Digital Art and Photography

Bloom in Photoshop (easy tut), how to make your pictures have a bloom effect

2016-12-14T00:16:00.000+07:00

This tutorial will show you how to give your image a bloom effect. It's a fairly simple and quick process that can make your images pop and give them a different perspective. Below is the image I will be using.

1.) Open up your image in photoshop and duplicate the layer, name the layers accordingly. I named mine "dock," and "dock copy," but you can name them whatever you'd like.

2.) From here, make sure you have the top layer selected, then go to filter-stylize-diffuse. From here, choose "anistrophic" and press ok. ( A similar method can also be achieved using gaussian blur which will allow you more control, but anistrophic setting will look a bit better).

now your image should look like this

3.) Now on the top layer still, go to image-adjustments-brightness/contrast
Increase your brightness by about 10 - 20 and your contrast by about 20 - 35
I have used a brightness of 11 and contrast of 25

4.) From here, go to your blending modes for your top layer. Choose either screen to brighten the image, or soft light, or hard light. Each of these three will give a bloom effect, and you're all set! To change the intensity of the image, simply play with the opacity on the top layer.
Here is the finished product on hard light.

I have now changed this

Into these

soft light

and screen

then on hard light with more contrast

and another example of how this bloom effect can help an image.

Girl Sense Photo Effects

2016-12-10T21:15:00.000+07:00

Let’s begin working by creating a new file (File>New) with 768x1024 px and 72 dpi. Next select thePaint Bucket Tool (G) to make the new layer of black color.

Apply for the background’s layer this option: Filter>Noise>Add Noise

On a new layer (Create new layer) we’ll select the Rectangular Marquee Tool (M) to mark out the necessary zone on the picture, reserved for working with it. After that we’ll apply the Paint Bucket Tool (G) to paint this zone with the next color - #301A0D

Select for the last layer the same filter used on the black background, choosing the same parameters too:

Now we have to find in Internet a photo of a girl, like the next one:

Cit it out and insert it on our picture:

Select the next demonstrated parameters for the girl’s layer: Blending Options>Outer Glow

Next we’ll try to draw the girl’s shadow - reflection. This operation needs copying the girl’s layer and choosing Free Transform selection for turning around the copy, placing her reflection under her legs.

Now we have to download out of Internet a several sets of ready to use brushes in Adobe Photoshop, named Floral, BRUSHES_01_02, Brushes - curls

Attention! If you see an ornament on the picture made with the brush and it is turned over, it means that this brush is applied on a separate layer and turned over with Free Transform selection.

Next create a new layer (Create new layer) and choose the Brush Tool (B)out of the set Floral. The brush’s color is white and its layer should be placed on the layers’ panel lower than the girl’s layer.

Make a mouse click on the last layer on Add a Mask option that may be found on the lowest part of the layers’ panel. Select the Brush Tool (B) of black color and Opacity of 10% to clean out easily and attentively the brushes’ ornament.

Create a new layer again and select this time the brushes out of this set:BRUSHES_01_02. Select also the white color for the brushes and situate this layer on the layers’ panel also lower than the girl’s layer.

Select the next indicated parameters for the brush’s layer: Blending mode-Soft Light

Create one more new layer (Create new layer) where we’ll use the brush out of the earlier mentioned set: (BRUSHES_01_02) But this time we must select this color for the brush #747474. This layer should be positioned the same way the previous are.

The layer’s parameters: Blending mode-Vivid Light

Now it’s time to create one more new layer for using on it the sampled Brushes – curls of white color. The new layer should be placed the same way with the rest of the layers – lower than the girl’s layer (on the layers’ panel).

Make a mouse click on the same layer on Add a Mask option that may be found as you already know on the lowest part of the layers’ panel. Choose quickly the Brush Tool (B) of black color and Opacity of 10% to clean out smoothly the brushes’ ornaments.

Create another new layer (Create new layer) for applying on it the Brushes – curls of white color, placing the new layer lower than the girl’s layer on the layers’ panel.

The layer’s parameters: Blending mode-Soft Light

On the next new layer we’ll apply the brushes out of the same set used earlier. Their color is white too. The new layer should be positioned the same way as the previous layers were placed out.

The layer’s parameters: Fill 30%

On the next stage we have to draw a kind of light around the girl. Create a new layer for this operation and apply on it the Brush Tool (B) of white color andOpacity of 10%. It’s necessary to situate this layer on the layers’ panel lower than the girl’s layer too.

Next create another new layer (Create new layer) and use again the Brushes – curls.

the color of the brush is #6F3C27

the color of the brush is #97BD58

the color of the brush is #0A224A

Select these parameters from below for the last made layer: Blending mode-Hue

Create once again a new layer (Create new layer) where we have to use theBrush Tool (B) and Opacity of 10% with the colors used before for the previous brushes to give more volume to the luminescence around the girl.

The layer’s parameters: Fill 50%
Blending mode-Hard Light

On the next new layer we’ll select again the brushes out of the setBRUSHES_01_02

the brush’s color: #F6B36F

the brush’s color: #781A01

The layer’s parameters: Blending mode-Soft Light

Finished!

Photo Effect Make 30’s Old Black and White Antique photograph

2016-11-26T22:30:00.001+07:00

Convert a modern photo into old back and white antique paper photograph
Photo-Effect-Make-Old-Black-White-Antique
Lets read & understand of the following steps

[1]-First of all Open any Image with the help of press Ctrl+O

[2]-Now make duplicate layer with the help of press Ctrl+J & then go to Image>Adjustments>Hue/saturation (Ctrl+U)
& after that apply the following settings ‘OK’

[3]-Now your image will be look as shown below

[4]-Now press Ctrl+M & use the following settings & then ‘OK’

[5]-Now your image will be look as shown below

[6]-Now select Original Layer & press Ctrl+J for making Duplicate Layer & this layer should be above all layers &
after that Blende Mode Should be ‘Linear Light’ & ‘Opacity’ 50%

[7]-finally, all settings have been completed & your final image will be look as shown below

Pop Art

2016-11-26T22:23:00.000+07:00

Photoshop tutorial

step 1

Remove the background of your portrait photo.
1-Make a rectangle:
file>new
and then type in the number of pixels or inches or cm you prefer. I used 36x47 cm.
Use the eyedropper to pick a bright color and fill the rectangle with the paint bucket.
2-Use the rectangular marquee tool to make a smaller rectangle (a few mm smaller than 1/4 of the big rectangle) inside the big one.
3-4-Make four rectangles that size and give them each a different bright color.

step 2

Copy/paste the portrait in each rectangle. Resize it so it will fit the rectangle perfectly.
edit>transform>scale (press shift while change the size to keep the proportions)

step 3

Highlight the portrait layer in the layer window.
Use the eyedropper to put black in the foreground box and white in the background box.
filter>sketch>torn edges
Change the balance, smoothness and contrast to get the perfect black and white image.

step 4

The result of the "torn edges" filter.

step 5

Use the eyedropper to pick a color (you can go with the 4 background colors or go with 4 new colors) and fill the white parts with the paint bucket tool.

step 6

All done.

Memorable Sepia Photoshop Tutorial

2016-11-19T15:19:00.000+07:00

Here are the final results of this memorable sepia Photoshop photo effect. There are two variations to the effect and both have quite different results.

Step 1

Open a photo into Photoshop. Use a wedding or engagement photo if you have one because this effect is most suitable for those types of photos.

Step 2

In the layers palette, click on the add adjustment layer button and choose Black & White. If you’re using Photoshop CS2 or older, you will not have access to the Black & White adjustment layer. For users of Photoshop CS2 or older, skip this step and proceed with the next step.

Step 3 (For Photoshop CS2 or older)

If you’re using Photoshop CS2 or older, you don’t have access to the Black & White adjustment layer. Instead, you can use the Channel Mixer and Hue/Saturation tool to achieve similar (but not exact) results. Add a Channel Mixer and Hue/Saturation adjustment layer and apply the settings shown below. Remember to have the Hue/Saturation adjustment layer on the top.

When done, hold the Ctrl key and click on the two adjustment layers. Then press Ctrl+G to group the layers. The layers should now appear inside a group in the Layers palette. Select the group and choose Layer > Layer Mask > Reveal All.

Step 4

In the layers palette, click on the layer mask thumbnail to select it. If you’re using Photoshop CS2 or older, click on the layer mask for the group. Choose Image > Apply Image and use the settings from the image below. Don’t click OK yet.

