Digital Photography School

This week your challenge is to take and share an image that fits the theme of ‘Street Photography’.

I know that those two words send some people into a state of panic as they’re often associated with taking pictures of complete strangers on the street (like we wrote about yesterday when we interviewed Street Photographer Eric Kim) but you may interpret the theme any way that you wish.

You may choose to photograph people on the street – but you might also take a gentler approach – photographing wider street scenes, asking people to pose for you on the street, photographing elements on your local street (signs, buildings etc), capturing the movement of a street scene… anything you like – as long as its shot out on the street somewhere!

Once you’ve selected the ‘Street Photography’ image/s you’d like to share – upload them to your favourite photo sharing site or blog and either share a link to it or – embed them in the comments using the our new tool to do so.

If you tag your photos on Flickr, Instagram, Twitter or other sites with Tagging tag them as #DPSSTREET to help others find them. Linking back to this page might also help others know what you’re doing so that they can share in the fun.

Also – don’t forget to check out some of the great shots posted in the last challenge – Rule of Thirds challenge where there were some great shots submitted.

Post originally from: Digital Photography Tips.

Check out our more Photography Tips at Photography Tips for Beginners, Portrait Photography Tips and Wedding Photography Tips.

Street Photography: Weekly Photography Challenge

Photo by Delineated

Previously we’ve covered the topic of shutter speed and looked at how increasing and decreasing it can have a significant impact upon the images we take – particularly if the subjects in those images are moving.

Today I’d like to take a brief look at a related topic – that of photographing moving subjects by ‘panning’.

Panning is a technique that can produce amazing results (if you perfect it…. or get lucky) but is also one that can take a lot of practice to get right.

The basic idea behind panning as a technique is that you pan your camera along in time with the moving subject and end up getting a relatively sharp subject but a blurred background.

This gives the shot a feeling of movement and speed. It’s particularly useful in capturing any fast moving subject whether it be a racing car, running pet, cyclist etc.

I’ve found that panning seems to work best with moving subjects that are on a relatively straight trajectory which allows you to predict where they’ll be moving to. Objects that are moving side to side are challenging and can result in messy looking shots as the motion blur can be quite erratic.

Photo by wvs How do you do it?

• Select a slightly slower shutter speed than you normally would. Start with 1/30 second and then play around with slower ones. Depending upon the light and the speed of your subject you could end up using anything between 1/60 and 1/8 – although at the slower end you’ll probably end up with camera shake on top of your motion blur.
• Position yourself in a place where your view of the subject will not be obstructed by anyone or anything else. Also consider the background of your shot. While it will be blurred if there are distracting shapes or colors it could prove to be distracting. Single coloured or plain backgrounds tend to work best.
• As the subject approaches track it smoothly with your camera. For extra support of your camera if you’re using a longer lens or are feeling a little jittery you might like to use a monopod or tripod with a swivelling head.
• For best results you’ll probably find that setting yourself up so that you’re parallel to the path of your object (this will help with focussing).
• If you have a camera with automatic focus tracking you can let the camera do the focussing for you by half pressing the shutter button (depending upon it’s speed and whether it can keep up with the subject)

Photo by WisDoc

• If your camera doesn’t have fast enough auto focussing you’ll need to pre-focus your camera upon the spot that you’ll end up releasing the shutter.
• Once you’ve released the shutter (do it as gently as possible to reduce camera shake) continue to pan with the subject, even after you’ve heard the shot is complete. This smooth follow through will ensure the motion blur is smooth from start to finish in your shot.
• If you have an older digital camera or one that is of a more entry level point and shoot variety you could also have to contend with the dreaded ‘shutter lag’ problem. Shutter lag is when there is a slight delay from when you press the shutter to when the picture is actually taken. If you experience shutter lag you’ll need to learn to anticipate the moment to take the shot and will definitely need to continue to pan well after you’ve taken the shot.

A variation on the Panning Technique

There are no rules with panning and you might also like to experiment with using your flash while panning. This slow synch flash technique will only work if the subject is close enough or your flash is powerful enough to have an impact – but will help to further freeze your main subject while giving the background the motion blur you’re after.
If you do use a flash you’ll want to test a variety of settings to get it looking right. In some cases you’ll probably need to pull back the strength of your flash by a half or a third.

Panning and Patience Photo by J Catlett

If you’re going to try panning for the first time you should approach it with an experimental attitude. It can be a lot of fun but can also be quite frustrating. If you’re at a special event where you have fast moving subjects (like a car race etc) you’ll probably want to mix up your style of shooting. Don’t just use this technique all day – instead also shoot some shots at fast shutter speeds. This way you’ll end up with a variety of shots and will probably end up with some useful ones instead of just having a collection of blurry unusable ones.

If you want to practice panning (and it is something that you need to practice – a lot), head out into a busy part of your city and practice on passing traffic. That way you have a never ending supply of subjects.

Also keep in mind that it’s unlikely that your main subject will ever be completely sharp and in focus. This technique is about getting a relatively sharp subject in comparison to it’s background. Some blurring of your main subject can actually add to the feeling of motion in the shot.

Once you’ve practiced the panning technique share your results with us in our Forums.

Note: this post is a ‘classic dPS post’ that was previously published but has been updated for today. Also read about the technique of panning in The Art of Panning.

Post originally from: Digital Photography Tips.

Check out our more Photography Tips at Photography Tips for Beginners, Portrait Photography Tips and Wedding Photography Tips.

Mastering Panning – Photographing Moving Subjects

If you shoot street photography, you have most likely heard of California based photographer Eric Kim. He is so active in the social media and blogging world that it is virtually impossible to miss him and his big grin. Who is the person behind the Leica? I had the pleasure to ask him a few questions for the dPS readers recently and, without further ado, I am pleased to introduce you to the work of street photographer Eric Kim.

When did you start doing street photography and why?

When I first started shooting photography, I had a difficult time figuring out what type of photography I enjoyed the most. I tried everything—landscape, wedding, portraiture, macro, you name it.

However my defining moment was a day in which I was waiting at a bus stop. I saw a young man with horn-rimmed glasses reading a book while leaning on a pole. I felt the moment was so pure and genuine, and I felt the urge to take his photograph. Then the questions came to mind—should I ask for permission and was this “right?” Regardless I went with my guts and attempted to take his photograph (without his permission). My heart was pumping and adrenaline flowing, and I brought up my camera to snap a photograph. The second my shutter was about to go off, he stared right at me and I took the photo. I have been hooked ever since.

What is it about street photography that appeals to you the most?

What I love most about street photography is that it is extremely challenging—both in creating an image that is visually appealing and emotionally appealing. I am also as interested in the approach of street photography. After all, who takes a photograph of a stranger without his/her permission? But it is through this candor that you can get a sense of who that person truly is and what is going on in their mind – without asking for permission.

What gear do you use and why?

I currently shoot with Leica cameras for my street photography, as I prefer the small body, how quiet it is, and unthreatening it looks. For my digital work, I shoot with a Leica M9—but recently I have been shooting quite a bit of film on my Leica M6.  However one thing I would like to urge to the readers of DPS is to not get too caught up in the gear. Although I do shoot with one of the most expensive cameras out there, there is no reason you can’t take a great image with what you have—and even an iPhone!  Having said that, generally the smaller your camera is, the less scary it is to the average person and more suitable for street photography.

How often do you get out and shoot?

I shoot everyday. When I am out traveling I probably shoot close to five hours a day. When I am back home and resting, probably less—around two hours a day or so. The most important thing is that I always have my camera with me, and try to make the time to shoot whenever possible.

What are your favorite subjects and locations?

When I was an undergraduate in my university, I studied sociology and I consider myself first a sociologist and second a photographer. Therefore, in my photography, I am particularly interested in capturing the beauty and ills of society through my lens. Some themes in particular which interest me are the role of the presentation of self, gluttony (not just food but general excess), and the negative effects of wealth and capitalism. Therefore the areas I like to shoot in are generally urban and highly-industrialized areas. Some of my favorite places to shoot include Downtown LA, Tokyo, and Seoul.

Which were your best moments and your scariest ones, if any?

Whenever I am out shooting, I always shoot with a smile on my face. The response I generally get from my subjects while shooting is positive. Although I don’t ask for permission when I’m out shooting, I generally chat with my subjects after taking photographs of them. I compliment them on what I find beautiful or interesting about them—whether it be their smile, their flamboyant hat, colorful outfit, or the way that they walk with authority. After taking people’s photographs, it always makes me happy when I hear people say to their friends: “Oh my god, he took a photograph of me—he must think I am someone famous!” The best, is just a simple smile back.

My style of photography is much more aggressive and in-your-face than other street photographers out there- so I have run into a few negative incidents. However they are still few.

In Downtown LA I had an incident in which someone threatened to break my camera, and tried to grab my camera by pulling at my camera strap. I apologized and chatted with him afterwards, which helped him calm down.

