the night and call it quits, backup the images. If you dont have a laptop, consider grabbing something like the Digital Foci Photo Safe. This is a small device that will backup your images without the need for a computer and is a good investment going forward. When you are done with a card, swap it out and start the old one backing up to the device immediately and go about shooting.

Employ An Assistant
If you can, round up an assistant. Be they a family member or a friend, the task will be easier with two of you to get the job done. Im not talking about a second photographer, but simply someone who will be in charge of gathering people for portraits and helping you with gear (if you get advanced enough to shoot with a reflector or off-shoe flash, for instance). They can run the backups while you shoot and they can hold extra lenses when needed. As this will be your first time, you wont make all the right choices, but an assistant can help guide you back. Think teamwork! Shooting a friend or family members wedding can be a fun and enjoyable experience. It might also let you know if this line of business is right for you. Be clear about expectations and what you can deliver so all parties involved know what to expect. And then practice, study and practice some more. Good luck! And have fun!

100 Helpful Photography Tutorials for Beginners and Professionals

Josh Johnson on Aug 17th 2010 with 81 Comments Photography as both a profession and a hobby is an incredibly expansive topic that covers a remarkably vast range of subjects from science and art. No matter where you lie on the professional spectrum, there is simply always more to learn. We spent countless hours scouring the web for the best content we could find and share with you, and today well help you expand your knowledge with 100 photography related tutorials!

Basic Theory and Technical Info

10 Top Photography Composition Rules
There are many composition guidelines which can be applied in almost any situation, to enhance the impact of a scene. Below are ten of the most popular and most widely respected composition rules.

RAW vs. JPEG the real story

Graphic illustrations [and explanations] of the difference between RAW and JPEG (also called JPG). Understanding this will help with an understanding of why correct exposure and white balance in the camera are important.

Understanding White Balance

A basic discussion of white balance and how to respond to different lighting situations.

White Balance
Use a simple device to get perfect color in all of your shots

Four Facts About High ISOs

What you need to know to get the most from todays amazing high-ISO settings

Focal Length Facts

A beginners guide to focal lengths and how they affect photographs

Wedding Photography; Two Camps Of Style And Vision

Today, when describing their photographic style, wedding photographers typically label themselves as either photojournalists or traditionalists.

Film Vs. Digital

A look at some of the differences between shooting in Ansel Adams era versus today

Missing Pages: Aperture and Shutter Priority

Shutter Priority is an auto exposure system in which the camera achieves correct exposure by selecting the aperture after the user has selected the shutter speed.

Photography Basics
Ever wonder what it is that actually makes a camera work? This tutorial will cover the inner workings of a camera, and introduce you into photography basics and the expansive world of taking better photographs.

Lighting
7 Tips for Great Photos in the Dark
Follow these seven helpful tips to improve your night photographs.

How to Create Sunshine Effect in Studio with Artificial Sunlight

In this tutorial video well give you tips on how to cheat Mother Nature and show you How to Create Your Own Sunshine in the Studio.

Professional Lighting in Model Photography

This case study shows how lighting was manipulated to create the perfect environment for a fashion photoshoot.

Portable Lighting for the Studio and on Location

In this lesson, we decided to keep things very simple and just illustrate some uses of this one simple shoe mount flash lighting kit, the XS OctoDome nxt Basic Kit with Grids, for both indoor and outdoor portraits.

A Photography Lighting Tutorial

A brief discussion on understanding the quality and directionality of light as it pertains to photography.

Lighting Tutorial: Fashion Lighting Made Easy

A basic fashion lighting setup with diagrams and examples.

Photography Tutorial: Get the Right Light

When shooting portraits, good lighting is all-important. To make sure you have it, you can buy expensive lighting rigs and multiple flash units. Or you can spend a few bucks and carry just the right mix of sun and clouds in your pack.

10 DIY Lighting Hacks for Digital Photographers

Most of us cant afford a full lighting rig however what if there was a way to experiment with the type of lighting gear that pro photographers use without spending too much money? What if you could make it yourself?

Low Key Portrait Lighting Tutorial

Youre perfectly outfitted to do a beautiful, classic low-key lighting setup. Your cameras dedicated flash unit could even be set up off-camera to achieve this result.

Portrait Lighting Tutorial: Character Study

Every man has a unique personality and a story all his own. A portrait should honor the man and the life thats made him who he is.

Take Low Light Photos Like a Professional

Low light photography can be a lot of fun. And you dont need to trade your soul for an expensive camera to do it. You just need to have one that has some manual setting options. Im focusing on digital here, but I think most of what Im going to talk about will apply to film cameras too.

Understanding Digital Camera Histograms: Tones and Contrast

Understanding image histograms is probably the single most important concept to become familiar with when working with pictures from a digital camera. A histogram can tell you whether or not your image has been properly exposed, whether the lighting is harsh or flat, and what adjustments will work best. It will not only improve your skills on the computer, but as a photographer as well.

High key and Low key lighting tutorial

The highs and lows of lighting Karl Taylors back to explain what high key and low key lighting is.

How I Shoot: Lowkey Portrait

A great in-depth tutorial with plenty of explanation and a bonus video tut at the end.

Histograms
You might already know all about histograms, if you dont its well worth getting your head around them because, well, they are pretty awesome. Unfortunately they are often overlooked, dismissed or misunderstood but they are very helpful especially when it comes to strobist photography.

Photographing Young Children with Low-Key Lighting Tutorial

Here is no doubt that photographing young children can be a challenge, and never more so than when using a low-key lighting setup. So why bother? Because the drama and richness inherent in this type of lighting is SO worth it and because its unexpected for high energy childrens photography.

Macro Tuts
The Complete Guide For Photographing Live Insects At Home
For starters, Ill walk you through the gear I am shooting with and some basic technical tips, then Ill wrap this up by sharing some ideas on working with the insects and most importantly containment during the shoot.

How To Shoot Macro Photos

Macro product photography can be extremely challenging, but also very rewarding. Commercial opportunities for high quality product close ups are strong and growing, both in print and online.

Macro Photography
How to take close-up pictures of small things.

Bug Pictures (Insect Macro Photography)

An article on the techniques involved.

Underwater macro photography taking great photos

You must be able to evaluate the potential of a subject. Some subjects you will want to pass over because there is no chance of a good moment or presentation. This is something that comes with experience.

Introduction to Macro Photography Part 1

Shooting all styles of photography is a privilege for me but it seems to be that more true with macro photography. In this 3part tutorial, I hope to pass along not just my technical knowledge but also my passion for macro photography.

DIY Tips and Tricks

DIY High Speed Photography at Home
You can use this technique to take picture of exploding things like tomatoes, water balloons, watermelons, or even your Canon camera as you smash it against a wall for not understanding the menus.

Reversing Lenses for Macro Photography

If you have a telephoto lens and an old 50mm lying around you might want to give this a shot. Its not too difficult of a procedure and probably wont take 2 minutes to read through this. All youll need is a reverse ring (coupler), a step up ring, and a small piece of cardboard or folded paper.

DIY Light Reflector

You dont need tons of cash to own effective lighting tools often you can make them yourself.

Studio In A Small Space; Big Studio Effect Without The Cost

Some photographers just prefer having complete control over the lighting. Instead of the hassle and cost of renting a studio, why not create one using a room you already have? The real secret, if there is any, of making portraits in limited spaces is having the right equipment with gear that doesnt have to be expensive.

How To: DIY $10 Macro Photo Studio

Using a cardboard box and poster board to create a makeshift studio.

How to Make An Inexpensive Light Tent DIY

If youre like me, you dont want to spend money if you can do it yourself and yield the same results. One day I was at my local photography store I saw one of these Pop-Up light tents. It consisted of a collapsible white fabric box with a hole in the front and 3 lights used for photographing small objects in photographic studios.

DIY Photography Flash Diffuser

A diffuser is designed to soften the effects of the flash by spreading out and dampening down the amount of light emitted, reducing the creation dark shadows while still allowing a subject to be properly lit.

Homemade Light Box for Product Photography

The following article describes the process for making your own lightbox for small object photography. From start to finish this project should take no longer than 30 minutes.

How To Make A DIY String Tripod

Camera shake is a universal problem for photographers, yet many find the traditional tripod to be too cumbersome for everyday use. Enter the string tripod, an easy to make, easy to use little knickknack that might just solve your camera shake problems.

How to Make a DIY Ring Flash

Make your own for a very very cheap price, about 20 euros. The only thing is that you need to already have a cobra flash.

Create Your Own Bokeh for Beautiful Photo Effect

Whats a bokeh you say? Its that oh-so-wonderful fuzziness in the background of photographs with a shallow depth of field and accompanying starry highlights. You can create you own bokeh effects with a little craftiness.

DIY: Make Your Own Light Reflector For $5

If youre one of those people who has been wanting to get a reflector set but doesnt want to shed the cash, you should know that there are do-it-yourself options.

Tutorial: DIY > $10 beauty dish

Here is a super cheap way to make a decent looking, cheap and very effective beauty dish for your speedlight. The whole project should take perhaps 20-30 minutes and shouldnt cost more than $10.00.

Knex Lightbox Tutorial

After months of photographing my work with so-so results, I decided it was time to invest in a lightbox. And what better way to do it than to Do It Yourself? In search of the perfect supplies, I raided my parents basement and came across my favorite childhood toy: a box of Knex!

Post-Processing Lightens The Load

Raw Conversion As A Studio Tool

Helpful Techniques
How to Create the Misty Water Effect in Photography
Have you looked at a landscape photographers photo and wondered how they got the water coming down from a waterfall to look so misty? Or how did they get the ocean in a seascape photograph to look so smooth?

Photographing Complex Architecture

Photographer Philipp Klinger gives his advice on capturing elaborate structures.

Tilt-Shift Photography Photoshop Tutorial

This photography shows you how to give a city shot a neat miniaturization effect.

5 Black and White Photography Tips

Continuing the Black and White Photography theme weve been on lately in the latest forum assignment (where the photos featured in this post were submitted) I thought Id share five pretty random Black and White Photography Tips.

Correcting and Preventing Chromatic Aberration

When examining their photos closely, almost every photographer has come across a situation in which a colored halo (usually purple, green or red) is apparent around certain elements of a scene. This sort of optic anomaly, more commonly known as color fringing, is known as chromatic aberration. In this article well understand its causes and learn ways to easily avoid it both while shooting and in post-production.

How To: Take Better Landscape Photos

What looks ideal? Rather than tackle the problem head-on, Ive come up with a few basic guidelines that can yield a profound improvement in your landscape photographs. In fact, its as simple as A, B, C: Angle, Balance, and Crop.

Intuitive B&W Conversions

Try this simple step-by-step process for making beautiful monochrome images.

Isolated Sharpness
Tips and techniques for using shallow depth of field to add impact to your macro shots.

Travel With Still+Video

Tips for better technical and creative results shooting video with your DSLR

The heart of the matter

How to capture the essence of your subjects

A Soft Touch For Wedding Photography; Soft-Focus & Blur Effects In The Digital Darkroom
Despite lens makers ads to the contrary, photographers dont always want or need tack-sharp photographs, especially for wedding or bridal portraits. The use of creative or selective blur when applied in the digital darkroom to an otherwise ordinary photograph can create a mood or look that fits an impression of the original image more than its reality.

How-To: A Primer on Long Exposures

In contrast to using fast shutter speeds to freeze action, using long exposures is a very creative means to convey motion in a photograph. A blurred image can be a very impressionistic rendition of movement, giving the viewer a sense of sensation.

Colorizing Black-And-White Photos

Using Photoshop to create a classic hand-painted effect.

How To: Photograph During Bright Midday Sun

Turn a lighting faux pas into an element that adds punch to your photo.

How To Make Money As A Photographer

To be successful, you have to be able to effectively sell yourself. It doesnt matter if you want to do wedding photography, sports photography, product photography or simply work for the local newspaper you have to market and sell yourself and your talent.

Shoot The Moon

When the sun sets and the rest of the photographers pack up for the night, you can get some of the most stunning and unique images.

How To: Photograph A Shattering Image

A sound trigger and flash snap the moment of impact.

Beyond HDR
How to expand your photos tonal range when HDR techniques arent ideal

Vintage Emulation; Recreating That Old Photo Look In The Digital Ag

We have all had the experience of looking at old photographs that transport us back to a different age, whether it is 20 years ago, or 120. It can be very tempting to try to recreate a vintage look, whether for a particular emotional effect or simply because we can. But what are the actual differences, and how can we recreate them?

Understanding Depth of Field

This section is designed to give a better intuitive and technical understanding for photography, and provides a depth of field calculator to show how it varies with your camera settings.

How to Get Tack Sharp Photo Images Part I

Shutter Speed, Focal Length, Image Stabilizers and Tripods

Give Any Photograph A Little Bokeh

You canthanks to Alien Skin software

A Mist-ShotBetter Fog Photography

Some people associate fog with inclement weather and avoid the outdoors. Not me. I grab my camera to create some extremely exciting images. Foggy conditions elicit moody and ethereal feelings. The light is diffused and even, but very flat. Knowing how to take advantage of this allows you to create great fog photos.

How To Photograph Moving Vehicles

A step-by-step guide to capturing that perfect motion shot.

Ten Tips For Photographing Kids

Summer is a perfect opportunity to photograph children at play

Photographic Time Shifting

Change the time of day and date of a picture

Zoom with Your Feet

A Basic Photo Gear Recipe for Beginners and Pros

Shooting Water
Whether its your focal subject or a supporting element, these quick tips will get your feet wet

Video Tuts
Photography Lighting Tutorial- Strip Lighting Light Tec Tip
How to use strip lighting in the studio, hosted by Light Tec in Dallas, Texas. Light Tec offers photo lighting equipment and training.

Photography lighting tutorial with Adam Bonilla strobist

A behind the scenes look at a photoshoot with professional Denver based photographer Adam Bonilla.

Photography Tutorial Perfect Exposures, The Histogram Pt 1

This how-to video from John Mireles of the Photographers Toolkit is part of a series about using the histogram to create properly exposed images with your camera. This first installment explains in simple language what is the histogram and how to read it.

Macro Photography Tutorial

This video shows you in simple steps how to do close-up using Micro-Nikkor and third-party close-up lenses and how to do 1:1 magnification. Remember, this tutorial is for controlled situations (which means we wont show you how to do bugs, portraits, or pets at 1:1 magnification). Enjoy!

Smoke Photography
Terry Watson shows his technique for doing Smoke Photography

ProPhotoInsights Tutorial Digital Photography Tutorial,-Blend Colour

In this Digital Photography Tutorial we look at a quick & simple and very flexible way to manipulate colour within an image.Step behind the scenes on pro photo shoots with our unique digital photography tutorials.

The Assignment Macro Photography Tutorial

A detailed introduction to macro photography.

Photography Tutorial How to photograph a fast car in motion

Photography Tutorial This image was shot for a Pentax advert in the UKs DSLR User Magazine. Weve also used it in our downloadable photography course Digital Photography Exposed.

Long Exposure Photography Tutorial (Light trails)

This is a tutorial on how to take nightscapes using bulb. In this video I describe how I capture star trails, how to set up your camera and how to light subjects in your image.

Photography tutorial 5 ( Light Quality)

This months lesson teaches the difference between hard and soft light. Light is a main ingredient to any photograph and this video gives you a better understanding. Enjoy

Studio lighting Portrait photography tutorial

Using the smick.co.uk 120cm octagonal softbox Gavin Hoey shows how by just using this one softbox and a 400Ws studio flash head for his studio lighting setup to produce some quality portraits. Live action show shows how Gavin uses several different lighting setups and shows you just how to produce quality results in a simple to understand way.

Strobist: Lighting 101

A video explaining the basic gear and techniques you need to be familiar with for professional lighting.

A Photography Lighting Tutorial

Photography lighting can be natural light, ambient light or studio light, which should include a main light, a fill light and a back light. Create subtle shadows and perfect lighting with helpful tips from a freelance photographer in this free video on digital photography.

Light Leaks in Photography

A trend that is becoming more and more popular in Photography recently is a vintage/film/retro style. You can see examples in Urban Outfitters, Nylon Mag, Anthropologie, etc. One of the major elements in this style is the light leak.

Macro Photography Tutorial

Focus stacking: a macro photography technique.

DIY Photo Studio Lighting Photography Tutorial

Create a larger, more sophisticated studio photography lighting setup but still use simple materials.

From the Archives: 10 Awesome Phototuts+ Articles

We dont want to toot our own horn or anything but we firmly believe we have some of the best free content on the web for photographers. Below are ten excellent articles from our archives that you should definitely take a loot at.

Taking Amazing Studio Portraits On a Tight Budget

Other than a subject, youll need a background, some light and some props. Props are really optional, but Ill cover them later as well. Where most photographers get hung up is the light.

Using Hyperfocal Distance to Ensure Maximum Depth of Field in Landscape Photography

By applying the simple rules of Hyperfocal Distance you can be sure that you are shooting images which are sharp from foreground to background on almost every occasion. I will be using an image that I took recently of Castlerigg Stone Circle to show you how you can put these simple rules into practice so that you can obtain maximum depth of field (DOF) in all your landscape images.

An Introduction to Using Strobes in Your Photography

Do you ever see a picture and wonder how the photographer obtained perfect lighting on a subject? You might be asking What kind of flash does he use? or What are the settings on his camera to get such lighting? In this tutorial, I will be explaining the secrets to turning your pictures into perfection.

Create a Vibrant Lighting Effect With Cross Polarization

Light has the ability to create many different types of dramatic effect, though there is none as vivid as cross polarization. It awakens the imagination with its vibrance of colors. Though this technique was popular 20+ years ago, it seems to have been lost in the digital shuffle. This tutorial will walk you through the process and equipment to experiment with cross polarization.

Achieving Better Focus and Sharpness in Your Images

 This tutorial will give you a better understanding of focus and sharpness, and hopefully help you take photographs that youre very happy with!

Mastering the Art of Black and White Photography

So why does black and white photography command such acclaim? One reason is that colour is a distraction. It takes attention away from the visual building blocks of a great photo; texture, tonal contrast, shape, form and lighting. A photographer shooting in black and white has to learn how to use all these elements to create a memorable image.

Adobe Camera RAW for Beginners: Histogram & White Balance

Adobe Camera RAW (not to be confused with RAW picture format your camera takes) is a powerful tool for editing and tweaking your photography. The software gives you artistic control over your files while still maintaining the original photo. I like to call it non-destructive editing.

9 Tips for a Perfect Portrait Background

Flatter your portrait subject with the perfect background, even if you dont have professional backdrops or lighting. A little exposure and composition know-how can get you a long way toward a beautiful portrait background

Shooting & Editing a High Speed Fruity Water Splash

This tutorial will make for a fun weekend project that has the potential to spark your imagination, teach you some interesting lighting techniques and even give you some great shots for your portfolio. Its a great way to spend a few hours, experimenting and honing your photography skills.

The Basics Of Mesmerising Moon Photography

Peter West Carey on Oct 4th 2010 with 16 Comments Tutorial Details
Completion Time: An evening Difficulty: Beginner Requirements: Ideally, a telephoto lens and tripod

Moon photography can be one of the most fun, yet one of the most aggravating, projects to tackle. Youve probably seen those gorgeous photos on calendars, wall posters and all over the web. The moon, full as can be, hovering over a wonderful landscape. While some of them are put together in Photoshop, most you will find are real photos. If you are endeavoring to take your own photos of the moon and are looking for a little help in getting started, this article will shed some light on the mysteries of moon photography and help jump start your efforts.

