One of the most exciting aspects of photography is working with Telephoto and Super Telephoto lenses. While out of the price range for most to buy, this lens family is easily accessible through lens rental services online or through local camera stores. Telephoto and super telephoto lenses enable photographers to explore a variety of subjects in new ways. Such lenses are often used in wildlife photography, but they can be used for a variety of subjects. Here are 10 tips and ideas for great telephoto photography:

1. Use A Tripod For Sharp Photos
By and large the vast majority of subjects photographed with telephoto and super telephoto lenses need to be tack sharp. Due to the narrow field of view and magnification of telephoto lenses ever so slight movements have an amplified impact diminishing image sharpness. The first thing you can do to ensure that you’ll capture sharp images is to use a tripod and a tripod head that can support the weight of your lens & camera. While this isn’t the only step to take to ensure sharp photos it is the essential first step. Using a tripod or even a monopod will also save your back and arms from unnecessary pain and fatigue.

2. Use A Shutter Release
Any movement is amplified when looking through the view finder of a camera using a telephoto lens. The simple act of pressing the shutter on your camera will cause even a tripod mounted camera and lens to shake when photographing a distant subject. To minimize camera shake use a shutter release. Quite simply a shutter release is a shutter release button on an extension cord. Minimizing movement of your camera and lens while mounted on a tripod will reduce unintended bluring of your photo.

Bonus Tip:
If your camera has a Mirror Lock-up function this in addition to the use of a shutter release will remove much of the mechanical vibration your camera itself can create. The mirror in the camera box of your dSLR allows you to see from the viewfinder out your lens. When you trigger the shutter the mirror will flip up out of the way so that light coming through your lens hits the sensor or film in your camera body. Mirror Lock-up will prompt you to trigger the shutter twice, first to move the mirror into a ready position and second to open the shutter. After the first trigger of the shutter you should wait 2-5 seconds for the internal mechanics of your camera and resulting vibration of your camera to settle to the point of being still before you trigger the shutter a second and final time.

3. Turn Off Lens Image Stabilization / Vibration Reduction for Tripod Mounted Cameras
When you have Image Stabilization or Vibration Reduction active on your lens the internal mechanics detects movement and counter acts it producing a sharp image. When your camera and lens are mounted on a tripod movement is removed, but your lens can errantly activating its IS/VR mechanism creating an image that is less than sharp. For this reason its a best practice to turn off your lenses IS or VR functionality when it is mounted to a tripod.

4. Telephoto Effect – Bringing Far and Near Together
Telephoto lenses have a unique optical effect in that they flatten scenes with great depth. Fittingly this is referred to as a Telephoto Effect. Making use of this effect can be very useful in composing graphically striking subjects and scenes. Unlike shorter focal length lenses that can provide a great deal of depth to a scene the flattening of a scene with the use of a telephoto lens can give the illusion that multiple subjects separated by great distances are actually very close. This effect can generate a great deal of impact with viewers.

Canon 1Ds Mark III and 600mm + 1.4x teleconverter for a total focal length of 840mm

5. Tightly Frame Your Subject
The most obvious use of a telephoto lens is to magnify a subject so as to close the distance between you and what you’re photographing. This can be of extremely valueable if you’re photographing wildlife and would like to get closer with out putting your life at risk. Beyond wildlife using a telephoto lens give you creative license to get extremely close to your subject in some instances. This is particularly useful in highlighting details that would otherwise be lost with shorter focal length lenses.

Canon 1Ds Mark III and 600mm + 2x teleconverter for a total focal length of 1200mm
Taken on my last Sea Otter Photo Tour

6. Isolate Your Subject
Telephoto lenses are great to more distinctly isolate your subject. While this can be done with shorter focal length lenses telephotos enable you to have greater reach to subjects that might be too far off otherwise. This is a middle ground use of telephoto lenses where you’re not looking to crop in too tightly or close the gap between subjects that are far apart.

Canon 1Ds Mark II + 70-200mm IS f/2.8 lens at 200mm

7. Make Use of Ultra Shallow Depth of Field
Telephoto and Super-Telephoto lenses share an optical characteristic that can produce very shallow planes of focus. As a result an often discussed secondary characteristic of long lenses, Bokeh, is the optical signature of out of focus portions of a photograph. Use of shallow depth of field can provide a non-distracting background to your subject enhancing perceived focus and its isolation from competing background elements. Understanding how Bokeh will look from one lens to another will enhance your ability to produce the highest quality image.

