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tiistai 28. helmikuuta 2017
PictureCorrect.com: Landscape Photography: Steps to Improve
How many times have you been driving and wanted to stop and take a shot of that breathtaking landscape. You then stop, look around and the shot even looks better. Your heart even skips a beat. You go for it and return to the car with a huge smile.
“Kintyre Rock” captured by PictureSocial member Tony Taffinder
When you get back home you download your pictures, process them, and then you find out that what you shot was not what you placed your eyes on. What went wrong? Well, it’s simple; your lens and the sensor of your camera do not work like your eyes and your brain. You select different parts of the scene and produce beauty out of them—your sensor doesn’t.
So what do you do? For landscape photography, you need time and a couple of tips; follow them, practice, and your shots will improve.
Maximize Depth of Field
The general rule for landscape photography is to keep as much of the scene in focus as possible. This means that you have to maximize the depth of field or DOF. In other words you have to choose a small aperture setting (remember small in this case means a large number) to obtain a greater depth of field. The greater the DOF, the more focus you will achieve. This also means that your shutter will stay open longer.
Stabilize Your Camera
Since you are now using a longer shutter speed to maximize your Depth of Field, you need to ensure that your camera is stable and not shaking. The best thing to do is to use a tripod and a cable or wireless shutter release mechanism so your camera will not shake and your photo will be not blurry.
Choose a Focal Point
Decide what your central point will be. What is your subject, where is it, what size is it, does it have enough contrast with the rest of the picture, and how does its shape compare to the rest of the composition? Your central point, know as focal point, is what will make your shot stand out and keep the eyes of the viewer from wandering. The focal point in landscape photography can take the shape of many different things: a building, a tree, a rock, a person, etc. The placement of your subject is very important; use the rules of composition for this purpose.
Keep the Horizon Level
Your horizon is the next step to consider and an important one. Make sure your horizon is straight and in the lower third or the top third of the photo. The rule of thirds applies very well to landscape photography.
Use Leading Lines
Now look for lines in your shot. Lines are a way to guide the eye. It gives your image a sense of direction. Lines should direct the viewer toward your subject. A line can be a road, a river, a shoreline, mountain edges, etc.
Include a Foreground Object
Another element of your landscape composition that can create an amazing landscape shot is a foreground object. This creates depth in your shot and prevents it from being flat. The foreground will help you balance your image.
“Mountain Reflection” captured by PictureSocial member Avar Guomundsson
Show Movement
When possible convey and transmit the movement that you see: wind, water, moving clouds, a bird. A static image is less dramatic than one that showcases movement; it adds drama and creates a point of interest.
Shoot During the Golden Hours
Shoot landscapes either early morning or at dusk; light is the best at this point, and colors, textures, and patterns will pop out and impact your image.
Change Your Perspective
Take your time before taking the final shot. Try different points of view. The same image will look completely different if you go lower or if you go higher. So walk around, climb a little, get on your knees or in a ditch. You will be surprised at what you see.
About the Author:
This article was written by Joaquin Duenas. Website: theduenitas.com. PhotoBlog: theduenitas.blogspot.com. The Duenitas Digital World is based in Miami, Florida and covers South Florida, the Caribbean, Mexico and Central America.
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PictureCorrect.com: Interesting Photo of the Day: Dew Covered Dragonfly
The stunning image below, taken by David Chambon, has been making its rounds on the Internet because of its sheer beauty. Using a macro lens to allow for a very close up image, Chambon was lucky enough to photograph the dragonfly, which is usually a very jittery insect:
Part of David Chambon’s series of dew-covered insects. (Via Imgur. Click for larger size.)
The weight of the water is enough to immobilize the bug. That’s presumably how the photographer was able to get in close enough to snap this image.
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PictureCorrect.com: Tripods for Photography: Everything You Need to Know
Tripods may seem like one of the simpler items in the photographer’s toolkit, but there are actually a lot of things to know about them. Even the more knowledgeable among us might be surprised to find that there’s a number of tips and tricks to choosing the right one, learning to use tripod features, and avoiding mistakes that can vary from the merely annoying to the disastrous. That’s why photography instructor Phil Steele has but together the rather extensive tutorial below, covering everything you didn’t know that you didn’t know about this most essential piece of gear:
Tripods don’t quite come in as many variations as the flavors of ice cream, but sometimes it can certainly seem that way. From which head to get, to “twisties” vs. “flippies”, to what the tripod is made of, choices abound. If this is your first real tripod purchase, you’ll have to weigh all of these considerations carefully.
