Tips and Tricks
One day, while looking at a photo of mine, someone asked: is it made with a D70? The sharpness, the narrow DOF and the crystal clear details of a cat’s eye made him believe that was the result of the D70 performance. But I answered: no, just a Canon A520. How was that possible? Well, some little compact cameras have buried a few secrets that if used, the quality of the pictures can turn out as semi-professional.
In other occasion, while looking at the exif data of a picture I took, someone was amazed that my little Canon works with 180 pixels/inch instead of the 72 pixels/inch normally used by compact cameras. This happens when I use the superfine compression option (and I actually always do), resulting in those crystal clear details. The sharpening and DOF come from a little manipulation with NeatImage.
When I had a conversation with more experienced photographers, one told me this A520 is good only for landscape photography, the other one said the lens is good for macro shots too; at least better than in other compacts. I proved them that the second one is right. It was way too hard to find the right focus point of a little bug in macro mode especially when I got as close as 2cm, but this little compact has a manual focus which I used with success. Can you believe those pictures were made with Canon A50? Somehow, I can hardly believe myself.
For cameras with no manual focus, here’s a trick: appreciate the distance and focus on some other bigger object at the same distance. Then, with the shutter button half-pressed, move the camera towards your subject and see if now the image in the LCD is clear. If not, try again. (Much patience is required)
Another problem that 90% of the compact cameras have is the red eye. Just simply because they are compact, too compact, making the flash be near the lens – so near that the pre-flash light has no effect. The 1% of the cameras that don’t have this problem are those with an in-camera software that successfully remove the red eye. For overcoming this, software is required: a Photoshop/Lightroom plug-in maybe. But the results are not guarantied.
My Canon has a detachable ring around the lens and a filter adapter. But if you camera does not, stay calm: you can build yourself a filter and attach it in any way you can figure (for example a case jut a bit larger than the camera).
Tags: camera limitations, canon A520, manual settings, manual focus, red eye, fake DOF
A symbol represents the use of an object in order to express an idea, or, the use of that object in a different way than for what it was initially developed (a fork next to an apple is considered a tool for eating that apple; photographing a fork stabbing an apple gives that fork the meaning of a weapon). In other words, the symbolism is the deeper meaning of things. In Photography, we take for example (the classic example) a single tree on an empty field: it stands for loneliness.
Conceptual Photography, unlike other types of shooting, requires more mental processing, more imagination and out of the box thinking.
You see something – you think different about what’s behind the usual and only then you shoot. The persons next to you will probably not notice the same think as you in the view until you tell them at least the name of your photo.
It’s about associating words with image (first in your mind before shooting): title with photography (then in the process of organizing your images).
Example 1:
Together and Apart – a concept can be symbolized in more than 1 photo
Example 2:
Infinity
Example 3:
Deathful Hand of Human Kind
Example 4:
Busy Business in Colors
Tags: symbolism, symbolism in photography, symbols in photography, conceptual photography
After seeing that lots of people are impressed about the HDR concept, and the easiness of working with this software called Photomatrix, I decided to try it out. But I was disappointed. What I’m about to say it’s just my opinion and many will probably not agree.
I noticed before that the manipulated photos coming from this software have a hallow around the objects, but now it is much clearer: The hallow appears in the “tone mapping†step of the image processing and it is greater as much as you push the Strength option to the right. By using the “Generate†+ “Tone Mapping†like in the tutorial, I always came out with unrealistic images full of hallow (and I don’t think this effect is giving the picture dynamism).
Some people are over-fascinated by the HDR trend and use it even on normal pictures which don’t require it. Examples of this are the portraits (in normal lateral light). With Photomatrix, people with hallow around them have an unusual skin lightness and the picture itself looks more like a digital painting.
By the way, I also noticed that this software fills the resulting picture with noise, so, if after this you apply a strong noise filter, it’s no wonder that the image will look like a painting.
Even if the Photomatrix version I used is called “Proâ€, there are still many mistakes in the HDR generation, mistakes that appear like strong white or back spots. I can only hope this will be fixed as soon as possible.
I think the “Combine†function of Photomatrix is ok. It’s useful to use the Combine on:
• images taken at the time between night and day,
• images taken with different exposures in order to obtain a better sky,
• images taken against the light,
• images with different focusing points,
• images taken thru a gate or a cave with and without flash,
• as well as images of indoor architecture,
but it’s an aberration to use it on simple scenes that look just fine with no HDR.
