PictureCorrect.com: Can Creativity Be Learned?

Most would agree that artful photography requires a fair amount of creativity. But is creativity something you’re born with? Or is it a process that takes hard work and dedication?

A few experts say anybody can be creative–it’s just a matter of finding something you’re interested in, something that inspires you, moves you, makes you think and want to create, then getting to work and doing it:

“Being a powerful creative person involves letting go of preconceived notions of what an artist is, and discovering and inventing new processes that yield great ideas. Most importantly, creators must push forward, whether the light bulb illuminates or not.” –PBS Off Book

The video above, How to Be Creative: Navigating the Creative Process, talks about the process of being creative and the factors involved, from taking ideas from others who have inspired you and transforming or combining them to come up with your own remixed version, collaborating with other creative minds, and being able to understand yourself and others.

Scott Barry Kaufman, Ph.D. Cognitive Psychologist, says it’s not a simple left brain/right brain distinction; people who are more open to combining different associations from various brain networks tend to be more creative.

The Cognitive Stages of Creativity

Preparation: Lots of brain activity in areas associated with attention and deliberate focus.

Incubation: Where you let it go. Research shows that when you let your mind wander away from the task, when you return to it, you have more creative ideas.

Illumination: The stage of insight, where the connections subconsciously collide, then reach the threshold of consciousness.

Verification: When you think about your audience and craft the message so it’s best received by people, basically, you package it in the right way.

Author Julie Burstein says creativity is a process and that you have to expand your capacity for uncertainty. Actually, Burstein offers up a few tips on how to be creative:

• Expand Your Capacity for Uncertainty
• Develop Your Own Tools and Prompts
• Understand How to Work
• Keep at It

She says that one of the key elements is what the poet John Keats called “negative capability”: the ability to stay in a space where you don’t exactly know what’s going to happen next, the willingness to chase down ideas, and the understanding that not all of your ideas are going to lead somewhere–but that the experience of pursuing an idea will influence the next idea.

Do you feel as if you were born creative? Or is it something you’ve learned along the way?

“At the end of the day, if you keep pushing, you can eventually get some place that is beyond what you thought was possible.” –Kirby Ferguson, filmmaker

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PictureCorrect.com: Interesting Photo of the Day: Skiing Under the Aurora Borealis

Canadian photographer, Reuben Krabbe has made quite the name for himself in the action sports photography world. With his obvious passion for the art and his determination to find obscure locations and unique perspectives, Krabbe has seen success in renowned magazines and all over the internet. His hard work and dedication was proven after he traveled 2,000 kilometers to the Yukon and camped in -30 degree conditions to capture an image of a skier under the Aurora Borealis:

Skier Tobin Seagel Under Aurora Borealis by Reuben Krabbe (Via Imgur. Click to see larger size.)

Shot in Tombstone Park, Yukon, the surreal photograph shows the amazing beauty of Aurora Borealis over Mount Monolith, as skier Tobin Seagel cuts his way down the snow covered mountain. The photo was originally printed in SBC Skier Magazine.

Krabbe used a Nikon D700 and a 17-35mm f/2.8 lens to capture the image. It is a single photo, captured with flash and long exposure, and camera settings of f/5.6 and ISO 3200.

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PictureCorrect.com: Composition: 10 Photography Tips for Amazing Results

Composition doesn’t come naturally to many photographers. The technical aspects can be learned relatively easily but some say that composition can not. Although I don’t believe this to be completely true, photography is an art form and does require some natural ability.

“Whitby Peir” captured by Ian Staves

So what can I do? My composition sucks.

Composition is subjective so there will always be someone out there who likes you work regardless of how bad you may think it is. Most non-photographers are not that discerning, but to capture truly great shots composition is key. A well composed photograph just works. It’s pretty clear-cut but it is more a feeling than conforming to a set of rules.

Here are some composition tips to remember next time you go out to shoot. Keep them at hand and see if they work for you.

1. A painter chooses what to include in a painting, a photographer must choose what to exclude. Declutter compositions removing unnecessary components by selective framing. Use your legs, walk about looking for alternative compositions, and use the camera’s zoom to control what you want to include and more importantly, exclude.

2. The ‘rule of thirds’ is a well known compositional practice but doesn’t necessarily need to be strictly adhered to. The rule dictates that the main elements that make up the image should fall on or near imaginary vertical or horizontal thirds.

3. Check your horizon. For me the horizon should only ever be perfectly horizontal. Use the top of the window in the view finder as a reference. I often point the camera downward to align the horizon before re-composing.

4. Don’t leave large empty spaces. Leaving large holes in the composition such as uninteresting expanses of water or dark or very bright elements should be avoided. Change perspective by shortening the tripod legs to compress large gaps in the mid to near foreground. Conversely, elements should not be cluttered; raise the height of the camera to increase the distance between elements.

