Photography Techniques

Macro Photography Tips

2011-09-29T05:41:00.000-07:00

Much has been written on the topic of Macro photography for those photographers fortunate enough to own a DSLR with macro lenses – but what about if you own a compact point and shoot camera? Can you get great macro shots too?
While the results achievable with a point and shoot camera in macro mode probably won’t compare with a DSLR with a purpose built macro lens I’ve still seen some remarkably good shots with compact cameras (all three shots in this post were taken with compact cameras). Here are a few tips to help you get the most out of yours:

Select Macro Mode – this is a fairly obvious first step but I’m always surprised by how many digital camera owners haven’t explored the shooting modes that their camera has. Macro mode is generally symbolized with a little flower and when selected it will tell your camera that you want to focus on a subject closer to your lens than normal (the minimum distance allowed will vary from camera to camera – consult your instruction manual to find yours). Macro mode will also usually tell your camera to choose a large aperture so that your subject is in focus but the background is not.
Use a Tripod – in macro photography a tripod can be particularly useful, even if you’re just shooting with a compact camera. Keeping your camera still not only improves your shots (getting rid of camera shake) but it allows you to play around with different settings without losing your composition.

Aperture – once in macro mode some cameras will not allow you to make many other adjustments but if you are able to play with your aperture settings it can be well worthwhile to do so. As we’ve covered in our Aperture tutorials, the main thing that aperture impacts is the depth of field of your shots. Choose a small aperture (big number) if you want a large depth of field with everything in focus or a large aperture if you just want your main subject in focus. In macro photography you’ll probably want a shallow depth of field so select the largest aperture available.

Focusing – I find that in macro photography it is helpful to have full control over focusing – especially when you have shallow depth of fields where it is all the more important to make sure the right part of your shot is in focus. If your camera allows manual focusing select this option and manually focus on the part of our subject that is the main point of interest.
Composition – remember some of the basic rules of composition like the Rule of Thirds. Make sure your image has a main point of interest and place that focal point in a smart position in your image in order to draw the eye of your viewer. Try to select a non cluttered or simple background for your main subject so as it doesn’t compete with it visually.

Flash – in many macro shots having some artificial light is important. The challenge with compact cameras is that most give you limited control of your flash. As a result choosing a good time of day when there is plenty of available light is probably your best bet.

If you do need more light check to see if your camera allows you to pull back the level that your flash fires at. Alternatively you might like to try diffusing it in some way (tissue paper or cellotape over the flash for example). Another option might be to use some other source of artificial light or to invest in a reflector to help make the most of available light. Experiment with different methods of lighting your subject.
Take Your Shot - once you have your shot lined up and in focus take your shot. Make sure once you’ve taken it to take a good look at it on your LCD, zooming in to make sure that your focusing is sharp. Try shooting at slightly different apertures, with different compositions and focusing on different points of your subject to see what works best.
Macro Lens Attachments – some compact cameras actually have accessories available to help with macro/close up photography. These will enable you to enlarge your subject and/or decrease your minimum focal length. These might be worth investing in if you intend on doing a lot of macro work.
Self Timer – (this point was added as a result of comments below – thanks team!) when using my DSLR for Macro work I tend to use a shutter cable release and tripod to make sure my shots are completely still (to eliminate the small amount of camera shake from pressing the shutter). Most compact cameras don’t have cable releases but a simple way around this is to use your camera’s self timer on it’s shortest time setting which will similarly mean you have no movement of your camera when taking your shot (if you’re taking notice of the ‘use a tripod’ tip above).
PS: I’ve used the term ‘macro photography fairly loosely here. Technically ‘macro photography’ is actually when you produce an image where your subject is captured on your image sensor at life size (or bigger) with a 1:1 ratio.
In the case of most (all?) compact cameras this is not achieved and in fact ‘close up’ photography would be a better description. However as most manufacturers call their close up mode ‘macro mode’ I’ve used the term for the purposes of this article.

HDR Photography

2011-09-29T05:33:00.000-07:00

This is a detailed guide about taking photos for an HDR image. Practice has shown that successful and smooth HDR photography takes careful planning and sets certain requirements for the gear. Some might feel that HDR photography is complicated and time consuming. However, if you have the right camera, the hardest part is setting up a tripod and the rest is simple and fast.

This is a detailed guide about taking photos for an HDR image. Practice has shown that successful and smooth HDR photography takes careful planning and sets certain requirements for the gear.

HDR How to Part 1: Photography Gear

The first part of this tutorial discusses photography gear. According to my knowledge it isn't possible to capture HDR photos with any of today's digital consumer cameras. Therefore the HDR image must be created by merging several normal photos. The idea is to take the same photo several times with varying exposures and merge them all to form one HDR photo. So in theory, the photos can be taken with any camera that allows manual shutter speed adjustment. The exposure between shots must be changed with shutter speed because changing the aperture would change depth of field.
Many modern cameras (point and shoot, bridge, slr) have several features that make it easier to photograph for an HDR image:

Manual settings
Exposure bracketing (EB)
Continuous shooting
Timer

Manual Settings

Photos taken for an HDR image should be similar apart from exposure. The following camera settings should be fixed in each shot:

White balance
ISO sensitivity (perhaps not necessary but highly recommended)
Aperture
Focus
Possible digital image processing operations that camera might execute (for example color correction or sharpening)

The possibility to turn automatism off and adjust these settings manually is good for HDR photography.

Exposure Bracketing (EB)

Exposure bracketing is a technique of taking several photos with varying exposures. A digital camera can change exposure in several ways. When it comes to HDR photography, its essential that exposure is controlled by shutter speed while keeping aperture and ISO sensitivity fixed. Other things to notice in camera's EB functionality are the amount of bracketed shots and the exposure interval. Many cameras only allow three shots with 1 EV interval. In my opinion that isn't enough for HDR photography. It's better if there is a possibility to bracket more shots or at least a possibility to increase the exposure interval. (Personally I take bracketed shots with Nikon D300 which is an ideal camera for this kind of work. Nikon D300 allows 2 to 9 shots with 1/3, 1/2, 2/3 or 1 EV intervals. I always bracket 9 shots with 1EV interval to make sure I capture the scene as well as possible.)

Continuous Shooting

Continuous shooting means that the camera takes photos continuously while the shutter release button is held. Continuous shooting makes it possible to take bracketed shots automatically which makes HDR photography a little simpler. The faster the continuous shooting, the better the results. (Continuous shooting speed depends on the camera, storage and file format)

Timed Continuous Shooting

Timed continuous shooting makes it possible to take the bracketed shots automatically and by using timer. Timed shooting removes camera shake and makes the whole process easier.
To sum up, an ideal camera can use timer to automatically take many bracketed shots with adjustable exposure interval. This kind of functionality (like in Nikon D300) makes HDR photography pretty simple. Unfortunately there are only handful of digital cameras available that offer this good functionality for HDR photography. In an ideal camera, the user could define any exposure interval and any number of bracketed shots. Michael Reichmann (The Luminous Landscape) made a wish for this kind of functionality already in 2005.
Along with the camera, one should have a sturdy tripod and a lens hood to be well equipped for an HDR photography. Sturdy tripod makes sure the camera stays still while taking the bracketed shots. A tripod makes things easier but its possible, in bright conditions, to shoot even hand held. Photoshop is able to align the photos correctly even with some camera movement between the shots. If there is a lot of camera movement, the final HDR image must be cropped considerably and therefore good amount of resolution is lost.
HDR photography is well suited for high contrast scenes. High contrast scenes often include very bright areas such as light sources or reflections that might cause lens reflections. Its recommended to use lens hood to avoid as many lens reflections as possible.

HDR How to Part 2: Taking the photos in Practice

The second part of this tutorial describes the process of photographing for an HDR image. Some might feel that HDR photography is complicated and time consuming. However, I feel that if you have the right camera, the hardest part is setting up a tripod and the rest is simple and fast.
I used the following gear with all example shots in this tutorial:

Nikon D300
Nikon Nikkor AF-S DX VR 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G
Lens Hood
Manfrotto 190PROB tripod
Manfrotto 460MG camera head

Choosing the Scene

It's relevant to choose a scene with high dynamic range (high contrast). Low contrast photography doesn't really benefit from HDR technique because digital camera is able to capture the whole dynamic range with one shot. Besides the dynamic range, one should look for scenes without moving subjects. Many times moving subjects can be avoided by waiting. For example If you photograph nature, wait for the strong wind to calm down.

Preparing for the Photography

Attach the lens hood
Compose the scene
Setup the tripod
Adjust camera settings (aperture, shutter speed, ISO sensitivity, white balance, focusing mode, exposure bracketing, continuous shooting, timed shooting)

It's important to understand that HDR technique isn't a magic that makes photos look good. In fact, HDR photo without digital image processing looks ugly. I'd like to emphasize that even though in HDR photography you must give a lot of thought to the technique and equipment, don't forget image composition!
Finally, fine tune your composition on tripod:

Check the scene for lens reflections
Check the scene for other distracting elements (especially on the edges of the scene)
Check that the horizon is straight (assuming that's what you are going for)

Taking the Photos

If your camera has exposure bracketing, you adjust the exposure just like you would with one photo. Finally the series of photos are taken by using the timer or by pressing the shutter release button.

Even though your camera would be missing the EB function, you can still do HDR photography. The series of photos can be taken manually by adjusting shutter speed after each shot. I think that about 1EV-1.5EV difference between exposures is good. The benefit of the manual photography is the possibility to take as many shots as you like. The downsides are possible camera shake and slower photography. If the series of photos is taken too slowly, even slow movement such as clouds, might cause problems.

High Speed Photography

2011-09-29T05:18:00.000-07:00

High Speed Photography is used in physics, health research, sports and more. This article describes how to capture super fast movements using ordinary camera gear and a little home made electronics.
How to take photos like the one you are seeing here. It's a glass of Champaign, being shot with a BB gun. It is the same idea as posted in this gallery. You can use this technique to take picture of exploding things like tomatoes, watter balloons, watermelons, or even you Canon camera as you smash it against a wall for not understanding the menus (Sorry, could not resist...)

Freezing fast motion (AKA High Speed Photography), can give some pretty special photographic effects. High Speed Photography is used in physics, health research, sports and more. This guide describes how to capture super fast movements using ordinary camera gear and a little home made electronics. I will describes the setup I used the problems I encountered and what I did to solve or work around them.

Here is a nice example of High Speed Photography:

Capturing a balloon just as it punctures

Nuking an apple

Capturing such images introduces a lot of challenges. How does one handle timing with exposures times

faster than 1/6000 second!?
We have to handle shutter lag, synchronize the flash and time the exposure to just the right moment.

But the shutter lag of any normal camera is so long that it will be all most impossible to time the exposures. And how do you synchronize the flash with an exposure time of less than 1/6000 second?
To work around the problems with shutter lag and flash synchronization, the exposure is done in a completely dark room. This way the shutter can opened without actually getting an exposure. The exposure time set on the camera just has to be long enough for the action to happen while the shutter is still open. Because the room is dark, the long exposure time will not have any effect on the final output (this is because no light enters the lens to hit the sensor / film)

To actually get an "exposure", a flash is fired. The flash light duration will now become the actual

exposure time.
SO now we need to see how long does it takes the flash to fire. It turns out that the output power of the flash, actually affects the duration of the light, so to get exposure times. If you need exposure faster than 1/6000 seconds, the output needs to be reduced. For more information on the light duration please see the test I ran on my Sigma EF-500 flash.
Now we only need to synchronize the flash with the action we want to capture.
This can be done in several ways. For example synchronizing with a balloon puncture, can be done via sound. Impact-actions, like a BB Soft air gun pellets, can be triggered with a mechanical switch, like in the picture below. When the pellet hits the cd-cover it's pushed on to the switch, which then triggers the flash.

The Gear:

Balloon (OK - we are going to nuke this one, so don't use your favorite)
Digicam
Tripod
Sigma Flash
Home made sound trigger (more info). If you do not have an optical slave you can use the Universal Sound Slave Circuit
Needle (or BB-gun, see below)
Backdrop (I use a black Bristol sheet)

The Setup

First step is to set-up the scene. The black Bristol sheet is used as backdrop. The balloon, flash, microphone

and camera are placed like in to image below

Gear settings:

Flash: optical slave and 1/16 output power.
Camera: Exposure time: 1-2 sec. ISO 100-200 Aperture F 11-16 manual focus.
Microphone: The distance between the balloon and microphone, is used for synchronization. 50-70cm is good for balloon punctures :-)

Next step is framing and focusing:

While trying to stay within the best performance on the lens, I either zoom or move the tripod, until I have the desired framing. Focus can be obtained either automatic or manual, but do remember to switch to manual to lock focus, otherwise the camera will try to focus when the lights are switched off.

Now it's time to test the setup and lightning. All lights are switched off and the shutter is set to bulb.

To fire the flash I just clap my hands. Then I review the image on the camera, checking for exposure, framing, focus and DOF.
To get the correct amount of light / exposure, one can Increase or decrease:

- the strobe distance to the balloon

- the output power of the flash

- the aperture on the camera

- ISO sensitivity on the camera

Taking the shot (pan intended :))
The test is repeated until satisfactory result have been reached, and the real photo can be taken. This is done the same way as when testing, but instead of clapping, the balloon is punctured with a needle.

One could also just fill the balloon with water and shoot it with a BB Soft air gun :-)

This article was contributed by Karsten Stroemvig (aka Lullaby), see his other great high speed photograph projects

Infrared Photography

2011-09-29T05:07:00.000-07:00

What is the Infrared Spectrum? Well, take a good look around you and you’ll see and endless diversity of hues in all the colors of the rainbow: The grass is green, the sky is blue, the roses are red and the future is bright. Now imagine that on top of all the colors you can see, there are other ranges that are normally invisible to us, colors that for us don’t exist but they’re out there and for some animals they are a part of everyday life. This is the Infra-Red (IR) spectrum and in this article you will learn how to photograph it effectively.

Take a good look around you and you’ll see and endless diversity of hues in all the colors of the rainbow: The grass is green, the sky is blue, the roses are red and the future is bright. Now imagine that on top of all the colors you can see, there are other ranges that are normally invisible to us, colors that for us don’t exist but they’re out there and for some animals they are a part of everyday life. I am talking about the Infra-Red (IR) spectrum and in this article I will show it to you. By the way, clicking on the small photos will enlarge them.