Another incident in Toronto, I took a photograph of what appeared to be a male aspiring Asian pop-star wearing nothing but skin-tight leather leggings and a leather vest. I took his photograph and kept on walking, and he turned around and asked me if I took his photograph. I told him I did, and he told me to delete the image. I looked at the image and thought it was quite interesting, so I refused. He then started getting violent and started shoving me in the chest, spitting while he was talking, and threatening to call the cops. I stood my ground and told him to go ahead and call the cops—as I was doing nothing wrong by shooting in public. He pretended to call the cops, and then stormed off afterwards.

The most physical incident I have gotten into involved when I was taking photographs in Tokyo. I saw a guy who was around 6 feet 3 inches (I am around 6 feet tall) who was wearing a face mask yet smoking a cigarette. He looked pretty sketchy (he wore a doo-rag, had a menacing face, and a patch on the right side of his face) but I decided to take a photograph anyway. I then kept on walking, and then he ran after me, kicked me in the back of my camera bag. I was holding my off-camera flash in my left hand, and the force sent the flash flying to a wall opposite of us. The flash hit the wall, broke into a thousand pieces—batteries flying everywhere. He then gazed at me with menacing eyes, and I quickly bowed and apologized—and walked off quickly.

I don’t want to scare anyone from shooting street photography from the negative experiences I had. I have probably taken at least 300,000 street photographs—and these were probably the 3 worst experiences I encountered. 3/300,000 is a .001% percent of a truly negative reaction. You are probably more likely to get into a car accident. Regardless, it is important to always be prepared – because you can never predict with 100% accuracy what can happen on the streets. This comes with experience—but know when it is the best to stick around with an upset person and explain why you are shooting street photography and how to apologize. In other cases when people might not react well to what you have to say, quickly apologize and just move on.

Have you learned something interesting about human behavior from your street photography?

The first thing that always concerns people is the risk of getting yelled at or beaten up for shooting street photography. As a sociologist, I am particularly interested in the approach of street photography—and how people truly react when you take their photograph (without their permission).

The common understanding is that people absolutely hate it when you take their photograph without permission and will become aggressive. However in my experience, 99% of the people you take photographs of generally don’t react much or don’t mind when you take their photograph. In today’s society, people are generally non-confrontational and won’t react very much when you take their photograph.

What tips would you give someone who is just starting to experiment with street photography?

I would say the most important thing is to carry your camera with you everywhere you go. The best shots are in the places you least likely expect, and as Wayne Gretsky said, “You miss a 100% of the shots you don’t take.

Secondly, don’t be sneaky when you shoot street photography. Don’t shoot with a 200mm lens and shoot from a block away. Rather, use a wide-angle prime lens (35mm or 28mm on a full-frame equivalent) and get close to your subjects. If you get close to your subjects when you are shooting, it makes the viewer feel like a participant (rather than a voyeur simply looking in). I also feel with physical proximity comes emotional proximity with the people you are taking photographs of.

Lastly, shoot with the heart. Street photography (like other forms of photography) should be well-composed and framed. However in the end, a great street photograph needs soul—it should say something about humanity or challenge the viewer to see his/her life in a different way.

 

Street Photographer Eric Kim

To connect with Eric on FB, Twitter, G+, etc. and learn about his upcoming projects and street photography workshops click here.

 

Post originally from: Digital Photography Tips.

Check out our more Photography Tips at Photography Tips for Beginners, Portrait Photography Tips and Wedding Photography Tips.

Focus on Street Photographer Eric Kim ~ In your face with a smile!

Since my review of the Sony SLT-A77 hit the screens of many Digital Photography School visitors it’s obvious the company has pressed the right buttons for people wanting to lift their photo game.

Now we have ‘son of’ … a model similar in many respects, at a lower price, but with many of the A77′s remarkable features. The review camera was supplied with the kit lens, a Sony f3.5/18-55mm.

The heart of the camera is the Translucent Mirror, marked by the model ID: SLT stands for Single-Lens Translucent.

Unlike a reflex mirror in ‘normal’ DSLRs that flips up and down to alternate between viewing and shooting, a translucent mirror is fixed in the light path to give an interrupted — and continuously live — view of the subject. One of a number of benefits is to reduce blackout time between shots; the SLT camera is also lighter and faster to use than ‘normal’ DSLR cameras.

Identified as an Alpha camera, this model can use any of the Sony A-mount lenses, as well as those from the Konica-Minolta range and compatible with Sony’s SteadyShot internal stabiliser system.

The body is made from polycarbonate material, differing from the A77′s magnesium alloy/plastic construction; the A65 body is 110 grams lighter than the A77.

The LCD screen tilts vertically through 180 degrees and can be rotated leftward 270 degrees from the position in which the LCD monitor is facing forward. An eye sensor switches the view between the turret finder and the LCD screen. The only demerit of the screen is that it’s not so easy to swing downwards when attached to a tripod: the A77 excels in this department.

Sony Alpha SLT-A65 Features

The CMOS sensor captures 24.3 million pixels, more than most amateur photographers would ever need, but allowing enormous capabilities to crop and extract detail from the images.

With a maximum image size of 6000×4000 pixels expect to make prints measuring 51x34cm at 300 dpi — or even larger if you’re using sophisticated upscaling.

Video? Full HD and 1920×1080 pixel resolution. I found that auto focus tracked any changes in camera-subject distance fairly quickly, while exposure variations were handled smoothly. Unfortunately, like the A77, you can’t shoot still images while recording video.

Much of the camera’s operation can be managed from the external controls; the mode dial gives access to Program AE, shutter and aperture priority as well as manual operation.

(insert A65 menu 1 to A65 menu 3)

To get access to such matters as white balance, image size, colour space etc you access the finder menus. And menus they are! Control upon control! An easier way to get to some of these is is to tap the Function button.

For the nervous there’s a handy in-camera guide that can lead you into the mysteries of how to capture the more challenging shots. Unfortunately, just as I was about to list these, the camera (a pre-production model) froze on me, reviving only upon my emptying the battery.

Useful in the LCD display is a digital level gauge, showing fore-and-aft and lateral levels, down to an accuracy of +/- 1 degree.

Burst shooting of stills can be made up to 10fps with continuous focus in play all the time.
In deference to those who would use the camera’s more auto modes, there is a range of ‘Picture Effects’ that give access to 11 different ‘tools and filters’ to edit your images and movies as you shoot; these include partial colour effects, toy or retro camera effects etc.

Added to this is a collection of scene modes, which includes macro, sunset, night portrait etc.
Sony’s remarkable Sweep Panorama (and 3D panos) feature is also in the kit: expect to shoot panoramas out to 12,416×1856 pixels in span, stitched in-camera while you wait.

The flip-up onboard flash has a guide number of 12 (metres/ISO 100), meaning you could successfully capture a subject at f4 at a distance of three metres … or, using an ISO setting of 400: lens aperture of f4 with a subject distance of 12 metres.

Auto focus gets maximum attention: the A65 has a new 15-point AF with three cross sensors. Tracking Focus maintains accurate focus lock on a moving subject — even if it is briefly obscured.

Sony Alpha SLT-A65 ISO Tests

Fairly clean, sharp and accurately coloured all the way up to ISO 3200.

At ISO 6400 a slight increase in noise but sharpness still OK.

At ISO 12,800 noise more noticeable. At ISO 16,000 noise well up.

Sony Alpha SLT-A65 Verdict

Quality: with the A65 I captured stunning, sharp, brilliantly colour-saturated images.

Why you’d buy the A65: 24 megapixel shooting and a 10 fps burst rate appeal.

Why you wouldn’t: you (still) want an optical pentaprism view … just like your daddy’s SLR!

I did have a hassle with the close proximity of the on/off lever and the control dial. Maybe it’s my big butter fingers.

It would be a tragedy if this baby ended up shooting family pics and snapshots. It’s too good!
Whoever buys it, my prediction is that this one will fly off the shelves: super specs, well-engineered and megapixels to burn!

Sony Alpha SLT-A65 Specifications

Image Sensor: 24.3 million effective pixels.
Metering: 1200 zone multi segment, centre-weighted, spot.
Lens Mount: Sony A-mount, Konica-Minolta AF mount.
Exposure Modes: Program AE, shutter and aperture priority, manual.
Effective Sensor Size: 23.5×15.6mm HD CMOS.
35 SLR Lens Factor: 1.5x.
Shutter Speed (stills): 30 to 1/8000 second and Bulb. Flash sync: 1/160 sec.
Continuous Shooting: 3-12 fps.
Memory: SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo cards.
Image Sizes (pixels): Stills: 6000×4000 to 3008×1688.
Movies: 1920×1080 (AVCHD) — (PAL: 50p/28Mbps/PS, 50i/24Mbps/FX, 50i/ 17Mbps/ FH, 25p/24Mbps/ FX, 25p/17Mbps/FH); 1440×1080 (MPEG4) — (PAL: 25fps/12M), VGA: 640×480 (25fps/ 3M).
Viewfinder: Turret 1.3cm (2.36 million); 7.6cm LCD screen (921,600 pixels).
File Formats: JPEG, RAW (Sony ARW), JPEG+RAW, MPEG4, AVCHD.
Colour Space: sRGB, Adobe RGB.
ISO Sensitivity: Auto, 100 to 25,600.
Interface: USB 2.0, HDMI mini, ext mic.
Power: Rechargeable lithium ion battery, DC input.
Dimensions: 132x97x81 WHDmm.
Weight: 543 g (body only).
Price: get a price on the SLT-A65 at Amazon – Sony A65 With 18-55mm Lens

Post originally from: Digital Photography Tips.

