Photography hacks – adapting your equipment

Seven photography hacks :: adapting your equipment

Seven photography hacks

Photography hacks- making something work differently

In most shots our standard equipment does what is required. Yet, the standard shot is not always what we want. Sometimes we want to make some special effort to provide a different effect, a new view. There are many thousands of photography hacks. Each one can give us something different. Some are more radical than others. But what it really comes down to is making our equipment fit our need to get a specific type of outcome.

Regular readers will know that creative work often involves visualisation. Seeing a hoped-for image outcome in your head helps you to have ideas. Such pre-thinking can help you plan how to use or adapt your equipment. To get the desired result you may have to do all sorts of small adaptions. Walk into any working studio and you will see, card, boards, gaffer tape, clamps, flags. They are all there to help jury-rig things into a new way of creating an effect for the shoot.

These photography hacks are the mainstay of studio work and important on location too. You can do lots of simple things to change the light, the colours, the shadows, the effects of light on your lens, and so on. All that is required is to try and think ahead about what you want to achieve. Then, find ways to change your equipment to get the effect. Familiarity with your equipment helps. As you get creative, then other ideas will come to mind. Look around for ways to change things, or to get new effects.

Photography hacks video

In the video, “7 Simple Photography Hacks” you can get an insight into some of the basic ideas. These are a good start for some examples you can develop yourself. Spend a little time thinking about things you have around you. See if some of them could be used in your own photography hacks.
Provided by COOPH Photography hacks video | External link - opens new tab/page

Messy

The “Vaseline” photography hack in the video can be a bit messy. Only do it on a filter, not the lens. And, try to keep any of the “Vaseline” off the rest of the camera. It is difficult to clean up too. So use an old filter.

Another photography hack for you to try

Here is another idea you can use. It is less messy and gives some satisfying results too…

  • Cut a section out of a fine quality pair of ladies tights (psst… make sure they are surplus first!).
  • Pull the piece tight across the end of your lens.
  • Fix it in place by securing it with elastic bands tight enough over the end of the lens to hold it taught.
  • Take your photo through the material of the tights.
  • To vary the effect, you can make a central hole in the material.
  • Try different colours, try different types of tights knit.

This one is a very old photography hack. It used to be used a lot in wedding shoots years ago. It is just as effective today. Have a go. It is fun.

Let us have some of your shots. We would love to put up a few for others to see.

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Damon Guy - Netkonnexion

Damon Guy (Netkonnexion)

Damon is a writer-photographer and editor of this site. He has run some major websites, a computing department and a digital image library. He started out as a trained teacher and now runs training for digital photogs.
See also: Editors ‘Bio’.
By Damon Guy see his profile on Google+.

Expression in your photography is you

Expression :: Put you into your portfolio

• Expression :: Put you into your portfolio •
[Image taken from the video below].

Let go of other peoples expectations

Photographers often say about their work that they “should” be doing this or that. Or, maybe they say they would be “better” doing this instead of that with their work. Often that just adds up to a statement about their aspirations. Often these aspirations are reactions to what they think people want. They are not true expressions of who they really are.

It is all too easy for us to fall foul of fashion and social pressure in our photography. Amateur and professional alike, photogs are artists. True expression is really about what we feel. Not what we do to meet the expectations of fashion or popular interest.

Expression – understanding our inner selves

When we are truly satisfied with a photo it’s not because we think everyone else is going to think it’s great. It is because we know we have done something good. We’ve done something that really expresses how we feel about the shot we have just made. Expression is our inner artist coming out.

I met a photographer once who thought, when he got started, that it was all about glamour and glory. He tried hard for four or five years to be “be a professional photographer”. He did everything his boss told him. He took the pictures his boss said would make him successful. He worked continually to meet the goals set by the photographic fashions and the aspirations his boss had for him. He even did a part time college course and learnt all the academic and background ideas. He did as he was told, learnt the trade – and failed.