Content:

1. Introduction

2. What is Infra-Red?

3. How can we see it?

a. Film cameras

b. Digital cameras

c. IR filter

4. What does it do?

5. Photographing techniques:

a. White balance

b. Light metering

c. Focus

d. Aperture

e. Shutter

f. ND filter

g. Location location location

6. Compositions

7. Post processing:

a. Switching channels

b. Adjusting hues

c. Sharpening

8. Summary

1. Introduction – To be honest, I feel a little like a magician revealing a trick. I suppose most of you look at the photos and think “hmmm… Is it snow? But it can’t be, it was taken in Israel in the middle of summer, so what is it? Wooow”. In this article you will understand exactly how the technique works, it is one of the less common forms of photography and I think one of the more fascinating ones. Enjoy.

2. Infra-Red – The spectrum of light that is visible to us is only a small portion of an enormous spectrum of short and long electro-magnetic waves. An example of the short-length waves are X rays and Gamma rays that are filled with energy and an example of the long wave-lengths is Microwaves and Radio waves
Infra-Red light is divided into three groups: Near Infra-Red (Near IR) which is in the range of 700-1300 nm; Medium IR which is in the range of 1300-3000 nm and thermal IR which is in the range of 3000-30,000 nm. Thermal Infra-Red light is produced by warm objects while Near IR and Medium IR are reflected off objects just like visible light, which is produced by the sun. When it comes to photography, we will be dealing with the Near IR range.

3. How can you see it? Well, you can’t. Seriously, unlike some animals, we can’t see Infra-Red light. But fortunately for us the camera can see it.

a. With film cameras it is best to use a special IR film that is sensitive to that form of light. These kinds of films are used mainly in a special technique of capturing light, and most of them are black and white films and require special refrigeration.

b. With digital cameras (like we love) the sensor is, fortunately, sensitive to Infra-Red light, so what’s the catch? Most cameras and especially the SLR ones contain a filter that blocks IR light and prevents it from ever reaching the sensor. The reason for it is to improve the final quality of the photo. How do I know that my camera is able to capture IR? A wise man taught me a trick: You take the television remote control, aim it at your camera and take a photo while pressing one of the remote control’s buttons. If you can see the remote control’s IR light bulb flash, the camera can capture IR, If not…Well then, I’m sorry. The most sensitive camera will show a sharp bright spot and the less sensitive ones will show a blurry smudged spot. The most IR friendly cameras are Sony’s, Minolta being the most advanced of them, the Nikon D70 (which I am using), Canon G3, G2 and more.

c. So we have a camera, what now? We add the IR filter, whose purpose is to block all visible light except IR light, in front of the lens. The filter will look completely black to our eyes (because we are blind to IR light, remember?). The filters can be categorized according to the wave lengths of visible light that they block, for example Hoya R72 allows IR rays longer than 720 nm, the Hoya R90 (horribly expensive) allows IR rays longer than 900 and so on.

4. What does it do? Well, so we’ve learned what IR light is, and how we can see it. But what is it good for? Infra-Red photography creates a very special effect of a dreamy photo out of this world because the hues that are shown are entirely different than those we see in reality, the foliage looks snowy white and the sky looks dark or even black. You can see landscapes that you are used to seeing every day in a truly “different light”. That is why I, and many others, like this photographing technique.

5. Photographing techniques: “Enough with your babbling Roie, just tell us how to take the picture already…” Oh well, I didn’t know you’re so stressed. So here is how you perform the technique, step by step:

a. White balance – Infra-Red hues are more than red (well duh…), they are so red that their white balance is off the scale of the automatic and preset WB in most cameras. That is why we need to perform manual white balance with a white piece of paper, or an 18% gray card to get the more precise colors, or perform the white balance on a green surface like grass to increase the effect of white foliage. If you think about it, it is better not to photograph with RAW because even with most RAW editing programs you can’t reach a white balance less than 2000 Kelvin degrees while the IR’s is much shorter.

b. Light Metering – Light Metering should be performed with the camera in an evaluative metering mode, and don’t worry too much, in most cases the metering will turn out fine. You should watch out for burnt areas because in IR they turn out blue the more you get near them. If it’s necessary, you should apply some negative exposure compensation and then adjust levels in photoshop, but most importantly avoid burnt areas. It is highly recommended to switch to manual mode (M) to get the most accurate exposures with the best control.

c. Focus – You should perform the focus before adding the IR filter to make sure that you focus correctly and switch to manual mode to maintain the focus. If you are lazy, you can use manual focus and estimate the distance (in that case automatic is better).

d. Aperture – It’s recommended to photograph with relatively small apertures and avoid open ones. This is because we lose a little sharpness in IR photography and shutting the aperture helps a lot in that way. In compact cameras an aperture of F/5.6 and in DSLRs and aperture of F/11 should do the trick.

e. Shutter – Due to two reasons, a small aperture and low IR sensitivity, we are forced to use slow shutter speeds, for better and for worst. Why better? Because a special effect is produced over water and clouds in very long exposures. Why worse? Because you need a tripod and it’s difficult to capture moving objects (people, animals etc.).

f. ND filter – Sometimes it’s better to photograph with an ND filter that reduces the amount of light entering the camera even more in order to achieve longer exposures and improve the effect.

g. Location – It’s best to shoot from a shaded place. First and foremost, because it's hot to stand in the sun, and second because the camera loves shooting from shaded places. In addition, I would recommend blocking the viewfinder in DSLR to prevent light for leaking into the system.

6. Compositions – It’s possible to achieve very special images, but we can also use special compositions to get better effects. The following rules are only additions to the known laws of composition.

a. Sky – the sky turns out dark and the clouds turn out bright. This creates an excellent and dramatic contrast that can contribute greatly to the photo.

b. Foliage – we should attempt to capture special structures of foliage that can be interesting when we should keep in mind that all foliage will turn out completely white.

c. Water – because of the long exposure water will appear with a very unique silky texture. This can be used and improved with reflection games.

d. Structures – It’s very nice to photograph familiar structures with foliage around them and create a very dramatic photo that people will be awe-struck when viewing it for the first time.

e. People – It’s pretty hard to incorporate people in the photo, and if you do try and photo them, it’s better not to show faces (unless the purpose is to spook). If you incorporate people or animals, then you should open the aperture a bit to shorten the exposure time.

7. Post processing: After taking the photo, the job is far from over. We shall now switch to Photoshop to see how we improve the frame to a special and appealing look. I take it that you are familiar with the basics of Photoshop.

a. Switching channels – When first opening the photo, we will see a photo like in the example attached, in brownish-red hues (depending on what type of white balance we used). This photo can be useful, but I also want to show you a result that is more soothing to the eye. We open the Image menu > Adjustments > Channel mixer and choose the later. A window will open like in the attached example. Under the red channel you should reduce the red from 100% to 0% and increase the blue from 0% to 100%, and on the blue channel do the opposite – decrease blue from 100% to 0% and increase red to 100%. There you have it, the channels are switched (as simple as with the TV…). (It is recommended to click on the images to enlarge them)

b. Adjusting Levels – It might be that the photo is still not with the hues that we desire it to have and that is why we will adjust the levels properly (Ctrl+L) and adjust the color balance (Ctrl+B) to achieve colors that are more suitable to us, in the shadows, midtones and highlights.

c. Sharpening – Because there is a certain degree of fuzziness, it is recommended to perform sharpening with Unsharp mask as necessary (reminder – Filter > Sharpen > Unsharp mask). I used the following parameters: Threshhold: 1, Radius: 2.0, amount: 80%.

d. After the processing is done you should have a result similar to this. But of course you can perform different processings including the incorporation of a regular photo and an IR photo in two layers etc.etc. The sky’s the limit.

e. Naturally, it's possible to present the photo in black and white with all the techniques of turning it black and white and not in color. The results are very interesting as well.

8. Summary:

As we see, Infra-Red isn’t a very simple technique but despite that any one can use it (with the right equipment). I personally love this technique and I know that you can undoubtedly reach incredible results with it. I hope that this guide was clear and I hope you learned something new and enjoyed it.

Infrared Photography

2011-09-29T02:13:00.000-07:00

Light metering

2011-09-29T01:47:00.000-07:00

Introduction
Proper exposure times are essential with any kind of photography, especially when you use slide film that has a narrow exposure range. Since the sky can have huge differences in brightness, it requires a bit of experience using your exposure meter properly. In some cases you won't get away with just aiming your camera at some part of the sky and taking a photo, putting all your faith in the camera's light meter.

Example of bad metering: underexposed sunsets
The exposure errors that I most hear are complaints about underexposed sunset pictures. This is probably because many people photograph sunsets (compared to other things in the sky) because they are pretty. I am taking this example because it is easy to explain how to meter sunsets correctly, and it applies to several other subjects in the sky.

Imagine taking a picture of a sunset, while the sun is low in the sky, or maybe just set. If you meter the frame while you have your camera aimed, the camera meter will see the sun, or clouds very near by the sun, that are much brighter than the rest of the sky (which is what you want to expose properly). The camera light meter thus thinks the frame has a high brightness and meters according to a short shutter speed and/or high f/ratio. The result is that the clouds very near the sun become properly exposed, while the rest of the sky becomes several stops underexposed and thus very dark to black.
An underexposed sky with some very small clouds near the sun that are properly exposed, is much worse than having a properly exposed sky with the small clouds near the sun overexposed; this looks much more acceptable.
Manual metering
The way to correctly meter a sunset is to meter on a small part of the sky away from the sun, any part of the sky that you want properly exposed, and then use those exposure settings while taking a picture of the sky with the sun (or other very bright parts of the sky) in it.
This technique requires that the camera either has some kind of exposure-lock (meaning you can lock the exposure settings while you move the camera to a different part of the sky), or that it has manual exposure.
The picture below illustrates this technique. It is important to remember this if you consider yourself a beginner, because you need to use this technique for many weather subjects! I will call this technique manual metering for the sake of reference. Not only does it apply to taking pictures that need to be properly exposed when a bright object is in the picture, but also to pictures with a large dark area in the picture that you want to keep dark on the photo (e.g. a photo of surface fog taken during the night).
Subjects that require manual metering
Some subjects that need to be metered manually are most atmospheric optical phenomena such as cloud coronas, iridescence (usually), all halos (if near the sun); some cloud types such as bright cumuliform clouds, noctilucent clouds, and in general any clouds that you photograph with a polarizing filter; most astronomy such as wide-sky astrophotography, zodiacal light etc. (although most camera light meters are useless for such low light levels anyway), sunrise/sunset colors, and last but not least snow.
Snow and ice are notoriously difficult to expose properly. Because snow is so bright, when you meter a snowscape the photo will turn out one or two stops too dark - the snow will be medium grey and all other parts of the photo will be dark or black.
Using a grey-card
A good technique here is to lay down an 18% grey card in the snow and meter on that card, without any snow in the metering frame. You will then be able to determine the correct exposure time for grey areas in your frame, and with that exposure setting the snow will still appear white on the final frame.
Grey cards are available from most professional photo stores. Kodak makes good-quality grey cards that reflect 18% of the incoming light, while the reverse of the card is white, useful for white-balancing digital cameras. Another company that makes high-quality grey cards is Sekonic. These cards come with full instructions on how to use them, not only for reflective light metering but also other techniques for which they are useful.

Tips for proper metering

if you are unsure about which parts of the frame or sky to meter on, take sepveral photos, bracketing your exposures (i.e. taking several exposures each with one or half a sto difference around the exposure setting that you think is right).
use as few different types of film as possible for your general photography. Not all film responds the same way to light for different subjects.
periodically calibrate the light meter of the camera, especially if you obtain an unusually large number of improperly exposed photos. You can calibrate (or at least check) the light meter by comparing its response to that of light meters of other cameras.
always try to meter on areas in your photo that are as neutral grey as possible. If there are no such areas, try to meter with many different colors in the frame. This gives more accurate readings.
never meter on the foreground if you are taking pictures of the sky. The foreground is most often a few stops darker than the sky. Conversely, never meter on the sky if you are taking pictures of something on the ground.

Processing your own films

2011-09-29T01:41:00.000-07:00

Introduction
Most amateur and professional photographers who still use conventional film don't process their own film. I think this is because most don't know what is involved in processing film and think it is something complicated and expensive. It is not! Processing your own film is actually quite easy when you are past the quick learning curve, and it has several advantages over lab processing:

you can process the film when you want, also in the middle of the night, and you have the results immediately
it is cheaper in the long run
it is faster than bringing it to a lab, if you shoot only a few rolls per week
the film will have no scratches, fingerprints and drying spots if you handle it correctly (i.e. better than most labs)
complete control over pull- and push-processing, contrast and color balance
you are solely responsible for how the film comes out: you don't depend on other people who can mess up your film! If you mess up your film, at least you did it yourself.

Standard C-41 or E-6 film processing is quite simple. Are you eager to process your own film, possibly because a lab once completely messed up your film? Below I explain what you need and how to do the processing with minimal risk of error and maximal satisfaction. This is only my own experience though - but I have processed most part of my collection of films myself (576 rolls at the time of this writing), and never ruined any of them. Most of the few films that I ever brought to a lab came back either scratched, with fingerprints, or film strips cut badly (through frames).
This document assumes that you are processing standard 35-mm format film. 120 and 220 medium format film is also fairly easy to process, but must be handled more carefully.

