PictureCorrect.com: How to Select a Sky in Lightroom

This step-by-step guide will teach you how to use the Select Sky tool in Adobe Lightroom.

I think you will agree with me when I say it’s hard to quickly select the sky.

Well, it turns out you can select a sky Precisely and quickly using the latest Lightroom tools.

Let us dive right in –

Sky Selection tool in Lightroom

• Under the Lightroom develop module, select the masking option.

• Click on the Select Sky icon under the option Masking > Add New Mask
• Mask Panel will appear. You can see the Sky in the image selected. Check the Show Overlay checkbox to see which area of the Sky is selected.

• You have made the initial Sky selection. You can use this Sky Selection as a good starting point. Apply the targeted adjustments for a selected Sky.

Optional steps to refine a sky selections

• Once you make the initial Sky selection, under the Mask panel click on the selected mask.
• Below the Mask, there are 2 options- Add and Subtract
• For adding more areas to the Sky selection, click on Add.
• There are multiple options to Add to the current selection.
• The brush option is helpful in extending the selections. Select the brush option and paint over the area you want to select.

• To subtract from the selection, select the Subtract option. Select the brush and paint over the area which you don’t want in the selection.

• Out of multiple selection options, I find Brush option to be helpful in adding or subtracting to the Sky selection.
• If your Sky selection demands for additional selection options feel free to give a try. It’s worth it.

Visualizing the overlay

• You can visualize the selected Sky using various overlay modes.
• To visualize the selection, under the Mask check the Show overlay box.
• You can see a default overlay as Color Overlay. Now you can choose a different color for overlay. Click on the color palette and select the color of the overlay.

• Also, there are other overlay modes available. I Choose color overlay or Color Overlay on B & W as I find those overlays easy to refine the Skyselections. You can choose which you find useful for your images.

Bonus tip to quickly make the image beautiful:

• Select the Sky as mentioned in the above steps. Use the Select Sky feature for selecting the Sky.
• Make Targeted adjustments to the Sky. Specifically targeted adjustments I recommend are – Black and White point, Highlight/ Shadows, Vibrance and Saturation, Clarity, Texture, Sharpness, and White Balance. Every image is different hence you can apply targeted adjustments as per the image requirement.
• The Key Idea here is, to create a beautiful sky that compliments your main subject. Increase the impact of the Main subject by gently optimizing the sky.

Now it’s your turn

I hope this Lightroom tool will help you to select and edit the Sky faster and accurately.

About the Author:
Shreyas S. Yadav is an engineer and photographer of wildlife and nature. He is also a writer and lifelong adventure explorer. Through his writings, he teaches about digital post-processing and nature photography. Shreyas shares field techniques about nature photography, post-processing and wildlife photo stories on his website.

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PictureCorrect.com: Interesting Photo of the Day: Lake Irwin Wildflowers

Lake Irwin Campground is a popular area for hiking in Colorado. At an elevation of 10,200 feet, the area can be seen blooming with wildflowers in July and August. Landscape photographer Ben Strauss happened to be there during peak season and captured this absolutely beautiful image:

“Wildflowers at Lake Irwin” by Ben Strauss (Via Reddit. Click image to see full size.)

Strauss captured this image from a spot near Irwin Lodge, which he had scouted out the evening before. The composition is amazing with purple wildflowers in the foreground, Lake Irwin at the center, and the Anthracite Mountain Range as the backdrop. The sunrise lighting with the colorful sky and clouds adds to the beauty of the image.

“This image is a vertorama composed of 6 separate shots panning upwards.”

Strauss shot each of the six frames at 28mm, f/11, 1/40 second, and ISO 400. He later stitched the images up in Photoshop. Also, to make the wildflowers pop, he dodged them up a little. What a beast of an edit!

When asked why he took a vertical panorama instead of using a wide angle lens, his answer was simple. He didn’t own a wide angle yet. A vertorama is a poor man’s wide angle. What do you think?

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PictureCorrect.com: How to do High-Speed Photography Tricks

If you’ve ever thought about it, high-speed photography is actually a really interesting photography genre. Everyday mundane activities can appear mind-blowing when you freeze the frame at the right moment. In fact, with high-speed photography, it’s almost like you’re slowing down time and having a peek at it. Sounds staggering, right?

In today’s exciting video, we have the awesome team over at COOPH sharing some great tips and photography inspiration on how you can do some awesome high-speed photography:

Many people associate high-speed photography with sports and wildlife photography. While that’s not a matter of great concern, it is important to realize that those genres offer limited scope for creativity.

But when you get your hands dirty in a controlled environment using elements like powders, fluids, glass and different filters like you see in the video, the opportunities are endless. Whether you decide to use colored powder or something as simple as some flour, with the right concept and execution, anything can come out breathtaking.

And if you’re someone who’s not afraid of going that extra mile then breaking glass can be another great subject for hi-speed photography. Be sure to be careful though.