Moon Phases
It is important to know the phases of the moon to understand what youre photographing. This may be elementary to some, but I want to make sure the basics are covered. In short, the moon goes through its phases based on where it is in the Earths orbit compared to where the sun is. The diagram on Moon Connection does an excellent job of showing us how the moon appears at different points in its orbit.

Copyright Luis Argerich

Timing Is Everything
Lucky for you, the moon keeps a very regular schedule. And that schedule is available online as well as in the sky. I would first suggest getting accustomed to the moons cycle by observing it for a month. Use the link above, or others, to learn which phase the moon is currently in. Then find out when the moon is going to rise and set for your location on the planet by using a tool such as Time and Date Armed with that data, which phase the moon is currently in, and when it will rise and set, you can now start planning your moon photo shoot.

Copyright Peter West Carey Photography

Get It Early
Lets start with one of the more popular moon phases; full. Full moons have been mesmerizing humankind for millennia. But how best to capture it? If you have ever taken a photo of the full moon when it is directly overhead some time in the middle of the night, without a zoom lens, you have probably been frustrated with your results. The reason is, while our human eyes do a wonderful job of adapting to the difference in brightness between the light reflected off the moon and the apparent darkness of space against which is sits, our digital cameras are far more limited.

Copyright Chuck Coker

To humans, the moon does not look too terribly bright. But think about it; that big ball up there, even while it has a mainly gray dust covering, reflects a lot of light from the sun. So much so, that when our cameras try to adjust the exposure to make the black background brighter, the moon turns into a big white dot. It is like taking a photo of a lightbulb at times. And that is not a half bad analogy. So what is there to be done? Your best bet is to catch the full moon when it is rising. The moon is fullest when it is in balance with the sun, meaning the moon will rise approximately at the same time the sun is setting. Which is actually perfect for photography if you understand the Golden Hour principle.

Copyright Tambako The Jaguar

However, there may be obstacle in your way of viewing the moon directly at the time the Internet has told you it will rise; buildings, mountains, trees. Any of these things will delay your viewing. In this case, it is best to get your shot of the moon the day before it is full. This way the sunlight in the foreground will be more evenly matched with the intensity of the sun reflected off the moon. Crescent moons are a different story. They will, by nature, come up either in the dark or during the day. Again, the calculator is your friend. You will still have some of the same lighting problems with night photos of a crescent moon as a full moon, if shooting at night. Even that little sliver reflects a lot of light. It is best to get crescent moon shots during the day when a variety of foreground objects can add a sense of place to the photo (explained in a bit).

Copyright Alan L

Proper Exposure
Exposing for the moon can be a bit tricky. First, start with the lowest ISO your camera can handle. Then, if you have spot metering, use it! Aim the spot to cover the moon as much as possible for an accurate reading. If you lack spot metering, expose as if on a sunny day. The moon might not look very bright to you (or maybe it does if its pitch black outside) but remember; your eyes and brain do a much better job of exposure control than your camera does. If you are not going to be capturing many foreground objects, an aperture setting around f/4 will work, otherwise you are going to want us something closer to f/11 or f/16. With your aperture set to take advantage of the whole scene, you may find it necessary to use a tripod. As a matter of fact, you are probably going to want to start with one. With the ISO low to cut noise, the aperture small to get depth of field and your lens zoomed out to at least 100mm, you are safest when using a tripod. While hand holding a camera will work for full daylight photos (such as the second photo in this post), anything less than full day light will benefit from the use of a tripod.

Zoom In
Most point and shoot cameras are not up to the task of getting great moon photos because it is often imperative that a close zoom be used. Our eyes play tricks on us at times, and moon viewing is a prime example. The human is roughly equivalent to a 50mm lens on a full frame sensor camera. A lot of point and shoot cameras start far back from that, around 30mm or so. This is why the moon often appears as a small speck in many photos.

Copyright Peter West Carey Photography

To get to the moon, so to speak, you need to zoom in. Start with at least a 100mm zoom and keep going longer if you can. Lenses such as Canons 100-400mm L and Nikons 200-400mm are very handy for moon photography. Those will get you in close to help the moon fill more of the frame. The image above was taken by me at 300mm with a full frame Canon 5D and then cropped to fit. But the moon alone is a boring subject after a few photos. And that is why youll want to

Bring In Other Elements

If you are shooting the full moon, or even a crescent or half, bring in something to the picture to spice it up. A shot of the moon itself is impressive but only so many shots are needed before they become boring and all the same. Shoot the moon rising over various objects; mountains, the sea, cities. Shoot it hiding between branches of a tree or reflected in building windows or the glass smooth surface of a lake.

Copyright Luz A. Villa

Have Fun!
As is the case with any new experimentation in photography, have fun. Play around with different times of day and lenses. Bring in people and props. And if does not work out one night, you are in luck! The moon will be with us for a long time to come.

Copyright lambda_X

Preview photo Copyright Mike Baird

10 Tips for Taking Your Best Ever Vacation Photos

Josh Johnson on Aug 5th 2010 with 17 Comments Summer is here and already fleeting. If you havent already, its time to squeeze that vacation in before the kids go back to school. Not only do vacations provide you and your family a much needed break from reality, theyll also serve up some of the best photo opportunities youll see all year. Below well take a look at some quick tips to help you capture some of your best images ever while traveling!

1. Take a Step Back

As youre traveling, one of your primary goals as a photographer is to take in the sights. Youre likely to encounter many breathtaking views that youll want to remember just as they were through your eyes. What this means on a practical level is that you should pack your wide angle lens. If youve been meaning to pick one up, right before a vacation is the perfect time. When youve got a beautiful view in front of you, that fancy $1,200 zoom lens can kill it. Instead youll want something that can grab as much of the landscape as possible. If youve got the budget, a good 10-22mm would be an excellent place to start. If youre looking for something a little more affordable, consider a cheap 35mm prime. These are small and lightweight and should do a fairly decent job of really stretching your field of view. If you wont be able to bring a wide angle lens, try some panoramic sequences that you can piece together in Photoshop later. Even if youre not a computer wiz, Photoshop does an excellent job of automating this process.

2. Dont Forget the Faces

When youre out traveling to new and exciting locations with your wide angle lens, its really easy to get sidetracked and forget about the most important part: the people that came with you. The single best way to re-experience the events and emotions of your vacation years after is through the faces of the family and friends who were there. Its well worth it to miss the shot of Mickey Mouse walking by if you can instead capture the expression on your three year olds face as it happens. Scenery shots are great, but these are the photos that will make you both laugh and cry twenty years from now. So be sure to take tons of them! If you want great face shots like the one above, use a lens that can get fairly close and make sure your aperture is wide open. This will give you that nice blurry background that highlights faces so well. Just make sure your focusing technique is solid. With wide apertures, always focus on the eyes (or eyelashes!) as theyre the most important part of the composition. For shots like these, I cant recommend a 50mm f/1.4 enough. These lenses are extremely affordable and will make it seem effortless to take professional quality images.

3. Get the Details

When youre somewhere youve never been before, capturing the tiniest details has a way of making the trip seem that much more magical when youre showing the pictures off to your friends and family. Even if its something almost anyone could find right in their own back yard. Obviously, flowers and bugs and a great place to start, but dont stop there. Capture the weave of the hammock on the beach, the grain in the bamboo flooring in your bungalow, and the tiniest bubbles in the wake of the tide. Macro photography is all about displaying the beauty in the mundane. Any moment that impacted you on your vacation can be represented metaphorically through the things around you that you touched and experienced at the time. Unfortunately, many lenses wont allow you to focus close enough to your subject to take a decent macro. If you want to go all out, you should look at a dedicated macro lens like Canons 50mm f/2.5 Compact Macro.

4. Watch for Wildlife

Everyone loves a good creature shot. One of the neatest part of traveling somewhere new can be seeing various living things that you would never see back home. Dont hesitate to venture from the beaten path and explore any areas where mother nature still has the upper hand. Capturing shots like the one above is sure to earn you some photography respect points with your peers and is a great way to end up on the interesting section on Flickr. Just watch out for anything with teeth! The best way to capture anything that might potentially run away from you (or eat you) is definitely with a zoom lens. Most wild animals will be long gone before you get close enough to get a good shot with anything else so be sure to bring the biggest lens you own if you think there will be potential for some photos like these. Ideally youll want something that can hit up around 200-300mm.

5. Capture the Illusion

This one particularly applies to theme parks, zoos and other attractions. When youre taking pictures at these locations, watch how you crop the photos. Anything you can do to hide the man behind the curtain so to speak will help the believability of the image. What I mean by this is to crop out any fences, walls, signs, tourists, lights, etc. that make it obvious that the giant dinosaur youre shooting is part of an exhibit. For instance, the picture above wouldve been much less engaging if other rides could be seen poking through the greenery in the background. As another example, when you come home from the zoo you can either have 300 images that look like a day at the zoo or 300 images that look like you went on an epic African safari. Its all in the cropping. Sometimes its hard to manage this, especially if youre trying to capture an image without people while standing in a crowded place. As a trick, try taking multiple photos from the same vantage point as the people are moving around. Hopefully youll be able to combine the empty space in each picture to create the image you want. Is that cheating? Yes. Does anyone have to know about it? Nope.

6. Learn to Shoot in the Dark

While on vacation, you have much less control over lighting situations than you would on your home turf with access to all your equipment. Whether youre camping in the woods at night or watching the Aladdin show at Disneyland, the lights will go out and there will still be plenty of photographs you dont want to miss. This can be extremely difficult if you lack the proper tools and training. For starters, familiarize yourself with long exposure shots. If youve got room, pack the tripod, if not, look for a nice flat surface to set your camera down while it goes about the business of collecting light. Obviously, if there is any sort of movement involved, long exposures arent going to work. In this case youll need a good low light lens (something with a wide aperture) and perhaps a Gary Fong flash diffuser. Camera-mounted flashes tend to produce really harsh lighting that will simply ruin your photos. Diffusing this light allows you to take advantage of the additional lighting without all the ugly side effects.

7. Avoid the Clich

As you visit new and exciting places, resist the urge to just throw people in front of something and snap a picture; or at the very least, just dont stop there. As a photographer you should consider yourself an artist and should therefore aspire to present content in a unique manner that reflects your specific style. A couple of gigs of photos of your family plastering fake smiles on their faces while posing rigidly in front of monuments is nice, but nowhere near the potential of what you could be bringing home. Try instead to create clever poses and compositions that you wont see in the photo libraries of everyone who has ever been to that place.

As an example, consider the photo above. Rather than merely standing and smiling in front of the train, some thought was given on how to create something fun and unique. Never be afraid to try something silly or unconventional. Worst case scenario: it doesnt work and you have to take another photo.

8. Life is Fast Watch Your Shutter Speed

Whether its from a bus ride through the Italian countryside or your kids running around on the beach, vacations are filled with motion. Not giving serious consideration to your shutter speed can turn your collection of photos into a major disappointment. Never assume that just because the photo looks perfect on your tiny preview screen that it wont have any blurring when you see it full size. Instead, keep that shutter speed as fast as you can get it in these situation (unless of course youre going for intentional blur). Even if what youre shooting isnt really moving, remember that you and your camera are. To avoid camera shake, try to stay above 1/60th-1/80 sec, and if you are shooting movement, make it much higher. To illustrate, the image above was shot at 1/80 sec and the image below at a whopping 1/8000 sec.

This couldve easily been a blurry mess in a bathing suit but the photographer was keen enough to know that the motion (and probably the sunlight) required a fast shutter.

9. Give Everyone a Camera!

Just because youre the photographer in the family doesnt mean you should have all the fun! In fact, being the guy everyone has to constantly pull along because you stopped yet again to take a photo is a good way to ensure your family goes without you next time! Giving everyone a camera is a great way to really integrate photography into the trip and help ensure your kids dont get bored looking at mountains when theyd rather be riding roller coasters. Its also gentle nudge towards something that could turn into a lifelong passion. It doesnt have to be anything expensive, anything from a simple $10 drugstore flash and trash to something in the $100200 range will get the job done. Youll be surprised at how many really great shots will result when you give a kid a camera. Just dont be upset when you realize your six year old takes better photos than you!

10. Get a Good Camera Bag

Almost all of the advice given above requires lots of equipment: lenses, flashes, extra camera, etc. Obviously, Im not suggesting that you go out and spend $10,000 on equipment before your vacation, Im merely making suggestions so you can decide whats most important for you and pack/purchase accordingly. If youve already got all of the equipment you need, the serious question then becomes, do you really want to bring it along? However, what sounds like a ton of extra baggage can actually be compacted to a single bag. Modern camera bags are ingeniously designed to hold a lot of equipment in a very small space and can easily be slung over your shoulder for the walk through the airport. If youve been getting by with a plain old duffle bag thus far, its time to step up and get something that is built to properly protect your gear. If youre clueless as to where to start, check out Tamrac. They have a lot of really affordable bags that are perfect for carting around all your precious cargo.

Bonus Tip: Bring Lots of Storage

This tip is for newer photographers and I simply cant stress it enough. If youre going to be seeing your trip through a viewfinder, youll want to take tons of photos. My advice is to shoot lots and sort later. Im constantly telling my wife to stop deleting so many pictures in the camera. Its much better to wait to make that call until youre seeing the photo on a large computer screen. To accomplish this, youre going to need memory and lots of it; especially if youre shooting in RAW (and you should be). Fortunately, storage has gotten quite cheap lately and its not a big deal to go out and grab a 4-8GB card once every few months to build a good stockpile. I can tell you from experience that its much better to carry around a bunch of smaller cards than it is to use one huge card. I recently bought a 32 GB card thinking it was the best decision I could possibly make as I could avoid the hassle of switching. Then when that card failed in the middle of a wedding shoot I was utterly screwed. Memory cards will fail and it can be quite devastating to lose all your photos when it happens. Having those images spread out over multiple cards means that if one fails on you, all thats lost is a small portion of the overall shoot, leaving you less likely to curse uncontrollably when it happens. If you dont have several cards, just make sure to pack your laptop and download frequently while youre on your trip.

Share Your Best Vacation Photos and Tips!

Now that youve read our tips for shooting the best ever vacation photos, share yours below. Also leave a link to any vacation photos youre particularly proud of taking. The Phototuts+ readers have been truly awesome at sharing their work in the past, and you should know that we love to read through the comments and see all the your photos and expert advice. Keep up the good work!

Three Essential Tools for the Business of Photography

Jose Antunes on Apr 28th 2012 with 9 Comments When I mention essential tools for photographers, people always think of cameras. Theyre right, but there are more essential tools for us. In this tutorial, youll find some great tools for those running or starting a photography business. When people dream of a life as photographers, they only see the bright side of it: taking pictures. Either outdoors in nature or photographing famous people, news, whatever different photographers do. But in fact, many photographers spend more time sitting at a desk than taking pictures. The business of photography has another side: editing, filing and selling pictures. This means you need to find other tools to use when your camera sits atop the shelf behind you or in your bag. For the first two, editing and filing, I guess you already have the tools. But for the business side of it you need to find tools that make for a simple but precise way of making people aware of you. You should also need to know how much money youve earned and where that money is. This must all be done in a way that allows you to still time to go out and photograph more. The Internet has changed the way we do a lot of things and also the way we show our work and contact the public, either customers or potential customers. The phone is not the primary form of contact it was before, now its only one more option along with email. Some photographers have discovered that a blog and social media can pass messages to many people. Also the way we keep track of your investments and profits has changed. Now one photographer is likely take care of their entire business themselves just using a computer. Ive moved to digital cameras back in 2000, after Canon launched the EOS D30, but it has taken me a long time to change some of my older habits to a more digital world. It was only this year that I decided to invoice clients online. It was also after that experience that I felt I had the basis for an interesting article for photographers starting out, showing them the essential brave new world tools to run their business. Besides their cameras, that is. So here is my list of three essential business tools. Its not definitive, but its a good guide to get a starting point for your career.

Having your own website is important as it will be a window not just for your work but also for your personality as a photographer.

Your Website
A website is a window to display your work. Its a 24/7/365 open door for your business. So choose it wisely. It should be simple, easy to navigate, and able to tell people what you do and can do for them. Either go for those quick to setup websites or do it yourself, but build something that reflects your personality as a photographer. Ive always built my websites using Joomla software, and I like to keep them simple. I have my own URL atwww.joseantunes.com and I do not have a blog, although that is something that can attract people if you write interesting stuff.

The online invoicing systems make for an easy way to bill clients and keep track of everything, from anywhere in the world.

Online Invoicing
This was a recent experience for me, but I am hooked. For years I enjoyed using paper invoices, the feeling of posting letters, the walk to the post office or mailbox, the ceremonial of buying stamps, etc. I also used an old typewriter far longer than I needed too before moving on to a computer, so it feels the same way. Now Ive experienced Fresh Books for invoicing people, and I am amazed. With these kind of systems, you can prepare and send an invoice to a client from any computer anywhere in the world (with Internet connection, that is). You can have regular invoices sent out by the system, invoice in different currencies, know which clients owe you money and how much, send late payment reminder emails and much more. One can keep track of so many things that I feel like a kid playing with a new toy. Try it, either at Fresh Books or at any other company offering the same service and youll feel like me. Theres no way back to old paper invoices.

StudioCloud lets you control different aspects of your business and is a free software if you just need the basic options

The Star Trek Bridge

I call it my Star Trek Bridge, but its really called StudioCloud. Its a desktop software that provides an integrated system including Client Management, Scheduling, Point-of-Sale, Bookkeeping, Reporting, Marketing Campaigns, Project/Event/Order Management and much more! It even does invoices (I prefer to have those elsewhere though, but there are advantages to have them here if you use the full possibilities of StudioCloud). If youre managing a busy studio and have lots of clients and sessions, StudioCloud might be your choice in terms of invoicing. It has everything you need to create price lists, packages, products and services, and the invoice system reflects that. But StudioCloud is also a calendar for appointments, a project management and marketing campaign creator and it even lets you sell photos online using StudioClouds Online Proofing and in-studio using StudioClouds In-Studio Proofing. In fact, there are so many options that sitting at my computer looking at StudioCloud I just feel like Captain Kirk (or Picard) on the bridge of the Star Trek Enterprise. The program lets you control all aspects of your business from its interface. And while you have to pay if you want some of the more advanced options, like using the Cloud, the basic version, which sits in your computer, is free. So give it a try and if you decide that you want more, explore the available plans. But for single photographers starting a career, the free version might be enough.

Step By Step: Enhancing a Sunset in Camera Raw

Andre Silva on Jan 27th 2010 with 6 Comments In this video tutorial Im going to show you a variety of cool techniques to enhance your sunset images fully in Camera Raw. The main idea is to increase the warm color without losing realism, and for that I will apply a number of general effects (to the image as a whole), and some specific effects to certain parts of the image.

Tutorial Overview
In this video tutorial, well be covering the following: Loading the image into Camera RAW

Applying general effects to the overall image temperature, tint, recovery, fill light etc. Working with individual parts of the image, and using the adjustments brush Finalising the image with camera calibration and colour correction

Watch the Video Example Images

Make Your Subject Stand Out With a Rim Lighting Effect

Jason Morrison on Nov 1st 2009 with 17 Comments Tutorial Details
Difficulty: Intermediate CompletionTime: 1-2 hours Requirements: Lighting equipment
This entry is part 2 of 19 in the In the Studio Session - Show All PreviousNext

I have long been a fan of rim lighting and, given the opportunity, would prefer to use it over a single light source. Rim lighting, which is often referred to as back light or even hair lights, is simply light placed on your subject which gives the appearance of a light outline. This technique pulls the subject off the background and offers some depth and dimension to what you are shooting. This article outlines how to setup your lights to achieve such an effect and also covers some simple post-processing to help improve the final product.