Canon 1Ds Mark III + 300mm f/2.8 IS + 1.4x teleconverter for a total focal length of 420mm
Lens provided by BorrowLenses.com 

8. Think Macro Photography
 If you’re not into photo yoga an alternate way to shoot macro photography is to use a telephoto lens. Extension tubes in combination with super telephoto lenses shorten the closest focusing distance of a lens. Working with a larger lens will not give you every vantage point that a smaller lens can provide, but it will enable you to obtain other unique perspectives all while saving you from getting your pants dirty.

Canon 1Ds Mark III + 300mm f/2.8 IS + 1.4x teleconverter for a total focal length of 420mm
Note these clusters of flowers are smaller than a US Quarter

9. Panning for Action
 Panning with a telephoto lens can provide high impact photos of almost any moving subject. Maintaining a sharp subject can be tricky requiring some practice. The added dimension of motion blur bring telephoto and super telephoto lens photos to life. This is a perfect technique for wildlife and action subjects alike.

Canon 1D Mark II + 70-200mm IS f/2.8 lens at 190mm + 2x teleconverter for a total focal length of 380mm

10. Experiment with Astrophotography
With a big enough lens your camera can become a low power telescope. Photographs likely won’t be in the exact same class as a true astrophotography taken with a telescope, but you’ll certainly get eye catching photos none-the-less. The key to successfully using telephoto lenses for astrophotography is:

1. Setting up in an area where there is little light pollution
2. Use of a tripod 
3. use of a cable release.

The slightest vibration will be enough to blur a photo with a long lens so special care should be applied to avoid this. For greater drama in post-production with a high enough resolution sensor you can crop down your image while maintaining mouth dropping detail.

Canon 1Ds Mark III and 600mm + 1.4x teleconverter for a total focal length of 840mm
Cropped in Photoshop for an equivalent focal length of 1800mm 

–

Jim Goldstein’s landscape, nature, travel and photojournalism photography is featured on his web site JMG-Galleries.com, and blog. In addition Jim’s podcast “EXIF and Beyond” features photographer interviews and chronicles the creation of some of his images. In addition Jim can be followed on Twitter and FriendFeed. Also be sure to check out his workshops.

Post from: Digital Photography School - Photography Tips.

10 Tips For Great Telephoto Photography

What gear do you use? 

I have the sweet lady “Nikon D3x .  She completes me.  Besides that, I use several pieces of software, the particulars of which are outlined inside my HDR Tutorial.  These include but are not limited to Photomatix, LucisArt, and, of course, Photoshop.

Describe your photography in 100 words or less

I have my own interpretation of HDR photography, as you might detect from my work.  My history is a strange combination of growing up blind in one eye and then majoring in computer science.  I’ve always thought about the brain, the eye, and the manipulation of light in terms of algorithms.  I give deep thought into how we store scenes and emotions in our mind’s eye, and I seek to achieve, photographically, a palpaple sense to the world around us.

What’s one quick tip that you’d give people getting into photography to help them improve?

The best tip is perhaps the one that I hit hard in my tutorial:  Although existing HDR algorithms are good and getting better, they must be re-mixed with an original RAW to ensure that proper balance is returned to the scene.

What 3 Photography Sites or Photoblogs do you Recommend?

1)  Flickr’s Explore page – That Explore function is pretty good.  I can always find unique shots from accomplished and up-and-coming photographers by just constantly refreshing 

2)  Abduzeedo – This is a great site for artistic inspiration.  If you are the kind of photographer that finds inspiration in things outside of traditional photography, I recommend 

3)  Smashing Magazine – This is another unexpected source of inspiration – a very nice collection of art and other great work that is going on across the web

Read more about Trey ’s work on his blog

Post from: Digital Photography School - Photography Tips.

3 Minutes with Photographer Trey Ratcliff

At the conclusion of every year I take it upon myself to review my yearly photographic work and pursue 3 critical activities:

1. Determine my best or favorite photographs of the year and share them with others (see my blog project: “Your Best Photos From 2008″ results ).
2. Evaluate the photos that didn’t make the cut to learn why they didn’t work or carry the impact of my selected favorites.
3. Keep an eye out for mis-categorized or overlooked images that are worthy of sharing and/or publication (see Always Check Your Seconds).

Everyone has their own yearly rituals with their photography, but these help me improve and keep me inspired. To get into a little more detail here are 10 ways to top your best 2008 photographs:

1. Past Mistakes: Embrace and Learn From Them

It is all to easy to sweep mistakes under the rug and try to forget about them. The painful truth is that our mistakes are what offer us the greatest opportunity to improve. While at the end of the year I revel in my success, just as I do through out the year I obsess on the things that haven’t worked. I’m constantly asking myself “Why did this not work as expected?”and “What could I do differently to get a better outcome?” If you’re not good at making & holding a mental list of things to learn or improve on keep a notebook or journal to do so.