What you need
You will need the following to do your own processing, using the hand-inversion technique. This technique is fully manual and the cheapest to start with.

hand-inversion processing tank with film spirals (the spirals are what the film is loaded on to)
dark room (not necessarily a darkroom! Just a dark closet will do)
processing chemicals
one 1 liter (about 1 qt) graduate
one 100 ml (milliliter) graduate
four 600 ml storage bottles
thermometer that will read around 38C (100F) preferably with a precision of 0.1^oC
flat kitchen sink with stop, and hot/cold water

The graduates, tank, chemicals, storage bottles and thermometer are readily available at professional photo stores and mailorder companies. The tank will be around $30 to $50 including the spirals; chemicals are around $15 per 500 milliliter (makes enough for 6 films) or $80 for a pack that makes enough for 60 films. The thermometer and the graduates cost about $40 total.
The dark room can be a closet (like I use; I don't have space nor money for a darkroom). Just make sure that when you are in the closet, there are absolutely no light leaks; you should, after you let your eyes adapt to the dark for 5 minutes, not be able to spot any light coming in under the door or elsewhere. Film needs to be loaded into the tank in the absolute dark to prevent the film from fogging.
The kitchen sink will have a standing water bath of 38C, assuming you are processing color print film (C-41) or slide film (E-6). (Most Kodak and all Fuji color films use these processes.) This water will continuously cool down at the rate of about 1 C per 5 minutes; you need to have a tap with hot water running at a trickle, or have a kettle with hot water on a stove, to keep the temperature constant. Short-period variations of +/- 0.5^oC are acceptable. The tank with the film and the four 600-ml storage bottles containing the chemicals will be in this water, at the same temperature.
Once you have all these things, processing just costs around $1.35 per film if you buy larger packs of chemicals. I don't know a lab that will process slide and print film so cheaply with the high-quality results you get! This is why I say that it is cheaper in the long run. You still need to spend $100 or so for the equipment, but once you have this, it won't be long before you save that money by processing your own films.

Loading film into the tank
Usually when you rewind a film in a camera, the film gets spooled all the way into its canister. Bring a pair of strong pliers or a bottlecap opener with you to the dark room, as well as a pair of scissors. Also bring the tank with the spirals and set everything close to you before switching off the light, so you know where to feel in the dark to find something.

In the dark, take the film canister and open one of the ends with the pliers or opener. This works best on the end of the film canister that does not have the protruding axle. When you have the cap off, push out the axle with the film, taking care not to scratch its surface along the sharp edge of the metal.
Next, you cut the smaller end of the film off (about 3 cm or 1 inch) with the scissors, and stick the end of the film in the spiral. The spiral should have two notches on its sides that allow you to put your finger on the edge of the film, keeping it in place. Then, while carefully unrolling the film, wind it on the spiral as you go. Loading a film onto a spiral is easy, but you have to practice with a piece of wasted film in daylight first, and then in the dark also. The technique (at least for the plastic spirals I use) is to put your right index finger on the right side of the spiral, keeping the film in place, while you rotate the other side of the spiral a bit (the spiral consists of two parts that can rotate a short distance). Then repeat, keeping your left index finger on the left half of the spiral while you rotate the right part. It is easy to see once you try it, and it is fast.
Try to avoid having the surface of the film come in contact with anything like your fingers, body, clothes, the floor, etc. Only handle the film by its edges. Also, do not accidentally bend the film.
The end of the film will be fastened to the axle by tape, or stuck in a slot. Cut the end off, but cut it as short as possible, since the last frame of the film is often perilously close to the end. Then continue loading the film on the spiral until everything is on.
When done loading the film on spirals, put them on the center hub in the tank, and close the lid. Make sure all tank components are in place! If you forget one part, there will be a light leak and the film will be spoiled.

Mixing chemicals
Mixing chemicals is a somewhat precise job but it is fast and easy. I highly recommend using distilled water for mixing, at least for the final (stabilizing) bath; if you use tap or drinking water, there will almost certainly be drying stains on the film later.

The chemicals come with a booklet that contains information on how to mix the chemicals. The different baths for normal C-41 (print) processing are the color developer, bleach/fix, and a stabilizer. E-6 (slide) processing differs from this in that there is a first developer, that comes before the color developer. Most or all baths come in two parts that you have to mix with water. Depending on your tank, you need a certain amount of developer to fill the tank enough for the entire spiral(s) to be submerged. If you use the Jobo Unitank 1520, you can make exactly 500 ml of developer which will process 6 rolls of film, and process two rolls of 35mm, 36-frame film per time in the tank.
When you mix chemicals, always have at most one bottle open at any one time to avoid confusing the caps or contaminating the concentrates. This must be avoided at all cost! Also, first mix the earlier baths and then the later baths in that order, so if contamination of your working solution occurs, at least it is forward, which is less bad. Contamination of concentrates, and contamination of earlier baths by later baths would be bad.
You may want to use a finer-scaled graduate than the 100 ml one I recommended; the 100 ml graduate is fine if you make 500 ml at one time, since then you will need up to 100 ml of concentrates.
First developer usually comes in one part of concentrate, as does the stabilizer; color developer and bleach fix come in two parts.
All concentrates (and working solutions that are not used immediately) should be protected against oxidation. The easiest I found to work is to use butane gas for this, since this is a heavy gas and displaces the oxygen. Other people (and me too, once) use marbles to fill up space in bottles, but this is highly impractical.
Some people advise strongly against the use of gas to lengthen the storage life of concentrates. They say it is dangerous! They are very right in that. But then what about using a gas stove to cook food? If you use common sense, there is no more danger in using shield gas for your chemicals than there is to drive a car to the supermarket, or cross the street for that matter. Even so, decide for yourself if you want to use flammable butane gas for this purpose or rather choose to buy small amounts of chemicals to use at one time, every time. I will not be responsible for accidents!
Concentrates unprotected against oxidation will only keep for a couple weeks, otherwise they keep over a year if the bottles are closed tightly.

Preparing and maintaining a warm water bath
The temperature of the water bath is essential for the processing. Have the level of the water bath approximately at the same level as the developer in the tank will have later.

When you first mix the chemicals they may be at room temperature, or 20^oC. They need to be in their storage bottles within the warm water bath for about 30 minutes at least to warm up to the same temperature as the water. The water however will be constantly cooling (unless you use a thermostat ofcourse), especially when you put bottles with cold liquid in it, so make the bath about 42^oC and let it cool to 38^oC (or whichever temperature your developer needs, but 38^oC is standard). The thermometer should be in the warm water bath constantly, so you can monitor the temperature precisely. (Tape it to the side of the sink, close to where the tank is.) Also, before processing, check the temperature of the solutions to check if they are the correct temperature.
38^oC is about equal to 100^oF, in case you are used to the Fahrenheit scale instead of centrigrades.
The water bath will get contaminated with solutions during processing, because some will always leak into the bath while you hand-agitate the tank by inverting it every 15 seconds. Therefore, after every batch of film you process, start with a new bath, to avoid contaminating the first developer, and any bath that comes before another bath in general.
The warm water can be kept at fairly constant temperature by letting hot tap water run into it at a trickle. Practice this technique first so you get a feeling for how much hot/cold water you need to increase/decrease the temperature of the bath by a certain amount. Stir through the water with your hands when you let water at a different temperature in, to get an accurate reading of the thermometer.
Preparing to process
Processing starts by putting the tank with the film (but without chemicals, still) into the water and hold it down with a weight, like a drinking glass or something. This should be done to get the tank at the same temperature as the water; if the cold tank would be filled with developer, the developer would instantly cool down several degrees and this would not be good.
While the tank warms up in the water, check that you have all solutions ready and at the correct temperature. Also arrange all bottles in the water (label them!) so that there is no chance that you will put in the chemicals in the wrong order; the film would then be ruined. Next, make a list of all processing times, that starts about 10 minutes in the future to give yourself time to get fully prepared. Do all timing and thinking before you start the procedure, since you can't really stop midway, and having a routine reduces the chances of catastrophe. An example list of times would be like:
10:23:30 1st developer in
10:30:00 rinse 3 minutes
10:33:00 color developer in
10:39:00 rinse 3 minutes
10:42:00 bleach fix in
10:48:00 rinse 3 minutes
10:51:00 stabilizer in
10:52:00 stabilizer out

When you are done writing up the times, check that the difference is equal to all individual times of every process. Re-check the list several times if you are not completely sure.
The list above is representative of E-6 processing like I do; 6m30s for first developer, 6 mins each for color developer and bleach fix, and 1 minute for the stabilizer. Between each bath there is a rinsing procedure, in which you let water of approximately 38 C in the tank, agitate continuously and let it flow out every 30 seconds or so. There is no rinsing with water after the stabilizer. If your chemicals don't come with stabilizer, rinsing with water after the bleach fix is the final procedure.
If you have a darkroom timer, it gets easier, but make sure you keep track of which bath is going in. Having a list like this that is absolute in the time of day won't confuse you. Also make sure that all bottles are clearly labelled.
Processing
When the first time on the list comes, lift the tank out of the water, remove the cap and quickly pour in the first developer. Then put the cap on tightly, and forcefully (not too forcefully) tap the tank on the sink a few times to remove air bubbles (these could otherwise ruin your film, since they cause discoloration!). Then invert the tank for a few seconds, turn it back and tap again, etc. Repeat this procedure for 30 seconds, then put the tank in the water bath. Every 15 seconds, invert the tank again for a few seconds, then tap it to the sink and put it back in the water. You need to be absolutely concentrated doing this. Don't let anything like a phone call or something else divide your attention! If you walk away longer than just 30 seconds or so from the tank without agitation, the film will almost certainly get streaked due to uneven processing.
While you are counting every 15 seconds, keep an eye on the temperature of the water and adjust if necessary.
One minute before the time comes to remove the bath, open the tap and adjust its temperature using the cold and hot water until you have flowing water of 38^oC. Have the 1 liter graduate ready (make sure it is absolutely clean!). During this, keep inverting the tank every 15 seconds, don't forget this. When it is time, remove the tank cap and pour the developer in the graduate. Don't use longer than 15 or 20 seconds doing this, or there may be streaks on the film later. Then start rinsing by filling the tank with tap water, agitating it, emptying it, refilling, etc.
You will notice that during the few minutes of rinsing, the water bath will cool down. Try to have it at the correct temperature when you are ready for the next solution. It requires a bit of multitasking, but when you get a little experienced and the workflow going, it is fairly easy.
The storage bottles of the solutions that you used should remain out of the water, as to not confuse you later. Pour the solution back into its bottle from the graduate and rinse the graduate thoroughly every time. This all applies if you are reusing the solutions for later processing batches, something you can and should do.
For the succeeding solutions, proceed in the same way. When you are done with the bleach fix, however, you can actually open the tank up to rinse it more thoroughly. I recommend that the film is washed a long time, 5 to 10 minutes being optimal, although 3 minutes of rinsing is enough if it is done thoroughly. After that, pour in the stabilizer and let it stand for a minute.
Drying the film
One of the most rewarding (or disappointing, sometimes!) moments of the whole photography hobby is to pull the film off the spirals and see for the first time all the exposures, and then realizing that you did everything yourself.
It is tempting to inspect the film at this point, but try to resist: the film will be completely wet, not only on its surface but also within, and the colors will be more blueish than when it has completely dried. It is very easy to damage the film when it is wet.
Handle the film very carefully, not letting it touch anything while you walk with the entire strip to the place to have it dried. For drying, the easiest is a string or cord where you'd dry clothes on, and hang the film with a clothespin on the line. Also attach a clothespin at the lower end as a weight to keep it straight. Then walk away and do not disturb the drying room, or there may be dust in the room attaching to the wet film. Never "pre-dry" a film using a rubber stripper or alike. Doing so will almost certainly scratch the whole film. If you prepared the stabilizer bath with distilled water, or - in case there was no stabilizer - if you rinsed the film lastly in distilled water, the film will dry absolutely clean without stains.
It takes between 1 to 4 hours for a film to dry completely, depending on the atmospheric humidity. After drying the film, carefully cut it in 5-frame or 6-frame strips and store these immediately in a film storage sheet. Do not under any circumstance keep the individual strips out of protection to prevent them from being scratched. It is amazing how easily a film will scratch - sometimes you won't even see the scratch with the naked eye, but only when you make a large enlargement.
Some general advice
Some of the items below may sound a bit silly, but all of these have helped me avoid catastrophe at some point in time, therefore I am sure they will be helpful for others!

Try to depend as little as possible on mains electricity: having a candle or flashlight nearby, as well as a battery-powered clock will avoid major problems if there would be a power blackout.
Wash and completely dry your hands before you handle film.
Do not eat or drink while you are processing film. The processing chemicals are toxic. Also, avoid inhaling vapors, especially the stabilizer bath.
Make sure all graduates and such remain completely clean. In particular, clean the tank and spirals after every processing run. Avoid having the chemicals contaminated with one another. Never interchange storage bottles for chemicals that have contained another chemical before.
When you do multiple processing batches, the spirals and tank should be completely dried after each batch. Loading film on a wet spiral is very hard to impossible and will damage or stain it.
In general, make every action into a routine, and make every routine as fail-safe as possible. This will prevent you from doing actions that are not part of your routine and thus may be hazardous to your film. Follow routines, but don't get too automatic doing things!
The tank should be absolutely level in the sink. If it is a bit tilted, the film may not be completely submerged in the chemicals everywhere.
If you reuse chemicals for further batches, keep in mind that you loose some of it during every bath, especially of the first developer that enters into a dry tank every time. You may need to add a little water to the solutions from time to time if the amount of solution is close to the minimum suggested tank capacity. After doing this, let the solution get to the correct temperature again.
Make sure the water with which you rinse the film between baths is as close to 38^oC as possible, to avoid getting small cracks in the film substrate.
If for any urgent reason the processing needs to be interrupted, immediately pour out the chemicals and rinse the film thoroughly with water. While you solve the problem, the film should remain under water at all cost to prevent drying stains: fill up the tank with water and try to continue processing as soon as possible. Only interrupt processing if absolutely necessary; it is generally not so good for the film.
The fastest method to learn how to process film is to have a tutor and have him or her supervise you during your first attempt. If there is no-one around, practice processing films yourself by using a test-film first, with exposures that are not critical. Do not be discouraged if at first things don't go too well.
Use common sense and make sure you are completely awake when you process film! Think with anything you do, e.g. before pouring in a chemical into the tank, think and check that it is the correct chemical.

Digital weather photography

2011-09-29T01:34:00.000-07:00

Introduction
I have felt for some time the need to write something about digital cameras, now that these have become very useful for weather photography. While digital cameras are not suitable for all kinds of photography, in many cases they are suitable, and sometimes even preferable over traditional film cameras.
Resolution
Probably the most important issue is which digital resolution (number of sensor pixels) would give the same resolution as a 35mm-frame of, say, slide film. I believe that a 10 to 12 megapixel digital sensor gives the same resolution as a 35mm film when scanned with a professional film scanner.