Step 1: Grab Your Gear

For these examples, you will need three light sources. Traditionally I have utilized studio strobes, however, portable flash units such as Speedlights also work exceptionally well for rim lighting. I reluctant to advocate a specific brand of lights claiming they are superior to all others. There are many brands of lights that can work for this scenario. For the purpose of this example, here is what was used: Lights: Three Alien Bee 1600 strobes

Modifiers: One 20 x 30 softbox (for the main light) and two 20grids for the rim lights. If you do not have a softbox, you could use a large shoot through umbrella. If you do not have the grids, you could use just the reflector on the Alien Bee units possibly at a lower power setting. Power: Vagabond II to power the lights. Should you be indoors, the power source will not be an issue. However, if your idea requires you to be mobile, outdoors, or some other location, a portable power source such as a Vagabond will be your best bet. Triggers: Pocket Wizard II units to fire the strobes. Again, if you are indoors your strobes could work as slaves and then you would need a method to fire the main light. With this example, the shoot was setup outside and Pocket Wizards were the best route. Also, and more importantly, using remote triggers affords you the freedom of moving around the setup as you need.

Step 2: Setting Up the Shot

To begin, this was a shot that I had wanted to attempt for some time. It was a bit tricky to pull it off, not necessarily because of the lighting but more so because I wanted to shoot this in the middle of the street. Having the subject posed, sitting in a

chair, in the middle of the street is one thing. Having the lighting you want coupled with all of that is an entirely different animal. Thankfully there is a street right behind our studio that sees little traffic. This has proven invaluable for some unique shots. The average person does not realize the street is low volume, they just get the effect of seeing the shot in the middle of the street. Regardless of the traffic, setting up in the middle of the road means you have to be cautious and aware of your surroundings while you get the shot. The three lights were brought out and setup in a triangle formation. One Alien Bee 1600 was setup facing the subject. This light, the main light, was fitted with the softbox. The other two Alien Bee 1600s were placed on either side of the subject, facing the subject. The height on these lights is around the same height as the subjects shoulders. These two lights, the rim lights, were fitted with 20 grids. Since the grids offer a directional light, the lights could be positioned more toward the camera than otherwise. Without the grids, the same setup could be implemented, however, the lights would need to face a little more away from the camera to avoid flare. All of the lights were connected to Pocket Wizard IIs. With the lights in place, the next step was how to power them. Given that the shot was setup outside of a studio, an extension cord could have been run to the street. For this shot, however, a Vagabond II portable power source was used. A power strip was plugged into the Vagabond II and all of the lights were connected to the power strip. To explain the lighting a little better, I have created a diagram usingLightingDiagrams.com as the platform (then made some small edits myself).

To see what this actually looks like, here is a shot of my business partner shooting. You can also get a good understanding of the mess we created in the middle of the street!

Some items that I have found to be invaluable while shooting outside, that were not mentioned above, include sandbags and a cart. Looking at the behind the scene shots above, the Vagabond powering the setup also serves as a great sandbag. It is heavy enough to keep the lightstand and light in place. While the two back lights (positioned a little higher than we ended up using them in the final shot) did not have umbrellas attached, we still felt more comfortable securing them in place with sandbags. Our cart is a life saver. Loaded down with gear, it is easy to push it around the studio or down the street and saves time and energy. After a few quick test shots we were up and shooting, hoping not to be run over in the road.

Step 3: Lets Take Some Pictures

The scenario was shot with a Nikon D80 & Nikon D3 using a 70-200 f/2.8, 24-70 f/2.8, and a Sigma 10-20mm to capture a variety of poses there in the street with the lighting. To try and capture a slightly different angle, my business partner used a small step-ladder, shooting down on the subject. Here is a sample of the results:

The above examples were shot with a Nikon D80 and Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 lens. The settings were f/10, ISO 200, and shutter at 1/200. When opening the image in Camera Raw, the contrast, clarity, and blacks sliders were bumped up a notch, slightly increasing all three. The main strobe and softbox combination produces a nice light which totally covers the subject. The additional lights hit her bringing out her hair and giving some depth to the image that you would not have when shooting with a single light source.

With the rim lights turned off, the image feels flat. The lighting is not bad, per-se, but the rim lights give it an additional dimension and pop. In fact, I did not truly appreciate what the additional lights did until they were turned off as a test.

Comparing the two, it is easy to see the difference.

To give another example of how the lighting can provide a nice effect, here is an additional setup which was done in a studio. Depending on your setup, you can have a subtle effect or something more dramatic, such as this:

The above image was achieved with the same 3-light setup, only with different modifiers. The main light was an Alien Bee Ring Flash shot through a 56 Moon Unit. The rim lighting was created using two Calumet Genesis 400 strobes. To give a little harsher light around the edges, no modifier was used on the back strobes. Shot against a black backdrop in studio,

combined with the black shirt, gives the outlined effect above. It was shot with a 10-20mm wide angle lens and the actual framing was done in post to off-set the composition a little.

Step 4: Post-Process
After shooting a series of images, you can plan on walking away with a few that stand out over the others. And while the stand-out images are the ones that you deliver to the client, some post-process clean-up would help enhance them, removing some elements that could not be removed in-camera. For the example image, there are several spots behind the subject which reflected light offering a distraction. During this shot, the client actually liked the stop sign being lit in the background, so it was left in. Yet there are other spots, such as just under the stop sign, to the right (some reflection off the building), and a few other places in the background that detract away from the main focal point. Lastly, I have never found a road that was spotless. While unrealistic to expect such, cleaning up some of the debris also helps keep the focus where it should. Here are some areas that stood out to me as areas that I wanted to focus on:

Most of the blemishes and faults can be corrected quickly in Adobe Photoshop with either the Clone Stamp tool or Healing Brush. To start, the smaller reflector under the stop sign it could easily go as it is too distracting. (The client actually liked the effect of having the stop sign appear to be lit so it was left in). Using the Clone Stamp tool and a small soft round brush, sample the area under (or above) and repaint over the reflector, removing it completely. I prefer to zoom in on the image (at least 200%) to make sure I have covered the entire area.

To the right of the stop sign, there is a reflective area on the building that is also a bit distracting. Follow the same steps as above. The Clone Stamp Tool (you can select the tool by simply pressing S) with a soft round brush will work just fine, taking out the shiny white areas. While using the Clone Stamp Tool, go ahead and remove the small white spot under her right elbow.

I sampled the area just above and just below, painting over the reflective areas removing the brighter white spots. If you find some reflective areas that are not as bright, you could also opt to use the Burn Tool, however, with this image, I wanted to remove the reflection entirely and match it with the surrounding wall as best as I could, which is why I selected the Clone Stamp Tool.

A quick side note here you could spend as much or as little time in post-processing as you want or feel that you need to. Often times I will work more than I probably should, but there items that stand out to me that might not stand out to you. With that said, you will obviously decide what to remove and correct based on what you feel your client needs are coupled with whatever deadlines you are working against. The reason I bring this up is that I have opted to remove the small satellite dish from the building roof, camera left.

You could again stick with the Clone Stamp Tool and paint away the image. I used the Rectangle Marquee Tool (M) to select an area immediately to the left large enough to cover the dish. From there, promote this selection into a new layer. From the menu select Layer > New > Layer via Copy (Or press CTRL + J) to copy the selection into a layer of its own. From there, drag the layer over the dish. While dragging, hold the shift key down to constrain the image along its horizontal path.

Now you just need to use the Eraser Tool (E) and trim away the edges so that it matches the background behind it. I used the same method as explained above to remove the small white pipe in the background just behind the subject, camera left.

Next, lets clean up the concrete a bit more. You dont want it so flawless as to be unrealistic. For this, I would recommend using the Healing Brush Tool (you can select the tool by simply pressing J) and a soft round brush. Click while holding ATL down to sample a clean area of the concrete, then paint over the blemish to correct it.

Summary
Lighting can easily make or break your image. Positioned correctly, lighting can add a dramatic effect to your subject as well as accent and pull the subject off the background environment. Nailing the lighting makes the rest of your workflow easier as the goal is to spend less and less time after the shot. However, mix in some post-processing for additional touch-up and you should end up with a great image to give to your client.

How to Photograph Stunning Waterfalls

Steve Berardi on Nov 25th 2010 with 46 Comments Tutorial Details
Requirements: Wide angle zoom lens, Polarizing filter, Tripod Difficulty: Intermediate

Final Product What You'll Be Creating

Twice a month we revisit some of our reader favorite posts from throughout the history of Phototuts+. This tutorial was first published in September, 2009. Waterfalls are some of the most beautiful natural features you will ever get the opportunity to photograph. But though they can look simply stunning, photographing waterfalls is not easy to do well. How do you avoid your photos being too dark? How do you deal with clipping in the water? How do you compose your photos to capture the authentic beauty of the scene? In this tutorial, nature photography expert Steve Berardi shares his best tips for photographing waterfalls. Photographing waterfalls isnt hard, but it does involve a lot of little tricks and techniques. This tutorial will focus on how to get that silky water effect and how to get the balanced light that helps bring out the contrast you usually find around waterfalls. The key to getting a silky water effect is to use a slow shutter speed, so most of the techniques described below revolve around this simple idea.

Step 1: Get the right equipment

Required: wide angle zoom lens, polarizing filter, tripod Recommended: 2-stop neutral density filter, remote shutter release, telephoto zoom lens Waterfalls are usually found in tight canyons, so most of the time a wide angle zoom lens will be necessary. The polarizing filter is good for at least three reasons: it eliminates reflections on the water/rocks, saturates the greens around the waterfall, and reduces the amount of light entering your lens. Most importantly though, you need a tripod to stabilize your camera for the long exposures. Although not required, a 2-stop ND filter can help you get a longer shutter speed too (useful for brighter lighting conditions). A remote shutter release can help you get sharper images by preventing you from shaking the camera. And finally, a telephoto zoom lens is helpful for zooming in on a specific part of the waterfall.

Step 2: Find waterfalls to photograph

Regardless of where you live, theres a good chance you have a waterfall close by. You may not have hundreds in your area (unless you live in Oregon, USA), but if you do enough searching, youre sure to find at least one! So, where do you look? Well, here are a few methods Ive used with great success: Do a simple Google search (e.g. illinois waterfalls)

Search photos on Flickr Look for a waterfall guidebook for your area Go to any state parks visitor center and ask a ranger My favorite method is searching Flickr because it gives you a good idea of what the waterfall looks like, and if theres enough shots of the waterfall itll help you explore new compositions.

Step 3: Visit the waterfall at the right time

Depending on the water source of the waterfall, it may look drastically different throughout the seasons. For example, waterfalls that are fed primarily by melted snow are often dried up or reduced to drizzles by the end of summer. These waterfalls are usually best in late spring or early summer (in early spring theyre usually a little too strong). So, as part of scouting out waterfalls, its a good idea to find out the source of the water and visit the fall when its running strong enough. Its also important to visit the waterfall when lighting conditions are ideal. Balanced and diffused light is great for waterfalls because it helps bring out details in the shadows and amplify the contrast. The best diffused light occurs on overcast days (the clouds act as natural diffusers), but if you cant wait for a cloudy day, then visit the waterfall at sunrise or sunset (as long as the entire fall is in the shade). The worst time to photograph a waterfall is when half of it is in the shade and the other half is sunlit. Your camera wont be able to handle that kind of contrast.

Step 4: Compose your image

When you arrive at the waterfall, dont setup your tripod right away! Walk around the waterfall and look through the viewfinder to explore different angles and camera positions. Here are few tips for composing your image: Shoot at an angle instead of directly in front of the falls

Zoom in closer with a telephoto lens and capture one small area instead of trying to capture the entire falls and surrounding area Include foreground elements (e.g. rocks, flowers, etc) As an example of the first tip, check out these two photos of the same waterfall (one shot was taken directly in front of the falls, and the other was taken from the side). Notice the dramatic difference?

Step 5: Adjust your polarizing filter

Once youve found a good composition, then its time to carefully adjust your polarizing filter to maximize its effect. While looking through the viewfinder, just rotate the filter and watch for the reflections to disappear (at the same time the greens start to look a lot more saturated). You might want to rotate it completely a few times just so youre sure that youve found the best position.

Step 6: Setup your camera for the shot

In order to get that silky water effect you see in all the waterfall photographs, youll need a long shutter speed. So, here are a few recommended settings to start with: Set the camera to Manual mode. When I first started photographing waterfalls, I shot in shutter priority mode, but quickly switched to manual because the camera didnt always choose the aperture I needed to get the right depth of field. If youve never shot in manual mode before, dont worry. With waterfalls, shooting manual is especially easy. Use a small aperture. This is necessary for two reasons: it helps you get a longer shutter and it helps keep everything in sharp focus. I recommend starting with f/16 and then going smaller if that doesnt give you a slow enough shutter. Some photographers will tell you to always use the smallest aperture possible on your lens, but I avoid this because lenses usually lose sharpness at their smallest (and largest) apertures. Use the lowest ISO speed on your camera. This also helps you get a longer shutter, but it has another benefit too: lower ISO speeds will produce less noise and capture more dynamic range. Since youll be using a long shutter speed, your image will be much more sensitive to noise, so a low ISO will help prevent that noise. Start with a shutter speed of a few seconds. When photographing waterfalls, finding the right shutter speed involves a lot of experimentation, but a speed of 2 seconds is usually a good place to start. Be prepared to use shutter speeds ranging from 1 to 30 seconds. Okay, enough with setting everything up, lets start snapping some photos!

Step 7: Take the shot and review

After you take your shot, review it on your LCD, making sure to turn on the histogram. Look at the edges of the histogram to determine if youre losing detail in the shadows/highlights. For example, take a look at the image below and its corresponding histogram on the right:

Notice how the histogram shows this image is severely underexposed: nearly all the pixels are black. If youre losing detail in shadows, then try a slower shutter speed and take another shot. And, if youre losing detail in highlights, then try a faster shutter speed. This step is a lot of trial and error. You may need to change camera settings between shots to get that perfect image youre looking for. If your shutter speed is proving too fast to create that silky water look, and youve already tried using a smaller aperture, then you might want to try popping on a neutral density filter to help you get a slower shutter speed.

Step 8: How to fix blown out highlights in

Photoshop

The most common problem youll experience with waterfall photos is blown out highlights. Even with the balanced and diffused light, youll probably still get a tiny blown-out spot on the waterfall somewhere: itll look like a giant white blob in the middle of your beautiful waterfallyuck! Luckily, theres a simple way to get rid of this thing and give it texture like the rest of the waterfall. Heres how to do it:

Select the Burn tool (see above) and set the diameter to 100 pixels or so, hardness to about 15%, range to highlights, and exposure to about 8%. Then just hold down the mouse button and draw on the blown-out highlights. Be careful not to go over the same spot twice, otherwise the effect of the burn will be doubled (usually resulting in dark gray water). If the water turns too dark when doing this, then go back and try different settings (changing the exposure will have the most dramatic effect). Heres an example of what happened when I used this technique on the photo above:

Conclusion
This tutorial is by no means a complete guide to photographing waterfalls, but it should be a good start. So, go find some waterfalls and start shooting!

Understanding the Fundamentals of Camera Sensors

Andrew Childress on Jul 21st 2011 with 6 Comments
This entry is part 18 of 18 in the Photography Gear Session - Show All Previous

Light travels through a lens, the shutter opens, and a moment is preserved by capturing it on the camerassensor. This chip is an absolute essential in creating digital images. However, you may not have a good idea of how it all works. If youre wanting to demystify the magic of how your digital SLR works, look no further than todays Basix article all about camera sensors.

Megapixels & Resolution

If there is one thing that the average camera user knows about a cameras sensor, it is the megapixel count. Loved by the beginner, the amount of pixels on a cameras sensor determines the amount of data that can be captured. What do megapixels actually mean? Each megapixel a million pixels capable of captures bits of color that will result in an image. Lets take a file from my Nikon D300 for example. The maximum resolution of a file produced by the D300 is 4288 x 2848. On the long side of an image are 4,288 pixels, while the shorter side has 2,848 pixels. If we multiply 42882848, the resulting number is 12.2 million. Want to know the D300s megapixel count? You guessed it, 12.2 megapixels. (Nikon quotes it as 12.3.)

While megapixels are a valuable measurement of a camera sensors capabilities, more megapixels is not always better. One reason that camera companies have somewhat capped the number of megapixels that they will put into a sensor is that more megapixels usually means higher levels of noise. There is also a law of diminishing returns. Digital cameras have been able to produce large print sizes for years with 6 or fewer megapixels. This isnt going to change any camera that youre going to buy today is now capable of producing large prints. However, before upgrading to the 18 megapixel camera, ask yourself what you will use that massive resolution for. While professionals may need huge amounts of resolution for their purposes, if youre just getting started with photography, dont buy into the megapixel myth. Dont get me wrong, having the extra resolution for cropping is great. Just dont purchase one camera over another for megapixels alone. In conclusion, megapixels are a measure of only one of a cameras capabilities.

Noise & Sensor Sensitivity

A cameras ISO settings adjust the sensitivity of the sensor to light. In the film camera days, the ISO was associated with the film you loaded in the camera and could not be changed. Digital sensors have the advantage of being adjustable from shot to shot.

You may know that when you are in low light, you should consider bumping up the ISO to accommodate a usable shutter speed. A friend once asked me that since a higher ISO allowed for greater light capture, why shouldnt we always set the ISO as high as it could go? Wasnt this the same as a super fast lens or a slower shutter speed? He was right in thinking that this was the case in fact, raising the ISO does allow for more shutter speed or aperture flexibility. However, this comes at a cost. A cameras sensor works best at the lowest ISO. At this setting, youre going to see the best colors, lowest amount of noise, and overall highest image quality. Noise is basically the digital era equivalent of grain. Its all of those fine little dots youll see, especially in dark shots. I performed some tests below with my Nikon D300 so you can see the differences in ISO.

As the ISO setting increases, the image may increase in noise and decrease in overall quality. From sensor to sensor, ISO performance varies. One of the biggest strides in recent camera technology are the high ISO capabilities of modern cameras. Yesterdays ISO 400 is now matched in quality by todays ISO 800. The boundaries of low light performance continue to be pushed to levels that were never before possible.

Sensor Size
Not all camera sensors are built equally. Each company uses their own technologies and specifications in building the latest sensors for the latest cameras. The specifications used have a great impact on the overall quality of the sensor, and as a result, the images made with it. One of the major factors that determines image quality is the physical size of this sensor. This is why a DSLR is going to produce better images than almost any point and shoot. The size of the sensor in a pocket sized camera is merely a fraction of its SLR counterpart. Typically, larger sensors will also perform better in high ISO situations an effect that can certainly be witnessed when comparing point and shoots to even entry level DSLRs. By now, you may have heard of an effect called a crop factor. This term helps us describe the size of a camera sensor in relation to a standard size. What is this standard size? The reference point is a full frame sensor, meaning a sensor that is the same size as a 35mm frame of film. Any sensor that is smaller than a full frame sensor is going to experience the crop factor.

The red box represents the area that would be captured by a full frame sensor, while the blue area is respresentative of a crop factor cameras field of view. You probably know that to crop an image is to use a selected portion of the image, or to basically select a smaller region of it. On a crop factor camera, you are getting a field of view that is tighter than that of a full frame sensor. Believe it or not, there are sensors larger than 35mm full frame sizes. Digital medium format is a growing field that is favored by product and studio photographers for the massive resolution that can be offered. Phase One is now offering a medium format 80 megapixel camera and competitors such as Mamiya and Hasselblad are sure to follow with similar offerings.

How does a sensor work?