2. Strengths: Identify & Build on Them

If you shared photographs with others in 2008 that you were proud of and that had impact take a deeper look and ask yourself “Why?” Put your skills under a microscope to understand where you’re strongest technically and/or creatively. In doing so you’ll have identified stepping stones to work off of when you get to #5 on this list.

3. Feedback: Grow A Thick Skin

I’ll be the first to admit it’s really tough to take feedback, but it is really important to grow a thick skin to hear things you don’t want to hear. Utilize photography forums* to gather feedback on your photography. Keep an open mind when others comment on the images that you think are great and those you know have flaws. Don’t be afraid to point out flaws you’re aware of and ask for ideas on how to improve them.* Not all photography forums are of equal caliber. Find a photography forum with members who are both civil and knowledgeable. Photography forums are like doctors, go to one that you respect and find helpful.

4. Inspiration: Find It!

There’s a reason you got into photography, unearth why and explore the source of your interest. Learn what photographers shaped your photographic tastes and research their work. Take full advantage of the Internet. Great contemporary photographers are only a Google search away, up and coming photographers can easily be found on Flickr, photography bloggers are constantly referencing photographers of influence and great photography podcasts now exist. I also highly recommend making use of your local museums to find inspiration from painters and sculptors. The more you look the more you’ll find.

5. New Techniques: Learn, Try & Master

In evaluating your weaknesses, strengths and sources of inspiration create a list of techniques you’d like to strengthen or learn. There is always room for improvement. Great photography masters are eternal students of the art. If your list is a long one then identify the top 5 techniques you’d like to learn and master in 2009.

6. Read! Read! Read!

Shorten the time-frame to improve your photographic skills by reading as much as you can about the techniques that interest you. As time passes more and more information is now online, but don’t forget about great resource in print. There are numerous books out there pertaining to your area of interest. Talk to photographers you respect and inquire which books they recommend reading. As you read photography blogs keep an eye out for posts on reviews and recommended reading.

7. Practice! Practice! Practice!

The sure fire way to improve is to practice. Try, try and try again. Practice for the sake of practicing. Keep adding skills to your repertoire. When you think you’ve mastered what you’ve learned reinforce it regularly by incorporating it into your more mundane photographic efforts.

8. Apply What You’ve Learned On A Trip

Trips, even the more mundane like family visits, are great motivators. Trips are centered around dates and provide great incentive for you to make the time to learn and master new techniques. In addition following a trip we all make an effort to share what we’ve captured with family and friends. This is a great time to show off new skills you’ve integrated into your photographic work.

9. Track Your Progress: Look At Older Work

Don’t wait for the end of the year to evaluate older work. Check in from time to time through out the year to look at older work. This will serve as a reminder of areas of improvement to pursue and more importantly reveal the progress you’ve made. Depending on your level of effort and frequency of shooting you’ll be able to see improvement in a matter of months if not weeks.

10. Have Fun & Don’t Get Discouraged

Don’t lose sight of having fun. Photography is as much about the experience as it is realizing the final product. Enjoy the journey of improving your photography and don’t be discouraged. If you become frustrated take a break, and/ or talk to others about your situation to see if they have advice to offer. In the pursuit of enhancing your evolution as a photographer take part in photowalks, photo tours and workshops. All of these activities will put you in contact with photographers of varying backgrounds and experience levels giving you additional opportunity not just to learn, but have fun.

Post from: Digital Photography School - Photography Tips.

10 Ways to Top Your Best 2008 Photographs

Image by pinball215

The biggest nightmare of every photographer is the thought of catastrophic loss of their photographs. In the days of film, options were limited and often serious photographers would keep their negatives and slides in fire proof safes or bank safe deposit boxes. Even still several great photographers have had their work taken from them due to fire, water damage and even sub-grade storage supplies. Digital photography provides an additional level of complexity to photographers as they look to keep their photographic work safe. Now in addition to fire and water damage there is the risk of file corruption, failed drives and file format obsolescence. With increased risk comes the responsibility to be diligent in heading off such catastrophes with a solid backup plan. Below are 5 steps you can take to minimize risk of losing your digital photos.

1. Immediately back-up your photos to DVD after off loading them to your computer from your compact flash cards

Here is where procrastination can get the better of you. I have known several people who have accidentally deleted files from their compact flash cards before backing their photos up or deleted files from their computer with out having a backup. These days it’s not too hard to find a deal on a 100 disc spool of DVDs. Have one on hand and take the extra 15 minutes to burn a disc.

