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My Guide To Self Portrait Photography

Barry — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 18:00:56 +0000

General Essentials

The main thing about a self portrait is that YOU are taking a photo of YOU, this means that a camera with a self timer is essential (almost) and a tripod is also a major advantage, the only other option to a tripod would be a safe platform to place your camera on. That said I have taken self portraits by just resting the camera on a bean bag or even the floor but this obviously limits the angle of the shot and you cant be sure that the camera wont move at just the wrong time.

Mood

I enjoy taking slightly dark, moody portraits as I feel that they portray a bit more mystery and often do not require an attractive backdrop or props.

I have a background stand and black backdrop that I purchased on eBay for not much money (less than £80). I also have a Canon 430 ex Mk11 external flash with both a TTL lead and wireless trigger, these are not essential but add a bit of flexibility to what angle I can create the light source from.

A diffuser for the flash is also useful to soften the light slightly but this can be improvised from tracing paper or similar.

In the below shot I was taking a self portrait for a competition and wanted to go ‘against the normal’ trend. SO I thought I would hide my face from the camera. This seemed to do the trick as I won the competition!!! ;0)

As you can see form the photo the light source is set on the left of my face (from my perspective) using my TTL lead attached to the flash. I darkened the photo slightly in Camera RAW to remove any trace of creases in the backdrop. Other than that the photo was just cropped and sharpened slightly.

Location

I often look for urban locations that portray a different atmosphere and include colour a texture. Making sure that there is not too much going on in the background is very important as you don’t want to draw the eye of the viewer to the background but do want to make it interesting enough for the viewer to ‘have a look’ around your photo. I often use HDR in my portraits to bring out the colours and textures and this technique can be quite tricky to get just right…..too much of an HDR effect and it looks like a cartoon!

The photo below was processed in Photomatix and then in Photoshop to adjust the levels. My processeing in Photoshop usually follows the same steps more or less which is set out further on in this article.

I also find that a great effect is taking a portrait where the whole backdrop is sky. This can be tricky as not only do you need a sky that has some definition (not just blue or grey), but you also have to find a location (like a hill) where there is nothing in the background, such as trees or buildings, to block parts of the sky.

In the photo below I have mixed HDR (the sky) with a normal photograph (me).

It did take quite a few shots to get the position of the sun just right but I feel it was worth it as it adds a bit more to the overall effect.

In the below photo I actually took the photo accidentally whilst adjusting the camera. Luckily the photo came out quite well!! ;0)

Little Touches

Small touches in a portrait can be the difference between an ‘ok’ photo and one which you are really happy with. IN the example below I have removed all of the colour apart from my eyes. At first you don’t notice it but it does make quite a big difference.

I achieved this effect in Photoshop by adding a layer on top of the original colour one and removing the colour from that second layer. I then added a layer mask and using the brush tool (set to black), removed the parts of the layer over the eyes. I then softened the image using the Gaussian blur set to 50% opacity on a new layer and repeated the above steps to remove the softened areas over the eyes.

Theme

I like portraits with a theme, in the example below I had just watched Ocean’s Eleven and thought it would be fun to try a casino style portrait. Now I am not going to pretend that timing th card throw with the flash triggering was easy (it took several dozen shots!) but was fun. I had to use the flash (straight in front of me in this example) to achieve the shutter speed high enough to capture the card clearly enough without blurring.

I think that the above shot is the only one where I have actually ‘dressed the part’, this is important to achieve results for certain shots (such as playing cards in a casino). I was also trying to portray someone at the end of the road and completely out of luck, knowing that this is the emotion that I wanted prior to taking the shot helped with my pose and facial expression (a smile wouldn’t have quite worked!).

hough not self portraits I also took a series of similar shots for a friend after he saw this one, they can be viewed here.

The unexpected!

A couple of my self portraits have been taken when I am at a loss of what else to take! The photo below was literally born out of frustration and although I wasn’t actually going to stomp on the camera, I did feel that I wanted to, and that’s what gave me the idea!

It was tricky to get the focus correct but I balanced over the camera and used a remote trigger to focus on my trainers and eventually managed not to fall over before the shot was taken!

This next shot was simply when I was deciding what to take a shot of next……..

This shot is HDR and I have ‘dodged’ the areas in the photo where the gravel paths meet at a crossroads. I also slightly dulled the colour using the desaturate tool in Photoshop.

Humour!

I took the below shot as a joke about how I am not one for reading about the technicalities of photography and prefer to just experiment with my camera, it is entitled ‘Not a clue’. This is just processed in Camera Raw using a technique described as the Dave Hill effect on Scott Kelby’s website.

Perspective

Taking the shot from a different angle is a good way of your photo standing out. In the below shot the camera was placed on the ground using the self timer. The focus is on my trainer and taken with 3 bracketed shots to achieve the HDR effect. I then added a vignette, softened the photo and desaturated the colour slightly.

My normal post processing follows these steps;

If HDR, processed in Photomatix
Opened in Photoshop
Sharpened
New layer set to ‘Soft light’ and opacity adjusted
Gaussian blur added to new layer and set to between 25% and 50%.
Adjustment layer added and area of photo removed that I wish to emphasise (eyes etc)

There is usually some other asjustments I make but the above steps are pretty much always followed.

