By: Alex Brown
This article explains how to take amazing nature photographs. It covers the following information: choosing an object to photograph, learning how to get to an appropriate location, and choosing the right shot.
The information in this article is written for either the beginner or intermediate photographer. The author assumes that you have taken photographs before and are familiar with GPS navigation systems, Internet research and Google Earth software.
Taking great photographs begins with research and consists of three steps. The first step is to choose an object: a waterfall, a mountain, or anything that you think will make an attractive photograph. The second step is to get to the location using either your car or bike along with a reliable GPS system. The final step is to take a picture using your favorite camera. When choosing the place or landmark at which to take your picture, you can start by conducting online research on interesting places in your area. There are many opportunities for nice shots or objects for your photos in national parks or landmarks such as Yosemite National Park, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Arches National Park, or Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. You can learn about places by downloading Google Earth software and installing it on your computer. Google Earth software will help you visit locations virtually and obtain an approximate view of the shot; it will also supply you with exact data for your GPS to aid in efficient travel. Another good idea is to visit the visitor center of a particular attraction online; it could be useful in gathering additional information and downloads that you can print out later, such as parking information, rules and trails information. The next step is to learn how to get to your destination. In this case, the best approach would be to use a car and a good GPS system so that you don"t get lost in an unfamiliar location. The last step is to set up your camera and take a few shots for selection, thereby guaranteeing that your photograph will stand out from others and represent your unique vision of the place.
Some things to consider:
Process. The dynamic range of nature, including sunny spots and surrounding shade, can easily overwhelm your camera"s capturing capability. Use exposure bracketing and combine the photographs on your computer to extend your dynamic range accordingly. Since you will need to underexpose your shot for most nature pictures, make sure your exposure time is long enough. (Tip: this is extremely difficult during the day and much easier at dawn.)
Time needed. The hike around a recreational park could take about 2 "" 3 hours round-trip. Once you"ve reached your destination, it takes about 30 minutes to one hour to photograph every possible angle of an object.
Fees. The entrance fee to the entire recreational park could be as much as $25. If you possess a National Park Pass, you usually do not need to pay a fee, but you will need to display the pass in your vehicle (such as on your dashboard or windshield) while you are gone.
Difficulty getting to the place. The trails at national parks and similar locations can be difficult to maneuver, so do not make the mistake of carrying your entire arsenal of equipment; you can leave your heavy photo equipment in your car. Also, make sure to dress appropriately to protect yourself from thorns, branches, and other obstructions that are frequently found on trails.
This article taught you how to create unique nature photos. You first select an object by researching your area, then find out how to travel to its location and find a spot, and finally how to take a series of photographs.
Monday, November 9, 2009
A Licensing Primer For Photographers
By: Gary Goldstein
When most people think of what a photographer does, they just think about taking pictures. A photographer has many more responsibilities. He must pose subjects, create suitable lighting, know how to work with many different types of equipment, develop photographs, and choose the best shots for framing and other purposes. Photographers should be able to make a great deal of money for their talents, but the expense of purchasing equipment and supplies, plus other costs associated with photography, mean that many photographers barely break even. There is one way that photographers can make more money, and that is through licensing. Licensing is the transfer of copyright, in whole or in part, from one party to another. Both parties benefit in some way from entering into a licensing agreement. When a photographer licenses his work to another person or company, the photographer is the licensor and the person or company is the licensee. When licensing the use of a photograph to another party, the photograph can make the license exclusive or non-exclusive. An exclusive license limits how the photographer can further use the work. A non-exclusive license gives the photographer the right to license the work to other parties. The photographer usually receives some monetary benefit for licensing, but production credit and other benefits may also be realized. When determining a licensing fee, photographers need to take several factors into consideration. The first component of a licensing fee should be the photographer's costs of doing business. The photographer needs to know how much their costs are so that they can meet the costs and still have enough left to make a profit. The second thing included in a licensing fee is a usage fee. Usage fees will depend on how much a photograph is being used and what it is being used for by the licensee. If the photograph being licensed will only be used once, the usage fee will be lower than if the photograph were to be used several times. Photographers also need to consider how a photograph will be used when determining usage fees. If a photograph will appear on the cover of a magazine, the usage fee will cost more than if the photograph were appearing inside the magazine alongside one of the articles. The photographer must also consider production costs when determining a licensing fee. There are some factors to consider when licensing that a photographer does not have direct control over. While the photographer cannot control these factors, he should still be aware of them so he can come up with a licensing fee that makes sense for the market. Geographic location will play a big part in how much a photographer can charge for licensing. A photographer working in New York City or Los Angeles will be able to charge more than a photographer in rural Kansas. Other factors to consider when determining a licensing fee include the potential licensee's history as a business and what industry standard rates are for specific projects. When a photographer takes all of these considerations into account, he will be more likely to determine a licensing fee that benefits his business.
