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keskiviikko 31. elokuuta 2016
PictureCorrect.com: Flowers: The Perfect Photography Subject
Spring is here, and there is no end to the number of beautiful flowers out there ready to be photographed. And what’s more wonderful is that they will keep blooming all summer and well into the fall. If you’re fortunate enough to live in a warmer climate, you could be photographing flowers outdoors well into the winter months–possibly year-round. Whether it’s a single bud, a single flower, a bouquet, a plant, a bush, or a blossoming tree, flowers are wonderful subjects to photograph. They’re not temperamental, they generally stay where you put them (or where they grow), they’re a great subject to experiment with, and they come in an array of vibrant colors.
“Spring Blooms” captured by PictureSocial member Tommy Cox
Equipment
As with any task, being prepared is important. Gather your camera and accessories and choose the right camera bag for the equipment and the outing. If you plan on going to one location, such as an arboretum or perhaps a rose garden, take along your tripod, lenses, filters, and any other accessories you may need to spend the day making beautiful images. If your camera calls for them, make sure you have back-up batteries and extra memory cards, as well.
Tripod
The tripod really is an essential tool when photographing flowers. As you get closer to a subject, the slightest movement of the camera will greatly affect the outcome of the picture. It’s virtually impossible to hold the camera still enough to take a quality picture without the benefit of a tripod. It will be money well spent. There are small tripods compact enough to fit nicely in the right camera bag.
Focal Point
As with any photography, you need a focal point. A lush, pink rose bud just beginning to open on a graceful thorned stem. Or, maybe you’ve spotted a cheerful plant of daisies with bright yellow centers, but the focal point is the little red ladybug resting on one of the delicate white petals. Look carefully–there’s a lot to see.
“Butterfly set Canon 60D EF 100mm to 400mm at 300mm” captured by PictureSocial member Christopher Okano
Lighting
Lighting can be tricky, at times, depending upon where you’re shooting. It’s almost always preferable to head out with your camera bag in hand in the early morning to shoot your florals, for a number of reasons. The dew is still on the flowers, so you can get some very effective macro shots of droplet covered blossoms. The sun is not yet high in the sky, so your lighting will be more ideal, casting fewer harsh shadows. If you must shoot in midday, pack a diffuser in your camera bag to soften the harsh effects of the glaring sun.
“The Offer….” captured by PictureSocial member Steve Barr
Perspective
Give careful consideration to your point of view. Shooting across the top of a field of yellow daffodils results in a breathtaking picture. Or, laying on the ground and taking a picture from beneath a cherry blossom tree in full bloom results in a picture of a lacy, pink cloud. Look outside the box. Pictures of beautiful bouquets and single stems are still the classics and should never be ignored, but try new, creative pictures. In addition to taking traditional still lifes, try taking a shot of a single bloom close up with just a portion of it in the picture.
“Untitled” captured by PictureSocial member John
Experiment. Have fun with it. Remember, flowers are excellent subjects. All you need is a quality camera bag with the right equipment, some leisure time, and the right season.
About the Author:
Suzanne VanDeGrift has developed this article for m-rock, manufacturer of user-friendly camera bags.
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PictureCorrect.com: Take a Moment and Explore New Zealand with these Incredible Timelapse Sequences
New Zealand is often listed among the most goregeous places in the world, and for good reason. With a population of less than 4.5 million people, the natural wonder of this island nation which stretches from wet and temperate in the south to sub-tropical in the north lays beautifully preserved, barely touched by the machines of heavy industry and the density of modern life. These two timelapse videos display the landscapes and weather patterns of the land of the kiwi fruit:
The first film takes us on an etheral journey through the New Zealand skies, over the rivers and mountains, through the valleys and fields, showcasing the magnificent variety of scenery to be found there. The second draws a heavy focus on changing weather formations – billowing clouds as they roll across the vast hills and plains, the arching sun, the rainbows and the double rainbows which form in the misty air:
Both videos were created by Bevan Percival of Primal Earth Images, using the full-frame Canon 5D Mark II. If you’re unfamiliar, time lapse photography is created by using an intervalometer, a device which will cause the camera to take a picture every x minutes (or hours, or seconds). With the camera on a sturdy tripod, it can sit almost indefinitely, capturing the progression of time as the day comes and goes before the lens.