Twenty years later, when I met him, he was working as a local government officer. I asked him why he had given up photography. He told me he had not. He gave up being a pro-photographer and for a long time did not pick up a camera. Then, one day, years later he did. And, he discovered what photography was really about. It is about expression.

What he’d not seen in those heady days when learning the trade was his own inner artist. Everything he did was for others. All his pictures were motivated by external influences. Then, years later, when the pressure was off he discovered something. Actually photography is a very hands on, gritty sort of profession. There really is not much glamour. But there is a lot you can say about the world. A photographer, like any artist needs to let themselves out. The expression of what they feel about a scene is what they should be working on. Not what everyone else thinks should be said about a scene.

Expression IS photography

Make sure your pictures say something. Let people know who you are through your pictures. Tell them what you are interested in. Communicate with them through your images. Make pictures in their minds. Expression is everything in photography. It says “I love this”, or “that is important”, or “my heart was in this scene”… or whatever. Expression IS photography.

Who you are goes deeper than your portfolio

Here is a short video clip with a famous photographer, Jeremy Cowart Expression :: Jeremy Cowert | External link - opens new tab/page. It shows something many photographers forget. When your pictures reach out to someone, the influence is more profound than the talent of technical excellence. Telling people who you are and what you are thinking through your pictures is a powerful expression.
Uploaded by CreativeLive

 


 
What’s Your Mark? Every Moment Counts Expression :: Book review - What's Your Mark?: Every Moment Counts | External link - opens new tab/page | External link - opens new tab/page
In this extraordinary book Jeremy Cowen delivers amazing photography. With it he tells some equally extraordinary stories. The book breaches the boundaries of ordinary coffee-table photography books. The stories cut straight to the heart. Human interest and art do live together. This book brings that out.
What’s Your Mark? Every Moment Counts by Jeremy Cowart (Photographer) and Brad Davis (Designer), Expression :: Book review - What's Your Mark?: Every Moment Counts | External link - opens new tab/page | External link - opens new tab/page

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Damon Guy - Netkonnexion

Damon Guy (Netkonnexion)

Damon is a writer-photographer and editor of this site. He has run some major websites, a computing department and a digital image library. He started out as a trained teacher and now runs training for digital photogs.
See also: Editors ‘Bio’.
By Damon Guy see his profile on Google+.

File format types – editing is different in each one

File format types :: Photographic Lens Diagram.

• Theoretical Lens diagram •
Diagrams are different to photographic images. This diagram is drawn using a vector image editor. Another sort of editor is used for an image or photo file. These editors each have their own file format types.
(Click image to see a definition of a photographic lens.)

What is in a file format?

All files have extensions that tell us what they are. In photography file format types tend to be either compressed, lossy files (*.jpg, *.GIF, *.PNG files etc.) or RAW files (CR2, NEF, TIFF etc). Actually these are both of the same generic file type – Bit Maps or Raster Images.

File format types – Vector images

The image above is the type of diagram used on this website for showing more technical ideas. It was drawn in a vector image editor and saved as a vector image file for later update or re-use.

The vector file format types are useful for creating precise diagrams. The lines and shapes are each produced with editing tools that make mathematical models for them. The pixels which display the lines are under the control of the math-models and display colours (black, white, red etc) so you see the shapes they make. The diagram is precise, crisp and clean.

The precision, measurement and scalability of the model comes from the predictable formulae. However, to save the file for use on the Internet requires another of the File format types. Vector files need to be converted to raster files.

File format types – Raster images

The mathematical-model type of diagram is more difficult to produce in an image editor for processing photographic files. For photo edits we use an image editor for painting, cloning and shading and erasing and so on. These types of image editors create what is known as a raster image or bitmap image. These raster images use file format types suited to art, free hand drawing/painting and image processing.

The raster files are ‘bitmaps‘. These are created from arrays of sensors. Each tiny sensor spot on our cameras’ digital image sensor is a ‘photosite‘. It’s a collection point of data (bits of data) for the light coming into the camera. There are millions of these sensors (mega-pixels of them).

