Wind Power
The Waubra wind farm is located on both sides of the Sunraysia Highway 35 km north-west of Ballarat in Victoria’s central highlands, known as the Pyrenees, Australia near the town of Avoca. It is the fourth largest wind farm in Australia and was the largest wind farm by number of turbines and total capacity in the southern hemisphere upon its completion in July 2009. It has 128 wind turbine generators on 17,300 hectares of farmland. Less than two hours from Melbourne, the Pyrenees is also a wine-producing region of Victoria.
Fireworks Photography Tips and Camera Settings Tutorials
How to shoot Fireworks ?
There are many exciting scenes around you that you can take photos of. You can take photos of wildlife, sports actions, nature, or portraits of your friends and family. However, one of the most exciting scenes to capture on your DSLR is a fireworks display. Here are some tips and camera settings for capturing picture perfect fireworks actions.
Fireworks Photography Tips
Location
Get to the location a bit early and try to collect information on fireworks display timing, set up & from where the fireworks will be coming from. Find the right place with a nice foreground & background view to position yourself, and take a few photos to get a feel of the focus. You will need to be quick in focusing, especially if the fireworks display is not going to last very long.
Lens
A regular lens will do when you’re taking fireworks photos, so if you’re new to photography and haven’t purchased a wide variety of lenses, don’t worry because the lens that your DSLR came with will be just fine. You don’t need a fast lens to shoot Fireworks. Remember, you are shooting bright light (fireworks trails), not the dark (sky). Zoom lenses are flexible & they make it easier to compose.
Tripod & Remote
A good quality tripod is a must for fireworks photography. The beauty of fireworks photography is in capturing the light trail or blurr of the fireworks. To achieve that a long shutter speed (4-10 sec) is required. To keep the camera totally still & shake free for that long exposure a tripod will be very useful. Bulb mode is the best for fireworks photography. So, a remote release would also be very useful.
No Tripod?
However, if you don’t have a tripod with you, you can make do with something sturdy that you can brace the camera on. You will be shooting from a good distance from the actual fireworks display so you shouldn’t have much trouble finding something sturdy. The top of your car, or any other car, asteel railing or a fallen tree will do. Anything sturdy that you can use will do.
Camera Settings: “Everything Manual is the key”
Focus
Focus manually. One tip on setting your focus settings early is to pick an object about the same distance as the fireworks.This is why it is important to know exactly where the fireworks will be coming from. Once you have a good idea of the distance, you can set you focus to an object approximately the same distance. When the actual fireworks display starts, you will already have your camera focused.
For your exposure settings, it would be good to set aperture to f/8 to f/16. Confused because you’ll be shooting in the dark? Don’t be because you may be shooting in the dark but your target will be pretty bright.
Best setting for fireworks photography is “Bulb”. To catch motion blur of fireworks 4-10 sec long shutter speed produces the best result. For that “bulb” setting & a remote provides more control. Well, if you dont have a remote or cable release use your camera’s self timer.
You will also want to use ISO 100 to keep down the noise as much as possible. Fireworks photographs are great if taken without too much noise and an ISO setting of 100 keeps down that noise as much as possible.
Composition & Tips
Once you’ve taken the first shot, take a short moment to analyze the photo so you can adjust your settings accordingly. You will most likely have taken quite a number of shots on your first try so you can capture the burst and not just the rocket going up. Quickly move to the frame where you captured the burst and analyze it. Apply the Rule Of Thirds if possible. Avoid too many burst in a single frame. Early part of the display is the best for shooting fireworks. Later the sky becomes cloudy & hazy.
Fireworks photography is actually pretty simple, the only thing to really be aware of is to keep the camera very steady. Plan ahead so you can bring a tripod with you, but if you don’t have one and need to take the photos with the camera in your hands, make sure that you find a sturdy spot to brace yourself against.
Exposure triangle
Exposure triangle in photography includes adjustment of ISO, Aperture and Shutter speed settings so that a photographer can use manual controls over his compositions and shoot pictures.
Exposure is the term used in photography to measure the amount of light that passes though lens and hits the photosensitive material inside your camera. This could either be a film or in the case of a digital camera, a digital sensor. Now, the amount of light needs to be controlled. Otherwise, you’ll get a photo that is either too bright (over-exposed) or too dark (under-exposed) photo. Aperture controls the flow of light that goes into the camera. Shutter speed controls the amount of time that the light is allowed to stay on the photosensitive material. The ability to absorb light by the sensor is controlled by ISO.
Modern digital cameras are smart. They have a built in light mater and metering system. The Light meter can measure the amount of reflected light that is coming from the subject and metering system determine the correct exposure based on that measurement. Depending upon the amount of light, it can also display the exposure on camera’s exposure meter. Exposure meter is a scale with “zero” at the middle and usually located on viewfinder, top or rear LCD panel. “Zero” means correct exposure. Below “zero” or “minus” means underexposure and above “zero” or “plus” means overexposure.
Let’s understand in deeper detail on Aperture, ISO and Shutter speed, what they are and how they affect your photographs. A major advantage of understanding the key aspect of exposure can help you to get out of the ‘Auto’ mode and have more controls over your compositions.Now your camera metering system has determined the right exposure for you. In “Auto” mode the camera tries to keep the the indicator at “zero” level by adjusting the Aperture, Shutter speed and ISO. Unfortunately, with an automatic mode, you won’t be able to control the necessary settings like aperture, shutter speed and ISO. To be able to control these you will need to have a camera, either digital or film, that has manual settings. Fortunately most modern digital cameras have that options. If your switch to “Manual” mode, based on your current Aperture, Shutter & ISO settings, your camera exposure meter’s indicator will indicate your current exposure. It could be under (on the left), over (on the right) or correct (at the middle). In order to get the correct exposure, you will need to carefully balance aperture, shutter speed and ISO and bring the indicator to “Zero”. Unless you deliberately want under or over exposed picture.
Aperture
It controls the light by adjusting the diameter of lens opening through which the light passes and reaches the sensor. It also controls the Depth Of Field (DOF). Aperture is denoted by f stops. F divided by a number. The larger the number the smaller is the aperture and vice versa. Yes, this is a bit confusing, but hopefully you will get the hang of it.
Smaller the opening the more focused the light is and as such more of the picture is in sharp focus or more DOF. Conversely the larger the size of the opening, the more diffused the light is and lesser is the area of the frame that is in focus or less DOF. Both have its advantages. Smaller aperture is required when you are shooting a group photo or a landscape when you need the entire frame to be in focus or more depth of filed is required. Larger apertures are required for shooting close-ups and especially when you need to blur out the background (bokeh), such as when shooting a flower or say a bird perched on a tree. Read more on aperture here
Shutter speed
It controls how long the light is allowed to pass though the aperture. Longer the time more light can pass & vice-versa. This is critically important and often used in direct inverse relation with that of aperture. Larger the aperture the faster is the required shutter speed and vice versa.
Faster shutter speeds are required when you want to freeze the action, such as shooting a surfer riding the swells or may be when you want to capture the moment when your 9 year old son hits a home run. Slower shutter speeds are actually used for more dramatic results such as when you need to create a silky smooth effect of the water when shooting a waterfall. Read more on shutter speed here
ISO
In the days of film cameras people would purchase film of varying speeds. The faster the film is, the more light sensitive it is and vice versa. It is necessary to know the difference as otherwise the shots would get over or underexposed. Today’s digital cameras use sensors in place of films but they function more or less the same way.
So when shooting in low light conditions, you need a higher ISO and vice versa. Thankfully you can change that from within the camera according the conditions. There is however one important thing to note about ISO. The higher the ISO setting the more is the noise in the images. Sow when shooting in indoor or dark conditions try selecting an optimum ISO and complement it with flash to fill the dark areas. Read more on ISO here
Check out other relevant posts at: ISO | Aperture | Shutter Speed | Exposure
How To Choose A Lens For Your DSLR – Lens Buying Guide for Beginners
Photo: Jakub Vacek
How To Choose Your Camera Lens
If I were an amateur photographer just been admitted to the ultimate photo-store of my dreams, my mannerisms would suddenly change for the worse, and would most certainly resemble Scrat (Ice Age) lost in a world of acorns. Not knowing which one to pick and which one to leave I would mostly likely be confused, dabbing at things at random.
Choosing a right camera lens could easily become a predicament for the uninitiated. In a world of confusing acronyms, markings, definitions and formats choosing the right lens is more confusing than knowing which turn to take on Dupont Circle. Hopefully this tutorial will guide you to your dream lens(es).
Lens mount
If you prefer purchasing your lenses ‘the old-school way’, i.e.; going to a store and picking up the one you need from among many, the first question the clerk would ask is – “which mount?”
If you are an amateur this innocuous looking question would floor you right there. The lens mount essentially can be compared to the umbilical cord. It is an interface that connects the lens with the camera body. Whatever the lens does is actually on instruction from the camera body that is channelized via the lens mount.