Depending on the effect that you like, you can enable or disable the invert option. With the invert option unchecked, the sepia effect will be visible on the highlights of the image. With the invert checked, the sepia effect will be visible on the shadows of the image. Click OK when you’re done using the Apply Image tool.
Step 5

Now we’ll add a vignette that can be position anywhere in the image. Select the Background layer and add a Gradient fill layer. This will add a Gradient fill layer above the Background layer.

In the Gradient fill option, copy the settings from the image below. On the document window, click and drag the gradient and position it where your subject is. For the image used in this Photoshop tutorial, I positioned in on the faces of the subjects. If you cannot see where the gradient is being positioned, click OK, change the blending mode of the Gradient Fill layer to Multiply, then double-click on the layer again to adjust the Gradient Fill settings.

Change the blending mode to Multiply, if not already done.

Final Results

Here are the final results of this memorable sepia Photoshop photo effect. There are two variations to the effect and both have quite different results.

Professional Portrait

2016-11-14T22:53:00.000+07:00

Today I want to show you how several corrected layers in different blending modes may transform a simple picture into a very dynamic and striking one.

The operation needs to insert a monochrome layer and small grain effect which gives the face an intensive expressiveness. The technology consists of combining certain layers with different blending modes.

1. Open the file and duplicate the background’s layer, applying the next demonstrated options: Layer>Duplicate>Layer(Ctrl+J).

Choose also the next selection: Images>Adjustment>Desaturate.

Set here the Blending Mode - Multiply.

2. Making the portrait more expressive is possible if inserting on the original picture the grain effect. Insert also a new layer (Ctrl+Shift + N).

Next we need to select the menu Edit > Fill and fill the layer with white color.

The next step includes choosing the filter Add Noise to introduce on the picture the noise effect.

3. Pass on the menu Filter > Noise > Add Noise. Select Monochrome option and choose for the Distribution option the Gaussian parameter. Set the Amounton 20 value and press then OK.

The intensiveness of this effect may be regulated by changing the Opacity value. Give to the processed layer the Blending Mode - Soft Light .

4. Get back to the background’s layer and select for it the next indicated option:Image > Adjustment > Hue/Saturation for enriching a little the layer’s saturation. Move the Saturation indicator on +40 value and press OK.

5. Make active the copy of the background’s layer. Select the next option:Layer > New Fill Layer > Solid Color. Press then OK in the dialog box for creating a new layer.

Choose the dark – brown color (#1A0C0C) in the Color Picker selection. Press OK.

Set the blending mode in the layers’ palette on Multiply. and Opacity to 95%

Now click on Layer Mask Thumbnail

6. Take the Brush Tool (B) now. Choose a brush with soft edges in the Brush Picker. Please, be attentive with the foreground color which should be totally black. Set the brush’s Opacity on 20% value.

We’ll open the layer, background’s copy, by inserting accurately brushstrokes on the face of the character and on the clothes.

7. Having the brush on a small Opacity, the picture may be lighter, if inserting more brushstrokes. Changing the level of opacity, we may have some experiments with getting the light on the character’s face.

Try not to touch the dark area around the figure, situated in the half – shadow. If you by accident have affected the dark area, you need in this case to change the foreground color on the white one and only after toning back the zone in need.

8. Choose the next selection Layer>Flatten Image and after that we'll add border to portrait. Choose in the menu Image>Canvas Size (set foreground color to white before that).

Final portrait

How to Take Good Action Photo

2016-11-14T22:44:00.000+07:00

This is a case to illustrate how to get the best pictures for action events, in particular, with a Canon EOS 40D digital camera, a Canon EF 70-200mm f/4 L IS USM Lens in a football game.

1. Firstly, you will be a bit under-lensed with the 70-200 as far as focal length reach. But since that is the lens you have to work with, here are my suggestions. First, at 200mm of reach, your images will only be good and sharp up to distances of about 25-30 meters away. So move around and try to stay close to the action.

2. If you will be shooting soccer games in the daytime with decent lighting, use Av mode, and select the 70-200's largest aperture value ... f/4. This lens produces very sharp images and great background blur at f/4.

3. Set your ISO to a value that gets you a shutter speed of at least 1/1000s, if not higher. If you can get 1/4000s at ISO400, go for it. Donâ€™t be afraid to start out using ISO400. This camera produces neglible noise at ISO400.

4. Use one of the preset WB settings as applies to your sky conditions. If its cloudy/overcast outside, use the Cloudy WB setting, if its sunny outside, use the Daylight WB setting.

5. Use center weighted average metering, as this metering mode takes less of your background into account while properly metering your subject.

6. I like to use the Standard Picture Styles, and set Contrast and Color Tone to the default "0" setting, but set the Saturation to -1, but its all a matter of your taste.

7. You want to expose for the players faces/skin, not the uniforms or the field. Its OK to overexpose the uniforms a little bit in order to get proper exposures on the faces/skin. As far as dialing in the correct exposure using Av mode, you will need to check your review image and histogram. In Av mode, you will have to use the Exposure Compensation function to adjust your exposure. Take some test shots before the match begins and start off by using â€œ0â€ EC. If your player is underexposed, bump up your EC in positive 1/3 steps until you reach the proper exposure. If your player is overexposed, lower your EC in negative 1/3 steps until you reach the proper exposure.

8. If it's a sunny day, shoot with the sun behind you or at least to the side of you. Avoid shooting in the direction of the sun, as your players' front sides will be in the shadows.

9. As far as focusing is concerned, use center point only.

10. Use Ai Servo AF (continuous focus mode) and use the high speed drive (6.5 fps). Set CFn. IV-1 to setting #2 and use your AF-ON button for continuous focusing and use the shutter release button to only actuate the shutter. Track your moving subject by keeping the center focus point over the subject, pan the camera to follow his movements, all the while keeping your thumb mashed down on the AF-ON button. When you see the action you want to photograph, keep your thumb on the AF-ON button and fire the shutter button at the desired time and keep tracking and keep firing thru-out your burst sequence.

11. Make sure you have a fully charged battery and a large enough CF card. For shooting a soccer match, I would highly recommend shooting in jpeg rather than RAW. The files sizes are hugh when shooting in RAW. Since you are likely to take hundreds of images during the match, your CF card will fill up quickly. Its also alot of photos to have to post process when using RAW. Most sports photographers shoot in jpeg.

Hope this helps and good luck with the photoshoot.

How To Manage Digital Photography Lighting

2016-10-27T13:18:00.000+07:00

Photography blends science with art. The photographer is the artist who engraves his creation with light and shade. Science has gifted the artist a technically advanced digital camera for him to captivate life with it. But he must know to decipher the codes of light

And, Let There Be Light...

Natural light sources like the sun and the moon are considered the best light sources. These lights often invade indoors and make natural shots come alive. Men have created artificial lights like the ordinary bulb, the tungsten halogen lamp or the bright photoflood.

There are various types of lighting, the photographer can employ. The most common is the Directional lighting provided by flash, tungsten or several sources and can be used from the front, back or side.

Front lighting is the most in vogue but it reveals every detail. The light is at the back of the photographer beaming at the face of the subject highlighting every detail. This often results in an unexciting and flat look of your subjects. Another technique is to mystify your subject by lighting up from side. The main illumination from side adds interest and vigor with presence of dark shadows.

In Back lighting the source light remains in the rear of the subject shining in the face of the camera. So, you must be very careful while using this mode otherwise the subject will appear like a silhouette. The main advantage here is, you will be able to capture the natural expressions of your subject in an outdoor shoot, as he will not squint facing bright light.

You can employ Cross lighting where strong directional light comes from both sides. But this method is only suitable for studios with bright flash or tungsten lights.

Lighting For Digital Photography

Digital cameras may offer a wide range of easy lighting modes but there are challenges for the artist in his path to perfection. You must adopt the trial and error method and acquire the knowledge of lighting.

Most digital cameras have preset digital photography lighting modes or 'scenes' for different lighting situation. There is the indoor mode to click without flash, which is particularly useful in art galleries or museums, the night and portrait mode allows you to take pictures of your subject with a gleaming backdrop at night using a slower shutter speed.

The digital cameras provide an automatic setting for white balancing .You can determine the baseline white in your image against which, other colors will be rendered. Your camera may have a histogram to evaluate exposure in different digital photography conditions. Most cameras have various options like daylight, cloudy, tungsten and more.