When most people think of what a photographer does, they just think about taking pictures. A photographer has many more responsibilities. He must pose subjects, create suitable lighting, know how to work with many different types of equipment, develop photographs, and choose the best shots for framing and other purposes. Photographers should be able to make a great deal of money for their talents, but the expense of purchasing equipment and supplies, plus other costs associated with photography, mean that many photographers barely break even. There is one way that photographers can make more money, and that is through licensing. Licensing is the transfer of copyright, in whole or in part, from one party to another. Both parties benefit in some way from entering into a licensing agreement. When a photographer licenses his work to another person or company, the photographer is the licensor and the person or company is the licensee. When licensing the use of a photograph to another party, the photograph can make the license exclusive or non-exclusive. An exclusive license limits how the photographer can further use the work. A non-exclusive license gives the photographer the right to license the work to other parties. The photographer usually receives some monetary benefit for licensing, but production credit and other benefits may also be realized. When determining a licensing fee, photographers need to take several factors into consideration. The first component of a licensing fee should be the photographer's costs of doing business. The photographer needs to know how much their costs are so that they can meet the costs and still have enough left to make a profit. The second thing included in a licensing fee is a usage fee. Usage fees will depend on how much a photograph is being used and what it is being used for by the licensee. If the photograph being licensed will only be used once, the usage fee will be lower than if the photograph were to be used several times. Photographers also need to consider how a photograph will be used when determining usage fees. If a photograph will appear on the cover of a magazine, the usage fee will cost more than if the photograph were appearing inside the magazine alongside one of the articles. The photographer must also consider production costs when determining a licensing fee. There are some factors to consider when licensing that a photographer does not have direct control over. While the photographer cannot control these factors, he should still be aware of them so he can come up with a licensing fee that makes sense for the market. Geographic location will play a big part in how much a photographer can charge for licensing. A photographer working in New York City or Los Angeles will be able to charge more than a photographer in rural Kansas. Other factors to consider when determining a licensing fee include the potential licensee's history as a business and what industry standard rates are for specific projects. When a photographer takes all of these considerations into account, he will be more likely to determine a licensing fee that benefits his business.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Automatic Cameras: Are They Right For You?
by: R. Dodge Woodson
Modern cameras are made to do everything on their own. With a self-timer, a camera can decide when it's the right moment to freeze time capturing an image. Seriously, today's cameras are incredibly smart. There has never been a time when getting into photography was so easy, that is assuming you can figure out what all the buttons, knobs, and levers on a new auto-everything camera do.
In some ways, older cameras were less frustrating to work with. New automatic cameras can be a challenge for anyone to figure out. It's kind of like setting the clock on your DVD player. If you ever take time to learn the steps involved with the process, it's not difficult. Automatic cameras can be intimidating at first, but they are a joy to use once you have mastered the controls.
The amount of automation found in a pocket camera varies from manufacturer to manufacturer. Price is also a factor in the amount of automatic functions a camera performs. I think automatic cameras are like computers; they're fantastic when they work properly and a pain in the neck when they don't.
I browsed through a sales flyer from a major discount chain store just a few minutes ago. For less than $100 you can buy a 35-mm point-and-shoot camera from a name-brand manufacturer. The camera has a built-in flash and it sets shutter speed automatically. For about the same price, you can get a different brand of 35-mm camera that offers a pop-up flash (to reduce the red-eye effect in portraits).
In fact, it is hard to find a point-and-shoot (PsS) without a built-in flash. The model I looked at has a medium-power, zoom, telephoto lens. There are even less expensive cameras available.
If you move up the purchase-price ladder, you can find cameras with built-in zoom lenses with ranges in the neighborhood of 38mm to 140mm. Some models will imprint your photos with a date and time stamp. Not many professional photographers use pocket cameras as their primary tools, but I know many who use them for quick shots that would evade typical professional equipment. Don't be fooled by the Do-Little cameras, they can actually do quite a lot. For most people, any camera with a megapixel rating of at least 5 is fine for routine use.
What Could Go Wrong With Idiot-Proof Cameras?