Lenses designed for a specific mount won’t operate on other mounts, unless you use a mount adapter. The most popular lens mounts are Canon’s EF and EF-S, Nikon’s F and Sony’s A mount. It is important to know the mount type of your camera to begin the hunt for lenses.
The lens mount can be made of both plastic or metals. The heavier, expensive & professional grade lenses are mostly made of metal mount.
Format
There are two major current DSLR formats based on the size of the sensor. (a) Full-frame and (b) APS-C. A full-frame sensor mimics the size of the erstwhile 35mm film format with the dimensions 36 x 24mm. An APS-C sensor is slightly smaller and there are two main popular options – (a) Nikon’s 24 x 16mm and (b) Canon’s 22.3 x 14.9mm.
I see a question coming, “so what’s the big idea with the sensor size, anyways?” Well, the sensor is like a bucket and the incoming light is like raindrops. Bigger the bucket the more water you can collect. Evidently, this means your point and shoot, despite all the promotions, cannot hope to match an APS-C DSLR. The same way an APS-C DSLR cannot hope to match a full-frame DSLR.
Lenses designed for APS-C DSLRs are not advisable to be used with full-frame bodies unless you want large black corners in your images. Lenses designed for full-frame DSLRs, however, works without major issues on smaller bodies crop bodies (APS-C). The morale of the story – if you have plan for a full frame DSLR in future, buy full frame lenses now. So that you don’t have to change your entire lens collection later. Just change your camera body instead. Read more on sensors here
Lens types
All lenses are divided into three basic types based on their focal lengths – (a) wide, (b) standard and (c) telephoto. Of course these can be further sub-divided, based on their ability or inability to zoom, in the following two categories – (a) zoom and (b) prime. There are some other special types of lenses available for example (a) Macro Lens (b) Tilt & Shift Lenses.
Wide angle lenses – Any lens that has a focal length of less than 35mm is considered as a wide angle lens. Wide angle lenses provide a wider angle of view (thus the name). They also have an effect of pushing the background away and bringing the foreground closer.
Canon 16-35 f/2.8L, Canon 17-40 f/4L & Nikon 16-35 f/4 – Wide Zooms
Standard lenses – these are lenses in the range 35mm to around 60mm. They are referred to as standard lenses because they don’t tend to distort or compress the background and the foreground in any way. Additionally, the standard 50mm lens is widely considered to give the same angle of view as the human eye. This is one of the reasons why street photographers as well as journalistic photographers prefer using the 50mm lens with their full-frame DSLRs.
Telephoto lenses – These are highly sought after by sports, wild-life and even amateurs because of their ability to capture images of distant subjects. These lenses usually have a focal length of more than 75mm and can go up to 800mm for standard production models.
Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 800mm f:5.6E ED VR – Tele Photo lens
Telephoto lenses can also offer what is known as perspective compression, compressing the background and the foreground by bringing them together. This has some utilities in sports photography e.g.; where you need to show all the players on the same plane.
Zoom lenses – These are lenses which have variable focal lengths and can switch between these by a turn of the zoom ring on the lens barrel. Pretty handy when you are a lazy bum and want to photograph without breaking a sweat.
Tamron SP 150-600mm F:5-6.3 Di VC USD – Zoom Lens
Prime lenses – The ultimate tool for sharp images, fine bokeh and of course a lot of self-gratification, prime lenses have been the professional’s choice for years. They have a fixed focal length accompanied with fast maximum apertures helping you to make crisp images.
Macro lenses – These are specially designed lenses allow a photographer to fill the frame with even the smallest of subjects with higher magnification for creating a life-like image. A life like image means, the image is projected on to the sensor at the same size as it is in real life. Read more on macro photography here
Canon EF 100mm f:2.8 L IS USM – Macro Lens
Tilt & Shift / Perspective control lenses – These lenses offer photographers an extraordinary degree of control on depth of field and perspective. Shift movements enables lenses to look up or down without tilting the camera, eliminating the ‘converging verticals’ effect that can spoil architecture images. Tilt movements can rotate the plane of focus to either extend or shorten depth of field. A handy feature in landscape or still-life photography.
Things to consider before buying a lens
Aperture
Aperture can be compared to the pupil of the eye. They have the same function as the pupil, controlling the amount of light that hits the back of the eye, which can be compared to in this case the sensor of the camera. Lens aperture can be both constant and variable.Usually expensive zooms & fixed focal prime lenses have a constant aperture. Lenses with constant F number are usually bigger, heavy & more expensive than usual. One of the advantage of having a lens with constant aperture is, aperture number remains fixed as you zoom in or out. On the other hand lenses with variable aperture number (f/3.5-5.6) aperture value changes. for example Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM Lens. It means, at 10mm the maximum aperture number is f/3.5 and as you zoom in towards 22mm the max. aperture number will become f/5.6. Lenses with variable aperture number are usually small, light & cheaper.
Large vs Small aperture | Photo: Shawn Chen
The bigger the aperture (smaller aperture number) the more is the quantity of light that sets in. In low light situations or when you want to freeze the action in broad daylight, bigger apertures certainly gives you an advantage. Unfortunately they are not cheap. For example, Nikon AF-S 70-200 f/2.8 VR II lens
Wider apertures are also good for capturing bokeh or soft out of focus background and foreground. This helps to isolate the subject from the surroundings. This is suitable in both sports and wildlife photography. The same effect is also sought after in mid-range tele-lenses such as the Canon EF 85mm f/1.2 L USM II lens (Amazon | Adorama | B&H) which is widely used for portrait photography.
On the other hand smaller apertures are suitable for creating greater depth of field to make almost the entire frame to be acceptably sharp. It is specially important in landscape and architecture photography. However smaller apertures needs a longer shutter speed may increase chance of image shake.
Diaphragm blades of Aperture & shape | Photo: Pascal
Aperture Diaphragm
Number & shape of diaphragm blades also play a important role in image quality. The 9 blade-rounded diaphragm creates an attractive blur to the out-of-focus areas of the image than 5 blade-rounded diaphragm.
Auto-focusing vs manual focusing
All Auto Focus lenses lenses will focus manually. There is a simple auto focus on/off switch that allows you to switch from auto to manual focusing. Manual focus lenses only allow you to focus manually. Some manual focus lenses you will be able to get a AF confirmation. Most nikon manual focus lenses are compatible with latest model camera. However, You won’t be able to use canon manual focus lenses (FD) on AF camera bodies (EOS Mount), unless you use some FD-EOS mount adapter.
Auto-focus motor type
Auto focus motors determines auto focus speed of a lens. Doing so, it also makes sound. Most auto-focusing sounds are acceptable and may not be a problem for many. Sometimes a complete silence is needed and situations like these demand ultra quiet lenses. Nikon’s AF-S lenses powered by SWM (Silent Wave Motor) for example, is a great piece of technology that offers super quiet auto-focusing. Canon uses USM (Ultra Sonic Motor) for this purpose.
Full-time Manual Focusing override
This brings us to the convenient feature of full-time manual focusing. This is available in most of the high-end lenses from major lens makers. This feature allows you to switch between auto to manual focusing without having to flick a switch. This saves a lot of time in real life situations where precise corrections can be made to where the camera thinks is the point of focus and where you want it to focus at.
Image stabilization
If you are a Sony or a Pentax user you are blessed with body-based image stabilization. This makes each and every lens that you buy for your camera to be stabilized by default. For Canon and Nikon users, however, you have to choose lenses that come with image stabilization, i.e., if you need it.
If you are shooting mostly in broad daylight and or using a tripod then image stabilization is something that you can forgo. After all why pay for something that you would never use? Well that is one way of thinking. The school of thought is you may not know when you might need it. So, if the difference in price is not much you might as well opt for a stabilized version. Its a good & handy features to have.
Build Quality
It is an important factor for photographers. As a keen photographer often you have to face the elements. thats why it is important to make sure your gears is capable of handling the odd bumps and knocks. manufatures use both plastic & metal for lenses. Certainly, metal construction These lenses are moderately to very expensive but are worth their price tag in terms of the advantage they provide. Canon’s L series lenses or Pentax’s weather sealed lenses are great choice for a quality glass. In an urge to shoot professional quality photos, in the most demanding of circumstances, photographers are looking for not only the best optical quality but also the best build quality.
Weather sealed/weather resistant
This is a feature most nature & sports photographer want to have in their lenses. It gives the lens capabilities to handle splashes, hail, snow, dust, dirt to the some extent. Apart from the lenses, your DSLR body should also have weather sealing for maximum weather resistant. Usually higher end professional and semi-professional DSLR models (Nikon D4, Canon 1DX) come with this feature. Canon, Nikon & Pentax has a series of cameras that come with weather sealed bodies, which are extremely well built.
Internal focusing and Internal rotation
On some lenses, the front of the lens rotates and some lenses extends out off the lens while focusing or both. Rotation of front elements is a big deal if you are trying to use a polarizing filter on your lens. Effect of Polarizing filter depending upon how it is oriented. For example you set your polarizing filter just how you want it. But the moment you start focusing, the polarizer also start spinning around along with your focusing elements and loses it’s effect. Not good, now you have to re-do it. same way during macro photography if your lens’s front elements extends, it may accidentally hit or scare the subject during focusing and ruin the settings.
