Terrigal Beach 201107

Setting the scene:

Shot on 31 July, 2011 at around 1:30pm. It was a fantastic day weather-wise for the middle of winter. We took a phone call from some friends and decided to meet at Terrigal beach so that all of the kids could play in the sand. Being the middle of winter, we really didn’t want them getting wet but kids will be kids…

I took my camera with the intention of snapping some nice photos of the kids, and hopefully one or two nice beach photos too. When we arrived, I noticed this line of cloud which really intrigued me because it reminded me of some style of writing. I took a number of shots in an attempt to capture it with a composition that felt right. After some cropping to remove the corner of a brick wall and to balance the frame, the photo above is the end result.

Now for technical details:

• The photo was taken using a Canon EOS 400D using the EF-S 18-55mm kit lens.
• Shutter speed was 1/60 second
• Aperture was at f/10
• Focal Length at 18mm
• Shot in full manual mode

Photo Post | Terrigal Beach 201107 originally appeared on The Hobby Photographer on December 17, 2011.

Rainbow Lorikeet

Living in a home that backs directly on to the Australian bush has some wonderful advantages. We often have visits in our back yard from local wildlife such as bush turkeys, blue-tongue lizards and the occasional wallaby. On this day, I had put a small amount of sunflower seed out on my back deck to attract some of the local birds with the hope of capturing a photo or two. I wasn’t disappointed.

I took many shots that afternoon, and I’m happy with a lot of them, but this is one of my favorites.  Using a Canon EF 75mm-300mm at full zoom and an aperture of f/5.6 I managed to capture this rainbow Lorikeet looking right at the lens. Tell me what you think!

If you liked this photo, please click the Facebook like button, tell and/or tweet your friends about it and help me to spread the word!

If you’d like to be kept up to date with the latest articles as I post them to the site, simply enter your name and primary email address into the form on the sidebar and click subscribe!

Rainbow Lorikeet originally appeared on The Hobby Photographer on December 11, 2011.

Reflections

Shot on 30 December, 2010 at Gosford marina on the NSW Central Coast. The sky was all but dark when I shot this sunset photo. An extended shutter speed allowed me to capture some of the remaining ambient colour bouncing around in the stratosphere as well as capture the reflections and shadows on the lake.

The air that night was cooler than I had expected after a very warm day, and the mosquitoes were having a feast on my ankles and arms. The results were more than worth the itchy bites though. I’m quite happy with the resulting photo.

If you liked this photo, please click the Facebook like button, tell and/or tweet your friends about it and help me to spread the word!

If you’d like to be kept up to date with the latest articles as I post them to the site, simply enter your name and primary email address into the form on the sidebar and click subscribe!

Reflections originally appeared on The Hobby Photographer on December 11, 2011.

Firesky

Another sunset photo. I shot this right from my driveway in January 2011. The scenario for the shot was somewhat similar to “Jetstream” in that the sun had already disappeared from view and was well below the visible horizon. The sunlight was filtered naturally through the atmosphere and bounced off the clouds to produce this incredibly intense orange glow. I have not made any colour adjustments to this image, only some minor cropping.

If you liked this photo, please click the Facebook like button, tell and/or tweet your friends about it and help me to spread the word!

If you’d like to be kept up to date with the latest articles as I post them to the site, simply enter your name and primary email address into the form on the sidebar and click subscribe!

Firesky originally appeared on The Hobby Photographer on December 11, 2011.

Jetstream

Yanuca Island, Fiji. August 2008.

This sunset photo is one of many that I shot whilst on Holiday in 2008. The sun had already sunk behind the horizon and had disappeared from view when this was shot. I looked up and noticed the cloud trail above me that was still in full view of the suns rays due to it’s height. The clouds were being swept along by the jet streams high above me leaving this wispy river of cloud.

If you liked this photo, please click the Facebook like button, tell and/or tweet your friends about it and help me to spread the word!

If you’d like to be kept up to date with the latest articles as I post them to the site, simply enter your name and primary email address into the form on the sidebar and click subscribe!

Jetstream originally appeared on The Hobby Photographer on December 10, 2011.

When you are on a shoot you will most likely want to focus the viewers attention on a subject. Photographic composition and subject placement within the frame are important for many reasons such as for marketing or for simply for artistic reasons.

A landscape or seascape will take on added interest if there is a focus or point of interest for the viewers attention. This can be as simple as a small cottage or a fishing boat out at sea. These kinds of details will keep the viewer interested for longer.