Tags: HDR, Photomatrix, photoaxe, photo tips, tutorials
Some people buy themselves a powerful camera (professional) from the beginning, but only a year after that get to know all she can do. Others have a different vision: at the beginning the passion for Photography is not that big and a compact camera fits their requirements at the moment. After one year or so, the passion gets bigger and the ideas more complex, they feel strangulated by the camera limitations. Then they buy a professional camera and learn using the new functions a lot faster.
I admit I did not start with the books in front my eyes. Not at all. I started by pressing the shutter button and looking at pictures albums. I started by looking through the viewfinder and frame my ideas before pressing the button. Then I moved on into discovering the functions of the camera. And so more complex ideas were build in my mind.
For each idea I looked forward to see good pictures made by others. And even in this phase the book remained untouched. By looking in albums and see what pictures marked the history of Photography, you build a little database in your head, a database that will allow you to be creative. When looking around you, you will see in your head what others might have shot and you will try not to do the same.
But before this, I wanted rediscover the wheel to say so: to rediscover which setting fits a certain type of photography. Why? Because this way I can remember better what to do next time. It’s all about learning from mistakes.
After forming my eye, and only after that, I looked in the book having by my side the pictures I took (the ones I thought were the best). I tried finding the mistakes in each of them: “oh, this one would have been a lot better if I would have decreased the exposure!†It is like this that I understood and memorized the meaning of the settings. It might be frustrating to think that if you would have read the book first you would have took that shot in a better way, but on long terms, this method helps a lot. To get away from frustrations, take the first shots in places you can always return.
Letting others comment your photos might help finding the mistakes faster, but, you should first know that Photography is Art and Art is subjective (what you like others may not and the other way around). Second, you definitely must know who is commenting your art: only advices coming from more experienced ones can be truly trusted.
Tags: photography, how to begin photography, starting with photography
The three basic Metering Styles of digital cameras are: Spot/Partial, Center-weighted, Multi-Zone(Evaluative)/Matrix.
Spot Metering mode focuses on the central part of the viewfinder. Spot metering covers about 1% to 3.5% of the image area, resulting into under/overexposed corners. Partial metering covers a little more – about 9.5%. Sometimes, the lighting conditions may be tricky: let’s assume you want to take a picture with both enlighten and shadowed areas, where the shadows are more than 50% of the picture. Choose a spot point on the subject (not necessary the center of the photo) and expose that correctly not carry about the shadows. A suggestive example is the flame of a candle. Macro shots will do with this.
Center-Weight Metering will not end up in out badly exposed corners, is more likely the average of the entire scene with emphasis on the center area. Also, the percent of the exposure calculation area grows to 75%. This means that you will want to use it if your subject (basically in portraiture) is centred and no other parts of the background are essential to the message. However, it is probably the less used mode (professional photographers will choose to operate this when Matrix Evaluation will fail due to the complexity of the light in the proposed scene), but it has the great advantage of non overexposed areas.
With Multi-zone Metering, the exposure setting is calculated based on data from matrix/segment elements (3 to 16 or more, typically 6, depending on the professionalism of the camera – the more the better) also called individual cells with different exposure information. Manual focus, subject size, position, distance, overall lighting level, front and back lighting and color are the main criteria of the calculation for each cell. The word “average†describes well how the light is evaluated in this case, leaving no over/underexposed parts. This is the most precise exposure metering mode that works great as default for any kind of photography, but most of all, for landscape.
Tags: spot metering, center-weight metering, matrix metering, evaluative metering, metering sistem, metering modes, multi-zone metering, manual metering, exposure metering
Two types of sensors are used in digital cameras: CCD and CMOS. CMOS stands for Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor, and CCD stands for Charge-Coupled Device. CMOS sensors are less expensive than CCD and also require less power (because the CCD requires more circuits), so the latest digital cameras are based on CMOS sensors (still, the majority of cameras use CCD). It is impossible to say which one is better because both of them have advantages and disadvantages. But, if the camera software is designed to eliminate the leaks of the sensor type, a good camera may come out (classic example is the use of noise reduction system on CMOS based cameras).
Principle of CCD:
In digital imaging, when the light waves that entered the camera are focused on the sensor which converts light into an electrical charge, the image is formed.
It is simple: the more light that hits the photodiode, the greater the charge. But how does this process separate the colors? The light entering the camera is the normal white light containing all the wavelengths, so inside the mechanism these wavelengths will be separated by filters based on the basic RGB (red-green-blue). The information is read row by row and pixel by pixel, therefore, the necessary processing time is a bit longer, but it is very accurate.