What Is Auxillary Lighting?

If you want to create art using light and shadow, the Flash unit alone is not enough. Here, auxiliary lighting comes in. If you decide to shoot portraits or product shots in a studio then auxiliary lighting is not optional but necessary.

For great results use head and kicker lights. Flashlights do not generate heat like floods and spots, so are more suited for portraits. Make sure the flash suits your digital camera. If you want to shoot still shots or product shots, continuous tungsten light is the cheapest and best. A range of wattage bulbs and reflectors will help you control the intensity and direction of light too.

If you don't have money you can rent lights. Top studios have various assortments of flash units, flood and spotlights.

How to use light

Light is made up of all colors. If seen through a prism it bursts into different colors. You are free to experiment with the rainbow. Artificial lights have their own characteristics. The photographer can utilize different light sources. You can alter white setting for a different effect. Most digital cameras have color setting modes to achieve accuracy of the colors.

Direction of light is important in digital photography. People look best in diffused sidelights and backlight produces a halo effect while overhead lighting produces sharp contrast of light and shadows. Strength of light is also an essential factor. You can have placid effect from diffused lighting and sharpness from strong light.

Indoor lighting gives you ample scope to shoot nice pictures. You can assemble light as per your choice and can even harness sunlight when it enters your house to soften your image.

Outdoor shots are more challenging. It leaves you at the mercy of Mother Nature. While landscape looks good in soft light, the wildlife is captivating with fine details in bright light. So photographers try to capture wildlife just before dusk or before dawn.

In digital cameras, you do not need to worry about ISO film speed. Most digital cameras have preset ISO setting. However, experimentation is the perfect way to curb imperfection. So inflame your imagination and hone your skill. You are ready to enter the luminous empire of photography.

Photoshop black-and-white landscape techniques

2016-10-08T17:45:00.001+07:00

Black-and-white photographs have always been considered the “fine art” of photography. There are some collectors and purists who, for reasons that aren’t completely understood, think traditional black and white is the only true art form for photography. Personally, I’ve never believed that for a second. Besides, I personally like color, and I’m of the opinion that art is what you make of it. The most important question to ask yourself as a nature photographer is, why should I limit myself to either black and white or color? Do both!

As with a lot of the cool things you can do in Photoshop, converting a color digital image to a B&W image can be accomplished in a number of ways. I’m going to show you a few that I use. The first is a quickie method, using the Desaturate command. A second technique uses the Channel Mixer. A third method uses the Hue/Saturation adjustment layer to convert color photos to black and white. Each method has its own merits and its own uses.

TIP
Many digital cameras provide you with the ability to capture images in black-and-white mode. One of the advantages of shooting images with digital cameras and using Photoshop to process the images is the fact that you can have the best of both worlds— color and black and white. I suggest always shooting your images in color mode; you always have the option to convert any image to black and white later, when you’re processing the image in Photoshop.

Using the Desaturate Command to Convert to Black and White

Sometimes it’s best to take the path of least resistance. There are many ways to convert color images to blackand white, and there’s one little command that will allow you to do that quickly—the Desaturate command.

Here are the steps to that quick conversion:
1. Open a photo in Photoshop that you want to convert to black and white. Converting to black and white is a step that should be taken after all of your color, tonal, and image edits are made. Converting an image to black and white should be the next step in your workflow.
2. Create a new layer to use when you make your B&W conversion. Create a new layer by pressing Shift+Ctrl+Alt+E (Shift+Command+Option+E on a Mac). Name this new layer Desaturate.
3. Desaturate the image. Choose Image, Adjustments, Desaturate or press Shift+Ctrl+U (Shift+Command+U on a Mac).

You’ll find that using this procedure to convert your image to B&W is about as easy as it comes. The Desaturate command simply converts the entire image to black and white, shown in the example in Figure 1
Figure 1
The Desaturate command is the quickest way to convert color images to black and white.

TIP
When converting color images to black and white, an important factor to consider is that you still have an RGB or CMYK image, not grayscale. Therefore, your printer will be using the whole spectrum of ink at its command to print gray. One printer might produce a pink-tinted print, and the next might produce a cool blue. By changing the image at some point to grayscale, you’re at least using only black (and gray, in some printers) ink.
Using the Hue/Saturation Adjustment to Convert to Black and White
The second method to convert color images to B&W involves the Hue/Saturation adjustment. I like to use this method to desaturate yellows, greens, blues, cyans, and magentas in a color image. I then use the Red Saturation control to add a little tone back into the image. By adding a little red back into the image, you get that “selenium toned” look (black-and-white photos with a brownish tone to them) to your converted B&W photos.

Here’s how to use this method:
1. Open a photo you want to convert to B&W. As in the Desaturate method, make sure you’ve made your tonal and color corrections before proceeding.
2. Create a new layer to use for the Hue/Saturation adjustment. Create a new layer by pressing Shift+Ctrl+Alt+E (Shift+Command+Option+E on a Mac). Name this new layer Hue-Saturation.
3. Desaturate colors. Click the Edit menu and select Yellows (Ctrl+2 on a PC and Command+2 on a Mac). In the Saturation control, move the Saturation slider all the way to a setting of 100 to remove the yellow color. Repeat this step for each of the other colors: greens, cyans, blues, and magentas. (You adjust the reds in the next step.)
4. Desaturate the Red channel. Move the slider all the way to a setting of 100. Move the slider to the left slightly, until you obtain a toned effect. A setting of 70 to 40 usually gives me the toned effect I like in some of my B&W conversions. The photo, when converted to B&W as shown in Figure 2, is slightly toned with a Red-channel Saturation setting of 40.

Figure 2
Creating a B&W image with a selenium-toned appearance using the Hue/Saturation adjustment

Using the Channel Mixer to Convert to Black and White
The Channel Mixer is another method for converting color images into black and white. Use the Channel Mixer, remove color from your entire image, and then fine-tune the Red, Green, and Blue channels to obtain more control over the tones of the image you are converting. As a reminder, Photoshop always gives you many ways to obtain similar results, and using the Channel Mixer is another way to convert color images to B&W.

To use the Channel Mixer to make your conversion, follow these steps:
1. Open a photo in Photoshop that you want to convert to B&W. Process the photo as you would any other, making the color and tonal adjustments, and then the edits.
2. Create a new layer to use for the Channel Mixer. Create a new layer by pressing Shift+Ctrl+Alt+E (Shift+Command+Option+E on a Mac). Name this new layer Channel Mixer.
3. Start the Channel Mixer. Choose Image, Adjustments, Channel Mixer.
4. Click the Monochrome check box. Clicking the Monochrome check box immediately converts your image to black and white. Figure 3 shows the Monochrome check box and the Channel Mixer window.

Figure 3 Using the Channel Mixer to convert color images to black and white with finer tuning of color channels

5. Make adjustments to fine-tune the color channels. Make moderate adjustments to the Red, Green, and Blue channels in the Channel Mixer dialog box. You don’t need to move the Red, Green, or Blue sliders much. Most of the time, you’ll want to adjust the Red channel slightly to get the B&W effect you want.
Experiment by moving each slider—Red, Green, and Blue—and you’ll probably find that only slight (or even no) adjustment gives you great results. Figure 4 shows the image converted using the Channel Mixer.

Figure 4 The image converted to black and white using the Channel Mixer

Selective Color Techniques
You might have seen black-and-white images in which only a portion of the image is in color. The technique to obtain selective color in Photoshop is actually very simple. I always get that “wow” factor when I show off my nature photos and mix in a few that are in black and white, with the exception of one portion of the image.
The technique is simple, and it’s almost the same as the previous technique that converts color to B&W, except that you save a selection in which to retain some color.

The process to selectively retain color in a black-and-white converted image is as follows:
1. Open a photo you want to convert to B&W while retaining a portion of the image with color. As in the previous methods to convert to black and white, make sure you’ve made your tonal and color corrections and any edits that are necessary.
2. Create a new layer you can use to make selections. Create a new layer by pressing Shift+Ctrl+Alt+E (Shift+Command+Option+E on a Mac). Name this new layer Selections.
3. Select a part of the image to remain in color. Using the selection techniques covered previously, select an area of the image where you want color to remain.
4. Duplicate the layer. Right-click (Ctrl+click on a Mac) on the active layer and choose Duplicate Layer. Name the new layer Convert to B&W.
5. Inverse the selection. Because I want to keep the color in the selected leaves, I choose Select, Inverse (or press Shift+Ctrl+I on a PC or Shift+Command+I on a Mac), which inverses the selection so the rest of the image will get converted to B&W.
6. Desaturate color. Choose Image, Adjustments, Hue/Saturation or press Ctrl+U (Command+U on a Mac). Desaturate the reds, greens, and blues by clicking on the Edit Selection box, choosing a color, and then proceeding to move the Saturation slider for each color all the way to the left.
7. Adjust contrast by using the Curves adjustment. Figure 5 shows the original image, and then the image converted to black and white with selective color remaining.