The first thing you’ll need to ask yourself (other than what your budget is) is what you’ll be using it for. This will inform just about every other decision.
- Is it for the studio or will you be lugging it around?
- What kind of camera do you intend to use with it (especially important here is size and weight).
- Will your subjects be moving around a lot or will they be mostly stationary?
Once you know the answers to these questions it’ll be easier to narrow down your options.
Tripod Features to Consider
- Type of head (ball, 3-way, gimbal, etc.)
- Type of locking mechanisms on the legs
- Weight
- Stability
- Type of quick release
- Center column
- Size/portability
- Feet
- Material it’s made of (not just whether it’s aluminum or carbon fiber, but also whether the components are made of cheap plastic or something more durable)
The ball head can be adjusted quickly and is the head of choice for those looking for portability.
“Twisties” or “Flippies”?
The photography world is rife with strong opinions about the different aspects of tripods, but one that tends to get the most heat is what kind of locking mechanism to use on the legs. There honestly doesn’t seem to be a lot of middle ground on this one–people will swear by whichever type works best for them. Still, it’s a key choice you’ll need to make.
Twisties
Pros: compact, quiet, don’t get caught on your bag or other things
Cons: slower to work with (for some people–there are some tricks to using twisties quickly that weren’t shown here), it’s hard to know if they’re fully locked down as it’s important not to over tighten them
Flippies
Pros: you can always know whether they’re open or locked, for some folks they’re faster than twisties
Cons: they can get caught on things, they make noise when they snap into place, bulkier than twisities
Feet
One thing that’s often neglected when choosing a tripod is whether it has interchangeable feet.
One thing that many first-time tripod buyers might not know to consider is whether the tripod they’re interested in has interchangeable feet. Believe it or not, this can make a huge difference. Just imagine doing a shoot indoors on a beautiful wooden floor and only having the spikes shown in the picture above as your feet. Or trying to do an amazing shoot outdoors, only to find that your tripod feet won’t grip. (As a landscape photographer, I’ve been ever so grateful for having the outdoor feet in my kit!)
If your quick release plate is asymmetrical, save yourself a bunch of time by marking which end goes where.
Tripod Tips and Tricks
There were many, many tips and tricks covered in this video. Here are just a few:
- When tightening the legs, tighten starting at the top and loosen starting at the bottom.
- If you’re using a large lens, make sure one of the tripods legs is directly underneath. One way to ensure this is to make sure that a tripod leg is always facing your subject.
- For the greatest stability, use the center column only after the legs have been fully extended.
- If using a DSLR, learn how to lock the mirror or shoot in live view mode.
- If you don’t have a remote shutter release and are using the self-timer, choose 10 seconds rather than just 2. Often there are vibrations too fine to be seen with naked eye still occurring after just 2.
- Secure the camera strap so that it doesn’t blow in the wind or get caught on things.
- When using a tripod, turn your stabilizers off—both on the lens and in camera.
- If your tripod has a ball head, check to see if your camera has a leveling mode.
- If you use more than one camera, keep some extra quick release plates in your kit.
Your camera’s leveling mode will take the guesswork out of trying to figure out if your horizon is level when using a ball head tripod.
The truth is, no matter how informative videos like these are, the best way to make an informed decision is to get real-time experience with different tripods and figure out what works for you and what doesn’t. This could mean borrowing a friend’s for a couple of days or renting one, but merely testing one out in the store for a few minutes isn’t going to give you all the information you need. Go out, get shooting, and try out as many different types of tripods as possible in the field before buying.
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PictureCorrect.com: Lifestyle and Culture Photography Techniques
When carrying a conversation with photographer Erinn Springer, it immediately becomes evident that she’s an impulsive and inspired artist. As she scans her surroundings, she sees no need to create something out of nothing. On the contrary, she recognizes the beauty hidden in the folds of the seemingly mundane and accentuates it so that others may admire it as well:
A graduate of Parson’s School of Design, the vibrant woman is an open advocate of exploration. Though she’s described her image making method to be spontaneous and very much inspired by the moment, the discovery of new places and people leads her camera into the images she feels most strongly about.