For Further Training on Time-lapse Photography:
There is an in-depth guide (146 pages) to shooting, processing and rendering time-lapses using a dslr camera. It can be found here: Time-lapse Photography Guide
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PictureCorrect.com: Interesting Photo of the Day: Iceland’s Dragon Rock
The breathtaking Icelandic landscape strikes again! On the eastern shore of the Vatnsnes peninsula lies Hvítserkur, a 15 meter high basalt stack formed by centuries of water and wind erosion. Photographer Brian Rueb visited the stack and captured this incredibly vibrant image of the iconic rock:
“Rock of Ages” by Brian Rueb (Via Imgur. Click to see full size.)
Hvítserkur rests in Northwest Iceland and has become quite the popular subject for landscape photographers. The rock sits alone in a bay, set against mossy rocks and black sand. It is said to look like a dragon drinking, can you see it?
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PictureCorrect.com: How to Photograph Newborn Babies with Props
Photographing newborn babies may seem like a perk in itself. But there’s more to it than just the cuddling and the cuteness. It takes a lot of passion, too. Photographing newborns can quickly become stressful if you’re not sure what you’re doing. As a photographer, you have to plan every single detail meticulously and keep everybody calm during the shoot. Ruth Medjber engages Nicole Le Saout in a one on one conversation in which she reveals some the secrets behind her adorable baby photos:
Although she always to be a photographer, it all started for La Saout when she had her own kids. She admits, however, that she does not have photos of her own kids like this, as she was only learning when they were newborns.
Props for Newborn Photography
La Saout says she has a sort of weird fetish for blankets and scarves and other baby props. She claims to sometimes goes overboard with it, buying stuff when she already has four or five of them already. But on the good side, it gives her an incredible variety to choose from.
Le Saout has a wide variety of blankets to choose from for her shoots.
Even with her props she has her favorites. There are some she uses more than the others, like textured blankets that create beautiful leading lines.
Textured blankets can create leading lines.
Props, especially those with texture, can be a great contrast from the smooth skin of newborn babies. But then again, La Saout also uses soft, smooth blankets just to change the scene and make everything appear soft in the final image.
Props are an integral part of newborn portraits.
Photos where a baby is placed inside a basket are the latest craze. Le Saout says she receives lots of requests like these, which make prop buying a lot easier. A photographer can simply look for unique baskets rather than an array of props that might not be popular with clients.
Later in the vidoe, La Saout shares useful tips on the kind of camera and lenses that she uses, her lighting techniques, and some insights into post-processing.
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tiistai 30. elokuuta 2016
PictureCorrect.com: You Know You’re a Photographer When…
Being a photographer is more than just a hobby or a career choice—it’s life. Something you feel you literally could not live without. Every instant of your waking moment, you feel the dire need to pull your camera out and take a picture of the beauty of your surroundings. Sound familiar? I have compiled a list of eight ways you know when you’re a photographer.
“Happy Photographer” captured by Kicki
1. You get upset when you don’t have your camera on you.
I feel as though every photographer knows this feeling. For instance, maybe you decide to go for a walk down to the beach and accidentally leave your camera sitting on the kitchen bench. When you go to take a picture, your heart drops. And the only reason you don’t know you’re missing your camera until you get to the beach is because you’re so used to it being in your hands; it’s almost second nature. Your body has adapted to your photography addiction, and it doesn’t recognize when something is drastically wrong. Am I right?