Figure 5 Image converted to black and white with selective color remaining

TIP
If you shoot your images in raw format and use Camera Raw to convert your photos, you can skip some of the black-and-white conversion steps by doing your conversion in Camera Raw. In Camera Raw, all you have to do is make all of your tonal and color adjustments like you usually make them, and then move the Saturation slider to the left to desaturate the color in the image. When you’re finished, just click the Open button to open your image in Photoshop.

Capturing the Storm

2016-09-29T13:30:00.000+07:00

I have learned that lightning photography is part skill, part luck and as you mostly have to shoot outdoors a lot of risk!

Firstly you have to wait for the right storm, one that allows you to take her photo and doesn't decide to wipe you and your equipment out. I am not a storm chaser as such but when the opportunity presents itself I certainly do try to take advantage of the moment without getting fried in the process!!

Its difficult to say exactly how to take time exposures of lightning as factors such as storm conditions, lighting conditions, ISO settings, aperture settings, camera type and lense choice all come together to produce the final image. Often a weather front comes through and you miss the approaching storm due to heavy rain and have to wait until it passes

Most night-time storm photography I have seen or taken myself is distant over dark horizons where the shutter has been left open until the lightning strikes and then closed to prevent further exposure.

In this instance I had to deal with some other factors.

Before ever taking any lightning photos, I first learned the art of night-time exposure of city lights using my canon film slr and a lot of film rolls to get the right balance between exposure and detail. I also learned that a slower ISO setting produces a lot less noise/grain so I keep this in mind when shooting storm photography.

So on this particular night, I was lucky enough to be positioned in front of the approaching storm with enough time to catch some lightning strikes before it was rained/hailed out.

I decided to go for a smaller aperture f22 and a timing of 20 seconds to allow enough time for the sensor to register the city lights in detail and also in the hope of registering a lightning strike or two.

Well luckily it all came together this evening!!

If you look closely at the photo, you can notice a haze around the buildings and the lightning bolt on the right side of the frame is faded. This is because of the rapidly approaching rain and hail that minutes later after taking this photo completely covered the city and prevented any further shooting.

My next goal is to capture lightning spreading skywards over the entire city. Once again I will have to be patient and wait for the right conditions.

Basic Camera Care

2016-09-29T13:18:00.001+07:00

Whether you use a film or digital camera, point and shoot or SLR, there are some basic tenets of camera care that cross all spectrums. These basics are very similar to proper lens care.

Similar to your photographic lenses, the 3 main enemies of your camera are:
1. Dirt
2. Shock
3. Water

Dirt
Dirt is everywhere! Its in the air, its under our feet, and all too often its on (and in) our cameras. While dirt on the outside of your camera is not a problem (excepting the lens of course), its the potential the dirt has for getting into your camera that is the problem. Dirt in a camera can effect moving parts, damage mirrors, clog electronic contact points, get on film, and stick to digital sensors.

The best course of action for dealing with dirt in your camera is to avoid it.

The vast majority of shooting situations will not cause a dirt problem for your camera. However, some situations are recipes for problems. Beaches, deserts, horse races, motocross, swamps, and other areas are prone to more dust and dirt than everyday usage. In order to protect your camera it is best to use a rain hood for your camera. Rain hoods are vinyl/nylon pouches made for specific cameras that allow you to still reach camera controls while protecting the camera from environmental conditions. You can purchase these at your favorite camera shop or make your own using a large zip bag. To make your own cut a hole for your camera lens in one side of the bag and use the zip end to put your hands through to the controls. You will have to carefully secure the bag to the camera lens using tape or a rubber band. Be sure to use a large enough bag to allow for lens movement if you are using an SLR type camera.

Another time that dirt gets into a camera is during lens changes and film loading. If you are not careful when changing lenses or loading film a lot of airborne dust/dirt can enter the camera body. To minimize dust during lens changes turn the camera facing down and press the lens up into the camera. This prevents dust from falling into the camera body. When changing film, keep the camera horizontal instead of tilting it forward.

Shock
Nothing will send a photographer's heart into her stomach like seeing a camera doing a triple salchow across a paved parking lot (trust me, I've done it). With the exception of some older fully manual SLRs made of metal, there are very few cameras that can survive a fall onto a hard surface from a height of even a few feet. Outside of fully encasing your camera in shock resistant materials, all you can hope to do is avoid camera shock. There are some very common causes of camera shock.

Broken Camera Strap
Camera Bag Left Open
Non-Use of Camera Strap
Placing the Camera on Unstable Support

The best way to avoid these problems is to just pay attention. Check your camera strap and its connectors regularly for wear or signs of damage. Make it a habit to double check that your camera bag is proper closed before picking it up. Use the camera strap whenever using your camera. It is there to catch the camera if you fumble it. Never use questionable support for your camera. Fence edges and railings at scenic overlooks are not acceptable support. Use a tripod on stable ground.

Water
Water doesn't react well with film or digital sensors. Nor does it react well to batteries or any electronic parts. If your camera is not made for underwater use or encased in a waterproof housing, keep it out of water. Use a rain hood during bad weather (even heavy fog can cause problems for some cameras). If conditions would cause eyeglasses to fog when moving from indoors to outdoors or vice-versa, there is a good chance your camera could suffer internal condensation. Use a camera bag to insulate your camera and allow it to change temperatures gradually. If your camera does get wet (more than a few raindrops) there are only a few things you can do.

Open the camera (if possible) and turn it so that the water can drain freely.
Wrap the lens in a very absorbent towel once all water has drained that will drain. Do NOT blot the camera's internal workings.
Take the camera to the nearest professional repair shop immediately.

Action Photo Tips | Using Wide-Angle Lens

2015-06-30T14:09:00.001+07:00

How to photograph action and movement, I show you a few tricks for photographing cyclists. Using a slower shutter speed and wide angle lens, you too can create dynamic interesting images.

New Year's Eve Photography Tips

2013-12-30T08:19:00.000+07:00

Take Your Holiday Photography to the Next Level!

New Year’s Eve is by far the world’s biggest party - think about how the media strives to connect the dropping of the Ball in New York’s Times Square with the other parties going on all over the country -regardless of the time zone! Big parties come with a lot of expectations and a big desire by party guests to makethe most of the evening. It’s up to you to capture these highly celebratory moments and still partake in the fun.

1.Take Outside Shots

Depending on where you live, taking New Year’s Eve photos outside will give you an extra variable on what to shoot and when. Many cities have major outside parties and celebrations (Las Vegas, Rio de Janeiro, Paris, New York, London, Sydney, etc.) and if you want to experience a different type of New Year’s Eve party, then make sure you are in one of these cities. If you’re not, there can always be something interesting and unexpected. That’s what you’re looking for when you get down to it - something unexpected and memorable. You’ll want a fast zoom lens and use a high ISO (like 400 or 800) for maximum flexibility and versatility; avoid using a flash, as people are having a good time and might not want to know they’re being photographed. They’ll thank you in the New Year, though.

2.Experiment with Angles

To elevate your compositions from run-of-the-mill party shots, radically experiment with angles. As New Year’s is a no-holds-bar celebration (or at least most of the time it is), you can really push the limit with the compositions and angles (really high, extremely low, Dutch tilts, etc.); whatever you think will add that extra oomph to a shot. One beauty of digital photography is that you can always immediately review, tweak, or delete your photos as you take them. Unorthodox camera angles and posing is part of embracing the spirit of the ringing in the New Year, so don’t hold back… everyone you’re partying with will want to be included once you show the first edgy, experimental image. At that point all you have to do is keep the camera roving.

3.Use the Entire Frame

One of the signs of a more seasoned photographic eye is the composition, and utilizing the entire frame is part of that growth process (you can use negative space techniques, but that’s a little ineffective when you’re at a New Year’s Eve party). When you fill the entire frame with your subject you increase the dynamism and potency of the subject and the spirit of the occasion. In the photo to the right, notice how the raised glasses added a joyous feeling to the double portrait? It works because the glasses act as pillars at the edge of frame to push your eye toward the two people. If there was more (empty) space on the edges, the photo would not be nearly as effective. As a simple “cheers” photo, you couldn’t ask for a better one.