Check out our more Photography Tips at Photography Tips for Beginners, Portrait Photography Tips and Wedding Photography Tips.

Sony Alpha SLT-A65 Review

It’s worth your while to click on the image above to be taken to the full sized 360 view of the Shah-é-Chéragh Mosque taken by Audrey Scott and Daniel Noll of Uncornered Market.com. As DPS evolves, we’ll be adding in the ability to see these immersion style Shockwave files on the blog, but for now, take a look at this example before diving into this post.

Daniel And Audrey have been creating these wonderful images for years. I’ve been a bit addicted to the far-flung locations they show and the amount of detail they can pack into a full spherical image (which looks fabulous in full screen mode). I recently contacted them to find out how they capture their images as I wanted to present my panoramas (not full 360) in the same manner. This post will explore how they capture what they do and will point you to some resources you can use to do the same.

In an upcoming post, I will dive a bit deeper into a slightly different style I currently use to create similar images.  But for now, on to the Q & A!

NOTE: I suggest subscribing to their blog as they post one of these images from around the world every week. Plus they have other great photography and travel stories on their site I think you will enjoy.

1 ) Starting with the photo shoot, list for us the equipment you use to capture your scenes.

Photo Shoot:

• Camera body (e.g., Nikon D300)
• Circular fisheye lens (e.g., Sigma 8mm f/3.5 EX DG Circular Fisheye Lens)
• Monopod Velbon RUP-43 (optional, we carry one)
• Panoramic tripod head (optional, we do not carry one)

 Post-processing:

• Your favorite photo editing software (e.g., Photoshop)
• Spherical panorama stitching software (e.g., Autopano Giga)
• Spherical panorama tour software (e.g., Panotour Pro)

2 ) You’ve captured hundreds of 360 panorama images while traveling almost full time. Can we get some technique tips that will help those learning the technique shorten their learning curve, please?

For the purposes of this Q&A, we’ll assume you are shooting with an 8mm circular fisheye lens.

 The shots: You will shoot in RAW format at least five images in portrait orientation – four images each at 90-degree angles to one another (think around a single axis), then a fifth shot overhead to be sure you’ve captured the entire sky or ceiling. If you are not shooting with a lens at least as wide as 8mm, you may need to take more images to be sure you’ve covered everything from a 360-degree perspective.

We take virtually all our panoramic photos without a monopod, tripod heads or other aids. After you’ve taken enough photos, you get a feel for properly aligning with the ground and horizon. An alignment trick: tie a string around a coin (or heavy item) and hang this from your lens so that you can be sure you are shooting at the same angle around the axis.

Exposure and focus: To ensure a consistent exposure, be sure you are in fully manual mode. As a general rule (there are exceptions), you’ll want to expose for the sky. Also make certain your lens is set to infinity focus. (There are exceptions to the infinity rule if the bulk of your subject and surroundings are close up, say inside a bus for example.)

 Subject area: Having some people or objects in the foreground can be useful to provide action or perspective. Because you are working with an 8mm lens, objects in the distance (e.g., mountain ranges) will appear especially far away, so they may not be as engaging in a spherical panorama as they might appear to the naked eye.

 3 ) After you have the images, run us through your workflow (on a high level as this isn’t a complete tutorial).

The workflow consists of two parts: 1) image stitching, and 2) creating the 360-degree tour.

 The stitch:

• Be sure that software settings are properly set at spherical panorama.
• Drop the five RAW images from the scene into a stitching software program in order to detect the control point (overlaps) between images.
• Examine the draft stitch. Adjust variables such as roll, pitch and yaw in order to correct for distortion and camera body angle.
• Render the stitched photos into a panorama. The output will be a flat .jpg file.
• Post-process the resulting .jpg file in your favorite photo editing software to tune exposure, contrast, saturation, etc.
• Use pixel clone/stamp to fill in the black/empty area at the bottom of the image.

Creating the tour:

• Take the post-processed flat panorama .jpg and drop the file into a 360-degree panorama “tour” software. We use Panotour Pro to create the flash-based tours you see on our website.
• Set your preferences, including logo/watermarks and button/user interface options (e.g., full screen) you’d like available on your tour.
• Render the flash tour. The resulting output will be a .swf file that you can upload to your website or blog’s media manager. More information on this Panotour wiki on how to format. WordPress users can also use PanoPress.

4 ) Which step is the hardest to master in this entire sequence?

Equally, subject selection and the actual shooting process. Not only are you concentrating to ensure that the photographs are properly exposed and aligned, but you must pay attention to people/cars/animals/etc. coming in and out of view. These can be wonderful in terms of showing action, but if they move too quickly, they may create “ghosts” (where heads, feet or body segments are missing) in the resulting stitched image.

5 ) Have you found any resources particularly useful while learning to create these shots?

We first became involved in 360-degree panoramas thanks to 360cities.net. The site has a tutorial for people getting started in panoramic photography, it offers inspiration in its collections, and it features the ability to host and serve panoramas.

6) What particular challenges have you had to face while creating these images while still on the road?

We have one camera body to shoot photos for panoramic photography (with our 8mm Sigma lens) and two-dimensional photos. Often, we’ll be in the midst of a scene that is wonderful for both types of shots, but we have to make a quick decision to shoot one over the other if the scene is quickly evolving. Many of our best panoramas have also been shot in less-than-ideal physical conditions including dust, snow, heat, moisture, so we have to continually mind the camera sensor as we swap out lenses.

7 ) Including shooting and editing time, how long would you say it takes you to produce one solid 360?

If all goes perfectly, the process can take as little as 20 minutes: 5 minutes for the shoot, 10 minutes for rendering/photo editing, and 5 minutes to create & test the stitched 360-degree panorama and .swf file tour.

8 ) For beginners who love to travel, which three areas of the world would you suggest as havens for producing 360 panoramas?

1) India – so much color, activity, wonderful markets and temples. Good for interiors and exteriors.

2) Andean South America – surreal landscapes (e.g., Salar de Uyuni salt flats in Bolivia), mountains, active indigenous markets

3) Middle East and Central Asia – for Islamic art interiors, bustling spice markets.

4 Favorite panoramas:

a) Disco Ball Mosque, Iran (awesome interior)

b) Petra By Night, Jordan (night, possibly our most popular panorama)

c) Udaipur Market (market action)

d) Crossing Thorong La Pass, Annapurna Circuit, Nepal (landscape)

Bonus Panorama in time for Valentine’s Day: Petronas Towers Fun (panoramic trickery)

Bio:

Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott are the husband-and-wife storytelling and photography team behind the around-the-world travel blog, Uncornered Market. More than five years and 70 countries later, they are still exploring the world, still taking panoramic photos…and still married. You can follow along with their adventures via Twitter, Facebook, Google + and by subscribing to their blog.

Post originally from: Digital Photography Tips.

Check out our more Photography Tips at Photography Tips for Beginners, Portrait Photography Tips and Wedding Photography Tips.

How To Shoot 360 Degree Panoramas While On The Road – With Audrey Scott And Daniel Noll Of Uncornered Market

This commercial photographer spotlight features Chris Sanders. Sander’s lifestyle and travel work developed out of a film background. His client list includes publications such as Vogue, Vanity Fair, Esquire and Conde Nast Traveler as well as companies such as Bank of America, Microsoft, Reebok and Starwood Hotels. He lives and works from New York City.

How did you begin your journey as a professional photographer?

I have been taking photos since I was twelve years old.  I didn’t go to school for Photography, I majored in Film and Broadcasting. When I graduated, I did the usual ‘film set PA stuff’ and took photos on the side. I liked the intimacy of photography. At that time, I could easily experiment with it without having to drag around a huge film crew and burning through reels of film.  My first break happened when I was supposed to leave to shoot model tests in Milan, a New York Ad Agency called asking me to shoot a national campaign for one of their clients.  That led to more work and an editorial spread for GQ Magazine. Since then, I’ve been established in New York.

Take us through an average day or week. What’s your routine, or non-routine?

There is no routine. Routines are boring, if I’m shooting; I’m off to location, or to the airport. If I’m not shooting I’m at my office on 28th street with windows over looking old New York rusted water towers and gritty fire escapes. I’m surrounded by my things, sketchbooks, test shots, inspiration wall, and worktable. I use them to put together my personal shots. It’s also a great place to have castings and stylist meetings for potential projects.

How do you find inspiration? What’s driving you now?