2. Backup your photos to a spare hard drive

Once you’ve copied your files over to your computer your next step should be to duplicate your files on a spare drive. Hard drives are a far faster mechanism to back up large quantities of files. Unfortunately their downside is that they break from time to time. As a result one should always spread out the risk of such a failure by having copies on multiple drives.

One should be mindful that there are other ways of accomplishing this step besides manually copying files from one drive to another. Hard drives with RAID setups can diffuse risk of drive failures by providing some level of automation to the process. RAID 1 will mirror content between two drives automatically while RAID 5 will spread your files across multiple drives all while maintaining enough overlap between them to restore a drive if one fails. See here for more on RAID.

3. Backup your photos to a spare hard drive you keep outside of your home or business

Maintaining a spare drive with your photos at home is only half the battle. Keeping another spare drive away from your other backups is critical especially when accounting for fire or natural disasters. For most this may seem like paranoia is setting in, but this best practice is one adopted by professional photographers and businesses alike. Whether photographs or customer information it in the end is data and best practices around data backup are the same. I have several friends that will keep their off-site backups with family or at their place of work. In either case be sure your off-site backup is far enough away from home that it won’t be subject to the same risks, but accessible enough that you can make frequent updates.

4. Upload copies to an online archiving service such as Photoshelter

Another option that has gained increased popularity is subscribing to online archiving services. These services themselves have complex drive and system redundancy keeping your uploaded files on servers in different geographical locations. These services do cost money and their is a time commitment required to upload your file. The upside to these types of services is that they are continually expanding their product offerings enabling subscribers to display and sell their work. This by no means is mandatory for people to do, but it is an option worth evaluating.

5. Update both your file and backup formats to a modern standard

One risk that is often overlooked is time. Film or prints deteriorate over time while digital equivalents face the risk of file/backup format obsolescence.  Not too long ago floppy disks were the back up format of choice, followed by CD and now DVD. In addition hard drives continue to expand in capacity and have evolving interfaces Parallel, SCSI, Firewire 400, Firewire 800, USB 1.0 and USB 2.0. I won’t even go into the niche of removable drives that seems to have come and gone. In addition file formats are constantly evolving, GIF, JPEG, TIF, PSD, DNG, proprietary RAW formats and who knows what else is to come. As a result of this changing landscape photographers must be on top of new technology trends and not just be willing, but eager to keep their archives up to date.

Photography certainly has many more dimensions to it these days and backing up photos is a critical facet to a modern workflow. Staying ahead of the game will not only help you avoid headaches at some point in the future it may actually give you a competitive edge if you expand your efforts beyond hobbyist pursuits.

So do you have your photos backed up?

This post was written by Jim M. Goldstein. Jim’s landscape, nature, travel and photojournalism photography is featured on his web site JMG-Galleries.com, and blog. In addition Jim’s podcast “EXIF and Beyond” features photographer interviews and chronicles the creation of some of his images. In addition Jim can be followed on Twitter and FriendFeed.

Post from: Digital Photography School - Photography Tips.

5 Ways To Never Lose Your Photos

Whether you’re using film or digital cameras the optics of lenses hasn’t changed as optics are all about math and physics. Don’t worry I don’t want to talk math or physics any more than you want to read about it, but there is a key principle that every photographer should be aware of and that is hyperfocal distance.

“When the lens is focused on the hyperfocal distance, the depth of field extends from half the hyperfocal distance to infinity.” – Photography, Phil Davis, 1972.

 

The short and sweet tip for those using shorter focal length lenses is to focus 1/3 of the way into your photo with a smaller aperture setting to maximize your depth of field.

Note for longer focal length lenses like telephoto lenses this principle still applies, but it becomes less of a factor for most people given the types of subjects  photographed with these lenses are generally less foreground-centric.

If your eyes haven’t glazed over yet there are more precise ways to calculate hyperfocal distance whether you use a point and shoot or an SLR. The best way to get an idea of what the hyperfocal distance is for your camera at different settings is to make use of a Depth of Field Calculator or chart. If you’re at home and interested in researching this then I recommend the following Depth of Field Calculator that covers a large number of cameras. If you’re looking for such information when in the field you can download a chart via Vividlight.com.

For most this is enough, but if you’re truly over the top you can purchase a laser rangefinder, do the math in the field and find out exactly how far ahead of your camera things will begin to be in sharp focus. The hyperfocal distance formula (via Wikipedia) is well known :

where

H is hyperfocal distance

f is focal length

N is f-number

c is the circle of confusion limit

Now that you’re armed with this key information hopefully the next outing you make with your camera will help you yield a greater number of images that are in sharp focus.