HDR Resource Roundup

Barry — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 17:20:49 +0000

If used correctly it is simply a way of creating great photographs which have a huge amount of detail and tonal range included. I have actually started seeing the world in HDR as I am constantly on the look out for great subjects and locations. I look for contrasting colours and textures (especially in the sky between the clouds and the clear sky). Portraits can also work in HDR as it can often give a gritty look (as with my self portrait below)

By Barry Chignell

HDR tutorials

Stuck In Customs -- Trey Ratcliff is one of the best known HDR and travel photographers on the internet. This HDR tutorial is the first one I read which was clear enough to follow and achieve good results.

The Windy Pixel -- Justin Kern has a very unique style in his work, his photos are very smooth and almost dream like. Again Justin has created a very comprehensive and detailed HDR tutorial.

FreePhotoResources -- My tutorial is based around the workflow within PhotoMatix and explains each stage and the effects different controls will have on the image be processed.

Vanilla Days -- Really nice, in depth tutorial.

Cambridge In Colour -- A more technical look at HDR.

By Barry Chignell

Dave Hill Effect

Dave Hill is a photographer that has developed his own, very unique photo technique which he uses to great affect in his work. There are many tutorials regarding this technique but this one from Scott Kelby is the one I consider top of the bunch.

By Barry Chignell

HDR Software

More and more software is emerging whcih all claim to be the best and achieve results that no other can, however, the tried and tested packages are;

PhotoMatix -- In my opinion the best and easiest to use HDR processing package available.

Adobe Photoshop -- There is a work flow within Photoshop for HDR which many find does the job very nicely. I use Photoshop to further post process my images once finished in Photomatix.

Picturenaut -- Freeware HDR processing software from HDRlabs.

Essential HDR (codename Wukong) -- Happy to compare there results with other packages, Wukong is impressive and there is a free version.

By Barry Chignell

Flickr Groups For Inspiration

HDR -- Some great examples of HDR can be found in this group and newcomers are more than welcome. You are asked to comment on other members photos to create a community and share knowledge and tips.

Supreme HDR/DRI -- As with the above group there are some superb examples of HDR photography to be found in this group.

HDR & PS Post Processing -- This group concentrates on the work put in by the photographer during the post processing stage. Most of the images submitted are HDR and the quality in the processing is easy to see.

By Barry Chignell

HDR Websites and Resources

By Barry Chignell

Video Tutorials

HDR Technique

www.youtube.com/watch?v=s14rvLKKH60

Merge To HDR In PS CS3

www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVuDbcAfN_I

Photomatix Tutorial

www.youtube.com/watch?v=_guoBOQG9Uw

Inspiration

By Justin Kern

By Barry Chignell

By marcp_dmoz

By Barry Chignell

HDR Explained

Barry — Mon, 10 May 2010 13:05:55 +0000

HDR is achieved by ‘Bracketing’ multiple shots, which each emphasise the different areas of light and then combine them into 1 ‘HDR’ image that then has the detail of highlights, lowlights and midtones.

What do I need?

1) It is a huge advantage if you have a camera with auto bracketing. If you don’t then you can manually change the exposure for each of the shots.

2) A tripod or something to rest the camera on is a must as you want the exact same image multiple times and so movement between shots will mess this up. If you haven’t got a tripod then a bean bag or even a jumper to rest the camera on can help.

3) Software such as Photoshop or Photomatix to create the HDR from your separate shots.

How do I take the photographs?

I ALWAYS use a tripod for HDR shots. I set my auto bracketing to 2/3 stop and take 3 shots of the scene. I then increase the bracketing to 1 stop and take another 3 shots (this is just to give me 2 options and effects when combining the photos later and is up to you to decide your preferred settings through trial and error).

If your taking your photos were there are moving subjects such as people of trees etc it is best to wait until the movement is at a minimum as this can cause ‘ghosting’ in the final image were you have the position of the moving object represented however many time a photo was taken (although Photomatix has an option to reduce this effect).

What to photograph?

Street Scenes

When I go out looking for a subject for an HDR image I look for a number of things. Colours are a great start, in the image below, which was taken in Windsor, the colours of the balloons and the buildings are really bought out by the HDR process.

The Sky

Also keep an eye on the sky, a deep blue sky with the odd cloud gives a dramatic effect to any photo, combine this with a good foreground subject and your on to a winner.

Sunsets

Sunsets are great for normal photography but if you use the HDR technique this gives a completely different effect.

Water

When I first took three images of water I assumed that when I came to process them the 3 photos would be completely different due to the movement of the water surface. This is not the case however and it actually works pretty well (I still can’t get my head round how the position of the water surface is the same each time!)

Creating the HDR image

Once you have downloaded your photos make sure you sort them into batches of the same scene so that you know which photos are to be combined. I always use 3 bracketed shots and so rename them in the first instance to A1, A2, A3, B1, B2, B3 and so on.

My preference is to create the HDR image in Photomatix and then put the finishing touches on in Photoshop.

Photomatix

The 3 images above are the bracketed shots taken at 2/3 stop difference. They were all at ISO 100 and F22 but the exposure times were 1/30sec, 1/40sec and 1/50sec.