Add up all that data and display it on a screen and the pixels on the screen show us an image (a bitmap). Each tiny bit of data collected at a photosite is translated to a bit of data that represents it on screen in a pixel. The image reproduces the real world.

Editors can do both raster and vector processing

The two file format types, ‘raster’ and ‘vector’, are not inter-changeable. They have to be converted from one to the other. This needs to be done using one of the tools in the editor you are using. It may mean saving the file in the new format and then re-opening it. It may need to be re-opened in another editor for further editing.

Some editors can create both File format types. But the two types of image data need to be kept separated. In most editors this is done by creating “layers” for each format type. Some layers form vector lines and graphical objects. In other layers the data the makes up raster objects. This means they can retain the special properties that make them useful. For example, precise lines in vectors and, say, variable hue/tone for brush strokes in a raster image.

Mixed editing allows us to do artistic work or process photos. And, within the same image, we can put in precise graphical and geometric components.

In the final display…

In the end both file format types give up most of their editing properties. The full format of each type tends to have very large files. Too large to use easily on the Internet. When we save these files for display we reduce the editing ability. This reduces the file size.

In vector files we “rasterize” the vector components to convert to image files. These in may still be too big for Internet use. They may need to be made smaller.

Raster files in full format can be reduced by taking out a lot of editable data in the file. That reduction (compression) makes them easier to use on the Internet. So in the end the file format becomes the *.jpg, *.GIF, *.PNG files etc. that we know so well. The reduced data means the new format, (eg. *.jpg) is not easily edited without affecting the visible quality of the image.

A comparison…

If all this seems a little technical think of it this way…

A spread sheet program is suited to doing maths, processing numbers and doing statistics. On the other hand a word processor is suited to writing text, manipulating words, using natural language and laying out pages. Both use numbers and letters. Both use mathematical tools and writing tools.

The unique forms of the word processor and spread sheet make each suitable to a particular purpose. A spread sheet works in a mathematical way (with some wordage). Word processors are more about language but use of number when needed.

Vector graphics and raster graphics have almost the same distinctions. They do it with art (in say, ‘PhotoShop’) and draughtsmanship (in say, ‘Illustrator’ or other draughting or drawing editor). Spread sheets and word processors have their own file format types too.

Glossary entries about file format types

Entries in our Glossary explain file format types in more detail…
Definition: Raster Image :: artistic and photographic images.
Definition: Vector Image :: precise diagrams, graphs and geometric pictures.
Rastor images vs. Vector images – a comparison table.

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Damon Guy - Netkonnexion

Damon Guy (Netkonnexion)

Damon is a writer-photographer and editor of this site. He has run some major websites, a computing department and a digital image library. He started out as a trained teacher and now runs training for digital photogs.
See also: Editors ‘Bio’.
By Damon Guy see his profile on Google+.

Images should make a point… photographic meaning

No Image Today - put photographic meaning in every image you make.

• No Image Today •
There should be a point to every image you make. An image is a communication. Without meaning it is just a picture.

What is a true image?

If your picture has succeeded it has to conjure an image in the mind of the viewer. But if your picture is just that, a picture, it will not succeed. For the genuine photographer, nice is not good enough. A picture should have a meaning, a point, something that makes it a communication. It should have something that makes it an image in the viewers mind.

Photographic meaning… the punch in the picture

Uncertainty about the validity of an image is a necessary part of creativity. Especially in the sense that you should always question, “Have I actually said anything in this picture?” Photographic meaning is an important idea. To really comprehend it, ask yourself if your picture says anything. Be sure you have really transformed it into an image.

I remember once sitting by an autumnal birch tree. It had lovely little yellow leaves and was a nice shape. I took a picture of it. But in the end that picture was simply a nice tree. It spoke to me because of the few minutes pleasure it gave me as I admired it. The picture had nothing to say to anyone else. I never showed it to anyone else, ever. It was about my feelings. It said nothing and was of no benefit to anyone else. It had no photographic meaning. It’s now lost in the obscurity of hundreds of thousands of my other images. ‘Nice’ is simply not good enough to achieve photographic meaning.