Today, our sensors are digital. Years ago, the sensor was film. Both of these are essentially the medium on which images are recorded. A lens plus some type of sensor is the basic equation for creating an image. There are a lot of other pieces in the machine, but these are the two keys to creating an image. As mentioned earlier, there are a few different technologies that drive camera sensors. Two of the most popular types of sensors are CCD (charge-coupled device) and CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor). CCD sensors work by transporting electrical charge and converting it to a digital signal. CMOS sensors use red, green, and blue color filters and pass data through metal wiring and onto photo diodes. Most modern sensors are of the CMOS variety. The CCD sensors had somewhat reached their technological limits and less common in digital cameras. In addition to the common CCD and CMOS, Sigma has developed their own type of sensor called Foveon that has caused quite the stir. Using a proprietary technology, Sigma claims that their new SD1 camera will be able to achieve 46 megapixel images using an APS-C sized sensor. This is done by using a three-layer sensor, with each layer being responsible for 15.3 megapixels. Some have disputed the total validity of this lofty claim, and with the camera yet to be released, the jury is still out. But the Foveon sensor has been around for a few years now, and other (lower resolution) cameras have been made using it. You can do some research and see if you prefer the results from this sensor.

Sigmas Foveon sensor technology claims ultra high resolutions by use of a unique layered sensor.

Sensor Care
Have you noticed any dark spots on your photos? Perhaps while taking a landscape photo, you notice some small dark regions on the bright blue sky. Although you can clone them out easily in Photoshop, what youre viewing are dust spots on the sensor. More accurately, the dust spots are on the filter on top of the sensor. While not a huge problem, they are an annoyance that you may want to deal with. There are a couple of steps that you can take to rid your sensor of the dust bunnies. The first thing that I would recommend is to use a Rocket Blower style tool to try and blow loose dust off of the sensor. These are a great tools to have on hand for all types of camera gear cleanup. To use the Rocket Blower, first put your camera in bulb shutter speed mode. In this mode, holding the shutter release button opens the shutter, exposing the sensor, until releasing it. Doing so allows access to the usually protected sensor. After the mirror is up, use the rocket blower to blow a few puffs of air into the sensor area. Holding the camera upside down ensures that gravity will do its part in pushing dust out.

A Rocket Blower is a great tool for sensor cleaning. The alternate method is to use contact cleaning, or a method of cleaning in which the sensor is touched in order to remove dust and particles. This type of cleaning is usually employed when the dust is more serious. There are a number of methods, some using sensor brushes and others using liquid solutions. Keep in mind serious gearheads may scream at you for using this method. Using the bulb shutter mode means that the sensor is on, and a charged sensor (especially a CCD sensor) will actually attract dust with a static-like draw. To properly clean your camera, consult to owners manual. There is usually a cleaning mode that allows access to the sensor while it is off, although you may need to buy a special plug. With this is mind, Ive cleaned my sensors using the methods above for years with no noticeable negative effects. When my camera needs a more serious cleaning, I send it off, simple as that. It isnt worth risking your camera trying an athome hackjob.

Conclusion
The digital camera sensor has revolutioned photography. With technology seeming to improve everyday, who knows what could be possible in the next few years? The last 10 years have seen the digital sensor become a part of everyday life, and the next 10 could be just as exciting as high ISO performance and image quality improve.

15 Stock Photography Sites to Sell Your Photos For Beginners and Pros
Peter West Carey on Jan 5th 2010 with 39 Comments
This entry is part 2 of 11 in the The Photography Business Session - Show All PreviousNext

Stock photography can be great revenue generating sideline to your photography business portfolio. If you can break into a few of these stock and mirco-stock sites, your images can sell while you sleep and continue to do so for many years to come. If there is one universal truth to be found in the stock photo industry, its that high quality images are always in demand. And theres no reason your high quality photos cant be among them! This listing of the current top stock agencies

is intent on presenting a bit of what you can expect when applying as a contributor. The companies are listed in no particular order.

Alamy

Almay offers photographers 60% of each sale made on the site and currently lists over 15,000 photographers. You retain all copyrights and they are a non-exclusive site, meaning you can sell your images on other stock sites. They have an exacting QC check of a small percentage of your submissions and if it fails, all submissions in that batch fail. Dedicated help line for photographers.

Crestock

Crestock boasts one of the fastest upload sites for photographers. Their site is easy to create an account with and you can get started uploading photos right away. As with all sites, your photos will undergo a quality check (QC) to make sure they are up to Crestocks quality levels. Crestock does not require exclusive rights so you are free to shop them around to other stock photo agencies. They have a preference for shots with people in them and like a lot of stock shops, they have more than enough sunsets, flowers, cats and dogs.

123rf

123rf, as the name implies, is a royalty-free stock site. Royalty-free sites offer a static price per image download, no matter on the use (to some degree, as there are limits). These sites can work well if your collection is large or in a particular niche. They currently offer 50% commissions from customers who download with credits and $.36 per download from subscription customers. Uploads are fairly easy and straightforward with options for FTP, Java or basic uploader. There is a 300MB limit for each upload.

Shutterstock

The payouts at Shutterstock work on a sliding scale, so the more images you have downloaded, the more youll earn per image. The scale currently starts at $.25 per download so it will take a sizeable portfolio with stellar images before the bigger returns roll around (this is true with all stock agencies, though). With over 9,000,000 photos and growing, Shutterstock ranks well among the other stock agencies and also offers video footage if you have high quality content.

Dreamstime

Dreamstime is a great place to get your feet wet if you are new to the stock photography game. While the payouts may not be as large as some of the other companies, Dreamstime does offer an extended licensing program to help increase the amount garnered from each sale. An extended license gives the purchaser additional rights beyond the normal royalty free license. For instance, under the standard royalty free license, the amount of print items (t-shirts, mousepads, calendars, etc) is limited or excluded depending on the agency. With an extended license, certain additional rights may be granted for an additional fee. A good company will let you control which extended rights you wish to see, as Dreamstime does.

Corbis

Corbis was established well before the internet opened up the stock photo industry. Gaining a foothold at Corbis is something of an elusive process. You will note when taking a look at their site that there is no easy Submit Here button like a number of the other companies listed. Instead, Corbis seeks out talent, typically by word of mouth in photography circles, and then invites them to become contributors. As you can imagine, a lot of photographers covet signing on with Corbis.

Getty Images

Like Corbis, Getty is a traditional stock photo agency and the entry process is different than most of the royalty-free sites on the internet. The entry process is one of the more rigorous in the industry but the payoffs are worth the effort for many. To apply, you will need to register with the site, review the guidelines for submitting, take a quiz and then submit a link to a gallery of your finest images. As with most stock companies, Getty is looking for images with a strong connection through use of concepts and emotions. If accepted, you will be offered the opportunity to submit photographs for one of Gettys House Collections with a specific theme.

Stockxpert

Stockxpert was one of the smaller, well positioned micro-stock agencies gobbled up by the larger, traditional stock companies. In this case, they are now owned by Jupiter Images and offer 50% commissions on all credit purchases. They pay electronically, if you like, through Paypal and Moneybookers. Otherwise a check can be mailed to you. They list the license you are agreeing to assign to purchasers right on their site, which is nice to see before signing up. They also have the ever popular extended license if you want to kick up revenues for select images. Earnings are monitored in real time and they have an affiliate program to increase earnings.

Fotolia

Fotolia also employs a sliding scale with royalties per image download of between 30-61%. This royalty can increase if you decide to become a photographer exclusively with Fotolia. One nice thing about Fotolia is they list the commissions and credits earned per sales (depending on size and license) right on their site before registering. This lets a contributor decide if they want to be fully exclusive, partially exclusive or non-exclusive right off the bat. All images must be in JPEG format, at least 24001600 pixels, in original resolution and you must be the license owner. As with most sites, you may not upload images with protected logos or trademarks in them, which is standard practice.

Big Stock Photo

Big Stock Photo also offers 50% commissions and that means your sales will range from $.50 for the smallest downloads to $3 each for the largest. Payouts start as low $50 of accumulated proceeds and can be paid through Paypal or MoneyBookers. They list the images that are most in demand making it very useful to target your work if the subjects are up your alley. Conceptual images are popular with this and other sites as they can be sold to a variety of markets. Uploads are easy and quick.

iStockphoto

iStockphoto is one of the leading micro-stock agencies on the internet. Because of their sizes, the QC process can be more rigorous, not to say any of the stock agencies is much of a slouch. iStockphoto also offers an exclusive images program with larger commissions if your images are only sold through iStockphoto. They further leverage this exclusivity and package a number of high caliber photos into a program called Vetta, which helps boost sales for extraordinary photos.

jupiter images

jupiterimages is another of the heavyweights with little information on working directly with them. Its best described as a, Dont call us, well call you arrangement.

Veer

Veer is an arm of Corbis Images with a view to the affordable market. The submission process is more exact but stringent. Youll be asked for experience in the industry including references, what your specialization is, where Veer can see your work and the size of your collection available for stock. Veer will be more suited for those with an established portfolio they wish to shop to other sites. Not that a new photographer cant break in with outstanding work, but experience is important at this agency.

Alaska Stock

With a specialty niche in the USAs largest state, Alaska Stock is the place to go for images of the last great frontier. While any photographer can submit photos, the subject matter needs to be located in the state of Alaska itself. Alaska Stock also markets itself as a great resources for those looking for assignment photographers in the state, which makes it great for those living in Alaska who specialize in a niche.

Can Stock Photo

Can Stock currently offers photographers 50% commissions on all direct image purchases made on their site and $.25 for each subscription download. The sign up process is easy and straight forward, just link to your portfolio and upload three images for review. Can Stock does have an exclusive program if you wish to be shown at only one agency. They do allow simultaneous submissions to other agencies as well.

Share Your Experience

Are you particularly familiar with any of the above stock websites? Feel free to share your thoughts and comments on which have worked best for you!

20 Fast Tips for Portrait Photography

Daniel Sone on Jul 26th 2012 with 9 Comments
This entry is part 10 of 15 in the How to Shoot Perfect Portraits Session - Show All PreviousNext

I love portrait photography. Im sure many of you do, too. However, doing a great portrait is one of the most challenging kinds of photography out there. So, here are 20 tips that will help you take better portraits and improve your workflow. You need to be concerned with lighting, composition, and other technicalities, but also expressing the subjects character and your own creative vision. With these tips, I hope you find a process that works for you.

1. Henri Cartier-Bresson

Cartier-Bresson is the iconic photographer of the decisive moment. No matter how much control you have in a portrait session, clicking the shutter at the right time, when all the elements are in place, is essential. In addition to that you must, put your camera between the skin of a person and his shirt. (Henri Cartier-Bresson) This isnt a passport or drivers license photo. Its a portrait.

2. Pose from the Ground Up

A good portrait pose, be it a headshot, partial or full-body, starts with the feet. If your subjects feet and legs are not set in the right manner, then the rest of the structure goes out-of-whack. A good rule-of-thumb is to have your subject place their weight on the rear leg and turn 3/4 from the cameras position. Also, have your subject flare their elbows away from the body a little to thin-out their silhouette.

Good posing helps shape the figure and maximize your lighting. Bad posing adds those 10lbs everyone talks about. (Photo by Daniel Sone)

3. Dont Forget the Hands

Squaring up the hands to the camera presents a flat slab of meat to the camera, even if you adjust your lighting. If the photo is about the hands, squaring them is less interesting. Not even photographs of boxers do it. Present more of the edge of the hand and use angles to make them pleasing. Your female clients will appreciate it.

4. Stick Your Neck Out

As photographers, we work in a 2D space, so making something look as 3D as possible is both important and a challenge. Help your image by having your client elongate their neck and tilt their head in such a way that they have a jaw line. This helps your light shape the face and create some separation between the head and neck.

I rolled out of bed and snapped these two shots on my webcam. Notice the dramatic difference of moving/tilting my head just a few inches.

5. When in Doubt, Rembrandt it Out

Classic and simple, Rembrandts high and 45 lighting works for a ton of people. This is lighting set-up I use when I have no time, dont know what the client looks like beforehand, or other in a pinch situations. Just put the light at the 45 degree angle to the subject on both the horizontal and vertical planes. I suggest learning this technique well and with a variety of modifiers so you can achieve a classic look in no time with a single light (flash, constant, or window).

Editorial and fashion photographer, Victoria Will Jackson, shows an example of Rembrandt-style lighting at a workshop. Just a single light with a black backdrop. (Photo by Daniel Sone)

6. An Ounce of Prevention Equals a Pound

of Cure
This is a planning-phase tip. Have a good, clear plan and clear, cheerful communication with your client, venue management, and other vendors who may be involved. Bring back-ups of the equipment youll be using and factor it into your pricing. That way, if a flash, batteries, or camera goes down it is just a minor hiccup and not a shoot-ender.

7. Get Some Help

I usually work solo on most jobs, but I have learned the value of having help on shoots that require more gear or logistics. Just having someone hold a reflector or light stand in place on a windy day, or keep track of the names of people youre shooting is beneficial. You can concentrate on your expertise better if you dont have to worry about so many other little things.

Something as simple holding a reflector can be a huge help to a photographer. (Photo by Daniel Sone)

8. Know Your Depth-of-Field (DoF)

You dont need to know exactly how many inches of acceptable sharpness from the plane of focus exists at 8 feet at f/3.5 on a 100mm lens, but you should have a good idea of how each lens treats a common f-stop. You also should know how camera-to-subject distance affects your DoF so you can mimick longer or shorter lenses by adjusting your distance. This experience is also useful with extreme close-ups with very fast lenses where the DoF is very thin.

9. Eliminate Distracting Backgrounds

A portrait, even an environmental portrait, is about your subject. A distracting background element is a big no no in portraiture as it draws the eye away from your subject. The human eye is attracted to bright colors, text, and human-like shapes. It is better to keep them out of the frame than it is to decrease your DoF or retouch them out. Also, dont have poles, trees, and the like growing out of your subjects head. It defeats that 3D feel.

10. Angle of Incidence = Angle of

Reflectance
Remember this whenever youre dealing with glossy or reflective surfaces like eye glasses, polished furniture, and windows. You can use these hot spots to your advantage, but many times theyre just distracting breaking the illusion or connection youve created. Place your camera outside the reflected angle, move your lights, or move your subject to help defeat or reduce the glare on those glasses.

Even though I was using gridded strip boxes, I had my main light nearly perpendicular to my cameras angle to move the reflection as far from the eye as I could. (Photo by Daniel Sone)

You can also switch to a larger, softer light source to make any remaining glare more pleasing if you simply cannot rid yourself of it.

11. Ratio to Taste

Adjust your lighting (contrast) ratios according to your subject and the objective of your session. These differences can be achieved by adjusting the power of your lights, their harshness, distance or angle, your cameras settings, and a few other things. Adjusting your lighting contrast changes the appearance and even the message you are trying to convey.

Notice the dramatic change in contrast ratios as well as the overall mood simply by changing the positioning of the lights. You can also see how the contouring of the face changes too. (Photo by Daniel Sone)

12. The Eyes Have It

If doing a portrait of a person or animal, make sure their eyes have life in them. Dead eyes are usually monotonously lit and without that specular highlight we usually see. Even if your goal is to convey a dead, empty look, getting light correctly into the eye is crucial. The shape, size, and position of the specular highlight in the eyes is important.

This close-up shows the specular highlight from the main light. Notice how it doesnt cut into the pupil. (Photo by Daniel Sone)

13. Have an Emergency Kit

I dont mean a first-aid kit with bandages and sterilized gauze, but one for your clients cosmetic needs. We wont always have a make-up artist or hair-stylist on hand for the portrait, so bring with you a few things that could prove very helpful especially when on-location. Bring a small cosmetic mirror, hair ties or bobby pins, facial tissue, disposable haircomb, and even unscented hypoallergenic baby wipes to a shoot. With these you/your subject can blot away shiny foreheads and noses, fix hair, and even refresh themselves on hot days.

She was grateful I had a small mirror and comb on hand to fix the frizzes caused by the hot, humid breeze. Her make-up kit was in the car, over 75 yards away. (Photo by Daniel Sone)

14. Have Another Emergency Kit

A small first-aid kit isnt a terrible idea either, especially if youre shooting on-location like a park or the woods. I bring bug repellant and insect bite cream too. For my gear, I bring plastic bags (in case of rain), bungee ties, and gaffers tape. Keep it compact especially if youre working alone.

15. Not Here is Not Here

Even if you have all day with your subject, wasting time isnt fun for anyone. Having your gear, especially a lens, flash, or stand in the car is almost like not having it at all. You now have to stop everything and run out to get it. That could take a lot

of time you usually dont have. Being prepared isnt just about having what you need its about having it on-hand when you need it.

16. Contracts and Permits, Have Them

Clients expect photographers to be magicians, especially when they think everything is a simple fix with Photoshop. Whenever youre doing a job, have a clear contract that also includes what kind of retouching youll do and how long it will take. Factor that into your pricing. Make sure you have the proper permissions and permits to be shooting where youre shooting. Even some public parks require permits to use their grounds for professional photography or other uses outside normal use (whatever that means). You may need multiple permits from multiple deptartments/jurisdictons if your shoot requires various locations or space. Oh, and have the contract signed before work begins.

17. Have Model Releases

Aside from the contract, it is handy to have your subject sign a release form especially if their image may be used for another purpose. You will also want the venue to sign off on the use of their property. That way, on top of the contract, everyone is agreed and clear on what is going on.

18. Have a Personality

If you have the personality of a house plant, youre not going to get anyone enthusiastic about the session, especially if the subject or client doesnt understand or care much for your craft or why theyre spending time and money on it. You also wont get the expressions and cooperation youll need when the time comes. Be friendly, empathetic, and purposeful. And if you run into that CEO-type that could care less, act like a good leader. Ive gotten people who only had 5 minutes to stick with me for half an hour, enjoy it, and be happy about the break in their routine.

19. Master the Rules, then Break Them

The rule of thirds, the golden spiral, exposing right-of-center, blah blah blah. These are things you need to master before you can break them and still make a great photograph. Otherwise, your images will just look foolish, even to the untrained eye. There is no absolute right or wrong way of doing a portrait, but there is a right and wrong way breaking the rules that govern them. Essentially, you still want to look cool being an unlawful photographer.

20. K.I.S.S.
Keep It Simple, Stupid (K.I.S.S.). The KISS rule is a lot like Murphys Law. Dont ignore it. In fact, KISS and Murphys Law are exceptions to tip #19. Keep your concepts and gear setups as simple as you can. If your equipment or assistants are getting in the way, then they are obstacles to your success. A lot of the best portraits are taken with minimal gear (camera, lens, natural light). So, dont think youre gonna need latest and greatest and most gear to pull it off. Keep it simple and it will be a more pleasant and successful experience for you and your client.

Baking sheet and aluminum foil. One light in a living room. Rembrandt style. Stupidly simple. (Photo by Daniel Sone)

Remember These Tips on Your Next Shoot

Remember these 20 tips on the next portrait you do. Some of them are big ones that will directly affect your images while others are more workflow that will improve your efficiency and care you demonstrate to your client. All in all these will help you become a better portrait photographer.

Simple Tethering for Canon and Others

Jose Antunes on Sep 15th 2012 with 7 Comments Tethered shooting is not just something for the big studios to show images to their clients during a shoot. It is practical for some types of photography at home. Here are some tips on tools for photographers interested into trying this technique.

Shooting tethered lets you see the images your taking directly on your computer screen.

Shooting tethered is a good idea if youre working with images that need to be fine tuned for focusing. When tethered, your camera is connected to your computer via USB cable, so each image is immediately available on the computer screen for you to look at. I use it for some macro work at home inside Adobe Lightroom 3 and 4. Recently, I got a new EOS 600D to pair with my APS-C Canon 50D and much to my surprise found that Adobe Lightroom 4 does not recognize the EOS 600D, although it recognizes older models. I must admit that I have not used Canons software for some time, but I decided I wanted to try it. I was in for some surprises. Following that, I felt it would make sense to write some notes to make things easier for others by pointing to some tools and software that can help you try tethered shooting.