Further, in the video, you can also see how you can take interesting hi-speed shots of objects in motion. Along with that, the COOPH team also shows you how you can add creativity to the process by using gels. Colorful gels work especially well if there are sprinkles of water or smoke involved in the shot.

Working with liquid is another avenue you can explore for some creative high-speed photography. Pour them around, create splashes, and go crazy with them – thanks to their behavior, they make for an excellent choice for high-speed creative photography.

In all cases, there are some key basic things you should be wary about when shooting high-speed photography.

• Set the focus to manual and pre-focus
• Use higher f-number like f/8 (or higher) to have a greater depth of field
• Set the camera to shoot continuous frames
• Use a fast shutter speed, but if you’re using flash you might be limited by your camera’s flash-sync speed
• Using  flash helps a lot; be sure to keep the flash power to the lower side to avoid motion blur

We sure do hope that the ideas shared in this video inspire you to try out some high-speed photography. If you have some more ideas be sure to share them in the comments. We’d love to hear from you as well.

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PictureCorrect.com: 📷 Light Trail Photography Tutorial

Taking photos of light trails may seem difficult, but it’s easier than expected and is based on a lot of trial and error. Light trail photos are most commonly found with car headlights and tail lights, but you can also make light trails with stars (star trails) or any other light source in motion during low light hours of sunset or night.

Photo captured by Osman Rana; ISO 400, f/11.0, 25 seconds.

Light trails are basically long exposure shots that take place around moving sources of light. There isn’t much you will need to be able to take these shots, but a proper camera, and additional equipment can help, even though some is not needed. I will explain the basics.

Equipment

For a long exposure shot (the basis of this tutorial), you will need a camera that has some control over the exposure settings, such as changing the shutter speeds. Some cameras may allow you to slow the shutter speed down, while others (such as DSLRs) allow you to leave the shutter open for an infinite amount of time until you manually decide to close it, which allows as much light into the camera as you deem necessary.

You will also need a tripod for this, as having a camera handheld with long shutter speeds will make it near impossible to compose a good looking shot, without everything being blurry. I have done long exposures on rests before, such as a bridge overlook, and it worked well. You just have to make sure the camera has minimal movement during the exposure.

Two more things that can really help, but are not needed, are a remote shutter release, and also a lens hood, which can help block surrounding ambient light (such as if you’re in the city or near street lights). The remote helps so there is no camera shake when pressing the shutter button. Using mirror lock-up (a feature on most DSLRs) will also minimize camera shake. My last tip, which is good for any long exposure, is to use the noise reduction function if your camera has it.

Photo by Maciek Lulko; ISO 100, f/11, 30-second exposure.

Setting Up Your Shot

For our examples, let’s assume we want to take long exposure light trails of car lights. You’ll want to find somewhere where there is a lot of fast-moving traffic, and not much ambient light. Although, I must add, having neon signs or other lighting on the side can make for cool effects.

Now, find a good perspective that will catch the car lights passing by. Set up your tripod and camera and get ready!

Camera Settings

This is where trial and error come into play. There are no exact “perfect” camera settings. It all depends on the ambient light around you, how fast traffic is moving, etc.

• First of all, set your camera to a low ISO setting. This will reduce the amount of noise in the shot.
• Next, set your aperture (increase your f-stop number) and take test shots and see how they turn out. This is where the trial and error comes in. I usually set my shutter speed to around 10 seconds or more. But then again, I always use bulb mode.
• If your shot comes out too dark, increase your aperture size (lower your f-stop number). And if your shot is too overexposed, decrease your aperture size (raise your f-stop). Aperture affects your depth of field also. Keep in mind, you don’t have to stick to ISO 100 or 200. Try all different mix match settings and see what works best for you. What I do is use bulb mode, which leaves the shutter open for as long as you want it to be open, in which you hit the shutter button for the second time to close the shutter. On a DSLR, this is usually on the mode dial, marked “B”. I usually set my ISO to 100 or 200, use a remote, hit the shutter button, and wait about ten seconds, then close the shutter. I then look at my shot and figure out if it’s too dark, too bright, etc.

Getting Your Shot Timing Correct

The last part is getting your timing correct. You’ll want to look through your camera and know where the photo will actually begin. This is because you want to start your shot before any cars enter the shot. If you don’t, then you will have some light streaks start midway through the shot, coming out of nowhere. Sometimes this can’t be avoided though, and also sometimes it can turn out to be cool. But most times you want to expose the shot before any car enters the shot.

Photo captured by Marc-Olivier Jodoin; ISO 100, f/11.0, 10 seconds.

Last Tips

I only have a few more tips, and you’re ready to shoot!

First, always shoot in RAW mode (as you always should anyway) so most adjustments will be easily corrected later on.

Next, you may need to use manual focus, as it can sometimes be hard to focus in the pitch black dark.