To load these in Photomatix;

Select ‘Generate HDR image‘ from the menu on the left of the screen…

Next select ‘Browse‘ and then select the three (or more) images using ‘Ctrl’ and clicking on each of the images. When you have them all selected click ‘Open’…..

You will then be presented with the above screen. This is just to show you what files you have selected and to allow you to add or remove some of the images if you wish, if you are happy with the images that you have selected, click ‘OK’……

The ‘Generate HDR – Options‘ window allows you to the following options before processing the image;

Align source images – If you feel that there could have been movement between the shots taken then you can choose this option to allow Photomatix to attempt to align the images. The two methods it will attempt to do this using (which you can choose) are by correcting horizontal and vertical shifts and trying to match the features within the image (I usually choose this option if any). Choosing to align the images will mean that the programme will take a bit longer to create the image.
Attempt to reduce ghosting artifacts – if there is something moving in the image, such as a person or a tree etc, the this option will tell Photomatix to try and reduce the ‘ghosting’ effect where the movement is captured in each image and results in three seperate instances of that person or tree (for example).
Take tone curve of colour profile – this option will mean that Photomatix will use the colour profile from the source image. This is usually the best option when the images have been taken with a DSLR camera or have been converted from RAW files. (I usually leave this option checked).
Attempt to reverse-engineer tone curve applied – when the images are from scanned films or taken with a compact camera/point and shoot camera, it may be worthwhile to check this option (but I never use this option).

Once you are happy with the options you have selected then click ‘OK‘…..

Once Photomatix has churned through the aligning and reduction in ghosting etc then you will see the beginnings of an HDR image displayed. Don’t worry if it doesn’t look particularly ‘HDRish’ yet, as this is where the fun starts…..

Click on the ‘Tone mapping’ button on the left of the screen and Photomatix will then presen you with, what should hopefully be, a more ‘HDRish’ image which you can then start to adjust using the various options in the menu that appears on the left.

On the ‘Details Enhancer‘ tab you have the following options;

Strength – This is the overall effect of the HDR process, I usually leave this set to ’100%’ as you can usually adjust the image using the other options without using this one.

Colour Saturation - Pretty obvious really, this is the amount of colour in the image, this is your call!

Light Smoothing - This option controls the contrast variation in the image, normally I use the second or third check bow from the left as the image usually looks over the top if the first one is selected.

These 3 image show the variations caused by selecting the first, second and third check boxes under 'Light Smooting'

Luminosity – This slider brighten shadows the higher you select and also increases the contrast of the image.

Next you can move onto the individual controls for the image…..

White Point – This increases the brightness of the highlights on the image.

Black Point – This increase the effects of shadows and contrast on the image.

Gamma – This brightens or darkesn the image on a global scale.

Temperature – This increases the temperature of the image, the higher you go, the more reddish the image, the lower the more blueish.

Saturation Highlights – This increases the colour in the highlights of the image.

Saturation Shadows – This increases the colour in the shadows/lowlights of the image

Micro Contrast – This option extentuates the contrast between the highlights and the shadows of the image.

Micro Smoothing - This option smoothes the image globally and, in my opinion, reduces the effect of the HDR process if used too much.

Highlights Smoothing – This option just smooths the highlights of the image, it can help to counter the ‘haloing’ effect around objects on the image but can also ‘wash out’ the highlights if used too much.

Shadows Smoothing - This option just smooths the lowlights and shadows of the image.

Shadows Clipping – This increases the the density of shadows, where you might be able to see other details within the shadows with this set to a low value, if you increase this the shadows will be more dark and not contain any detail.

The best way to get used to these controls is too muck about with them until you are happy with the outcome. Once you are, click on ‘Process’….

Once you have the finished image select ‘File/Save As’ to save your image. At this point I ormally open the image in Photoshop and muck abou with the curves etc.

Resources;

Some examples from Flickr;

By Daniel Raphael Cooper: Shootin’ Silly

By MorBCN

By Robert Scott Photography.ca

By alexkess

By Andrew Stawarz

By Bring back Buck

By left-hand

By Wunderlich Photography

By bmooneyatwork

By EugeniusD80

By Lone Primate

Golden Rule – DONT OVERDO HDR! – an overdone image that looks like a comic drawing looks rubbish (in my opinion).

Outdoor Portrait Photography Explained

Barry — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 08:00:56 +0000

Before you even set out

Make sure you have the following ready prior to the shoot, it may sound obvious that you need the following but it is the obvious things that are often overlooked!!

Large memory card
Spare batteries for the camera AND flash
Grey card
Tripod
Flash diffuser
Suitable clothes -- as silly as it sounds, if your uncomfortable then this will effect your work!
Set your Camera to shoot in RAW
Pack a 70mm+ lens

A check list is a good idea that you simply keep in your camera bag, every time you go on a shoot of a certain type, run through the check list to make sure you have everything (imagine turning up to do a shoot and having to explain to a client why you have forgotten your flash!!).

Preparation is key!

