Karin Taylor, Jo O’Brien, Stuart Chapman, Dave Pearson, Lance Jackson, Ragman, Mark German, Steven Lippis, Simone Byrne and myself hav…
Karin Taylor, Jo O’Brien, Stuart Chapman, Dave Pearson, Lance Jackson, Ragman, Mark German, Steven Lippis, Simone Byrne and myself have added some very useful tutorials and links for those members who’d like some help in learning a few extra tricks to make their time on the bubble easier. I have this link in my profile, so it’s going to be easy to find. I’ll add to it as I learn of new helpful information. How to enhance your profile Text formatting Links to other helpful pages Where to get help/critique/FAQ Help on how to sell your work How to TAG your work effectively Redbubble hacks with Dave Add category lists How to make smoke photos Digital Infrared info Ragman’s excellent advice on all things arty farty Mark German’s fantastic photographic techniques Steven gives an explanation on how to utilise a flash modifier Simone Byrne’s hints on ND400 filter use My experience with Neutral Density Filters My hints on shooting at the beach Explaning focal lengths for digital Polarisers – a visual experiment
I’ve seen so many people still asking why they’ve still not sold any artwork on Redbubble! So I’ve compiled all my enterprising, marketin…
I’ve seen so many people still asking why they’ve still not sold any artwork on Redbubble! So I’ve compiled all my enterprising, marketing, sales and money-based articles written over the last two years. I really REALLY hope you enjoy reading and applying them into your sales-campaign. First, let’s take a look at you, the artist within. Wait, that sounds like the first article… 01. Defining the Artist Within / 02. I Have a Special Condition! / 03. Keep that Entrepreneurial Spirit Alive / 04. Two Crafty Ways to Become a High Profile Photographer / 05. Playing the Popularity Game Without Caring if You Win or Lose / 06. What Makes You Think Your Art is Good Enough? Here is the guts of this article, the really in-depth stuff that should help understand how to better use Redbubble in your venture to either make money or make a name for yourself: 07. Are You Selling More Artwork ? / 08. Helping YOU Make a Profit on Redbubble ! / 09. Pleasure from Profit from Pleasure / 10. Quality Marketing Equals Sales / 11. Selling Your Art Successfully / 12. Sell, Give, Donate and Use Your Skills / 13. My Marketing Strategy / 14. How to Sell Anything / 15. Selling My Artwork At Amended Prices / 16. Twelve Months on Redbubble The trick is to read each article, and then ask yourself: ‘How does this apply to my situation?’. I’m very sure you’ll find a way to incorporate the ideas I’ve used here to improve your situation and increase your sales! I look forward to hearing how much more sales you make over the next few months!! EDIT [11:32 PM 15/05/2009] / Some of you will now want to run an exhibition, gallery or stall of your artwork. For that I have compiled another list of links that should help you! / ... Running Sheet for Exhibitions Since this is my article, I have to get a few shameless-plugs in here somewhere. I have T-shirts for sale that will get you noticed! / ... Your Name on a PHOTOGRAPHER Shirt / ... Photographer Shirts / ... Redbubble Shirts for Artists, Writers and Photographers Postscript / I started writing simple tips that any Redbubble Artist could use. I don’t write them so much any more, but I keep them here for my own reminder. I hope you enjoy these two that relate to this post enormously: / ... Tip #001 / ... Tip #004
I just answered a question in a certain group forum, and it occurs to me that it may be useful to others. Feel free to ask any questions….