If you think that nothing can go wrong with auto-everything cameras, you're wrong. A lot can go wrong with any automatic camera. While most pocket cameras are simple to operate, they can produce some annoying problems for the people who use them. Let me explain.
Imagine that you are on your dream vacation. Part of your fantasy is to amass photographs that will help your memories live forever. You begin your journey, snapping pictures of once-in-a-lifetime scenes as you go. All of a sudden, you battery goes dead. You left your battery charger at home. Well, there goes the great photography outing.
Many photographers using direct-vision cameras obstruct their lenses accidently without knowing it until they check their photos. Since the viewfinder on this type of camera is offset from the lens, you can't see if your camera strap or finger is in part of your picture.
Spare Battery
One of the most frequent problems with an automatic camera is not the camera's fault. It is a dead of dying battery. Get a spare battery for your camera and like the credit card company says, "Never leave home without it!" Low battery power can cause a number of difficulties with an automatic camera. A dead battery can put the camera completely out of commission. Rotate batteries frequently when using or storing your camera in cold temperatures.
Red Eye
Even if you have never taken a single photograph, you've probably seen the handiwork of the red-eye monster in photos you have seen. This evil creature lives in the flash unit of many cameras. When an on-camera flash is used to take a portrait, it often taints the photography by turning the subject's eyes bright red. Some pocket cameras offer a red-eye reduction system. Others incorporate a pop-up flash that can help to keep the monster caged. However, unless you move up to component systems where the flash you work with is offset to one side of the lens, you might meet the monster eye to eye, so to speak.
What is red eye? It is when the eyes of a subject are red in a photograph. The problem is caused by having a flash that is too close to your lens. It is a common problem with point-and-shoot cameras.
Auto Focus and Auto Flash
There is a difference between point-and-shoot cameras and auto-focus cameras. Point-and-shoot cameras have a set range in which objects appear to be in focus. Auto-focus lenses adjust their focus based on the location of a subject. As good as auto-focus lenses are, they can be fooled. As an example, if you were to take a family portrait, using a self-timer, you might find that part of your family was soft in terms of focus.
If you were all standing side by side, the auto-focus should work well. But, if some of the family is in front of the rest of the family, the auto-focus is likely to lock in on only some of the subjects. This results in a picture with some distortion in it.
Automatic, built-in flashes sound good on paper and in advertisements, but they can limit your creativity. They can also fail to meet their minimum requirements. The sensors that trigger an automatic flash can be fooled by light patterns. Let me give you an example.
Let's say that your children have just been chosen to star in a school play. You want to capture the moment with your camera. Hastily, before the mood changes, you position your children in front of a window. There are no blinds or curtains, and natural light is flooding into the room, behind the kids. Quickly, you point and shoot on auto pilot. The flash doesn't fire. You assume this means flash was not needed. After all, it's supposed to fire when light levels are low. The natural light behind your children has just fooled the camera. When you review the picture taken, you will find that you have a nice, dark, silhouette of your kids. Their cheerful faces will be hidden in the dark exposure. Creative options for built-in auto-flashes are limited.
Sun Flare
Sun flare can be a nasty problem when using a pocket camera. You can overcome this by shielding the lens of your camera from the sun with your hand. But if you're not careful, your hand will wind up in the picture. Since lens shades won't work on flat-faced cameras, you have to protect the lens by some other means. The human hand is usually the most effective. If you don't prevent stray light from shining on your lens, you will see bright spots that resemble stars or doughnuts on your finished prints.
The more automated your camera is, the higher the risk is that something will malfunction. This should not scare you away from the versatile, easy-to-use pocket cameras. If you stick with a major brand of camera, you should not experience many problems that are not associated with the operator of the tool. Keep fresh batteries in your camera. Use common sense on exposures, and choose your camera settings carefully. If you follow these simple instructions, your little black box should give you good pictures.
Modern cameras are made to do everything on their own. With a self-timer, a camera can decide when it's the right moment to freeze time capturing an image. Seriously, today's cameras are incredibly smart. There has never been a time when getting into photography was so easy, that is assuming you can figure out what all the buttons, knobs, and levers on a new auto-everything camera do.
In some ways, older cameras were less frustrating to work with. New automatic cameras can be a challenge for anyone to figure out. It's kind of like setting the clock on your DVD player. If you ever take time to learn the steps involved with the process, it's not difficult. Automatic cameras can be intimidating at first, but they are a joy to use once you have mastered the controls.
The amount of automation found in a pocket camera varies from manufacturer to manufacturer. Price is also a factor in the amount of automatic functions a camera performs. I think automatic cameras are like computers; they're fantastic when they work properly and a pain in the neck when they don't.