The highest resolution obtainable from a 35mm frame is about 4000 DPI, which corresponds to an image of about 5000x3000 pixels (15 megapixels). However, most lenses are not capable of obtaining such sharpness in the first place. 12 megapixel sensors are available at the time of this writing (January 2005).
However, a good slide film such as Fuji Velvia 50 is able to resolve about 100 lines/mm (its spatial resolution), if with decent contrast. This means that you'd be barely able to resolve a grating with 100 lines per mm on the film, or one line per 10 micrometer. If you'd calculate the sensor resolution necessary to resolve the same using a digital sensor, the number turns out to be higher than 12 megapixels. Assuming you need two pixel rows to resolve one line (a dark line bordering a brighter line), there are 36mm * 100 lines/mm * 2 pixels/line = 7200 pixels in the longer dimension of the 35mm frame (which measures 36mm by 24mm). So, in total, you'd need on the order of 7200 * (2/3) * 7200 pixels = 34.56 megapixels to resolve 100 lines/mm.

The difference between these numbers has to do with how film responds to different contrast levels. Film has no discrete uniformly sized grains or pixels; if contrast is high, the grains are smaller,

resulting in higher sharpness. Digital sensors don't have this issue; they always have the same resolution for any contrast level. Also, in going from a one-dimensional spatial resolution to a two-dimensional resolution, the above calculation doesn't hold so well. In addition, most digital sensors are smaller than 35mm film, so the effective resolution is higher.
My conclusion is that a digital camera with a sensor of between 10 and 20 megapixels will be equal to, or outperform, the sharpness obtained by most print and slide films of 35mm format for most contrast levels.
With the availability of 12-megapixel digital SLRs, 35mm film has already been approached or surpassed as far as resolution goes. These cameras cost thousands of US$ and are thus not readily available for everyone, but it is only a matter of time before such resolution cameras do enter the consumer market.
Sensor sensitivity
CCD and CMOS sensors don't respond to light the way film does. Our eyes see light levels logarithmically over a wide dynamic range (we can see some things in the middle of the night as well as in broad daylight, which is a huge range of brightness!). Print and slide film behave more linearly, but still somewhat logarithmically. Digital sensors however respond quite linearly and this can cause some unwanted effects, especially with weather photography.¹

Digital noise
All digital sensors are subject to electronic noise, of which there are various types. The most notable noise is thermal noise, which causes an effect similar to the coarse grains seen in high-speed film. Thermal noise is more noticeable if the sensor is used at a more sensitive setting.

This noise is also more prominent on smaller-sized sensors. The larger sensors commonly found in digital SLRs suffer less from this noise than do the smaller sensors in point-and-shoot digital cameras for the consumer. In fact, the newest digital SLR cameras show virtually no noise even at 400 ISO sensitivity, and can usually be used at 800 ISO without noticeable loss in image quality.
Another type of noise has to do with hot and cold pixels on a sensor. Hot pixels manifest themselves as bright colored pixels of red, blue or green. These become more obvious if the exposure time is long such as several seconds or minutes, but they can be removed by doing a so-called dark-frame exposure, during which an exposure of equal length is made with the shutter of the camera closed. The dark frame is then simply subtracted from the photo to remove the hot pixels. Clearly this is highly impractical when doing long exposures such as 10 minutes, but dark frame subtraction can also be done by computer later, using a dark frame obtained earlier at the same temperature, ISO setting and exposure time.
Digital cameras for weather photography
The following table lists some subjects that you may be photographing and whether digital or film is better suited.

Subject	Preferred medium
clouds (daytime)	digital
storms, tornadoes	digital
sunrise/sunset colors	film
twilight colors	film
mirages	digital
green flash	film
halos	film
iridescence	film
glory	digital
corona	film
lightning	film
macro photography (rime, snow crystals etc)	digital
artistic photography (multi-sun exposures etc)	film
solar eclipses	digital
lunar eclipses	digital
moon phases	digital
wide-sky astrophotography	digital
deep-sky astrophotography	digital
planets	digital
zodiacal light	digital
light bridge, gegenschein, lunar libration clouds	digital

In compiling this table I looked mostly at the dynamic range (in brightness) of the subject (film advantageous over digital if the dynamic range is large), ease and cost of use (digital always advantageous) and sensitivity vs. noise/graininess (digital advantageous if minute- to hour-long exposures are made with a low-noise digital camera). Also, I assumed that a digital camera is used of the same resolution as film.
In general, a low-contrast subject is better to photograph digitally, as are all astronomy subjects.
Lightning photography can be done both digitally or with film, although I find film giving slightly better results, due to the intense brightness of a lightning discharge. Digital sensors tend to saturate the brightest parts of the image unnaturally, resulting in completely white areas that don't gradually merge with the lesser densities. This is also noticeable in sunset pictures taken digitally, and halo photos that show the sun.

Digital sensor sizes vs. film
A major difference (at present) between digital SLR cameras and film cameras is the difference in film/sensor size. Since most of the digital imaging sensors found in digital cameras are smaller than film, all 35mm-film camera lenses you use on the body will have a 35mm-equivalent focal length that is longer than when used with 35mm film. Usually this factor is about 1.5 or 1.6, meaning a 28mm lens for film will effectively be about 42mm when used on a digital SLR. For long focal lengths this is not a problem, since the factor only extends the ranges of focal lengths you can use, but it does limit the use of wide-angle lenses.
Summary
Since weather photography in its most usual sense includes taking pictures of clouds, sunsets and perhaps lightning, I can say that once you know how to expose properly, a digital camera can do a great job, as long as your digital camera has some sort of manual mode, it has bulb mode or long time exposures, and has a tripod mount. Also, for long time exposures such as astronomy and lightning, it is imperative that you do dark-frame subtraction later using dark frames obtained at other times, so you can maximize your time available for photography in the field.
For more exotic subjects such as halos and the sun's green flash film is (in my opinion) still preferable to today's digital cameras, although digital cameras do a good job on most of these subjects.
Which camera to buy
I suggest, without any doubt on my mind, that you buy a digital camera if you are just starting with weather photography. This will avoid so many problems that film photography gave in the past, and you can see the results immediately. Digital SLRs (DSLRs) are far superior to digital compact cameras (more versatile and less noisy), so if you can spare the money, buy a DSLR.

1. CMOS sensors (which are programmable) may likely be made to respond logarithmically in the future. Whether this is really possible and affordable, time will tell. This would be a major advantage, since an image obtained by a sensor with a logarithmic response (large dynamic range) can always be made to have more contrast (less dynamic range) by digital manipulation, while the reverse is generally not possible.

Using a tripod

2011-09-29T01:28:00.000-07:00

Photographing by holding the camera by hand
A somewhat well-known rule in photography is that you can hold a camera by hand if the shutter speed is shorter than about the inverse of the focal length used (t < 1/f). So, if you'd use a 50mm standard lens to photograph a scene, you could handhold the camera when taking a picture if the shutter speed is about 1/50 second or shorter. If you use a too long exposure time without a tripod, the photo will appear to be blurry.
This rule works fairly well, although with a bit of practice (holding a camera steady) you can usually do better. For example, by not holding your breath but rather slowly exhaling while taking a photo you will cause less camera shake. Also, by firmly supporting both arms by your torso, the camera will be more steady.

The need for a tripod
Even though in many cases you can hand-hold a camera when taking a picture, it is always better to use a tripod. Careful inspection of the sharpness of the film will often reveal that photos taken with the camera on a sturdy tripod are sharper than hand-held photos even though the shutter time was fast.
A tripod is usually clumsy to carry around and many photographers hold their cameras in hand while shooting. But if you are out in nature specifically to take pictures, bring and use a tripod!
Photography of some weather subjects requires a tripod-mounted camera: lightning, aurora, noctilucent clouds, mesospheric clouds, sunsets and twilight colors, the sun and moon, green flash, zodiacal light, star trails, macro photography and all nighttime photography can only be done well with some sort of tripod. After the camera and lenses, the tripod is I think the most important piece of equipment to have if you want to photograph the weather (or nature in general).
Choosing a tripod
There are many types of tripods available, but choose wisely. Some of which look really sophisticated and shiny while being made by plastic and only costing about $30. These are actually quite impractical (better than nothing though). As with so many things, all tripods are worth what they are sold for. If you are serious about photography, I'd recommend that you get a metal tripod from a brand like Bogen/Manfrotto or similar.
Choose a model that can extend itself to your own height, with height-adjustable legs (most tripods have adjustable legs). It is also good to have a tripod of which the legs can move independently from one another. Some tripods have legs that are interconnected, and these can be quite difficult and frustrating to level at uneven ground. You need to level the tripod at least a bit, if only to not have it balancing on edge and blowing over by wind.

The second thing to look for when choosing a tripod is its head (where the camera will connect). I highly recommend that you get a tripod with a ball-head rather than a video-head. Ball-heads generally cost more, but allow the camera to point in almost any direction in any orientation and will allow you to aim and lock the camera quickly. This is particularly useful for subjects that require quick action such as lightning.
In general, you may expect to spend US$150 or more for a decent tripod with ball-head. Consider this as a requirement for your photo equipment, rather than a handy accessory! When you buy a tripod, also buy a cable release or remote shutter control, so you don't need to touch the camera at all during exposures when it is tripod-mounted.
Quicklinks
Most or all modern tripods have some kind of camera quicklink system. A quicklink (also called release plate) is a plate of some form that you mount on your camera semi-permanently (using its tripod mount). The release plate will snap in and release from the tripod head quickly.
However, quicklinks will actually be a pain to use unless you have a release plate mounted on every camera body and all large telephoto lenses that you will use. Otherwise, having to remove the release plate from one camera and mounting it to another takes lots of time and defies the point of having a quick release system. So, depending on the number of cameras (and lenses that have their own tripod mount) you use, you may need several of these plates.

Wooden tripods
For any photography that requires telescopic telephoto lenses (1000mm or longer) such as the sun's green flash and mirages, you need a very sturdy tripod, preferably a wooden one. Wood damps vibrations better than metal, and any vibrations (even the shutter tremor from the camera when taking a photo!) will be noticeable when using such long telephoto lenses. Theodolite tripods work well for this, since they are rugged and generally not too expensive if you buy one used. You may need to adapt the tripod to accept a ball-head or camera screw (1/4-20 or 3/8-16 thread).
Guide mounts for astrophotography
For astronomy photography, you will need to have the camera track the stars (counteracting Earth's rotation). This is most conveniently and cheaply done using a so-called equatorial mount. These mounts (because the better ones are motor-driven) are generally more expensive than a regular tripod, but there are several types available commercially starting around US$200.

The EI Exposure Index

2011-09-29T01:23:00.001-07:00

The exposure index is a measure of the amount of light to which film is being exposed. It mixes the shutter speed and aperture, which together determine the total number of light quanta (photons) reaching the film during the exposure.
The exposure index is also called the exposure value (EV) or light value (LV).
The EI is defined as follows:
EI = ²Log (F² / t)
F is the f-stop number: for example, using f/11, F=11.
t is the exposure time in seconds.
EI = 0:
exposure of 1 second at f/1 gives ²Log (1) = 0
Example: you are photographing noctilucent clouds. The light meter indicates EI=-2 at 100 ISO. You need a short exposure time, say 16 seconds maximal, because the clouds move fast. Then the f-stop number is fixed:
-2 = ²Log (F² / 16)
F² / 16 = 2^-2 = 1/4
F = 2
So you would need an f-stop of f/2 for this 100 ISO film and exposure time.
Now imagine you have a wide-angle lens, with lowest aperture of f/2.8. Because it is wide-angle, you want to choose f/5.6 or higher to reduce vignetting at the edges and increase sharpness. Then you have the choice of either using a faster film, or using a longer exposure time. A longer exposure time creates blurriness (moving clouds) and a faster film is lower-resolution. You have to choose what choice is best for this application. Say you stick to the 16 seconds time. Then:
EI = ²Log (5.6² / 16) = ²Log 2 = 1
now you are 3 stops below the indication (1-(-2)=3), since you did measure EI=-2 for 100 ISO. In this case, I would change the 16 seconds to 32, since the lens is wide-angle so any angular movement of the clouds will be relatively small. I would also use a film which is 2 stops faster than 100 ISO, i.e. 400 ISO. This would be a good trade-off between film resolution, cloud movement and vignetting.
The following table lists some exposure indices as a function of exposure time (shutter speed) vertical, and f-stop horizontal. The table can of course be expanded in any of the four directions, albeit that the ranges given below suffice for most weather photography.

	f/1	f/1.4	f/2	f/2.8	f/4	f/5.6	f/8	f/11	f/16	f/22	f/32
60 s	-6	-5	-4	-3	-2	-1	0	1	2	3	4
30 s	-5	-4	-3	-2	-1	0	1	2	3	4	5
15 s	-4	-3	-2	-1	0	1	2	3	4	5	6
8 s	-3	-2	-1	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
4 s	-2	-1	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
2 s	-1	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9
1 s	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
1/2 s	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11
1/4 s	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12
1/8 s	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13
1/15 s	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14
1/30 s	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15
1/60 s	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16
1/125 s	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17
1/250 s	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18
1/500 s	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19
1/1000 s	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20
1/2000 s	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21

