Today I’d like to try something a little different on the blog and open up a topic for some disucssion.
This one could cause some ‘energetic’ conversation but I’d love to do an informal poll on it anyway.
What image format do you shoot in - and why?
Some of you will have to answer JPEG because your camera doesn’t offer you RAW - but those of us with the choice - I’d love to hear your opinion and some of the reasoning for you choice.
There’s no right or wrong ultimately (although I know some readers hold strong opinions on the matter) - but hopefully in the discussion and reasons for your answer we’ll have some good learning.
While repetition in the humdrum of daily life can at times be a little boring - capturing it in your photography can create an image with real impact.
Life is filled with patterns - many of which we overlook due to the business of our days - however once you get an eye for spotting them (and it takes being intentional and some practice) you’ll be amazed by what you see and you’ll wonder why you didn’t incorporate them into your photography before.
When it comes to capturing repetition in photography a couple of techniques come to mind - you can either emphasize it or break it. Let me explain with a few examples:
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This week’s photoblogger of the week is Thomas Hawk. Thomas is the CEO of the Zooomr photosharing site, photographer, blogger and digital media enthusiast. His blog is an interesting mix of photos and text on a variety of aspects of his life (opinion on digital media services, blogging and photography. See more of Thomas Hawk’s work at his Zooomr account.
As usual - I’ve asked Thomas to share a photography tip with us as well as a description of his camera kit. I hope you enjoy reading what Thomas has to say!
Thomas Hawk’s Digital Photography Gear
My camera kit looks like this: Canon EOS 5D, Canon EOS-10D (obviously the 10D gets a lot less action than the 5D these days), Canon EF 135mm f/2L, Canon EF 50mm f/1.2 L, Canon L 24 f/1.2, Get the latest price on the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro and then some old Canon zooms that I don’t really use any more. 1. 8 gig Seagate Microdrive. 1 8 gig Sandisk flash memory card, 1 4 gig generic flash memory card. Canon cable release, Manfrotto tripod and a MacBook Pro laptop.
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I’ve noticed that my DSLR’s lens has lots of smudges on it that are starting to impact the quality of my images but I’m too scared to clean it because I’m worried about scratching it. Do you have any suggestions? - Chris
Cleaning your camera’s lenses should be a regular (although not too regular) part of any camera owner’s maintenance. While you do need to be very careful during this process it’s not something to be frightened about. The best time to clean a lens is when it’s dirty - don’t get in the habit of cleaning it off daily or you’ll do more damage than good. However when the time comes to clean it here are a few simple tips:
Use a UV or Skylight filter
Before I get into cleaning techniques let me share a tip that all DSLR users should consider. For each lens you own you should consider purchasing a UV or skylight filter. Keep it attached to your lens at all times. In addition to it cutting out UV light they will protect your lens from scratches or even breakage. It also means that when you do your cleaning you’ll just be cleaning the filter instead of the actual lens (unless dust gets right in). Keep in mind that filters come in different levels of quality - if you have a high end lens consider investing in a higher end filter.
Lens hoods can also help protect the end of your lens as do the lens caps for both the front and back end of your lens that come with it - always use them!
Lens Cleaning Fluid
In most camera stores you’ll find an alcohol based lens cleaning fluid that is well worth having. It will help you to lift off fingerprints and other smudges without leaving streaks on your lens or filter. Keep in mind that you don’t need too much of this fluid at a time - usually just a drop or two wiped in a gentle circular motion with a cleaning tissue will remove most marks on a lens or filter. Always apply the fluid to a cloth or tissue rather than the lens itself.
Alternatively - many photographers believe that simply breathing on your lens and then wiping with a cloth is a safer method for cleaning it - rather than introducing harsh fluids. My own approach is to start with breath and then use the fluids for difficult marks to remove.
Cleaning Tissues
To apply the cleaning fluid grab yourself some lens tissues. They are a very thin paper that will let you wipe your lenses without scratching them. These tissues are one use tissues and should be thrown away after using. Don’t use normal facial tissues - these are too rough and will scratch your lens.
Cleaning Cloth
An alternative to cleaning tissues is the more modern microfiber cleaning cloth. These washable cloths grab a hold of dust and oils on your lens. The main thing to be aware of with them is to keep them clean themselves with a regular wash - alternatively just buy yourself a new one as they are very cheap to buy and that’ll negate the risk of wiping something from your wash into your lens.
Before using a cloth always check the lens to make sure you don’t have any larger pieces of grit on it. The last thing you want to do is wipe it into your lens causing a scratch. Remove any larger gritty dust using a blower or brush before wiping.
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Regular readers of DPS will know of my love for shooting from down low to get an image that emphasizes the height of subjects.
I love the way shooting from ground level creates wonderful foregrounds and puts a completely new perspective of familiar scenes. In addition to this it’s great for photographing children, pets and wildlife as it really puts you on their level and helps you enter their world.
However photography is a wonderful thing because sometimes it’s when you go to extremes that you can get the best shots. While shooting from low down leads to interesting shots - so does getting up high and shooting down on your subject.
Here are six reasons why shooting from up high can be something worth considering:
- flattens objects - shooting down on a scene tends to flatten it out. While this can mean depth of field doesn’t come into play as much it can highlight patterns, textures and shapes well.
- no horizons - photographing a scene below you eliminates horizons and skies. This means less big empty blue spaces in your shots and hopefully more points of interest.
- less distracting backgrounds - because most of your scene will be the same distance from your lens you might find yourself with less (or no) backgrounds to have to scan before you snap your shot.
- group shots - if you’re photographing a large group of people, shooting from up high is a great way to fit everyone in as less space is filled up with legs and torsos and more filled up with faces.
- shadows - I love shooting from up high at the start or end of a day when shadows are at their longest. When shooting from ground level at such times the light can be wonderful but it’s almost impossible to get a full shadow in frame. Shooting down captures the way light hits objects in ways that can give a whole new perspective on a subject.
- new perspectives - sometimes it is difficult to photograph familiar objects in a way that keeps them looking fresh and interesting. I’m thinking of iconic buildings or structures for example. Shooting from up high can reveal things about those objects that no one may have seen before.
When I asked a few DPS readers for their favorite photobloggers, one name came up a few times - Troy Ringley from rgbthere. The interesting thing was the when I visited his blog he’d not updated it for some time. On the surface it looks a little stagnant - but dig under the surface a little and you’ll find some wonderful photography.
Troy’s been kind enough to tell us about the gear he uses as well as to share a tip on producing good nature images. He’s also given us this wonderful image. Now if only we could get him posting a little more often!
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