Lens manufacturers use Internal focusing (also known as IF) & Internal rotation mechanism to overcome this issues. These are special lens designs in which focus is achieved by moving only the inner lens group(s), without rotating or moving the front lens element(s). The physical size of an internal focusing lens does not change during focus, nor does the front of the lens rotate. As a result front of lens doesn’t extend our forward off the lens. This is very use full using smarter looking petal shape lens hoods.These mechanism also help to keep the lens size more compact. One issue internal focusing lens can have is that the true focal length of the lens is reduced when not focused at infinity. So, make sure that the lens you get has a non-rotating front element and internal focusing mechanism.
Lens Elements
Lenses usually suffer from various dispersion and aberrations and may cause loss of sharpness & contrast. Most common aberrations are spherical & Chromatic (coma). To tackle or minimizes them lens manufactures use some special lens elements. For example for correcting chromatic aberration (color fringe) Canon uses their own Fluorite and UD (Ultra-low dispersion) lens elements. Same way Nikon’s version is called ED (Extra Low Dispersion) and Sigma’s SLD (Special Low Dispersion). To correct Spherical aberration manufacturers use Aspherical lenses. Thats why how many UD/ED/SLD or Aspheric element used in that particular lens in important.
Optical structure of AF-S DX Nikkor 18-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR lens
Lens coating
Ghosting & flares are the two common problem of lenses. They are created due to reflexion & re-reflexion of light on the surface of the lenses. Results secondary images and causes unsharp images. The more the lens elements the more the reflexion. That’s why zoom lenses suffer more from ghosting & flares. manufacturers use different types of lens coating technology on lens surfaces to reduce surface reflections. For example Pentax uses Super Protect (SP) coating, Nikon uses Super Integrated Coating (SIC) & Nano Crystal Coating. Regardless their names, their main job is to reduce Ghosting & flares and deliver sharp images. So without coatings, though, modern lenses could simply not exist. Always take care while cleaning lenses, you may damage lens coating.
Some important tips to consider
While buying multiple camera lenses, it is a good idea not to overlap their focal lengths (zooming length). Suppose, you plan to have 3 zoom lenses and you want to cover 17-200mm. It is a better to choose a combination like 17-35, 24-70 & 70-200 not 17-135, 18-50 & 28-200. These numbers are just a GUIDELINE, your need is more important. Try to keep a Macro lens in your bag. Benefits of having a macro lens is, it can serve you as a macro, prime & portrait lens. In terms of image quality they outperform any zoom lens. It can be handy when image quality matters.
Choosing a right lens for your type of photography is very important. They serves you longer than your Cameras. A camera model is usually replaced by the new models in very 1-3 years or even sooner. On the other hand for good lenses, this product cycle is more than 5 years. That’s the reason it is wise to invest on lenses than Camera bodies. Bodies will come & go, but a good quality lens will serve you for decades to come. Moreover, they retain their value well in second hand market, in case you want to upgrade later.
Where to buy?
You can buy your lenses & photography accessories in many ways. Some people like to buy used lenses. For that Craig list is a good place. Most people go to their local camera store to buy their camera & lenses. It has some advantages. You can test & feel them in store personally. You can also take suggestion from experts at store. However it is difficult to compare prices & deals. For that shopping online is the best options. You have to be careful about scammers though. Don’t go for too good to be true deals. It is better to stick with some reputed online store like Amazon, Adorama, DigitalRev & B&H to name a few. Sometimes near new refurbished lenses are available at discounted price directly from manufacturer like Canon.
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Basics of Exposure: Aperture, ISO, Shutter & Exposure Triangle
If you’ve been taking photos on your automatic camera for quite some time, you know that a good number of the photos you took have turned out quite a bit disappointing. They’re could be too dark, too light, or blurred. Most of these problems have to do with incorrect “exposure”. No matter what type of photography you do, proper exposure is the key to get a photograph that looks right.
What is Exposure?
Exposure in photography is the amount of light that hits your camera’s light sensors. Correct exposure means putting correct amount of light on your camera sensor. Too much light and you will have an over-exposed picture. Not enough light and your photo will be under-exposed.
How Correct Exposure is determined?
Light enters through your camera’s lenses, then passes through a hole located inside the lens called an aperture, and then hits the film or the digital sensor. Every camera has a Light meter, a Metering system and an Exposure meter. Light meter measure the amount of ambient or available light & Metering system determine and calculate the correct Exposure based on light meter’s reading for that particular scene. Depending on your camera setting the Exposure meter will display the calculated exposure on a scale (usually on camera’s view finder or LCD panel) with “zero” indicator at the middle. “zero” means correct or balances exposure. Less than “zero” or “minus” means under exposure or insufficient light. More than “zero” means over exposure or too much light.
The Balance
Two things governs the exposure: the Amount of available light & Controllers of light.
Available Light
The key to all photographs, whether shooting with film or digital cameras, is light. It will determine how will you compensate or balance the exposure. The rule is simple. If there is too much light you have to reduce it to correct the exposure and in low light situations you have to increase light supply. In automatic mode, your camera will adjust or balance the right amount of light for you by selecting the right settings with the help of controllers (Aperture, Shutter, ISO), but in manual exposure mode you have to set them on your own.
The Controllers of lights
There are three parameters which controlls the amount of light. Together they form Exposure Triangle. And the beauty is they can balance each other.
- Aperture : controls amount of light flow & Depth Of Field
- Shutter speed: controls time of light flow, motion blur & freeze
- ISO: controls light sensitivity & Noise or Grain
The flow of light that goes into the camera is controlled by aperture. Shutter speed controls the amount of time that the light is allowed to stay on the photosensitive material. The ability to absorb light by the sensor is controlled by ISO.
Check out other relevant topic at: ISO | Aperture | Shutter Speed | Exposure Triangle
Long Exposure Photography – Tips, Settings, Examples & Ideas
The art of Long exposure photography
A quick search on the internet about long exposure photography will lead you to the understanding that this involves keeping the shutter button pressed down and thereby the aperture open for a long period of time. How long? Well it depends on what you are trying to achieve. That makes each long exposure image unique. Its an eye popping category of photography that many people do not attempt. Let’s discuss about how to photograph long exposure shots.
Nikon D70S, 1/5 Sec, f/11 | Photo: Bir Azam
Essential Tools
Neutral Density filters
Keeping the aperture open for that long can get the pictures washed out in day time. Neutral density filters helps you to achieve long exposure or slow shutter speed even during bright day light. At night getting a long exposure is not a problem. But in bright day light even after using all of your camera settings (smaller aperture and lower ISO), it is difficult to achieve desired slow shutter speed due to bright ambiance light.
Haida 10-stop ND filter, 30 Sec, f/11.0, ISO 100 | Photo: The Q
Neutral density filters are used to reduce the amount of light reaching the sensor without creating any color cast. Thus their name “neutral”. They come in two different varieties, graduated and normal and in varying degrees of densities making each one suitable for stopping a specific amount of light. You will have neutral density filters tagged as ND2, ND4, ND8 and ND10 (available at Amazon | Adorama | B&H). These are one stop, two stop and three stop ND filters respectively. Each progressive number suggests that it can half the amount of light reaching the sensor. So a one stop ND filter (ND2) will allow ½ the amount of light to reach the sensor for a given aperture setting, allowing you to half the shutter speed. Consequently ND4 will allow only ¼ (½ x ½) of the available light at the same aperture setting to reach the sensor, allowing a four times slower shutter speed. Read more on ND filters here
Tripod
A tripod is almost as important as having a neutral density filter. It will ensure that the camera does not shake while the exposure is being made. Read more on tripods here
Remote shutter release
Really long exposures such as those in excess of 60 seconds would require you will have to keep the shutter button pressed down for the entire duration of the exposure. This could lead to camera shake. The solution is to use a remote shutter release. If you don’t have one, use camera’s self-timer instead.
Camera settings
In long exposure photography our main goal is to keep the shutter open for longer. Because shutter speed is fixed, we have to focus on other camera settings (aperture & ISO) to compensate or balance exposure.
It can be done in both manual or auto mode. In auto mode, my preferred mode is shutter priority mode. In Canon cameras this mode is marked as “Tv” and “S” for Nikon. In case you are using a point & shoot try “Night Scene” mode. Check your camera manual for more details. In this mode you set your desired shutter speed and camera sets the appropriate aperture accordingly. Remember to set ISO manually at low (100-400) and never use auto ISO mode. Otherwise camera will use a higher ISO settings to compensate low light. Lower ISO helps to keep digital noise down and produce clean image with fine details. Shutter priority mode is good as long as your shutter speed remains within 30 seconds. Beyond that it is advisable to shoot in full manual mode.