Lightroom talks with my EOS 50D, but does not work with the EOS 600D.

Since Lightroom 3 that, when I need to shoot tethered, I use Adobes solution. I just connect my EOS 50D to the computer and program using a USB cable and I am good to go. It works fine and for a lot of time I have not had to look at other options. I even forgot the Canon EOS Utility, that includes a way to shoot tethered.

EOS Utility: Free for Canon

I remember using Canon software previously and I am aware that it gives you more control than Lightroom. While in Adobes offering you can see your exposure values and other info but can only press the shutter. With the EOS Utility, you can control everything in camera. Its like a command bridge for your camera. You can control almost everything, from exposure to the type of file in use. Thats how I remember the program.

Canons software is freely available for Canon users and lets you shoot tethered offering lots of functions.

So when I recently got a Canon EOS 600D, I was in for a surprise. I knew Lightrooms tether did not recognize many cameras in the early days, but more recently all the EOS xxxD cameras, along with cameras from other brands, work. So I was expecting some plug and play with my EOS 600D, but got nowhere. Lightroom recognizes the camera, but does not go beyond that. I had just set up everything for a macro photography session and I did not want to give up. I could easily just use my EOS 50D and start shooting, but I decided to do something else. I downloaded the latest version of Canons software, a package including Digital Photo Professional, ZoomBrowser/ImageBrowser, Photo Stitch and some other software, including the EOS utility. The successive updates to these programs are only available to Canon users that have the original software.

From the interface on your computer, you can control most of the cameras functions, from exposure to AWB, ISO and even the metering pattern or the quality of files.

EOS Utility makes it easy to transfer images from Canons cameras to the computer. But it also allows you to remotely operate the camera from your computer using the supplied interface cable, and thats what I was looking for.

Control Everything
After having installed the program, I was in for some surprises. As expected, my EOS 600D worked fine. But not having used the program for some time, I was amazed to find new options on the interface. You can control everything you can think of from your computer, and you can also control the external flashes connected to your EOS 600D, as the camera can trigger flashes wirelessly. Suddenly, my macro photography sessions are easier and funnier.

If youre using flashes you can also control them through EOS Utility, defining the power for different groups and any exposure compensation you want to use.

In fact, working with Canons EOS Utility is great, even more so now. With flashes placed away from the camera, you can control everything from your computer monitor, from exposure to flash power, and even press the shutter. And the best of it is that this software is completely free to Canon users, so theres no reason to not use it. The setup is easy to understand, and in minutes youll be able to shoot your first images. There are some good reasons to shoot tethered. Let me mention two: you dont need to wait for the file to be written to the card, as it is transferred directly to the computer. You can also preview your images on a big screen, probably the most interesting option if youre working with macro and are also using flashes. It lets you see exactly what each shot looks like. You can then adjust the settings accordingly.

With a camera like the EOS 600D that can control external flashes wirelessly, you can also control the mode to use and how each flash behaves.

One word of advice: when faced with the option to shoot only directly to the computer or to the computer and a memory card, choose to write to both. It will create duplicates, just in case something goes wrong. Or you can automatically delete images at the end of a shoot. It will probably slow your workflow a bit, but if youre working on your own it will make no difference most of the time. If you decide to shoot tethered, even for macro work, youll find that the USB cable provided with the camera is usually too short to work safely. You can buy USB cables up to five meters and they will work fine if theyre of good quality. I use a three meter cable that is enough for my needs, even if I want to do a portrait session at home. Remember that USB cables are fragile and also that if you need longer working distances you must to look for active extension cables to not worry about signal errors and corrupt data transfers. There are USB extension cables up to 20 meters if you need them. And you can use them together too!

If you use EOS Utility, but want to transfer images to Lightroom immediately you just have to activate Auto Import in Lightroom and tell the program which folder to watch, previously defined in EOS Utility.

I mainly use tethered shooting with the camera on a tripod but if youre moving on the set with your camera and a long cable, you better beware of the possibility of the cable being dislodged from your camera. There is one solution. The JerkStopper cable retention is a device that provides an anchor point allowing slack in the cord preventing damage or dislodging.

Together with Lightroom

Using a computer screen to check your images is also a great way to understand how the small screen on your camera can make miss mistakes. Checking focusing on macro shoots gives is a new experience when you see the images on the big screen. It makes it easier to place lights, define framings and correct things because you see each flaw in your technique. If youre using RAW expect for some delay for the images to appear on screen. If you use the Canon Utility, but want to transfer images to Lightroom immediately, you just have to activate Auto Import in LR and tell the program which folder to watch, previously defined in Canon Utility. Canon users have the best deal, as they get their software for free, and it is a good package, that lets you do everything: index, edit and even shoot tethered. But there are options for everybody else that want to try this way of shooting, although some of them are commercial.

If you decide to shoot tethered, you will need to buy a longer USB cable to work safely.

Software: Some Tethering Solutions

Adobe Lightroom, which offers tethered options since version 3, and Canons software distributed with the cameras are the programs I use to shoot tethered. But there are others to choose from. Here is a list of some options. Aperture 3 is the choice for Mac users. Additional details can be found at the Apple Store. Breeze Systems offers a wide range of commercial tethering software options for Canon and Nikon cameras on either a Mac or Windows. More info and prices at Breeze Systems. Camera RC is another tethering solution for Nikon DSLR cameras. Its free. To download the software and read about it go to the Camera RC website. Capture One Pro 6 is a tethering software and RAW converter for ultimate image quality. It contains all the essential tools and high-end performance in one package to enable you to capture, organize, edit, share and print images in a fast, flexible and efficient workflow. Head to the Capture One Pro 6 website to find out more. Nikon Camera Control Pro 2 does not come with Nikon cameras, but is a full-feature tethering software package allowing full control of all compatible camera settings. It costs $145.95. Available for Windows or Mac. Check out the NikonCamera-Control-Pro-2 website for more. PK_Tether allows connecting and controlling Pentax cameras from the PC. Its a free software. Find more info at PK_Tethers website. SofortBild is a free tethering software for Mac users working with Nikon cameras. More details can be found from the Sofortbild website.

Quick Tip: Using a Simple Portable Reflector

Peter Sawyer on Oct 20th 2012 with 7 Comments Over the next month I plan to write about various items photographers often forget about taking on a shoot. These gadgets can often make all the difference, and make your life much easier! This week we look at the simple portable reflector and how it can save you the problem of harsh shadows on a subject.
Republished Tutorial Every few weeks, we revisit some of our reader's favorite posts from throughout the history of the site. This tutorial was first published in July of 2010.

What is a Portable Reflector?

A portable reflector is simply an item that reflects light onto a object, but is compact enough to take anywhere. They are very useful in photography because you can easily give yourself more light to experiment with on a subject. Different coloured reflectors assist with changing the mood of an image. An example of a use would be when shooting portraits outside. You may often see hard shadows across the face (often under the chin), but with the reflector you can reflect light onto these areas and instantly improve an image.

Are They Expensive?

Reflectors are really cheap to buy costing as little as $15 for a double sided reflector. They often fold down into a smaller shape to make them easier to carry. You will find they often come in a circle or square shape and there are many sizes for different styles of photography. For example, large objects such as cars need a bigger reflector than a plant. I would advice only picking the size you need dont go bigger just because you "might" need it in a few years time. If you have no budget and would prefer to make your own, Id recommend reading this tutorial.

Different Colours and Styles

Gold Creates a warm feel to the image, best when shooting animals and people. Silver Just reflects the natural sunlight onto a subject. They do increase the specular highlights of your subject and will give the final image a higher contrast. White Again it simply reflects the natural light onto the subject, it is softer than silver and less likely to blind a model! Translucent Fabric Diffuses light and therefore it is perfect for outdoor portraits. Black Slightly saps colour from the image but produces a natural tone. Blue - They are uncommon but they create pleasant cool tones. You could try to buy a 5 in 1 reflector which contains all the different types for any situation you find yourself in. These dont cost much more, and save buying a number of seperate ones.

Image: Marco Bernardini

How to Use a Portable Reflector

General Photography: Get as close to the subject/person as you can without being in the shot.

Its often a good idea to get a friend or co-worker to help hold the reflector. If you have no friends free to help, you can attach them onto a tripod. Aim for an even glow across the subject without any shadows. Pick the right reflector for the situation, think about the available light.

Outdoor Photography: Position the subject facing away from the sun, then reflect the sunlight coming from behind.

When shooting people, focus on the shadows under the eyes and chin.

Indoor Photography: Use with an external flash or lighting gear.

Bounce back light to illuminate the whole of an object. Hold at a 45 degree angle when shooting people.

Image: John Flinchbaugh

A Few Other Uses!

These are other uses I have used reflectors for. These are un-common and you may not find them in any guide book! When dealing with smoke machines when filming a music video, I used the large shape to fan the smoke over the band.

On a beach when changing a lens, I have often placed my items on top of a reflector so they dont touch any dirt or sand. When working in hot conditions all day, a couple minutes with some makeshift shade from the reflector can do you good! They offer a good simple white background for portraits or objects.

How Do You Use Your Reflector?

Do you have any other related tips to share? Feel free to let us know in the comments!

40 Fantastic Female Portraits

Peter Sawyer on Jan 12th 2010 with 24 Comments
This entry is part 5 of 14 in the Portraits Session - Show All PreviousNext

Today weve pulled together an inspiring collection of gorgeous female portraits. Photographing people can be a challenging and rewarding art, and these photos will hopefully inspire you with new techniques, lighting examples, and composition. I hope you enjoy the roundup, and feel free to share your own examples in the comments!

40 Inspiring Examples
Credit goes to the original photographers, please click on each of the pictures to view more of the photographers work and see an enlarged version of the photo.

Useful Portrait Tutorials

Check out these handy tutorials here on Phototuts+ about portrait photography!

9 Tips for a Perfect Portrait Background

Taking Amazing Studio Portraits On a Tight Budget

Creating a Stunning High Pass, Ill Effect Portrait

Create a Stunning High Key Portrait Photo

Thanks For Reading!

I hope you enjoyed looking through these images, and please make sure you comment on the original photographers photos as well! Feel free to share links to other inspiring images your own, or others in the comments.

10 Top Tips for the Amateur Wedding Photographer

Simon Bray on Oct 7th 2009 with 22 Comments Wedding photography can be lucrative, fun, and a great way to show off your photography skills. Although the industry is filled with professional wedding photographers, you dont need to be a pro to document the special occasion. This tutorial offers ten important steps that help ensure youll end the day with a great set of photographs whether or not youre a professional.

Step 1
Get in touch with the happy couple to make sure you know exactly what they want from the day. They may want you to be around all day taking candid shots at the service and reception, or they may just require the formal family portraits. Try and agree on how formal they want the photos to be, whether it involves the whole party lining up outside the church or whether theyd prefer some more informal shots of just themselves at a chosen location. If you are allowed, try to be there at every stage of the wedding, the bride getting ready and when the car arrives right up until they drive off into the distance. This will give you comprehensive coverage of all the events and a great selection of shots to choose from!

Step 2
Make sure you know your boundaries. It can be the case that the vicar or registrar would prefer certain parts of the service not to be photographed as it can be distracting and you have to ensure that you know when you are and arent allowed to shoot. Also, ensure that your camera wont be making any bleeping noises during the service! Its also good to know whether anyone else will be taking photographs or filming on the day, remember, its not a competition, try and work together and youll all get great results.

Step 3
It is important to ensure that you get the shots that youve been asked to capture before you start getting too inventive. The role of the photographer is to preserve the essence of the day and to ensure that memories can be relived for years to come. Theyll want beautiful clear shots, not creative blurs. So make sure you are in the right place at the right time to capture all those perfect moments. Once youve got what you want from a certain setting (e.g. cutting of the cake) you are free to start being creative! At a wedding, you are often surrounded by amazing architecture, decorated buildings and a church full of people looking their best. It would a shame not to make the most of this, so keep moving around each setting trying to find the best angles and viewpoints to capture the people and the structures around them.

Step 4
Shoot in RAW. As there are a variety of venues, indoors and outdoors, youll need as much versatility in the shots as possible and with RAW, youll be able to ensure that the light is always right. It is important to make sure you have enough memory for all the photographs you want to take. If you feel your memory card isnt big enough you can either get a second card, or take along a laptop to back up the photos as you go. You dont want to be fiddling around with unwanted shots and missing ideal photographic opportunities. I always find it easier to judge a shot on a computer screen, so dont be too ruthless with deleting shots on the day. Often a shot which can look like a mistake may have captured something interesting.

Step 5
The formal shots are likely be the most important photographs of the day, so it is great to ensure you get it right. Try to decide on two locations, your first choice being somewhere outdoors if its dry and a back up indoor option that preferably has a lot of natural light in case of rain. Make sure youve got your tripod and a list of the shots that are required, preferably detailing who is to be featured in each. Employ a bridesmaid or best man to be in charge of ensuring that each shot has its full compliment of members and then it is up to you to ensure that you have everyones attention and that they are smiling! Dont be afraid to tell people what to do, obviously its impossible to know everyones name, but theyll soon get the idea when you start arranging them in the shot and getting them to look your way.

There is always the possibility that youll need to shoot indoors, either through preference of the couple or because of the weather. Its important to be prepared for this. If you have any lighting equipment, take it along with you, even if its just a single light or reflective disc, it might make all the difference. There may also be the requirement to use flash for the formal shots and its essential to get this right. We all know that too much flash can really spoil a shot, so get your hands on a flash diffuser and dont over do it. If you have one, take a light meter, and always try a couple of test shots before you start racing through the formal photographs. I find it best to take the formal shots of the couple first, they are likely to be in every formal shot and if you leave them until the end theyll be tired of posing and itll feel far less natural.

Step 6
For me, a wedding is all about the people. It is a special day for everyone involved and there will be a lot of laughing, smiling and relaxed, happy people. Try to mingle with the guests to look for good reportage shots; the best times for this are when people are waiting around or during the speeches. If possible, try to go unnoticed. People tend to react and pose when a camera is pointed at them, but if you keep your distance youll get some great natural shots. Have fun; youll get the better results if you and your subjects are relaxed!

Step 7
Try not to switch off. It can be very tempting to make the most of the frivolities of the day, but dont get carried away with free drinks and an abundance of people to chat to you have a job to do! There are constantly great opportunities for informal shots, particularly in between the major parts of the day when people are more relaxed. Particularly good moments can be captured as the bride and groom are travelling between venues.

Step 8
If you get the chance, offer the newly wedded bride and groom the chance to take 10 minutes away from the reception. This will be one of the first times that theyll be alone together (albeit with you there) and can be a very special time. If possible, get them to walk hand in hand, giving you the chance to capture them whilst theyre not posing. Try a continuous shooting mode to capture every movement and shape they create whilst walking. There are also plenty of details such as the bouquet, rings and facial expressions to be focusing on.

Step 9
From past experience, you shouldnt need to do a huge amount of post-processing. The shots should be clean and colourful, and theres no need to be playing around too much. Some may need small tweaks of colour and contrast, but remember, these arent art shots and if youve done your job on the day you wont need to be making drastic edits.

Step 10
If possible, its great to display some or all of your photographs at the reception, the simplest way being on a laptop or computer screen. If youre really organised, its a great time to take orders for prints, but if not its just great for the wedding party and guests to have a quick look through. Its good etiquette to get the shots back to the couple or family as soon as you can. Agree on a format, either on a disc, upload to a photo hosting website or just the traditional prints in an album. Theyll be wanting to relive the day as soon as possible, so dont keep them waiting!

Quick Tip: Capturing a Perfect Rainbow Photograph

David Appleyard on May 31st 2010 with 19 Comments We can all appreciate the mysterious beauty of a rainbow theyre colourful, magical, and an uncommon occurrence. Unfortunately, they can be a tricky subject to photograph well. Today well be offering a few tips on how to make sure you get the perfect rainbow image.

What is a Rainbow?

So, what exactly are we looking for? Rainbows occur when sunlight intersects with water droplets whether thats rain, mist, waves, or a waterfall. Anywhere that you can see bright sunlight and moisture will be a good candidate for rainbow spotting.

The most spectacular rainbow shots can be taken when half of the sky is still dark with cloud, and you are positioned at a spot with clear sky in the direction of the Sun. Youll be able to capture a bright rainbow that stands out against a dull, rainy background.

Keep Your Background Clear

The most important thing to remember is that a rainbow isnt a solid object its a combination of light and moisture. This means that its often best to have a relatively clear background behind the rainbow.

This could be cloud, blue sky, the sea, or anything else similar. By all means incorporate other elements into different areas of the frame, but the background directly behind the rainbow itself is best kept clear.

The End of the Rainbow

There are generally two types of rainbow shots; those that show the arc, and those that show the point at which the rainbow intersects with the ground. I find the latter category to be more compelling and unique.

Try to find an angle that allows you to make this a prominent element in the image, and experiment with photos that show the rainbow crossing interesting subjects.

Look for the Second Arc

Whenever you can spot one rainbow, theres usually a second arc slightly higher in the sky surrounding the main rainbow. The colours of this are reversed, and its a really interesting element to incorporate into your shot.

Somewhere Over The Rainbow

Its rare and unlikely, but if you get a chance to observe a rainbow while in an aeroplane or helicopter, youll see something interesting. Its possible to see the whole circle of a rainbow not just an arc.

Obviously this is even more difficult to photograph, but its certainly something to keep an eye out for!

Make Your Own

If youre wanting to experiment with this type of photography, you dont necessarily need to wait for the environmental conditions to be perfect. A sunny day and a garden hose on the mist setting should give you a subject to experiment with straight away!

Share Your Images!

Have you taken a rainbow shot that youre particularly proud of? Feel free to leave a link in the comments below Id love to take a look!

Quick Tip: 3 Unique Techniques for Group Photos

David Appleyard on Jun 5th 2010 with 4 Comments Taking group photographs can always be a challenge. Not only do you need to perfect your camera technique, you also need to manage the pose, behaviour and interaction between a large number of people! Today well be looking at three tips that can help you achieve unique and interesting group photos.

1. Get High
For large groups, a wonderful technique can be to find a high vantage point and shoot down towards them. This makes it easier to get everyone in the shot, and helps avoid the problem of some people being taller than others. Looking up is often the most flattering pose for portrait photography, so everyone will thank you for capturing their good side and avoiding any double-chins!

If you dont have anything that makes a perfect vantage point, try to find a ladder that you can climb up to reach a better height. You dont need to be fifty feet up in the air just a slight elevation will work wonders.

2. Centre of Attention
When you have a group photo where one or two people are the main focus of attention (the bride and groom at a wedding, for instance), an interesting technique can be to have the other subjects look at the couple, rather than the camera.

This makes the viewer feel that they are joining in with the process of appreciating the couple, along with everyone else in the photo! Always be sure to take another photo with everyone looking at the camera as well, just in case the client prefers a more traditional composition.

3. Take Several Shots

With any group photo, taking multiple shots is absolutely key. Youll help to minimise the chances of someone blinking at an unfortunate second, and ensure that everyone is looking in the right direction.

That said, dont strive for perfection too much. Some of the most natural, candid shots can occur when everyone isnt perfectly posed. Its often worth letting people laugh, joke and interact while you capture the action as a bystander. Be sure to experiment with zoom/distance as you keep pressing the shutter. Get close for a few head and shoulder shots, and step right back to fit everyone in.