“Make your subject the centre of attention, but not necessarily the centre of the shot”

Make your subject the centre of attention in an image but not necessarily the centre of the shot. You can add interest to an image by drawing the viewers eyes away from the centre. You do not have to present your subject in the centre of shot for it to be found by the viewer.

One great way to achieve this is to use a subject which is the only man made item in a shot. In the case of the cottage or fishing boat mentioned earlier they will easily be picked out by a viewer against an expanse of grassy hills or sea and sunset. The reason for this is that it is very rare to find straight lines in nature but they are common in man made designs.

You can use the same compositional technique when shooting portraits too. Use the rule of thirds to place your subject off-centre, preferably at an intersecting point and perhaps use bright colour against a dull back ground to bring the subject right to the attention of the viewer. For example a model in a bright red coat to the side of shot against a lot of sand and sea on a beach will draw attention.

If you’d love to learn more awesome photography secrets, check out “Digital Photography Success” by Amy Renfrey – (Please note that this is an affiliate link and I will earn a small commission is you choose to buy this product. You are under no obligation to do so.)

If you liked this article, please click the Facebook like button, tell and/or tweet your friends about it and help me to spread the word!

If you’d like to be kept up to date with the latest articles as I post them to the site, simply enter your name and primary email address into the form on the sidebar and click subscribe!

Photographic Composition and Subject Placement originally appeared on The Hobby Photographer on December 5, 2011.

Action Photography - A race car captured while passing the photographer

When trying your hand at action photography, it can be hard to get reasonable results until you get some experience. Here are 7 quick tips to get you started with fast action photography so that you can start capturing some reasonable images right from the start.

Use a fast lens:

A lens with a wide aperture (low f number) is ideal for shooting fast action photography. Often referred to as a fast lens, a wide aperture lens will allow more light into the camera than other lenses and this in turn allows the photographer to use a faster shutter speed. Fast shutter speeds allow us to freeze time and get still images of fast-moving objects such as racing cars or sports people.

Use a tripod or a monopod:

If you plan on shooting for any period of time, it’s a good idea to have some method of supporting your camera and lenses. Fast telephoto lenses are quite large and heavy, and if you’re shooting action photography for any length of time with heavy equipment, fatigue is something worth keeping in mind. Attaching a tripod or a monopod to your camera (or lens) can really help.

Pre focus:

It can be almost impossible for your auto-focus to lock onto a fast moving object as it passes by the camera. Use pre-focus techniques with action photography so that you’re ready for the action when it happens. This means pre-empting where the shot will be, and locking your focal point to that area of the frame before the action occurs. This technique often requires a little bit of experience, and is also dependent on the next tip or two.

Familiarity:

If you’re shooting sports, it’s a great idea to get yourself as familiar with the activity as possible prior to the shoot. Take a good look at action photography in magazines and watch footage on TV to get a feel for the best angles to shoot from. This will vary from sport to sport, so get familiar with the sport you’ve chosen to shoot.

Vantage point:

Survey the location prior to the shoot and get a feel for where the best action is going to be. Set up in an area that will help you to obtain the best shots. You might want to take some test shots from a few different angles before the action starts so that you can be sure the frame the shot in the best possible way.

How will you shoot the action?

Different techniques will allow you to capture different styles of action photography. Fast shutter speeds will allow you to freeze time and capture still images which can be great for capturing things like the expressions on sportspersons faces. Using slightly slower shutter speeds while panning the camera and tracking your subject will produce a blurred background helping to convey the feeling of motion. This can be well suited to capturing subjects such as racing cars.

ISO:

Increasing the ISO setting on your camera increases the sensitivity of the cameras sensor. This can allows us to use faster shutter speeds which is great for action photography. Unfortunately, higher ISO settings also increase the likelihood of noise in the resulting photo, so, it’s best to use the lowest ISO possible for the scene. I usually start with an ISO of around ISO 400 and adjust as necessary. With my camera, I usually try not to go above ISO 800 for noise reasons, but newer cameras cope a lot better with higher ISOs.

If you’d love to learn more awesome photography secrets, check out “Digital Photography Success” by Amy Renfrey – (Please note that this is an affiliate link and I will earn a small commission is you choose to buy this product. You are under no obligation to do so.)

If you liked this article, please click the Facebook like button, tell and/or tweet your friends about it and help me to spread the word!