This post was written by Jim M. Goldstein. Jim’s landscape, nature, travel and photojournalism photography is featured on his web site JMG-Galleries.com, and blog. In addition Jim’s podcast “EXIF and Beyond” features photographer interviews and chronicles the creation of some of his images. In addition Jim can be followed on Twitter and FriendFeed.

Post from: Digital Photography School - Photography Tips.

The Secret to Ultra-Sharp Photos

When I posted The Best Photo Tip I Ever Received and turned the tables to ask what your best photo tip was I expected a few responses, but I was blown away by the response of 100 people. It just goes to show you that the collective knowledge of the photographic community should never be underestimated.

As a photographer it is extremely important to keep an open mind, seek out new knowledge and learn from others. In this point I know I’m preaching to the choir or else you wouldn’t be reading Digital Photography School. My point is that even those that write and post here at DPS have as much to learn from you as you from us. To take a little detour from my planned series of posts I wanted to point out my favorite “Best Photo Tips” by you the readers of DPS.

In no particular order they are…

1. “Think BEFORE you press the shutter” – Fuzzy

2. “Do you REALLY want a photo of this?” – Brian Rueb
   or
   “Would you put it on your wall?” – Chet
3. “Light is EVERYTHING in photography” – Teineli
   similarly…
   “Don’t take photographs of subjects, take photographs of the light” – Cedric
   and very succinctly put…
   “Your photo will be no better than the quality of the light… if the light is mediocre, do not expect anything more than a mediocre photo” – GL

4. “The difference between great photographers and a not so great photographers is that the great ones don’t show their crappy pictures.” – Bill Boem

5. “K.I.S.S. – Keep It Simple Stupid” – Laura

6. “Try to express your emotion in photo.” – Igor
7. “It’s not the camera” – Smitty
8. “Take notes on every shot – you will learn far more from your failures.” – D. T. North

9. “Bring your camera with you.” – Sybren

10. “Never stop learning.” – steaminhaggis

Honorable Mentions:

- “If it’s worth taking one photo of, it’s worth taking a whole roll of. ” – Dan Wolfgang

- “Know your gear” – Scott

- “Fill the frame.” – Tim

- “Stop reading – go shooting.” – UncleSam

To all that took the time to reply to the original post thanks and here’s to more great comments and conversations! If you didn’t yet add your best photography tip – feel free to do so in comments below or share some of your knowledge over in our digital photography forum.

This post was written by Jim M. Goldstein. Jim’s landscape, nature, travel and photojournalismphotography is featured on his web site JMG-Galleries.com, and blog. In addition Jim’s podcast “EXIF and Beyond” features photographer interviews and chronicles the creation of some of his images. In addition Jim can be followed on Twitter and FriendFeed.

Post from: Digital Photography School - Photography Tips.

10 Favorite “Best Photo Tips”…. By You!

Far and away the best photo tip I’ve received to date has been…

“Capture an image with a sharp foreground and the rest will follow.”

What does that mean and why is it so significant?

It means display something in the foreground of your photo that is in sharp focus and the other elements in the mid or background will lend itself well to the scene as a whole whether in soft or sharp focus. By default the human brain strives to find something to focus on and make sense of… a means to put order to the chaos of our surroundings if you will. You can think of this focal point as an anchor. Having an anchor of focus to the scene you photograph is extremely important. In fact I bet most of you don’t even realize you’re looking for a visual anchor when viewing an image. This behavior is an unconscious one, but a very important behavior to exploit in ones photography.

Once you recognize and harness this human behavior you begin to look at photography a little differently. As you line up subjects to photograph you begin to think in terms of what element of your image will be the subject, how to capture it sharply, and how much of the surroundings should then be in focus to accentuate your subject. This later point is a key component to the subject of my next post on understanding depth of field.

Until then… What has been the best photo tip you’ve received to date?

This post was written by Jim M. Goldstein. Jim’s landscape, nature, travel and photojournalism photography is featured on his web site JMG-Galleries.com, and blog. In addition Jim’s podcast “EXIF and Beyond” features photographer interviews and chronicles the creation of some of his images.

Post from: Digital Photography School - Photography Tips.

The Best Photo Tip I Ever Received… What Was Yours?