Last, keep in mind what the difference in f-stops do. For instance, you take a shot at f/5.6 at a street light, and it comes out normal. If you take the same shot with an f-stop of f/16, you will have a star effect on the light. Just something to keep in mind if you have any signs or other lighting subjects in your shot.

I hope this tutorial has helped you out, answered all your questions, and that you come up with some great light trail shots!

About the Author:
This article was written by Ty Sharp from tysharpphotography at wordpress. More details can be found on his blog.

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PictureCorrect.com: Interesting Photo of the Day: River Sunset with ND Filter

There are sunsets and then there is this. Captured on the Beaver River up North, this image has been aptly described as simultaneously depressing and elating. Depressing, as very few have the opportunity to take time out of their daily grind to experience something like this in person, and elating because these moments do actually exist on the face of our Earth:

Crazy sunset from our campsite on the Beaver River in Minnesota (Via Reddit. Click image to see full size.)

Photographer Tucker Brastad shot this beautiful sight on a camping trip with a Nikon D7100 paired with a Tokina 11-16mm ultra wide-angle lens. His settings were 30 seconds at f/7.1. He used a 10-stop ICE ND filter to get that smooth effect of the water and sky.

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PictureCorrect.com: Wedding Photographer Shares How She Reached Six Figures

While many of us take photography as a passion, only a handful would be able to turn it into a successful business. Most of us dream of making a profession out of something we love. And with photography, this gets even more exciting – if you’re able to do it, that is. So, what does it really take to turn photography into a profitable business? To share her perspective on this matter, today we have a 23-year-old photographer Grace Torres who was able to transform her passion into a $177K business:

As Torres shares in the video, she got into photography from the early age of thirteen. So much so that she even used up her Christmas and birthday savings to get herself a new camera. While she started her photography journey photographing landscapes, as she grew up, she ventured more into photographing senior photos, sweet 16s, and portraits.

One great aspect that we must appreciate about Torres is how she was able to keep her passion for photography alive during college and continue doing shoots. So, it’s clear that you don’t have to jump right from your corporate job to being a full-time entrepreneur. And as she mentions in the video, it was the growing nature of freelancing that helped her to land clients and make some earnings in the process.

“Starting photography for me was always a side hustle until I was more than 100% sure I would be able to sustain myself in a career.”

Once done with college, one bold step that she took was not to opt for a job elsewhere. Instead, she decided to keep the momentum going and pursued photography as her career. This is something that a lot of us would not dare to do, and this bold move seems to be paying handsome dividends to her.

Another key takeaway from Torres’s success story is how she keeps herself from feeling burnt out. Following a passion doesn’t necessarily mean that you sacrifice your social life. And she keeps a balance beautifully by taking regular breaks for vacations, and by outsourcing work wherever possible. The latter is something that you must not be afraid to do if you want to succeed in any business.

One more learning from her success is how she’s been able to establish relationships with other related businesses. As she mentions in the video, it’s not only the previous clients that refer her new clients. Even wedding planners, coordinators, and other photographers refer clients to her. Networking thus is another key strategy that you can use to help flourish your business.

Torress’s success is one of many stories that showcase that it’s possible to turn what you love into a business. If you’re looking for inspiration to start a photography business, we highly recommend that you watch this complete video. We’re sure Torress’s success story will surely inspire you.

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PictureCorrect.com: 7 Tips for Taking Great Travel Pictures

Taking great pictures of your vacation can be easy if you have a few basic photography skills. In this article, you will find seven travel photography tips that will help you take fantastic pictures that you’ll enjoy for years to come.

Photo by Arian Zwegers; ISO 100, f/11.0, 1/125-second exposure.

1. Add Drama to Your Pictures

By adding drama to your pictures, you make them more interesting and visually appealing. If you want to add drama to your pictures, one way is to show scale. You can do this by adding people or natural features to your photographs of big things like monuments, landscapes, or the world’s biggest Redwood.

Photo by jpellgen; ISO 200, f/10.0, 1/400-second exposure.

2. Clean up the Clutter

When you’re seeing exciting new things, it’s easy to ignore the background. But before you hit the shutter release button, look at what you’re really photographing. In some cases, moving a few feet could eliminate unwanted clutter like power lines, billboards, or people walking through your picture.

Photo by inefekt69; ISO 4000, f/1.8, 1/125-second exposure.

3. Photograph the Locals

No matter where you are traveling in the world, learn how to say some basic things like, “May I please take your picture?” in the local language. Offer to send those you photograph a copy; make sure to have a small notebook or pencil to jot down names, addresses, or emails.

Photo by Alberto Lama Photography; ISO 200, f/2.8, 1/3200-second exposure.

4. Look for Unique and Candid Photos

Candid shots when traveling are the best, but occasional portraits of the family in front of spectacular views and famous landmarks are part of almost every vacation album. Don’t forget to get in the vacation pictures too by using the self timer or remote shutter.

Photo by sandeepachetan.com travel photography; ISO 100, f/4.5, 1/500-second exposure.

