PictureCorrect.com: Bokeh Lighting Techniques

Times Square in New York is any photographer’s bokeh heaven – the stoplights, billboards, street signs and headlights make for an interesting backdrop to any photo. Whether you’re shooting wide open or otherwise, Times Square will not disappoint. Jay P. Morgan explains in detail how to experiment with different lenses and distances from the subject and background to create various bokeh effects:

Some key principles to remember:

1. Get close to the subject.
2. Stay far away from the background.
3. Keep aperture wide open.
4. Pinpoint lights (e.g. light bulbs, stoplights) are better than light screens (e.g. fluorescents, billboards).

Not blurry enough

Better bokeh

Nicer when farther from wall

Stepping closer to the subect decreases depth of field

Effect is similar to the photo shot with the 50mm f/2.8 lens at 2.5 feet from subject; 13 feet from the wall

Head size increases but bokeh is really nice

As you can see, you can achieve similar bokeh effects with different lenses by studying where to position yourself relative to the subject and background. Having your subject shift a few feet forward or backward could make a huge difference in the shape, size and opacity  of the out-of-focus lights in your background.

Billboards create unpredictable patterns and colors of light

The term “bokeh” comes from Japanese and means “blur” or “haze”.

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PictureCorrect.com: Interesting Photo of the Day: The Milky Way Over Dubai

You can associate a lot of things with Dubai: shopping, great food, breathtaking skyscrapers, and desert safaris. But one thing you’ll rarely hear tourists (more specifically photographers) say is, “Dubai is a great place to shoot Milky Way photos.” I mean, no way, not with all that light pollution! If you’ve seen NASA’s images of Dubai at night you, know how difficult it is to make a Milky Way shot. The city shines like a beacon in the dark. So when photographer Siddharth Prem decided to shoot an image of the night sky from Dubai he had to travel to the outskirts of the city:

Milky Way over Dubai (Via SmugMug. Click image to see full size.)

As you can see even then the image reflects how the night sky is dominated by light pollution from the city. Credit must be given to the photographer. This was an extremely good try, given the difficult conditions.

Prem catpured the image with a Canon EOS 6D at ISO 6400, 16mm, f/4, and 30 seconds. He says he used Lightroom to “make the light pollution easy on the eyes.”

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Instagram: 27.09.2015 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PHOTO OF THE DAY ФОТО ДНЯ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PHOTO BY | @ch3m1st LOCATION |New York, USA SELECTED | @night_photo_ ВЫБОР | @pasha_volkov_ ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ OUR TAG | #night_photo OUR TAG | #night_photography ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ FOLLOW | @pasha_volkov_ FOLLOW | @night_photo_ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MAIL | nightph@mail.ru by night_photo_

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PictureCorrect.com: The 5 Most Annoying Kinds of Photographers

How often have you complained of being pestered by the Copy Cat or the Chatty Cathy or the Gear Nerd? These types of photographers and can make life a living hell for serious photographers. The video below is a light-hearted attempt at demonstrating five stereotypical (and annoying) types of photographers by Tony and Chelsea Northrup:

1. The Copy Cat

On one side there is the perfectionist photographer, who takes a lot of care before making a shot. He spends time scouting out the right location and the right light. Then sets up his/her equipment, measures the light, locks focus, and presses down the shutter release in a precise well-rehearsed motion.

On the other side is the annoying Copy Cat, who does none of this, but just cannibalizes on the work of the perfectionist by getting the same composition.

The Copy Cat

2. The Chatty Cathy

This type of photographer is comparatively less harmless—that is if you can stick some cotton balls in your ears. Introducing the Chatty Cathy, a photographer chatterbox who can babble continuously with no punctuation, seamlessly transitioning from one bizarre topic to another mundane one while being completely oblivious of what’s around. The best way to tackle one? Work on an escape plan.

The Chatty Cathy

3. The Gear Nerd

I bet you have seen a Gear Nerd before. The photographer who seems to have every piece of photography gear he owns strapped on to his or her body. Well if ever there was an example of “I need everything here” in photography – this is it. Unfortunately, with these photographers, mobility and flexibility are an issue.

The Gear Nerd

4. The Photography Widow

There is a dark side of marrying somebody who has a penchant for photography. Often when you’re talking about your relationship, your significant other is more interested in something despicable. While you’re enjoying the moment, a beautiful sunset, on a lonely walk, your partner is more focused on a bird some 100 yards away. If you go as far as to question the judgement of buying an expensive piece of gear or to the prudence of turning in early to edit images, you’re just playing out your role as a Photography Widow without even realizing it.

The Photography Widow

5. The Teacher

Oh the proverbial teacher! The one who will chase you down while you’re unsuspectingly making images. The ones who will pounce on you to pass on unsolicited advice to the point you start to feel that your knowledge of photography is a big zero. They may even try to sell their book to you!

The Teacher

Have you met one these prowlers? Or, if you dare, are you one of them?

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PictureCorrect.com: What Makes a Photographer?

It’s funny how everyone tries to tell what you are or aren’t. I spend a lot of time on the internet talking and working with other photographers and artists and every once in awhile I’ll run into a situation where somone is telling another that they are or aren’t this or that. For example some will say you’re not a photographer if you use instagram or if you shoot all your shots with a cell phone. I’ve even heard you’re not a photographer until you’ve shot film. Is there any credence to these claims? What really makes a photographer, after all?

“All of the Lights” captured by James Elliott (Click Image to See More From James Elliott)

Ultimately it comes down to who you believe you are. It doesn’t take a certain amount of equipment, prints-sold, clients, or even experience to make you a photographer. Whether you shoot with an iPhone, Nikon F6, or D4 it doesn’t matter — though if you’re shooting with a Nikon D4 I’m very envious of you. If you’re constantly taking pictures and capturing your world then you are a photographer.

If instagram is your medium or if you’re shooting weddings for clients all across the country, it doesn’t matter. What does matter is your drive and love for the art. Being a photographer means sharing your world in your own way.

Do you process your photos or take them and share them straight to your friends via Facebook or Twitter? Either way you’re a photographer. The beauty about photography is that each person who holds a camera has the ability to uniquely capture the world around them. It’s all about sharing and loving the art.

“Lady in the Sky” captured by James Elliott (Click Image to See More From James Elliott)

Chances are if you’re reading this article you’re a photographer, or at least well on your way to becoming one. Happy Shooting.

About the Author:
James Elliott is an award winning photographer and creator of Through the Lens – the art and tech blog curated by himself and others. The site offers more tips, inspiring art, and featured artists.

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PictureCorrect.com: Composite Photography Lighting Tips

Composite photography is becoming increasingly popular for commercial use and as interest rises in the technique, so does the talent behind the photographs. Photographers are adapting to the style and experimenting with lighting that will give them the best possible HDR experience. In the following video, a pair of photographers are presented with the challenge of doing a composite photography shoot of the new Audi A4 in unfavorable weather conditions. Have a look to see the approach the two took and whether or not they were able get the job done.

The photographers used a rather minimal setup, bringing out just a single strobe and transmitter, a Canon 5D Mark II with a 50mm lens, a sturdy tripod, and a cable release. The strobe was mounted onto a boom arm and stand which had wheels, making the light easy to move around while lighting individual sections of the car for each composite layer. They then took each of the photographs and edited them together during post to get one final image that combined the best qualities of each layer.

According to these photographers, one of the main keys to good composite images comes from minimizing movement of the camera. Hence the use of a tripod and cable release. This will give you the sharpest composite images possible, which is not unlike other forms of photography.

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