I browsed through a sales flyer from a major discount chain store just a few minutes ago. For less than $100 you can buy a 35-mm point-and-shoot camera from a name-brand manufacturer. The camera has a built-in flash and it sets shutter speed automatically. For about the same price, you can get a different brand of 35-mm camera that offers a pop-up flash (to reduce the red-eye effect in portraits).
In fact, it is hard to find a point-and-shoot (PsS) without a built-in flash. The model I looked at has a medium-power, zoom, telephoto lens. There are even less expensive cameras available.
If you move up the purchase-price ladder, you can find cameras with built-in zoom lenses with ranges in the neighborhood of 38mm to 140mm. Some models will imprint your photos with a date and time stamp. Not many professional photographers use pocket cameras as their primary tools, but I know many who use them for quick shots that would evade typical professional equipment. Don't be fooled by the Do-Little cameras, they can actually do quite a lot. For most people, any camera with a megapixel rating of at least 5 is fine for routine use.
What Could Go Wrong With Idiot-Proof Cameras?
If you think that nothing can go wrong with auto-everything cameras, you're wrong. A lot can go wrong with any automatic camera. While most pocket cameras are simple to operate, they can produce some annoying problems for the people who use them. Let me explain.
Imagine that you are on your dream vacation. Part of your fantasy is to amass photographs that will help your memories live forever. You begin your journey, snapping pictures of once-in-a-lifetime scenes as you go. All of a sudden, you battery goes dead. You left your battery charger at home. Well, there goes the great photography outing.
Many photographers using direct-vision cameras obstruct their lenses accidently without knowing it until they check their photos. Since the viewfinder on this type of camera is offset from the lens, you can't see if your camera strap or finger is in part of your picture.
Spare Battery
One of the most frequent problems with an automatic camera is not the camera's fault. It is a dead of dying battery. Get a spare battery for your camera and like the credit card company says, "Never leave home without it!" Low battery power can cause a number of difficulties with an automatic camera. A dead battery can put the camera completely out of commission. Rotate batteries frequently when using or storing your camera in cold temperatures.
Red Eye
Even if you have never taken a single photograph, you've probably seen the handiwork of the red-eye monster in photos you have seen. This evil creature lives in the flash unit of many cameras. When an on-camera flash is used to take a portrait, it often taints the photography by turning the subject's eyes bright red. Some pocket cameras offer a red-eye reduction system. Others incorporate a pop-up flash that can help to keep the monster caged. However, unless you move up to component systems where the flash you work with is offset to one side of the lens, you might meet the monster eye to eye, so to speak.
What is red eye? It is when the eyes of a subject are red in a photograph. The problem is caused by having a flash that is too close to your lens. It is a common problem with point-and-shoot cameras.
Auto Focus and Auto Flash
There is a difference between point-and-shoot cameras and auto-focus cameras. Point-and-shoot cameras have a set range in which objects appear to be in focus. Auto-focus lenses adjust their focus based on the location of a subject. As good as auto-focus lenses are, they can be fooled. As an example, if you were to take a family portrait, using a self-timer, you might find that part of your family was soft in terms of focus.
If you were all standing side by side, the auto-focus should work well. But, if some of the family is in front of the rest of the family, the auto-focus is likely to lock in on only some of the subjects. This results in a picture with some distortion in it.
Automatic, built-in flashes sound good on paper and in advertisements, but they can limit your creativity. They can also fail to meet their minimum requirements. The sensors that trigger an automatic flash can be fooled by light patterns. Let me give you an example.
Let's say that your children have just been chosen to star in a school play. You want to capture the moment with your camera. Hastily, before the mood changes, you position your children in front of a window. There are no blinds or curtains, and natural light is flooding into the room, behind the kids. Quickly, you point and shoot on auto pilot. The flash doesn't fire. You assume this means flash was not needed. After all, it's supposed to fire when light levels are low. The natural light behind your children has just fooled the camera. When you review the picture taken, you will find that you have a nice, dark, silhouette of your kids. Their cheerful faces will be hidden in the dark exposure. Creative options for built-in auto-flashes are limited.
Sun Flare
Sun flare can be a nasty problem when using a pocket camera. You can overcome this by shielding the lens of your camera from the sun with your hand. But if you're not careful, your hand will wind up in the picture. Since lens shades won't work on flat-faced cameras, you have to protect the lens by some other means. The human hand is usually the most effective. If you don't prevent stray light from shining on your lens, you will see bright spots that resemble stars or doughnuts on your finished prints.