Suggested Films

2011-09-29T01:22:00.000-07:00

Introduction
Doing weather photography, you will use a wide range of film speed and types. Here is where the problem starts: if you just used one film for all photography, you would have that in your camera and get away with it, but if you use different types of film for different phenomena, you will generally need several cameras, or interchangeable film backs, one for each film type. That is what I have become used to do, and now I have reduced the number of frequently used types of film to two, for two cameras.
Print or slide?
I suggest you use color slide film for all weather photography, especially if you depend on a lab to process your film. If you process your film yourself, or at a well-known lab, you will find that using print film has its advantages as well, and if you scan the photos directly into computer (without making prints), you avoid the trouble of getting the print printed right (labs usually mess this up, making many photographers think that print film is no good. But the frames are generally ok - people usually just don't realize that making a print involves many extra degrees of freedom in color balance, contrast and brightness, and it is those degrees of freedom that can make a print look really bad).
Which brand? I use Fuji film exclusively, because I have become used to its color characteristics, which are especially important in low light. But you should use several brands to test, and decide for yourself which is best. Every photographer has his or her own personal preference when it comes to film brand.
Black-and-white film can also be very worthwhile to try for some applications, but I recommend to stick to color film for most photography.
Film speed (ISO)
Film speed required for most general weather photography (clouds, sunset, halos etc) is generally 100 ISO. This is a good trade-off between film speed (slowness, actually), high-resolution, and practical use (fast enough for most daytime photography without tripod, if you don't have one with you).
For lightning, 100 ISO film is also well-suited, but you might want to also use 200 for more distant lightning, and close the aperture, to make the photo sharper.
For astronomy and other night scenes, you will need 400 or 800 speed film. Here's where the Fuji 400F really serves well; you can use it at 400, 800 or 1600 ISO, and push-process the film accordingly. Hence you would only need to buy this film in large quantities, and it would serve many purposes. Aurora, nocturnal fog and cloud scenes, lunar halos etc are best photographed on 400 speed film; the zodiacal light and Milky Way on 800 speed, and meteor showers, comets, nebulae and gegenschein best at 1600 speed, to name but a few.
I generally buy Fuji 100F and Fuji 400F and can do most photography well with those films. Sometimes, however, I photograph something for which print film is better. I found that green flash photography goes better with print film, as the print film has a wider exposure latitude and is more forgiving for exposure errors (these happen easily when you photograph the sun). For print film I'm used to Fuji Reala 100, and Superia 400 & 800 for backup purposes.
Film size
The 35mm film format is most widely used by amateurs and is widely supported by photo labs, film scanners, slide viewers/projectors, etc. I suggest you use the 35mm format, and only if you decide to go more professional, and can afford it, the 120/220 format.
Do not use APS film, since the resolution is generally too low for weather photography. Only for holidays and tourist use is this film acceptable.
Film reciprocity errors: Schwarzschild effect and color balance shift
As you make your exposures longer than about 1 second or so, you may start noticing that the color balance and sensitivity of your film changes. This is called the reciprocity error, or SchwarzSchild effect. It basically means that if you make an exposure on, say, 1 second at f/8, this gives no longer the same exposure as a 2-second exposure on f/11, as it would be when you do short exposures (say, 1/500 sec or so). Film sensitivity drops for longer exposures, so in general you will need to expose the film longer (sometimes up to a factor of 2 or 3, or 1 to 1.6 stop) than what the light meter suggests.
It is hard to give a rule-of-thumb for the exposure correction, but what I generally find is that for exposures up to a minute on Fuji slide film, overexposing the photo by between 1/2 and 1 stop, depending on how dark you want the photo to be, gives adequate correction. (This is in addition to the 1 stop overexposure I always do with weather photography, since my slides turn out to be very dark if I expose according to the light value.) If you are photographing a night scene, you may want to make a relatively short exposure, so the night scene will look properly dark on the slide.
The other problem you get is a shift in color balance. For Fuji slide film such as Provia and Sensia, they shift towards the blue, since the Schwarzschild effect is weaker for the cyan & magenta coupling layers than it is for the yellow coupling layer. You will start noticing this blueshift at exposures longer than a few seconds. The Fuji Velvia is (among lightning photographers) infamous for its magenta-shift when used at night, and if you look the sensitivity curves of the Velvia (the datasheet is available at Fuji's website), you will indeed see that the magenta sensitivity is higher for long exposures.
You can get around color shifts by using filters, but I generally don't do this, since the shift in color is generally small. I avoid using Velvia at night (at 50 ISO it is too slow anyway).
Film resolution
Many photographers think differently, but print film is actually higher resolution than slide film. Most photographers maintain the opposite. I think this is due to a miscommunication: it depends on the meaning of sharpness. It is true that slide film is sharper for high-contrast. Also, you generally don't see the grains too much, so it obviously makes slide film preferred for weather photography, because of the large areas of uniform color (like the sky). Any graininess would immediately catch the eye there.
However, for low contrast, print film is generally slightly higher resolution, and its grain size is noticeably smaller than that of slide film (but it is much more obvious to the eye). So it depends on your application which film is best; but generally, slide film performs better for weather photography.
MTF curves as a tool in choosing the right film speed and type
If you are interested in the matter of film resolving power (contrast) as a function of sharpness, the MTF curve of a film tells a lot. MTF stands for Modulation Transfer Function, and is the relationship between the contrast resolving power (in %) of a film and the number of lines/mm. In short, a high-resolving-power film will be able to resolve contrast for a large number of lines/mm, and is evidently better. MTF curves vertically plot the response of the film (or lens) as a percentage, against the resolving resolution in lines/mm horizontally. MTF curves of film generally start at or above 100% for low values such as 1 line/mm, and drop off gradually to below 20% (the cutoff-resolving power) around 50 to 100 lines or more, depending on film type and speed.

What does this all mean? Slow films such as 50 or 100 ISO have higher resolving power for larger number of lines/mm than higher speed films. Hence, they are able to resolve details at higher resolution, i.e. they are high-resolution films.
The resolving power does not measure the grain size; for example for print film, the grain size can be smaller than that of same-speed slide film, even though the slide film has a higher resolving power for high contrast situations (like a tree in front of a light background).
The MTF funtion itself is also a function of exposure, but I should leave that outside the scope of this document. Most MTF curves you will encounter (if any at all) are valid for daylight photography.
Conclusion
In a nutshell, I can't give you any preferred film for all situations with weather photography - but I can say that slide film will generally yield best results, simply because the graininess is less evident and the processing is much simpler than for print film. Slide film has a smaller exposure latitude and thus is less forgiving for exposure errors, but practice and good light metering will help a lot.

LensesTechniques

2011-09-29T01:19:00.000-07:00

Lens quality
The quality of the camera lens is the most crucial quality factor in your camera system. Therefore, you should be careful in making your choice of lens, especially when money is an issue and you are limited to lower-quality lenses. Factors to take in consideration are:

Surface coating: there should be a coating on all lens elements to reduce internal reflection. Coatings are easily recognized by a colored hue when looking at the lens in sunlight. Coatings can be blueish or greenish, or brown, depending on the type of lens. Do not buy a lens without coating, or any impurities or scratches in the coating. If it has, the seller will probably say something like 'you won't notice it'. Let me tell you, you will notice it, because weather photography asks much more from your equipment than standard landscape or portrait photography.
Lens construction: this refers to the optical design of the lens. A lens usually consists of several elements, like 3 or 4 lenses grouped together in the lens. Zoomlenses should be aspherical, especially when covering a wide range of zoom. Fixed focal length lenses are usually better (less distortion and sharper image) than zoomlenses, but are not always practical.
Distortion: some cheaper lenses, especially at wide-angle sizes between 24mm and 35mm focal length, can create a distorted image, like a barrel-shape or pincushion. Wide-angle lenses will always create distorted images to some degree, but good 20, 24 and 28mm lenses and longer should not.
Aperture range: typical apertures for a wide-angle (28mm) lens are from f/2.8 to f/22 (or similar), standard lenses (50mm) range from f/1.4 to f/16 or so, and 135mm telephoto lenses can be had with range from f/2.8 (or lower) to f/22 also. Zoomlenses should at least have a range from f/2.8 to f/22 for 28-200 zoom ranges. Less expensive zoomlenses have smaller ranges (from f/3.5-5.6 to f/22 or so).
Coma: some lenses show coma when used with their aperture fully open. Coma looks like a blurriness towards the edges of the frame. The amount of unsharpness depends on the aperture setting. Very cheap lenses have a lot of coma and should be avoided. Particularly with lightning photography, which sometimes even requires low aperture numbers such as f/2 or lower, coma can really ruin a photo.

Lens focal lengths
The lenses used for weather photography range from all-sky (180 degrees) fisheye to telescopic tele-photo lenses of up to 2000 mm. Depending on the subjects you want to photograph, you may only need part of this range of focal lengths. The following table lists some different focal lengths and subjects where these are useful for.

focal length (mm)	FOV (deg., diagonal 35mm frame)	Subjects
fish-eye 8mm fish-eye 16mm	180, full circle 180, rectangular	halo displays, twilight arch/wedge, extensive crepuscular rays, thunderstorm clouds, all-sky cloud photos
16-24	107-84	halos, twilight arch/wedge, crepuscular rays, zodiacal light, aurora, thunderstorm clouds, complete rainbow
24-28	84-75	rainbow, clouds (esp. alto- and cirriform), zodiacal light, gegenschein, aurora, meteors
28-80	75-30	close lightning, wide-sky astronomy, aurora, zodiacal light, clouds, sunrise and sunset, crepuscular rays, glory, rainbow, most halos, heiligenschein, fog
80-200	28-12	glitter path, light pillars, comets, sunset close-up, smaller clouds, iridescence, corona
200-500	12-5	mirages, solar eclipses, misc. astronomy
500-1000	5-2.5	mirages, solar/lunar eclipses, low-sun distortion, green/red flash
1000-2000	2.5-1.2	mirages, sunspots, lunar eclipses, low-sun distortion, green/red flash, deep-sky astronomy

[Lens focal lengths, field-of-view (FOV), and photography subjects]

I plotted the relationship between FOV and focal length of lenses, to visually demonstrate that in the wide-angle range of lenses, every mm counts, as they say in the photography business. That is, every small change in focal length in that region makes large differences in FOV. This really begins to matter for lenses shorter than 35mm.

I can't possibly name every phenomenon associated with the weather and specify which lens should be used for what effect. Anyone attempting to photograph the different phenomena will soon discover the merits and limitations of lenses. I can give two tips, however, when selecting lenses:

For the 28-80 and 80-200 ranges, buy two zoomlenses, as you will frequently use these. For all ranges, including the above, additionally buy fixed-focal length lenses. Do not buy zoomlenses with a large zoom range such as 28-200. These are lower-quality than smaller zoom ranges. Even better would be to use fixed-focal lenses exclusively, although sometimes this is less practical when composing your photo. But for all specialized photography, i.e. the green flash, zodiacal light, macro photography and so on, use fixed focal length lenses.
Buy bellows or macro rings, as these will allow you to do macro photography (useful for snowflakes, hailstones etc.). Don't be fooled by any lens which says "macro" on it - that won't be enough. What I mean with macro is getting as close as a few cm (1") with a standard-lens (50mm) to the subject to photograph. That will open up a wealth of possibilities!

Camera types techniques

2011-09-29T01:15:00.000-07:00

Not all camera types are suitable for weather photography. An SLR 35-mm camera is most useful for starters, and - I might say - a necessity for skilled photographers. Below, I give a description of types of cameras and why they are or are not (in my eyes) suitable for weather photography.
SLR camera
For outdoor photography, and especially for weather photography, the common SLR type of camera is best suited. SLR stands for single-lens reflex, where both the composition and metering as well as the actual film exposure are being done through a single lens. When the shutter of the camera is closed, the mirror is in the path of the lens, reflecting the light upward and focusing it onto a matted glass, where you look at through the viewfinder. When you take a picture, the mirror flips upward, the shutter opens and the film is being exposed, and after the shutter closes again the mirror falls back down.
Some advantages of an SLR camera over other types of cameras are:

ruggedness - most SLR camera bodies are mechanically strong, which gives them good protection from possible accidents happening in the outdoors, and the weather environment in general. Most cameras are not water-tight or dust-proof, however; but many SLR cameras do have a fair chance to survive these conditions. This is especially true for the older, fully mechanical SLR cameras like Zenit, Pentor and Praktica.
adaptability - SLR cameras are used by amateurs and professionals alike, and tripods, cable releases, flash shoes and so on are widely available for these cameras.
modularity - choosing a separate body/lens camera system has the advantage that you can mount a wide range of lenses on a single camera body. If you plan to photograph at focal lengths between 28mm and 200mm or so, you might do well by just having a single zoomlens, but for fisheye-lenses and telescopic (very long) telephoto lenses it is always easier to have the modularity the SLR camera bodies offer.
single lens - you will be using a wide range of lenses, and you can easily compose the frame by looking into the viewfinder, which shows the frame like it will appear on the frame, eventually, whichever type of lens you are using.
picture-taking stability - SLR cameras are generally heavier and bulkier than small digital or point&shoot cameras, which makes photography by hand less prone to camera shake and blurry photos.

There are also a few disadvantages:

Vibration and sound of mirror: especially when using far-telephoto lenses like 1000mm or longer, the tremor of the mirror flipping upward will shake the camera, causing the photo to be unsharp, since the shutter opens immediately after. This can be really problematic when photographing the sun's green flash, for example, or mirages. Getting yourself a camera with mirror-lock would be better, but this does not work well either, since for green flash photography you have to keep looking through the viewfinder until just fractions of seconds before the event.

single-lens: while you are taking a photo on B mode (or a long exposure in general), like you would do with lightning and aurora photography, you cannot look through the viewfinder. This can sometimes be irritating, e.g. when you want to check if a thunderstorm producing lightning is still in the frame, or to see whether an airplane or car would get in the frame, possibly ruining your photo.