Nothing is more frustrating than seeing a great moment to photograph, but missing the opportunity to do so. I’ve missed my fair share of great moments either due to timing or worse lack of preparedness. Either way it’s no fun to miss a photo whatever the circumstances. The Art Of Being Prepared is just that, an art. So what can you do to minimize the chance you’ll miss that next great photo? Here are 12 ways to never miss a photo…

1. Have a camera bag that enables you to easily and quickly access your camera

If you’re stuck with an overly complicated bag that takes too long to open or is organized in such a way that other gear is in the way of you getting to your camera quickly you’re guaranteed to miss that next great spontaneous photo. Look for bags that have quick access flaps and aren’t cumbersome to secure.

note from the editor: lately we’ve been using a Lowepro SlingShot 100 (pictured left) which enables you to quickly get your DSLR off your back by flipping it around.

2. Be sure to have not just (1) one fully charged battery but (2) two

It’s easy to loose track of how long you’ve been using one battery and if your battery status is 1/4 full what does that really mean? Is a 1/4 battery going to last 30 minutes or 20 photos? It’s tough to tell and you might not know it, but battery life is dependent on how cold it is. Yup that’s right cold batteries don’t last as long, but there is a way around that as I discuss in a recent photo outing “Los Angeles City Lights & Maximizing Your Battery Life“. The trick… warm up your battery to squeeze out a few extra photos. Certainly a good tip to know if you’re in a squeeze, but why play with fire when you can just plan ahead. Carry that second battery with you and never make an excuse to leave it behind. You won’t regret it.

3. Be sure to clean the front and rear elements of your lens to minimize spots (optionally cleaning your camera sensor)

Spots in your photos are first and foremost lost data. Data you can fill with a cloning or healing brush, but lost data none the less. Why miss out on the original when you can get it right the first time with a little forethought. Properly preparing your lenses and camera will enable you to get the photo right the first time reduce the time you spend post-processing and dealing with spotting your images.

4. Before heading out make sure you have CF cards in your camera that are empty or have lots of free space

Being conscious both of your available storage capacity and having easy access to more cards can make or break a photo outing. Getting in to the habit of downloading and clearing your cards after each outing will help ensure that you always have the maximum space available.

5. Pre-set your camera settings for the type of subject you’re aiming to photograph

You don’t have to be psychic, but over time you should know the camera settings that you feel most comfortable with or will need before a given photo shoot. Your settings don’t have to be exact but making sure you’re in the general range of what you’ll need so you can quickly adjust to the right ISO, shutter speed, aperture, etc. settings is key. Nothing is worse than realizing that you’re shooting at ISO 1600 in bright daylight introducing more digital noise than would be preferred or having too low of an ISO set in low light conditions resulting in too long of an exposure blurring your subject. One thing I’ve learned to get into the habit of doing is putting my camera away at the end of the day with the same camera settings. This repetition has enabled me to routinely adjust from a common baseline for every photo outing. As a result of doing this I’ve since trained myself to think about my settings before and after heading out with my gear.

6. If you have a camera with image stabilization or vibration reduction set your lens appropriately for the subject

For those that have the luxury of using a lens with IS or VR be sure you have this function set appropriately for your subject. If you’re doing a lot of hand holding while photographing your subject or working in low light be sure this feature is on. If you’re using a longer focal length and have your camera mounted to a tripod be sure this feature is disabled. The end result in both of these situations will be sharper photos.

7. Have needed filters on your lens or take filters off your lens as necessary before heading out.

If you’re fumbling for filters when you should be focusing on your subject you’ll increase the likelihood of missing photo opportunities. Know your subject and know what you’ll need beforehand. If you’re in the mood to experiment preload filters on your lens and remove them as need be. It’s almost always faster to remove a filter than to fumble clumsily putting one on.

8. It may sound obvious but take off your lens cap.

I’m man enough to admit I’ve left my lens cap on more than once while trying to capture a fleeting moment. The habit I’ve developed to avoid this is to take off my lens cap as soon as my camera comes out of my camera bag. If I’m concerned about the safety of my lens I’ll keep it on, but with my hand cupped on the cap attached to the front element of the lens. As soon as I decide to use my camera my hand comes off the lens with the lens cap in hand.

9. Head out with a notion of what you’d like to photograph and how, but always keep your eyes open for new subjects and the unexpected

Priming your minds eye to what you want to photograph is often helpful, but it can also be a distraction. If you lock on to a preconceived notion of what you want to photograph too intensely you’re apt to miss other great opportunities that are right under your nose. Have a notion of what you’d like to photograph, but keep your eyes and mind open.