Inspiration comes from looking. I watch movies, watch people on the subway, read books and look at magazines. I’ve found that trying to “think” of an idea doesn’t always work. You can research all you want but at the end of the day, your best idea usually pops in your head as you walk down the street or while you’re in the shower. Here’s my work order when dealing with a photo ‘problem.’

Identify the problem

Research and think hard about the solutions

RELAX (and forget the above)

Something will pop

Work on that

How do you draw out the energy and “realness” factor in your lifestyle work?

I’ve always worked with talent that can act. I discuss characters I want to create with my actors, give them a scene to play, block out the action then let it go. I call it “building the box.” Inside of the box, we place all the elements we need to create photos like the talent, wardrobe, lighting, etc. Then, we let it happen and prepare to capture it or manipulate it to make it just right. This brings a realistic approach to the photos especially when creating relationship images.

What do you look for when casting talent?

I need talent that is comfortable and confident.  Actors who are willing to open up and take risks, to ad-lib a scenario and react to the others around them. People are most beautiful when they are honest.

You traveled for four months around the globe for Starwood hotels. What did you learn from the experience?

Planning can only take you so far.  You can think of everything but in the end you have to work with whatever you are dealt with in a situation.  Also, I really enjoyed walking into a new hotel and figuring out what the “wow” factor is. When scouting, I take quick shots or make notes of what struck me about the location. I find that if you linger too long in a location it can dull your sense of what really rocked you when you first came in.

What goes into putting together a professional portfolio that art buyers and photo editors want to see?

Only your best photos should be in here. Don’t put anything in just because it will sell. You have to be true to yourself. Put in what you want to shoot. That way when someone hires you from your book, you are getting a job you love. Also ask the opinion of people you trust and who have a good eye.  Many times, I am too close to my photos and I am attached to the memories associated with creating the image. I have some very talented people I receive feed back from. I value their opinions for that outside perspective I cannot offer myself.

How has video played a role for you in the past few years? Where do you see it growing in the future?

I see it becoming a big part of my future.  I have always run my still shoots like small-scale video productions.  The transition from still to video has been very easy for me.  I love exploring an emotion or action with a sequence of footage. Video allows me to gradually build to the final pay off. With still photos, this is not the case. You have to get the whole situation in one shot. I also enjoy exploring sound, which is very important with video.

What is the one piece of advice you would give to people looking to turn their photographic hobby into a career?

You have to be willing to drop everything for your photos. You have to have a passion for what you do. This is not a 9 to 5 thing; you have to want to do it more than anything else. Do you stay up late at night thinking of photos? Do you get ‘high’ from taking a great photo? Are you willing to push yourself to do your very best for a photo? You have to have these feelings before you can think about being a professional.

Where can we hear from you or see more of your work?

As always, my website www.chris-sanders.com plus my blog, www.talktalkblahblah.com depicts more in the life of Sanders.

Post originally from: Digital Photography Tips.

Check out our more Photography Tips at Photography Tips for Beginners, Portrait Photography Tips and Wedding Photography Tips.

Chris Sanders – Photographer Spotlight

A great photograph is no different than any other work of art, in that it should elicit emotion and engage viewers. One of my favorite ways to engage the viewer of a photograph and encourage them to interpret the image is by utilizing silhouettes.

Silhouettes Engage Viewers

The reason silhouettes are so engaging is because they are so open to interpretation. 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? Is he relaxed and content? Has he finally achieved an important goal in life? Is he anxious about how much longer he will live, and whether his loved ones will be cared for? Are there religious overtones?

The photographer may have all or none of these themes in mind when creating this image. The interpretation is dictated by the individual viewer’s mindset. The viewer subconsciously projects her own hopes, fears, and mood onto the silhouette.
The reason for this is simple. Your brain is constantly working to fill in the details of what it doesn’t know. In a photo such as this, the silhouette provides a great unknown which we cannot help but interpret.

Technique for Shooting Silhouettes

Taking silhouette photos is an intermediate photography skill. The technique is a little tricky, and it will take some trial and error on your first few attempts before you become proficient.

Silhouette photography requires that we use pure back lighting. That is, we want to place our subject so that we maximize the amount of light in the scene coming from behind the subject.
As an example, let’s describe how we would best set up a shot of a silhouetted woman standing alone on a beach at sunset. Sunlight will be our only source of light, and it will be coming from behind the subject. We will not be utilizing any reflectors or fill flash.

Aperture and Selective Focus

First, focus the camera on the woman. We want the outline of her silhouette to be crisp and in perfect focus. I recommend using a large aperture opening, specifically f8 or higher. The reason for this is we want the background sunset and ocean to be in good focus too.
With the sun just above the ocean horizon, point the camera at the sky just to the side of the sun. Keeping your aperture as you set it, adjust the shutter speed until your exposure is correct.

You may need a long exposure time. Therefore it is good practice have a tripod on hand to keep the camera steady.

Fire off a few shots and check the image on your LCD screen. If you used all the correct settings, you should have a perfectly exposed ocean sunset with your subject rendered as a black silhouette.

Halos and Silhouettes

You can render your silhouette with an interesting halo effect around her. 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. Such an effect will obviously influence the viewer’s interpretation of your silhouette.

Use Any Subject

Any subject can be rendered as a silhouette provided we are using back lighting. It need not be a person. A silhouette of a tree, or a child’s bike, or any strategically chosen object can add interest to a scene.

Conclusion

Silhouettes add a sense of mystery and intrigue to any image. Because our brains fill in the details of what is not known, a silhouette demands stronger involvement and interpretation from viewers. By using back lighting, and properly exposing the scene for the background, we can create beautiful and interesting silhouettes in our photography.

Learn more about Shooting Silhouettes – read our previous post – How to Photograph Silhouettes in 8 Easy Steps and see our Silhouette Image Collection for some stunning examples.

About the Author – Daniel Padavona is an avid photographer, and the founder of Warmpicture Royalty-Free Images. Daniel lives in upstate New York with his wife Terri, and their children Joey and Julia.

Post originally from: Digital Photography Tips.

Check out our more Photography Tips at Photography Tips for Beginners, Portrait Photography Tips and Wedding Photography Tips.

Silhouette Photography Technique

Image by Gliuoo

Earlier today I was in conversation with a couple of photography enthusiasts and the topic turned – as it often does with these guys – to gear. Particularly new gear that has been released in the past few months and gear that is rumoured to being announced in the coming months.

One of my friends asked me – ‘what gear will you invest in in 2012?‘

It is a question I like to ponder and ‘research’ (read this is trawling the web for reviews of lenses and cameras when I should be working) from time to time.

I’m not sure what gear I’m intending to buy this year – I feel pretty comfortable with my current set up and probably spent a little too much on it in 2011 – but I thought I’d open the question up to the wider dPS community.

What gear do you intend to invest in for 2012?

Is it a new camera body, a lens, some lighting gear, an accessory? Tell us about what you’re eyeing off and why you’re considering it.

It’ll be interesting to see if any themes or trends emerge!

Post originally from: Digital Photography Tips.

Check out our more Photography Tips at Photography Tips for Beginners, Portrait Photography Tips and Wedding Photography Tips.

What Photography Gear Do You Intend to Buy In 2012?

Over the last week, with the launch of our brand new Guide to Post Processing eBook, there’s been a lot of discussion around dPS around post processing – particularly about software and tools.

One of the common threads of conversation that I’ve been hearing is around the expense of some of the better post processing software tools and a hesitancy to spend so much on a tool when one doesn’t know if it suits you.

I can relate to that feeling. I still remember the first time I looked at Photoshop and considered purchasing it but balked at the price. It seemed a big risk to invest in something that I wasn’t completely sure would suit my needs.

Things have progressed a lot since those days – now many software tools give you trials before you buy. One of the exciting trials currently on offer is the ability to test the brand new beta of Lightroom 4.

Lightroom has been a product that many photographers of all levels have adopted as their preferred option and it has evolved in its first 3 versions into a very useful tool. It’s how I manage and edit my own images and I’m pumped to see them releasing Lightroom 4 soon.

In the lead up to the full launch Adobe are allowing everyone to download and trial Lightroom 4 for free. Download it today and you get to use it until the trial ends on March 31 2012. That’s over 2 months of free use of one of the most popular post processing tools on the planet! More than enough time to see if it’s right for you and the perfect time to take your post processing stills up a notch with our new Post Processing Guide.

So what are you waiting for? Download the free beta of Lightroom 4 today and tell us what you think!

Update: Worth noting are the system requirements for using Lightroom 4 beta:

The minimum system requirements for Lightroom 4 beta are as follows:

Windows
Intel® Pentium® 4 or AMD Athlon® 64 processor
Microsoft® Windows Vista® with Service Pack 2 or Windows 7 with Service Pack 1
2GB of RAM
1GB of available hard-disk space
1024×768 display
DVD-ROM drive
Internet connection required for Internet-based services*

Mac OS
Multicore Intel processor with 64-bit support
Mac OS X v10.6.8 or v10.7
2GB of RAM
1GB of available hard-disk space
1024×768 display
DVD-ROM drive
Internet connection required for Internet-based services*

Post originally from: Digital Photography Tips.