We could be picky and obtuse. “Well, it had a non-fatalistic statement to make about the environmental impact of an autumnal tree in its cardinal state, doing what birch trees do… etc.”. Actually, saying anything about it would be mere fluff on the wind. It was a non-picture. Devoid of photographic meaning, it satisfied nothing in the viewer.

You could say the picture now has a ‘raison d’etre’ following this blog. But that was not a necessary, or sufficient, reason for the picture. It’s a post hoc justification for its existence.

The Photographer’s Eye: Composition and Design for Better Digital Photos

When I first read this I wondered how useful it would be. But I learned the importance of photographic meaning. Composition in all its forms is critical to great image-making. Read this book. It is a visual treat as well as a great insight to the power of design and composition in your photography.
The Photographer’s Eye: Composition and Design for Better Digital Photos

Communication

Think of all photographs you make as a way to communicate something. That birch tree picture did not speak to an audience. I remember it now because I sat and stared at the picture for ages thinking, “What was I thinking about to take this picture?”. As an image it conjured nothing in the mind of the viewer. As a picture it failed to pass the photographic meaning test.

Nice is not good enough – images must carry photographic meaning

The ‘birch tree’ incident, not the picture, serves as a reminder. Creativity should have a point – be an actual communication. Otherwise it will have no photographic meaning and little else to commend its existence.

A dedication – Photographic Meaning

This is dedicated to my friend Alison. She struggles to understand her own significance as a communicator. Actually, her astute photo-observations convey a lot of photographic meaning.

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Damon Guy - Netkonnexion

Damon Guy (Netkonnexion)

Damon is a writer-photographer and editor of this site. He has run some major websites, a computing department and a digital image library. He started out as a trained teacher and now runs training for digital photogs.
See also: Editors ‘Bio’.
By Damon Guy see his profile on Google+.

Settings for overcoming hand-shake blur

Balance your settings to avoid hand-shake blur in low light.

First dance
Low light photography needs a careful balance of settings to ensure a sharp shot and avoid hand-shake blur.

Hand-shake blur and sharp results.

Hand held shots often return blurred results. While using auto-settings the problem does not seem to arise. What is going on and how do you overcome hand-shake blur?

Manual settings and auto

Your digital camera is a sophisticated computer. It has access to a range of powerful programs that make decisions about each shot. When you use auto settings you are handing the camera over to the control of its programming. The auto setting is selected with the green square on the program dial. It makes all the decisions and you just point and shoot. This ‘auto’ strategy is limited. It leaves you unable to make creative decisions about your shot. Depth of field, movement blur and the light or dark emphasis in a scene is beyond your control.

With any of the manual settings on the program dial things are different. Shutter speed (S or Tv), Aperture (A or Av) and ISO settings allow you to get control of the exposure. Once you control these settings you are able to make creative decisions about your shot. But if you get it wrong you might allow hand-shake blur to creep in. Equally, with the right strategy, you can also set up to prevent the effects of hand-shake blur.

What causes hand-shake blur

Low light, long shutter opening or low ISO can all contribute. Hand shake-blur is caused by hand movement while the shutter is open. To prevent it you shorten the time the shutter is open. With a shorter shutter opening any hand movement is not given time to impact on the shot. Very fast shutter opening, say 1000th of a second, freezes the shot. The hand has almost no time to move in that short period. So, no hand-shake blur.

However, short shutter opening time means less light reaches the sensor. A good exposure requires sufficient light. A shutter speed of 1000th of a second would leave the picture under exposed in low light conditions. On the other hand, if you select a 15th of a second, the shutter is open for a long time. Hey presto! Enough light. But, (boo!) hand-shake blur. The shutter is open too long. Your hands have plenty of time to move.