If you’d like to be kept up to date with the latest articles as I post them to the site, simply enter your name and primary email address into the form on the sidebar and click subscribe!

7 fast action photography tips originally appeared on The Hobby Photographer on November 20, 2011.

Lightning Storm

I love taking photos of lightning. When I was young, my parents would take my sister and I away on summer Holidays. Most years, we’d stay at a small beach-side town just North of Newcastle on the NSW coast of Australia. One year, after we had settled in for a few days, I recall my Dad having some films developed. I had assumed that the photos were typical holiday shots but I was wrong. It turns out that somewhere between 2am and 4am the previous night, my Dad had heard a thunderstorm rolling in. He had gathered up his camera (a Ricoh 35mm SLR) and his Tripod, and had headed for the beach…

We picked the films up from the local Chemist later that day, and I was in for a surprise. The photos weren’t only those of my sister and I acting up on the beach. Nor were there photos of my Mum trying to read quietly under the shade of a tree outside our rental. Those shots were there, of course, but there were other’s that I really didn’t expect to see. My Dad had been taking photos of lighting, and they were absolutely amazing! Now, years later, I have my own photography equipment. When the opportunity presents itself, you’ll find me chasing the storm and taking photos of lightning too. To this day, I don’t think that I have ever nailed a shot like my Dad had during that holiday. But it doesn’t stop me from trying.

Photography Equipment

So, what do we need to go about taking photos of lightning? There are a number of subtle techniques that are all wrapped up together to obtain the final result, and you’ll need just a few pieces of specific photography equipment too. Right up front, I’m going to recommend a DSLR camera. Compact cameras have made leaps and bounds recently, and many are more than capable of taking photos of lightning, but a DSLR is capable of so much more. Once you have a camera, you’ll be taking photos of lighting in low light, so a tripod is an absolute necessity. If you don’t have one yet, click this link to read about why you need to have a tripod. You’ll also need a DSLR remote, and I would recommend a tethered remote for taking photos of lightning. Infrared DSLR remotes are great for including yourself in a photo, but a one-shot trigger isn’t going to be useful because we need complete control over the shutter. Again, if you don’t have a DSLR remote yet, click on this link to find out why you should get one.

The Technique

Our first step will be to set up the DSLR camera settings. Personally, I use Canon cameras so my references will all be based on Canon equipment. Don’t worry though; all DSLR Cameras have the same basic settings. They may be labelled differently or located in a different menu on your camera, but the settings will be there.

Shoot in RAW

Before starting, I would highly recommend shooting in RAW if your camera allows you to do so, no matter what you’re shooting. When you shoot in jpeg, the camera processes the shot using its internal software before we get to see it and we’re stuck with the final result. Shooting in RAW allows us to have complete control over the processing of the image. This means that we can select (and change) parameters such as white balance as desired during post-editing. If your camera does not shoot in RAW, you’ll need to set your white balance prior to the shoot. If I were to shoot in jpeg, I would start by using the “Tungsten” setting when taking photos of lightning. I’d take a few test shots and then adjust to a different setting if I wasn’t happy with the temperature of the shot.

ISO Setting

With that sorted out, find your ideal position and set up your tripod. Fit your DSLR to the tripod and plug in your DSLR remote. Finally, aim your camera at the scene and set your lens to the widest focal length possible. Now we need to set up the DSLR before taking photos of lightning. Set the cameras ISO setting to ISO 100.  DSLR Cameras tend to produce noisy shots when the shutter is left open for long periods of time. You can minimise this by using the lowest possible ISO setting available on your camera. With the ISO set, move your cameras program dial to “M”. This is full manual mode and will provide you with full control over all of the camera settings. Don’t panic, it’s not as scary as it sounds.

Lens Aperture

It’s now time to set the lens aperture. On older consumer model Canons (such as my 400D), you will need to hold down the “AV” button (located top-right of the LCD display) while turning the selector wheel. On newer models, and the mid and high range Canons (Canon 60D, 7D, 5D, etc) you’ll have a convenient thumb-wheel right next to the display. Your aperture setting when taking photos of lightning will have a lot to do with how much ambient light is around, but you need to keep in mind that this is basically landscape photography. In a landscape, you want the depth of field to be as deep as possible and taking photos of lightning is exactly the same. Start with a lens aperture of f/16. If you’re shooting at night, you may need to go down to f/8, but I wouldn’t go beyond that.