4.Capture the Atmosphere

At most parties, people have come to let loose and burn off some steam, and that’s doubly true on New Year’s Eve. The end of the year, end of the winter holidays and the ritual of “making a New Year’s Resolution” gives people license to act a fool “one last time” before they get “serious.” To amplify the action, employ photographic techniques that aren’t typically used for indoor situations, like panning or zooming-in while you release the shutter (use a shutter speed of maybe 1/15) to get a blur effect as well as the interesting effect of zooming the lens during a shot. Dragging the shutter will give you a dynamic image too. The trick is to use the mechanical aspects of the camera to give you a non-traditional shot while you’re photographing people having a great time.

5.Use High Speed Sync Flash

Using a High-speed sync flash (preferably a cabled one, but any Speedlite flash unit will do) at New Year’s Eve party with the vibrant lighting and colorful decorations, will create a psychedelic quality in your photographs. One of the more interesting and creative uses of High Speed Sync, in a party situation, is to use the Rear Curtain Sync mode; which is very effective when capturing moving subjects and using longer shutter speeds. The result is a flash-frozen object, accompanied with light trails and motion blur ghosting. Flash-frozen moving objects (e.g. people dancing) will add to the image’s expressive quality and vibrancy. You’ll want to experiment with this technique BEFORE the party to the get knack of it. Then you can use it more creatively and deliberately.

6.Photograph Fireworks

Fireworks bring a cascade of emotions to nearly every observer, so you’ll want to make these images count. Use a tripod and a remote release device (cable or RC unit) to ensure that your camera is rock-solid when releasing the shutter. Use “bulb” mode to hold the shutter open from the moment the firework takes off to the moment the last fire trail disappears (maybe 4 to 5 seconds). Framing your photograph will be the hardest part, because you have to guess ahead of time where the firework will explode. Use a zoom lens, like 80mm – 200mm to give you the best options, but bear in mind at 200mm you have to KNOW where the firework will go off to capture the shot. Since the shutter speed is going to be fairly long, you’ll want to set the aperture between f/8 and f/16.

S. Recommended Settings

As already mentioned, the exposure is going to be dictated by what images you’re trying to capture (e.g. a small aperture is best for fireworks, but a large aperture is good for the indoor photos with rear curtain sync). Likewise with your shutter speed, use bulb when shooting the fireworks, but use shutter speeds of 1/60th or faster for capturing the party explosions (like when the clock strikes midnight) and for rear curtain sync flash photography. You’ll want to keep the ISO at 100 for the least digital noise. However, depending on the ambient light level, you might have to increase the ISO to 400 when taking outdoor photos at night.

E.Recommended Equipment

Outside of your camera, the equipment you should have to photographically capture New Year’s Eve with more creativity and flexibility is a Speedlite (for High Speed Flash Sync techniques), a medium range zoom (28mm – 80mm) lens, a tripod and a remote shutter release (if you are photographing fireworks). Extra memory cards are always good to have, because you can load up the card fairly quickly based on the length of the party and what’s planned for the evening.

C.Conclusion

New Year’s Eve has many opportunities for you to try out photographic techniques that you don’t typically get to use – like Rear Curtain Sync. The key to making this evening work photographically is to participate in the festivities WHILE you sneak candid photos. You don’t want to have too many formally posed images; the night is about breaking loose and shedding the old, so people want to be outrageous with their fun – that means being as unobtrusive as possible. You have two jobs on New Year’s Eve – get the photos you want and have fun.

How to Take Beautiful Bokeh Christmas Images [With 39 Stunning Examples]

2013-12-24T08:21:00.000+07:00

A Post By: Darren Rowse

It’s beginning to feel a lot like Christmas… and in our forums I’ve noticed more and more great Christmas images being shared – some of which feature a technique that is always popular at this time of year – Bokeh Christmas lights shots.

The technique takes a bit of experimenting and practice but is relatively simple to do. You need some Christmas lights and a camera lens with a reasonably ‘fast’ aperture (or a large aperture).

The key is to shoot at the larger end of your available aperture – this throws the background (and foreground) of your shot out of focus and any Christmas lights in the foreground or background will become little balls of light.

As you’ll see in most of the images featured in this series – the technique is particularly good if you also have some element in your shot that is in focus. This ‘subject’ might be a person, a pet, a Christmas decoration or something else.

You can make the little balls of light bigger by increasing the distance between your in focus subject and the out of focus lights in the background.

While most of the images in this series have the Christmas lights in the background of the image (behind the subject) it is also possible to create the little bokeh balls of light by putting the lights in the foreground of your image (in front of your subject). You can see this in the image below. The impact is a little different as the bokeh balls will cover part of your subject.

Another popular technique is to create different shaped bokeh. You can make stars, hearts or even little snow flakes like the image below.

To get these different little bokeh shapes is pretty simple. You just need to make a little cutout ‘mask’ for your lens. Rather than go over how to do it herecheck out this video tutorial that will walk you through it here.

The other way to change the shape of your bokeh balls is to experiment with different apertures. You’ll find that in most cases the larger your aperture the rounder the ball – but go for a slightly smaller aperture you may find your bokeh becomes more hexagonal (or Heptagonal or Octagonal… the number of sides will depend upon how many blades your lens has).

The different ways of using this bokeh Christmas lights technique is only limited by your imagination. Here are some more examples to give you ideas. Enjoy!

16 Digital Photography Tips for Christmas

2013-12-24T08:17:00.000+07:00

A Post By: Darren Rowse

It’s just a few days until Christmas so I thought a quick tutorial on the topic of Christmas Photography might be appropriate. Hopefully this will give you some good Christmas photo ideas.

Here are 16 Christmas Photography tips and ideas to try that come to mind for digital camera owners wanting to capture the big day:
1. Prepare – Making a List, checking it twice….

Making sure you’re ready to capture any planned event is part of the key to a successful shoot. Getting yourself ready but also the location of your shots is worthwhile.
Pack the camera – goes without saying? I forgot mine last year in the rush to get the car packed.
Make sure your batteries are charged and you have extras and/or the recharger packed.
Pack extra memory cards – have them empty and ready to fill up
Put someone on ‘photos’ – our family has someone on drinks, main course, dessert – why not put someone on ‘photos’ so that in the craziness of the day they don’t get forgotten.
Consider the light in the room that you’ll be photographing in. Is there enough light? Will you need a flash? Are the backgrounds too cluttered and distracting?
2. A White Balance Christmas

Here in Australia we often celebrate Christmas outdoors, but many people around the world do it inside in unnatural lighting. Pay attention to what type of light you’re shooting in and set your white balance settings accordingly. Alternatively, if you’ve got a camera that shoots in RAW you can shoot away and set your white balance later.
3. Set up a DIY ‘Photo Booth’

While you probably can’t afford to hire a photo booth for your party you can set up a ‘portrait zone’ of your own where you’ll take photos of your guest.

I did this a few years ago and set up a little place where I asked everyone who came to sit for me so that I could take a nice shot of them.

I photographed everyone as they came in and then left the camera (a point and shoot) set up on a tripod and set to a short self timer time so people could photograph themselves during the rest of the party.

I set it up in a well lit position with a red velvet curtain looking background with a few Christmasy decorations around the edges. I left a few Santa hats and tinsel for people to decorate themselves with.

The shots were great – people went back to it throughout the party and the photos got crazier and crazier as time went on. It was the hit of the party.

4. Capture the preparation stages

The actual Christmas meal or party is obviously the best part of the day, but there are other photographic opportunities, particularly in the preparations stages of the day.
Food preparation
Putting up decorations
Wrapping gifts
Kids throwing a tantrum while getting dressed in their Christmas outfits
Setting the table

The shots before the event starts properly are often great because they show everything at it’s best before everyone descends on your party zone.

5. Before and After Shots

Speaking of shots before the party starts, why not set up some before and after shots both of the place you’re holding your party and what it looks like afterwards. Make sure you take the shots from the same position.
6. Time-lapse Christmas series

I have one friend who set up his computer with a web cam in the corner of the room with the camera looking down on the Christmas table. He set the camera to go off every 5 minutes over the day and ended up with one of the most wonderful series of shots that I’ve seen for a long time.