10. Have your camera on and your hand on your camera bag

Keeping your camera on ensures that you won’t have to wait those extra seconds for your camera to start up when a photographic opportunity arises. If you’re in need of protection and have your camera in a camera bag keep your hand on your camera or near it so you can retrieve it at a moments notice. Those seconds add up and can make the difference between getting the photo you want and missing it.

11. Stay focused

Whether you’re out looking for the spontaneous or waiting out an inevitable moment worthy of capturing keep focused. Murphy’s Law would have it that the moment you take your eye off of your subject, is the moment your subject does exactly what you wanted to photograph. In my book this is by far one of the most frustrating things to experience.

12. Don’t Chimp

Chimping is when a photographer “Oohs” and “Aaah” while looking at images on their LCD screen. If you’re photographing something don’t get caught up in the self-gratification of reviewing your photos. Check to make sure your settings are ok, but keep your eye on your subject and remember #11.

There’s no guarantee by following these recommendations that you’ll capture every fast moving photo opportunity, but it will likely increase your odds of doing so.

This post was written by Jim M. Goldstein. Jim’s landscape, nature, travel and photojournalism photography is featured on his web site JMG-Galleries.com, and blog. In addition Jim’s podcast “EXIF and Beyond” features photographer interviews and chronicles the creation of some of his images.

Post from: Digital Photography School - Photography Tips.

12 Ways To Never Miss A Photo Opportunity

In my previous article “Make the Best of Bad Weather – 6 Challenges for Photographers” I noted how photography is all about the light. Sounds easy enough on the surface but as photographers we tend to be subject focused rather than light focused. What I mean by that is we’ll see something unique or different and focus on that rather than the lighting and resulting exposure needed to transform your subject. The right lighting can make or break an image setting the stage for others to see it as a snapshot or a photograph.

Just as finding and seeing a subject is challenging, so too is finding lighting conducive to taking dramatic photographs. The Golden Hour is always referenced as a great time to take photos, but its not the only time to take photos with dramatic lighting. Training your eye to see dramatic light and the different variations of it takes some self-training.

Side Lighting

As you might expect Side Lighting is when the lighting is coming from the side. This usually provides a great deal of contrast, can create long shadows and adds depth to the image. This type of lighting can add a dramatic flare to architectural and portraiture photography.

Back Lighting

Back lighting is when light is behind your subject and is directed at you and your camera. This type of lighting creates silhouettes quiet easily. Combined with certain atmospheric conditions such as fog or airborne dust you can get dramatic lighting effects.

Rim Lighting

When light comes in at an acute angle it can create highlights along the edges of your subject. The stark contrast that it provides highlights shape and form. This type of lighting adds impact to macro, wildlife, nature and fine art nude photography.

Ambient Light

Ambient light is non-direct soft lighting that often is bounced from one surface to another. As a result of the non-direct lighting, brightness of your subject is lower than with other types of lighting. In fact this type of lighting often tricks people the most as we seldom think about it consciously. Most photographers might just ignore it looking for other types of lighting. Ambient light works well for a variety of photographic genres particularly landscape photography.

Soft or Diffuse Light

Soft light is diffuse providing lighting that is even. This type of lighting reduces contrast and minimizes shadows. Soft light is excellent for portraiture, macro, and nature photography.

Hard Light

Hard light is quite direct and can often be intense in brightness. This type of lighting creates strong shadows and high contrast. Highlights can be quiet intense under Hard lighting conditions so special care should be made with ones exposure. Hard light can be stylistically applied to most any photographic genre, but for many eyes it can be less appealing than other types of lighting.

Spotlight

Very simply Spot Light is when a focused amount of light highlights a particular section of your subject or scene. This type of lighting can create strong shadows and contrast. Spot light can add dramatic impact to all genres of photography.

Artificial Lighting

The most obvious type of lighting is Artificial lighting. This can be generated from a variety studio lights, and built in or external flash units. There are few genres of photography that Artificial lighting cannot be used successfully. Artificial lighting provides a lot of flexibiltiy and creative opportunities. If interested in learning more about artificial lighting techniques check out the Strobist web site.

Various Combinations of Lighting

Lastly there is the combination of any or all of these types of lighting. There is no rule that states you have to live with just one form of lighting. Creatively lighting your subject is an integral part of the photographic process.

Now that these various types of lighting have been called out, as you look at photos you like or as you go out to take new photos, keep this information in the back of your mind. Ask yourself what is the lighting that makes this image I’m viewing or about to take so appealing? Study and learn the lighting and soon you’ll find this knowledge filtering into your work both consciously and unconsciously. Setting up and/or finding the right light will help you accentuate your subject and create images with greater impact.