Discuss the location of the shoot with your client prior to the day of the shoot. Ask them if there is anywhere in particular that they enjoy visiting (a couple of places is best to give you a choice). Visit the location prior to the day and carry out a ‘recky’ to gauge the best spots, factors to consider are;

The position of the sun throughout the day
Made made objects, such as power lines, signs etc
Quiet spots
Natural light reflectors such as white buildings etc
Repeating lines to ‘frame’ the photo.
Objects that you can use during the shoot such as benches, fallen tress etc

Explain to your client what they can expect from the day and ask them if there is anything in particular that they are looking for or have seen elsewhere that they would like to try and replicate. If it is cold outdoors then make sure they wear appropriate clothes………

Warm clothes are obvious but they also should be of dark colours and avoid patterns such as checks, polka dots etc. If you are shooting photos of multiple people then they should wear similar clothes, I am not saying that they should turn up all wearing the exact same thing (however funny that may be!), but if one is wearing jeans then they all should….you get the idea.

Treat everyone in the photo as your client (even if they are children). Respect will go along way in getting recommendations and if you upset a child then you’ll probably upset their parent/s and make the rest of the shoot a nightmare. If you have fun with everyone then this will put people at ease and this will come out in the final photos. Don’t try and tell people how to pose, instead actually show them, this will make it easier for them to understand, which, in turn will save you and the subject time and also make them feel more comfortable about getting in to position.

Techniques and Settings

2 things to always bear in mind are the ‘Sunny 16 Rule’ and the ‘Rule Of Thirds’;

Sunny 16 Rule

The Sunny 16 rule is a method of estimating correct daylight exposures when you don’t have a light meter a light meter. The rule can also aid in achieving correct exposure of difficult subjects. Based on incident light, rather than reflected light as with most camera light meters, very bright or very dark subjects are compensated for.

Aperture	Lighting Conditions	Shadow Detail
f/22	Snow/Sand……………………..	Dark with sharp edges
f/16	Sunny…………………………..	Distinct
f/11	Slight Overcast……………….	Soft around edges
f/8	Overcast………………………..	Barely visible
f/5.6	Heavy Overcast………………	No shadows
f/4	Open Shade/Sunset…………..	No shadows
Backlighting	Add One Stop…………………..	n/a

From Wikipedia

Rule Of Thirds

An image is broken up into thirds both hoizontally and vertically. Where the lines cross (known as the ‘power points’ by some photographers) is where you should aim to place the focal point of the shot to get a more intersting shot. This rule can obviously be broken sometimes, such as when the subject is in the centre of the photo but in these instances a feature on the subject can be lines up with a power point to improve composition. Try and move the focal point around within the grid to avoid repetitive photographs.

Most DSLR’s offer the grid as an overlay on the LCD screen like the one below

Technique

Firstly set your camera to ‘Continuous shooting’ mode. Taking one photo at a time is a waste of time and using continuous shooting may help you to capture slightly more ‘candid’ expressions from your subject! As you are taking multiple shots, a large format memory card is a must.

Next turn OFF Auto White Balance and use manual settings, a table of which settings are best for which lighting conditions is below (from DPhotoJournal);

Temperature………..Typical Sources

1000K…………………Candlelight

2400K…………………Early morning sunrise

3200K…………………Tungsten light bulbs

4000K…………………Fluorescent

5200K…………………Typical daylight; electronic flash

6000K…………………Cloudy Day

7000K…………………Shade

Making your subject stand out from the background is key to a great portrait photo and this can be achieved by using a shallow depth of field (high F-Stop). This will keep the subject in focus and blur the background, creating a ‘Bokeh’ effect. At this point it is worth mentioning that manual focus should be used, your camera does a great job of choosing what to focus on and getting it in focus but, YOU may not want to focus on that point in the photo!

Focusing on the eyes will portray the emotion of the subject and create an atmosphere in the scene that gives the photo ‘a little extra something’. Try and evoke passion and expression in your subject to create different overall moods, with kids this is easy as they laugh at anything, with adults this is a bit more difficult. If you can make an adult laugh on command then your a comedian and probably in the wrong job, however even getting a natural smile form the subject, rather than a posed one will make a difference.

Avoid direct sunlight, this will not only cause your subject to quint but will also wash out the colours from the photo and may cause lens flare. Look for shade and stand with your back to the sun (even on a cloudy day!). You will find that any photos that contain sky will be less likely to be over exposed.

Try and keep the scene simple as you don’t want to lose your subject in amongst numerous other objects and invoke a game of ‘Where’s Wally’!

Cloudy days off a natural sun diffuser and help to enhance colours and shadows. If you look outside on the day of the shoot hoping for sun and it is cloudy, DO NOT cancel or postpone the shoot, get out there and use the clouds to your advantage.

Early morning or late afternoon are great times to conduct the shoot as they offer an ever changing level and tone of light and in turn create shadows which can be used to add depth to the photo’s. Where ever possible avoid midday sun as this is when it is at it’s strongest, not only will this wash the photos out but you might get sunburn!! ;0)

To Flash Or Not To Flash

I have read numerous articles regarding the use of a flash (internal or external). Some say to use the natural light only and that flash should not be needed and other say that a fill in flash should always be used. I would say to use your judgement depending on the conditions. On a lovely sunny afternoon where the light is just right you probably won’t need a flash, however, if like me you live in the UK then these conditions are few and far between then a flash is needed!