In manual mode you have to set everything (shutter speed, aperture, ISO) manually. Numbers of apps now available for android & iOS devices to calculate long exposure. You can also read our exposure triangle and basics of exposure articles for further references.
There is another mode called “Bulb mode”, is also useful in long exposure photography. However to work in this mode a remote or cable release is a must. In “Bulb” mode you set your aperture, ISO manually and shutter stays open as long as you keep your shutter pressed.
Focusing
Most of the time auto focusing will do just fine. Putting some Neutral Density filters on the lens, specially in day light, will reduce the amount of light significantly (depending on the density of the filter). For example, if you are using a ND8 or ND10 filter there may not be much light for the AF sensors to lock focus. In those situations composed and focus the shot before you put the neutral density filter on. Then switch to manual focusing to lock the focus.
Some example of long exposure photography
Long exposure photography is something that has the potential to create some amazing results. Star trail, light trail, blurry sea water, waterfalls. We’ve written on the topic numerous times (see links below) in our archives but to whet your appetite – here’s some great long exposure images. Focus on shutters speed provided!
SLT-A77V, 30 Sec, F/9.5 , ISO 100 | Photo: mariusz kluzniak
Canon 350D, 22mm, 10 Sec, f/11, ISO 100 | Photo: Chris Gin
Nikon D50, 50mm, 0.7 sec, f/11, ISO 200 | Photo: Sarah
Canon 5D II, 25mm, 13 sec, f/22, ISO 50 | Photo: CJ Schmit
Canon 6D, 200mm, 20Sec, f/4.5, ISO 50 | Photo: Tom Raftery
f/16, 3min, ISO 160 | Photo: Tony Beverley
Canon 5D II,154 Sec, f/4.5, ISO 100 | Photo: Pedro Pinheiro
Pentax K0D, 30 Sec, f/22, ISO 100 | Photo: Jens Auer
10 stop ND filter + .9 ND, 32 Sec, 8.22 AM | Photo: David Yu
Nikon D90,1.5 Sec, f/22, ISO 100 | Photo: Werner Kunz
Canon 7D, 30 sec, f/8, ISO 100 | Photo: Tc Morgan
Nikon D700, f/3.5, 6Sec, ISO 200 | Photo: Otis Blank
18mm, 1.4 sec, f/22, ISO 100 | Photo: Zoe
10mm, 0.6 Sec, f/11, ISO 100 | Photo: Chris Gin
Nikon D700, F/2.8, 30 Sec, ISO 6400 | Photo: Carl Jones
D700, ISO 3200, f/1.4, 20 Sec | Photo: David Kingham
Olympus E-M5, f/22, 90.2 Sec, ISO 200 | Photo: Thomas Leuthard
Nikon d40, 43.6mm, 6 Sec, f/20, ISO 200 | Joe Penniston
Taking perfect long exposure images needs lots of practice. Your shutter speed can be anything from 1/60th of a second to several minutes. There are endless creative possibilities with this awesome technique. Good luck!
Rule of Thirds
Simplest Way To Improve Your Composition Skills In Photography
Rule of Thirds
Although it may sound a bit far fledged but the rule of thirds in digital photography (also known as the divine proportion) is actually derived from the Fibonacci sequence of numbers. Thanks to the best selling book by Dan Brown we all know what that sequence is and who derived it. That’s right, Leonardo Da Vinci; who some say was the smartest man who ever lived. So what is the rule of thirds and how it works; and most importantly can we break the rule and still shoot great photos? Let’s find out.
What is Rule Of Thirds?
The rule of thirds is simple to describe but is not simple to comprehend why it works. Imagine that your view through the viewfinder is divided by four intersecting lines, two horizontally and two vertically.
Rule of Thirds
The result is that the view is divided into 9 equal rectangles with four points where the lines intersect. Imagine the grid lines of tic-tac-toe and you will get the picture. Right, we are all set. Each intersecting point is also known as the power point (some also refer it as the sweet spot). For some reason the human eye always kind of gets attracted by these imaginary intersecting points. Anything important on or around these power points make the photo look perfect and in balance. This is the part which is difficult to comprehend. Why the human eye does always focuses on the power points? It is hard to imagine why so let’s just accept it as a basic fundamental of a well balanced photograph.
How to apply Rule Of Thirds in Photography?
There are three easy ways to apply or playing with rule of thirds. Actually they are quite simple & easy to master. They are: The Horizontal lines, Vertical Lines & Power points.
The Horizon
Let’s start with placing the horizon, specially if you shooting landscape. The secret is, if you want to emphasize the foreground place your horizon close to the top horizontal line.
The Rule of Thirds
This way, the photograph is more balanced because there is enough solid ground in the entirety of the scene without overwhelming the lightness of the sky or the horizon. Same way when the horizon is placed below the second horizontal line, it emphasizes the background (for example sky), there is slightly more sky showing, but the effect is still almost the same.
Vertical lines
Dont forget the vertical lines as well. Simply placing the main subject close to any one of the vertical lines may help you to balance the frame & negative space.
Rule of Thirds
The Power Points
The next point is, the key elements of a photograph should be place on or around these four power points. This automatically balances the photograph and makes it more pleasing to the eye. Let’s take an example. Most amateur photographers have an idea that to shoot a perfect portrait the subject must be positioned bang in the middle.
Example 3
Well sometimes it works, but sometimes, if you can simply put the main elements such as one of the eyes of the subject or may be something such as the setting sun in the horizon (for a landscape shot) on one of the power points the photograph looks a lot better.
Try this, it works!
Just that, you feel this is worth the while and going to seriously affect your compositions, here is a small background. Even before photographers figured this out, artists, sculptures and painters have been using this for hundreds and thousands of years. So this is something that has been well tried and tested and if you can believe me it really works.
Breaking the Rule Of Thirds
So is the rule of thirds the defining rule of photographic compositions and anything and everything shot with a lens and a roll of film or a sensor must follow this? Not quite. While it does make a more dramatic effect, there are plenty of situations where the rule of thirds don’t apply or simply won’t work. Say when shooting a fast action photo which catches a moment in time and freezes it. The absorbing moment in itself is a source of pleasure. Of course in such circumstances it is impossible to actually follow the rule of thirds (and glad that it is so). Another example is when you want to shoot motion blur. Photographers who understand the rule of thirds never shy away from breaking it in order to shoot more intriguing pictures. In photography at least, nothing is laid down in stone and experimentation is what keeps things interesting.
Related Post: 1. Exposure Triangle 2. Depth of Field
Basic Rules of Composition in Photography
Tips on Basic Composition Rules in Digital photography
Once you have purchased your first digital camera, you would naturally want to know how you can improve your game to capture beautiful photos. Here is our list of the top seven rules of composition that any photographer should know by heart. But before you skip to the next paragraph, grab this. The best thing about photography is that no rules exists to tie your creativity down. It is your inner sense of identifying what is worth photographing; having the ‘perfect picture’ in your head even before the moment presents itself is what gives you the ability to create breathtaking photos. So never be bogged down with all the rules, they are merely there to guide you.
Leading lines
Leading lines have been used not only in photography but also in painting. It is a way to allure the admirer, to draw him deeper into the picture so that he can be lead into the scene.
Photo: RawheaD Rex
You can use a set of stones leading into a brook or the poles of a pier leading into the water to use this concept.
Rule of thirds
The often used and probably the most clichéd of photography rules is the rule of thirds. It basically asks the photographer to put the most important aspect(s) of the photograph on one of the sweet spots of the frame.
Photo: Lefteris Katsouromallis
These sweet spots being one of the four points that are created by two sets of parallel lines that intersect each other on the frame, equally diving it into nine blocks. Read more here
Framing
A branch of a tree, a wooden structure or even a window that look outside towards a beautiful scene are just a few of the examples where it is possible to create a natural frame around the picture.
Photo: Jonathan Kos-Read
It helps to isolate the scene and the main focus area.
Cropping
When we speak of framing one topic invariably comes up with it and that is cropping. Your subject’s background may be non-interesting, or plain distracting. The best way to deal with the problem is to crop the unwanted background elements out. Use this technique when you want to ‘wrap’ your subject tightly.
Filling the void
A lot of great compositions have been a product of experimenting with moving the main subject away from the center of the frame and putting somewhere down the side.
Photo: Daniel Zedda
However that causes some amount of void in the rest of the picture. To balance the void they put another subject at the middle.
Depth of Field
If you can use it properly both shallow or deep DOF works magically. A big Depth of Field is imperative when you’re shooting landscapes. This is because every corner of the frame is required to be sharp in such compositions. There are several methods available by which it is possible to create big Depth of Field. Smaller aperture, using a wide angle lens, a bigger sensor camera, focusing on the hyperfocal distance are all suitable for creating big Depth of Field. However one more way of achieving this is by composing your photo to include subjects at different distances. Read more here
Perspective
Avoiding the clichéd perspectives used at all times is one of the best things that you can try doing as a photographer
Use a different angle for composing your shots, say, sideways, or by taking a few steps back or even trying a top angle to give a completely different perspective to your photographs.