The more automated your camera is, the higher the risk is that something will malfunction. This should not scare you away from the versatile, easy-to-use pocket cameras. If you stick with a major brand of camera, you should not experience many problems that are not associated with the operator of the tool. Keep fresh batteries in your camera. Use common sense on exposures, and choose your camera settings carefully. If you follow these simple instructions, your little black box should give you good pictures.
Macro Photography – A Brief Discussion by: Vernon Southward
Macro photography is one of the most attractive and popular forms of photography. According to some experts it is very easy to master the art and techniques of macro photography – and that is, perhaps, the secret behind its fame.
Definition of Macro Photography:
Strength of the lens or the range of the lens determines whether the style can be called macro photography or not. A camera with a lens that has a 1:1 range should be used in macro photography so that the image size on the negative or slide is equal to the actual size of the subject.
Hence, if you are using 35 mm photographic film, you should use a camera that can focus on 24x36 mm small area. Then only you can take picture of a subject where the image size on photographic film is equal to the real size of the subject.
What’s interesting in Macro Photography:
Macro photography opens up the doors of a new world. It captures minute details of the subjects – such details are not at all visible in the naked eye. Hence, the viewer can reveal a lot of new things in most familiar subjects while watching the photographs. And unfamiliar subjects become more attractive in macro photography. According to photo critics – macro photography is not only attractive, but seductive!
For example, when someone takes a picture of a rusted chain in 1:1 range, you get to see the exact texture of rust. How rusts look like, what is the exact color of rust and many other minute factors come into notice. That’s what makes macro photography attractive.
Ideas & Subjects of Macro Photography:
People with a knack for photography find the subjects their own. They are artists and they have the eye for the right thing. However, those who are new in this field and about to start their career might need help finding the subject.
Snowflakes, water drops, minerals, butterflies, plants, leaves, flowers and flower petals, baby feet and fingers, eyes, spiders and spider web, insects etc. are the common subjects. Get out in your backyard garden and you will find plenty of subjects worth taking a picture. Macro photography ideas are available online to help you develop the ability to find the right subject.
Nature has always been the main subject of photography and art. However, macro photography experts often take photographs of items such as stamps, coins, automobile parts, wrist watch, pen parts, and other small things and collectibles.
Macro Photography Tutorials:
Working in this field is a new experience even for those who have been involved with photography for long. Opportunities are unlimited here – new equipments and techniques are invented everyday. With the advent of digital photography, entire world has been revolutionized.
Digital photography tutorials for macro photography help photographers make full use of digital cameras and other equipments in the process. However, it is not mandatory to use digital cameras. Traditional film based cameras are still popular and will be in the market for next few decades if not centuries.
Experts prefer SLR digital cameras for macro shooting. However, compact point and shoot cameras can yield good result too. To know more about photography, take some lessons or tutorials online. Know about photography techniques and equipments; become an expert photographer.
Definition of Macro Photography:
Strength of the lens or the range of the lens determines whether the style can be called macro photography or not. A camera with a lens that has a 1:1 range should be used in macro photography so that the image size on the negative or slide is equal to the actual size of the subject.
Hence, if you are using 35 mm photographic film, you should use a camera that can focus on 24x36 mm small area. Then only you can take picture of a subject where the image size on photographic film is equal to the real size of the subject.
What’s interesting in Macro Photography:
Macro photography opens up the doors of a new world. It captures minute details of the subjects – such details are not at all visible in the naked eye. Hence, the viewer can reveal a lot of new things in most familiar subjects while watching the photographs. And unfamiliar subjects become more attractive in macro photography. According to photo critics – macro photography is not only attractive, but seductive!
For example, when someone takes a picture of a rusted chain in 1:1 range, you get to see the exact texture of rust. How rusts look like, what is the exact color of rust and many other minute factors come into notice. That’s what makes macro photography attractive.
Ideas & Subjects of Macro Photography:
People with a knack for photography find the subjects their own. They are artists and they have the eye for the right thing. However, those who are new in this field and about to start their career might need help finding the subject.
Snowflakes, water drops, minerals, butterflies, plants, leaves, flowers and flower petals, baby feet and fingers, eyes, spiders and spider web, insects etc. are the common subjects. Get out in your backyard garden and you will find plenty of subjects worth taking a picture. Macro photography ideas are available online to help you develop the ability to find the right subject.