Pre-Focus

It’s very likely that you’re going to be taking photos of lightning at dusk or later in the evening when it’s dark. Auto-focus simply won’t work in the dark, so you will need to pre-focus your camera. Even manual focus can be difficult in the dark, so here’s a little trick I use. I start by setting the focal length of my lens to the widest possible setting and I’ll search for a visible object that’s as far away from me as possible. I usually search for street lights. I’ll try to use auto-focus on the furthest street light and wait until the camera locks on. Once it has locked, I’ll take my finger off the shutter button and switch my lens to “MF” (manual focus). If I need to, I can fine-tune the focus by hand (often I don’t). With the DSLR lens set to manual focus, I know that it won’t change unless I bump the end of the lens, so at this point; I’m dialled in and almost ready to go.

Shutter Speed

The final setting is shutter speed. Using the selector dial located behind the shutter button set your shutter speed to “bulb”. With the shutter speed set to bulb mode, the shutter will open when we press the button, and it will stay open until we release it. We can now adjust the shutter speed “on the fly” from shot to shot without having to touch the camera.

Go For It!

It’s time to start taking photos. Watch the storm and get a feeling for how often the lightning is striking. Once you have a good idea, press and hold the button on your DSLR remote right before you expect the next flash and hold it there for about 10 seconds. Hopefully, you managed to capture a flash or two. If not, try again until the shutter is open during a strike. Now view the shot. If the photo is too dark, have another try, but hold the shutter open for 20 seconds instead. Keep adjusting the shutter time as necessary, and obviously, if the photo is too bright you’ll need to hold the button for a shorter period of time. Taking photos of lightning will be difficult if your shutter speed is gets down to 5 seconds or less. If this happens, you can compensate by adjusting your lens aperture higher to f/20 or f/22, or in extreme cases (when shooting in daytime) you may need to use an ND Filter to stop down even further.

Want to learn more awesome photography secrets? Check out “Digital Photography Success” by Amy Renfrey – (Please note that this is an affiliate link and I will earn a small commission is you choose to buy this product. You are under no obligation to do so.)

If you liked this article, please click the Facebook like button, tell and/or tweet your friends about it and help me to spread the word!

If you’d like to be kept up to date with the latest articles as I post them to the site, simply enter your name and primary email address into the form on the sidebar and click subscribe!

Taking Photos of Lightning originally appeared on The Hobby Photographer on November 10, 2011.

Camera with remote shutter release

Have you ever wanted to trigger your camera without actually being right there to press the shutter button? Ever had trouble obtaining crisp sharp shots when shooting in low light – even when using a tripod? The DSLR Remote might just be your night in shining armour.

Whether wired or wireless, a basic DSLR remote is little more than a switch, just like your shutter button. Some more advanced remotes have additional features such as built in timers, and others are completely programmable but they all provide the same basic function. They allow us to trigger the shutter button without having to touch the camera. In this post I’m going to discuss the humble DSLR remote, and where you might find one useful.

Wireless DSLR Remote

Although it’s not something I do myself, shooting wildlife is one such situation where a wireless remote should be considered. Wild animals and birds are startled very easily. Animals in the wild are very wary of anything out of the ordinary. A photographer hovering around their camera, waiting for a shot will usually be enough to scare the animals away. A wireless DSLR remote allows the photographer to keep some distance between themselves and the camera, and not scare the animals away.

Another area where the wireless DSLR remote might come in handy is when shooting your own family photos. Have you ever tried doing this with out a remote? The scene usually plays out like this. Everyone is in position but you. You set up the shot, estimating how the frame will be composed with you in the shot. Finally, once everything is perfect, you set the camera’s built in timer and press the shutter button. This is usually where the fun really starts. After pressing the shutter button, there’s panic. You have to run like mad and fit yourself into the shot before the shutter triggers, and all while attempting to look natural and not bump any of your family members out of position. The wireless DSLR remote allows us to calmly set the scene, stand in position, and click the button on the remote from a concealed location. Simply, magic.

Wired DSLR Remote

A wired DSLR remote is handy when you want to be right at the camera but still be in a hands-off situation. I regularly shoot in low light and when doing so, a wired DSLR remote is an important part of equipment for me. You see, there’s an inherent problem with slow shutter speeds. The camera is sensitive to movement whenever the shutter is open. When we manually press the shutter button we can’t help but wobble the camera a tiny bit and this gives us blurred photos. It’s all but impossible to get around with long exposures, even when using a tripod. The DSLR remote allows me to trigger the shutter without touching the camera – no more blurred photos.