Check out our more Photography Tips at Photography Tips for Beginners, Portrait Photography Tips and Wedding Photography Tips.

Download and Test Lightroom 4 for Free

1. Editing On-the-Go

The iPad is never going to replace a desktop computer for photo editing. However, it does come in handy when you are looking to quickly edit a few pictures. I recently traveled home for the holidays. My parents wanted a picture for their Christmas card. I was able to quickly take a picture on my Canon 5d MarkII. Then I connected my camera directly into the iPad using the Apple iPad Camera Connection Kit. The kit allowed me to download any of the pictures from my camera to my iPad. Apple makes this whole process very easy and seamless.

Once the pictures are on your iPad, there are lots of great apps you can use to edit your photos. I encourage you to download a number of apps and figure out which ones work best for you and your style.

Here are a few of my favorite iPad apps for photo editing:

• PS Express – Allows you to do basic editing like crop, contrast, sharpen, and add borders.
• Filterstorm – This is probably my favorite photo editing app. It allows for more advanced editing like adding text, canvas size, editing the curves, redeye, and it even allows for layers.
• PhotoFX – If you are looking to just add a quick effect (glamour, faded, film, etc.) to your picture, this is the app for you.

2. Client Viewing

The iPad has great screen resolution and a wide viewing angle (meaning you can have multiple people looking at it from different angles and they can all see the same thing). This makes the iPad perfect for client viewings!

Here are a few ways to display your images on the iPad for your clients:

• Built-In Photo Slideshow – Create an album with your client’s pictures on the iPad. Then, click the slideshow button – yes, it is that simple!
• Smugmug – Smugmug is an online image hosting service for photographers that allows photographers to sell their images. Since I use this service and my photos are already uploaded to Sumgmug this is my preferred way to display images. Smugmug also has a slideshow feature.

3. Accepting Payments

Say goodbye to the, “I don’t have any cash” excuse! The iPad allows you to take payments using tools like Square. It is free to get an account and a credit card reader from Square. They do charge a small fee to use the service, but in my mind, the convenience is with the price!

4. Handy Tools

Since the iPad connects to the internet, there are a lot of tools and apps you can use that relate to your business.

Here are a few tools that I use:

• White noise app – I love using the WhiteNoise Light app during my newborn sessions.
• Music – I use Pandora for all non-newborn sessions.
• Weather – You can check the weather and sunrise/sunset easily using The Weather Channel for iPad app.
• Appointments – Use the integrated calendar to say on top of all your bookings.
• Learning – You can subscribe to photography magazines, purchase photography books digitally, or just follow your favorite blogs.

5. Marketing

Where would your business be if you didn’t market it?!

The iPad has lots of tools to help photographers with marketing. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

• Twitter – The Twitter iPad app takes Twitter to the next level!
• Facebook – The Facebook iPad app allows you to quickly and easily add pictures and messages to your Facebook Fan page.
• Flickr – The Flickr iPad app lets you easily upload pictures to your Flickr account.
• WordPress – Update your blog in real time using the WordPress iPad app.

The iPad is so versatile I’m sure that there are more uses for the iPad in photography that I didn’t cover. Leave a comment below with your favorite use!

This blog post is brought to you by KristeenMarie Photography. Be sure to check her out on Facebook. Kristeen is an Indianapolis, IN Photographer who loves ice tea, the color purple, technology, and small children. She loves many things in life – though there are not many that she loves more than photography. She loves life and wants to capture every bit of it using her camera.

Post originally from: Digital Photography Tips.

Check out our more Photography Tips at Photography Tips for Beginners, Portrait Photography Tips and Wedding Photography Tips.

5 Ways for Photographers to use an iPad to Jumpstart their Business

We’ve all heard it from clients before. “I don’t like formally posed pictures of myself. I always look so stiff. Can we get pictures without being formally set up?”

Fortunately for our clients – and for us – the world of formal portrait and people photography is now coming to a new era: Portrait Photojournalism.

Stiff, unrealistic, unnatural portraiture is no longer a Photographer’s only option.

A technique used by internationally acclaimed wedding photographers of Poser Image, Jim Garnier and Jerry Ghionis, Portrait Photojournalism combines the techniques of formal portraiture and photojournalism.

The Photographer will “set up the shot” by formally posing the subject[s], to include location, poses, etc. Then, in a seeming irrational move, the Photographer will either coach the subject through expressions by pulling out emotions through dialogue, or leave them to interact with one another.

Sound too simple? Don’t take my word for it. Organize your shoot with the following steps and you’ll find a technique that will revolutionize the way you take portraits – and your results.

1. Location. Location. Location.

Just as you would in a formal shoot, find a few locations that will facilitate the look and feel you want to achieve. This location should match the subjects personality, and be creatively stimulating [Read more about finding locations here].

2. Consider your Lighting

Watch your location for the kind and quality of available light. Is it harsh and contrasty, lending to a dramatic feel? Is it soft and subdued, more conducive to a nostalgic mood? If the available light isn’t sufficient to create the portrait you want, be sure to add light with a reflector, or an off/on camera flash [Read more about using flash in on-location photography here].

3. Set up your Scene

Place your subject within the context of your entire setting. Remember, you aren’t taking only mid and detail shots of your subject; with the photojournalism aspect, you are shooting to tell a story. The story of your subject will include their place and involvement in the scene, and the mood you are creating.

4. Pose your Subject

You don’t have to pose your subject in a complicated manner. At the least, pay attention to the placement of your subjects feet, knees, and shoulders. So long as you pose to achieve variance and levels of these joints, you will be set [More on posing here].

5. “Break” the Shot

Think everything is perfect? Now is the time to make it all natural. Tell your subject to “relax”. Allow them to settle into the pose by drawing them into conversation, or allow them to interact with one another. Achieve authentic expressions, natural posing, and artistic portraits by letting go the expectation of “perfection”. After all, nothing in life is perfect. The key to perfect portrait photojournalism is controlling which elements are broken.

6. Take the Shot

Watch for that “After moment” and “Spontaneous moment”. Oftentimes the most beautiful moments happen just after you take the camera away from your eye. Allow your subject to believe you are done with that set up, and take the shot that they are most natural and relaxed – pulling a hat down, tucking hair back, the cute shoulder shrug. You truly never know what you will be able to achieve.

Post originally from: Digital Photography Tips.

Check out our more Photography Tips at Photography Tips for Beginners, Portrait Photography Tips and Wedding Photography Tips.

Poser: Achieve Perfect Portrait Expression

A guest post by John Davenport

I, like many new photographers, would walk around shooting everything I saw without consciously thinking about the way it was framed or the settings on my camera. If you browse through the archives of my blog you’ll see a clear pattern of growth and learning in the images, but admittedly, I still have a long way to go!

For me it’s always been hard to slow down. I’ve always been the type of person that wanted results now, not later, and slowing down to think through a shot seemed like I’d be wasting time. Even after reading posts here on dPS like, these three stupidly simple reasons, it still took me a while to learn to slow down. For the first few months of my photography experience I handheld everything – it just took too long to set up the tripod.

Of course, I finally did get sick of those blurry images and I decided that the tripod was worth more than just a good walking stick after all. While, at first setting up the tripod did help me slow down and it certainly improved my image quality, it didn’t help me slow down to the point where I was thinking critically about the shot. I was still going too fast!

So What’s This Magical New Method?

While out on a typical photo walk I stumbled upon this awesome new technique when this crazy idea to pull out my iPhone and film my camera setup popped in my head. I decided to explain my thought process on the shot, and finally I ended up sharing that video with my small group of readers over on my blog. The result was the photo you see above and the video embedded below.

Okay, so it’s rough around the edges, but be kind, it’s my first video ever, and I am frozen!

The point here isn’t the quality of the video or even the fact that I’m recording it with the mindset to show my readers how I took the shot. The point I have is that recording a video like this is a good idea even if you’re not going to show it to anyone! It took me until when I got home that night to realize exactly why, but here are the reasons I came up with.

Three Benefits of Recording Your Shot

1. You’re Forced to Talk About It – When you’re out setting up the shot how often do you actually talk it through? I know we always say, “Think it through, frame it right, and double check your settings”, but a video forces you to talk through the shot and that’s a completely different experience.
2. You’ve got Evidence – After a typical shoot all you’re going to have is the memories and your photographs. A video will give you a clear view of how you set the camera up and even an insight into your thought process when you were shooting which is something that’d be hard to convey otherwise.
3. And of course Slow Methodical Set Up – Due to the added time it takes to record a video you’re without a doubt going to slow down and think about the shot from every possible angle, which should result in a better composed image.

Now I know recording a video is impossible for every single shot and I don’t expect anyone to do that, but personally I’m going to try to do this process at least once every week or two.

Can you think of any other benefits to recording your shot? Have you ever done something like this? I’d love to hear what you think.

John Davenport is an avid amateur photographer who posts daily photos on his blog Phogropathy. You can find him on Facebook, Twitter and his brand new Youtube Channel.