Always take pictures of things that interest you instead of taking pictures of things “you have to take”—like those shown on postcards in the gift store. You can always pick up some postcards to add to your vacation souvenirs. Unique subjects make great travel pictures, so look out for these opportunities.

Photo by Theophilos Papadopoulos; ISO 200, f/7.1, 1/100-second exposure.

5. Remember That Every Photo Has a Story

You may want to tell your vacation story by using your photographs from the time you departed to your return home, so make sure to capture these moments, too. Include highlights like your campground neighbors, an unusual meal you had, activities, the look on a family member’s face when he or she saw something for the first time. Once you get home and look at all of the pictures, select those pictures that best reflect your trip and frame them on your wall to remember.

Photo by Rosanetur; ISO 200, f/5.6, 1/1000-second exposure.

6. Get the Kids in on the Act

If you are traveling with children, give each child a camera and encourage them to take pictures, too.

Photo by Modes Rodríguez; ISO 200, f/1.4, 1/1100-second exposure.

Then when you return home you can create a fun photo album to remember your vacation. While on your vacation, make sure to make notes so you can later add captions to your photos.

7. Be Aware of Camera Logistics

If you’re going to be near or in the ocean, bring a waterproof camera. Watch out for salt water and sand as they can wreak havoc on your camera.

Remember that not every picture will turn out well; even the seasoned photographer take bad pictures from time to time. The best solution is to bring extra memory cards and have a way to upload your photos each day while you’re away.

And don’t forget to prepare your camera for the next day by recharging the batteries and replacing the memory card. By doing this, you’ll be ready to go in the morning!

As you can see, taking great travel and vacation pictures can be a lot of fun and relatively easy just by following these seven tips. By the time you return home you will have a lot of fantastic pictures to share with your friends and family.

About the Author:
Autumn Lockwood is a writer for Your Picture Frames (www.yourpictureframes.com) and loves taking pictures. Your Picture Frames makes it easy for you to find just the perfect frame for your photo or artwork.

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PictureCorrect.com: Interesting Photo of the Day: Curious Crow

Crows have garnered a reputation as highly intelligent creatures after studies showed that the birds can remember faces, strategize, and even conspire with one another. With the brain power that matches that of a human toddler, it’s no wonder that the crow we see below was so curious about the camera he was inspecting:

“Inquisitiveness” captured by Key GROSS (Via Imgur. Click to see full size.)

The photographer behind this gripping image is Russian-based, Key GROSS (Konstantin Smirnov), who has an inherent knack for black and white photography. For this photo, he used a SONY DSC-H2 with the following settings: 6mm focal length, 1/25 shutter speed, f/2.8 aperture, and ISO 80.

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PictureCorrect.com: Phase vs Contrast Autofocus Systems on Cameras

When camera manufacturers come out with a new camera, they don’t miss out on highlighting their focusing systems. Some cameras flaunt their Phase Detect Autofocus (PDAF) system with a massive number of focusing points, while others have a hybrid autofocus system that also includes Contrast Detect Autofocus (CDAF). But, do you understand how each of these focusing systems work? Tony Northrup goes into the details in this video:

Laser Autofocus

We haven’t seen this autofocus system in cameras yet, but laser autofocus has been adopted by some smartphone cameras. The camera emits an invisible laser and measures the time it takes to bounce off the subject. Then with some calculation, the camera determines the distance to the subject and locks on to it.

“It works great because you can use it in absolutely zero light.”

Contrast-Based Autofocus

Imagine how you’d focus on a subject manually. You rotate the focus ring until the subject is in focus. Once it’s sharp, you keep rotating just to make sure and then come back to the sharpest state. This is exactly how contrast-based autofocus systems work. This system considers the portion of the image with the greatest contrast and then adjusts the focus until that particular area appears the sharpest.

Contrast-based Autofocus is great for still subjects. But when shooting moving subjects, they will have already moved somewhere else before the camera can focus.

“It doesn’t work great at tracking moving subjects.”

Phase Detect Autofocus

Phase Detect Autofocus (PDAF) works similarly to how our eyes work. It measures the distance using two separate planes by measuring the angles.

DSLRs have an entirely different array of mirrors and sensors that read information coming in from the light rays through the lens in order to measure the distance to the subject.

An important thing to consider with PDAF sensors is that they need to be precisely in alignment with the sensor. Any error will cause the image to be out of focus. This is when micro-adjustments become necessary.

CDAF vs. PDAF

When it comes to lab tests to see which of the focusing systems is better, CDAF or PDAF, both of them perform almost the same. PDAF systems have a very slight edge for stationary subjects. However, when it comes to tracking subjects, PDAF outperforms the slower CDAF system. But, PDAF has some drawbacks of its own.

• If the focusing points are very close to each other, the accuracy of PDAF drops. The same is true when the focusing points are very small.
• It gets harder to work with a PDAF system when working with telephoto lenses where the subject is farther away.