2. Lighting > Equipment
At some stage in a photographer’s life, there comes a point when having the best equipment just doesn’t cut it. You begin to realize that there’s more to a good photo than the equipment (although it’s still one of my many pleasures) You realize that the the lighting of the photograph is the important part. Unfortunately, there is (arguably) no tool that can give you perfect lighting other than taking a photo at the right time, at the right angle, and using the lighting of the situation to your advantage.
“Sunset Photographer” captured by Marco Monetti
3. You can make crap look good.
Okay, so this one might be stretching it, if we’re taking the point literally. I mean, maybe you can turn a piece of dog poo into art, but that’s not entirely the point I’m trying to make. Basically, as a photographer, you see potential photographs that most people couldn’t imagine being a photograph. Maybe it’s a picture of a trash can or a brick wall—whatever it is, you begin to think outside the box; you begin to take pictures, and you develop a sense of what makes good photographs, regardless of what other people may think.
4. Your camera battery runs out before any other gadget.
Photographers are known best for having their cameras with them at all times. Regardless of the event, the camera will be glued to the photographer’s hand for that perfect moment to take a quick photo. However, this comes with negative repercussions. The camera batteries do not last a lifetime. Unfortunately, photographers must face the constant annoyance of having their camera battery die before their phone battery. For most “normal” people, this is simply unfathomable. For photographers, this is the harsh reality of being addicted to using a camera.
5. You think the sound of a camera shutter is pleasurable.
There is nothing I love more than the sound of a camera shutter. It’s like music to my ears, and I know many people who can relate. For some, the sound of birds is pleasurable; for others, it’s math equations (is that even a thing?). But for photographers, it’s the sound of the camera shutter—knowing that a high quality photograph will be a result of the shutter. Surely there are more of us out there?!
“Topcon Unirex Open” captured by Christer
6. You get annoyed at people who buy top-of-the-line cameras only to take selfies.
When you take photography seriously, just like any other form of art, nothing is worse than people who purchase the latest and the greatest cameras only to take photos of themselves. Okay, in some cases, it can be a justified purchase. Maybe you’re a model? But if you’re uploading it to Facebook for only your friends and family to see, then maybe you can understand why photographers get irritated. You see, photographers (in most cases) very rarely take photos of themselves. Instead, they’re exploring the beauty of the world around them too much to worry about themselves.
7. You are offended when someone makes a harsh comment about your camera.
“Your camera looks too big,” for example, is just unnecessary criticism. What do you want me to do about the size of my camera? Do you think I didn’t notice? People don’t seem to understand that if you insult the camera, then you might as well insult the camera owner. At least we then have a reason to get offended, right? I mean, how would you feel if someone came up to you and said you had a big nose? Is that more of a justified reason to act offended? If you’re a photographer, then the answer is no.
8. Traveling is more about photography than it is relaxing.
Finally, we have come to my favorite point of all: traveling. For most people, traveling is more about relaxing—building strong memories to last a lifetime. Photographers want much more than that. We want to be reminded of our traveling experiences with physical memories—photographs of our experiences. Why have a slice of cake when you can have the whole thing? That’s not to say that photographers don’t know how to relax, but we would rather capture the surroundings of the location than waste our time sleeping on the beach.
“The Photographer” captured by Mendhak
If you can relate to these, then maybe you’re more of a photographer than you thought! Hats off to you—let’s hope there are more of us out there.
About the Author:
Cole is a writer/photographer who owns his own laboratory… I mean…website at considerphotography dot com which is chock-a-block full of information about photography.
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PictureCorrect.com: Interesting Photo of the Day: Black Canyon at Night
Located in western Colorado, the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park is a popular tourist attraction that offers some of the steepest cliffs and craggiest spires in the entire United States. Carved out of solid granite, the breathtaking beauty of this scenic adventure is definitely not an exaggeration. From the dark canyon walls to the awe-inspiring 2,700 foot plunge into the Gunnison River, the Black Canyon is a photographer’s dream:
photo by Aryeh Nirenberg (Via Imgur. Click image to see full size.)