Tutorial Videos

Below is a collection of great video tutorials regarding different aspects of Outdoor Portrait Photography;

Outdoor Portraits

www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTDHfyQZSiE

Portrait Photography In Sunny Weather Using A Flash

www.youtube.com/watch?v=vd7WqJWPcIU

Cross Flash Effects, Outdoor Flash Photography

www.youtube.com/watch?v=hClLpOrFXWY

Analysing A Natural Light Portrait

www.youtube.com/watch?v=7my3whcmPXE

By Alva Chien

By Hans-Photography

By Alva Chien

By d. jones photo

By Jchetan

By James Jordan

By Muriel215

By Brainsonic

By MarkLeo

How to Create An Atmospheric Car Portrait

Barry — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 12:06:30 +0000

Preparation

Equipment
Camera (obviously)
Tripod
Flash gun (not essential but adds the choice if needed)
Change (for the car park if used)
Cleaning cloth (birds WILL aim for your car on the way, sod’s law!!!)
Sheet/Mat – if your going to get low then you need something to sit/lay on!

Before you go out to take the photo consider the following;

Are you going to take a photo of your car or a friends? If it is yours then great, you can choose when and where to go and how to take the photo, if however you are going to take a photo of a friends car then they will obviously need to make themselves (and their car) available at the time and location of your choice. You will also need to ask them to clean their car (unless you are going for that ‘just driven through a bog’ look!).

Time of day? – when do you want to take the photo, remember the golden hours (late afternoon or early morning), this will help with the light and give a nice soft hue to the photo, you can also play with the changing colours and shadows as the sun either goes down or comes up. If you are using a location with artificial light then the time of day is less of a consideration but should be remembered as natural light will still factor in the overall effect.

What overall effect are you looking for? – I went for a grungy, moody (as always!) look and feel and so was prepared for a little HDR. You may be going for an entirely different feel such as action shots, if this is the case then you may require a faster lens, flash and an extra driver (unless you own Knight Rider!).

Locations to consider which add a bit of atmosphere include;

Multi storey car parks – as in my example multi storey car parks are great for bright coloured cars (see colour section below for more details). They are under cover (so weather not a factor), self lit and also off a wealth of textures, angles and shadows that add drama to the shot. Remember to get there either early or late to avoid over crowding, I went at 8am on a Sunday and had the choice of 3 floors with no other cars! Long distance shots are great from a low position as these add a great depth of field to the photo. When shooting in artificially lit conditions always remember to adjust your white balance accordingly and not to use AWB.

Office building forecourt – Great for reflections using the glass and also adds a bit of ‘class’ to the shot, remember to ask permission if on private property (usually the security guard is fine if you ask the politely first). This location works well for both brightly coloured cars and silvers/whites as you can convert the image to black and white and you usually also get colours from the surrounding objects reflected in the glass. Whenever using glass in your images it is wise to invest in a Polarizing Filter, this will enable you to control the strength of the reflections to your taste.

Woodland – A bit more tricky to get a car actually into woodland (not many woods are accessible and those that are will usually cover your car in mud!) but if you can and it’s legal then the colours from the trees (especially in Autumn) reflecting of the car’s bodywork add a great dimension to the photograph. The trees also provide shadows and highlights that you can experiment with.

Industrial Estates – Loads of contours, lines, textures and interesting buildings all add to a great photo. Be careful not to include too much in the background though as you will lose the car in amongst the other objects in the frame. If you live near a large factory that has those steam chimneys then these are great for adding a grungy feel!

High Street (at night) – When everyone has finished shopping and it’s quieter, why not try the high street after dark. The numerous different coloured shop lights reflecting off of your car will really look striking. It also adds an ‘urban’ feel to the shot.

Fairground – For the reasons above this location is brilliant due to the sheer number of lights and the option to slow the shutter speed down for that blurred effect on the rides etc. Just be careful for obvious reasons though!!

Colours

What colour is the car that you are going to photograph? If it is a bright, non metallic car, red like mine for instance, then choosing a location with neutral colours that do not clash with either each other or the car, will make your car ‘pop’ out from the background (there is another trick for this which I will explain during the tutorial below).

White/grey cars will reflect colour better and so you can choose locations with more colour in the background. Coloured lights also work well as they reflect off of the car.

Black cars reflect light well but it is difficult to capture the contours of the bodywork. Try and position the car so that the light helps to show the lines of the bodywork, angle the car diagonally in front of a street light for instance so that the light reflects down the side of the doors.

Metallic – Any metallic paint comes out brilliantly if you bracket your shots and process them as an HDR image (detailed below). Be careful not to overdo it though (no one likes an overdone HDR photo!).

Car Position

I like to take photos of a car from an off centre angle and low down. This adds a ‘menacing’ appearance to the car and usually helps to capture more of the atmosphere from the location. Angles and positions are up to you really and the only way to get to know what works well for different locations/cars is to experiment. If the car has alloys then turning the wheels so that the one on the side of the car you are taking photos from is pointing inwards will make sure you get the full wheel in shot.

Tutorial – My car in a multi storey

OK, I chose a multi storey car park for the shot in this tutorial, I went on my own and had previously cleaned the car. Time of shoot was 8am on a Sunday.