Over coming hand-shake blur is about balance

If you raise the ISO setting, the sensor becomes more sensitive to light. So, raise the ISO until you can set the shutter to around 200th of a second. At that speed it is easier to hold the camera steady.

Of course, if you have to raise the ISO a lot to allow 200ths sec. you will get a grainy picture. Raising the ISO reduces the quality of the shot. Ideally an ISO setting of 100 will give you the best quality photographic result. On an average day you may have to set your ISO at around 200 or 400 to get a 200ths of a second shutter speed. Up to about ISO 800 the quality from most good DSLRs will be fine. After that, the quality of the image will be affected more and more by grain or “Digital Noise”.

Pictures taken in a dark church, or at an evening dance will have very low light. So, as an example, an ISO of 1600 would possibly give you enough sensitivity to work with a shutter speed of, say, 160th of a second. That would allow you to get a hand-held shot without hand-shake blur, if you have a steady hand. But you might also get a little digital noise in the final image.

Getting the right settings between the ISO and shutter speed is a fine balance. You need to raise the ISO the right amount to give you the shutter speed you need. Too much ISO and you get bad quality in the picture. Too little ISO and you will be forced to use a shutter speed that’s too low. Hand holding under these low light conditions may cause hand-shake blur.

Hand-shake blur and aperture

With ‘auto’ shots the camera program takes account of the light conditions. The program sets the ISO, aperture and shutter speed to values that allow shorter shutter opening. So far we have only discussed shutter speed and ISO. But aperture has a part to play too.

If you open the aperture wider it lets in more light. So, you don’t need to raise your ISO so high if you also open your aperture. In our church example above, an ISO of 800 (not 1600), shutter speed of 200th sec. and an aperture of f4 (wide) could create a good exposure.

If your aperture is set at say f11 (small) less light will get through. So, again you are going to need to have higher ISO or long shutter opening (or both), depending on your light conditions. A small aperture, like f11, will give you a sharp picture to infinity. But, you may have to sacrifice picture quality (high ISO) or suffer hand-shake blur (from longer shutter opening).

The wide aperture does have a penalty too. As the aperture gets wider the depth of field gets shallower. So once again we are back to a balance. To hand-hold a camera we must make decisions about all three basic settings – Shutter speed, aperture and ISO.

Other strategies for avoiding hand-shake blur

Camera movement or hand-shake blur can be avoided in a lot of different ways. Sometimes you must work in situations where hand-shake blur is inevitable without more radical solutions. Then there are other things you can do to reduce hand-shake blur. Here are some of them…

  • Lens anti-vibration: Many quality lenses have anti-vibration systems. These sophisticated systems detect hand-shake blur as it happens and counteract it. This might extend your safe shutter speed down to quite slow shutter speeds (say a 60th of a second). While this many not solve all your problems it can help in less extreme light conditions.
  • Tripod: A steady platform will prevent camera movement. If you need a long shutter opening then work from a tripod to eliminate hand-shake blur.
  • Flash: If you are working in a low light situation you may need to raise light levels. A flash unit, on or off the camera, is one answer. An intense flash of light can raise the light high enough for you to work with settings that prevent hand-shake blur.
  • Studio lights: More controllable, but more expensive, these lights can accurately raise light levels to enable you to reliably avoid hand-shake blur and get a good exposure.
  • Reflectors: You can use these to bring more light to where you are working by, say, reflecting from another artificial light or natural light source. Reflectors are particularly useful in reducing the darker areas of a shot. You can reflect the light to just raise light levels in some areas bringing the over all light level up. As the light level across the shot is raised the hand-shake blur can be reduced since shutter speed can be faster.
  • Improve your stance: A better stance is a great way to improve your steadiness.
  • Go to the gym: “What? This is about photography not fitness”, I hear you say. Well, here is a revelation. If your arms are stronger you can hold the camera steadier. A DSLR is a heavy object. Especially after a long session your arms will not hold the camera steady. If your camera is too heavy for you – well, strengthen up. Actually, more strength gives you much better motor control of your hands in any case. You will be able to hold even a point and shoot camera or phone with a steadier hand after regular exercise. Photography, like all other pursuits benefits from a fit body. Improved fitness will reduce hand-shake blur.
The answer to avoiding hand-shake blur

The auto program in your camera may give good results and reduce hand-shake blur. However, it will only do so in average conditions. In more extreme conditions, or where you want to exert some creative control over your shot you need to go manual.