Point & shoot compact cameras
The small compact cameras are not useful, except if you only take pictures of the most common weather phenomena like clouds, sunrise/sunset and so on. There are many more exotic weather phenomena which you can't photograph using a compact camera. Such a small camera is only useful to have with you all the time when you are not photographing with your SLR equipment, in case you see a rare or beautiful weather phenomenon (especially halos, rainbows, clouds, sunset).
Do not use an APS camera but a 35mm camera; APS film is too small for large prints to be made; this film is more suitable for photos you take during holidays and the like.
A few things to take into account when you buy a compact camera for always at hand: a flash is completely useless for weather photography; if you buy a camera with zoomlens, it is only practical to cover the range 28mm - 80mm or so; try to locate a camera with B shutter speed option; choose a compact camera which you can mount on a tripod. Those options do not make the camera much more expensive and can be of great help.
Medium-format cameras
Film frame size comes in a variety of ranges, the most widely used being the 35mm format. However, especially for high-resolution photography (e.g. lightning!) you might wish to expand your camera collection with a medium-format camera. Medium-format are sizes like (in millimeter) 60x60, 60x90 and 60x40. For comparison, the 35-mm format measures 24x36 mm. The medium-format makes for much sharper photos, but is also more expensive; the cost scales approximately by surface area of film.
There are many types of medium-format cameras, but most are considered professional and have professional price tags. For starters, a good model would be a Mamiya or older Rollei dual-lens camera. A more modular camera system is the Hasselblad system, but this is outside the ballpark of a starter's budget. Rollei cameras are older, and available cheaply at occasion photo stores; they have the disadvantage of a fixed-focal length lens and hence are not very modular. Mamiya is newer, more modular, but also a lot more expensive already.
My advice in this is: don't start with medium-format photography until after at least a few years of experience, only if you consider yourself an advanced photographer and only if you think it is worth the better quality photos.
Large-format cameras
The large-format sizes range from 4x5 inches up to 8x10 inches (this is slide/print film size, not even a printed photo yet). This is not really useful for weather photography - you would need a lot of time to get such equipment set up, composing the frame, and light metering. It is more useful for landscape photography, where the subject is fixed and you have time to get set up. Film at these sizes is very expensive so you want to be sure that your photo will be successful.
Digital cameras
These are becoming quite useful for many subjects with weather photography. I will write something about the usefulness of digital cameras on a separate page soon.
B Setting
When choosing a camera body, make sure that the camera has the B shutter speed (manual shutter control). It may have this option included by another name. B stands for Bulb and is an old acronym, from the times when exposures would be made with a shutter open and a flash bulb exposing the subject (I think, anyway).
The B setting allows you to manually control the time the shutter of the camera is open, which means the same as the time that the film is being exposed. Usually the B setting works by pressing the release button which opens the camera shutter, and releasing the button which closes the shutter again. In the meantime, while you keep the button depressed, the shutter stays open and the film is being exposed.

This allows you to make exposures for several seconds, minutes, or hours (actually, indefinitely, if you have a mechanical camera). The automatic shutter times on a camera usually range from 1/1000 of a second up to a few seconds only, which would seriously limit the range of weather phenomena you could photograph.
To name but a few things you can only photograph on B mode: lightning (at night), night scenes, the twilight arch and wedge, the stars, Milky Way, zodiacal light, meteor showers, noctilucent clouds and aurora.

Kerry Drager

2011-08-18T00:58:00.000-07:00

Kerry originally became a best shot to find its way to promote a beautiful landscape photography to get a better picture BetterPholio Basic ™. Now it is better to have a photo director, editor and assistant, and an integral part of BP personnel. Kerry has often joked with us that we need to get his t-shirt that says "I wanted to Gallery members ..." Ah, the poor guy has no idea: we will never let go!

Tony Sweet

2011-08-18T00:52:00.000-07:00

Tony Sweet is a true artist, and photography became his career in an interesting way. A relatively short period of time, Tony has developed his own process of nature photography, and is now one of the most famous flower photographers working today.

Vik Orenstein

2011-08-18T00:50:00.000-07:00

Vik Orenstein is the next series of our best interviews, photographers, professional photography. Vik has a number of studies Portrait of family and shares with us his experience of how he became a successful portrait photographer.

Brenda Tharp

2011-08-18T00:48:00.000-07:00

Brenda teaches photography online, in person, and write books and articles in popular photography magazines. In this interview, she shares her thoughts on how she became a nature photographer and successful trip.

George Schaub

2011-08-18T00:46:00.001-07:00

Featured next step in our series of interviews with professional photographers is BetterPhoto George Schaub. George is the editorial director of Shutterbug magazine, teaches photography online, and written books and articles. In this interview he shares his thoughts on the road with a lot of hard work, became a successful writer and photographer.

Jim Zuckerman

2011-08-18T00:45:00.001-07:00

Like many of our best photos online photography class instructor, Jim Zuckerman is self-taught. Jim is a writer of books, photography teacher, photography workshop leader, and world traveler. Jim images are incredibly beautiful, filled with color and life. In this interview, he talks of becoming a successful photographer.

Ibarionex Perello

2011-08-18T00:44:00.000-07:00

Ibarionex Perello is an online photography instructor, author and associate editor and advisor of course here at BetterPhoto.com. In this interview, Ibarionex explains not only how he got into photography, but how he became a successful portrait photographer.

William Neill

2011-08-18T00:41:00.000-07:00

William Neill is a prolific writer of articles and books, in addition to being an award-winning nature photographer. He is also the long-standing "on the landscape" columnist for Outdoor Photographer magazine. In his writings, and online photo courses, teacher guides William and others who want to learn to become better photographers.

Lewis Kemper

2011-08-18T00:36:00.000-07:00

Lewis Kemper specializes in nature photography and wildlife, and working with images in the digital darkroom. It is also a contributing editor to Outdoor Photographer and PC Photo magazines. Lewis was honored to be included on the agenda of Canon Explorers of Light, which recognizes the 60 most influential photographers of the country.

Water in Motion: Going with the Flow

2011-08-18T00:29:00.000-07:00

Flower Photography in Good Light

2011-08-18T00:24:00.000-07:00

flowers is that the lighting is better when it's cloudy. Contrary to what most people think flowers look best when they are photographed in diffuse light. Cloud cover acts as a giant softbox studio, softbox and white umbrellas or studio photographers use are actually made to simulate an overcast sky.

In the photo with the direct sunlight, note the very dark shadows throughout the image. They interfere with the graphic design of flowers and almost rivals for attention. In the image of the shadow, there are still shadows, but they are softened and they add dimension without being intrusive.

There was a slight wind and I had to wait until the air is still, as I shot them. Wind is an enemy of macro photographers.

Nature Photography: How to Shoot Waterfalls

2011-08-18T00:20:00.000-07:00

Lighting: Like shooting trees in autumn, the best lighting is overcast, especially in between rain storms. In the Upper Peninsula, it rains almost every day in the fall. You want that dark diffused lighting in order to slow down your shutter speed.
Shutter Speed: In order to get that blurred-smooth-flow look to your waterfall scene, you need to shoot at a shutter speed of 1 to 1.6 seconds.
Tripod and Remote Shutter Release: At shutter speeds of 1 to 1.6 seconds, use of a tripod, a good tripod is a must.

Your Camera's Self-Timer: Using your cameras self-timer feature will accomplish the same effect as using a remote shutter release. When this feature is set, you press the shutter, and the camera doesn’t expose your film or image sensor for a pre-set number of seconds. Setting your self timer to 5 seconds will allow for any vibrations to cease when pressing the shutter button.

Nature Photography

2011-08-18T00:15:00.001-07:00

Nature photography, regardless of the quality of search results is always a 'soul-inspiring experience - to breathe fresh air, hear the birds singing, feel the wind on your face ... But both have a lot of experience of being outdoors, and to increase the number of high-quality images for

Picturing a Frame Within a Picture Frame

2011-08-18T00:08:00.001-07:00

One of the most striking field techniques around is foreground framing. Used effectively, it helps direct the viewer's eye right to the photo's star attraction.

Frames come in all shapes and sizes. Some background around a subject entirely, while other frames are partially between them, ie, the side, top or bottom. Examples of design features include branches, arches, windows, doors, sculptures, fences, menacing rock formations, fountains, flowers, architectural elements, the outstretched arm of a companion, or a hot air balloon race in a close color.

Although the cross in the foreground is often spotlight your center of interest, an extra-special frame is sometimes the main subject in itself. Frame can also display the topic in relation to its environment and can also produce three-dimensional effect, which wipe out the scene from front to back.

Using Your Digital Camera

2011-08-17T23:57:00.001-07:00

A major advantage of digital photography is that you can see the picture immediately after you press the shutter button. This allows you to shoot again if necessary or delete photos you will save space on your memory card. Some cameras have live preview, a programmable amount of time that keeps the image on the LCD 2 to 10 seconds. Others require that you press the screen to see the image, or to switch to playback mode to review images.

Use the Instant Review to verify the image quality. If you find there is a problem, it is easy to get on the field. After a series of images, you can review them one by one, like a grid of images or use a slide show format. To do this, you turn the camera recording in reading and enable opportunities renewed.

Remember that LCDs are not always a reliable picture of how the image actually looks like. For example, if you take a picture of a situation of low light, it can look quite dark on the LCD. When you open the image on your computer later, but brightness and contrast setting reveals a very detailed picture.

REMEMBER YOUR CAMERA SETTINGS for Better Photo

2011-08-17T23:51:00.001-07:00

It 'easy to change the white balance, ISO, etc., the camera settings, all on the same photo session. But it is not always so easy to remember to change these settings back - especially when the heat of the fun! We deal with this problem is the head of a piece of colored tape, a movement in an area that can easily be seen as a reminder that we have made changes to the original settings.

REDUCING YOUR FLASH OUTPUT for Better Photo

2011-08-17T23:49:00.001-07:00

If you have problems with flash on your compact digital camera becomes too strong, here's a solution. First, if you can set your flash to output less (by setting it to -1 or -2, etc.) to do so. But if you think it is too much to light, hold your index finger in part on the flash head when he makes the picture.

It seems illogical, but the power of the flash is so powerful that it does the trick. Not only that has been very successful in breaking down the light output for me, has also warmed the flash. The flash through your fingers will be softer, more moderate and very hot.

AVOID CONTRASTY SITUATIONS for BetterPhoto

2011-08-17T23:47:00.001-07:00

The extremes, however, are a problem for film and digital photography, but is especially a problem when shooting digital. When the lights and shadows are too extreme, the details of the areas are in danger of being lost. Even if it is "average" exposure, a compromise between light and dark areas, shadows tend to go black and the highlights are washed.

With digital photography, even a subtle difference, however: the complete loss of detail in the highlights. A clear zone on the bridge of the nose, for example, it would see the details of a negative, can easily be blown on a chip.

Photographing Children

2011-08-17T23:44:00.001-07:00

Make the photo session something the child wants to do (i.e. have fun and play), and you'll have a much better chance of accomplishing your own objective - making fabulous portraits that you can be proud of.
The good news is that it's easy to find the joy in photographing kids. In fact, I have the best job in the world!

Wildlife Photography According to Jim Zuckerman

2011-08-17T23:36:00.001-07:00

There are five types of lighting that you have available to you when photographing outdoors. Light can illuminate a subject from:

the front,

the side,

the back,

a three-quarter angle, or

within, where a translucent object seems to glow from within.

Natural Light for Beautiful Wildlife Portraits

2011-08-17T23:34:00.001-07:00

Most wildlife photography I do when I travel, however, is done with the available light. I prefer the natural look, as the ambient light, as I can choose the type of lighting. I try to avoid direct sunlight during midday, for example. The shadow is so much more attractive for outdoor portraits because it preserves the subtle light and dark relationship with the subject. Flash even fill flash, it tends to eliminate or reduce these subtle details.

How to Shoot Wildlife Photography the Right Way

2011-08-17T23:32:00.001-07:00

In addition to making your nature photography in the best light, I am confident that you use a tripod when possible. When shooting with a tripod is not possible, use one medium or another ottoman stable.

Image Stabilizer lens, can afford them, out of animals to help photographers get sharper images even in low light conditions. They minimize camera shake, and to keep them, which in turn provides more flexibility in shooting. However, I still recommend a tripod when possible.

Finding Wildlife Subjects to Photograph

2011-08-17T23:29:00.001-07:00

There are several options for the location of wildlife - even if you live in the city. One technique is to try the Internet. For example:

One of my favorite subjects are macro frogs and poison dart frogs specific. They are colorful frogs are poisonous in nature, but is not dangerous when they are kept in captivity (because their diet is changed). I was particularly interested in the blue frogs, because they are so unique.

How to Shoot Wildlife Photography From a Vehicle

2011-08-17T23:28:00.001-07:00

In many cases, a vehicle more closely approach a wild animal that a person can walk. For example, most wildlife in national parks are accustomed to vehicles, and they know that there is no threat.

Shooting from a vehicle can use a stable platform that adheres firmly to the driver's door when the window is open. (The media is available through several sources.) You can also use a jute bag or cloth filled with uncooked rice, beans or gravel. This is actually my favorite choice for the filming of a vehicle. I travel with it empty, but when you reach your target shooting I will fill.

How to Shoot Wildlife Photography: Close-up vs. Environmental

2011-08-17T23:21:00.001-07:00

It is not necessarily desirable for every full-frame shots to the head of wild animals - you can always take head shots of the zoo. In addition, environmental and animal gives a sense of place, and if the position seems to be impressive, it will be an integral part of the composition. Yet, the topic is important enough picture to make a statement.

Be Bold

2011-08-17T03:41:00.001-07:00

Not afford to be paralyzed by fear using the wrong settings or a policy of non-politically correct society.

If you are afraid of upsetting someone taking a picture, just go and ask if it is correct. Sign a waiver and provide a copy in return.

With wildlife, adopt a soft approach when you go places where few photographers have gone before. For the above photos, I put my camera and telephoto lens in a sealed bag and kayak on Monterey Bay. (Talk lawyer: This can be dangerous - so be careful.)

Be wise ... but be bold.

Keep Your Camera Settings Simple

2011-08-17T03:39:00.001-07:00

While you may wish to have "all the bells and whistles" available in case you'll probably have better results if you do not try to use them all the time and instead of learning a simple configuration that works best for you most situations.

This does not necessarily mean keeping the camera set to "program" - but in this state of being perfect in its simplicity, it can be frustrating for its tyrannical control.

Instead of relying on a fully automatic program, choose a simple, semi-automatic program

Watch the Weather, Too

2011-08-17T03:38:00.001-07:00

Watch out and decide you're going to want the images in the sky.

If it's cloudy, just do not like the images from the sky as possible. This is usually the best way to avoid, and muted tones of the subject and the background of the sky washed out. You can also find black and white photo of a cloudy day more pleasant color.

When the day is fine, go ahead and make the most of it.

If the camera allows the use of filters, buy a polarizer. This will help you make a blue sky with white clouds against a bright, rich colors, and other wonderful effects on a simple twist of the wrist.