Tools used;

Canon 50d
Sigma 17-70mm lens
Tripod
Photomatix
Photoshop
Car! hehe

OK, so I chose the car park for the neutral colours (as my car is bright red) and the ‘urban’ look and feel (and because it is close by and it was raining!). I went to the upper most floor that was not outside (in case people started arriving and filling up the lower floors).

Next I chose the spot on the floor that contained a bit of colour on the floor, the pillars etc, but not so much as to draw attention from the car itself. I reversed the car in (for obvious reasons) and deliberately didn’t park in a space as this looks a bit weird and boring. I also left the wheel on the side of the car I was shooting from turned into the car, to capture the alloy wheel fully.

Next I took three bracketed shots of the car in Aperture priority (F12) and using the camera’s self timer to avoid camera shake….

I took loads of photos from all different angles and this was my personal favourite from the shoot. I deliberately included the two pillars on either side of the car to frame the shot.

Post Processing

In Photomatix I processed the 3 images after exporting them from the camera’s PC software as 16 bit TIFF files. I chose to ‘Align Images’ but if you have used a tripod then this is not necessary (I do it by habit more than anything!). Once processed the first preview looks like the one below…

This is nothing like the photo that will be produced so do not worry at this point, click on the @Tone Mapping’ button to begin the fun!

OK, I used the settings below on the ‘Details Enhancer‘ tab (I don’t use the ‘Tone Compressor’ tab!);

Strength – 100
Colour Saturation – 50
Light Smoothing – second check box from the right
Luminosity – 10

‘Tone’ tab

White Point – 1.517%
Black Point – 5%
Gamma – 0.93

‘Colour’ tab – all left at ’0′

‘Micro’ tab

Micro Contrast – 10
Micro Smooting – 1

‘S/H’ tab

Highlight Smoothing – 0
Shadow Smoothing – 0
Shadow Clipping – 50

’360 degree image’ check box left un-ticked

I then Processed the image…

As you can see the image looks a bit grainy and the car does not really stand out from the background yet. Do get the car to ‘pop’ out from the background I did the following in Photoshop;

Sharpen the image (Filter/Sharpen/Sharpen).
Sharpen the edges (Filter/Sharpen/Sharpen Edges)
Add a layer (CTRL+J)
Select ‘Blur’/'Gaussion Blur’ from the filter drop down and set the ‘Opacity’ of the layer to 50%.
Create a ‘Layer Mask’ by clicking on the icon on the layers palette that looks like a square with a circle in it.
Select the brush tool and choose a brush with a soft edge, make sure the colour of the brush is set to black.
Now, when you paint on a layer mask with black it actually removes that part of the layer, so what we are doing here is painting the car and any other areas of the photo that you wish to sharpen up (pre ‘Gaussion Blur’). In my example I painted the car and the signs behind it and to the right (by the door).
I then Added another layer and in the layer style drop down I selected ‘Soft Light’, I then set the opacity of the layer to about 45%, this darkens the image and increases the contrast so be careful not to overdo it!

That’s it……..

Candid Photography Explained With Great gallery

Barry — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 10:00:32 +0000

The golden rule is to always carry a camera, whether this is your DSLR and your full kit or a point and shoot in your pocket, it doesn’t really matter. Make sure you have a good memory card and a spare battery with you as you should expect to take LOADS of photo’s.

Go somewhere where there is lots going on such as a town centre, a park where people are walking dogs or an event such as a country show or a race meeting.

By fabiogis50

Don’t push your luck

Look for situations where people are doing things or alking to other people. This will often help to capture emotion in your subjects face and add interest and story to the photograph. If you take a zoom lens with you then this will help to capture scenes from afar and keep the feeling natural as the subject/s will feel more at ease than if you are right on top of them with a lens in their face! If you can fade into the background then you are more likely to be able to capture images where the scene is truly natural. Try not to make yourself too obvious, dont hide behind a corner and make yourself look suspicious, try and take some shots without holding the camera up, the beauty of the digital age is that if you dont like the shots you can delete them without any expenditure (apart from a bit of battery!!).

Working with animals

Don’t use a flash and try to shoot in continuous mode, I usually do this when taking photos of people or animals as each photos captures something slightly different and as the subjects expression or emotion changes you can literally choose the best one for the effect you are trying to achieve. I took 650 photos on a rip to a zoo recently but actually only used about 20 of these, if I hadn’t taken so many (a lot of which were of similar scenes) then I dont think I would have anything to show for my time with the animals!

By mark sebastian

Mix it up

Try and use different effects, black and white, depth of field and motion blurs can all be used to enhance the photos. If you include some objects in the foreground such as other people or flowers etc then this can also add to a great candid shot. There are plenty of post process tutorial sites that can add effects to your photos that will bring them to life and add a bit of zing, such as:

Keep it simple

Set your camera up for a fast shutter speed and keep all other settings and general setup simple, the opportunity of a good candid shot may only last a second and you don’t want to miss out.

By PhotoFM.com

By incendiarymind

By chatfly

By pikkabbu

By Chris Blakeley

By Adam Pniak

By an untrained eye

By william c hutton jr

By Samuel G*zé

By Chris Blakeley

By Carlo Nicora (Wedding and Honeymoon)

By Samuel G*zé

By itatton

Preview image by saibotregeel

Photography Techniques Try Something New!