Principle of CMOS:
A CMOS sensor, instead of converting the light wave into an electrical charge on a different chip, it converts the photons into electrons by processing the data at this point (and not on another chip). By using amplifiers, these sensors are faster than CCDs. However, the fact that not all converters and amplifiers work at different efficiencies, may cause noise.
While most CMOS use the same RGB filtration system, there is also a new revolutionary technology called Foveon (Sigma started using it but in the future more manufacturers will introduce models based on this technology), which uses the properties of silicon itself to filter out the colors of light spectrum.
Tags: camera sensors, CMOS sensor, CCD sensor, camera sensor, Foveron, CMOS, CCD
First of all, you should know what white balance refers to: not all light sources are pure white like the midday sun. If you want to get the right colors in your photo, pay a bit of attention to the “color temperature†of the light source. Most of all, this is important in portrait and people photography because of the necessity of having accurate color of the skin.
Warmer sources (incandescent, candles, sunsets, and sunrises) will create a yellowish environment, while, at the other side of the spectrum, colder sources create a bluish environment. (However, on the Kelvin temperature scale this is the opposite: warmer means bluish.) Some people like warmer color tones and I’m one of them, but, it depends on the situation.
Curios to know more about color temperature? Here’s an article with complete information on this aspect.
Auto White Balance
In most of the cases, the Auto White Balance of all cameras works pretty well. If shooting in JPEG and the auto white balance accidentally didn’t got the colors right, there is not much to do later in the photo manipulation stage. But shooting in RAW mode allows changing the white balance after the shooting (simply click on a neutral reference within the image).
Situations when auto white balance will not likely work proper are: beaches (yellowish tin), snow (bluish tin), cloudy weather, indoor photography, but also forests. This is why a lot of cameras have scene modes for these cases.
Preset White Balance
Digital cameras also have presets white balance options: sunlight and cloudy for outdoor and fluorescent, incandescent and tungsten bulb for indoor in case you need them. These will compensate the yellow or blue tint. Here are some examples for these on Canon PowerShot A520, indoor conditions.
Custom White Balance
As for manual (custom) white balance, the first question to be answered is when to use this feature?: the camera sensors appear to have white balance problems in low light, because it can not find a white or light grey (around 18% grey) reference. More than that, if a light bulb is the lighting source of the environment, the surrounding will have warmer colors than the reality (a yellow cast).
On manual white balance, you need to set up the camera using a white paper or white wall or anything else that is white or light gray around you. Once you have the white surface in your LCD, pres OK or SET depending on your camera manufacture. A better change of getting this right is to have the entire picture frame filled with the specific light grey area and nothing else in it (so move closer, get the object closer or use zoom) or at least in the center (these requirements vary from a camera manufacture to another). Then you can take your shot to the subject. The trick is to obtain the correct white balance for the subject, while the background doesn’t matter too much. Don’t use glossy surfaces when setting the white balance manually.
Other White Balance Tricks
Here’s a trick you can try with manual white balance: instead of setting the white balance on pure white, do so on a vibrant color and then shoot in black and white mode. Interesting results may occur. Also, a late evening effect can be obtained by shooing outdoor with tungsten.
White Balance can also be adjusted with filters (this is more useful for film photographers). Below is an offer for ExpoDisk of 77mm and 62mm diameter. It is a neutral diffusion filter that gathers ambient light from 180° and passively transmits 18% of it through to your camera’s light meter. The resulting “grey frame” accurately represents the average colorcast of the light. From this grey frame, you then can set a custom white balance that result in accurate color in most lighting conditions.
Tags: incandescent, preset white balance, white balance, fluorescent, tundsten, cloudy, daylight, custom white balance, auto white balance, setting white balance
Each image fits a certain light.
But mostly it’s about your creativity and decision upon the “right†light.
The following tips are a short guide line everyone should know before starting to experiment its own creativity concerning lighting in photography.
The light I’m talking about refers to the light on the subject, not the light referred to the photographer position.
For better understanding how a photographer refers to the light I have made the diagram bellow.
Trick 1, when Dealing with Front Light and Above Light
Every photography beginner is used to take pictures of front illuminated subject, when the sun is actually above you, offering uniform natural light. The shadows are minimal because of the plane light, mostly in midday (therefore, it’s a better choice to use the morning light or evening light). For nature photography, front light has advantages and disadvantages, but mostly, if it is not the morning light or the evening one, the picture will be without dynamism or dimension. However, some nice stuff can be done with the appliance of polarization filters.