Though Springer’s lifestyle may come off as bohemian and happy-go-lucky to a fault, her enthusiasm and commitment to capturing all that is unique has developed into a lucrative, fulfilling career. Her Instagram account serves as a working public diary of all that her eye can see, and it caught the attention of prospective clients. She eventually took up work in travel and lifestyle photography as a means of feeding her wanderlust and cultivating a voice for every captivating moment captured by her camera.
Springer’s advice to fellow photographers is straightforward: be true to yourself and feel the moment as best you can. When you feel most inspired or compelled to share, that is the time to take a photograph. While this counsel may feel overly simplified to the hyper-analytic artist, there is certainly something admirable to the straightforward honesty of following artistic instinct and one’s own heart.
“If you look at a portrait of somebody, if they’re in a house, and you look at a portrait of them in the house, I want you to be able to smell the house and imagine what that house feels like.”
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maanantai 27. helmikuuta 2017
PictureCorrect.com: Tips for Capturing Better Landscape Photos
Regardless if you’re new to photography or a seasoned pro, for many of us, our first love is landscape photography. There’s just something so magical about a perfectly crafted landscape photo that can’t help but command a person’s attention. On the other side of the lens, photographing nature not only provides us with endless opportunities for amazing shots, but also serves as a great way to challenge ourselves as photographers.
“Bend on the Salt River” captured by PictureSocial member Nathan McCreery
At any moment, the elements within nature can change, which may drastically affect the outcome of a photograph. While great landscape photography may seem hard to master, it’s not as intimidating as you may think. In this landscape photography tutorial, we’ve put together a list of techniques and tips that are sure to help you learn how to take stunning landscape photos.
Look for a great foreground element to maximize depth and perspective
You’d be amazed how the simple act of including a foreground element within a landscape photo can totally transform a scene. By adding a foreground element to your photo, the image can instantly portray a deeper sense of perspective and depth. Without it, the photo may look too flat for your taste.
It’s also best to use a wide-angle lens. Wide-angle lenses, by design, enhance the sense of depth within a shot. Combining this with a foreground element will really open up the perceived space within the scene.
With a wide-angle lens the foreground element will seem much larger than the background objects, maximizing the sense of depth.
“God’s Light” captured by PictureSocial member Jet Rabe
Finding the perfect foreground element to include within your scene may take only a few minutes or several hours. Before setting up your shot, scour a site until you find the best element to include, whether it’s a clump of flowers, group of rocks, a reflecting pond, or fallen tree branch. Be creative with your selection!
Take advantage of bad weather
When bad weather strikes many photographers pack up their gear and go home. What they don’ t know is that they’re missing some amazing opportunities for great landscape photography!
We’ve all seen countless numbers of photos that have been captured on a sunny days. Which is fine. But, think about the photos you’ve seen that consisted of nature at its worst: cars buried in pile of snow after a blizzard, bolts of lighting filling a purple the sky, 20+ feet waves during a hurricane, a tornado forming miles away, etc. Those types of shots are incredible to look at!
Since most people are fearful when bad weather strikes, and stay inside, this is an opportune moment for you to capture some great photographs. As a photographer try not to let bad weather frighten you, but instead intrigue you to capture some awesome shots!
Documenting bad weather while it’s occurring (or even after it has passed) is fascinating for viewers to look at. We love to see these types of shots because most of us don’t get to experience it first hand.
“A Storm is Brewing” captured by PictureSocial member JoAnn Fougere
Just make sure to take the proper precautions and stay safe when photographing bad weather scenes. Always put your safety first.
The best landscape photography takes planning
Often, when you see an image of a great landscape photo, you think to yourself “Wow, the lighting and composition are so perfect! The photographer got lucky by being at the right place at the right time.”
Usually, this couldn’t be further from the truth!
Most beautiful landscape photos take a vast amount of time and planning. It’s nearly impossible for a photographer to appear at a site at a random time on a random day and expect a great result.
It just doesn’t work that way.