I just answered a question in a certain group forum, and it occurs to me that it may be useful to others. Feel free to ask any questions. So here goes: General rule-of-thumb: expose to the right. What that means, is – use your histogram and get your exposure to the right half without hitting the far right edge. Anything clipped (blown, over-exposed) will be data lost for good. The same goes for black clipping (under-exposed). The reason exposing to the right is better then to the left, is that recovering data/detail from dark areas creates noise – whereas the reverse does not. A little rule that may help you with exposure: / Sunny 16 Basically what this catchy-named rule means, is this: / Given a bright and sunny day outdoors, correct exposure for any scene will be f/16, 1/100 SS, ISO100 (also known as ASA) Working up and down with this you can adjust to suit. For example – a slightly overcast day: / f/11, 1/100, ISO100 (1-stop wider aperture) / or / f/16, 1/50, ISO100 (1-stop slower SS) / or / f/16, 1/100, ISO200 (1-stop more sensitive film/sensor) If you have a specific requirement with SS (stop motion, blur, etc), adjust the other parameters to compensate. To stop your hand motion blur, use the reciprocal of your focal length. Example: 100mm needs at least 1/100th SS. Crop bodies need to be multiplied by the crop. (ask if confused) / If your subject is moving, double SS. If you are also moving, triple it. / Of course using a tripod (and you should whenever feasible) changes this. With photography, each numerical value doubles. / ISO: 100/200/400/800/1600/3200 / SS: 25/60/125/250/500/1000/2000/4000/8000 Aperture can be remembered by using this system: / Use two numbers (f/1 & f/1.4) and double them as you go. f/1, f/2,f/4,f/8,f/16,f/32 / f/1.4,f/2.8,f/5.6,f/11,f/22 Now put them together and you have your full range of full-stop apertures :) Some cameras will list 1/2 or even 1/3 stops. f/1, f/1.4,f/2,f/2.8,f/4,f/5.6,f/8,f/11,f/16,f/22,f32,f/44 Aperture effects Depth of Field (DoF), which is the distance between the closest area in acceptable focus, and the furthest. Choose your aperture to suit your subject/scene. Adjust the other two parameters accordingly. A larger aperture number means a tighter aperture – which means less light. If you ever come up to a situation that has a very high dynamic range (DR) and can’t wait for better light – bracket your shots. That is, expose +/- from the above settings. You can then either decide what you like best, or even combine exposures. (ask how). Of course – if you are a street/candid/journalistic/wildlife style photographer, then you may only get one chance. Which is more the reason to learn the above. There are various filters available to help shoot skies and landscapes – or any scene that has defined high dynamic range. Circular polarisers, graduated neutral density filters – ask. Using additional lighting such as flash adds another element to the equation, and other rules apply. The above is a basic guide to correct exposure for everyday and natural conditions. Hope this helps some people. Feel comfortable in asking anything, or contributing.
By request here is the first of a series of tutorials I will be writing. If there are any questions in relation to this tutorial feel…
By request here is the first of a series of tutorials I will be writing. If there are any questions in relation to this tutorial feel free to post them here and I will answer them as best as I can. Remember that the most important thing is to keep practicing and eventually you will find what works best for you. Have fun playing :o) Simone Edit: I have revamped the tutorial now to include the comparison chart and trouble shooting guide. I have made the page A4 at 100dpi so that you can print it out and keep it in your camera bag for reference. Just click on the tutorial image to download the jpg file. Examples of My Work Using a 9 Stop ND Filter (Hoya NDX400) / More Tutorials Levels and Curves Tutorial – Part One – Levels Levels and Curves Tutorial – Part Two – Curves Levels and Curves Tutorial – Part Three – S-Curves Levels and Curves Tutorial – Part Four – Anchored Curves Self-Critique Tutorial Black & White Tutorial Basic Work Flow Tutorial
This is an older Tutorial I created while I was on Deviant Art…It proved to be very popular so I thought Id share it here with my favou…
This is an older Tutorial I created while I was on Deviant Art…It proved to be very popular so I thought Id share it here with my favourite Redbubblers :D / If you have any questions please feel free to post them here :) Below are some of my works in which Ive used this effect / Click images to go to full view
Because of my Nostalgia series I received a few inquiries about …