Nature has always been the main subject of photography and art. However, macro photography experts often take photographs of items such as stamps, coins, automobile parts, wrist watch, pen parts, and other small things and collectibles.
Macro Photography Tutorials:
Working in this field is a new experience even for those who have been involved with photography for long. Opportunities are unlimited here – new equipments and techniques are invented everyday. With the advent of digital photography, entire world has been revolutionized.
Digital photography tutorials for macro photography help photographers make full use of digital cameras and other equipments in the process. However, it is not mandatory to use digital cameras. Traditional film based cameras are still popular and will be in the market for next few decades if not centuries.
Experts prefer SLR digital cameras for macro shooting. However, compact point and shoot cameras can yield good result too. To know more about photography, take some lessons or tutorials online. Know about photography techniques and equipments; become an expert photographer.
3 Reasons Why Professional Photographers Use Available Light and You Should Too by: Thomas Luttig
Have you ever wondered why many photographs taken by professionals are so captivating? If you study your favorite photos, you will start to notice something about them that may not have been apparent previously. The picture was probably taken using only the light available to the photographer at the time. In photography, we refer to 'available light' as that which is existing in the scene other than direct sunlight.
Available light could be coming from reflected sunlight streaming through a window, the glow of a warm fireplace or even a lamp. Let's take a look at what makes these conditions so desirable for capturing awe-inspiring photographs.
When you study a great candid portrait of some one, you will see that they probably appear at ease with the photographer. There is a reason for this. While glaring studio lights will not have an effect on a professional model, to the average person, these can be intimidating. By using only the light that is available, your subject will not feel as much like a subject and therefore, will let themselves be relaxed with the photographer and let their true personality show.
Another great thing about shooting with available light, is it's ability to convey a mood that cannot be achieved with studio lighting techniques. In a sense, this type light speaks reality to the viewer. The best part is that you can train your eye to recognize the different moods that the light can impart. Can you give your viewer a feeling of somber darkness and dread? Maybe you wish the observer to become happy and light-hearted with brightness and excitement.
Finally, by working only with available light, the photographer actually make things easier on themselves. Just think, you will have no lights and stands to transport, no worry about finding electricity for your flashes. You are free to move around to try positions and angles. But before you get tempted to set up your tripod, most professionals will tell you to put it away. Inexperienced subjects might become tense and stiffen up even with this equipment present.
You will be pleasantly surprised when you start seeing the results of using available light in your images. Turn off the flash and give this lighting technique a try. But note, you will need to pay extra close attention to your exposure. Available light will be dim as compared to studio lights or the sun.
Available light could be coming from reflected sunlight streaming through a window, the glow of a warm fireplace or even a lamp. Let's take a look at what makes these conditions so desirable for capturing awe-inspiring photographs.
When you study a great candid portrait of some one, you will see that they probably appear at ease with the photographer. There is a reason for this. While glaring studio lights will not have an effect on a professional model, to the average person, these can be intimidating. By using only the light that is available, your subject will not feel as much like a subject and therefore, will let themselves be relaxed with the photographer and let their true personality show.
Another great thing about shooting with available light, is it's ability to convey a mood that cannot be achieved with studio lighting techniques. In a sense, this type light speaks reality to the viewer. The best part is that you can train your eye to recognize the different moods that the light can impart. Can you give your viewer a feeling of somber darkness and dread? Maybe you wish the observer to become happy and light-hearted with brightness and excitement.
Finally, by working only with available light, the photographer actually make things easier on themselves. Just think, you will have no lights and stands to transport, no worry about finding electricity for your flashes. You are free to move around to try positions and angles. But before you get tempted to set up your tripod, most professionals will tell you to put it away. Inexperienced subjects might become tense and stiffen up even with this equipment present.
You will be pleasantly surprised when you start seeing the results of using available light in your images. Turn off the flash and give this lighting technique a try. But note, you will need to pay extra close attention to your exposure. Available light will be dim as compared to studio lights or the sun.
Improve Your Photographs With Depth Of Field by: Jeff Colburn
In plain English, depth of field is the area in front of, and behind, your subject that is in focus. Your subject can be anything from a mountain to a person's eye.
There is no sharp delineation between a photograph being "in focus" and "out of focus." Instead, a picture will gradually go from sharp to blurry. What causes something to look out of focus is often referred to as the "circle of confusion." This is when a point, whether it's a pixel or a dot on a print, slide or negative, becomes so blurry that the blur can be detected by the human eye. The blurrier the dot is, the more out of focus it looks.