“She Spins It Right Round” captured by Greg Thompson

5. Take a walk before settling on two or three compositions to shoot. Take time to refine them instead of shooting anything and everything.

6. Make both the foreground and background interesting.

7. Use leading lines such as rock formations or movement in water to lead the eye into the frame.

8. Check the edges of the frame for any distracting elements (half a tree, breaks in clouds, etc.), and recompose if necessary. Make sure you’re able to concentrate the viewer’s attention to the subject and try not to distract them from it unnecessarily. Ask yourself, “What is this image about?”

9. Try to keep compositions balanced to some degree, where possible. A protruding headland or building can upset the balance; eliminate it and look for an alternative composition.

10. Critically review your own work and look at how other photographers compose their photos.

“Morning Reflections, Vermilion Cliffs” captured by Nathan McCreery

Above all, get out there and enjoy! Exploration of composition is a continuous learning curve.

About the Author:
If you’re a fan of photography be sure to head over to Lee’s Landscape Photography for more tips, education offerings and fantastic photography. Lee conducts both capture and post processing photography courses throughout Australia.

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PictureCorrect.com: Advantages of a Vantage Point for Street Photography

If you are uncomfortable putting a camera in front of a stranger’s face yet still want candid street photography, look for a good vantage point up over the action and shoot down. You will be amazed by the sense of freedom and the results.

“Corredor Madero” captured by iivangm

The Setup

Down in the streets a light-weight, fast camera is essential, with image quality sacrificed in order to have more chance of capturing the moment at all. With a good vantage point it is possible to work with a bigger camera, a longer lens and perhaps a tripod. Since you will not be moving much the size and weight of your camera will not matter. Nor are you restricted by other items, so feel free to take along snacks and drinks sufficient for your intended stay aloft.

Your decision whether to use a tripod will depend upon the distance over which you are shooting, the available light (and your camera’s ability to deal with low light) and also the style of shots you are hoping to capture. In most cases, you should be able to rest on some form of support (the same support that stops you falling from your perch), and that will often be a good compromise between mobility and quality.

“Untitled” captured by Luis A. de Jesus

Auto focus is an option, though if you are working a particular spot, you may find it safer to keep a zone in manual focus—particularly if the light is poor or the contrast is bad for other reasons.

When Mobility is Less Important

When action is sparse it pays to be mobile and to be free to move around to more productive areas. However, if your vantage point overlooks a busy spot and you choose a suitable time of day, then there should be no shortage of subject matter. If it also has many aspects then all the better as the action may well move around you.

When the Action is Just Too Rough

Festival photography can be exciting and very rewarding. However, large crowds and lots of action can work against you. There have been some great shots from the Holi Festival in India and Songkran (water-splashing) in Thailand. At ground level, photographers can only take a risk for their art.

“The Holi Festival” captured by onthego tours

Clever gear is available, but nothing can guarantee protection for your expensive camera and lenses against all contingencies. You might have good insurance but, still, what of the rest of your trip? The other option is to get up above the action where damage is much less likely and where you would probably at least get a warning of imminent saturation—and a chance to cover up or move out of the way.

Effective for Timelapse Photography

A bit of height creates an angle between your subject and the ground-as-background. This adds an essential dimension when capturing movement in timelapse photography and really brings the resulting slideshow to life.

Vantage Points in Practice

Photo captured by Ian Ford

The Clock Tower in Jodhpur (Rajasthan, India) has a first-floor platform which allows a 360 degree view down to the market area below. The market begins to get busy at a civilized hour, since it then stays open late at night (when other photographic opportunities arise).

In Old Delhi’s Spice Market it is possible to climb stairs up to the rooftop and capture images of the levels below. Morning time is best, before the residents head off to their respective shops or other duties.

Photo captured by Ian Ford

Wherever you go, look around for similar platforms. Access may not be for the general public but a polite request goes a long way. A flat roof is sufficient but, above all, do be careful. This applies especially in places not designed for regular access, where the lack of barriers and general clutter can make for a dangerous environment.

The Disadvantages

Shooting down from a vantage does have some drawbacks:

• shooting down at people means that sometimes headwear or the person’s posture hides the face
• shooting from a distance is also less satisfying if faces/personality are important to you. If you are looking for a shallow depth of field, that calls for a lot of precision with regard to focus
• there are times when it is helpful to be able to engage your subject, and while being above the action allows you avoid the discomfort of being turned down by your subject, it also precludes engagement with your subject
• if you are down on the street, you can share a shot with your subject—take the photo and then show the result on the screen on the camera—which can lead to additional shots

Photo captured by Ian Ford

There is no one right way to do street photography, and a different approach will simply lead to different results. Try shooting down from a vantage point and see if you like what you get. It can then be a another weapon in your arsenal for those days when other techniques are not working.