Because of my Nostalgia series I received a few inquiries about the “Painted with light” technique. About what it is and how it works. So, I decided to write a small article about it. This way, everybody who is interest in it can read it. I will not claim to be an expert in this technique, nor will I pretend that it’s something I discovered myself. It’s an old technique in the experimental photography. Rather then writing a complete tutorial on the technique I’ll try to reconstruct the path that lead me to where I’m today in the wonderful world of “painting with light”. At the end I’ll describe my own application of this lighting method in still life photography. First things first. Like many of you I’d never heard of “Painting with light” until I bumped into the work of Emil Schildt. Emil is an experimental photographer who’s experiments go in many directions. I’d like to try more of the things he has done, but, at the moment I’m still in the painting with light phase. Although Emil’s subjects are completely different from my own (his are nude models mostly), he was a huge inspiration for me. So, before you continue, check out his work in the painted with light category. (While you’re at it, check out the rest too, it’s worth a peek!). You will see that it really has a painterly feeling. Naturally, in Emil’s case, this feeling is enhanced by his other techniques, such as his special printing methods and so on. It’s this feeling that I was after in my lighting. What really got me experimenting was Emil’s description of his used techniques. Here is his painting with light tutorial. Based on this tutorial I started to experiment. In those days I was still shooting analogue and I quickly stopped again. The reason was simple. I had little spare time for my hobbies and practicing a new technique on film, having do develop them and mostly just see that it didn’t work out, having to start over again… Let’s just say it was discouraging and I wished I had a Polaroid camera. There was something better then Polaroid though: digital. When I bought my first digital camera I pick up my experiments again. The camera wasn’t really suited for it: long exposures resulted in more noise and enough dead pixels to fill up the sky with stars. But those problems where nothing Photoshop couldn’t handle and now I could experiment freely, see the results instantly and adjust my technique according to what I saw. I don’t know if it’s because the subjects are different, or because I’m jut not Emil, but I started to disagree on a number of things in his tutorial. I started to develop my own technique, or better said, my own work flow. Thinking of it that way, which is totally different from what I was thinking when I started writing this, I’ll end up writing my own tutorial anyway as I now see the differences with Emil’s tutorial that I had already forgotten. My work flow: / - Where emil advices to use a light bubble with a reflector, I advice to go for a flashlight. I suited my purposes better. Of course I’m working on a totally different scale. If you’re a model photographer I think you will have to stick to Emil’s advice. But if your subjects are smaller, like my still lifes, well, I preferred a shielded light source which produces a beam which is easier to aim with an to concentrate on one part of the image. - I don’t think I need to say this, but to be complete: you will need a tripod. - My first active step is simple yet takes up most of my time. It’s setting everything up. I start with a quick arrangement of my subjects on a table or whatever I’m using. I’m not carefully composing yet. Just putting the items in more or less the position I want to have them. This will usually changes ten times or more, but that’s not that important now. Right now, I’m looking for the angle mostly, for how to set-up the camera on the tripod. - Once the camera is up on the tripod I start to very carefully arrange my items and to really build up the composition. Of course, while doing this, the change is big that angle and crop are slightly adjusted again. All of this has little to do with the technique we are discussing, so let’s move on. - If this is the first time you are using this technique with this combination of tools (camera and light source) you will have to set up a balance between your camera and what you want to achieve. Now I’m mostly talking about the settings and amongst those most of all about white balance. Of course if you should raw you have the ability to edit the white balance later on and then it’s not so important. I wanted a very warm feeling so I leave my white balance to auto which results in a warm, reddish glow from my flashlight. It’s that combination, light source and white balance, that will dictate the colors and general mood. If you change your light or camera, you will have to search for the right settings again so try to stick to the same equipment as much as possible. When I bought my new camera and specially when I started to shoot in raw I totally lost direction and it took me a while to get the results I wanted again. On the other hand, once you used the same combination for a while, getting the results you want will go a lot smoother as you can know what to expect. - According to the size of the subject, the distance to it and so on, you will have to decide on a diafragm setting and a shutter speed. For the ISO value I would stick to the lowest one your camera has to reduce noise to an absolute minimum. The big advantage of digital is that you can do a few trial runs to see if you set up your aperture and shutter speed correctly. If not, don’t change your aperture ! You need that to pick the DOF. The big difference here is that Emil’s shooting models that have to sit still, so you want the fastest shutter speed