“North Pennines” captured by PictureSocial member Floyd Franklin
If you want to capture the best photo for a given scene it’s best to scout out the location ahead of time and take a few test shots throughout the day. That way can see how the natural lighting affects the scene and know what time of day you should come back.
Then, when you come back, you can arrive about 30 minutes ahead of time, set up your composition and be ready to capture a great shot when the lighting moves perfectly into place.
As a rule of thumb, it’s usually best to capture landscape photos during the golden (or magic) hours of the day.
Get creative by capturing a variety of angles
Many new photographers instinctively shoot landscape photos by setting their tripod on the ground at eye level and then framing up the shot. Yes, this can result in a good photograph, but a lot of other great opportunities are being missed!
If you really want your photos to stand out from the work of other photographers, you should work hard at framing a common setting in a creative way.
“129” captured by PictureSocial member Cristina Ciutan
You can do this in several ways. Try capturing a different vantage point. Shoot from high up or really low to the ground. Compose the shot using Out of Focus Foreground Framing. Position natural elements within a scene in unique ways. Capture the scene at night. Use reflections. And so forth.
Bracket your exposures
When you start out in landscape photography, you’ll notice that taking one photograph usually doesn’t result in capturing a scene’s full potential. Often, the darker areas of the scene look too muddy while the highlights are just right, or vice versus, the highlights are blown out while the darker areas are rendered beautifully.
This common problem can be easily solved by bracketing your exposures and you should make it a common practice to do so on every landscape shoot.
Bracketing your exposures simply means to capture the same composition with multiple exposure levels. Usually, it’s between 3-5 shots varying in exposure brightness. This allows you to maximize the dynamic range within a photograph.
“When The Sun Goes Down On My Kind of Town” captured by PictureSocial member Ronald Quillopas
Here’s how it works:
Capture one image using the settings your camera deems as being a proper overall exposure for the scene. Then, use the exposure compensation button (if shooting in an automatic mode) or aperture, shutter speed or ISO setting (if shooting in manual mode) to force a one stop overexposure. Next, force a one stop underexposure.
This results in three different exposures.
If you want to capture five exposure, just take an additional two shots. One with a two stop forced overexposure and another with a two stop force underexposure.
Then, in a photo editing software,such as Adobe Photoshop, Elements, Lightroom or Apple Aperture, you can automatically combine these 3-5 photos together to create one photograph with a more appealing dynamic range.
All elements within the scene, from the dark shadows up to the bright highlights will be exposed correctly.
Let nature be your teacher
You could learn all of the tips and tricks in the world about how to take better landscape photos, but there’s no school or workshop that will teach you how to become a better landscape photographer than nature itself.
Only hours of practice in the field with an open eye and desire for creativity will make you a better photographer.
“Double Rainbow over Colorado National Monument” captured by PictureSocial member Matt Shetzer
So, get out there and start applying these tips and techniques we’ve shared with you so you can learn how to utilize each to its full advantage. You’ll find out what works and what doesn’t for different scenes and discover your own tricks along the way.
About the Author:
This article was written by Stephen Hockman (http://ift.tt/1NNyMI4). He spends a lot of his time shooting photographs and looking for ways to improve upon his skills.
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PictureCorrect.com: How to Create Rainy Window Portraits in a Studio
With a makeshift studio and a camera in hand, it’a possible to create nearly anything. In this tutorial, Gavin Hoey brings the stormy weather indoors with a step by step guide to creating the illusion of rain drops clinging to a glass window:
As always, the most crucial aspect to create a convincing scene is the correct lighting. Hoey uses a Streaklight 360 strobe to provide plenty of light, with a soft box attached to create the diffused look of a cloudy day. The bigger the soft box, the more light is scattered, the more convincing the setup becomes. It’s also important to keep the main light source elevated to replicate muted overhead sunlight. In addition, a small speedlight can be used to add a bit of depth to the background as well as create a barrier between your model and the backdrop.
Rather than a window, Hoey uses a sheet of 3mm Perspex—a more durable, manageable alternative to glass—in his home studio. A dark background further adds to the window illusion, as less sunlight would be reaching an interior setting on a gray day.