Its also worth trying different apertures to bring certain member of the group into focus more than others (as seen above). This can be a great way to emphasise one particular persons activity or pose.

Share Your Techniques

Do you have any of your own techniques and suggestions for great group images? Feel free to share them in the comments!

Working with Green Screens Photo Premium

Jason Moore on Oct 5th 2011 with 2 Comments Download Source Files
Source files for this tutorial are available to Premium members. Get a Premium Membership

We have another Photo Premium tutorial exclusively available to Premium members today. In this tutorial, well learn how to shoot photos with a green screens for background replacement. Learn more at the jump! There are times when you have the model, but your location gets rained out. Or you have the perfect setting, but no model on-hand to put in the scene. That doesnt have to mean a lost opportunity. Maybe youre shooting for a composite, ad or marketing piece and you dont want to monkey around removing the background in post. Though it is almost always preferable to have both your subject and your locale together at the same time so you can get it right in-camera, sometimes it can be easier to focus on getting the subject and the background the way you want separately. In just such a case, a green screen can be the perfect way to go.

Setting up the screen

The first step, before the subject even arrives, is to setup the green screen. Here, were just going to do a head and shoulders shot, so were going to use a small green screen to cover the area behind the subject. Im using a Westcott 5x7 Reversible Chroma Key Green/Blue collapsible background. When you buy one of these, the reason you will see most of them having both a green and blue side is that you want the background to have a solid color that is not found on your subject. Most of the time the Chroma Key Green is nowhere to be found on your subject and it will do the trick. However, if your subject is wearing a light green, but no blue, you can just flip it around and still make it work. Either way, you want to make sure there is a distinct edge between your subject and the background so you can make accurate selections later.

Lighting the background

With the background in place, its time to light it. With my experience working in video, I am more comfortable shooting with continuous lighting when working with green screens. I set a pair of Lowel Omni Focus Flood lights on either side of the screen to evenly fill the background , making it even more distinct from the subject. Strobes will also work, but the key is to get even light. This may mean using several lights or place the light far away from the green screen.

Quick Tip: Enter Photography Competitions

David Appleyard on Feb 2nd 2010 with 7 Comments As your photography skills grow and mature, you may find yourself wanting to take part in various photography contests and competitions. This is a great thing, and gives you the chance to compare your work with other talented photographers. Though the possibility of winning is always a motivating factor, the process of critiquing your own work and selecting images to submit is just as valuable. Equally, shooting specifically for a competition is a liberating experience that leaves plenty of room for creativity. Read on for a handful of quick tips and techniques to bear in mind when looking into photography competitions.

Only Enter Good Competitions

One key thing to remember is that you need to pick and choose which competitions are worthwhile entering. Although its difficult to determine whether a contest is good, here are a few things to look for to decide whether you should enter: Who are the judges? If theyre already household names, great. If not, look into their background and portfolio to judge the standard theyll be expecting you to reach.

Who are the previous winners? Take a look at previous winning images for an insight into what type of photos are successful. Ensure theyre of a high enough standard for you to want to compete with. Whats the prize? Though winning isnt everything, its good to be aiming for something worthwhile. This will be a different level for different people, but you want to ensure the material value or prestige of the prize is worth the work youll be putting in.

International, or Local?
If youre looking for a real challenge, various international events can offer a strong level of competition. Take a look at the Nikon Photo Contest International, Canon Contests, and various others featured atPhotography Competitions. The prizes for this type of competition often run into the tens of thousands of dollars. Alternatively, take a look in your local newsagent and pick up a few photography magazines. These are always running reader features alongside smaller competitions and, although the standard will still be high, youll have a slightly better chance of seeing your photo in print.

Four Things to Remember

Here are four tips to remember when entering competitions and submitting your work: 1. Never enter a competition if it requires giving away rights to your image, or if it falls into the bracket of spec work. Always carefully read fine print, and understand what the competition entails. 2. Dont submit work you believe judges will like, rather focus on images that youre most proud of personally. Relying on your personal judgement is more accurate, and also makes the whole process more valuable as youre learning to better critique your own work. 3. Read the requirements carefully. You want to be sure that your submission wont be rejected on a technicality (i.e. being the wrong format or size, etc), or for not covering the correct subject matter. Stick rigidly to the theme of the competition, but try to interpret it in a unique way. 4. If you are allowed to submit multiple images, aim for a diverse selection and style. This means that if the judges dont like one particular image, the others are still in with a good chance.

Dont Be Discouraged
Remember that the main reason to take part in photography contests is not to win. You should be finding the process valuable both shooting for an unusual or enjoyable spec, and critiquing your own work. You wont win every time, and practice makes perfect! Do you have any of your own competition tips? Feel free to share them in the comments!

How to Set Up Your Own Photo-A-Day Project

Cameron Knight on Apr 12th 2010 with 13 Comments

Tutorial Details
Services: WordPress, Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, SocialOomph Difficulty: Beginner Completion Time: As long as you dedicate to it!

Any successful artist needs an audience. If you are trying to make a living with your photography, then mastering your camera is only one part of your career. Creating and marketing your personal brand can take your photography from parttime to overtime. Your website needs fresh content to keep visitors coming back, and what is better than a photo-a-day project to let people know they can see something new every time they stop by to look around!

The Theme For Your Project

A photo-a-day project is just that posting one photo each day on the web for the general public to view. But having an overall theme or purpose to the project is important. Make it challenging, make it fun, make it interesting. People do photoa-day projects that revolve around self-portraits, street photography, portraits of strangers, landscapes, etc. I am in the midst of my project right now, in fact all the photos shown in this tutorial have been shot in the last 2 months as part of it. I have chosen to shoot one frame on film each day. Im using a variety of films and different analogue cameras. Because Im only taking one frame a day, a roll of film is lasting me about a month. And therefore, my photos go up about about a month after theyre taken. The theme for your project must keep you interested as well. If you get bored with the project, the results will suffer and people will know it. Were talking about self-promotion here, but at the end of the day, we are artists. Our work must have some heart and soul.

Batch Posting
It may seem like cheating when youre not doing a film project like mine, but I would highly suggest scheduling a batch of images in one go. Writing a blog post every day and promoting that blog post can eat up a lot of time. I sit down each week and do seven or eight posts, then by using the software and services described below, I schedule their release. Only one new post or social media update goes live each day, but there are several that are already loaded into the system. By doing this, I can just shoot for the project on most days. Starting your project just a week before your first post will allow you to follow this protocol.

Recommended Online Tools

In order to make this project flow smoothly, I would recommend registering for the following online services:WordPress or a similar blogging service, Facebook, Twitter, SocialOomph, and Flickr.

The Blog
Lets divide this section into two categories. The first is blogging software and the second is a blogging service. My blog is set up using WordPress, a free, open source blogging software. To use the software, you need to have already purchased a domain and a hosting service. Downloading the WordPress software to your computer is easy, but then the software must be uploaded to your server, which is more complicated. There are other free blogging software packages available like Drupal. A blogging service is something that you register and run online through a third-party website. No downloading, installation, domains or hosting are needed. Blogger (or BlogSpot) is probably the most common blogging service, but WordPress also offers a similar service. WordPress.com pertains to the blogging service, while WordPress.org refers to the software.

Facebook
Facebook is not just for friends and family. If you have an established photography business, you should have a business account on Facebook. People can become a fan of your business and you can contact them at large when youre running specials or adding a new service. If you arent as well established, then your initial audience will be your friends and family. Facebook makes it easy for them to help you spread the word about your art. Facebook also allows you to upload photos, so you could keep a copy of your project in your account (though I would advise against this). Facebook is constantly changing their terms and conditions about copyright. If you value your work, I would not upload it to Facebook. But you can post links to your website, which will appear in the news feed of all of your contacts.

Twitter
Techniques for establishing a well-followed Twitter account could be discussed over the course of two or three other tutorials. What Ill say is that Twitter is a great place to connect with those who live in your area or have similar interests. If you dont have a Twitter account, you should get one. It allows you to stay up-to-date and gives you a great way to promote your work. To really utilize your account correctly and reach beyond your followers, get to know hashtags. Hashtags are keywords you place in your Twitter updates that make it easier for people to find you. You put a # before the word. #tog is a common hashtag that is short for photographer. The images in your photo-a-day project will probably be from your local community as well, so find out what hashtags people use when they are tweeting about your city. I live in Cincinnati, Ohio, so I sometimes use the #cincinnati or #nati hashtags.

Connecting Facebook and Twitter

Facebook has many built-in applications like games and quizzes. It even has one for Twitter. The Twitter app allows Facebook to post your Twitter updates as a status update in your account. So instead of posting the same thing twice, you can post once to Twitter and it will automatically post the same update to Facebook. This will save you a lot of time. The only downside is that everything you post on Twitter (except direct messages) will appear on Facebook, even replies.

SocialOomph
SocialOomph is an online service that allows you to schedule Twitter posts. If you pay for the premium version you can also schedule Facebook posts. But youre going to connect your Facebook and Twitter accounts, so dont worry about it. Follow the registration instructions, register your Twitter account, then click Schedule Update in the right-hand bar. Youll want to schedule one update a day for your photo-a-day project. Vary the times of the updates and then look at the results. Do you get more comments or views when you schedule your post around lunch or after dinner? Twitter feeds and Facebook news feeds get filled up quickly these days. If your friends have been using these services awhile, then unless they are on Facebook within 45 minutes of when you posts, they wont see your post on their first page.

Flickr
Unlike Facebook, Flickr has well-established rules that protect your rights to your images. Flickr is a great way to get new people to visit your blog. Once you register, start a new Set for your photo-a-day project. Then go straight to Groups. Anyone can join almost any Flickr group, and you rarely need to be confirmed by an administrator. Join groups that pertain to your project. There are a ton of photo-a-day groups. My project is based on using film. There are a lot of groups dedicated to keeping film alive. There are groups for specific types of photography, groups for cities and geographical regions, groups for people who use specific cameras and so on. Once you join these groups you can add photos to them when you upload them. Youll notice right away that its easy to get addicted to checking up on your group every day. Its a lot of fun.

Define Your Rules

Once youve defined your theme and setup your online infrastructure, you set out some rules for yourself. Are you going to shoot every day or just post every day? Ive allowed myself only one single frame per day does that idea appeal to you. I shoot everyday for a living, so when I find a subject, Im used to shooting a lot of frames of it. Ill take 35 frames of a wall to make sure I get it exactly what I want. Limiting myself to one frame was a big challenge for me. But your project could be the opposite of that. Maybe youll take 365 photos in one day and then post them over the course of a year. Whatever it is, you should make them a little challenging, but not so hard that you give up. You should also reveal those rules to your audience, so they know how challenging your process is.

Theme-Of-The-Week
Producing a photo-a-day project for a year or even a few months can get a little tedious. The best idea Ive heard for spicing up the action is developing some themes-of-the-week. Pick something specific to shoot for just one week. It could a color, a mood, or a certain part of your community. Anything you want that fits your project. If your project is a series of portraits, then maybe one of your themes-of-the-week could be grandparents, workers or even your neighbors.

More Ways To Keep It Interesting

You can also spice up your project in other ways. First, step out of your comfort zone. If youve only used digital point-andshoot cameras, try a film camera. If you spend your days surrounded by professional gear, step away from it. Does work usually involve a tripod? Kick that thing over and shoot out on the street from the hip. If you are used to taking quick snapshots, grab a pinhole camera and slow down. Secondly, explore the world around you. We pass by things everyday without noticing. Take the time to meet those strangers you see each day in the elevator. Use this project as an excuse to take a different way to work, take a walk around your neighborhood or check out a park. And above all keep it fun.

Results
So like I said, dont let an idea like this be a sell out. Dont do this just to promote yourself, do it because you want to. People can see through it. That said, a project like this can really engage your audience. I wanted to share some of my results with you. A typical two-week period on my blog brings about 125 pageviews. Not a whole lot, Ill admit it! Im about three weeks into my project, and in the last two weeks, Ive received about 300 pageviews. I hope that the growth keeps up, but most importantly, Im having fun, taking pictures, and seeing new things.

FlashMasters: Off-Camera Flash

Andrew Childress on Sep 15th 2011 with 10 Comments Off-camera flash holds a tremendous amount of potential. With the ability to remove the flash from the same axis as the camera, off-camera lighting gives a photographer more creative options than ever before. Today, were going to learn about getting started with off-camera flash. In the first FlashMasters tutorials, we tackled the issues of flash equipment, terminology and our on-camera flash experience. We learned that a combination of technique and flash add-ons can help to really improve the results. However, as long as the flash exists on the same axis as the lens, we will always be bound to fairly simplistic lighting setups.

Why Use Off-Camera Flash?

Many beginning photographers allow off-camera flash to be the tail that wags the dog. Knowing that many photographers are using off-camera flash, they jump headfirst into doing the same with few objectives or goals. In truth, they often times end up with less pleasant results than could be achieved.

Low positioned flash may provide for a frightening appearance.

Dont let this discourage you! Lets take the pressure off, first things first: there is no incorrect way of lighting a subject. The fact of the matter is that each scenario calls for a different lighting approach. Therefore, your a method of lighting a subject can be useful at some time or another. Also, there is almost never a single best lighting style, and your voice as an artist comes into play with each photograph you make. As we mentioned in the intro, off-camera flash allows us to move the flash away from the axis of the camera. What this means is that our flash is potentially firing from a different angle than the lens is capturing the subject. Lighting theory can teach us that moving the camera away from the same axis of the lens can help to improve the look of our flash photographs. Lighting the subject from a 45 degree angle is typically agreed upon as a flattering angle. Further, lighting from a high angle is complementary to a subjects look. Throwing the shadow from the chin and on to the neck ensures a slimming look for the subject.

In this photo, a simple high speedlight at 45 degrees relative to the subject provides an easy look.

Finally, off camera-flash opens the door to further light modifiers that would not be possible on-camera. A large softbox or an umbrella would be rather difficult to manuever while sitting atop your camera. Additional modifiers are just another reason for moving the flash away from the camera.

Cutting the Cord: Moving the Flash Off-Camera

Now that we have decided that we want to free ourselves from the world of on-axis, on-camera lighting, the next step is to decide how. Right now, the time has never been better to get the gear to help us achieve this. The growth of the off-camera flash community, commonly called Strobists, has created a supply of triggering options in the last few years. Perhaps the most classic method of triggering flash off-camera is to use a TTL cord. This cord runs from the hot shoe of the camera to the flash itself. With this method, we can move the flash away from the camera but are still bound by the length of the cord. This can be defeated by the usage of wireless flash triggers. Composed of a two part set of a transmitter and receiver, or two transceivers, these triggers are favored by many for the flexibility that they provide. Flash triggers can be of two types: TTL and non-TTL, the difference being that TTL triggers can transmit the information needed for the flash to automatically choose the proper amount of power, while non-TTL triggers can only cause the flashes to fire at the same time as the camera. TTL triggers are rather expensive and are fairly limited in selection, while non-TTL triggers are widely available and low cost in comparison.

Choosing a wireless set has never held more options, but can be a difficult choice. If you need TTL triggering, be prepared to pay the pricetag. The most common choice for TTL triggering is the newest Pocket Wizard offering, the miniTT1 and FlexTT5. The FlexTT5 can act as either a transmitter or a receiver, with the lower cost miniTT1 acting solely as a transmitter. With so many solutions available, it can be hard to boil the menagerie of options down to one. When choosing a wireless flash system, remember that you are buying into a system just as you buy into a camera system. You are going to want to grow with that system and add on to it. As you continue to add flash units to the configuration, you will need additional receivers attached to the flash units, and you should ensure that you can continue to purchase receivers that work with your flash units. The purpose of this article is not to advocate a particular brand or model of flash trigger. My personal choice was RadioPoppers, which I have been happy with. I chose them for their ease of use and reliability and have not been disappointed. The LightingRumours comparison table can help you to choose a solution that meets your needs.

Different cables are required to connect various receivers to various flash units. Consult both your triggering systems manual as well as the manual of the flash unit in order to select a suitable solution. A site called FlashZebra has been instrumental for me as they carry cables of nearly every combination.

The Flexibility of Off-Camera Flash

Now that we have selected a method for moving the flash away from the camera, we should examine the benefits of doing so! Im going to show you some of the scenarios that off-camera flash has benefitted me the most. When shooting weddings, off-camera flash became a huge part of my lineup when shooting the reception portion of the day. This is a technique used by hundreds of wedding photographers and can provide for a more dramatic, interesting look than just on-camera speedlights. At a reception, I will typically find a corner to stash a flash in. Triggered with my RadioPoppers and shot through either a very small softbox or even bare, I have had great results shooting the dance and toast portions of the wedding. Typically, putting the flash on a speaker is a great way to keep the flash safe and undisturbed. As we discussed earlier, the flexibility of off-camera flash also lies in the ability to use large modifiers and add-ons that are not possible with on-camera flash. It is only possible to use these large modifiers when the flash is standing alone. One of my favorite modifiers is a simple white, shoot-through umbrella. This is used in tandem with a flash unit and does a great job of softening the light and increasing the spread. I personally have used umbrellas due to their low cost, portability, and ease of setup. A one umbrella setup has been responsible for a huge portion of my portraits and gives a classic soft light look that is very appealing. A flash used on a stand and bracket allows you to thread an umbrella and fire the flash through it.

This simple shoot through umbrella was used to create the look above.

In addition to white shoot-through umbrellas, reflective umbrellas are also an option. These are used by firing a flash toward it and using the reflected light to bounce on your subject. These umbrellas can be gold, silver, or even black, and all vary in their effect. The different colors render slightly differing colors of light and shape the way that the light renders highlights. One word of caution: umbrellas can quickly fly away on windy days, so you will want to sandbag your light stands or have an assistant secure it. Besides umbrellas, another common modifier is the softbox. A typical softbox allows for the flash to fire at an internal diffuser, then be reflected through the front panel onto the subject. Softboxes differ from umbrellas in that you typically have a little better control over the spread of light. This is called spill control and means that you are going to be able to better control the excess light that spills outside the modifier. As the name may indicate, the light from softboxes is sometimes more feathered in nature due to the double diffusion that many softboxes offer.

Planning for Off-Camera

When setting up off-camera flash on an event, you should always take the time to meet with your potential clients to solve any logistic issues. Make sure ahead of time that there will be somewhere that you can tuck a flash without being disturbed. Using sandbags with your lightstands is also a great insurance policy to make sure nothing crashes. If you are considering taking the flash off-camera, it can sometimes take some additional planning. However, the additional work and gear required to do so can pay dividends in the form of great photos.

Conclusion
Off-camera flash can be a daunting setup, but with research on the right gear and planning, can be conquered. Moving the flash away from the camera opens the door to photographic opportunities that were not previously possible. If youve recently ventured into this arena, please share your experiences below in the comment. Also feel free to share what gear choice youve made, and if youre happy with your choice.

The Best Way to Learn about Long Exposure Photography

Andrew Gibson on Jun 19th 2012 with 6 Comments Long exposure photography can create dynamic, surreal images full of motion. This fashionable technique amongst landscape and black and white photographers is characterized by simple composition and exposures up to several minutes long that blur any moving elements like water or clouds.

For me, there are four key reasons for the popularity of long exposure photography: 1. Digital cameras have made long exposure photography much easier. Unlike film, digital cameras dont suffer from reciprocity failure, making it much easier to calculate exposure. You can also check the exposure and the composition immediately by playing back the images you have taken. This makes correcting mistakes much easier, and the learning process much faster.

2. Filter manufacturers have begun making six, nine and ten stop neutral density filters. These allow photographers to use shutter speeds in excess of 30 seconds during the middle of the day, greatly increasing the usability of the technique.