Lastly, don’t forget to try breaking the rules as well. That is another important rule in photography. Feel free to share your own rules and thoughts below.
Understanding ISO In Photography
In Photography, the sensitiveness of the sensor to light is known as ISO. Understanding ISO settings in Digital photography is very important. In order to understand this better think of walking from a bright lighted room straight into a room with hardly any light at all, or a dark room. Once you walk in, your eyes won’t be able to see a thing. Give it a few minutes and your eyes will adjust to the darkness and you will start to see your surroundings. Your eyes automatically compensate for the lack of light by increasing the sensitivity (ISO) of retina (sensor) or increasing the diameter of Irish (aperture). Camera does the same thing with ISO with the help of Aperture & Shutter Speed to achieve correct Exposure.
ISO Menu in a Digital Camera
In the days of film cameras users would load films of different speeds (ISO) depending on the lighting condition in which they would be shooting pictures. If they would be shooting in low light conditions, they would load the camera with a high ISO film and vice versa. When digital cameras replaced the film cameras of yesteryears, the concept of ISO remained the same but the films were replaced with electronic sensors. Still today, camera manufacturers refer to the sensitivity of the sensor with the term ISO. If you check the specifications of a DSLR for example, you would find details such as ISO 100 – 6400. What it means is basically that the sensor is able to shoot images in a range of 100 – 6400. It can range from 25 to 256000. Higher the ISO number, higher the sensitivity. Usually ISO 50-400 is considered low ISO. ISO 800 and up are considered high ISO. They both have their advantages & disadvantages.
High ISO
High ISO lets you take photographs at locations where there is a lack of light & higher shutter speed is required to freeze the action. For example in indoor sport or wedding ceremony where even widest aperture is not enough to provide sufficient light for a shutter speed to freeze the action. In that situations, camera compensates for the lack of light by increasing the ISO. Now, in low light situations, you could use a flash, but if you don’t have one or you don’t like the effect of artificial light or in certain places where Flash are prohibited you can move to a higher ISO.
You should remember that although a higher ISO setting will let you get a correct exposure even with a poor light source, you will also get more digital noise. Digital noise is the small squares that you can sometimes see on photographs. Usually cameras (both DSLR and Point & Shoot) face an issue of noise when shooting pictures at high ISO levels. This happens because the filter array of red, blue and green are unable to properly identify the correct colors in the light waves and thus dark spots appear on the final picture. With a low ISO setting, you will hardly or not even see those squares, but with a high ISO setting, those squares are visible. Fortunately modern DSLR like High end Canon 1DX, 5D mark III or Nikon D4, D600 can handle noise very well and capable to produce clean images even at 3200 ISO.
Low ISO
On the other hand the lower ISO setting is generally used when there is lot of light around the subject or the subject is well illuminated or most importantly when more details with less noise is required. For example portrait & landscape photography the ISO setting is deliberately reduced to something 100 or less to produce more details.
However, a low ISO setting is also a cause for camera shake if you are holding the camera. It is not because of lower ISO, but usually for longer shutter speed. Because in low ISO setting sensor needs more time (longer shutter speed) to absorb light. With a slow shutter speed, the subject can move or your camera can move while the shot is being taken and you will end up with a blurred photo. Now you have few options, use image stabilization (vibration reduction) or use external light source (Flash) or a Tripod.
You will need a bit of practice when using ISO. Take several photographs of the same subject, under the same light conditions, with different ISO settings. Keep a note of the sequence of ISO settings you used so when you view your photographs on a large screen, you can identify how these different ISO settings affected your photograph.
Read more on Aperture & Shutter Speed to better understand its effects on Exposure
Halloween Photography Tips, Ideas & Settings
kevin dooley / Foter.com / CC BY
Halloween Photography Tips
Halloween is the time for goblin costumes, freaky treats and carved faces on pumpkins. A favorite with both the young and the old carved Jack-o’-Lanterns are a must do and must have for Halloweens. By the way, they make for an excellent photography opportunity too. This article deals with how to take some exciting pictures during Halloween of the freakiest of Jack-o’-Lanterns, decorations or the young goblins doing trick or treat.
Camera settings
Almost invariably you will need to prepare for some really low light situations and in some cases light from a multitude of different sources with different color temperatures. Using basics of exposure triangle, there are few ways to tackle low light situations.
Choosing widest aperture – Selecting widest aperture (smaller number) will let more light to enter through lens. As a result you can use faster shutter speed to freeze the action & reduce camera shake. It will also allow you to use low ISO setting for clean images with minimum noise.
Using slow shutter speed – Slow shutter speed allows more lights to enter through lens aperture. It may result motion blur or camera shake. However it can be used as a nice creative tool.
Cranking up the ISO – Often cranking up the ISO would be a first natural step for some photographers. Unless you have a latest Point & Shoot / DSLR with noise correction feature you will end up with a lot of unwanted noise. So know what equipment you’re using and its limitations before setting the ISO to 1600, 3200 or beyond.
Image Stabilization or Vibration Reduction – Turn it on, if your cameras or lenses have one.
Flash – Control your temptation to counter every low light situation with a dose of brilliant light from the flash, built-in or otherwise. Light from your flash will completely turn the background (even if it was visible in ambient light) dark. Resultantly your images will be shallow with no visible background. If you have to use it then follow the tips that comes later.
Tripod – Probably your best method to tackle low light situations is to use a tripod. A tripod will allow you to use a longer shutter speed, thereby gathering more light and conjure up a fantastic picture seemingly out of an improbable situation. A tripod will however be only effective against a stationary subject and if you hope to capture the young goblins, then you will have to use a combination of methods.
SpreadTheMagic / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-ND
Flash or No flash
Kind of negating the tip that was given above but it may become absolutely necessary at times to use a flash (kind of when your life depends on capturing a portrait shot of a young goblin). Well the worst thing that you can do is sneak out in the middle of the night armed with nothing but a compact Point & Shoot. The flash will be fixed, will give you limited flexibility (if at all any) and you may end up with a frustratingly long night with no good pictures.
If you’re using a DSLR camera you may like to invest in an external light and a TTL chord that will allow you to hold / mount the flash at some distance from the camera and yet get a TTL metering for the shot when you press shutter release.
One more trick you can use if to use colored gels along with your flash to set the right mood for the shot. Some photographers even prefer to set the white balance manually like setting it to tungsten but shooting in ambient light or vice versa to change the color tone.
Justin in SD / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA
Choosing the right camera mode
Modern DSLR & Compacts come with many built in features. sometimes they become handy when shooting halloween photos.
Night Mode – Some compact point and shoots do come with a night portrait mode which is a great thing to have for Halloween. Night time portrait mode (night scene) do allow for the ambient background light and never fires too much light that can completely turn the background black. For DSLRs & Compacts with manual mode, there are plenty of options available.
Shutter Priority (TV) – In this mode you set the shutter speed & camera will select aperture & ISO accordingly. Try to keep your speed around 1/60 to 1125 sec. to prevent camera shake or motion blur. However, sometimes camera uses highest ISO available and images may suffer from digital noise.
Aperture Priority (AV) – If you use Aperture priority mode, you have to set the aperture yourself. The camera will set shutter speed & ISO automatically. When selecting aperture, choose the widest aperture available.
You could also use exposure bracketing to ensure that you have at least one usable photograph when you’re unsure about the right exposure for the shot.
RAW vs JPG vs Tiff: which one is best for me?
Most first time DSLR users find themselves overwhelmed by the many different options that one can shoot images with. There is the ubiquitous JPEG, the ever dependable RAW and also the third and often the less used Tiff. Many users prefer to use the RAW format without even knowing whether their shooting requirements would warrant that until they run out of memory cards or when they sit to review the images on their computers. So which one should you choose? Let’s take a quick look at what these images formats are and which one is suitable for specific shooting requirements.
RAW can be compared to a negative which has undergone exposure but not yet been developed. As such you cannot open the image in most image viewing software. However you can open the same on an image processing software such as Adobe Photoshop. It has the highest amount of details (12 to 14 bits) representing an amazing array of 16,384 different shades (for 14 bit images). They are ideal for post processing when the images can use the full scale computing power of a PC or Mac and that of a specialized image processing software. Post processing is necessary to ensure that your images render the perfect tonal representation which is impossible to do using the camera’s in built image processing system. Needless to say professional photographers especially those into fashion and product photography for commercial uses prefer shooting in RAW. There are many advantages to shooting RAW. For example the option to choose the right color temperature. White balancing (when shooting in RAW) has not been set by the camera. This allows the photographer to choose the correct temperature of the colors during post processing.