7. Christmas Lights

Photographing Christmas lights is something that can be tricky to do. David Hobby from Strobist has put together a great tutorial on how to do it. Check it out at How to Photograph Christmas Lights.
8. Find a Point of Interest – but just per shot

All good shots should have a focal point that holds the attention of those viewing your images. The problem with Christmas is that there can often be too many competing focal points in shots with people, color, decorations, food in every shot. Work hard and de-cluttering your images. Check out this post on minimalism which contains some tips on de-cluttering images.
9. Fresh Group Photos

One of the most common types of shots at Christmas is the ‘group photo’. It’s usually taken at the end of the evening or day when everyone is looking at their worst. For a ‘fresher’ shot take it once everyone has arrived. Also think before hand about how you might pose everyone and where you might take the shot. I’ve posted 12 tips for taking a great group photo previously.

By Tom Bricker
10. Opening Gifts – Shoot in Continuous Mode

There are certain moments during a Christmas gathering that are filled with all manner of photographic opportunities and the opening of gifts is like no other in that it is filled with an array of emotions, facial expressions and excitement – especially if you’ve got kids around. Switch your camera to burst mode(sometimes called continuous shooting mode) and take lots of shots at this time of the festivities. You’ll find you end up with some excellent series of shots when you do this that capture everything from the anticipation of getting the wrapped gift, through to the excitement of unwrapping to the joy (or occasionally disappointment) of seeing what’s inside. Don’t forget to shoot the reactions of those who GIVE the gift as well.

11. Fill your Frame

One of the most common mistakes I see in Christmas photos (or any party/even photography) is that people often end up with shots of their subjects off in the distance on the other side of a room with lots of space around them. Fill your frame with your subject either by using your zoom or getting up and moving yourself closer. While this is one of the simplest tips I ever give it is one that can have the most profound impact on your shots.
12. Diffuse/Reflect Your Flash

- Another common problem with Christmas shots is ending up with shots where the flash is so bright that subjects look like rabbits in a spotlight with harsh shadows behind them. One way around this is to use some sort of aflash diffuser or reflector. If you’re lucky enough to have an external flash try bouncing it off walls or the ceiling. Another way to reduce the impact of your flash and to create some interesting effects is to switch your camera into ‘night mode’ (slow sync mode). This will tell your camera to choose a slower shutter speed but still fire your flash. In doing so it’ll capture some of the ambient light of the room as well as freeze your subject. Be warned, you can end up with some wacky shots doing this (but they can also be lots of fun).
13. Go Macro

Most digital cameras come with a macro mode and an increasing number of DPS readers are buying macro lenses so flick to that mode, attach your lens and photograph the smaller things around your party. Ornaments on the tree, table decorations, sweets in the bowl on the table, a nativity scene on the mantle piece, holly above the doorway – sometimes it’s these small things around your party that are the real ‘money shots’. Don’t forget our Macro Hacks for compact cameras.

14. Watch Your Aperture

I quite often shoot in Aperture Priority mode on a day like Christmas and am constantly changing the aperture depending upon my subject. For example when taking shots of a Christmas decoration on the tree I’ll select a large aperture (a small number like f/2.8) so as to throw the background out of focus, but on a shot taken from the end of the table of everyone sitting down eating I’ll choose a small aperture (like f/8 to f/11 or more) so as to have a larger depth of field and keep everyone in focus.
15. Explore Your Neighborhood

If your neighborhood is anything like mine there is an almost unlimited number of photographic opportunities presenting themselves all around you. Christmas carols services, houses covered in Christmas decorations, shopping malls filled with busyness etc. Get out there with your camera and capture it. What a wonderful time of year to practice using your camera. Have fun!
16. Related Reading:

Also check out our crazily popular How to Take Beautiful Bokeh Christmas Lights Images (with 31 great examples).
Christmas Wishes from DPS

Lastly – let me wish all Digital Photography School readers a very happy holiday period. It’s been a great two and a bit since we launched this blog and while I’m looking forward to a few days off over Christmas I also can’t wait to get back to DPS and to take it to the next level in the new year. Have a great holiday period and we’ll see you in the new year!

HDR Photography Tutorial

2013-06-17T09:38:00.000+07:00

may

2010

BY NASIM MANSUROV

This is a detailed tutorial on HDR Photography for beginners and how you can create HDR images from single or multiple photographs using different exposures.

While I was driving through Rocky Mountains last year, I saw a beautiful sunset. It was so beautiful, that I stood there in awe for a moment, before taking out my camera and attempting to take a picture. I took one quick shot of the sunset and quickly realized that there was too much contrast between the sky and the mountains for my camera. The image came out horrible – the sky looked somewhat fine, but the mountains were pitch black. I only had my camera and my trusty tripod with me, so I knew that I did not have many options. I decided to try out a photography technique known as “HDR” or “High Dynamic Range” and I ended up with the following image:

While some people really like the above image, others just hate it. That’s how it goes with HDR in general – the surreal look of HDR photographs is not for everyone to love and enjoy, although, there are cases when it is done extremely well. But let’s save this discussion for later and first try to understand what HDR photography is all about.

One thing that you should always keep in mind while taking pictures, is that your camera does not have the same capabilities as your eyes when it comes to seeing both bright and dark tones in a scene. Our eyes are equipped with the most advanced technology, allowing us to see and perceive colors and tones no human-made electronic device can even come close to. This range of tones and colors is known as “dynamic range” in photography, which has become a key performance metric on modern digital camera sensors – the more dynamic range, the better the sensor.

If you have been using a digital camera for a while, you most likely ran into a similar situation as the one I described above, where you would take a picture and parts of it would either be too bright or too dark. No matter what settings you tweaked on your camera, nothing would seem to help, despite the fact that your eyes were seeing everything just right. If you switched your camera to manual control, you could brighten up one area, which would darken another and vice-versa, but no settings would correctly expose both, all due to the large dynamic range of the scene.

I tried to do the same with the above image and ended up with the following two photographs:

The left image shows that while I was able to correctly expose the sky, the ground turned out too dark for me to be able to recover any details from it. In the second image, I tried to correctly expose the ground, but ended up completely blowing out the sky. It was clear that my camera, despite having an advanced full-frame sensor, was unable to capture such a large dynamic range.

But what if I captured an underexposed, normal and over-exposed images of the same exact spot and then combined them together into one image, where everything is properly exposed? That’s exactly how HDR works.

1) What is HDR?

HDR or High Dynamic Range Photography is a post-processing technique that uses multiple images of the same scene shot at different shutter speeds to combine them all into a single photograph. The result is an image with the most amount of detail in both shadow and bright areas of the image, close to what the human eye would see. Although it is ideal to use multiple images of the same scene, you could also create an HDR image from a single image, as long as it is shot in RAW format. Hence, there are two methods of creating an HDR image: a) from a single image and b) from multiple images. In this article, I will show you how to do both.

2) HDR Requirements

In order to generate an HDR image, you need to have the following tools:

Digital camera (preferably a DSLR)
Tripod (for multiple exposures)
Adobe Photoshop or some other image-editing tool
Photomatix Pro or other HDR software (optional)
Noise Reduction software like Nik’s Dfine or Noise Ninja (optional)

Although you could get away without a tripod by shooting hand-held in brackets and let HDR software automatically align the images, I still recommend shooting with a tripod to get the best results. Aligning images works most of the time, but you would lose a portion of the image.

In terms of HDR software, you can use Photoshop’s built-in HDR functionality or third party applications like Photomatix Pro. I personally prefer to work with Photomatix Pro, because it offers much more functionality than Photoshop and is very easy to use, once you understand how to work with it. There are some other tools out there (including free & open source), but they are nowhere close to what Photomatix Pro can offer.

3) Camera Settings

For best results, I highly recommend to do the following:

Shoot in RAW. See my RAW vs JPEG article to see why you should be shooting in RAW.
Always keep the aperture the same between the shots, so I recommend shooting in Aperture Priority mode. You do not want to have images with different depths of field.
Set your camera metering to Matrix (Nikon) or Evaluative (Canon) to let the camera pick the best exposure for the whole scene. This will be your middle exposure.
Use the bracketing function of your camera and shoot in 2 EV steps if you are doing three brackets or 1 EV step if you are doing five brackets. For example: -2, -1, 0, +1, +2 works great for most situations.
Watch out for wind – too much of it will move bushes/grass/trees, which will screw up your final image.
Shoot frames quickly in bursts, especially if you have clouds in the frame.
Watch out for other moving objects. Although Photomatix Pro has a built-in function to reduce ghosting artifacts, it is still best if movements are minimal – motion is difficult to fix in software.