3. Long exposure photography allows you to create good photos in the middle of the day under cloudy conditions, a time that is normally unproductive in terms of landscape photography. 4. Long exposure photography appeals to photographers who see themselves as fine art photographers. By concentrating on seeing the landscape in black and white and creating images with simple compositions, they are improving their design skills and developing an eye for a good image.

Tripod Needed
Long exposure photography may seem daunting, but its quite an easy technique to try out once you have the correct equipment. Lets take a look at what you need. You definitely need a good solid tripod with a good ball-and-socket tripod head. An aluminium or carbon fibre tripod is ideal, with a tripod head that is capable of supporting the weight of your camera and lens. It is important that your chosen combination can hold your camera absolutely still for durations of thirty seconds or longer. Giottos and Manfrotto are among the manufacturers that make good quality tripods. So do Gitzo, but at a price. Really Right Stuff makes L brackets and other accessories designed for landscape photographers to support their cameras. Jose Antunes has written more about Gitzo tripods here and there is a good article about choosing a tripodhere.

Cable Release, Remotes and Self-Timers

These are useful to have, but not essential. You can get by without them, at least to start with.

A cable release or remote control. You use this for firing the cameras shutter without touching the camera body. This allows you to take images free of camera shake. However, if you dont have a cable release or remote control, you can use the cameras ten second self-timer function to take a photo. The ten second delay is ample time for vibrations caused by pressing the shutter button to fade away. This is an easy way to take photos up to 30 seconds in length (the longest shutter speed available on most cameras). For longer shutter speeds, you need a cable release or remote control. You can learn more about remote releases here.

Neutral Density Filters

Neutral density filters come in strengths of three, four, six, nine and ten stops. They allow you to take long exposure photos during the day, and extend the period during which you can shoot. If you dont have one, the best time to take long exposure photos is at dusk, or just after the sun has set. At this time of evening the fading light will let you use shutter speeds of 30 seconds or more without a neutral density filter.

Polarizing Filters
These are useful for removing shine caused by water reflections from rocks and concrete, or to see through water. They can also block one to two stops of light, enabling you to use longer shutter speeds. You can combine a polarising filter with a neutral density filter to take long exposure photos during the day. You can learn more about filters at the Cambridge in Colour website. They have good articles about neutral density and polarising filters.

Find Good Locations

The next step is finding good locations to take photos. You may know of some already, if not there are plenty of ways to scout for good places. I like to use Flickr. For example, we have just moved to Wellington in New Zealand and I found a set of photos that has helped me find some good locations for long exposure photography already.

Another useful tool is the Photographers Ephemeris. This is a free program you can download for your computer that calculates sunrise and sunset times for anywhere in the world. It also shows the direction of sunrise and sunset. There are also iPhone, iPad and Android versions (you have to pay for those). Finally, if you are taking photos by the sea, you should look up the local tide tables. It is important for your safety to know whether the tide is rising or falling at the time you plan to take photos. There are places in the world where the tide rises rapidly and can cut you off from land very quickly, so please be aware of tide movements at all times and put personal safety first. Seascapes change dramatically with the tides, weather and time of day. Some locations are better for photography at low tide, others at high tide. Keep a record as you explore so you get know the best times to return.

Know your Camera Settings

Long exposure photography requires a firm mastery of many of your cameras settings. The best way to take a long exposure image is to use the Raw format. This has a number of advantages: 1. The extra bit depth enables you to capture more highlight and shadow detail. 2. You can adjust white balance in post-processing, instead of deciding which setting to use during the shoot. To start, I normally set white balance to the daylight setting. This enables me to see the true colour of the light, which may be warm during a sunset (the golden hour), or cool at dusk (the blue hour). 3. You can easily convert to black and white. The extra bit depth makes black and white conversion much easier. 4. You can adjust the Picture Style in post-processing. I normally set the Picture Style to landscape, but again I can change it in post-processing to suit the image. If you are new to Raw processing, you can find out more about it on Phototuts+ with this article collection:Camera Raw for Beginners

Experiment with Bulb Mode

The longest available shutter speed on most digital SLR cameras is 30 seconds. As your confidence with long exposure techniques increases you will want to move beyond that and take photos with shutter speeds of several minutes of more.

The main advantage of ultra-long shutter speeds is that you can use them to blur the motion of the sea, and it is with seascapes that you will most often see this technique used. The two photos above show you the difference that long shutter speeds make to the image. The bulb setting on your camera lets you take photos with a shutter speed of your choice. You need a cable release or remote control so that you dont disturb the camera. Press the shutter button to open the shutter and let it go to close it. Your camera may display a timer in seconds so that you can see how long the shutter has stayed open. You can also use your watch. Check your cameras instruction manual to verify how it works. Your camera may also have a T shutter setting, B usually indicates bulb. The T setting allows you to press the shutter button to open the shutter, and then it will stay open until you come back and press it again.

Work on Exposure
When shooting long exposures, its important not to lose detail in the highlights caused by overexposure. Its also helpful to avoid underexposing the image, as this increases noise in the darkest tones. You may also lose important shadow detail. You can get started by reading this article.

Work on Composition
Part of the appeal of long exposure photography is that it helps you practice your composition skills. This is especially true if you work in black and white as there is no color to distract from the composition. In black and white, the fundamentals of composition (line, texture, tonal contrast and so on) matter far more than they do in color. One of the tenets of long exposure photography is that simplicity, or even minimalism, are best. Study the work of some of the long exposure photographers mentioned in the last section to see this in action. There is a collection of articles about composition on Phototuts+ here.

Know your Light

Light is an important element of any photo. These are the four lighting situations you will most often see used in long exposure photography:

1. Sunset or sunrise. Its fairly obvious why. These are beautiful times to take photos. A good time to take long exposure photos is when the sun is below the horizon (before sunrise or after sunset) as there is less contrast and the light levels are lower, allowing longer shutter speeds. 2. Twilight. Also known as the blue hour because of the color of light at this time. This is the period between sunset and night (or night and sunrise) when light levels are low and the fading light illuminates everything in a ghostly glow. Twilight is a good time for taking long exposure seascapes as the water reflects the fading light, creating contrast between the water and the sand and the rocks. This is a good time to take photos if you dont have a neutral density filter. 3. Overcast days (for landscape photography). This is popular with photographers who use nine or ten stop neutral density filters to obtain long shutter speeds during the day. If the sun was out, especially during the spring and summer months, the light would be too harsh for good landscape photography. But on a cloudy day, moving clouds add interest to the sky. 4. Sunny weather (for architectural photography). Some photographers take long exposure photos of buildings during the day. The hard sunlight is good for illuminating buildings, especially in black and white (it may look a little boring in color). A requirement is that there are clouds in the sky. Moving clouds create the contrast between the buildings and the changing sky that you need for a successful long exposure photo. There is one notable exception to the above guidelines: infra-red photography. For this you need specialist equipment, either an infra-red filter or a camera converted to infra-red. To learn more, read Luca Cesaris excellent article about infra-red photography.

Find Some Inspiration

Now that you understand the basics of long exposure photography, its time to get some inspiration. Here is a list of photographers known for their long exposure photography, and the best articles I could find about the topic. The work of these amazing photographers will inspire you to try out this exciting technique for yourself:

Websites and Articles

BWvision.com: A collection of photos by photographer Joel Tjintjelaar. There is a series of excellent articles about black and white and long exposure photography in the tutorials section. Bulb Exposures: A blog dedicated to long exposure photography. Long Exposure Photography: 15 Stunning Examples An 11th Tip for Long Exposure Photography

Long Exposure Photographers on Flickr

Xavi Fuentes: You can read my interview with Xavi Fuentes here Jeff Gaydash Pica Gavin Dunbar Michael Diblicek Soulfly Noel Clegg Nathan Wirth

How to Use Your Canon Speedlite 600EXRT

Jose Antunes on Feb 21st 2013 with 2 Comments The introduction of radio for flash triggering in Canon starts with the Speedlite 600EX-RT, a flash that opens new horizons but also forces users to learn a few new things. Here are the most important thing to know about your Speedlite 600EX-RT.

Meet the 600EX-RT

If youre in the market for a new flash system, are a Canon user and want to go to the top of the line, buying the Speedlite 600ES-RT may be your best bet. It stills talks with older Canon flashes in optical mode, but is a step into the future and the most reliable system for flash triggering: radio frequencies. Canon has adopted the universal frequency of 2.4GHz, used almost everywhere without any problems. Chinese flash trigger makers, who pushed the market in the radio direction with a multitude of products, use the same frequency. So the new unit is the starting point of a new generation.

Theres a steep learning curve when you move to this new flash system from Canon, especially if you come from the older models, like the 580EX II or 430EX II. These had cryptic interfaces that needed the manual close by to be decoded. Fortunately Canon started to use the LCD on their recent cameras as far back as the EOSD 40D to control external flashes, so it was possible to create more user friendly interfaces that made the use of flash easier. This means that you also can control your new flash or flashes directly from your camera, although some limitations apply to cameras introduced before 2011.

A Larger, Better LCD

The 600EX-RT enters a new line of thinking, as the unit lets you work in two modes, optical and radio, offering multiple options within each type of control. This said, the interface is easier to understand, due to the bigger LCD, which permits the use of plain English to explain the functions (instead of codes you had either to remember or look up in the manual).

The new Speedlite 600RT really speaks to you, making for an easier use once you come to grips with all the new functions.
Also, Canon has ditched making users tap on different buttons multiple times to get functions, providing users with an interface that changes according to the mode in use, followed by a change on the way buttons behave. The Mode button changes the interface and the functions each soft button activates. And that all is explained in a language understood by humans instead of just computer programmers from 1988. The new Speedlite 600RT really speaks to you, making for an easier use once you come to grips with all the new functions.

The old Speedlite 580EX II and the new Speedlite 600EX-RT interfaces.

Five Working Modes

Lets look at the new unit, starting with the back, where the new, bigger panel dominates. There are almost the same number of buttons that you find on the previous top of the line, 580 EX II, but there are new ways to use them. Once the unit is turned on (the lever on the right side) you can access the different modes using the large button on the left. It will take you through the ETTL, Manual, Multi (Stroboscopic), External Automatic and External Metering modes. Some of these modes people never knew about, simply because they were hidden in the submenus under the cryptic functions on the 580 EX II. Because were just looking at the essential aspects of using the 600EX-RT, we will not explore the three last modes, but center on those most people will want to use: ETTL, where the flash automatically defines the light needed, based on a

meter reading done through the lens, and Manual, where you set the amount of light emitted and adjust exposure accordingly.

You can choose the colour of the backlit LCD: green or yellow. Its good way to identify which unit is the master and which is the slave, for example.

Using ETTL
Once you choose the ETTL mode, the functions available to each button show up on the LCD. And they are Zoom/Functions, Exposure Compensation, FEB (Flash Exposure Bracketing) and Sync, with defines if you get 1st or 2nd curtain sync or if you go to the Hi-Speed mode. On the center of the LCD you get a scale for Exposure Compensation and at the bottom the distance the flash will reach, both similar to what you had before. Besides choosing the zoom of the flash head (automatically and manually from 20 to 200mm), you can access both the Custom and Personal functions through the first button. These functions now have easy-to-understand menu descriptions, so you can leave the manual home after once youve read it once or twice.

Going Manual
Once you choose Manual Mode, the third button from the left stops letting you do FEB, which makes sense since youre working on manual and fully controlling the flash charge to be emitted. The scale in the middle of the screen changes to show you the power settings you can adjust, from 1/1 to 1/128 in 1/3 stop increments.

Press the button below the +/- sign and you can adjust the power using the selection dial in the center of the 600EX-RT.

Press the button below the +/- sign and you can adjust the power using the selection dial in the center of the 600EX-RT. Press the SEL/SET button to lock in your adjustment. This is the normal procedure to adjust many of the options on the 600EX-RT.

The Speedlite 600EX-RT makes a nice pair with the Speedlite Transmitter ST-E3-RT and frees your flash from the camera hot shoe.

LOCK and CLEAR

On the right side of the back of the unit, youll find the ON/OFF switch, now with a new LOCK feature. Using it prevents the settings from being changed, a welcome option. To regain control of the buttons you need to UNLOCK the system again. You also have the option to Save settings, a good option if you use consistently the same settings in your work. By pressing the two middle buttons on the back of the 600EX-RT you can CLEAR, any settings, returning the unit to the normal shooting mode, in ETTL.

Wireless We Go
Going back to the left side youll find a new button there, for the wireless transmission. On the same side youll find a flash ready lamp. Red confirms the flash is fully charged, and green shows it is ready for quick flash, which enables you to shoot even before the flash is fully charged while losing some power. This same button doubles has the test button. The little light on the other side of the selection dial confirms the flash exposure each time you shoot. Knowing well what each button and dial on the back of your 600EX-RT does will be of great help to get the best shots. Once you learn the technique, you just need to care about the creative aspect.

Pressing the Wireless button you access the two modes available, optical and radio. The LCD will show, on the right side, either the usual icon for optical or an antenna, so you know youre using radio. To fully explore these wireless options, you need to have two flashes, one on the camera to work as the master and a second unit or slave, that can be placed anywhere you need it.

Master and Slave

When you use two flashes you discover you have a new set of functions to control, mainly the different flash groups, which can go up to 5 with a total of 15 flashes in some configurations. Youll probably just start with two flashes, and then youll discover that you can control the ratio between the two flashes, defining exactly the amount of light each delivers. But you can also set one flash or group to work in Manual mode, and the other in ETTL, according to your needs at the moment or preferences. If youre using two 600EX-RT flashes, you just press the Wireless button on the unit to be used as Master, until you get the antenna for radio and master shows on the LCD. Then do the same on the slave unit (keep pressing the Wireless button), until you get the antenna and the word slave. The green LINK light above the LCD will show, meaning theyre working and youll hear a BEEP. If nothing happens, remember to check that youre using the same channel and ID on both units! Take some time to explore all the possibilities of this setup. The interactive interface makes it easy to understand what is going on. Looking at the labels that appear next to each button will explain the options available. If you get lost, just press the Wireless button again to get back to normal shooting, and start again. One nice feature of the 600EX-RT is that you can choose the color for the LCD backlight between green and yellow. Its not just a cosmetic option, because you can set your master to green and the slave to yellow. With just two flashes it is simple to remember which is which, but in complex configurations with multiple flashes is good to be able to just look at the LCD and know immediately the mode in which the flash is working. And yes, it looks cool!

Using the ST-E3-RT

Using two flashes is a viable solution, although a rather expensive one, especially if you are starting to learn to use flash or prefer to work with a single unit. What makes sense for many people is to buy a Speedlite Transmitter that sits in the hot shoe of your camera and communicates with the Speedlite 600EX-RT. Canon has created exactly what you need with the ST-E3-RT, a control unit that has an LCD and controls exactly like the 600EX-RT, but does not have the flash head. Using the ST-E3-RT as a master, you can begin to play with your new toy. And once youve learned to use the 600EX, you know the ST-E3-RT by heart. There is one thing that puzzles me and makes the ST-E3-RT problematic for photographers working in low-light situations. Contrary to the previous ST-E2, which had an AF-Assist Beam to help the camera focus in the dark, the ST-E3-RT does not.

Six Quick Tips on Compatibility

There are a few points that are important to remember about the new Speedlite 600RT: It can only work in radio or optical mode, not both simultaneously.

With Canon EOS cameras before 2012 it lowers the maximum sync speed one stop, meaning that instead of 1/250 you get 1/125, or whatever is your sync is. If you have a 600EX-RT and an EOS 7D, 60D, or 600D you can control your 600EX-RT wirelessly, in the optical mode.

If youve a 600EX-RT and a Canon EOS 1Dx or 5D Mark III you cannot control your flash without using another 600EXRT or the ST-E3 transmitter on the camera. You can use the 600EX-RT with older Canon flashes, but only in optical mode. If you use the 600EX-RT and older flashes and do not want to use any of them on the camera, you need to buy the older ST-E2 optical transmitter, as the ST-E3 only works in radio mode.

Mapping the Speedlite 600EX-RT

Understanding the interface on a flash is the best way to make it easier to work with. The new Canon Speedlite 600EXRT has a lot of new functions that made it necessary to have a complex menu, but the interface is easy, once you get to know it. We present here some of the most common functions. The figure on the left (Green LCD) shows some of the information you see on the LCD when the flash is directly connected to the camera, either on the hot shoe or through a cable. 1. The LINK light confirmation lamp only shows green when youre working in Radio mode and all your flashes are communicating. Otherwise, it will either be off or glow red. 2. On the LCD, the first line of info shows the mode youre in (ETTL, Manual or any of the five modes mentioned in the article. The second block of information tells if the flash head is working in Auto or Manual, and the zoom in use.

3. The flash icon on the left shows that the flash is working in Standard mode. According to the mode in use, youll have different icons showing there. The scale to the right of it shows the flash exposure level. To adjust that scale you press the second button on the row just under the panel, and then rotate the selection wheel and press the inner area, SET (11). 4. The line at the bottom is a scale (in feet or meters, defined by the user) showing the range of the flash according to the values in use. Under it you find the information for the interactive menu. These options change according to the mode in use, changing what each of the four buttons under the LCD do. The two center buttons CLEAR any settings when pressed at the same time. 5. Press this button to activate the wireless mode or linked shooting (an advanced mode to use multiple cameras and flashes). Each new tap on the button shows a different option for both radio or optical flash communication. 6. The mode button has a new position and is bigger. It gives access to the different shooting modes and changes the interactive menu accordingly. 7. The flash ready lamp glows red when the flash is ready to fire. It doubles has a test button. 8. The flash exposure confirmation lamp lights briefly after each shot to confirm the exposure was right. The flash on the right side of the image is working away from the camera, in slave mode. 9. The flash icon on the left side of the LCD indicates the flash is working in slave mode. In the center of the LCD you see the word slave. A master unit would have that master showing there. 10. The lightning icon indicates the flash is working in the optical mode. For the radio mode, an antenna appears at the same place. Under it appears the channel number. 11. The A on the left indicates the Group the flash belongs to. In normal conditions, you can have three different groups in Canon Speedlite system. The scale indicates if some flash exposure compensation is set for Group A. 12. The interactive menu has changed compared to the LCD of the single unit on the hot shoe of the camera (see 4). The button on the right side gives access to the different menus of the Speedlite 600EX-RT. 13. The Selection dial in the center rotates both ways to adjust values present on the LCD. To confirm your choices press the set button in the center. 14. The On/Off lever has a new function: lock. It disables button and dial operations. Use it to prevent the flash settings from being accidentally changed after youve set them. This short explanation of the Canon Speedlite 600EX-RT does not cover all the functions the unit offers, but gives you a good, solid understanding of the most common functions used by most photographers.

A Simple Example

The ambient light shot was interesting, but I wanted to get the bench lit, as the main point of interest in the picture.

The example published here is a good look of what the system does. The aim was to brighten the bench in the park while keeping the low light ambiance. With only one Speedlite 600EX-RT and the Speedlite Transmitter ST-E3-RT, youre able to free the flash from the camera and get a mix of ambient and artificial light that would not be possible to obtain with the flash on your camera. The flash was hidden behind the tree on the left side, and that means that the line of sight needed for an optical system to work would not be available, meaning the shot could not be done. With a radio system like this, youre free to place your flash anywhere because the radio waves provide reliable communication between the camera and the external flash unit.

So I placed a flash behind the tree, lowered slightly the exposure for the ambient light and introduced the flash exposure, just enough to simulate the look sunrays coming down through the trees would create.