The use of manual settings gives you control. You can control depth of field, subject movement-blur and light vs. dark emphasis in your shots. But, to get the best out of your camera you will need to set it up to avoid hand-shake blur. In this article I have tried to help you understand that the settings you pick can help you control hand-shake blur. Overall, the answer lies in creating a balance between the basic settings of aperture, shutter speed and ISO so that your hand held shutter speed is around 200ths of a second or higher. Lower than 200ths of a second and hand-shake blur is liable to creep into your shots.

Of course there are other things you can do to help raise your shutter speed. I have mentioned some of them. But they all have the same effect. They either stabilise the camera (tripod) or allow you to get the shutter speed high enough so you can steady the camera. So, now you know. Get out there and try to get your settings so you have around a 200th of a second when you take the shot.

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Damon Guy - Netkonnexion

Damon Guy (Netkonnexion)

Damon is a writer-photographer and editor of this site. He has run some major websites, a computing department and a digital image library. He started out as a trained teacher and now runs training for digital photogs.
See also: Editors ‘Bio’.
By Damon Guy see his profile on Google+.

Photographing windows from the inside

Photographing windows from the inside | Photokonnexion.com

• The make-up artist •
Photographing windows from the inside creates a problem. The brighter light outside will create a silhouette inside – leaving your subject black or very dark.

Bright light outside overpowers the subject inside…

Photographing windows indoors you face a problem. The outside light is usually brighter than the inside light. It will probably overpower the light in the room. All the camera will see is a silhouette of the subject or the window frame.

Photographing windows to capture the scene outside, creates a problem with the big variation of light. From the inside to outside is a jump. Our eyes can cope with a big difference of light intensity from inside to outside. The camera cannot. This is a classic problem in photography.

What can the camera cope with?

Really good sensors in a modern DSLR can possibly cope with a range of around 12 stops of light, maybe a little more. But, a camera cannot see that range all at once. We have to change the sensitivity of the camera to light. Then it is able to see the extremes. We do this by changing the ISO.

However, if the difference between a dark and bright area in the lens is greater than about two stops we will lose detail somewhere. Some dark areas will be too dark. Some light areas will be blown out white.

Photographing windows can be done with a compromise. We could try to expose for the darker subject inside that is facing us. The subject will look fine, but, the outside will be bright white – blown out.

We could focus the camera out of the window on something in the brighter light. This creates the problem in the photo above (and in “Through the old window 1”, below). The inside will be too dark and the subject black, or with lost detail in the dark. But at least we can see the scene outside.

Photographing windows from the inside | Photokonnexion.com

• Through the old window 1 •
The big difference in light levels inside and out leaves the frame in silhouette. That is not how you would see it in real life.

The human eye can see around 20 stops of light. That’s a whole lot more than a camera. We do not see a silhouette like the camera does. In the top picture I was easily able to see the detail of make-up artist, her face and clothes. In the first window picture above I could see all the fine detail of the stonework. In addition, the human eye does not need to adjust our ‘ISO’ to achieve this miracle. We can, maybe with a little eye watering, cope with big differences in light levels.

When photographing windows from the inside…

So how do we photograph out of a window without creating that silhouette effect?