To do away with these challenges, manufacturers have come up with the idea of placing the phase detect sensor onto the sensor directly. This again has a different set of challenges, as the pixels that should be gathering light information for capturing images are now engaged in focusing. Manufacturers, however, do away with this by a method called interpolation which guesses the data in a particular pixel based on the information carried by the surrounding pixels. This method has the following challenges:

• Loss of resolution and image information
• The appearance of banding in images

Today, camera manufacturers are trying hard to overcome the weaknesses of each of these autofocus systems. Let’s wait and see what the future holds for autofocus systems.

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PictureCorrect.com: How to Take Silhouette Pictures

Why are silhouettes special? The reason silhouettes are so engaging is that they are very open to interpretation. No matter who or what your subject might be, the viewer of the photo has the opportunity to imagine what is unfolding in the scene. Depending upon the perspective of your audience, you could end up with a wide range of opinions as to what is happening in your photo.

Photo by Nathan Dumlao.

Think of a silhouette of a man sitting alone on a park bench at sunset. Is he sad and lonely because his wife has passed? Perhaps he’s anxious about how much longer he will live and whether his loved ones will be cared for. Maybe he is relaxed and content, simply enjoying the day. Has he finally achieved an important goal in life?

There are so many scenes in life that can be perceived from various perspectives. Silhouette photography allows the imagination to shape the reality perceived by the viewer. In this way, silhouettes are truly unlike any other type of photography.

The key, then, is to focus on this aspect as you plan out the scene for your silhouette. Asking how you can create the scenario that is most engaging to the view is the key to success in this field. Follow your imagination where it leads and you will be amazed at the results!

Setting Up a Silhouette Photo

In order to describe the process of setting up a silhouette picture, let’s use the example of a silhouetted woman standing alone on a beach at sunset. Since sunlight will be our only source of light, we’ll need it to be coming from behind the subject. In this way, we will not be utilizing any reflectors or fill flash.

Photo by Franz Harvin Aceituna.

With the sun just above the ocean horizon, point the camera at the sky just to the side of the sun. This will allow your camera to meter to the bright and produce exposure settings to the light behind your subject and thus underexpose your subject creating a silhouette.

Other Options for Silhouettes

It is also possible to render your silhouette with an interesting halo effect around your subject. If you desire this effect, move the subject directly in front of the setting sun. This will create a glow or halo which will further enhance your subject. With such an effect, you will obviously influence the viewer’s interpretation of your silhouette to be even more daring, innovative, and imaginative.

Remember, the more you create a silhouette that allows the viewer to dream bigger and better dreams, the more effective your photo will be.

Photo by Jason Ross.

Leaving a lasting impression is the goal of taking silhouette photos, so allow yourself time to first imagine what your scene might be. Then, go out and capture that scene to the great satisfaction of yourself and your audience!

About the Author:
Mathew Rivers writes for a blog about the Nikon digital cameras.

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PictureCorrect.com: Interesting Photo of the Day: Sparks of Metalworking

If you’ve ever had a chance to work with metal, you might know how much work it really takes. You get a very small window for errors—precision is very important—and a distinct scent lingers for a while afterward that doesn’t waft away easily. But the best part of metalworking, at least for a photographer, has to be the sparks that metals create when they’re being ground. Photographer Emir Talundzic took the following image of his father grinding some metal and it’s absolutely mesmerizing:

“Magical Sparkles” by Emir Talundzic (Via Imgur. Click image to see full size.)

Talundzic shot the image on a Canon 5D Mark III with a Sigma 35mm f/1.4 lens at 1/640th of a second, f/1.4 and ISO 640. The shallow depth of field creates a beautiful blurry foreground that gives a sense of the human subject without distracting from where our eyes ought to be: the place where the magic is actually happening.

The beautiful and tiny sparkles are definitely the highlight of the image. It’s amazing how the photographer managed to capture them so sharply despite the shallow depth of field.

“The window was positioned perfectly so the light was coming down right over him. I had the lights off so we could have more focused lighting.”

If you think out of the box, it can even appear like he’s doing some kind of a magic trick. Let’s call it the magic of workmanship. Really a beautiful moment captured by the photographer.

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PictureCorrect.com: Zone Focus Tutorial for Street Photography

If you’ve ever tried your hand at street photography, you know how fast-paced this genre is. People move in all directions and actions happen spontaneously. You need to go with the flow and always be ready to take photos.  This is where zone focusing comes in handy. Street photographer Jonathan Paragas shows how to master zone focusing for street photography:

“Zone focusing allows you to nail focus every single time and focus even faster than the fastest auto-focus system in the world.”

Zone focusing helps you capture a sharp photo at just the right moment.

The zone focusing method lets you set a predetermined range of focus. For instance, you can set the lens to focus on subjects between three and seven feet away. Everything in that range will be in sharp focus.