This solution offered by radio systems to trigger flashes is a step forward in terms of freedom for photographers because you can hide your flashes anywhere: behind walls, outside to shoot through windows. The limit is around 100 meters in open space and about 30 meters in closed areas. From my experience testing the system and my daily experience with radio flash triggers, the misfire associated with optical systems is gone for good. That is one of the reasons why I prefer to use radio triggers even if I have line of sight between the flashes and the camera. Why bother with optical if you can have a more reliable system? One last note. There is a version of this Speedlite without radio. It is called the Speedlite 600EX. It offers all the options of the new unit with the radio triggering options.

80 Awe-Inspiring Photographs Taken With a Nifty Fifty

David Appleyard on Feb 23rd 2010 with 87 Comments
This entry is part 4 of 19 in the Lenses Session - Show All PreviousNext

In a recent article entitled Nifty Fifty: The Benefits of a Fixed 50mm Lens, we highlighted how versatile and sharp a 50mm lens can be. It really seemed to inspire a number of you to try a fixed focal length lens yourselves, and it was surprising how many of you already regularly use one. In this article, were hoping to push you over the edge and inspire you to give a 50mm lens a try. Here are 80 images captured with this very piece of kit. Although a few of them are modified and magnified slightly, its a good idea of what can be acheived!

Shermeee

Amir K

Nrbelex

BigGolf

jjjohn

Stephan Geyer

malik ml williams

tanguero

LZdR

ViaMoi

Jeff McCrory

wildpianist

96dpi

Thomas Shahan

Sol S

Mark Sebastian

dincordero

zachschwoebel

Paulgi

Teymur Madjderey

Trois Tetes

Tetsumo

filtran

laurenmarek

Eric M Martin

purplemattfish

DaizyB

boyghost

Zanthia

Sean McGrath

aspheric.lens

laurenmarek

~K~

Htet-Aung

Matt Caplin

VisualAge

MightyBoyBrian

PixelPlacebo

Brett Arthur

Teymur Madjderey

Tiago Ribeiro

C. Strife

Bala

dotbenjamin

nestor galina

Michael Sharman

tranlannhi

Harold Lloyd

Maulon

Will Montague

bitzcelt

Property#1

Aubrey Arenas

Le Champion Dumonde

Brian Auer

micah.e

Chaval Brasil

churl

Vardhana

Jystyn

Alex Dram

Tom Lin

dawnzy58

kaneda99

Gideon van der Stelt

Luca5

nofutureface

FL4Y

Mescon

Desiree Delgado

Share Your 50mm Photos

Do you have an example that youre particularly proud of? Feel free to share it with everyone else in the comments!

10 Tip Guide to Getting Started with Street Portraiture

Simon Bray on Oct 6th 2011 with 10 Comments Have you ever walked down the street, passing strangers who catch your eye. Im not just talking about checking out attractive members of the public! The ones that have something interesting about them, to the extent that it would be great to capture it film? Well, street portraiture is the answer. It may be daunting at first, but the opportunity to capture the residents of a city, the people that give the place its energy and vibrancy, that make it tick, is an incredibly exciting one. Hopefully, these few tips will set you on your way to stepping out the door and going to capture the essence of your town through its people.

Step 1 Where?
First up, you need to think about where might be a good place to start working. To being with, I recommend working in a place that you know, somewhere you feel comfortable and safe. Pick an area of town that will be busy and have a good mix of people, if you just walk around your neighbourhood there may not be very many people around and youll find it very hard work! Its probably best to head for a central area that has shops, offices and cafes. People will be going about their day and youll have plenty of opportunities to approach them.

Photo by dgblitwin

Step 2 Equipment
I find it best to keep it simple. There is an awful lot to think about when out on the street and approaching new subjects in uncertain surroundings. Its best to keep equipment basic and efficient. Id recommend a simple DSLR body and a nice quick prime lens, like a 50mm. Having to carry gear is a hassle and burden. You dont want to be distracted by lens change options, flashguns and other baggage. With this simple setup, youll be able to concentrate solely on the shot and making the best of the situation you are presented with.

Photo by drburtoni

Step 3 You, the photographer

Its important that you approach the task with the right frame of mind. Without wanting to sound patronising, its essential to go out with a positive mindset. If you head out the door thinking that no-one will want their photo taken, youll come back empty handed. Its up to you to make the connection with your potential subjects in order to get the shots! Be reassured by the fact that this isnt a technically demanding task. Its all about the combination of personalities and the desire to capture someones story. If you do ever get rejected, dont take it personally. Some people just dont like having their photo taken, so try to keep motivated and if youre getting tired of rejections, take a break and try again later.

Photo by Azety

Step 4 Approach
So once youre out and about, its down to you to select your potential subjects. Without wanting to sound prejudice, try to approach people who appear interesting or like they have a story in their history. How you start talking to people is up to you. Some like to make an entrance with a simple request, such as asking for the time, in order to build conversation. Whereas others will happily just approach people and ask if theyd mind having their picture taken. It is essential that you ask permission, please dont start snooping around taking close up pictures of people in private! Be polite, personable, ask questions to your new friends, introduce yourself, explain what youre doing, what the photos will be used for and before you know it. Once youve breached the awkward gap and found a place of understanding, youll be able to start shooting.

Photo by Nwardez 2

Step 5 The Boring Bits

Now I know weve just about got to the bit where you start taking photos, but there are a couple of things I wanted to slip in before you actually get to use your camera! There are two formalities to go over, one is paperwork. Its important that you get your subject to sign a model release form, stating that you have been granted permission to take the photo and that the person concerned allows you to use their image. Model release form templates are available online, make sure you have a read through and set terms that you are happy with. It may seem a bit over the top, but its in your best interests. It can also be very beneficial to ask for the subjects email address, so you can send them the shot. Its a small means of saying thank you and reassures the subject that youre serious. It is also essential that you feel safe within each situation and with each subject. If at any point you feel that youve entered a situation or conversation that is unsafe, make your excuses and leave. In this context, theres no point in risking your own safety for the sake of one photograph.

Photo by Bestarns

Step 6 Settings
Its important to get your camera settings right before you start shooting, as you just wont have time to shoot and then adjust. Id recommend setting the aperture to somewhere around f4, which will give you enough depth-of-field to be focused across the contours of the face without including too much distracting background. Have your shutter speed set to something about 1/125, as youll want to freeze the subject. Anything lower and you may well start getting blurred shots. Bear in mind that your subject isnt a trained model and may well not be very good at keeping still! Once youve got those settings sorted, adjust the ISO accordingly to make sure youve got enough light coming in. Dont be afraid to go up to ISO 800 if it means you have the depth of field and shutter speed that you want. I try to avoid using flash, as it can be quite intimidating for the subject and it hinders the natural street feel that youre trying to achieve.

Photo by SerialK

Step 7 Work Fast & Keep Talking

Once you do finally get the chance to take some shots, its important to work quickly and efficiently. Youve got a few minutes at most. Dont rely on just taking a couple of shots and hoping one of them will do, keep snapping. Some people take up to 50 shots of a single subject in just a few moments. Feel free to direct your subject, ask them to smile or look directly into the camera depending on the feel of the shot. This will not only improve your chances of getting the shot that you want, it will also put your subject at ease and make them feel more comfortable with having a camera in their face!

Photo by Jubilo

Step 8 Style
As you are working, its essential to bear in mind that you are doing more than just taking the photo of a stranger. Every individual has a story to tell. Behind every face is a history to be captured. So think carefully about the style in which you shoot each person in order to capture their expression and their story. Some street portrait photographers like to get in really close, so close that its uncomfortable, focusing right in on the features of the face. The alternative is to put your subject into context. Let them express themselves. Maybe they are on a break from work and have their uniform on. Maybe theyve lived in that one town for their whole life and it would be good to include a unique monument that captures in that place theyve known for so long.

Photo by Slimmer Jimmer

Step 9 Consistency
As you move from subject to subject, its important to consider a consistency through the collection of images that you are creating. The fact that youre only using available light within a small geographical area will hopefully add continuity through the images, but as a photographer, you could also have a specific style in mind. This could simply be that all the shots will be processed in black and white or that you ensured that the sun was lighting the right hand side of the subjects face.

Photo by Fabbio

Step 10 Now its your turn!

So there we have it, a quick run down of the preparation and execution tactics in order to tackle the exciting world of street portraiture. Now its over to you, find some space in your busy schedule to grab your camera and head to town to capture the people that make it what it is. It may seem like a daunting prospect at the start. As you step out and are given the opportunity to capture your first few subjects, youll quickly grow in confidence and youll find it becomes extremely enjoyable. On a photographic level, its a challenge to work quickly in the surroundings youre given. On a human level, its a great way to interact with those who you share your city with.

Photo by Pixelens

70+ Fantastic Firework Photos (And How to Shoot Them!)

Joel Bankhead on Nov 2nd 2010 with 13 Comments Its November again, and for those of us who live in England, that means Bonfire Night! Its the perfect excuse to let off some fireworks and build a massive fire (something you do really need an excuse for). For us photographers it also happens to create the ideal opportunity for beautiful, and perhaps unforgettable, photos! Today were building on our firework photography guide last week, with a few more tips and lots of photo inspiration for the avid firework photographer! NB. Those of you who live in a country that doesnt inexplicably commemorate the non-destruction of its parliament should consider bookmarking this for New Years Eve, or using it to get some early inspiration. Whatever the event being celebrated, fireworks are the perfect photography subject and can make for astonishing and truly awesome photos!

Tips and Tricks

In this vein well be having a look at some fantastic photographs of fireworks to give you some inspiration. Firework displays are often used to celebrate momentous occasions and can evoke a very strong emotional response. In order to get you on your way to capturing the elusive emotional beauty of the firework, there are a few simple tips below!

Use a Tripod
Its essential when shooting fireworks that you minimise camera shake, and using a tripod is by far the best way to do this. Great firework shots require a longer shutter speed so the unique movement of light can be captured any uneccesary camera movement will confound your shots and make them blurry and unfocused! Also make sure that you can activate the shutter without creating any movement. Youll need to be able to anticipate and time shots accurately without disrupting the steadiness of the shot, so its definitely worth considering a remote shutter release.

Frame Your Shot

Due to the nature of firework displays, it can be difficult to know exactly where the best bits of the action will be. Despite this, its definitely worth thinking about how youre going to frame your shot. Make sure you have a clear, unobstructed view and consider whether you want to shoot horizontally or vertically. Horizontal shots work well if youre intending to capture a burst of fireworks within the context of a landscape, but vertical shots can more effectively frame the dramatic movement a single burst.

Get the Shutter Speed Right

Its vital that you manually configure the settings for your shot, in particular what shutter speed youll be using. The true beauty of fireworks is in their movement and the extraordinary shapes and patterns they create. In order to capture the distinctive motion of fireworks, youll want to use a reasonably long shutter speed try hitting the shutter as you hear the firework take off, and holding it until just after its finsihed!

For a more detailed look at how to take gorgeous firework photos check out our 10 Step Guide To Taking Breathtaking Firework Photographs.

Photo Inspiration

Trey Ratcliff

Mr Magoo ICU

*vlad*

Harold Neal

Trey Ratcliff

ShutterSparks

Joe Penniston

Sacha Fernandez

Don Sullivan

Derek Enero

Tambako the Jaguar

Sunsurfr

Lisi

Sunsurfr

Terrence T. S. Ham

Harold Neal

Trey Ratcliff

William Cho

Tim Hamilton

Trey Ratcliff

Sunsurfr

Tony Hisgett

Miroslav Petrasko

Altus

Trey Ratcliff

Barry Yanowitz

Roberto

Chris Fenison

Paladin27

Sean Dreilinger

Daniel Peckham

Tony Hisgett

Jenny Audring

Richard Cox

Less than 3

Maurice

Hernan Seoane

Jim Nix

James Marvin Phelps

Jim Nix

Scott Rivera

Joe Penniston

Andy Beal

Dave

John ONolan

Sunsurfr

Magalie LAbb

Alexis

Scallop Holden

Rajwinder Singh

Frank Mller

Yan Pritzker

Mel Stoutsenberger

Don Sullivan

Michael

Angel

Tim F

Barry Yanowitz

Koshy Koshy

Bob Travis

Scott Rivera

Chris Juliano

Barry Yanowitz

Justin Martin

*vlad*

Andrew Acomb

Elan Ruskin

Barry Yanowitz

Karoli

Ahmed Hope

Further Reading

Here are a few links to really useful tutorials and articles that will teach you more about this type of photography: A 10 Step Guide To Taking Breathtaking Firework Photographs How To Photograph Fireworks Photograph Fireworks How To Photograph Fireworks

Share Your Own Images!

With New Years Eve and Bonfire Night coming up, its the perfect opportunity for every photographer to have a go at getting some incredible firework shots. Do you have any shots that youve taken previously? Feel free to share a link in the comments wed love to see them!

Fantastic Tips for Shooting Bravely in the Sun

Elizabeth Halford on Nov 23rd 2011 with 23 Comments Every two weeks, we revisit some of our reader favorite posts from throughout the history of Phototuts+. This tutorial was first published in January of 2010. The first rule I ever learned about taking photos was to take them with the sun to my back so it lit the subject and didnt cause what I came to know as backlighting. This presents a few problems primarily that if your subject is a person, he/she will be squinting into the bright sun. Sometimes, shooting with the sun at your back can offer a perfectly acceptable solution. I love photographing people with the sunset behind me, lighting their faces with a beautiful golden glow. So lets get stuck in and discuss the various issues surrounding photographing in the sun.

1. The Golden Hour

The golden hour happens twice a day. It is the one hour just after sunrise and before sunset. Shadows are longer, the color is warmer and the light is softer. When photographing people, especially an engagement session (or any session without children who will be cranky and ready for bed) I love suggesting a time two hours before sun down. The first hour is spent getting into the groove and, once theyre comfortable, I try to catch the best images using those last few rays of warm sunlight.

2. Make Shade
Shade can come in many various forms trees, buildings, crouching down next to a car. If you need shade, but have none, make some! This is where having an extra pair of hands comes in handy. Make shade with an umbrella or even a piece of foam board. In the reflector family of accessories, there are translucent panels which can filter the sun to tone it down a notch.

3. Make Good Choices

In the above photo, the sun was so blinding that I chose to cut out the faces altogether. I loved the warmth and the strong shadows so I made the split second decision to recompose my shot.

4. Editing Methods
I have found that the photos I feel require the most careful post production work are those which I shot in the sun. See the before/after below. The before (completely untouched) is dark and muddy. The after actually makes my heart skip a beat. I feel like she is actually staring right into my soul.

One of the methods I have found the most rewarding in the editing process is to consider the option of black and white for the image. I feel this adds such a subtle mystery. People expect images shot in the sun to be colourful or bright, but altering the colours in a way that causes the viewer to stop to contemplate your image (was that actually taken in the bright sun?) represents a real achievement. These images arent actually black and white they have a mocha hue to take advantage of the warmth offered by the sun. I used the free Coffee Bar Lightroom Presets from Coffee Shop.

5. Use a Flash

Im a pretty simple girl at times using a flash in the sun completely blew my mind when I realized it could be done. So not only am I a crazed momarazza chasing my children around on the beach with a ginormous camera, it also has a massive speedlite attached!

I love placing a subject with the sun to their back using a flash. The light just wraps around them. And I love that in this photo of my son, the flash can be seen in his glasses. That wasnt done on purpose, but was a sweet little surprise when I was going through the photos take your flash out in the sun and just let the magic happen.

6. Camera Settings ISO

The ISO level needs to be higher in low light situations, but luckily with the type were talking about today, noise wont be a problem for you as it is with lower light photography. Set it as low as possible (mine goes down to 100). As with all camera settings, dont forget to check them before shooting. Imagine if you set your quality to low to take eBay pics and then forgot to reset it to RAW for a wedding the next day. Check, check and recheck that your settings are as they should be before shooting.

Shutter Speed
Shutter speed is like blinking your eye. While aperture dictates how much light enters your camera, shutter speed dictates for how long the eye is open. Higher levels of light mean that your shutter need not be open very long to let that light flood in. Shooting at higher shutter speeds is required for sports, and is great for photographing fast-moving children.

White Balance

When shooting manual, you have the option of setting your white balance which controls the colour temperature. Experiment with settings which you might not normally use for that situation. In the sun, especially on an autumn day, I love using the shade or cloudy settings because it warms the colours up. You can also use Lightroom develop module to select other white balance settings later on particularly if you shoot in RAW.

Aperture
Like I just said above, aperture is like the pupil of your eye. When shooting in manual mode, you have to tell the pupil how wide to open. The lower the number in f/stops, the wider the opening and the more light being let in to hit the cameras sensor. Be careful, though, because lower f/stops (wider apertures) create more shallow depth of field (DOF) and can result in most of the image being blurry apart from a bit of sharpness in the foreground. But since were talking sunny, wide open apertures arent necessary because you arent in low light conditions.

7. Sunny 16
Sunny 16 is the rule that says to set your aperture to 16 (using AV mode on your camera) in bright sun-lit situations. If youre in full manual mode, remember ISO should be at 100. And for shutter speed, try 1/100 or 1/125. For faster shutter speeds, you may find it helpful to bump up the ISO to 200. A variation of Sunny 16 is to set your shutter speed nearest to the reciprocal of the ISO speed and the aperture accordingly. The following table from the Wikipedia Sunny 16 entry should help: Aperture f/16 f/11 f/8 f/5.6 Lighting Conditions Sunny Slight Overcast Overcast Heavy Overcast Shadow Detail Distinct Soft around edges Barely visible No shadows

8. Reflectors
Reflectors are my all time favorite accessory for shooting outdoors. Whether purchased or home made, they can make a huge difference to the quality of your images. Reflectors do exactly what they say on the box: reflect light. They are used to aim light into the dark spots on a subject to fill them with light and diffuse unwanted shadows. As Ive already established previously, we can get stunning results when we position models back-to-the-sun and place ourselves facing the sun. I mentioned the option of using a flash to light the subject from the front, but you also have the option of using a reflector. The result is a subject beautifully lit by the sun from both the front and the back. There are a very wide range of reflectors available for purchase, coming in many different shapes, sizes and colours as well as ones with handles or even stands so you dont need an assistant to hold it. Here is a basic rundown of the colours available and their effect on the colour and light quality on your subject. Gold Creates warm tones and makes your subjects skin appear a little more tanned.

White - Neutral colour effect. Gathers the existing light and softly fills in shadows to light your subject. Great for brides because they dont alter the white of the dress. Blue Cool tones. Silver Neutral in colour although brighter than white. Translucent There are translucent panels in this accessory family which can be used to filter harsh rays beautifully like a thin layer of clouds in the sky. Another advantage to using reflectors is the catchlights they can produce. Catchlights are when the light source is visible in your subjects eyes (look closely at the image above to see the catchlights resulting from the use of the reflector). Catchlights can add life and sparkle to the eyes. Unlike using flash to fill the shadows, using a reflector gives you control of the catchlights as you can direct your assistant who will be holding the reflector for you.

9. Lens Hoods

Lens hoods are devices which attach to the end of your lens to block streams of sunlight from causing unwanted glare and lens flare. If youre like me, youll find theyre also useful for protecting your glass when you forget to put your lens cap back on.

10. If You Cant Beat Em, Join Em

Then theres always the option of chilling out and letting the sun do its own thing. Go wild take the lens hood off and allow the sun flare. You may be very pleasantly surprised.

11. Safety
When the sun is concerned, there are safety measures which should always be taken. Always use appropriate sun protection (although it is difficult to wear sunglasses while looking through a viewfinder) and never ever look at the sun, not even through your lens. The camera may feel like a safety measure, but looking at the sun through the camera is just as dangerous.

12. Finally
Finally, the sun can be your greatest ally or a pain in the neck. Anyone can hide from the sun but it takes guts to boldly stand out and say, you dont scare me!