Post originally from: Digital Photography Tips.

Check out our more Photography Tips at Photography Tips for Beginners, Portrait Photography Tips and Wedding Photography Tips.

How I Stumbled Across an Amazing Way to Slow Down My Shooting Process

If this is the way it’s going, I’m all for it: smaller, interchangeable lens cameras, with decently-sized sensors and sophisticated image processing internals.

Panasonic and Sony seem to be waging the war with their Micro Four Thirds models and this is another missile hurled at (IMHO) the oversize DSLRS, with or without flipping mirrors!

The GF3 leads the bunch in size — or lack of it! No question!

Claimed to be the world’s smallest and lightest system camera, it’s approximately 16.7% smaller and 16.2% lighter compared with the GF2 at just 325 grams (including 14mm lens, card and battery), built into a polycarbonate/aluminium body. The review lens supplied was the superb f2.5/14mm.

The GF3 is indeed a joy to handle, hold and stow. External controls are minimal. I particularly liked the on/off control, set in the form of a switch … and very positive.

If you need to select Program AE, shutter or aperture priority and manual, scene modes etc simply hit the menu button and choose from the screen display; you can also touch the screen to make your selection.

Panasonic DMC-GF3 Features

Maximum image size is 4000×3000 pixels; this means you could make a 30x25cm print at 300 dpi. Movies at Full HD 1920×1080 resolution can be shot in AVCHD format or 1280×720 in MPEG. While the AF worked effortlessly when shooting video, I did find the auto exposure a little tardy when correcting for brightness extremes. And, of course, you can’t take stills while recording video but you can of course select stills from a video sequence.

If you like the simple life you can rely on Intelligent Auto for both stills and video recording; additional iA features include AF Tracking, Face Recognition, Intelligent D-range Control, Intelligent Resolution, MEGA O.h3built into the lens), Intelligh3O Control and Intelligent Scene Selector.

The built-in flash pops up at a button touch and presents a decent 55mm of lens-to-flash separation, helping to lessen red-eye in portrait shooting.

I liked the AF function: when the screen is touched the system creates a green rectangle around that section and targets focus exactly there; you could aim it at a person’s eyes or, say, a bee on a flower!

There h3otal of 23 AF areas, with the camera dividing these into nine groups; touch one of these groups and the camera auto selects an optimal area within that group.

The popular defocus control function in iA mode is now easily operated with a slider on the touch screen, allowing users to adjust the defocus area for a sharp subject and softly focused background.

In My Colour mode you can enjoy fuss-free experimentation with colour modes like Expressive, Retro, High Key, Sepia and High Dynamic and (not my favourite!) Miniature Effect.

Panasonic DMC-GF3 ISO Tests

Fairly clean and useable right up untilI SO 1600. By ISO 3200 noise is fairly noticeable. IMHO ISO 6400 is unuseable.

Panasonic DMC-GF3 Verdict

Quality: I enjoyed the quality of the GF3′s shots, sharp and accurately coloured.

Why you’d buy the GF3: it’s real, real small; easy to fall in love with the AF function; you want to use Leica lenses.

Why you wouldn’t: you want to shoot stills while recording video; you want to attach an eye-level viewfinder.

This camera quite took my fancy, not only because of its tiny size, but because it has reduced the operational maze considerably: you can shoot in all the usual modes, enjoy the image options of RAW or JPEG or use it as a well-endowed point-and-shoot camera.

Panasonic DMC-GF3 Specifications

Image Sensor: 12.10 million effective pixels.
Metering: 144 zone multi pattern, centre-weighted, spot.
Lens Mount: Micro Four Thirds.
Exposure Modes: Program AE, shutter and aperture priority, manual.
Sensor: 4/3 type Live MOS 17.3x13mm. 35 SLR Lens Factor: 2x.
Shutter Speed (stills): 4 mins to 1/4000 second and Bulb. Flash sync: 1/160 sec.
Continuous Shooting: up to 3.8 fps. Memory: SD/SDHC/SDXC cards.
Image Sizes (pixels): Stills: 4000×3000 to 1440×1440.
Movies: 1920×1080, 1280×720 (AVCHD); 1280×720, 640×480, 320×240 (MPEG4).
Viewfinder: 7.6cm LCD screen (460,000 pixels).
File Formats: JPEG, RAW, JPEG+RAW, MPO (3D), MPEG4, AVCHD.
Colour Space: sRGB, Adobe RGB.
ISO Sensitivity: Auto, 160 to 6400.
Interface: USB 2.0, HDMI mini, AV, ext micxxxx.
Power: Rechargeable lithium ion battery, DC input.
Dimensions: 107.7×67.1×32.5 WHDmm.
Weight: 264 g (card and battery).
Price: Get a price on the GF3 in the following configurations:

• Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF3- Body Only
• Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF3with a 14-42mm Zoom Lens
• Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF3 with a 14mm F2.5 ASPH Lens

Post originally from: Digital Photography Tips.

Check out our more Photography Tips at Photography Tips for Beginners, Portrait Photography Tips and Wedding Photography Tips.

Panasonic DMC-GF3 Review

A guest post by Sam Levy, founder of citifari, New York Photo Tours.

In today’s environment, with the development and increased mobility of digital cameras, it has become easy and inexpensive to take a large volume of photos. Compared to the early days of photography when it took a couple of days, required gear weighting tens of pounds and cost a couple of dollars for each capture (or rather, at today’s prices, a few hundred dollars), photography today allows instantaneous results, requires less than a pound of equipment and cost little to no money per take… in addition, the photos taken today are often much better in quality.  The future of photography is bright: we today have more than enough tools to surpass the works of the early masters of photography. The bad news is with advanced tools so readily accessible to the average user, much has already been achieved. So what is left in it for you? A lot! More specifically, for many of us in photography, there is still a lot of room for improvement. I would guess that since you are reading this post, you are looking for that self-improvement. Here are two pieces of advice.

Take more pictures

When I first heard this advice, I did not fully understand it. I was backpacking in Mexico and had met with that professional photographer who gave me the advice. We met a few days in a row, which made me feel after that I could do much more with that fancy DSLR than with my small point and shoot. I felt the urge to spend what was left of my savings into that ‘toy’ at the time. From toy it became tool but that’s another story. Before we parted ways, I received a final word of advice: “take more pictures”. It did not resonate with me until much later after owning my own DSLR. Even though my now-wife felt that I was already taking too many pictures, my current view is that it is not so much the quantity of pictures taken as it is learning from the trials and errors of many takes in order to perfect your touch. Multiply the opportunities. And, when you have found a subject or setting that you like, keep on shooting until you lose interest.

Keep fewer pictures

Unless you are naturally gifted, following the first advice will result in a monster inventory of pictures. You will come back from a long weekend with 1,000 or 2,000 pictures easily. But it wasn’t even your wedding – it was merely a visit to Grandma and you shot everything possible in her garden. What to do then? The easy way is to download the pictures onto your computer and leave them there or share them all. While most of us “sort” through them and send 50 of them to your parents, siblings, friends, facebook etc… that number is still too large. Keeping 50 would often mean eliminating the ones that were identical or poorly composed or exposed. But you still have 50! You need to be much more selective. Try to keep 5. Yes 5 out of 2,000! 0.25%! When exercising this best practice becomes a habit, you will develop your critical eye and you will keep only the pictures that YOU really like.

The feedback loop

As you learn to take more pictures and keep fewer, you will begin developing a sense of style – your style. You will start to shoot only those shots that you think you have a chance of keeping. You will begin to understand your tastes and aim for each different shot you take. However, you will still shoot a lot and still keep very few. The feedback loop will feed itself of increasingly better pictures and operate through a tougher selection. As a result, you will have trained a more critical eye and a better shutter finger. In no time, you might keep 1 of 50 photos taken during that weekend with Grandma, but you will love that picture and Grandma will be happy she appeared more interesting than the tomato in the garden.??So, again, what is left for the aspiring photography after the fact that the average camera user can follow these advices too? Well first, this is a disciplined practice that not anyone can put himself/herself through. But, with diligent practice of this exercise, you will certainly improve your photo skills. More importantly, you will develop a better sense for your passion in the way that pleases you.

Sam Levy is the founder of citifari. citifari offers photo tours in New York City. Structured as a 2-1/2 hour practical workshop, citifari tour helps you get comfortable with your camera settings and take great shots in New York City. citifari is launching its newest New York tour: Central Park photo tour.

Images in this post are copyrighted to citifari

Visit citifari at:
www.citifari.com
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email Sam Levy at sam@citifari.com

Post originally from: Digital Photography Tips.

Check out our more Photography Tips at Photography Tips for Beginners, Portrait Photography Tips and Wedding Photography Tips.

Take More Photos – Keep Less

This week your photography challenge is to utilise the most common photographic composition rule – the Rule of Thirds.

While I’m not big on ‘rules’ – there’s definitely some good reasons to know this one and to be able to pull it off (and of course there are times to break it too). So lets practice implementing it this week!