There are several things you can do…

  1. You can set the camera to use all the focus points on your viewfinder. Then the camera will take an average light reading across the lens. It will balance between the darker internal subject and outside light. This may help the camera cope. But between one and two stops brighter outside the camera will still begin to lose detail in the bright areas and the dark areas. It’s not a good compromise unless the light outside is only slightly brighter than inside (i.e. one stop, or less, difference).
  2. As you move back, photographing windows becomes easier. They get relatively smaller and less bright. However, it’s not an option in a small room, as in “The make-up artist” picture above. You may still have a problem if photographing windows where outside is still greater than two stops brighter than your subject.
  3. You could also close the curtains a bit. However, the point of the exercise is lost if you cannot see outside properly. Ideally, we want to see our subject and the view from the window.
  4. The only practical option in most cases is to raise the internal light levels. Then the subject will be brighter and the difference between inside and outside less than the two stops that will create a silhouette. This will allow the camera to make an exposure that will be balanced between inside and out.
Photographing windows – think about light levels

So, what do you do to raise the light levels? Simple, brighten the room…

  • Let light in through another door or window somewhere.
  • Use some of the light from the window itself by using a reflector to raise the light levels on your subject.
  • Turn on some lights. (Be careful of colour casts with artificial light).
  • Use a flash on your camera.

Using natural light is the best option. It will colour-match to the light coming through the window and not create funny colour imbalances.

Reflected light is great too. When you are using light reflected from the primary source of light it will never be brighter than that primary source. This means it will be both colour matched and look natural as the main source will not be overpowered. The slight variation will help sculpt the shadows and give a 3d effect too. So use a large sheet of white card or a photographic reflector to raise the light levels on your subject.

Lights in the room are more problematic. Artificial lights create odd colour variations. Fluorescent lights and tungsten lights both have strong colours that are different from daylight. Our eye compensates for them normally. In a picture the colours really stand out and can look very odd.

Flash has problems too. It tends to be a very bright, harsh light. If it is direct onto something the harsh, strong light tends to eliminate shadows. As a result things look flat and lifeless.

There is a place for flash. It is especially good if you can get it off camera and to the side a bit. It creates shadows and textures. This makes the subject more life-like and 3d.

Another technique is to bounce the flash from a wall or ceiling nearby. The light is spread around and appears more even on the subject. It is always best to try a few test shots. If the flash is very bright it looks artificial. Turn the power of the flash down. Also, bouncing it off nearby surfaces will lower the light intensity. Try to get the light in proportion to the expected light levels in a room.

And the trick is…

To get it right you need to even out the difference between the outside light levels and the inside. If there is less than one stop of light difference between inside and out – you have a solution. So, balance the light levels.

Photographing windows from the inside | Photokonnexion.com

• Through the old window 2 •
If you raise the levels of illumination inside the room, the silhouette is lost. Instead the frame becomes illuminated. You see it in the picture like you would in real life.

This is the bit where trial and error comes into play. Internal lights are often too dim for photography. So you might need to supplement them with more light or “fill-in flash“. Another possibility is to add a bit of light reflected back on the frame (or your subject). Again, this will supplement the natural light. In “Through the old window 2” I used flash which was bounced off a white ceiling. This lowered the power of the flash and spread the light around a bit. It looked a lot more natural than when I tried it with the flash directly at the stonework.

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Damon Guy - Netkonnexion

Damon Guy (Netkonnexion)

Damon is a writer-photographer and editor of this site. He has run some major websites, a computing department and a digital image library. He started out as a trained teacher and now runs training for digital photogs.
See also: Editors ‘Bio’.
By Damon Guy see his profile on Google+.

Dear Editor, just starting photography…

Just starting photography | Photokonnexion.com

If you are just starting photography then an entry level DSLR is a great way to start. They offer a great range of functions and excellent quality.

Dear Editor

I am just starting photography and I’ve purchased a new entry level DSLR. I hope I have done the right thing for someone just getting started? Any tips on what I should do to get my photography going?

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Entry level – great for starting photography

There is no need to over extend yourself when starting photography. Modern entry level cameras are full of functions. They are also really adaptable. You will have a camera with scope for personal skill development and great results. If you are just starting photography for a hobby there is nothing better.