If you're taking a picture of a person, you can have a very shallow depth of field, and only their right eye may be in focus. Or you could have a deep depth of field and not only would their entire body be in focus, but so would the mountains behind them, and most of the ground that's between them and the camera.
It's important to understand depth of field so you can get the photograph you want. Let's say you are photographing a person in a crowded situation, like a Renaissance Faire, and you want them to stand out in the photograph. In this case you would use a shallow depth of field. This would throw the crowd behind him out of focus, and since people are drawn toward objects that are in focus, he would stand out in the photograph. On the other hand, if you are standing on the edge of a meadow, and beyond the meadow is the Rocky Mountains, then you could use a deep depth of field, so both the meadow and mountains would be in focus.
Depth of field is a tool, and you need to learn how to use it because it's in every picture you take, but you can control it to meet your photographic needs.
Here's how you can control Depth of Field.
· Aperture - The smaller the aperture in a lenses diaphragm, the sharper the picture. Shooting at F 16 will give you a greater depth of field than shooting at F 2. However, you must also consider light diffraction, which occurs in all lenses. Light diffraction is how light scatters in the barrel of a lens. Most light is focused by the lens elements to go directly to the film or sensor in the camera, but some light does just bounce around in the lens. The more light diffraction you have, the less sharp an image will be. Other things affect sharpness too, but that's another article. As you close down the diaphragm, going from F 2 to F 16, this diffraction decreases, because less light is going through the lens. But there is an optimum F stop where diffraction is at a minimum, and it may not be F 16, it may be F 11 or 8. You will need to test your lens to determine this. But as a rule, F 16 (or 22 or 32) will give you your sharpest image.
· Focal Distance - The closer you are to your subject, the shallower you can make the depth of field. Shoot a person that's just a few feet away, and you could only have one eye in focus if you want. Shoot that same person with the same lens when they're 100 feet away, and their entire body will be in focus, and probably much more.
· Focal Length - A shorter lens will give you more depth of field than a longer one. Shoot with a 50 mm lens, and you can get more depth of field than with a 200 mm lens at the same distance.
How do you determine the depth of field for a picture you are taking? It can be simple or complex, but you have three options.
1. Experience. Shoot with your camera, a lot, and you will be able to have a pretty accurate idea. With a digital camera you can see the results instantly.
2. You can use the Preview Button. This button can be found on all 35 mm film cameras, and most 35 mm DSLRs (Digital Single Lens Reflex) cameras. When you push the button it closes the diaphragm to whatever F-stop you have the camera set for. I know people that use this technique with great success, but for me it only makes everything dark.
3. Your final option is to use a somewhat complex mathematical formula. I've never know anyone to use this method, but if you want to put your high school algebra to use, do an online search and you will find the formula.
To get a feel for depth of field, put a yardstick or tape measure on a table, with one end pointing toward you. Focus on the mid-point of the tape measure and taking pictures at F 2, 3.5, 5.6, 8, 11 and 16. You can put a piece of paper in the picture with the F-stop you are using so you can easily compare the images. It may be a little hard to see the change from say F 2 to 3.5, but you will easily see the difference between F 2 and 16. Once you have a good handle on this, go outside and do the same thing, but use what you find outside instead of a tape measure.
Go here to see a photograph showing depth of field. http://www.CreativeCauldron.com/DOFpic.shtml
With experience, controlling depth of field will become second nature to you, so get out there and start shooting.
There is no sharp delineation between a photograph being "in focus" and "out of focus." Instead, a picture will gradually go from sharp to blurry. What causes something to look out of focus is often referred to as the "circle of confusion." This is when a point, whether it's a pixel or a dot on a print, slide or negative, becomes so blurry that the blur can be detected by the human eye. The blurrier the dot is, the more out of focus it looks.
If you're taking a picture of a person, you can have a very shallow depth of field, and only their right eye may be in focus. Or you could have a deep depth of field and not only would their entire body be in focus, but so would the mountains behind them, and most of the ground that's between them and the camera.
It's important to understand depth of field so you can get the photograph you want. Let's say you are photographing a person in a crowded situation, like a Renaissance Faire, and you want them to stand out in the photograph. In this case you would use a shallow depth of field. This would throw the crowd behind him out of focus, and since people are drawn toward objects that are in focus, he would stand out in the photograph. On the other hand, if you are standing on the edge of a meadow, and beyond the meadow is the Rocky Mountains, then you could use a deep depth of field, so both the meadow and mountains would be in focus.
Depth of field is a tool, and you need to learn how to use it because it's in every picture you take, but you can control it to meet your photographic needs.