Look at the Light

2011-08-17T03:37:00.000-07:00

This is not to study the sun - No, it does not. But it's nice to see what kind of light you are working. In which direction are the shadows belong to? If you do not want to make silhouettes, in which the subject is black against a background interesting, it is usually best to turn the sun behind you.
How is the light affecting your subject? Is the subject squinting?
Is the light blazing directly and brightly upon your whole subject? This works well if you are in love with the bold colors of your subject.
Side lighting, on the other hand, can add drama but can also cause extreme, hard-to-print contrasts.

Experiment with Shutter Speed

2011-08-17T03:35:00.000-07:00

One of the most basic, rare, and the fun of photography is that you have the power to stop time or see a fraction of a second.

A picture is going so slowly that we never have seen both happen so easily in real time that we never noticed. Playing with shutter speed!

Use a slow shutter speed and a tripod to make a nice picture of a creek or stream. On the other hand, you can use a fast shutter speed (1 / 500 and up) to catch a moving object.

Focus on Your Subject

2011-08-17T03:33:00.000-07:00

Practice shooting with different apertures and monitor the results after seeing the depth of field affects your photo.

You will find that a smaller depth of field (and smaller f-stop #) all the attention focused on the topic. This is a good idea to take pictures of your child, your dog or your husband - subjects stand out background ambiguous.

Be Selective

2011-08-17T03:31:00.000-07:00

Distinguish what you are really interested and center your efforts to get the best view of this topic, be it a still life, your cat funny puppy with a friend, a family business, a mood, a place where the culture.

So make sure to keep anything that might divert out of the picture.

Focus in on a close-up that tells the whole story;
Move around until you arrange the telephone lines into a neat pattern that leads to the subject; or
Take a panning shot that makes the cable car remain in focus while the background goes blurry.

Be Quick

2011-08-17T03:28:00.000-07:00

f at all possible that your subject can move, bolt, fly, stop smiling, or just tired of waiting for you to shoot, shoot again immediately.

Practice gets faster and faster to draw.

Compose Your Picture with Care

2011-08-17T03:25:00.000-07:00

Even if you don't plan on selling your photo to the Smithsonian, make every effort to keep it balanced and beautiful. On one level or another, everyone responds better to a picture that has all elements in balance.
Strive to lead the eye along an interesting path through the photo, with the use of strong lines or patterns.

Keep the horizon level;
Crop out extra elements that you are not interested in

Move in Closer

2011-08-17T03:22:00.000-07:00

Each time you spot a subject, snap a shot and then move in closer for a better shot. Having your subject almost fill the frame helps your viewer understand and appreciate your photo.

Experimentation

2011-08-17T03:05:00.000-07:00

With the advent of digital photography, we no longer have to worry about film processing costs, or short shots. . As a result, try our photos composition 'has become a real possibility, we are able to shoot tons of shots and delete their reactions following, at no extra cost advantage of this fact and experiment with the composition - you never know if' idea works until you try

Cropping

2011-08-17T03:03:00.000-07:00

Often, the photo lacks impact, since the topic is so small, is lost among the clutter of their surroundings. To strictly limit around the subject you need to remove the "noise" background, ensuring that the subject receives full attention of the viewer.

Framing

2011-08-17T03:01:00.001-07:00

The world is full of objects which make perfect natural frames, such as trees, archways and holes. By placing these around the edge of the composition you help to isolate the main subject from the outside world. The result is a more focused image which draws your eye naturally to the main point of interest.

Depth

2011-08-17T03:00:00.000-07:00

Because photography is a medium to two dimensions, we have to choose our mix thoroughly to give a feeling of depth that was present in thea actual scene. You can create depth in a picture by including objects in the foreground, midplane and background. Another composition useful techniques overlap, when you deliberately partially obscure an object with another. The human eye naturally recognize these layers and mentally separate them, creating an image with more depth.

Background

2011-08-17T02:58:00.000-07:00

How many times have you taken what you thought would be a great shot, only to discover that the final image has no impact because the good subject in a busy background? The human eye is excellent at distinguishing between different elements in a scene, while a camera tends to flatten out in the foreground and background, and it can often ruin a photo otherwise good condition. Fortunately, this problem is usually easy to overcome at the time of registration - looking for a simple background and discreet and compose your photo so as not to distract or divert the topic

Viewpoint

2011-08-17T02:56:00.000-07:00

Before photographing your subject, take time to think about where you want it to shoot. Our view has a huge influence on the composition of our photos, and therefore can greatly affect the message they had shot through. Instead of just shoot from eye level, consider taking pictures from above, down to earth on the side, rear, by far, very closely, and so on

Symmetry and Patterns

2011-08-17T02:53:00.000-07:00

We are surrounded by the symmetry and patterns, both natural and artificial. They can do very captivating compositions, especially in situations where they are not provided. Another good way to use them to break the symmetry or pattern in some way, to introduce the excitement and the focal point of the scene.

Leading Lines

2011-08-17T02:51:00.000-07:00

When we look at a picture of our eye is naturally drawn lines. From Think about how you put the lines in the composition, can influence the way they see the big picture, pulls us into the image, toward the subject, or a journey "through" the scene. There are many different types of lines - straight, diagonal, curved, zig-zag pattern, radial, etc. - and each can be improved with our photographic composition.

Balancing Elements

2011-08-17T02:49:00.000-07:00

Setting the main subject off center, as the rule of thirds, creating a more interesting picture, but can leave the scene of a void which may seem empty. It should be a balance, "weight" of the subject, including another object fills the space of less importance.

Rule of Thirds

2011-08-17T02:47:00.000-07:00

Imagine that the image is divided into nine equal segments by two vertical and two horizontal lines. Try setting the most important elements of the scene with these lines, or points where they intersect. This can be added to the balance and the interest in the photo. Some cameras also offer the possibility of the rule of thirds grid on top of the LCD screen, making it even easier to use.

Flash Bouncers

2011-08-17T02:41:00.001-07:00

The Fring – a DIY Flash Ring

2011-08-17T02:40:00.000-07:00

It uses the light from your camera’s flash to light your subject using fibre optics arranged around your lens to give a more even light.

DIY Ghetto Flash Extender

2011-08-17T02:38:00.000-07:00

I’d not heard of this type of device before – but since I found this tutorial I’ve discovered a number of photographers who for one reason or another want to be able to extend the reach of their flash.
This is particularly useful for wildlife photographers who want to supplement natural light in tricky lighting with fill flash. Of course sometimes it’s difficult to get close to that animal and a normal flash would have no impact.

Full Budget DIY Lighting Studio

2011-08-17T02:36:00.000-07:00

It includes lights, reflectors, diffusers and flash diffusers – all using items that you could pick up at hardware and craft stores.
It also shows you a few test shots at the end of the tutorial that compare different lighting options.
You will need your own flash unit to use the flash diffusers on – but the rest is all included in the tutorial.

Poor Mans Ring Flash

2011-08-17T02:28:00.000-07:00

Everything you need for (left) is a bottle of Milk / jar and scissors.

The result is that you have Flash ring of a poor man.

A ring flash is the one that fits around the lens - which creates a wonderfully unique lighting effect. Typically, will lighten your wallet for a couple hundred dollars.

It is so simple that I whipped for me today, in 5 minutes.

He has worked at all bad - not bad for the cost of a couple of liters of milk!

Multi-Super-SB-Ring Light

2011-08-17T01:56:00.000-07:00

What you can do six pop-up flash strobes, the coffee can and a little 'free time?

You get a super-multi-SB-ring lights! (The photo at left).

You can probably blind a small village, if you're not careful!

Discover what it is, how to make one and what the results are there.

It looks like a lot of fun to play with - even if just for the challenge and it looks like you get when you pull the next time you make a shot ..

Pick Out Interesting Details

2011-08-17T01:50:00.001-07:00

Most architecture is covered with small-scale details which make fascinating photos in their own right - from ornate windows to patterns of rivets to decorative cornices.

Be on the lookout for these details and crop in tightly on them for a more intimate photograph that conveys the character of the architecture.

Shoot at Night

2011-08-17T01:48:00.000-07:00

Even the most boring architecture can come alive at night - in fact, many modern buildings and urban centers are designed specifically for the night in mind. After dark, the buildings are lit by dozens of candles that bring color and vibrancy, and threw fantastic shadows across the building.

When photographing architecture at night be sure to use a tripod and set your camera to its lowest ISO setting to reduce digital noise to a minimum.

Lighting in Architectural Photography

2011-08-17T01:46:00.000-07:00

Lighting is an important part of architectural photography. Of course, we have no say in the position and orientation of buildings and the construction of the lighting is usually out of the question (not to mention expensive!). Instead, we must do what nature has to offer.

Side lights and front usually produces the best pictures of architecture. It offers plenty of light, and also casts a long, interesting shadows on the face of the building, when its surface details come out and give the construction of three dimensions.

Modern Architecture

2011-08-17T01:40:00.000-07:00

When shooting in modern architecture, you can get away with a more modern abstract style. Try a wide-angle lenses to produce the ultimate point of view or photograph the building from unusual angles. Also, because modern buildings are often pressed close together, you can crop the image to close the building feel unnatural.

Old Architecture

2011-08-17T01:38:00.000-07:00

When taking photos of ancient architecture, a clear layout and simple is usually the best, show the natural beauty and elegance of the building. It usually helps to give the context of the surrounding landscape and architecture to make it less crowded.

Converging Verticals

2011-08-17T01:36:00.000-07:00

No discussion of architectAnother option is to take the photograph from farther away. You could use a telephoto lens to make the subject appear closer, or you could crop the final print.ural photography is complete without at least mentioning the converging verticals. They have nothing to fear. We all know how the lines appear closer you look away, like him, to touch the horizon. The idea of "convergence trades" are identical except that it describes the effect of the vertical lines in a building.This effect, usually caused by tilting the camera, can be overcome in a number of ways.

Pattern, Texture and Colour

2011-08-17T01:33:00.000-07:00

Notice how an object with light is a good way to learn about the tones and textures. Since architecture is based on a multitude of different materials in a wide variety of textures can be used to create interest in our images.

Also, think about the various building materials of different shades of brick red, cream and brown wood, with its variety of styles, textures and colors, rendered smooth walls painted in every color of the rainbow, plastic, steel, lead etc.. I recently spent several days in the area of Bath, United Kingdom, where many buildings are built of Bath stone beautiful, has a beautiful cream color, or so I thought. It seems that in the first extract, this is a brilliant white. As the stone age, taking the cream of features we see today in most of the buildings was used. You can see in the image of a street bath downstairs.

Architecture

2011-08-17T01:30:00.001-07:00

Stationary subjects are easier to photograph, aren't they? Well, not necessarily.
Words and Pictures by Michael Jenkins

With buildings all around us most of the time, it is easy to see why we could assume that they are easy to photograph. However, photography means writing with light and the one thing we know about natural light is that it is always changing. The sun rises and sets; clouds of varying thickness roll along the sky; shadows get shorter and longer with both the time of day and the seasons. If we are to write with natural light, we must remember that it will always be changing.

Because buildings are so important to us, they immediately become centres of interest. Notice this with the farmhouse in Snowdonia. I stopped the car to take a picture of the cloud hovering over the mountain. Yet our eyes are constantly drawn back to the farmhouse, despite the wide open spaces around it.

Building Panoramic Images

2011-08-17T01:25:00.000-07:00

Panoramic landscapes make for beautiful pictures. There is nothing like the feeling of relaxation and tranquility is achieved by looking more vivid images of sweeping wilderness, less the hassle of actually get there. Using a digital camera, it is possible to stitch images to simulate the effects of an expensive filter landscape. After I bought my digital camera (a Nikon Coolpix 4300) and set it to work under Linux, get the software to stitch images and was my next task.

The Nikon Coolpix 4300, like most digital cameras come with a CD of software to perform rudimentary image stitching. Unfortunately, the software is not Linux. Through Google, it was difficult to find something that works in Linux, until I remembered The GIMP. There are two ways to use the GIMP to create a panoramic photo, easy and difficult. How difficult is to build layers of different photos, edit filter masks and transparency of the layer and play around with the layers by hand.

How to Taking the pictures

2011-08-17T01:22:00.000-07:00

Whether you are shooting inside or outside, and especially if you are planning to shoot a particular event such as a sunset, it is a good idea to arrive early at the location of you shot as a proper setup can take some time.
Camera Setup:
What follows is the most important tip of the whole article: Put your camera in all manual mode, including manual focus.
This will ensure all the sub pictures making up the final panorama will have the same exposure level (hence the same brightness/contrast) and the same depth of field. This will make the stitching a lot easier since you will not have to adjust the individual pictures for exposure and focus.
A few extra tips will get you the best results out of this:
Do not use a polarizing filter unless you really have to. When you are going to rotate the camera in order to take the pictures, the incidence of the light on the filter will change and this will result in different colors hues on each picture. This can make the stitching very painful.
Try to use a focal lens of 50mm or greater. This means â€œzooming inâ€ a little bit. Of course it also means you will have to take more pictures to cover the panorama, but it will result in more details in the end.

Introduction to Panoramic Photography

2011-08-17T01:19:00.000-07:00

Pan â € "or panoramic photo â €" is usually made by stitching several images taken with the same device in one. Although you can also get a panoramic effect with a single image, just the aggressive cut â € "especially if you use a wide angle lens â €" I'll stick to a photo œmultiple € € approach in this article because it offers more options.

An overview can be horizontal, vertical or even a mosaic of images taken in both directions. In this article I will assume you want to do a horizontal panorama, which means that the final image will have a width much greater than the height and the photos will be taken from right to left (or left to right, if you prefer, but my camera does so Ine). The technique can, as you will easily adapted to make vertical panoramas.

HDR Tutorial

2011-08-17T00:59:00.000-07:00

2011-08-17T00:56:00.000-07:00

High Dynamic Range-technique (HDR) can create incredibly beautiful pictures which blur the sense of the difference between reality and illusion. HDR images in the graphics is a set of techniques that allow a much wider dynamic exhibit normal digital imaging techniques. The intention is to accurately represent the wide range of intensity levels in real scenes ranging from direct sunlight to the deepest shadows. This is done by modifying photos with image processing software for tone mapping. And the results can be truly amazing, in fact, many artists and designers to achieve more luxury good.