For extended long exposures and when using bulb mode on my camera, my wired DSLR remote has a latch. The latch allows me to keep the shutter open for extended periods of time without having to physically hold the button down with my finger. An example of a situation where you might need to latch your DSLR remote is when shooting star trails.

The bottom line is this; I would recommend that all amateur photographers should have a DSL remote in their kit. Whether you purchase a wired or wireless DSLR remote is completely up to you and how you intend on using it, but you will find it a valuable piece of equipment no matter what style you get.

Want to learn more awesome photography secrets? Check out “Digital Photography Success” by Amy Renfrey – (Please note that this is an affiliate link and I will earn a small commission is you choose to buy this product. You are under no obligation to do so.)

Check out DSLR Remotes on Amazon to find a DSLR remote to suit you! Please note that this is an affiliate link. I will make a commission if you purchase anything as a result of clicking this link.

If you liked this article, please click the Facebook like button, tell and/or tweet your friends about it and help me to spread the word!

If you’d like to be kept up to date with the latest articles as I post them to the site, simply enter your name and primary email address into the form on the sidebar and click subscribe!

DSLR Remote originally appeared on The Hobby Photographer on October 28, 2011.

Sunset shot from Yanucca Island, Fiji

I just love taking photos of sunsets. In fact, it was taking photos of sunsets that inspired me to learn more about photography. My wife and I were enjoying our honeymoon on the western coast of Fiji, and each day was topped off with a spectacular scene as the sun fell behind the horizon. It was my first time overseas and as I grappled with the concept of just how far away from home we were and how beautiful Fiji was, I shot many photos. I especially enjoyed shooting photos of sunsets  in the evening.

Although I had no idea what I was doing, as luck would have it, I actually managed to capture one or two really nice shots over the 10 day period. When we returned home to proudly show our friends and family the better shots from the trip, I was pleased to receive many positive comments on my photos of sunsets. Those compliments were all I needed to get really enthusiastic about photography. Shooting inspiring pictures became my quest.

Photos of Sunsets need character

The key to a great sunset shot it making it interesting. The rule of thirds is a great compositional tool, but using it to simply place the horizon and the sun as it sets is going to net you a relatively bland photo overall. Take a look around at your environment. Think about how you might be able to include some of the surrounding scenery in the photo such as some silhouetted swimmers, or people walking on the beach. Can you include an interesting building in the edge of the frame? The point is to capture the scene and to take the viewer to that place. By shooting just the horizon and the sun, generally speaking, you’re not going to provide enough information for them to build the scene in their imagination.

Sunset Photo Tips

Along with my compositional recommendation above, here are a few sunset photo tips to help your photos of sunsets stand out. Seeing as it was the topic of my last post, I’ll mention white balance first. If your camera is set to auto WB, you might find that the warm reds and yellows that we all love about sunsets are represented much cooler in your photos. I would usually set my white balance manually before taking sunset photos, or if your camera has a “sunset” mode, you could always fall-back to that.

As a second tip I’ll make mention of fill-flash. Silhouettes are great, but if you’re trying to include friend or family in a shot the bright background will leave you with dark shadows on their faces. Try turning on your flash as it will help to lift the shadows in the foreground and allow you to capture their faces and well as the sunset.

You can avoid the sun itself altogether if you wish. Try turning around and look for some long shadows cast by buildings or park benches… or anything. Afternoon shadows can add real interest to photos, and at sunset they will be at their longest.

If you’re not sure of your exposure, bracketing your shot can be another helpful technique. By capturing above, below and at metered exposure, you can be pretty sure to get the best possible outcome. Bracketed shots have another advantage in that they can be compiled into HDR photos if you want to include the full range of contrasts and tones in the shot. But, be aware that you will need to use a tripod, and not all scenes will benefit from HDR photography.

Here’s another article on shooting photos of sunsets that I came across recently…

Want to learn more awesome photography secrets? Check out “Digital Photography Success” by Amy Renfrey – (Please note that this is an affiliate link and I will earn a small commission is you choose to buy this product. You are under no obligation to do so.)

If you liked this article, please click the Facebook like button, tell and/or tweet your friends about it and help me to spread the word!

If you’d like to be kept up to date with the latest articles as I post them to the site, simply enter your name and primary email address into the form on the sidebar and click subscribe!

Photos of Sunsets originally appeared on The Hobby Photographer on October 12, 2011.