Once the lighting and the scene is set, adding rain is actually the easiest part of this setup. A spray bottle will evenly disperse droplets of water in a manner similar to the way rain rests on a surface. The amount of “rain” in your scene is entirely up to you. Different amounts of water create completely different looks and feels. For instance, excess water will condense and drip down the Perspex, just as a heavy falling rain drops would, while a small spray might resemble mist or condensation.
Using a higher depth of field will ensure that both the rain droplets and the model’s face appear in focus within your frame.
To further add to the realism of the photograph, you can use Photoshop to create a faux outside world with nearly any image. Landscapes and wide angle outdoor shots work magnificently. Once you’ve found the right image to reflect, paste over the studio portrait and switch the image blending mode to “screen.” From there, you can reduce the opacity so that the “reflection” doesn’t overpower the subject. To further add to the realism of the reflection, a gaussian blur can be added and set to a a high, distorted setting to create a misty look without much definition.
Of course, there are multiple ways you can arrange a studio setup to create different looks. As Hoey demonstrates, turning everything on set other than the background to a 90 degree angle and opening up the aperture of the camera can create the effect of looking down the length of a window. Because this is such a simple yet convincing arrangement, experimentation doesn’t take too much effort. So, don’t subject yourself to cold, damp conditions just to get a shot. Creating more controlled, equally beautiful results that will fool any viewer is far easier than you may expect!
For further training, ending tonight: The Ultimate Photography Bundle 2017
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PictureCorrect.com: Interesting Photo of the Day: Tasman Glacier Under the Milky Way
Many photographers experiment with astrophotography and are drawn to the sights and colors that can’t always be seen by the naked eye. In order to capture the immense amount of light and detail that the Milky Way gives off, you often need multiple exposures and a method for tracking the star movement. This image is a perfect example of just that:
“Tazman Glacier Under the Milky Way” by Jo Scott and Jake Scott-Gardner (Via Imgur. Click image to see full size.)
Photographers Jo Scott and Jake Scott-Gardner worked together to capture this photograph back in August of 2016. They achieved this 70 picture panorama using a Nikon D810 camera with a 35mm lens for 20 second exposures at an aperture of f/1.4 and ISO 8000. They focus stacked the foreground, since they used a wide aperture. Both the foreground and background were photographed at the same time because the camera settings and location provided enough light to do so. Their general post processing includes correcting lens distortion, focus stacking the foreground images, stitching all of the images together, masking any out of focus sections, and finally adding edits including contrast and saturation.
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PictureCorrect.com: 3 Quick Instagram Photography Styling Tips
Working with static subjects can be surprisingly difficult. For photographers accustomed to working with live models, styling details by hand can be a challenging hurdle to overcome. Luckily, there are a few guidelines beginners can employ to refine any still life. Content creation studio Mango Street Lab produced the following tutorial as a styling blueprint for any photographer looking to bring still subjects to life:
Choosing the Right Perspective
Many still life photographers choose between three straightforward angles: the bird’s eye view, the straight on perspective, and the 45 degree angle. There’s a time and place for each view. Experiment with each if you’re unsure of how you’d like to show off your subject. If you have trouble getting the angle you’d like, use a step stool or ladder rather than straining yourself. Regardless of the perspective you choose, be sure that the lines within your frame are straight.
Filling in the Composition
One of the biggest mistakes most people make when styling still life shots is leaving too much negative space within the frame. Instead, opt to allow your subjects to overflow outside of camera’s view. It implies a larger scene going on just out of our sight and makes for a more inviting final composition. Creating this effect is as simple as spreading out props to the edges of the image’s frame. That being said, be wary of over crowding your image with too many elements at once.
Thinking About the Mood
Believe it or not, the positioning of inanimate objects can play a huge role in the feelings your image evokes. For instance, take into consideration that shapes often have subconscious gender connotations applied to them. Often times, straight lines and harsh angles can be interpreted as masculine. On the other hand, more feminine curves and organic shapes are often preferred in food photography, as they’re naturally inviting. Determine what message you’d like to convey through your still life, and then ask yourself whether the image you’re working with is in line with what you’d like to say.
Of course, there are lots of other things that professionals take into consideration when arranging an image. But, finding the perspective, composition, and mood that work best for the image you’re trying to make is essential in creating something truly appealing. Don’t overthink still life photography. The best strategy is to play around, experiment, and try to find an arrangement that’s both imaginative and enticing.
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