4.1) HDR Photography Using a Single Image

You can create HDR images from a single image, as long as both the brightest and the darkest parts of the image are somewhat recoverable. What this means, is that your brightest part of the image should not be completely blown out, while the darkest part of the image should not be pitch black. Therefore, you can only use images that are properly exposed with as many details preserved as possible. Keep in mind that RAW images (especially 14-bit+ RAW images) contain lots of data that you are not going to see when the image is viewed from Photoshop or Lightroom. In order to see this data, you would need to increase and decrease the exposure within Photoshop/Lightroom.

Take a look at the following image that I took at the Sand Dunes National Park:

Single shot with preserved details

While the exposure seems to be way off, the RAW image actually contains plenty of data of the sky and the dunes. I can get more details out of the sky by decreasing the exposure to -1 and at the same time I can get plenty of details from the sand by increasing the exposure by +3:

By decreasing and increasing exposure, I can extract a total of 5 images from the above RAW file: -1, 0, +1, +2 and +3. I can then use all five images to create a single HDR image in Photoshop or other third party HDR tools. Here is what I got after running the 5 images in Photomatix Pro:

HDR from 5 different exposures

The process is simple – decrease and increase exposure by one full stop (-1 or +1) and extract each as a separate 16-bit TIFF file. Next, open Photomatix Pro and do the following:

Click “Generate HDR image”
Click “Browse…” and select the extracted TIFF files. Click OK.
Since the exposure data within the files is identical (shutter speed, aperture, ISO), Photomatix does not know which exposures you chose in your files. Therefore, you will be presented with a separate screen that will ask what exposure steps there are between the files. Look at the files and make sure that your normally exposed shot stays at 0, while the other files have the exposure values properly defined as seen below:

If any of the numbers are wrong, change them manually for each file.
Click OK
Now you will be presented with a new window. Set the settings as show below:

Since we are merging different exposures from the same image, there is no need to check “Align source images” and “Attempt to reduce ghosting artifacts”.
Click OK
Once all images are analyzed, an HDR image will be generated with the default settings. The first image will look very crappy, but it is OK, because you have not done any tone mapping on it yet. Click the “Tone Mapping” button on the left side of the image to open a new window.
The default HDR image will look very average. That’s because you need to modify some settings for each individual HDR image. Here is how my Sand Dunes shot came out with default settings:

Looks OK, but not the result I want yet. Let’s modify the settings a little bit.
Here is what I used for the HDR version of Sand Dunes:

Aha! Looks much better. Obviously, each image is different and you might need to change the settings to suit your taste.
Click the “Process” button for Photomatix to generate the HDR image.
Now let’s save the HDR file. Go to “File->Save As” or press CTRL+S to save the file.
Open the image in Photoshop, remove the extra noise via noise reduction software, sharpen it up a little and you are good to go! You can also play with colors and curves, if needed.

Done!

Some people might argue that doing the above is silly, because we can recover a similar amount of data from a single RAW within Lightroom. While I certainly prefer to do the latter, HDR gives a totally different look and feel to a picture. Take a look at the below two images and compare:

The image on the left is an HDR image, while the image on the right is fixed in Lightroom with a Graduated Filter (-1 on the sky and +2 on the sand, +10 fill light). As you can see, the HDR version has a different feel to it when compared to a regular image. Let’s move on to HDR with multiple images – the way HDR images should be created.

4.2) HDR Photography Using Multiple Images

I personally create HDR from a single image just for fun – I almost never use the above technique for my work that I publish on our website. The reason is simple – I do not like HDR that much. Read why I say that below.

Let’s now talk about using multiple images to generate an HDR – the right way to do HDR. If we were able to get so much detail from a single image, think of how much detail we could recover from multiple images! Just three images shot at 2 EV (-2, 0 and +2) will work great for most cases, so if your camera can only support three brackets, set the exposure difference to two full stops. If your camera supports 5 brackets, set EV to a single stop, which will let you shoot -2, -1, 0, +1 and +2.

Let’s now generate an HDR image from these files.

Once you have your images ready, load them into Photomatix Pro by clicking the “Generate HDR Image”. It is best to use the original RAW files, so either use those (CR2 for Canon and NEF for Nikon) or extract the DNG/TIFF files out of Lightroom in 16-bit mode. Photomatix can work with pretty much any image format, so you can feed those images directly into the application without the need to convert them.
Loading RAW files brings up some more options – white balance and color profiles:

Choose the right WB and use ProPhoto RGB to preserve the most amount of colors. I recommend putting a check-mark in front of “Align source images” this time, because you are using multiple images and some of the images might not be perfectly aligned. If you have anything that is moving between your shots, also put a check-mark in front of “Attempt to reduce ghosting artifacts”.
Click OK once done to start the process. Performance-wise, using multiple RAW images will take more resources and the process will be significantly longer, so be patient.
When the first image comes up, click the “Tone Mapping” button to start working on the HDR image.
Play with the settings and see what looks best to your taste. Here are my settings for the Sand Dunes shot:

While the above settings are fine for this particular shot, they might not work for your image, so experiment a little.
Once done, click the “Process” button to let Photomatix Pro generate the HDR image.
Now let’s save the HDR file. Go to “File->Save As” or press CTRL+S to save the file.
Although the amount of noise on the HDR image should be much less than what you would get from a single image, there still might be some noise present in the image. Open the image in Photoshop, remove the extra noise via noise reduction software, sharpen it up a little and you are good to go! You can also play with colors and curves, if needed.
Here is how the final image came out:

Note that the shadows look a lot more natural now and there is no noise visible in the image. This is all due to the fact that we pulled plenty of detail from all images and we did not have to increase or decrease exposure, which is essentially what causes noise.

Done! Now you have a full HDR image with plenty of details throughout the frame.

5) HDR Use and Abuse

Thanks to photographers like Trey Ratcliff and various Flickr HDR groups, HDR Photography has been gaining more and more popularity on the Internet. While the majority of the people that use HDR are beginners and amateurs, there is an impressive number of pros out there that are now using HDR for their commercial landscape and architectural photography work. Using a DSLR is cheaper and more convenient than using a medium/large format system and when used properly, HDR can deliver outstanding results that rival the quality and dynamic range of expensive camera systems.

At the same time, HDR opened up new avenues for “HDR Surrealism”, where so many pictures are converted to ugly, cartoon-like images. At times, it almost feels like the Internet is being taken over by ugly HDR photographs. So, is HDR evil? Where is the fine line?

I personally stay in the middle – I think that HDR is a good technology, as long as it is used moderately and properly. HDR opens up new opportunities for photographers and lets us capture and see things differently. I really like HDR photographs that are done so well, that you would not be able to tell if it is an HDR image or not. I call it “realistic HDR” (which is a separate subject to discuss on its own) and I believe that every photographer should learn how to create realistic HDR images.

As for myself, I only use HDR when it is impossible to capture a scene otherwise – for sunrise and sunset shots and other difficult lighting conditions.

Tips for sport photography

2012-12-04T09:52:00.000+07:00

Here are some basic tips to keep in mind when photographing most sports.

-Use ISO 400 film or set your digital camera to ISO 400 - The extra "film speed" will give you a faster shutter speed, which you usually need to get a sharp action image. Some of the newer dSLRs will even give excellent results at ISO 800 or 1600.
-Use the aperture-priority shooting mode - As a general rule, using aperture priority is the most reliable way to shoot sports, as long as you stay aware of what the shutter speed is. Use the widest available aperture, so you'll get the fastest shutter speed.
-Set your camera auto focus to "servo" mode - At least that's what it's called on Canon cameras. It's the mode where as long as you push the shutter half-way down, the camera will continually focus. This allows you to follow the action and take your shot whenever you feel the moment is right.
-Set your metering mode to full frame - Other photographers may argue this point, but I've found the full frame metering mode to be most reliable when shooting sports. I also shoot with an exposure compensation of 1/2-stop under. While in this full-frame mode, I try to make sure to keep the sun behind me. If you're forced to shoot into the sun, you may want to switch to a spot metering mode.
-Know the sport - It pays to learn as much as you can about the sport you are going to photograph. For example, if you know what is about to happen during a penalty kick in soccer, you'll know you have an opportunity to catch the goalie in a great action shot.