You can use it in any type of photography you like – portraits, landscapes, sporting, macro, animals, food…. whatever you like. Just make sure you adhere to the principles of the Rule of Thirds when composing your shot.

Once you’ve selected your ‘Rule of Thirds’ image/s upload them to your favourite photo sharing site and either share a link to it or – embed them in the comments using the our new tool to do so.

If you tag your photos on Flickr, Instagram, Twitter or other sites with Tagging tag them as #DPSRULEOFTHIRDS to help others find them. Linking back to this page might also help others know what you’re doing so that they can share in the fun.

Also – don’t forget to check out some of the great shots posted in the last challenge – Patterns challenge where there were some beautiful shots submitted.

Post originally from: Digital Photography Tips.

Check out our more Photography Tips at Photography Tips for Beginners, Portrait Photography Tips and Wedding Photography Tips.

The Rule of Thirds: Weekly Photography Challenge

At Halloween last year I was asked to photograph some kids I’ve shot from time to time since they were born. Basically their mum likes to have some up to date photos of the kids and Halloween seemed like as good a time as any to get some shots.

When I’m shooting like this, my aim is to get some good shots but nothing formal and I prefer not to use a flash because I get a better response from the kids without one. I captured the images in raw and I chewed through three small size camera cards in about an hour and a half.

My deal with their mum is that I get to use the photos for my work and she gets a disk of pictures. To keep this fun – so it doesn’t feel like work for me – I need a fast and effective processing workflow. I need to get the images off my camera, sorted, processed, burned to a DVD and delivered to mum in time for her to enjoy them.

Thanks to Lightroom the process was simple and, in all, I reckon I spent less than 2 hours getting the photos from the camera cards to a DVD. Here is what I call my Happy Snap Lightroom workflow – it’s what I do to quickly process casual snapshots:

Step 1 – Determine a plan of attack

To begin with I have some criteria I work by. I never give away substandard photos so anything blurry, out of focus or over exposed gets permanently deleted. Then I sort out the best of the images intending to give mum around 50-60 photos of the kids – it’s a nice range of images for her to use to scrapbook and post to Facebook and it doesn’t over burden her with too many photos to choose from.

Step 2 – Download the images

To begin, I download all the images from all three cards into a single folder on my hard drive (if there were only one card I would omit this step).

From there I import the images into Lightroom at the same time copying them to their permanent storage on my external photo drive and making a backup to a second drive. Copying rather than adding images to the Lightroom catalog lets me make backups and also add my metadata to the images so, when they popup on Facebook my copyright details are embedded in them.

Importing all the images in one step also means that when I’ve started the import process – which includes rendering standard previews – I can start working through the images and I don’t have to do it multiple times or switch out cards as I work – (the process works for me – your mileage may vary).

Step 3 – Eliminating the duds

The first time I run through the images I am looking for images to delete as well as getting a general look at what I shot.

As I work through the images I’ll press X for images to delete and use the right arrow key to move past everything else. I’ll select to delete all out of focus images, anything where someone has their eyes closed or similar, and anything I don’t want to put my name to!

Once I’m done I choose Photo > Delete Rejected Photos to delete the images from my primary external photo drive. There are still copies on the backup drive and my hard disk but not on my main photo drive.

Step 4 – Sorting the usable images

On the second run through the images I pick those I want to use. By now I have a rough idea as to what I have and what I might want to give mum. So this time I run through the images pressing P to pick an image and using the right arrow key to move past those she won’t be getting.

Step 5 – Create a Collection

Once done, I isolate the picked images by clicking the first of the filter flag icons above the filmstrip. Then with only the picks visible I press Ctrl + A to select all of them and then click New Collection > Create Collection and type a name for it. Because the images are already selected, I leave the Include Selected Photos checkbox enabled and click Create.

Step 6 – Apply initial processing to the images

Now I have a collection of the picks and it’s time to process them. I start out by selecting all the images in Grid View in the Library and from the Quick Develop panel I select Auto Tone. This gives me a head start on fixing them but, because of the lighting, pretty much all of them needed a white balance adjustment.

Step 7 – Process in the Develop module

Switching to Develop module with the filmstrip visible I selected the White Balance Selector and then made sure that Auto Dismiss was disabled. This allows me to adjust the white balance on one image and then click on the next one in the filmstrip and continue to adjust the white balance from one image to the next without having to reselect anything. Basically all that most of these images needed was some white balance adjustment.

For those that needed cropping, I cropped as I finished with white balance adjustment and then moved on to the next image. This ensured that each image was dealt with only once as I progressed across the filmstrip.

Step 8 – Make one off fixes

So, having fixed the worst of the problems I work backwards through the filmstrip to see if any of the images warrant special attention. If so, I make a call to fix them or simply remove them from the collection. To remove the image, right click it and choose Remove from Collection .

Here I had one issue with a couple of images where one child’s face was in shadow. For this, I used the Adjustment Brush tool at a small size with a large feather radius. I brushed over the areas where her face was in shadow and then adjusted the Brightness and Exposure to lighten to her face. In the same images other faces were overexposed so I added a second Adjustment Brush adjustment with the opposite settings to attempt to deal with this. The final result wouldn’t stand up to close scrutiny but is just fine for the web and 6 x 4 printing.

Step 9 – Export and burn

Once this was done it was time to export the images. Because they’re all in a collection, Ctrl + A selects all the images. I chose File > Export and then exported them as JPG images, 80 percent quality at the largest size and I added sharpening to them in the process. I made sure these images all went to a new folder so that they would be isolated from everything else and easy to find.

From there, it was a matter of launching Ashampoo Burning Studio, grabbing all the images and burning them to a DVD.

This workflow is one giant step better than simply burning the images direct to a DVD. It takes only a little more time with Lightroom to sort and apply some basic fixes to the images and it also means that only the best of the images get circulated and those that do have my copyright information embedded in them.

So now it’s over to you. What’s your “happy snap” workflow? Do you capture snapshots in raw? Do you process using Lightroom? And how do you get your images processed quickly so you’re not spending hours on images that are really just family snapshots?h3

Post originally from: Digital Photography Tips.

Check out our more Photography Tips at Photography Tips for Beginners, Portrait Photography Tips and Wedding Photography Tips.

A “Happy Snap” Lightroom Workflow

One question I receive in my workshops for beginners is about flashes. Particularly “What the heck is this for?”

And, “Does it actually do anything?”

Not all flashes have these two items that cover the flash head and pull straight out, but if yours does and you’ve always wondered, here is your answer.

Those two items both serve different purposes. The one that flips over the flash itself is a diffuser. Its job is to spread out the light from the flash. You might have seen larger diffusers, such as a softbox over a flash. Those diffuse even more light than this piece of plastic. But it actually is better than nothing when it comes to spreading out light. At the same time you flip out this contraption, your flash will typically back up the light source inside of the flash unit (if it has zoom capabilities) to help project a wide swath of light.

These two actions work hand in hand to spread light and not make it so tight on your subject. The last piece of plastic, the more opaque one the at sticks out straight, helps bounce light that would have bounced away from the subject, get pointed back just a liiitttle bit more towards your target. This can be helpful when even more diffusion is wanted, or if the flash is being bounced off a ceiling and some catch light is wanted in the subject’s eyes.

Let me show you the difference a diffuser, coupled with the bounce plastic and a wide zoom in the flash, can make.

This first shot of a f-stop Gear Satori pack I was reviewing is taken at 85mm and a distance of about eight feet. This shot is taken with the flash pointed directly at the pack and coming in from the left side as I have tilted the camera, as I did not want to bounce the flash against a colored wall and couch.

Notice the harsh shadow to the side of the pack caused by the flash? This is because the flash is coming from the side and is relatively close. That shadow is caused by the pack being another eight feet from the wall behind it (as your subject gets further from the background, the shadow will increase).

Now let’s try it with the diffuser in place, the bounce in place and the flash zoomed back to 14mm (all of which happens automatically when I pull out the diffuser).

The exposure settings on the camera are exactly the same in both photos. The difference should be clear, that the second shot has much lighter shadows as well as a softer light on the pack itself.

The impact of this method is less pronounced when zoomed in further and the flash is now positioned above the camera in a horizontal orientation. Can you tell which shot is which in these two examples?

The clue is in the slight change in the quality of light. Because the diffuser’s light is not as intense as the straight flash, it allows in a bit more ambient light and this can be seen in the first image as a slight more orange is showing (from the overhead tungsten lights). The reflections on the buckle are also slightly less harsh.

Using this quick and easy diffuser which you will never leave at home can have its advantages. It’s not mean to replace a true softbox, but it will help when one is not around.

Post originally from: Digital Photography Tips.

Check out our more Photography Tips at Photography Tips for Beginners, Portrait Photography Tips and Wedding Photography Tips.

Does That Little Flip Up Diffuser Actually Help?

Time for another poll (on a topic we’ve not run for a few years) – Do you have a photoblog?

We’re not talking here about a Flickr account or some other photosharing site – do you have your own blog where you share photos?