Barry — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 18:03:41 +0000

The Orton Effect

The Orton Effect is named after Michael Orton who first used the technique, one overexposed, one underexposed -- creating this almost dream-like photograph.

Photoshop Tutorial -- Three Layer Orton Effect by bobgcampbell

www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLQfva4kWbY

: By Lutz-R. Frank

: By Kyle Kesselring

“]: By [ henning

: By kevindooley

: By Lutz-R. Frank

Bokeh Effects

Bokeh, from Japanese meaning "blur" or "haze" is a photographic term referring to the appearance of point of light sources in an out-of-focus area of an image produced by a camera lens using a shallow depth of field. An in depth explanation of Bokeh can be found here at Toothwalker.org.

It is possible to use the Bokeh effect to create shapes from the out of focus points of light. This tutorial explains how you can achieve this effect using a single piece of card and a pair of scissors.

: Credit: http://www.diyphotography.net

This effect lends itself well on wet nights where there is a lot of artificial lighting such as street lights and traffic.

{I br♥ke for bokeh}”]

By [ r ♥ c e y t ♥ y

: By Adam Foster | Codefor

: By Kounelli

: By ~jjjohn~

Harris Shutter

The Harris Shutter is a technique, rather than an actual piece of photographic equipment. The effect is produced bysimply taking three colour photographs on location, and then use software to take the Red channel from one exposure, combine with the blue and green channels from the other two photos, you can also correct any movement if the camera is inadvertently moved between exposures (although movement sometimes adds to the effect!).

: By Thiophene_Guy

: By Thiophene_Guy

: By Hello, I am Bruce

: By MacIomhair

: By Thiophene_Guy

Kite Photography

This form of photography involves a camera being lifted using a kite and is then triggered either remotely or automatically to take aerial photographs. Instructions on the setup of your kite can be found here.

: By bre pettis

: By bre pettis

: By Gunni Cool

: By Ric e Ette

: By Fanny et Anthony (NonSenZ)

Zoom Bursting

This technique involves zooming while the shutter is open with a fairly slow shutter speed, generally below 1/60th of a second. For this reason low light or small apertures are required. You can also get filters that achieve a similar effect from Cokin (I have just purchased one).

: By eleda 1

: By Dr Craig

: By gertys

: By hey mr glen

: By MacIomhair

Tilt Shift Photography

Tilt-shift miniature faking is a process in which a photograph of a life-size location or object is manipulated so that it looks like a scale model. By distorting the focus, you can simulate the shallow depth of field normally encountered withmacro lenses making the scene seem much smaller than it actually is. A tilt shift lens can be purchased for this effect, or it can be achieved in post processing through Photoshop etc. A great tutorial can be found here.

Fake miniature model, tilt & shift lens effect

www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1kVwFYZwHE

: By Becky E

: By EasyTiger3

: By JanneM

: By jsrcyclist

: By Bob Reck

Preview image by caruba

Photographing Buildings – A Guide

Barry — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 10:01:01 +0000

Whether you live in a sprawling city or a tiny village, there are buildings and structures. You may drive past a certain building or bridge etc every day on the way to and from work. Next time you drive past it, stop and have a closer look to plan how you can capture most effectively what caught your eye in the first place.

Take a look at the building from all angles and, if possible, take a look from the roof down. Consider the time of day that would suite the shot best. As buildings have windows it may be worth waiting for the sun or even moon to be reflected in order to add a bit more to the photograph. Take a look at the building from a far, if the outline of the building is an interesting shape then a silhouette shot may compliment the overall effect.

: By Chi King

Buildings at night take on a completely different look. Lights and shadows add to the overall scene and offer opportunities for different effects such as ‘bokeh’ or light trails. Remember that if you do go for night shots you will require a tripod due to the increased exposure times required.

Obviously make sure that you are allowed to enter the premises if it is private and DO NOT trespass.

If the building’s surroundings tell a story or compliment the general feel of the location then consider including it in the shot, for instance a church may be complimented by it’s graveyard and a museum photograph may look better if you include the steps that lead up to it’s entrance.

: By Dr.Deer

Perfect examples of this are light houses where there are usually cliffs in the foreground or background, churches (graveyard) and stately homes which often have lots of landscaped gardens an statues.

: By tanakawho

Go Inside

Interiors of buildings are often more interesting that the exteriors. light, shadow, colours and textures all play a part inside and make for great images. Churches and museums often have interesting interiors and stained glass windows can smother the scene with vivid colours from the sun shining through.

: By Christopher Chan

Modern buildings often have an abundance of glass which, in turn offers reflections and shapes to concentrate on (a polarizer filter will help to control and also enhance these reflections.

HDR is often a good choice for interiors as it captures high, mid and low tones and can create stunning photo’s.

: By Brandon Godfrey (away)

Other Structures

Bridges, statues, piers etc all offer great photographic opportunities. Again the above applies to all of these locations but for piers especially, you have the added bonus of the see or river and, IF SAFE, yo can also get underneath them for the structure itself.