Captured by Aryeh Nirenberg, this amazing image is actually a mixture of 20 different shots taken from the Pulpit Rock Overlook using a Nikon D750. Each photo was shot with a Sigma 20 mm f/1.4 lens, 6400 ISO, and a 20 second exposure. Nirenberg later merged the different photographs using AutoPano Giga software to create a wide angle panorama.
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PictureCorrect.com: Men vs Women Studio Portrait Photography Tips
Photographing guys in a studio environment requires a much simpler lighting arrangement than when shooting women. With men, you can get away with things like deeper contrast and shadows across the face. In this video, Daniel Norton shares some invaluable tips to light up a male model inside a studio:
Beauty Dish with Grid
For the first lighting setup, Norton uses a 2 foot Profoto collapsible beauty dish with a grid to stop the light from spilling onto the background. The light is fired from the front of the model at an angle. A black background emphasizes an overall dark mood.
Beauty Dish with Grid
Adding a Kicker Light to a Male Portrait
For the next shot, Norton brought in a kicker light to separate the model from the background: a Profoto light with a grid on aimed at the back of the model’s head, with some light spilling onto the model’s right cheek.
Key Light and Kicker Light
This lighting setup reveals the texture of the model’s beard, narrows down the face, and showcases the strength in it.
Do you light men’s portraits differently than women’s? Tell us more in the comments.
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maanantai 29. elokuuta 2016
PictureCorrect.com: Star Trail Photography Tips
One of the lessons in the Photography Lab series I teach is a lesson on night photography, specifically shooting the stars. There are two essentials to know before going out to shoot stars your first time.
Photo captured by PictureSocial member Denis Krivoy
ONE: The Earth is rotating. This means you can photograph star constellations, but after about 15 seconds, you will start to get blurring in your stars because of the movement of the Earth.
TWO: You should know a couple of constellations before you go out: the Big Dipper and Orion are the two I use to orient myself.
Why the Orion and The Big Dipper? First, they are extremely bright and easily found in the night sky. Second, besides being my favorite constellation, Orion is usually high enough in the sky to photograph with other stars around, but it can also sit low so you can get nice foreground elements in your compositions. Finally, use the two stars which make up the pouring end of the Big Dipper to find the North Star. Look at the bottom star in the dipper part of The Big Dipper, the non-handle end. Draw a from the bottom star in the dipper to the top star in the dipper, then continue this line until you see the Little Dipper. This line (and these two stars) point to the last star in the handle of the Little Dipper. Why is this important? The last star in the handle of the Little Dipper is Polaris – the North Star.
If you know where Polaris (The North Star) is located, you can point your camera in this direction and, using long exposure times, you will get circular star trails instead of blurry constellations.
“35mm Star Trails May 2010” captured by PictureSocial member Jeremy Jackson
When I shoot stars, I use two lenses: a Canon 10–22mm and a Tamaron 28–300, which I use in the 28mm–80mm range.
I set my camera to M (manual) and use the following settings:
- Aperture: widest setting f/2.8 | f/3.5 | f/5.0 depending on focal length
- ISO: 100 or 200
- Shutter Speed: BULB setting
- White Balance: Auto or Tungsten
- Focusing: Manual / Infinity
Some other items you may want to bring along:
- Small flashlight. You can see your gear, get things set up, change your camera settings, and change your release cable settings. You can use the flashlight to do a sweep of the ground before you leave to make sure you didn’t leave anything behind. Use the flashlight to paint the foreground with light to give your photographs more compositional drama.
- Small laser pointer. I haven’t tried this yet, but when I was shooting tonight, I couldn’t see what I was composing through the viewfinder. It’s dark outside when you’re photographing stars! I would take 30 second–45 second photographs to test my compositions. I wondered about using a small laser pointer to hold on top of my lens to see exactly where the lens is pointing.
- Chair. You’ll be using loooong shutter speeds. You are going to want to sit. Well, I would want one. I want to look up and not get dizzy. A lounge chair is even better! Of course, if you’ve driven to a remote location, you can always sit in your car while waiting for exposures to take.