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

If you do – we’d love to see a link to it in comments below – feel free to share them and tell us in a few words what type of photography we’ll see there.

Post originally from: Digital Photography Tips.

Check out our more Photography Tips at Photography Tips for Beginners, Portrait Photography Tips and Wedding Photography Tips.

Do you have a Photoblog? [POLL]

This is a big gun in a small package. Considering the sensor has been ported from the A65 and A77 you would expect a fairly zinging performance and you’re not wrong!

The interchangeable lens, magnesium alloy bodied NEX-7 would also seem to gain from the absence of a partially-silvered mirror in the light path. However, as with all NEX cameras and most lenses, the smallish body is outweighed by the lens, so — with f3.5/18-55mm review lens attached — pocketable it wasn’t!

The 24.3 megapixel image capture produces a maximum 6000×4000 pixel image, so big prints? You betcha!

Video capture is right up there too, with Full HD 1920×1080 on tap. When shooting a video such matters as AF, manual focus and auto exposure are very smoothly in play; but you can’t shoot stills at the same time.

Sony NEX-7 Features

The viewing situation is excellent, with a 7.6cm LCD screen at the rear and a high res turret finder for eye level viewing, auto switchable with eye contact.

However, I could curse the designer who placed the tiny dioptric control wheel slap up against the eye-level finder, almost impossible to roll in either direction.

While we’re in whinge mode I also found it quite a chore to load/remove the memory card … the slot is hard up against the compartment hinge. So, a hinge whinge!

The LCD screen is tiltable through a vertical arc but does not rotate horizontally; in spite of this, with the screen tilted upwards, the camera can be attached to a tripod.

The inbuilt flash will be a help as a fill light but, with a Guide Number of 6 (ISO 100/metres) it will not be of much use for group photos unless you wind up the ISO setting.

There are ten external controls, including power, shutter, replay etc plus two unmarked control dials on top which respectively, handle exposure compensation and aperture/shutter speed. Warning: they’re easy to bump!

Much of the rest of the camera’s operation — PASM, image size, ISO setting etc — can be accessed via the ultra-clear viewfinder menu.

Claimed to be the “world’s fastest burst shooting speed of any mirrorless interchangeable lens camera”, the NEX-7 can fire off a round of shots at 10 fps. That’s 10 6000×4000 shots every second, with focus fixed at the first frame!

The camera’s Picture Effect mode offers in-camera effects that comprise 11 modes and 15 effects, such as new HDR Painting, Soft Focus, Miniature and Rich-Tone Mono. Other attractions include 3D Sweep Panorama, Soft Skin, Anti Motion Blur Modes etc.

The relatively small number of scene modes (eight) include twilight shooting, sports action, sunset etc.

Now a confession: the camera was so new there was no instruction manual available to help with the review, so if there are omissions please be kind to me!

Sony NEX-7 ISO Tests

Only when ISO 3200 was reached were there signs of image noise; sharpness and colour quality OK.

By ISO 6400 noise was slightly up but the image was still useable.

By ISO 12,800 noise up further but still — depending on the shot — still useable. Definition surprisingly good.

At ISO 25,600 noise was quite noticeable but image sharpness still acceptable. An amazing performance.

Sony NEX-7 Verdict

Quality: the camera displayed exceptionally good image quality and sharpness, along with an enjoyable easy operator interface.

Why you’d buy the NEX-7: access to E-mount lenses, Carl Zeiss and (via an adaptor) Sony A-mount optics.

Why you wouldn’t: you prefer external control of exposure modes; with lens attached the camera is not pocketable; pricey.

A significant camera that could shoot right up there with most DSLRs, but is as easy to use as a snapshot camera.

Sony NEX-7 Specifications

Image Sensor: 24.3 million effective pixels.
Metering: 49 zone multi segment, centre-weighted, spot.
Lens Mount: Sony E-mount.
Exposure Modes: Program AE, shutter and aperture priority, manual.
Effective Sensor Size: 23.5×15.6mm HD CMOS.
35 SLR Lens Factor: 1.5x.
Shutter Speed (stills): 30 to 1/4000 second and Bulb.
Continuous Shooting: 3-10 fps.
Memory: SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo cards.
Image Sizes (pixels): Stills: 6000×4000 to 3008×1688.
Movies: 1920×1080 (AVCHD); 1440×1080, 640×480 (MPEG4).
Viewfinder: Eye level 1.3cm (2.36 million); 7.6cm LCD screen (921,600 pixels).
File Formats: JPEG, RAW (Sony ARW), JPEG+RAW, MPEG4, AVCHD.
Colour Space: sRGB, Adobe RGB.
ISO Sensitivity: Auto, 100 to 16000.
Interface: USB 2.0, HDMI mini, ext mic.
Power: Rechargeable lithium ion battery, DC input.
Dimensions: 119.9×69.9×42.6 WHDmm.
Weight: 291 g (body only).
Price: Get a price on the Sony Alpha NEX-7 (Body Only) or Sony Alpha NEX-7 with 18-55mm Lens

Post originally from: Digital Photography Tips.

Check out our more Photography Tips at Photography Tips for Beginners, Portrait Photography Tips and Wedding Photography Tips.

Sony NEX-7 Review

In photos, as in life, we like to have some place to go. Not having a direction in a photo is one of the reasons for people becoming bored of viewing photos or lackluster responses on internet sites. People can’t always put their finger on why your photo leaves them uninspired, but it may be because they aren’t sure where to go and what to see.

To help alleviate this problem, give your viewers some place to go. Not in every photo, but think of it from time to time when setting up a shot. There are a few ways you can give your viewers a place to go in your photo and I’ve listed some suggestions below.

Tight Focus and Blur

The first technique deals with a change in focus. It’s how our eyes naturally see the world, in thin, two dimensional slices at a time. This is in focus and that is out of focus. The screen you are reading this is in focus and the keyboard (or floor if you are reading this on a mobile device) is not. Couple that together with two eyes to give a three dimensional aspect to what we see and we now have a useful way to navigate our living room without smashing our shins on the coffee table.

The problem in photography comes when cameras are left to their own devices and choose for us. Many cameras will increase the aperture setting (closing down the aperture) to bring more things into focus. Most cameras ‘think’  you want a lot of things in focus. Surely the camera has it figured out for you!

But the truth is, interesting photos have few things in focus (hyperfocal techniques no withstanding) at one time. And it’s important to remember this when taking a photo. Pick one thing to be your focal point and try to make it stand out from the rest of the scene. This can be done by increasing your aperture (decreasing the f/stop number) to take advantage of a shallower depth of field. It also helps to get closer to your subject to also shallow up that depth of field.

Whether we know it or not, we are used to seeing something in focus and something not in focus. Looking at your screen, do actually notice your hands on the keyboard are not in focus? Typically, no. We know our hands are there and we don’t need them in focus by our focus should be on the screen. Do the same with your photos and give your viewers a focal point while letting the rest of the scene blur out of importance.

Leading Lines

Leading Lines are just that; lines in your image that bring viewers to a particular point. I also like to include paths in this example because a path, or road, while not always perfectly straight, can lead viewers as well. Playing with Leading Lines can be a lot of fun because you get to move around. Pay attention to the lines in a photo, such as this one taken on a Washington State Ferry.

They day was gray and boring and there wasn’t much to look at. But there were lines everywhere. The railings, the horizon, the deck chairs. They all lead to the pilot house and I mostly wanted them in focus. So I took a position that would allow them to converge. I moved around the deck a bit until I had a nice and easy spot where two of the lines for the Rule Of Thirds converge.

Lines can also be curved as in this shot of a trail leading into the unknown distance.

Space

One of the more simple tricks to leading your viewers is to give them space in the photo to move into. We take our periphery for granted and that plays out in photography (as well as other forms of art) in a way most of us don’t consciously understand. What I’m talking about here is the fact that as you move your head from left to right, or up and down, your brain is scanning ahead. It is why you also don’t bump into the coffee table even though it may not be in focus. Your eyes say it and your brain understood what was coming before it was in focus.

When a photo does not allow for this scan-ahead to occur, we tend to turn our nose up at the image. Not because it is horrible, but because ‘something’ isn’t quite right and we’re not sure what. Take these two images of the setting sun for instance.

The difference between the two is the position of the boat and where it is going. We all know a boat (typically) goes forward and we know which direction this one is facing. When it is just about out of the frame, we subconsciously want to know where it’s going and are slightly irked by not knowing. Mind you, this can be a good method for grabbing attention, but for making pleasing photos while you are learning photography, give some space in front of the subject for it to ‘move’ into the frame.

Conclusion

It’s important to remember these are only rules. And rules are made to be broken. But if you are just starting out in photography, learn to use these simple techniques first to add some instant attraction to your images, then venture out and let your artistic creativity take over your style.

Post originally from: Digital Photography Tips.

Check out our more Photography Tips at Photography Tips for Beginners, Portrait Photography Tips and Wedding Photography Tips.

Give Your Viewers Some Place To Go