On the other hand JPEGs are 8 bit images which have only 256 shades. So to start off one has a lot less colors and brightness levels to play with. That is not bad if you only need photos for sharing with friends and occasional prints. Additionally if you are not into commercial shooting it makes sense to shoot using JPEGs. In fast action photography such as sports or even covering news events, JPEGs are preferred over RAW or Tiff because it is impossible to shoot large number of frames using RAW format. Continuous shooting in RAW will lead to buffer overrun and storage problems. Someone who shoots a lot of images will have a problem of needlessly increasing workload trying to process hundreds and thousands of images. The latest image processing engines from leading camera manufacturing companies such as EXPEED 2 from Nikon or DIGIC 5 from Canon are quite capable for shooting large fine JPEGs and retaining the true color tone to a large extent.
Tiff is another option that is available in some DSLRs. They are larger in size compared to JPEGs. They retain more information compared to a JPEG image and are also known as lossless because they retain the whole image information after compression. They are however less used in web and more used for printing purposes. If you have to choose between Tiff and JPEG, the later is more suitable for its smaller size.
How to Remove Stuck Lens Filter – Best Effective Ways
Removing a stuck lens filter not easy. Although in an ideal world when filters are regularly mounted on and off, they should not get stuck, but weather and especially cold weather can play spoil sport at times. Cold weather is known to make filters get stuck on to the lens. It can be frustrating at times and a terrible waste of good shooting opportunities when you are trying to unscrew the UV filter to screw in another one. At times when you don’t take them off for several days (such as those shooting for long assignments outside and need to have the filter on for days) it can get stuck. An innocuous looking rubber band can be life saver at certain times. Here are some quick and effective tips to remove the stuck lens filter off your lens and save yourself from some blemishes.
1. Using a rubber surface to unstuck a filter – this is my favorite. This method is all about getting the right amount of grip using a rubber surface (for example: floor mats, kitchen mats, car mats or a shoe). Make sure that you slip in a piece of smooth paper under the front element of the lens where it touches the rubber surface. While pressing the lens against the rubber surface to get a grip, one has to turn the whole camera body. This should get the filter unscrewed.
2. Using a rubber band – rubber bands are not only good for wrapping packets or stuffs around, but are also suitable for the purpose of getting a good strong grip around a stuck lens filter. Often sweaty hands (or even the lack of grip that your hands can get) can make it difficult for you to unscrew the filter. In such situation simply wrap a rubber band around the stuck lens filter and then use the additional leverage to unscrew it. It works most of the times and saves you from buying additional equipment.
3. Using a lens wrench or Lens Repair Silicone Rubber Tool – probably a bit more scientific and techie (if I am allowed to use that word) to remove a stuck lens filter. There are lens wrenches available in various sizes. Choose one that is perfect for your lens diameter. How they work? Simple, just slip the wrench in position around the lens filter (careful don’t grip the lens itself, as you can damage it when applying pressure, especially if it is of a cheaper quality), apply a bit of pressure and then turn it to unscrew the filter. This method is especially useful when you need more pressure and grip than the first method explained above. Above all they are cheap too! Check here & here
4. Jar Opener – You may also try a jar opener to unstuck a lens filter like this one here. By applying same principles as above.
Some radical methods include using pliers and jewelers’ screwdrivers. These are suitable only as long as you are sure that the filter that is stuck cannot be unscrewed and you need to pry and take it off somehow. It is strongly recommended that you don’t apply these tools to take the filter off unless you have first covered the lens (once the outer turning ring of the filter and the glass comes off) with a cloth before you move to remove the remaining part of the filer. At any situation if you are not comfortable to do this on your own, try taking professional help.
Beginners’ guide to Landscape Photography – Tips, Settings, Composition & How to Tutorials
Besides passion & patience, to photograph great landscapes photos, it takes a fair amount of preparation and skill in basic photography technique. This article focuses on some important, but not all, aspects of landscape photography that photographers need to master when photographing landscape.
Essential gears for Landscape Photography
Don’t leave home without them. We are referring to gear other than the obvious two, your camera and lenses.
Tripod & Remote
Landscape photography often requires a sturdy tripod. You never know where your passion is going to take you. Today you could be shooting knee deep in the sea water, trying to catch the oncoming tide; tomorrow you could on a glacier trying to compose a shot. Landscape shots demand increased depth of field & sharpness. To achieve that, a sturdy tripod is a must.
Neutral Density Filter
Another thing that you should have is a Neutral Density & Graduated Neutral Density Filter set. It basically stops & balance the amount of light entering your camera through the lens. Use it when you need to block a sky, which is too dark against a foreground that is darker. You can also use it for longer exposures. When used properly, these filters alone, can bring that professional look to your ordinary landscape photo and transform into an extraordinary one.
Canon 5D III & Cokin Z Pro Graduated Neutral Density Filter
Circular polarizer
A Circular Polarizer is another piece of optics that must be in your kit bag. No software can mimic the effect of a polarizer. It helps to reduce reflexion of light & increase contrast. They are perfect for changing the tonal balance of the sky, reducing glare and basically cutting through the haze of diffused light that can spoil a landscape shot. Hoya, Singh-Ray and B+W (not Black+White) are some of the companies that make both Grad ND Filters and Circular Polarizers. Read more details on polarizes here
Important Camera Settings for Landscape Photography
Get those the long exposures right
Mastering the art and science of long exposure is critical for you to be a successful landscape photographer. Latest cameras can handle exposures quite efficiently, it need not be too complicated though. For complicated situations, there are some tried, tested and proven methods of getting the long exposures correct. Mastering the basic three fundamentals of exposure triangle covering ISO, aperture and shutter speed is critical in this case. But with that you need to also be able to control the amount of light that enters the camera; both through the lens and through the viewfinder. Yes! The viewfinder can also let in some ambient light in and to control that you can either use a black cloth or can use a viewfinder cover that comes with some cameras.
Landing by third i blind [Canon5D Mark II, 15 sec, ƒ/20, ISO 200 @144 mm]
Exposure Bracketing
Now most cameras have EV or Exposure Compensation feature. This allows you to take multiple photos each at a different exposure. A good practice is to take two extra shots in addition your normal shot of the same scene. One of them 1 stop above (+1) and another one 1 stop below (-1) the normal exposure (0). Its like an insurance for your photograph and most useful in a high contrast lighting condition. This process guarantees to get a correctly exposed image and then you can delete the ones you don’t use or blend them all for creating HDR images. However, remember to set it back to 0 when you are done.
Master the Depth of field
The wider the perspective the better it is for landscape photography. Along with that you will need to set your lens aperture to something smaller such as f/11. Start with f/11 and then adjust it so that you can also counter the issues of lens diffraction. The narrower aperture will help bring more things into focus, something that is ideal for landscape photography. But, beyond certain aperture setting you will start loosing sharpness due to lens diffraction factor. That’s why balance between Depth of field & Diffraction is necessary.
Where to focus in landscape photography?
Most of the time your own instinct will guide you where to focus, specially when you have a specific interest in the scene. Rarely you run into a situation where you have to consider the mathematical route. Many use a rule of thumb that states you should focus roughly one-third up from the bottom of the frame in order to achieve maximum sharpness & depth of field throughout. This is for reference only; the actual calculation (hyperfocal distance) may depend on various factors, including lens type, aperture, focal length and subject distance.
Shoot Raw & Use low ISO
Keep your ISO settings low (100 – 200) to retain detailed and noise free image. RAW preserves all the shooting data, including data that is not possible to record in JPG format. When needed, in post processing, all the stored data can be used to get the best possible output.
Best Time To Shoot Landscapes Photos
The Magic or Golden hours
Good Lighting is the key to successful landscape photography. That is why the best time to shoot landscape photography is the few minutes time window before and after either sunrise or sunset. Depending on weather the window could be around 30 minuets to an hour long. You will get the most favorable lighting condition in that widow period when the sun is lower, light is softer and often displays a subtle color warmth. This is why, the hours after dawn and before dusk are known as the ‘magic hours’.
Lupin Delight by Chris Gin [Canon 7D, 1/10s, ƒ/11, ISO 200 @ 11 mm]
Early bird catches the morning light
Morning light has its own mystical ambience that is hard to replicate using any tools be it hardware or software. It is the perfect time to capture the pink hues that we can see on the mountain tops. The first hour is also the perfect time to capture flower photography. The soft light really brings out the details of the flowers which are impossible to capture at any other time of the day. Probably you could but you will need a lot more gear than if you simply shoot during the first hour of day.
First light by third i blind [Canon 350D, 1/8 s, ƒ/16, ISO 200 @17 mm]
The 15 minutes window after the Sun has set
Most amateur photographers shooting a sunset tends to pack up for the day when the Sun has set. But there are some who finds this the best time to shoot. Lost you? Well, after the Sun has set, there is a window of 10-15 minutes, depending on the time of the year, when the sky really pops up with colors. If there are scattered clouds in the horizon, all the better. Use a grad ND filter and use long exposures of 1 or 2 seconds do whatever you need to, this is the best time to shoot the effects of a sunset.