Focus Range

How Zone Focusing Works

Zone focusing works best with wide angle lenses. Lenses like 24mm, 28mm, and 35mm deliver good results when using this technique. While you can still get acceptable results at 50mm, the method will not be effective with longer lenses.

Quickly reviewing the relationship between aperture and depth of field, you might recall that wider apertures cause fewer things to be in focus. Conversely, higher aperture values have a greater depth of field with more things in focus.

“I found that zone focusing works best between f/8 and f/16.”

To use zone focusing, you need to understand how to use the hyperfocal distance scale on your lenses. If you have a look at your manual lenses, you can see three basic things: the aperture ring, mirrored aperture markings, and the distance scale.

“The mirrored aperture markings are there to tell you the range of focus you will have at any given aperture.”

In the video, you can see that at f/16, the marking read 3 on the left and 10 on the right. This means that the zone of focus, in this case, will be from three to ten feet. And at f/4, the range will be from four to five feet. You can thus set your aperture depending on the range of focus you want.

Zone Focus Checklist

Now all you need to do is go out, make sure your subjects are within the predetermined range of focus, and take a photo.  As long as the scene or subject is within your calculated range of focus, the image will turn out sharp.

Wait for your subject to move into your focus zone.

Go ahead and give zone focusing a try if you’ve been struggling to attain focus quickly.

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PictureCorrect.com: How to Focus a Camera in the Dark

This article is based on concepts from The Photography Tutorial eBook which is currently 83% off for a Summer Sale if you want to dig deeper.

If somebody asked me about some of the difficult scenarios to work in as a photographer, working at night time would definitely make it to the top of the list. But with the challenge in place, the results that you can get from night time photos are truly amazing. The world out there appears kind of different at night. This gives you an opportunity to create photographs with a unique look. And that’s exactly what makes night photography a challenge worth pursuing.

One of the biggest hurdles you will come across when photographing at night time is focusing. With a minimal amount of light around, the sensor in any camera will struggle to detect any contrast. This is why focusing gets so difficult. So, it becomes important that you’re aware of some techniques to help your camera focus better at night.

Captured by Bryan Hanson

Use Center Focusing Point with Single Servo

If you are not comfortable getting out of autofocus mode, try changing the autofocus area to single, and use the center autofocus point. Since the center autofocus point is more precise and sensitive than other focusing points, this can increase your chances of grabbing focus. And to prevent the lens from hunting around, set the drive the single servo. This way, once the camera locks focus, it won’t hunt further.

Manual Focus Works Best

If autofocus fails continuously, it is best to take matters into your own hands by turning the focusing mode to manual. Switch the focusing mode to manual either with a switch on the lens or through the camera menu. Then, using the focus ring on the lens, you can control where the lens needs to focus.

Use the Rear LCD

With the camera set to focus manually, switch your camera over to live view instead of using the viewfinder. This will allow you to use the digital zoom feature and ensure that you nail your focus.

Focus Peaking

Many modern cameras come with a focus peaking option that overlays the area that’s in focus with some color. This makes it much easier to judge whether the image is in focus or not. To get the most out of this feature, use it in conjunction with manual focus and live view.

Use Artificial Lighting Before the Shot

If the scene or your subject is close by, use some artificial source of light like a flashlight to light up a small portion. Then, you can either focus on that portion manually or by using the autofocus feature. If there’s enough contrast, autofocus should work seamlessly.

For further training on these concepts and more you may want to check out the chapters on Night Sky Photography while The Photography Tutorial eBook before the Summer Sale ends!

For Further Training, Summer Sale Ending Soon:

This #1 bestseller is the most in-depth eBook on how to capture amazing photography anywhere. Over 250 pages of photography tips & tricks from industry insiders. Currently 83% off which ends soon for a Summer Sale if you want to check it out.

Pages from The Photography Tutorial eBook

It is the product of over a DECADE of research as an insider in the photography industry, assembled to help you learn quickly and avoid the mistakes that I made along the way.

Deal ending soon: The Photography Tutorial eBook Summer Sale

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PictureCorrect.com: Interesting Photo of the Day: Golden Gate Traffic & Fog

The Golden Gate strait in San Francisco is easily one of the most iconic landmarks with many photographers flocking each year to photograph it. For those who are unaware, the area experiences a natural phenomenon when the fog is lying so low around the Golden Gate Bridge that you can see the top of the bridge towers peaking above it. This makes for one of the best conditions for an enthusiast to photograph the engineering marvel. Take for instance this gorgeous image captured by photographer Marcin Zajac:

“A Long Exposure Shot of the Low Fog Event at the Golden Gate Bridge, San Franciso” by Marcin Zając (Via Imgur. Click image to see full size.)

Zając took this image by exposing the scene for 30 seconds. And because he exposed the image for so long, you can see such stunning light trails from the car lights. Interestingly, the mix of the light and the fog has added an overall glowing effect to the image. This further gives an unreal look to the image. Moreover, the glow also gives a feeling as if it’s not the light from the traffic, but it’s lava instead.