Wrong 
Better 
Sometimes this plane light results in a lack of details. In case of flash used, the persons face is fully illuminated so that those details that make the subject unique are lost because there are no shadows.
Wrong 
Better 
Front light is ideal for architecture photography, where the details of buildings must and can be illuminated.
In conclusion: the trick is to use polarization filters or stay off the midday light and shoot in the morning or evening.
Trick 2, when Dealing with Back Light
With back light you can obtain excellent results as long as this light is correctly used in the purpose of creating a dynamic frame. With this type of light it is hard to work because you must take care of possible lens flare, long exposure times and composition of the shadows. The subject will appear as a shadow surrounded by light.
It’s a good idea to first use the “Program†(P) shooting mode to look at the settings the camera chooses for the most critical area, and then turn the camera into “Manual†(M) mode to take the shot with the settings program mode told you to use.
Looks simple at the first glance, but there is a risk for the subject to be correctly exposed but the background not (a washed out background). In this case I have some solutions. Or you can try creating a HDR.
HDR Example:
In conclusion: the trick is to use the back light to create a frame of light that will surround the subject.
Trick 3, when Dealing with Lateral Light
Lateral Light is a light that allows you to put a higher accent on the 3D forms of the object. This kind of light is provided by the sun during the morning and evening, when light creates shadows on the subject. It is probably the mostly used lighting choice and also the simplest one. I don’t really think there could possibly be a wrong example of the lateral light use (but everything is possible).
If you make pictures in the studio, the problem is more complex. Professional photographers sometimes use shade cloth and reflectors to block down light while directing available lateral light to enhance their subject and achieve their desired effect.
You can even experiment with low lateral light to obtain pictures full of mystery and very emotive.
In conclusion the trick is to position yourself from the subject in that way that you can use the lateral light. Just obtain the lateral light and you can’t be wrong!
Tags: lateral light, front light, back light, light in photography
In Black & White Photography, the shapes, the structures and the contrast gain importance.
You can shoot directly in BW on most of the digital cameras, and some of them (Canon EOS) even come with some software filters to control the contrast (red, orange, yellow). The disadvantage of shooting BW is that you can not have that picture in colors if you change your mind and in most cases you can’t apply color filters before BW conversion.
By shooting in RAW mode you will obtain a lively BW Photography. Why? Because raw format offers more detailed grey tonalities. Some RAW converters have the BW option incorporated.
For TIFF and JPEG there are many possibilities to convert in BW. The chosen method depends on the desire to influence the grey tonalities during the conversion.
Method 1 – Desaturate !
The simplest solution is the “Desaturate†option in Photoshop, in the “Imageâ€->â€Adjustments†menu. This way, there is a high probability that some information of the image will be lost.
Method 2 – Saturate to -100 !
The second choice in Photoshop is to reduce the saturation to -100 (same Image -> Adjustments menu).
Method 3 – Change Image Mode !
The third method in Photoshop is to transform the RGB mode to Grayscale (or Duotone in case you want some color tint). By confirming “Discard Color Informationâ€, the image is reduced to BW. Same thing would be this: the mode “Multichannel†with Grayscale activated contains all the BW information.
The “Secret Method” – Use this BW Conversion Plugin !
A more complicated but far more flexible and with better results, it’s the conversion using a Photoshop Plug-in. There are many out there on the internet, but I like B/W Conversion from Photo-Plugins because it provides all kind of filters in different tonalities. More than that, it offers full control over each color channel and gamma, as well as some preset configurations: Linear, Photoshop, Agfa, Kodak. It even provides a very good grain function (some photographers enjoy BW with some grain). After the conversion and before applying the changes, the plug-in offers a tone option. This will give sepia, bluish or whatever color tone you wish to the picture, more or less visible.
Note: All your Photoshop plug-ins are under the Filter Menu.
The following example shows how I first applied a red filter, and after the conversion, with some contrast/brightness adjustment, the initial red color will appear as white.
After the conversion, it’s a good idea to give the picture more contrast, but be careful not to burn the image. Keep a good balance between the details and the contrast: the bigger the contrast, the less details in the image; and if there is too little contrast, the less impressive the image.
Other photo editing software have similar solutions (another good example is Picasa where the BW conversion is extremely simple: just press a button that offers a BW preview).
Tags: black and white, black and white photography, B&W, B&W photography, BW, BW photography, black&white photography, BW conversion, B&W conversion, black and white conversion, photoshop tips