Nikon, Canon, Sony and others provide great options. They are reasonably priced so you can get to know your photographic interests for two or three years. After that you can upgrade with confidence knowing more about what you want to do. Many people stick with these cameras too. They have proved themselves appropriate for a wide range of interests.

An entry level camera will provide you with the functions you need in several ways. Modern entry level quality and digital image sensor size is far superior to even a few years ago. You will get great quality pictures. You also have all the functions and modes you need to learn photography properly.

These cameras are great for trying out different things. That’s important when starting photography. There is little point in buying a high end camera for lots of money. You will end up using few of the functions and may not be buying something suitable for you. It is better to start with a camera designed for your growing ability. You will find plenty of scope for extending your skills! So, well done on your new entry level purchase.

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As to tips, here are ideas for starting photography…

There are a few simple things that will help you develop your photography. Try out these and other ideas and your hobby will be really engaging.

  1. Spend time with your camera every day. Your photography will not progress unless you do photography as much as possible. That means you must practice. The best way to do that is to take pictures and see how you can improve on them.
  2. When developing your skills it helps a lot to positive comments. If possible join a camera club near you. You will find they are pretty friendly and will help you learn new skills. Composition of a good photograph is important. Working with other photogs helps you get comments on essential composition skills.
  3. Initially you will just want to have fun making photos. Especially concentrate on things you have an interest or passion for already. Your photos will be more exciting to you (and others) if you focus on an existing interest. If you love flowers, get great at photographing them. If you love fashion do that. If you love something more obscure, don’t worry what other people think. It’s your interest, just do what you want. I have a friend who, when starting photography, spent a lot of time photographing chimneys. He had great fun!
  4. Making great images is something that comes with practice and thinking about what you are doing. So reading stuff online really helps. You will quickly find you learn the words and phrases that help you to develop an understanding. Use your reading to help you learn about various functions on your camera. Try to read your manual before using a new one. Then look up things you do not know on websites like Photokonnexion. Check out our Photographic Glossary for definitions, articles and resources.
  5. I often recommend that people starting photography join an online community. You get great feedback on your pictures and can share your fears and problems as well as your ideas and creativity. It helps you to learn and you will make new friends. I recommend 365Project.org. I post there as “Netkonnexion“. It is a great place to make friends and have a go. Put up a photo a day and let others comment. Follow other people and comment on their pictures. There are fun games, weekly “Top 20”, discussions and a “Recently Popular” page. People help you through getting started. Everyone there started like you. I have lots of friends there. I still post regularly and keep up with my friends. 365Project.org is free, with an inexpensive “pro” option that gives you extras. The Pro version includes an online photo-editor.
  6. When starting photography photogs often think they don’t need to learn the background to good photography. So they never progress beyond “auto-settings”. To produce great pictures learn about your camera settings. Find out about the Exposure Triangle too. Clubs and online community members will help you to use your settings properly. You can quickly get control of your camera. It’s more creative than just snapping pictures. It’s also worth thinking ahead about what you want your picture to be. Picture how you want the final image to turn out. Then set up the camera to achieve it. Don’t rely on the camera to make auto-choices. On “auto” you just end up with average shots.
  7. Owning a camera is about making pictures. It is also about getting the picture you want. So it is worth thinking about image editing. You will be able to remove an offending sweet wrapper you did not notice. Or improve the colour for the final print or screen shot. Most pictures need a little editing. So getting started on editing early is worth while. Then you can really make your pictures pop!
Starting photography is easy…

I have written these suggestions in the order you should think about them. You may not get to number seven straight away. but, you will learn a lot along the way. As you do, you will gain some wonderful insights. So have fun and enjoy your photography.

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Damon Guy - Netkonnexion

Damon Guy (Netkonnexion)

Damon is a writer-photographer and editor of this site. He has run some major websites, a computing department and a digital image library. He started out as a trained teacher and now runs training for digital photogs.
See also: Editors ‘Bio’.
By Damon Guy see his profile on Google+.