Here's how you can control Depth of Field.
· Aperture - The smaller the aperture in a lenses diaphragm, the sharper the picture. Shooting at F 16 will give you a greater depth of field than shooting at F 2. However, you must also consider light diffraction, which occurs in all lenses. Light diffraction is how light scatters in the barrel of a lens. Most light is focused by the lens elements to go directly to the film or sensor in the camera, but some light does just bounce around in the lens. The more light diffraction you have, the less sharp an image will be. Other things affect sharpness too, but that's another article. As you close down the diaphragm, going from F 2 to F 16, this diffraction decreases, because less light is going through the lens. But there is an optimum F stop where diffraction is at a minimum, and it may not be F 16, it may be F 11 or 8. You will need to test your lens to determine this. But as a rule, F 16 (or 22 or 32) will give you your sharpest image.
· Focal Distance - The closer you are to your subject, the shallower you can make the depth of field. Shoot a person that's just a few feet away, and you could only have one eye in focus if you want. Shoot that same person with the same lens when they're 100 feet away, and their entire body will be in focus, and probably much more.
· Focal Length - A shorter lens will give you more depth of field than a longer one. Shoot with a 50 mm lens, and you can get more depth of field than with a 200 mm lens at the same distance.
How do you determine the depth of field for a picture you are taking? It can be simple or complex, but you have three options.
1. Experience. Shoot with your camera, a lot, and you will be able to have a pretty accurate idea. With a digital camera you can see the results instantly.
2. You can use the Preview Button. This button can be found on all 35 mm film cameras, and most 35 mm DSLRs (Digital Single Lens Reflex) cameras. When you push the button it closes the diaphragm to whatever F-stop you have the camera set for. I know people that use this technique with great success, but for me it only makes everything dark.
3. Your final option is to use a somewhat complex mathematical formula. I've never know anyone to use this method, but if you want to put your high school algebra to use, do an online search and you will find the formula.
To get a feel for depth of field, put a yardstick or tape measure on a table, with one end pointing toward you. Focus on the mid-point of the tape measure and taking pictures at F 2, 3.5, 5.6, 8, 11 and 16. You can put a piece of paper in the picture with the F-stop you are using so you can easily compare the images. It may be a little hard to see the change from say F 2 to 3.5, but you will easily see the difference between F 2 and 16. Once you have a good handle on this, go outside and do the same thing, but use what you find outside instead of a tape measure.
Go here to see a photograph showing depth of field. http://www.CreativeCauldron.com/DOFpic.shtml
With experience, controlling depth of field will become second nature to you, so get out there and start shooting.
SPR CEO Plainspeak
This is where I just talk about why I believe SPR is an awesome service for both photographers and photo buyers without my VP of marketing taking out the red pen—telling me I maybe shouldn’t say this or that. Or write sentence fragments.
SPR was created by pro photographers who imagined a business model that “matched" high-end photo buyers with skilled photographers. A model that fostered relationships and allowed the two parties to arrive at their own unique terms for a particular project. Something old-fashioned and familiar about that.
I’m mostly a facilitator…that’s not all I do, and that’s the crux of it. I’m passionate about photography and I’m driven to assemble a stable of photographers that can augment their success by utilizing our service. And I’m interested in seeing that our buyers get high quality images over and over again.
Take a look at the stats below:
Getty: undisclosed number of images - revenue in a single quarter = $233.2 million
Corbis : 100 million images
Shutterstock: 6 million images
Photosearch: 4.7 million images
Stock Photo: 4 million images
Bigstock photo: 2 million images…and they pay $1-$2 each\
It’s becoming increasingly difficult for photographers to make money on stock image sales. Their submissions are swallowed in a sea of images and the chances of a buyer seeing, let alone purchasing their images are slim, even through a targeted search.
The key to making money is to connect directly with the photo buyer. SPR makes that happen. I have one buyer who sends me multiple requests for book covers nearly every day. A single sale is worth $500-$1200…more than one might make on micro-stock in a year.
We have about 800 registered photo buyers, including National Geographic, People Magazine, Islands Magazine, Newsweek , NBC, Ogilvy & Mather, and Saatchi & Saatchi.
We’re interested in about 400 more photographers. Beyond that, the ratios are such that we would not be as effective at facilitating the buyer connection.
If you’re interested in evaluating our service for free, check out the following link:
Photographer FAQ: http://www.stockphotorequest.com/photoFAQ.asp
Clay M. Garrett
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