possible. But my still lifes aren’t going anywhere, so I adjust the shutterspeed and keep the DOF where I want it. - Now, to make the actual picture, or to do your trial runs, I said the camera on “timer”. I make the room pitch dark, which is very important as you don’t want any light source then your own interfere with your image. I use my flashlight to find the camera again, push the shutter, and wait for the timer. - It’s here that the fun starts. Trust me, you will need a whole bunch of trials before getting it right. Work out a “path” for your light source to follow. Try to get the lightning right in one smooth motion. You can also hesitate with the light source on certain points of your composition to highlight them. You can move slowly or very fast to achieve different effects. Just be creative! Remember one rule of thumb though: keep moving the light or it will burn a spot into your image. If you want to highlight something, for example, make a slow circular motion to get a soft edge. Of course, it’s totally possible that you want that burned in spot, like I said: be creative. Just think of it this way: / your flashlight is your brush, light is your paint. - Repeat this, over and over again, until you get what you want, until you have your path worked out, the way the strokes of light have to be applied just right. - You are shooting digital, don’t be afraid of Photoshop or similar programs. Photoshop is your friend, even more accurate, Photoshop is your darkroom. Not all digital cameras give good results on longer, darker exposures like I already mentioned. So it’s possible that you will need a lot of Photoshop work to correct noise and dead pixels but I use it for a little more then just that. - At this point, I have several images which I like, but you will see this happening too: picture 1 has the light just right on item 1, picture 2’s background is far better lit and picture 3 has a spot of light on this tiny detail that non of your other picks have. I’m just giving an example here. I think you can guess my next step, right? I’m going to melt those 3 images into one where I have the light exactly the way I want it, everywhere. I’ll do this using masks mostly. Hiding bits from one image, showing bits from another, until everything is just right. I already mentioned the noise work (no longer necessary for me with my K10D) and the removal of dead pixels and do some other small adjustments like a little dodging, burning, small color corrections etc. Just like I would do in my darkroom in the ol’days. That’s it! That’s all there is to it. By now you should have one beautiful painted with light image. By way of inspiration, I hope, I’ll show you one of mine again. If you want more, check out my Nostalgia series update: this tutorial continues here
The fifth in a series of tutorials I have written. What a marathon effort this one was, five pages in all (so please give them time to…
The fifth in a series of tutorials I have written. What a marathon effort this one was, five pages in all (so please give them time to fully load). There were several people who requested a work flow tutorial from me so here it is. I hope you find it useful! If there are any questions in relation to this tutorial feel free to post them here and I will answer them as best as I can. These pages are in A4 size for easy printing. Click on each page to download the printable version. Have fun :o) Simone More Tutorials 9 Stop ND Filter Tutorial Levels and Curves Tutorial – Part One – Levels Levels and Curves Tutorial – Part Two – Curves Levels and Curves Tutorial – Part Three – S-Curves Levels and Curves Tutorial – Part Four – Anchored Curves Self-Critique Tutorial Black & White Tutorial
The second in a series of tutorials I will be writing. If there are any questions in relation to this tutorial feel free to post them…
The second in a series of tutorials I will be writing. If there are any questions in relation to this tutorial feel free to post them here and I will answer them as best as I can. This page is A4 size for easy printing. Part Two can be found HERE / Part Three can be found HERE / Part Four can be found HERE If you use other photo editing software such as Paint Shop Pro, the same rules apply. Have fun playing :o) Simone More Tutorials 9 Stop ND Filter Tutorial Levels and Curves Tutorial – Part Two – Curves Levels and Curves Tutorial – Part Three – S-Curves Levels and Curves Tutorial – Part Four – Anchored Curves Self-Critique Tutorial Black & White Tutorial Basic Work Flow Tutorial
I typed all this out for Ben, who asked for some help, since he doesn’t live near any beach, and didn’t want to waste his time when he fi…