Sunset at peggy’s cove by paul bica [Olympus E-3,15 s, ƒ/4, ISO 100 @ 7 mm]
![A Lavender Sunset [A Sunset I Can't forget]](https://i0.wp.com/farm5.staticflickr.com/4127/4964233619_1caf7ba550_z.jpg?resize=786%2C457)
A Lavender Sunset by Vincent [Nikon D40X, 1/800, ƒ/2.8, ISO 200 @ 55 mm]
Composition in Lanscape Photography
Shoot in the clear, if possible
You don’t want a stray telephone or power line in the frame, when reviewing the images on your laptop, do you? Stay clear of traffic, heads of people and of course anything that would ruin your landscape photographs. Yes it is possible to do a bit of post-production, but unless you’re too keen of shooting in RAW all the time, this may be a bit of a hassle.
Foreground, middleground, and background
If possible, break your landscape framing into three segments: foreground, middleground and background to make it more aesthetically a well-balanced image with multiple focal points.
Still Motion by rachel_thecat [Fuji Velvia 50, 25s, f32, Lee 0.9 GND Soft]
Add foreground interest
Try to keep something interesting in the foreground. An experienced would look for a strong focal point, for example rock, trees, textures, interesting landmarks etc. A strong foreground interest gives a sense of scale and completely turn a picture into a breathtaking photo.
Rule of thirds
Remember, the rule of thirds is not actually a “rule” but more like a guideline, so don’t stick to it too seriously. If a composition works in other ways, go for it!
Rule of thirds
In rule of thirds a picture frame is divided by four imaginary lines, two vertically and two horizontally, creating four intersecting power point.
Wrath by RawheaD Rex [Canon 5D II, 1/50, ƒ/22, ISO 200 @17 mm]
Visually, these four points would be the main focus points for human eye. Putting your main subject or interest on any of the points make an image visually more appealing and interesting.
Watch your horizon
This is part of rule of thirds. Placement your horizon is very important in composing landscapes. Its important the get the horizon straight. Well, you can correct it in post processing but it is a good practice to keep it straight. Avoid placing the horizon in the middle.
Wrath by RawheaD Rex [Canon 5D II, 1/2500, ƒ/4, ISO 125 @ 17 mm]
When you place your horizon around lower one third, emphasizes your background subject, such as sky. Same way, placing the horizon close to upper horizontal line emphasizes the foreground.
Relics by Chris Gin [Canon 40D, 2.5 sec, ƒ/11, ISO 100 @ 11 mm]
The wide angle
In landscape photography a wide angle give a sense of wide open space. That sense virtually takes you to the place the frame being shot. In order to capture wide-angle shots you will need a wide angle lens, something that offers a field of view of more than 100˚ if possible, without necessarily stepping into the realms of fish-eye lenses. Usually, wide angles delivers better during golden hour landscape photography.
The Bamboo Forest.. by Trey Ratcliff [Nikon D3X, 4 s, ƒ/11, ISO 200 @14 mm]
Go low & discover a new prospective
The majority of photos we take are at eye-level. Bring new style in your landscape photos by getting down on the ground level. It also helps to express the vastness of the scene. Thats why it is important to choose a tripod that can go down close to ground level.
Use tele lenses to compress & crop
When we think about landscape photography, we think of wide angle lenses first. Think outside the bun and stand out from the crowd, a telephoto zoom lens can also be a great tool for landscapes photography. Long tele (135mm and above) lenses help to isolate distant interesting part of a scene and doing so compress the perspective. As a result, tele lenses produce unique refreshing perspective in landscape photography. Though, there are no absolute rules for when to use long focal & wide angle lenses. Rather we often end up using both together. Because tele lenses give you ability to compose & crop tighter, you can excludes uninteresting sky or part from the scene. That capability make them better choice for dull & low contrast part of the day, where wide angles in the golden hours of dawn and dusk.
Photo by みゆき
Shoot Panorama
Panorama is another great way to capture a vast vast landscape scene. There are few dedicated film panoramic cameras. In digital photography,specially when you don’t have an ultra wide lens, you can create panoramas by taking multiple sequenced photos of a setting and then stitching them together in photoshop or similar software to create a single expansive photograph.
Print Big
If you’re planning an exhibition, plan on printing big, the way you have seen the scene in the first place. It is never easy to express the scene in a small 4×6” print. Any DSLR with 8 megapixels & above is good enough for producing exhibition quality prints. However, if you want to “wow” your audiences with jumbo size prints, you need a higher resolution cameras to capture the scene with mighty megapixels ensuring maximum details. Read more on megapixels vs print size here
Keep going back to your favorite places
Some photographers like to have a place where they can feel comfortable and get stunning shots at the same time. Everyone knows about the American photographer Ansel Adams and his love for the Yosemite National Park. His black and white photographs captured on film are some of the most sought after even after 28 years of his death. Choose a few places, which can be close to where you stay and you have an option to go back to at different times of the year or day. It may be the same place, again and again, but the lighting will be different and it changes the whole landscape.
Landscape photography is so vast, it is impossible to cover everything in just one article. This article is intended to help beginners get off to a good start in exploring this amazing branch of photography.
Hyperfocal Distances and It’s Importance In Getting Sharp Landscape Photograph
Landscape photography & Hyperfocal Distances
An essential aspect of landscape photography is getting the whole of the frame acceptably sharp. However when we focus on a point, let’s say a tree or a rock or a blade of grass, it becomes a focusing plane parallel to the sensor with everything in the foreground and the background becoming out of focus. However there is a limited window of distance both in the foreground and the background where the frame remains acceptably sharp. This is the Depth of Field. As a landscape photographer it is imperative to know how to attain that sweet spot of perfect distance that allows you to maximize the Depth of Field for your shots. That sweet spot is called hyperfocal distance. When focus at the hyperfocal distance everything between halfway that distance and infinity will be sharp
Factors on which the Depth of Field depends
The Depth of Field is depended on a combination of a few factors such as aperture, focal length and the focal point (the distance between the subject of focus and the camera). Greater the focal length less is the extent of the frame that is in sharp focus. If you’re using a wide angle lens fully zoomed out, your Depth of Field will be bigger compared to if you’re using a telephoto lens fully zoomed in.
Additionally smaller the aperture, bigger is the Depth of Field and vice versa. When selecting the Aperture Value care should be taken as to what is the optimum aperture at which the image is the sharpest without necessarily getting affected by lens diffraction.
The final factor which affects hyperfocal distance is the focal point, which in turn depends on the combination of focal length and aperture that you’re using. More is the distance between focal point and the camera; more is the Depth of Field. Rule of thumb states that, you should focus roughly 1/3 of the way into your scene in order to achieve maximum DOF. Though, it is rarely optimal; but sometimes helpful.
Try to focus roughly 1/3 of the way into your scene
There is one more aspect that controls the Depth of Field and this is something that once you buy a camera you cannot really do anything about and that is the size of the sensor. As a rule the Depth of Field is inversely proportional to the size of your digital camera’s sensor.
There is however one way in which it is possible to make the whole of the frame acceptably sharp and this is by focusing at the hyperfocal distance.
How to calculate Hyperfocal distance
Hyperfocal distance is always considered together with the given Aperture Value and the focal point. This DOF is usually from half the distance from the focusing point to infinity. There are charts available, ready to use, which gives the approximate hyperfocal distance for a lens of specific focal length set at a specific aperture.
In absolute formula terms Hyperfocal distance or ‘H’ in mm is equal to the square of ‘f’ or the Focal length in mm, divided by the product of ‘N’ which is the f-stop and ‘c’ which is the circle of confusion in mm plus ‘f’.
In real life when shooting out in the open it can be a difficult formula to calculate and then use. As such it is better to know in advance what is the hyperfocal distance and focusing just beyond that so that everything from half the focal point to infinity is acceptably sharp.
Camera Shake: Focal Length vs Handholding Capability
Handholding is one of the most widely used methods of photography. The other being using a tripod. In general everyday photography, handholding is the oft used method. Say your kid is playing with the dog in the backyard. You decide to shoot some funny moments and reach for your DSLR. Setting it to a lower ISO (ISO 100 or less), considering it is a bright day, and a shutter speed of 1/1000 (or using basically the built-in metering system to take charge) you shoot several pictures. In this situation it is rare you would also reach for your tripod. Again, when shooting wedding photographs or for that matter even wildlife photography, a tripod may not always be at hand or feasible to use. Handholding capability would mean the ability to hold a camera steady by hand while shooting pictures so that there are no visible camera shake in the pictures resulting in softer final results. In this case if the subjects are steady (at times that could be difficult to expect) one can get great results. There would not be any camera shake resulting in blurry (soft) images. However when you’re shooting indoors or in dark conditions, the metering system automatically adjusts the shutter speed to something such as 1/10th of a second or even slower, to compensate for the lack of light. In such situations it becomes difficult to shoot images handholding the camera and a softer image with visible blur is the result. Generally photographers find it difficult to hand hold a shot which has an exposure time (shutter speed) of less than 1/30th of a second.