About the Author:
Ian Ford is Operations Manager for Photo Tours Abroad. He took the images above whilst representing the company at the recent Jodhpur Discovery photography workshop with guest artist Nick Rains.

Only hours left in the deal on the Essentials of Street Photography eBook

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PictureCorrect.com: Interesting Photo of the Day: One Year In One Image

A self-described all-around “media dude,” Norwegian photographer Eirik Solheim dabbles in just about every type of photographic and videographic medium. In 2010, he undertook a unique timelapse project to depict every single day of a year into one composite image.

We think the results are stunning:

“One Year In One Image” by Eirik Solheim (Via Tumblr. Click image to see full size.)

To create the image, Solheim mounted his Canon EOS 400D onto a tripod and positioned it by a window in his home in Oslo, Norway. Every half hour for one year, he took a photo; this resulted in 16,000 images, from which he selected 3,888 to combine into the composite using scripts and codes submitted by savvy followers.

“I’ve had an SLR camera in my window at the same spot for one year snapping an image every half hour… with the exact same focus point and the same f-number,” wrote Solheim on his blog. “The only thing[s] that have changed [are] the season and the light… [it’s] not a sort-of-time-lapse, but a true one.”

During his project, Solheim also produced the timelapse video one year in two minutes:

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PictureCorrect.com: How to Use Adapted Lenses on Mirrorless Cameras

As mirrorless cameras surge in popularity, more and more photographers are choosing not to abandon their old hardware collections. Between the heaps of film and DSLR lenses most professionals have available, why start over again with micro 4/3 lenses? In the video below, Mark Ryan Sallee from Michromatic explains everything you could possibly need to know about adapting old lenses onto mirrorless cameras:

As Sallee explains, there are three reasons why you might want to seek out and adapt old lenses:

1. You might already own them. If you’ve been in the photography game a while, why throw away or sell your old film or DSLR glass just because you have a new Olympus OM-D E-M10?
2. Old lenses are cheaper. New mirrorless lenses run anywhere from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars, but find a good old film or DSLR lens—online or in a used-gear shop—and you can buy something perfectly good for less than $100.
3. The experience is different. This isn’t necessarily better or worse, but it’s different, and you won’t know whether or not you enjoy it unless you try. Because many older lenses don’t have autofocus and are often heavier, the experience is different—heftier, more tactile.

Different lenses call for different adapters, of course. The flange focal distance—a.k.a. the distance between the sensor and the lens—needs to match both the camera’s and the lens’s specifications, which adapters help with. And the connection itself won’t be universal, so you’ll need to find a particular adapter for each one.

The downsides of using adapters include, frequently, the loss of autofocus and additional bulk. Most people enjoy mirrorless cameras because of their size; adding an adapter—and a clunky old lens—won’t help. Also, you’ll need to do some research before diving into this field; many zoom lenses don’t age well, and just buying any old 18-200mm lens for $50 won’t solve any problems.

You can buy a more expensive “smart” adapter, which solves the focus issue, but they tend to cost significantly more than a regular adapter, which are often less than $40 apiece.

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PictureCorrect.com: How to Create a Desaturated Cinematic Effect in Adobe Lightroom

In this tutorial we’ll go through the steps required to create that coveted desaturated look that is quite common in movies and television, as well as in advertisements and posters—it’s often referred to as a cinematic look. Adobe Lightroom is the perfect tool to help us achieve this effect.

To start we’ll need an image. I shot the one below using a Sony NEX-6 fitted with a Minolta MD 50mm f/1.2 lens, shot at f/1.2.

Because of the depth of field and the already somewhat muted colors of the image, I find it’s a good start point to create a cinematic look.

To jump start our editing we could easily apply one of Contrastly’s Desaturated Cinematic Lightroom presets, and already get a nice effect:

But, for the purpose of this tutorial, we’ll start from scratch and go through all the adjustments one by one. This look is usually characterized by strong contrasts between the lighter and darker areas of an image, as well as increased clarity and reduced vibrance and saturation.

Fortunately for us, a lot of those adjustments are right in the Basic panel in Lightroom. Let’s move those sliders!

For this image specifically I would rather not introduce any Temp or Tint adjustments. So we’ll leave those sliders alone. The Tone section is where we’ll start—though since the image’s exposure was correct we’ll also leave this slider alone.

To give the image more oomph, I went with +50 on the Contrast slider. Then, in order to reduce the highlights, I went with -60 on the Highlights slider and then adjusted the Whites and Blacks sliders to better fit the image. The real magic comes in when you start working with the Presence section.