“80/365 Star Trails 2” captured by Mike Poresky
- Shutter release cable. Some DSLRs have shutter release cables to trigger the shutter. Some you can even set up to take a photo every X minutes with an exposure time of X up to 99h 99m 99s.
- Stop Watch. Most cameras have a 15min shutter speed max – but do have a bulb setting you can use if you want longer exposure times but don’t have a shutter release cable. In bulb, you shutter will open once you press the shutter button – and will not close until you press the shutter button again. If you use BULB – you may want a stop watch to help keep track of your exposure time.
- Blanket. It’s January, and here in New England, it’s COLD in the wee hours of the morning. In addition to a nice coat/jacket, I’ll have a blanket to wrap up in and help stay toasty.
- Hot Chocolate / Coffee / Tea. Did I mention it’s cold in the middle of the night?! Plus—it’s the middle of the night! And I’m bundled up toasty and warm on a lounge chair, staring at stars. Going to need something to help keep me awake.
- Tripod. Yes, I know. I said it: tripod. Former students, it’s okay. I know I preach the power of less-is-more, but in this case, you will definitely need a tripod. You’re going to also need a tripod which swivels so you can point you camera in the right direction. Night shots of star trails and meteor showers require LONG exposures. A rock or car roof won’t work here.
- Friend. Take a friend to share the experience with you. You’ll have someone to talk to (and help keep you from getting bored while you wait for those 1 and 2 hour exposures) and you’ll have great story to tell about taking tons of photographs of stars and meteors and of course – you’ll have the great shots you take too!!
“Star Trails at Killbear Provincial Park” captured by Imtiaz Ahmed
- Camera / Lens. You can’t really take photographs if you don’t have your camera… been there—couldn’t photograph that!!
- Memory Cards. Make sure you have a large memory card available and have an extra one just in case.
- Batteries. How many?? Three. Where are they? Charged, set in the camera. Charged, set in your pocket. Set charging in charger. Really, I can’t stress extra batteries for night photography enough. Keeping the shutter open for long periods of time sucks up TONS of battery energy. Where a battery will last you for 6 hours of event photography, you might get 2 or 3 hours of night photography.
Follow me as I continue to experiment with star photography techniques. You can see my attempts (success and failures) in the gallery at http://ift.tt/1KPkIIu.
Now you know what gear you need, what settings to use, and where to point your camera. It’s time to get out there and try some star photography for yourself!
About the Author:
Professional photographer Loreen Liberty (www.litewriting.com) has been taking photographs since her early teens, and in the professional industry for the past nine year. After many successful years as a wedding and portrait photographer, Loreen decided to turn her attentions to teaching photography full time. “It gives me more time to practice my craft and be artistic for myself.
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PictureCorrect.com: Interesting Photo of the Day: Migrating Rays
During a trip to Mexico for a “The Call of the Shark from Pelagic Life” project, free diver Eduardo Lopez Negrete went off the coast of Baja, Mexico to help detach sharks from long fishermen’s lines. While common to catch sight of a few rays, Negrete managed to photograph hundreds of them when an entire school of Mobula rays flowed past him. Often referred to as “flying rays”, Mobula rays are known for their partiality for breaching and their ability to leap up to six feet into the air:
Oceanic Flight by Eduardo Lopez Negrete (Via updrop. Click image to see full size.)
These majestic creatures may look scary, but they’re generally harmless. However, with a wingspan of up to 17 feet and weighing over a ton, I know I wouldn’t want to press my luck. To keep up with rays, Negete dove down to get a closer look at the massive grouping. Swimming to a depth of around 60 feet, he captured a variety of different photos with the rays (including a selfie).
“The rays were moving quite fast and it was hard enough keeping up with them from the surface, let alone diving down to take a closer look.” –Eduardo Lopez Negrete about his experience
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