As a general rule of thumb, shutter speeds should match that of the focal length to eliminate camera shake. That means if you’re using a 55-200mm lens setting it to its longest focal length, a shutter speed of minimum 1/200th of a second is necessary so that there are no camera shake. This is however applicable for stationary subjects such as when shooting distant monuments, statues, specific features of an architecture that one cannot hope to reach close enough to shoot using wide angle. This is not applicable for subjects which are moving; say a child or a pet or even a bird that is perched at 500 yards from you. At such situations one needs to increase the shutter speed even further to “freeze” the moment. Ideally the shutter speed should be 1/400th or 1/500th of a second, considering that the foal length does not change.
Together with focal length another three factors can also determine your ability to handhold a shot. First is the aperture. Wider apertures automatically accommodates for a faster shutter speed. At wide apertures the lens allows for more light to reach the sensor. Thus one does not need a longer shutter speed. However there is a catch. Since wider aperture is associated with a narrow sharp focus area (usually the center of the lens) the whole image is not sharp from corner to corner.
The second factor that determines your ability to shoot while handholding the camera is your shooting posture and ability to hold still. Steady hands need some techniques and one of them is holding the elbows together for additional support when shooting. Another way is to hold your breathe till the exposure is done. Exhale before you press the shutter release and wait until the exposure is done till you breathe again. This can dramatically improve image sharpness.
Third is the image stabilization system. Both Nikon and Canon (the two top camera makers) have their own image stabilization systems. Canon calls it IS (Image Stabilization) and Nikon names it VR (Vibration Reduction). They both do the same, correcting for camera shake due to movement of the hand while handholding or due to wind gusts. Both can stabilize a frame which results in up to four stops of increased shutter speeds. However none of them can compensate for a subject that moves during the shoot or when you’re trying to shoot from an unstable or shaking base. They can only clear out so much of camera shake.
4th of July Fireworks Photography – Quick Settings Guide
Fireworks photography quick camera settings guide
- Turn off Flash
- Set Cameras to manual mode (or Aperture priority)
- Set your ISO to 100-200
- Set your aperture to 11-16
- Set your shutter speed to “bulb” and take exposure of 4 to 10 seconds (depending on fireworks pattern & interval)
- Use a remote or cable Release if you have one
- Use a tripod (if any) or put you camera on a steady object (car, wall, rocks)
- A standard kit zoom lens (18-105) is enough for most situations.
Find out more about fireworks photography here
How To Photograph Lightning – Tips, Tricks & Camera Settings Tutorial
How To Shoot Lightning?
Lightning by far one of the most powerful exhibition of nature’s superiority over man. They are scary, destructive yet beautiful, giving them an unique combination which is awe inspiring and certainly worthy of photographing. Here’s our list of tips & camera settings to capture this phenomenal natural force perfectly.
Safety First
Lighting is dangerous, so safety first. Lighting usually accompanied by heavy rain and hail, you have to be prepared for that too! Some common lightning safety tips: Though inside a car you are safe, but may get shock if you step out of it. Avoid being the highest point in surrounding landscape, Stay away from objects that may conduct electricity, Keep alert for flash floods etc. Read more on lightning safety tips here. It’d be wise to check your local weather forecast before you start & track them on here. It will give you an idea, where to follow storm, their pattern & pathway.
Essential equipments
Camera
You would require a camera that can be adjusted to shoot on a manual mode or at least on a shutter priority mode. All DSLRs/SLRs would come with that option; additionally there are some Point & Shoots as well which are capable of being used on Time Value (or Tv) mode.
Tripod & Cable Release (remote)
A sturdy tripod & remote is essential as you wouldn’t want the shot to be ruined because your camera wobbled in your hands during the long exposure. Any tripod will basically do unless it has a tendency to be easily knocked over by gusts of wind.
Rain protection for you & your equipments
Most cameras are not weather proof. So it is essential to protect them from rain, to function properly.
Lightning trigger (optional)
If you wanna skip the hassle of waiting & anticipation for lightning to happen you may try some dedicated lighting trigger. They will automatically trigger your shutter when a lightning strikes. They detect sudden changes in the light level and capture the scene (Lightning, fireworks, sparks, IR).
Exposure
Shutter speed
Lighting photography is kind of hit & miss. Probably the best & easiest way is to use a lightning trigger. However if you want to do it manually, the shutter speed has to be of a decent length which is sufficient to cover the lightning bursts. Select the Tv mode and then set the shutter speed to say 30 seconds to start off. You wouldn’t know for sure which direction lightning would strike; as such you’re basically pointing your camera in a direction and hoping that it works. A longer shutter speed will allow you to capturing any lightning that strikes inside the frame during the exposure time.
Aperture Value
Aperture Value will allow you to control the amount of light that is coming through. In case of lightning photography it is imperative that your shots are neither over nor under exposed. Starting with an Aperture Value of say f/8 you would be able to test out the settings and see whether they are giving great results. If the pictures appear washed out you need a slightly smaller aperture, say, f/11 or even f/16. If they pictures appear too dark use a wider aperture of say f/5.6. What Aperture Value you need depends also on the distance between you and the lightning. Say you’re looking down from a mountain and the lightning are happening say several miles away, they will appear darker and you will need to open up your aperture to compensate for the lack of light. Do the exact opposite if the lightning strikes are happening closer to you.
ISO
Use a smaller ISO number, ideally 100-200, to ensure that the streaks of lightning don’t wash out the pictures. Since lightning is too bright using a higher ISO number will only over exposure the pictures.
Focusing
Pre-focusing for lightning is a great idea, but the problem is you can’t see it until it strikes. That makes it difficult to lock focus on before hand. However there are few simple way to override this problem. Firstly, you can prefocus on any distant object manually.Secondly,every lens comes with a focusing distance guide. Look at the top of the lens barrel and you will see some numbers indicating the distance in ft between the subject and the camera. Hopefully at the end of those numbers you will see a symbol like this ‘∞’ which means infinity. Set your lens to infinity and get ready to fire away.
Lastly, take lots of shots. It is very difficult to find out perfect frame on location. So taking plenty of shots increases your chances of getting that perfect frame.
What is Bokeh?
Bokeh is not a term that is commonly used in ordinary language. The term is rather associated to photography, so if you’re new to photography, then you may not be familiar with bokeh. What is bokeh and how does it work?
To understand bokeh a bit better, without risking over explaining it, have you noticed a photo with the subject on focus and the background out of focus? Take a closer look at the out of focus background, if the quality of the background, or if the background has smooth or rather rough edges, than that is what is called bokeh.
In photography there are two types of bokeh, good and bad. Good bokeh is when the out of focus or blurred background has smooth edges. Bad bokeh is when the blurred background has rough edges. However, depending on the type of effect you are going for, a bad bokeh maybe something that you want. This means that good and bad does not necessarily refer to their meaning but just a description of the two types of bokeh.
The Smaller the Aperture Number better the Bokeh
The quality of bokeh you can create relies on the quality of the camera lenses that you have. Higher quality lenses, with maximum aperture 2.8 or below will be able to create a smoother bokeh. For example: NIKKOR 85mm f/1.4G . If you really can’t afford to buy high quality lenses for now, don’t worry. You can still create bokeh, not just as smooth.
Photo: Mark Sebastian | f/1.2, 1/60, 50mm
In order to create bokeh, you will need to adjust your aperture settings for a shallow depth of field. This means that the object is in focus but the back ground is out of focus. This effect makes the viewer of the photo focus on the object rather than the background.
You will not be able to create bokeh if you have your aperture set for a wide depth of field (bigger aperture number) . This is because the whole photo will be in focus.
In order to control the quality of bokeh you create, practice with different aperture settings for a shallow depth of field. However, keep in mind that you will want to capture the entire target and the only parts of the photo you want to be blurred is the background.
The Longer the Focal Length the better the Bokeh
Tele lenses (70mm an above) produces better Bokeh than wide angle lenses (35mm and below). Thats why lenses like, Canon EF 85mm f/1.2 L is called bokeh king. Just check the example on that page.
Photo: Jason | Aperture: F4.0, Shutter: 1/200 @ 200 mm
The closer you get to the subject the better Bokeh you get
Another thing to keep in mind is that bokeh will also be affected by the distance of the background from the target. When practicing bokeh at different aperture settings, make sure that you change the distance of the target from the background as well.
Photo: Giovanni Orlando | f/3.5 @ 180mm
When you do this, you can get a feel of how bokeh is affected not only by aperture settings but by background distance as well.
Shape & number of Aperture blades controls the Nature of bokeh.
An five Blade aperture diaphragm will produce a pentagonal bokeh with a recognizable shape. As the number increases for example: 8/9, bokeh effect become more circular shape & smoother. Results great bokeh. Same way curved shaped blades produces better & smoother bokeh.
Photo: awee_19
Bokeh provides a very cool effect on your photograph is used properly. There will be situations where you would want to create a bad bokeh effect and a good bokeh effect just won’t do. In order to recognize what these situations are, you will need to do a lot of practice with bokeh. Take plenty of photographs of different objects at different locations under different lighting conditions and you will find out what situations will require you to use a bad or good bokeh effect.