It’s also beautiful how the long exposure has worked beautifully to give an ethereal look to the rolling fog. If you look at the clouds, you can make out how soft and fluffy the sea of fog appears. And even though the entire landscape in the background is engulfed by the fog, the way the top of the bridge still manages to stand out gives it a majestic feeling.

This might be the most-photographed landmark in the world, but this image definitely stands out from the crowd. Kudos to the photographer!

Have you been able to witness this phenomenon? We’d love to hear about your experience.

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PictureCorrect.com: Top 10 Dog Photography Tips

Dogs are undoubtedly one of the most loved members of the family. This love for our four-legged friends is a core reason why many people like to have them photographed. But photographing a dog is an entirely different story from photographing humans. Professional dog photographer Andy Biggar shares his top ten tips for taking amazing dog photographs:

1. Camera

Dogs tend to be very active and can be difficult to photograph when they’re running around. This doesn’t mean you need a camera with the highest frame rate to capture the dog’s movement. If you use a camera with a low number of frames per second, understand the dog’s movement and determine the best time to release the shutter.

“Don’t rely on technology. It’s not about buying the most expensive camera. Understand what is happening in the camera. Hone your skills. That’s far more important.”

2. Lens

Biggar loves his Canon 70-200 f/2.8 lens because of its fast and accurate autofocus for capturing action-packed dog photos. But again, he recommends not buying anything expensive right away. Look for less expensive third third-party natives. And before buying any lens, see if you can rent it to decide what works best for you.

A 24–70mm lens comes in handy for detailed close-up shots of the dog. It’s also useful if you need to take wide group shots of dogs with their owners.

3. Get Down

The importance of photographing a subject from the eye-level can’t be stressed enough. This creates a better impact and helps to develop intimacy with the subject.

“I spend most of my time during a photo shoot on the floor looking straight into the dog’s eyes with the lens.”

Make sure that you’re dressed appropriately for getting down and dirty. If you’re not comfortable, the image quality will suffer.

4. Keep the Session Moving Fast

Dogs have a tendency to get excited and then bored pretty quickly. You can’t risk being at the photo shoot fiddling with the settings to get the correct exposure. Be prepared to make the session fun for everyone involved. This also helps capture the true character of the dog.

5. Get Some Help

Doing a dog photography session all alone is a pretty daunting task. Work with the owner so that you can concentrate on taking photos. If the owner can’t be there, take an assistant along to help you out.

6. Bribery

Have the dog’s caregiver bring treats or toys that the dog loves. These can be used to get the dog’s attention and to get them excited. And who doesn’t love being appreciated for doing a good job? So, share some treats with the dogs whenever they pose for the camera.

7. Variety

Be sure to take a variety of shots during the course of the session. Take action shots, dog portraits, and some with the owner.

“It’s key that you get a pre-shoot consultation with your client to understand what they’re looking from the photo shoot.”

8. Location

There are some situations when you have no control over the dog’s behavior. It’s extremely essential that you choose your location wisely. While the surroundings must look good in the images, also make sure that it’s a safe place for a dog.

“You don’t want a location where potentially the dog could be at risk from itself or an environment where there could be livestock around. This is just a recipe for disaster.”

If the client has a location in mind where you haven’t been before, make an effort to scout the location before the shoot.

9. Gear Protection

Place your gear in a good waterproof bag. Also, make sure that your memory cards are secure.

10. Preparation

While this is not specific to just dog photo shoots, you should make sure that your batteries are charged, your memory cards are formatted, and all your gear is packed in your bag properly.

Be sure to use some of these tips for some great dog photography!

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PictureCorrect.com: Better Sunset Photography Tips

Basked in golden light as the sun shimmers over the water, the sunset can truly be a magnificent sight. When you are traveling or even exploring your local area, try to be a little more creative with your sunset photography. Too often we see the standard sunset shot with little to remind us of where it was taken.

Photo captured by Graham Holtshausen; ISO 125, f/8.0, 1/250s, 34mm.

Although it can be tempting to have a clear sunset shot, you are really missing creativity and visual reminders of where the shot was taken. If you are away on holiday or somewhere new, try to capture the essence of the place you are visiting. Framing the shot with a little thought can turn a nice sunset into a spectacular, memorable photo.

Setting up for the perfect sunset shot

Sunset photography can be a little tricky, and if you let your camera think for you, i.e. leave it on automatic, then this can often provide undesirable results. Silhouettes are often the creative realm of the sunset. Of course, this is because the sun is such an overpowering light source. And this is where the problem begins if your camera is in automatic mode. Although letting the camera lower the exposure can be desirable to allow for the silhouette, you are often left with just an outline and no detail.

Photo captured by Alex Chernenko

Using exposure compensation or high dynamic range photography can help bring some detail back into the foreground objects or people. Nearly all cameras (even many compacts) will allow you to set a +1 EV compensation. Just be aware that if you are in shutter priority this will often change the f-stop rather than the exposure time. If you are using a DSLR camera, I highly recommend you use bracketing. We will delve into the world of bracketing at another time.