Fantastic HDR Pictures

2011-08-17T00:53:00.000-07:00

How to Get Close in Macro Photography

2011-08-17T00:46:00.000-07:00

Here are some tips for getting close:

Go slow. Be patient. Watch the bug for awhile to see how it behaves.
Some of the bugs are more tolerant than others (both across species as well as within).
Move slow. Try not to caste your shadow on the bug. If the bug takes off, be still and wait a minute or two, it will often return to the same perch.
When you find one that lets you get close, start firing that shutter like a maniac. Be prepared, such that all settings are as they should be, because you may only get one shot.
As you master the focus and exposure, you can start paying more attention to composition.

Lighting & Flash for Macro Photography

2011-08-17T00:43:00.001-07:00

1. Shoot on bright days so you can get a decent shutter speed.
2. If you can afford an external flash, it really makes a dramatic difference.
3. If you do use flash, it needs to be diffused (e.g., a tissue) or bounced (e.g., off a white card or reflector). Pointing the flash indirectly is another possibility.
4. The 2xTC after the close-ups can help with lighting since it is easier to illuminate the subject more evenly from a distance.
5. A butterfly bracket (and off shoe cord) for the external flash will give you even more control of lighting.
6. Varying exposure and/or flash compensation as well as the position of the external diffused flash, gives me some flexibility here.

Camera Settings of Macro Photography

2011-08-17T00:42:00.001-07:00

1. Use manual focus. Lock the focus and then gently rock the camera back and forth until you find that sweet spot (where the image looks crisp in the LCD). This takes a lot of practice.
2. Use full zoom. This is especially important in situations were vignetting is likely (e.g., if using a 2xTC after some stacked close-ups).
3. Use a small aperture (large F value) to maximize depth of field (the amount of the image in focus). The more magnification, the less depth of field.
4. Fill flash is usually a good idea. The majority of my shots are at F8 (which is the smallest aperture a prosumer digital camera gives), 1/250 with fill flash.
5. I typically used the F8 trick on the Canon G1, that is, I use Tv (shutter priority) mode and set the shutter speed to 1/640th. Because flash is enabled, it will drop down to the max synch speed of 1/250 with F8. While the G3 doesn't have the F8 trick, it does permit high speed synch (higher than 1/250 with the external flash), which should be useful for fill in bright light.
6. The next most frequent mode I use is aperture priority (Av) with, of course, F8 (the smallest aperture my camera gives). I like this mode, because I can tolerate shutter speeds down to 1/100 or so on a good day (if I have skipped the morning coffee), but I am more likely to have success with 1/160 or 1/200. This helps to get a lighter background than with 1/250.
7. Lastly, I sometimes shoot in manual mode, but the main problem with that is my Canon G1 fires the external flash at full strength in this mode (in which case, I wrap it in tissue as well as the diffuser). Since the G3 gives much more control over the flash, I will probably use manual more often with it.

Camera Equipment for Macro Photography

2011-08-17T00:38:00.000-07:00

Canon Powershot G1 (35-103mm zoom) 3Mp digital camera
Recently upgraded to a Canon Powershot G3 (35-140mm) 4Mp
Lensemate adapter tube to allow filters to be attached to the camera
Various close-up lenses (or diopters)
- Tiffen +10 & +7
- Hanimex +6
- Royal & Quantary sets (+3, +2, & +1 in each)
Tiffen Megaplus 2x Zoom/TeleConverter (2xTC)
Pentax 50mm F1.4 lens (a fast normal lens)
- Macro coupler ring (for attaching the normal lens in the reverse position)
Canon 420ex flash
- Various Stofen Omnibounce diffusers
- Kirk butterfly bracket
- Canon off shoe cord (allows me to mount the 420ex flash on the bracket)
Tripods
Macro focusing rail

Extreme Macro Photography on a Budget

2011-08-17T00:36:00.000-07:00

The rest of the Make team made a great video guide of it – check it out:

Lense for Macro Photography

2011-08-17T00:30:00.001-07:00

All close dedicated photographers own greed or a macro lens Pukka. Nikon 55mm f/2.8 Micro bought Nikkor 10 years about a little less than 200 second hand. More than 500 to buy new today, but has the advantage of a perfect performance in the area and increasing the capacity by simply turning the lens barrel. With most of the other options you have to connect the accessory to remove foregrounds and to return to the distance of the picture. All controls more uncomfortable!

This Micro Nikkor, like most true macro lenses are designed to work best for close-ups. It offers a half-life size ratio 1:02 - 1:1 or with the possibility PK-13 tube, some manufacturers offer lenses with 1:1 without the optional converter.

Many of the cheaper products will be here much longer, with a reserve of greater increase, but few do as well as the Nikon, which produces a sharp image.

Flash for Macro Photography

2011-08-17T00:28:00.000-07:00

Flash can be extremely helpful. It freezes the subject, because it has a very short flash time and can give a great depth of field when the natural light will not allow it, or a tripod is not possible. It will fire the size of pouch life twice with F16 openings.

There are two ways to use a flash. First fill flash to light when the room is a bit below what you need, and a small flash kind of problem. This is very effective and leaves the background more or less intact

If you need most of the light from a flash, for example indoors or for very small subjects then a slightly different technique applies. With a flash you can set the aperture and shot speed you want and the TTL metering system will sort out a correct exposure for the picture. Except of course the same rules for dark / light subjects apply. The flash has limits to its power though, this is given by its guide number

Technique Of Macro Photography

2011-08-17T00:24:00.000-07:00

The camera meter will try to explain the uniform gray card properly, is great for mid-tone colors, but colors lighter or darker a bit of adjustment usually has to do. It seems necessary to overexpose bright white subjects approximately 1 - 1 1 / 3 stops, with a large reduction in the vivid colors of the same

camera may be able to take a bracket of photos of say -1 stop, -2/3 stop, -1/3 stop with just a single press which should enable you to cover any exposure problems. Without that facility you have to change the ISO setting on the camera for an ISO 50 film the following is a guide.

ISO Number	25	32	40	50	64	80	100
Exposure	+1	+2/3	+1/3	0	-1/3	-2/3	-1
	Light			Dark

Macro Photography

2011-08-17T00:20:00.000-07:00

The bottom line is Nature produces beauty, this comes in all shapes and sizes.In this wing, I produced sections Illicit drugs they thought as to the form carried out this arduous task instead. I do have passport Fashion Photography Ideas are confusing a fait difficult to understand, there are pigs passport of Art, I hope to make things clear intelligible one. At the end of the day I want to see quality photos of animals, the more I like.

The photographer's challenge is to get as close as possible to faithfully reproduce that beauty. This must be done in terms of color, shape and setting. The true colors, not over-saturated "beautiful" images, whose nature is "pretty" enough without our help. The sharpness of the image and the correct perspective is crucial. Finally, put your subject, whatever it is, in the context surrounding the show, as it will inevitably add to the life of the image.

To that end, I have produced several sections of opinion on how to perform this task quite difficult. I like the way ideas are photography is confusing and difficult to understand, no art gray, I hope things clear and intelligible. At the end of day I want to see quality images that I love animals.

Reversing Lenses for Macro Photography

2011-08-17T00:13:00.000-07:00

The lenses used here are a cheap Tamron 70-300mm and a Minolta 50mm. Each lenses ring (filter) size will determine the adapters that you'll need. I used a 62mm to 62mm coupler for the 70-300mm and a 49-62 step up ring for the 50mm. All of which are shown below:

Next, simply attach the ring to the corresponding lens. Should look a little something like this

Now just combine the two lenses into one by way of the rings:

VERY IMPORTANT. You'll want the aperture on the 50mm (or whatever lens you're using) wide open. If your lens doesn't have an aperture dial you'll have to wedge the slide open. This is where the folded piece of cardboard or paper comes in. In the image below, I used a piece of notepad paper folded just enough to open the aperture and fit snugly. Use whatever works for you but I find that it is hard to damage the lens by using this method.

What Kind of Camera use in Macro Photography

2011-08-17T00:07:00.001-07:00

Point and shoot digital cameras can be a macro-functions, but for best results you want peiliheijastuskamera camera. These allow you to add special-purpose macro lenses, and to show, an optical viewfinder, a sensor is what you get.

A typical setup might be a Canon Digital Rebel XTi (Black) (review), with a Canon 60mm f/2.8 EF-S Macro USM (review). This lens is designed for small-sensor Canon offers a range of work equivalent to 100mm on a full frame camera. The goal specifies that the selection down to "1:01" or "size". This means that the smallest object that can fire, which spread to all corners of the digital camera will end the same size as the sensor in the Canon Rebel, 15x22mm. A professional photographer can use Canon EOS 5D (review) and a lens designed for full Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM (review). Confused, this target is also specified that the selection down to "1:01", but this time the sensor is 24x36mm in size, the old standard 35 mm film. So you can not take a picture of something as small as the best team.

In the world of film, 35 mm cameras have a full range of macro lenses and accessories, and some medium-sized systems, such as the Rollei 6008 would be at least a couple of lenses and extension tubes. Only extremely patient has never had a macro with a 4x5-inch, rear-view camera.

Introduction to Macro Photography

2011-08-17T00:03:00.000-07:00

Beautiful Examples Of Macro Photography

2011-08-17T00:00:00.000-07:00

Macro photography is the art of taking close-up pictures that reveal details which can’t be seen with the naked eye

Smoke photography video tutorial

2011-08-16T23:52:00.000-07:00

Smoke Photography and Smoke Art

2011-08-16T03:46:00.000-07:00

Smoke Art Photography An Introduction

2011-08-16T03:35:00.000-07:00

The Art of smoke, in its simplest definition, is an art that the characteristics of the smoke. Smoke can be seen as the subject or means to create something else. Some focus on its own beauty and purity, others use it as a "painting" to create remarkable works of art. I think my work is somewhere in between: For images in my gallery, with the exception of a few, have each image of the smoke of a prisoner (in some cases, double or mirrored).

Night Photography Cities (30 seconds or less)

2011-08-16T03:14:00.000-07:00

Cities have a bit of everything to light. They are usually very easy to explain - that is the balance of the city against another element - usually a heaven or a foreground element.

Mixed Light

2011-08-16T03:11:00.000-07:00

Here a cave entrace (outdoors) is balanced with the lights built into this cave display. Balance is achived by how much of the scene is shown - more of the cave (the yellow part), the less green outdoors shows. Here it was just luck that they were roughly the same brightness.

Here there is a fixed light source (the sun coming through) and a variable source (my flashlight back filling the scene). The flash light was on for about 4 seconds at the end of the scene to fill in the cave. If I had not used the flashlight, the cave would be too contrasty - you couldn't see the walls.

It took 6 minutes to get enough star/city light to get a sky filled in. The flash light filled in the tent in 6 seconds. This would be an easy photoshop fix (there is complete darkness between the sky and the tent) but I didn't do that - promise!

Night Photography by David Baldwin

2011-08-16T02:56:00.000-07:00

In the daytime our vision and minds work together to produce generally "ordinary" views of our world.   At night our vision and perceptions are less secure, become questionable.   This allows the night photographer a great latitude in visualising and actually producing images.   In night photography colour and contrast are often very different from daytime, sometimes the complete opposite of our normal experience. This allows us to see our world with new, almost alien eyes.   Additionally at night we can see deep into space, and the awe we feel and the grandeur we see hopefully infuses our images.

Night photography is about mystery.   One powerful justification for photography in general is that it encourages the discipline to look hard enough to see the hidden wonder all around us.   Night photography in particular rewards this discipline because of its inherent concern with difference. Time, colour, darkness, location, technology, personal vision, solitude all combine in new and personal ways everytime the night photographer goes out.
My time as a night photographer has also given me a kind of composite mental library blending my memories of different locations and times with the starry "landscape" above. Now if I look up at particular bright stars I can remember other occasions and accompanying moods when I photographed under those stars.   The sky has become a kind of personal diary in my head, and this website is my attempt to project at least a flavour of this outside of myself.   I hope very much that you find something of interest among the images here.

Setting for Night Photography

2011-08-16T02:46:00.000-07:00

Put your camera in manual mode. Ok, you've seen it backs Aussie properly adjusted, the time to put in place in March do not bother your passport composer March BNO Although just have paid a judge of other things the Prime Minister. Set your camera auto-focus AF e. THIS DOES Functions May Not Salary: conditioners, but most of you this very well run temperatures. Zoom in all the way and Tatiana found a source of light in the area of e light Who is La même distance that the subject of Quebec to the point you want, press half a trigger. Once the camera sees Concentrate on the area light source e zoom out of the UN Any Light (UO You Want But You Quandt call backs coup, you can zoom in zoom out aussie backs e What You Still love remains the discussion) and do on, without touching the trigger switch of the e ring the development of textbooks back. Be sure you 'N' passport Touch The ring setting when you call.

Put your camera in manual mode. OK, you have so far things are going well, time to create the image. No need to compose your shot now that we have to sort some things first. Set your camera's autofocus or AF. This might not work depending on the conditions, but mostly it will work fine. Zoom all the way and find a light source or light district which is the same distance as the subject you want to focus, press the shutter button halfway. When the camera focuses on the light source or light area to zoom in fully (or how far you want when you compose the image, zoom in or out as far as you want it will always remain in focus) and make you, without touching the shutter or the focus back to manual focus. Be sure you do not touch the focus ring when you dial.

Now you have the camera focus can proceed to compose the image. This is something I can not say how to do this tutorial is in the eye of the photographer. Be creative and show your creative eye.

Night Photography

2011-08-16T02:43:00.000-07:00

One area of photography that people make mistakes is night photography, most people assume you just use the flash and all is well. OK, it's good for the odd flash of your friends or an evening. But if you want to be creative and make great pictures at night you have to do much more than simply turn the flash on,

Equipment Required

* Digital camera
* Tripod
* Remote shutter release
* Something to do while exposing your shot

Beautiful Examples of Night Photography

2011-08-16T02:36:00.000-07:00

low light levels make photography at night, a difficult but rewarding. The best result requires special equipment, SLR, tripod, cable release and flash. After sunset, the everyday world transformed by magic, and the buildings of the city, fireworks, lightning and the aurora all become popular topics.