This post was written by Jim M. Goldstein. Jim’s landscape, nature, travel and photojournalism photography is featured on his web site JMG-Galleries.com, and blog. In addition Jim’s podcast “EXIF and Beyond” features photographer interviews and chronicles the creation of some of his images.

Post from: Digital Photography School - Photography Tips.

9 Lighting Types to Harness & Improve Your Photography

Photography is definitely not a one size fits all art form. Photography comes in many formats including large, medium or 35mm. Non-35mm formats not only offer photographers a variety of display options outside of the standard 3:2 ratio but greater resolution and detail. Many 35mm photographers often think of their layout options as tied to a single standard horizontal or vertical image, but one of the great things digital offers is the ability to create digital panoramic photos by stitching multiple photographs together. Stitching photographs together enables 35mm shooters the ability to mimic larger format display ratios and create custom dimension panoramic photographs. To get you started in stitching photographs for panoramic images there are a few best practices that you should acquaint yourself with that follow. If you have time I invite you to learn more on the subject by listening to my most recent podcast episode EXIF and Beyond: Mastering Digital Panoramic Photography.

1. Think Beyond The Single Frame

Panoramic photographs require a shift in thinking. Normally to squeeze more of a scene in frame you shoot with as short a focal length as possible. Shooting wide is the normal solution, but for panoramic images you’re actually looking to simulate or just create an even wider focal length by stitching together images each with a narrow field of view. To do this you can actually shoot a very wide scene with a longer focal length lens. Often I’ll shoot panoramic images at a focal length of 100-200mm. The added benefit is that the resulting panoramic image will contain even more detail than if I had opted for a single wide angle shot.

2. Use A Tripod

Many people cringe when you mention a tripod, but a tripod is going to be your best friend if you’re stitching images together. You’ll end up with sharper images, gain greater control and it will enable you to create work in lower light where hand holding will result in poor quality images. If you don’t use a tripod regularly now I highly recommend it. A tripod combined with a bubble level will help you keep your camera level ensuring your resulting images will be oriented correctly. Having a set of level images to stitch together will result in a final image that will require less straightening and cropping in post-processing.

Image Note: Made From (6) Six Vertical Images – Equivalent to a 50+ megapixel image

3. Lock Your Exposure or Shoot In Manual Mode

One of the most frustrating things about panoramic photography for those first trying it out is that you’ll take a series of photos, get home and realize that all the images have different brightness levels. Here’s the trick to avoid this problem. If your camera has a Lock Exposure control make sure to use it when shooting a series of images for a panoramic. If you don’t have this feature make sure you determine the proper settings for the scene and in Manual mode use the same settings for each image taken for your panoramic. The consistency in settings will net consistency in image brightness making for a cleaner image stitch.

4. Simple Things To Avoid Problems

Shooting with shorter focal length lenses introduces the the prospect of distortion that will make for an unnatural looking stitch. Many wide angle lenses suffer from varying amounts of barrel distortion. Simply avoid this by shooting with lenses that have a longer focal length. In general longer focal length lenses exhibit less barrel distortion. Another tip to avoid problems with stitching images together is minimizing the use of filters. Polarizers in particular will darken corners and depending on the angle of light will create significant variation in sky color across a scene. My recommendation don’t shoot panoramics with polarizers or use them very selectively with minimal polarization. Shooting with too many filters on your lens can also introduce vignetting, darkening seen on the fringes and corner of the image. Minimize vignetting by minimizing the amount of filters used.

Image Note: Made from (5) Five Vertical Images – Equivalent to a 40+ megapixel image

4. Image Overlap

How much should your images overlap to make a decent panoramic? The best practice is 20%. Anything less may create problems particularly if you take short cuts with the previously noted best practices. Overlapping images more than 20% is never a bad thing, but may very well be overkill.

5. Stitching Photos

These days a lot of tools are at a photographers fingertips for stitching images together. Many camera makes include photo stitching software and you can easily stitch images together in programs like Photoshop. Read up on the software you own to see what support there is for photo stitching. If you own Photoshop I highly recommend using the Photomerge function (File > Automate > Photomerge). Selecting your images is easily done and the program makes the process almost thought free. The more consistent you are in getting well exposed, overlapped and level images the easier time you’ll have letting programs like Photoshop do the work for you. After getting the hang of these basic best practices you’ll find that there is a new world open to you whether stitching a few photos together to mimic the creation of a large format image or creating complex multi-row panoramics to create mind-blowingly detailed high resolution photos.

Post from: Digital Photography School - Photography Tips.

High Impact Photography With Panoramics