To complement the boost in Contrast, I adjusted the Clarity slider to give the image more definition. Then to get closer to the sough-after desaturated effect, the Vibrance slider had to go way down at -76. And, to give the colors a more neutral feel, I adjusted the Saturation slider to -10. The Vibrance and Saturation sliders really helped make the reds and oranges in the image more subdued, which is what we’re after.

Below is our result so far. We could of course stop there, but we’re not quite done yet!

In order to make the stronger colors even more desaturated, let’s open up the Adjustments panel, click on HSL, and go to the Saturation section. When we adjusted the saturation and vibrance a little earlier, we adjusted those settings globally. But, in the HSL section we get to adjust saturation for each color.

Since our original image has a lot of reds and oranges, those are the sliders we’re most interested in. In order to desaturate the red in the shirt and the orange of the guitar we’ll set a negative value for the Red, Orange and Yellow sliders at -15, -30 and -34 respectively.

Obviously those settings will need to be adjusted to fit your own image, but using the Saturation and Vibrance settings as well as desaturating the specific colors in the Adjustments panel will help you achieve the desaturated cinematic look.

Here’s a before/after preview of our image:

I hope you enjoyed this quick tutorial. Please chime in via the comments section!

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PictureCorrect.com: A Photographer Was Banned from North Korea for Taking These Photos

What’s life like inside North Korea? Dozens of refugees, journalists, and photographers have tried to tell the outside world. But few photographers are as successful as Eric Lafforgue, whose intimate documentary shots from the Hermit Kingdom are as stunning as they are revealing:

Lafforgue is a remarkable travel photojournalist whose collections span Vanuatu, Namibia, Eritrea, Myanmar, and beyond. For full details on this particular North Korean trip, including captions describing each one, you can find a summary of his trip here.

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PictureCorrect.com: How to Photograph Fast-Moving Vehicles

When I think of fast cars and bikes, two-page glossy spreads of fast machines from various racetracks around the world immediately come to mind. Do you ever wonder how these adrenaline pumping images are shot? In this video, photographer Kevin Wing lays bare some of his tricks. He’s a professional motorsports photographer and shoots moving vehicles for a living:

Gear for Photographing Moving Vehicles

Though Wing wields a Canon EOS 1Dx and an assortment of L series lenses in this video, started off with nothing more than a manual focusing film camera and a hand-held light meter. That’s right. He says,

“You don’t need the most expensive camera gear. But you do need a solid understanding of how your camera works and how to create a dynamic shot.”

Recommended Camera Settings

There are no recommendations. Wing explains,

“There are no secret f-stops or shutter speeds. Practice makes perfect.”

He, however, shares these five tips to get on to the fast track and start shooting great images.

1. Focusing and Depth of Field

When shooting head-on, choosing the right aperture is important. The right aperture will give you enough depth of field to bring the whole vehicle in focus. With motorcycles and cars, that aperture is often somewhere around f/8.

Choose the right aperture to bring whole of the subject in focus

Wing prefers to shoot with a single AF-point or expanded point and in AI Servo mode. The point of focus is the most important part of the vehicle, hopefully with the highest contrast for easy auto-focusing. Pre-focusing helps too.

2. Profile Pan Shoot

Profile pan shots are images where the wheels, background, and foreground have motion blur but the vehicle itself remains sharp.

Profile Pan Shot

To make such an image, Wing uses a 70-200mm f/2.8 or a 300mm lens (depending on how much open space there is). Shutter speed, depending on the speed of the vehicle and the number of potential chances he has, varies from 1/250 to 1/30 of a second. At all times, he recommends that you flow with the vehicle and keep it steady in the viewfinder.

3. Three Quarter Front Action Shot

This is the angle that you usually envision when you think of fast cars and bikes. Great for those two page spreads. Wing prefers to shoot these with his 300mm f/2.8L lens. The focus is to shoot when the action peaks at a corner and capture some motion blur in the wheels. His favorite shutter speed is 1/500 to 1/250 of a second.

3/4 Shot

4. Location and Atmospheric Shot

These shots require an approach you would normally use for shooting landscapes. Emphasize the location. The vehicle becomes a secondary point of interest. Leave a lot of negative space in the shot and experiment with the rule of thirds.

Location Shot

“Think about creating atmosphere and drama. A real ‘wish I was there’ moment.”

5. Magic Hour and Dynamic Light

Utilize the magic hour. This tends to bring out the best in your photos.

Magic Hour Shot

You can experiment with side lighting, straight on, back-lit—you’ll get away with good results with almost anything that you do with this light.

With these tips in mind, go out and start shooting. There are many opportunities for practice—just look for a road with a nice view and fast-moving traffic.

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