-Move around - One of the biggest mistakes you can make is to take all of your shots from one location. This is really true of most types of photography, but when you're at the game, move around and check out the angles and opportunities from different perspectives. Keep on eye on that source of light, though.
-Try different modes and shutter speeds - After you've gotten comfortable shooting the action, don't be afraid to experiment. Switch to shutter priority, for example, and try various shutter speeds. Keep in mind, though, that this will be highly experimental...and your number of acceptable shots might be drastically reduced. However, you might also grab that one fantastic shot that might otherwise have eluded you.

Although the exact location of the action is unpredictable, there are still some techniques you can use to increase your chances of getting better-than-average soccer photos.

-Find the players with the best expressions - Watch the game for a while and specifically notice which players have the best expressions. Which players are the most intense? If you can capture those facial expressions your shots will have more impact.
-Don't spend much time shooting at mid-field At mid-field, you'll only catch side shots of offensive players as they run by. And it will be VERY difficult to catch defensive players on the ball, since they tend to boot the ball out of their zone as soon as it comes near.
-Catch the action around the goals - Move to the ends of the field and concentrate on the action around the goals. Look for breakaways and shoot a series of photos of the breakaway action. While I rarely shoot sports in "continuous" motor drive mood, this is an exception. Shooting a series of 5-6 shots of a breakaway can often lead to soccer photos with loads of impact.
-Look for action away from the ball - Not every great soccer shot has the ball in the frame. Look for opportunities to catch action away from the ball. For example, pick a player and follow that player with your camera. Chances are you'll find some interesting moments even when the ball is elsewhere. Another example is to look for players celebrating immediately after a goal. The facial expressions and high fives can make a great photo.

When you set out to "cover" your first soccer game, concentrate on the basics first. Use the safest camera settings and get the feel of what you are doing. Only experiment with other techniques and settings after you are completely comfortable with the basics.

How to photograph soccer tutorial

2012-12-04T09:43:00.000+07:00

In this tutorial you will learn the basics of shooting professional soccer sport images.

Lighting setup for baby belly photography

2012-11-11T00:45:00.002+07:00

What you want to show in maternity photography is, that her baby belly is beautiful big and round. It's about 3 dimensional lighting the way that Dean

Understanding Light Modifier; Beauty Dish, Softbox, Naked flash, Umbrella shoot-through / reflective

2012-07-24T00:10:00.001+07:00

This is a demonstration of a bunch of different types of photographic studio light modifiers. Examples with Studio Strobes and flash / speedlights. The goal here is to help you understand the differences and similarities of different studio light modifiers before you go buy them.

Shots done using a single light; an alien bee B800. Shot using the Sony Alpha a77 with the Carl Zeiss 24-70 f2.8 lens. Flash Triggered using the cowboy studio radio trigger.

Beauty Dish, Soft-box, Naked flash, shoot through Umbrella, and reflective umbrella are all shown here.

Understanding the Beauty Dish

2012-07-23T23:58:00.001+07:00

This video will help you understand the many uses of the Beauty Dish.

How to Pose a Male Subject in Photos

2012-07-17T23:19:00.000+07:00

This video explains the simplicity of bringing back masculinity to guy posing.

Tips to pose for a photo

2012-07-17T22:48:00.001+07:00

These video gives a few tips on how to pose yourself when someone's taking a photo.

another video :

Night Photography Tips Camera Settings

2012-07-17T22:33:00.000+07:00

In this digital photography tutorial we look at camera settings for capturing low light photography images (Night Photography)

10 Top Photography Composition Rules

2012-07-17T08:46:00.000+07:00

There are no fixed rules in photography, but there are guidelines which can often help you to enhance the impact of your photos.

It may sound clichéd, but the only rule in photography is that there are no rules. However, there are are number of established composition guidelines which can be applied in almost any situation, to enhance the impact of a scene.
These guidelines will help you take more compelling photographs, lending them a natural balance, drawing attention to the important parts of the scene, or leading the viewer's eye through the image.
Once you are familiar with these composition tips, you'll be surprised at just how universal most of them are. You'll spot them everywhere, and you'll find it easy to see why some photos "work" while others feel like simple snapshots.

Rule of Thirds

Imagine that your image is divided into 9 equal segments by 2 vertical and 2 horizontal lines. Therule of thirds says that you should position the most important elements in your scene along these lines, or at the points where they intersect.
Doing so will add balance and interest to your photo. Some cameras even offer an option to superimpose a rule of thirds grid over the LCD screen, making it even easier to use.

Notice how the building and horizon are aligned along rule-of-thirds lines. Image by Trey Ratcliff.

Balancing Elements

Placing your main subject off-centre, as with the rule of thirds, creates a more interesting photo, but it can leave a void in the scene which can make it feel empty. You should balance the "weight" of your subject by including another object of lesser importance to fill the space.

Here, the visual "weight" of the road sign is balanced by the building on the other side of

the shot. Image by Shannon Kokoska.

Leading Lines

When we look at a photo our eye is naturally drawn along lines. By thinking about how you place lines in your composition, you can affect the way we view the image, pulling us into the picture, towards the subject, or on a journey "through" the scene. There are many different types of line - straight, diagonal, curvy, zigzag, radial etc - and each can be used to enhance our photo's composition.

The road in this photo draws your eye through the scene. Image by Pierre Metivier.

Symmetry and Patterns

We are surrounded by symmetry and patterns, both natural and man-made., They can make for very eye-catching compositions, particularly in situations where they are not expected. Another great way to use them is to break the symmetry or pattern in some way, introducing tension and a focal point to the scene.

The symmetry of this chapel is broken by the bucket in the bottom right corner. Image by Fabio Montalto.

Viewpoint

Before photographing your subject, take time to think about where you will shoot it from. Our viewpoint has a massive impact on the composition of our photo, and as a result it can greatly affect the message that the shot conveys. Rather than just shooting from eye level, consider photographing from high above, down at ground level, from the side, from the back, from a long way away, from very close up, and so on.

The unusual viewpoint chosen here creates an intriguing and slightly abstract photo. Image byronsho.

Background

How many times have you taken what you thought would be a great shot, only to find that the final image lacks impact because the subject blends into a busy background? The human eye is excellent at distinguishing between different elements in a scene, whereas a camera has a tendency to flatten the foreground and background, and this can often ruin an otherwise great photo. Thankfully this problem is usually easy to overcome at the time of shooting - look around for a plain and unobtrusive background and compose your shot so that it doesn't distract or detract from the subject.

The plain background in this composition ensures nothing distracts from the subject. Image byPhilipp Naderer.

Depth

Because photography is a two-dimensional medium, we have to choose our composition carefully to conveys the sense of depth that was present in the actual scene. You can create depth in a photo by including objects in the foreground, middle ground and background. Another useful composition technique is overlapping, where you deliberately partially obscure one object with another. The human eye naturally recognises these layers and mentally separates them out, creating an image with more depth.

Emphasise your scene's depth by including interesting subjects at varying distances from the camera. Image by Jule Berlin.

Framing

The world is full of objects which make perfect natural frames, such as trees, archways and holes. By placing these around the edge of the composition you help to isolate the main subject from the outside world. The result is a more focused image which draws your eye naturally to the main point of interest.

Here, the surrounding hills form a natural frame, and the piece of wood provides a focal point. Image by Sally Crossthwaite.

Cropping

Often a photo will lack impact because the main subject is so small it becomes lost among the clutter of its surroundings. By cropping tight around the subject you eliminate the background "noise", ensuring the subject gets the viewer's undivided attention.

Cut out all unnecessary details to keep keep the viewer's attention focused on the subject. Image by Hien Nguyen.

Experimentation

With the dawn of the digital age in photography we no longer have to worry about film processing costs or running out of shots. As a result, experimenting with our photos' composition has become a real possibility; we can fire off tons of shots and delete the unwanted ones later at absolutely no extra cost. Take advantage of this fact and experiment with your composition - you never know whether an idea will work until you try it.

Digital photography allows us to experiment with different compositions until we find the perfect one. Image by Jule Berlin.

Composition in photography is far from a science, and as a result all of the "rules" above should be taken with a pinch of salt. If they don't work in your scene, ignore them; if you find a great composition that contradicts them, then go ahead and shoot it anyway. But they can often prove to be spot on, and are worth at least considering whenever you are out and about with your camera.