Take the sun component away

That big bright sun dominating the horizon causes all complications. You can simplify fix this by not including the sun in the image or hiding it behind an object in the frame. Not having the sun dominating the frame allows for less extreme lighting conditions, and as such, you should end up with a shot that transitions from foreground to background much more evenly.

Photo by sandeepachetan.com travel photography; ISO 100, f/7.1, 1/500-second exposure.

The right white balance

I refer now to the advantage of shooting in RAW. White balance is a key consideration when shooting the sunset. If you let your camera do the thinking for you, it will often set an incorrect white balance–normally to the cool end of the scale.

This is because the camera believes there is far too much red and yellow in the shot. But of course, this is exactly what we are looking for in the first place. A good rule of thumb is to set a daylight white balance. This will give you the warm tones you are looking for. Shooting in RAW allows for white balance changes during post-processing and will allow for finding the optimum temperature.

Bringing back the detail in people

If you are using a person in the foreground for a sunset portraiture shot, I refer back to the problem of complete silhouette and no detail. This can be a good time to break out the flash for a little fill in light.

Photo by Warren Wong; ISO 100, f/1.8, 1/320-second exposure.

Another technique I have often used (although a little unusual) is a torch. Some of the new LED torches offer a great subtle light source perfect for these situations. I often find flash very harsh, and it is not very practical to take lighting stands and umbrellas to the beach. You would be amazed at how handy the humble flashlight can be for shedding a little light on the subject.

About the Author:
This articles was written by Patrick Ryall from BetterPhotoSchool. Previously a tips and tutorial site and photographers social network.

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PictureCorrect.com: Interesting Photo of the Day: Norwegian Long Exposure

Trollstigen is one of rural Norway’s most famous tourist landmarks—a switchback highway that snakes up deep mountains near the country’s western coast. This long-exposure shot highlights exactly how zigzagging the road really is:

(Via Imgur. Click image to see full size.)

Pascal Kiszon snapped this photo, to put it more accurately, he snapped these photos. The image above is a composite of several shots, each with a 30-second exposure, compiled afterward in Photoshop.

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PictureCorrect.com: Camera Strap Tutorial

A camera strap is the most basic of accessories. There are various types of straps, but the most familiar is the neck strap. Even though it’s a very simple tool, a camera strap can improve or worsen an image depending on how you use it. Photographer Phil Steele shows you the right and the wrong ways to use your camera strap in this tutorial:

How to Attach Your Strap

If your strap is already attached to your camera, and for some reason, you need to remove it, take a photo of the connector part before disassembling it. This way, you’ll have a reference in case you get confused when putting the strap back.

If you notice that your strap has stray ends that constantly disturb you when operating the camera, you need to make a simple change. Instead of feeding the strap through the buckle from the bottom, feed it from the top first. This way, the stray end gets trapped between the two layers of the strap. While this method gets rid of the interference from the loose tail of the strap, it also makes the setup look neat.

Using Your Camera Strap for Better Photos

“Did you know that you can use the strap as a stabilizer to help reduce camera shake?”

In order to use your camera strap as a stabilizer, place it around your neck. With your elbows against your body, pull the strap tight. This trick is especially useful when shooting videos.

Another way to stabilize your camera using a strap is to step on the strap and pull the camera up tight. This method comes in handy when shooting from a low angle.

You may not always have a tripod with you, but you’ll definitely have your strap. When you don’t have your tripod with you, you can make do with your strap by placing it under the camera body or the lens.

Camera Strap Mistakes to Avoid

When placing the camera on a table or any other surface, make sure that the strap isn’t left hanging. If somebody walks by the strap, they can get caught in the strap, causing the camera to fall. To prevent accidents, place the camera on the strap itself.

If you’re using a tripod to take an image, make sure that you either take the strap off or hold it until the camera is done taking the image. Otherwise, even a gentle breeze can cause the strap to sway and introduce camera shake.

Camera Straps and Comfort

The straps that come with your camera are pretty basic. If you need to work with heavy gear, you’ll end up having a sore neck rather quickly with a basic strap. So, if you need to work long hours with your camera be sure to invest in a strap made of soft, thick and stretchy material.

An alternative to a neck strap is a sling strap. It goes over one shoulder and holds the camera at waist level on the other side.

“The great thing about it is that it takes the weight off your neck while leaving your hands totally free.”

When you need to take a photo, simply slide the camera to your eye level and shoot. However, since it mounts to the tripod mount screw, make sure that the screw doesn’t come loose easily. Steele suggests two things to make sure this doesn’t happen:

1. Wet the rubber washer that goes between the mounting hardware and the bottom of the camera. This helps tighten the grip.
2. Periodically check the tightness as you’re working.

“If you do event photography, you should do yourself a favor and give one of these a try.”

Have you been using your camera strap the right way?

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