: By tochis

CityScapes

If you can get up high enough and have a city near by, why not go for a whole lot of architecture in one go!! Some inspiration can be found here. Using several shots and ‘stitching’ them together as a panorama is a great technique to capture large scenes like cityscapes, a tutorial regarding this technique can be found here. Alternatively there is software available that will stitch several images together and adjust the tones so that all photos in the panorama match, one such package is AutoPano Pro.

Abandoned Buildings

Abandoned building offer a different angle as they are often decaying and sometimes a bit creepy. Items that are left in the building offer interesting subjects and the eerie nature of the location adds interest to the photograph.

My previous post about Hellingly Asylum may help to give you some inspiration when it comes to derelict buildings.

: By howzey

Remember to be careful though and make sure you are allowed to enter the premises and that it is SAFE.

Equipment

For daytime shots you don’t NEED any specialist equipment other than the camera. A wide angle lens is an advantage as it will capture more of the scene but if you do not have one of these then you can always take a series of shots and create a panorama in post processing.

A polarizer and ND filter are also a ‘nice to have’ but not essential.

For internal shots it is an advantage to take an external flash and diffuser but, again, during the day these are not essential as there should be enough light for your photogrpahs.

For night time shots and cityscapes a tripod is essential as the shutter speed will be slower. A torch is also a good idea, not only to see where you are going but also for a bit of light painting for those long exposure shots.

: By 2create

Preview image by MarcelGermain

Water Photography The Easy Way

Barry — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 09:01:44 +0000

What you’ll need

I used the following equipment;
Camera (obviously)
External flash (Canon 430EX MKii)
Chair
White and black cloth
Lamps x 2
Tripod
Spatula (or similar)
Bowl
Water
Food colouring

Subject Setup

First I took the chair, turned it around and draped the background cloth over the back of it.

Next I set up 2 variations for the shoot;

Spatula

Next I placed the bowl of water on the floor to catch the drips as they fell (it also helps to put something waterproof underneath this to stop the colouring staining your carpet!).

I then attached the spatula or to a tripod so that it would stay completely still when I poured the water onto it, I did this will tape. I then positioned the spatula directly over the bowl.

I positioned the light on either side of the setup and angled them so that they where behind the spatula and lit diagonally forwards from both sides (ensuring that they are not shining onto the position where the camera will be!)

Hand

A bit more tricky as you have to keep your hand still but a nice variation to the spatula.

Lastly I had a jug of water, be sure to use a jug with a spout so that you can accurately direct the water while pouring). I then added some red food colouring to the water, how much is up to you however the more you add, the less transparent the water will become and reflect less light.

Camera Setup

I used a tripod for my shots but due to the high shutter speed required it is not essential (you will just need someone else to pour the water!!).

The lens I used was a Tamron 70-300mm F/4-5.6 Macro with the lens hood attached.

I whacked the strength of the external flash all the way up and did not use a diffuser, I tried it on lower settings but the sharpness was not great and as I blocked out other ambient light full strength was required.

I used the following settings on the camera;

ISO 800
F13
1/3200s
Manual focus

As I was experimenting on my own I also used the self timer on the camera to enable me to get ready with the water. I sat on the chair and because of the background cloth I was hidden from view, whether you leave the water pouring onto the object from above, in the photo is up to you.

Post Processing

For post processing I simply played with the levels, sharpened the image and deepened the colours slightly…..have fun!

And to finish, this one was just for fun (although I did get the carpet wet regardless of the waterproof sheet I put down!!).

Superb HDR Related Tutorials For Photographers

Barry — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 13:00:03 +0000

TheWindyPixel HDR Tutorial

If you haven’t visited TheWindyPixel yet then you are missing out. Featuring stunning HDR images of Chicago the site showcases some of the best examples of the technique you will find anywhere on the internet.

Also featured on the site is a very well written HDR tutorial. As well as explaining what you need to do to get a great image, the tutorial also explains why this technique should be adopted.

Credit: Justin Kern - TheWindyPixel

StuckInCustoms HDR Tutorial

If you like HDR then you will have heard of, and seen Trey Ratcliff’s work (if you haven’t, where have you been!?). He has also written a extremely good tutorial. Taking you through the shoot process, Photomatix and Photoshop techniques this article will stand you n very good stead to get out there and start capturing great examples of HDR photography. Trey’s work is also on Flickr.

Credit: Trey Ratcliff - Stuck In Customs

Scott Kelby’s ‘Gritty Look’ tutorial

This tutorial will help you achieve an effect from portrait shots similar to that of Dave Hill. A lovely step by step guide that isn’t confusing and easy to follow.

By separate16

Vanilla Days HDR Tutorial

A great tutorial which takes you through the process and the individual settings within Photomatix to help you get the most from the software. This tutorial also considers the difference between using bracketed photos as opposed to a single RAW file. The difference between Photomatix and Photoshop’s HDR capabilities are also covered.

Credit: Vanilla Days

Cambridge In Colour HDR tutorial

This tutorial goes more into the technical side of things. Areas covered include the inner working of an HDR file, how BITS are allocated to increasing brightness and tonal hierarchy.

There is also an excellent HDR FAQ article by Terry Reinhert here (cheers Terry, it is a great article!), nice pic by the way!! ;0).

Credit: Terry Reinhert