I typed all this out for Ben, who asked for some help, since he doesn’t live near any beach, and didn’t want to waste his time when he finally made the long trek. Thought others might appreciate the info. I use my Canon 5D with Lee ND grads, mostly the darkest ones, for sunrise. I’ve never tried to shoot the ocean much after an hour or so after sunrise, and not been all that successful, unless it’s a cloudy day. You’ll need a tripod and cable release. The tripod just needs to be stable, and the cable release working. Then I set my camera on AV and start shooting with aperture at around f/8 or so while it’s dark, and closing it down as the light gets stronger, with ISO mostly 50….. There’s no formula I use, other than using AEB, to see if I can snag one that gets the sky right, then I look for the one with the right wave patterns. Sometimes I combine the two, sometimes I run them through photomatix. Sometimes they’re perfect. I use my 16-35mm nearly ALL the time when shooting seascapes, very rarely I’ve used the 70-200, and that’s only if there’s a detail that’s worth getting, like the shipwreck or some waterfalls over rocks from the surf…. Here the light is generally best till around 20mins after the sun goes down, or 30 mins before the sun comes up. If you have clouds, wait longer after sunset….you’ll probably get better colours. If you have clouds in the morning, you might be able to shoot longer after the sun comes up too, especially if the light breaks through…. The IR filter can come in handy once the light is stronger….here in Qld we have strong light for 12 hours a day or more, even in winter….IR is a blessing! I’ve never used a yellow filter….and wide angle with polarisers just don’t give good results, imho. Just keep checking your screen and moving around for different viewpoints. Everything will depend on how much water movement you prefer. This is a case of personal taste, and with practise you will work that out. Setting your camera on AV and using AEB will give you the three different exposures to see which works best, then you just adjust your aperture to slow it down, or speed it up….or add more filters…the darker it is, the longer the exposure…. Be careful of getting too close to the waves, and watch out for slippery rocks, they can be extremely dangerous! Here the tide surges more dangerously an hour before high tide. Make sure of tide times before you go, and be certain you have a way to escape from the beach if the tide is coming up….Rogue waves can, and do cause problems….try to go with someone who has local knowledge…. Wash your tripod off when you leave the beach, and again when you get home. Other than that, have fun!
For those who may be drooling over an expensive new lens or wondering whether you can justify sacrificing food for a new ring flash, here…
For those who may be drooling over an expensive new lens or wondering whether you can justify sacrificing food for a new ring flash, here’s a reminder that beautiful photos can be captured using the simplest of kit. The pinhole camera is made up of three basic elements: a light-proof container, some film and a pinhole. As there’s no need for a lens, you can make one out of pretty much anything from a Coke can to a cereal box. Too easy! This coming Sunday 26th of April is Worldwide Pinhole Photography Day so it would be almost rude not to give this a try some time soon. If you’d like to make your own pinhole camera, here are some useful links to get you started: How to Make and Use a Pinhole Camera Download, print and build your own pinhole camera Pringles Pinhole Camera How To Build a Matchbox Pinhole Camera If you’d like a bit more technical info on exactly how these low-fi cameras work, these links may be of interest: The geometry and mathematics of the pinhole camera How does a pinhole camera work? If you’d just like to marvel at some stunning pinhole photography, take a look at these works from talented bubblers who’ve fallen for the charms and simplicity of the humble pinhole camera: / Won’t somebody play me? by Duncan Waldron / Bubbles by Paul Cotelli / Cranston Water Tower by Paul Lavallee / a light on the horizon by Colin Powell / Pinhole Polaroid – “Experimental Farm II” by DavidAmosPhotography If you’re planning some pinhole photography action this week, feel free to show your masterpieces off in the comments below. Don’t forget to add your work to the PinHole Photography group too!
Today I was asked by someone for a few tips on shooting street/candids. Many people like this genre, but it is not the easiest to perform…
Today I was asked by someone for a few tips on shooting street/candids. Many people like this genre, but it is not the easiest to perform successfully for many reasons, and often shots come out like – erm… snap shots. Since I took the time to write these brief pointers up for my friend, I thought I may as well share. Feel free to add, contest, debate, or send me lots of money. That last bit was a joke. Street/Candid / A few pointers: - A mid-zoom lens is ideal for candids. I use a 70-200mm on a crop body, and that would be fine for a full frame, also. If you do not have access to something in this range and/or can’t afford it, then concentrate on wider street scenes instead, and work within your equipment limitations. You do not need to have very expensive gear to do street. - 80% of people will be flattered you are taking their photo. Don’t try and hide it too much – and smile a lot. Walk up to people afterwards, and show them what you took (if digital). Without a long lens, you will more then likely be noticed most of the time. My rule is smile – and they smile back :) / (a hefty monopod can come in handy if things get out of hand) - 15% of people will not like their photo taken and either try and hide or cover their face or something. If you notice this – let them go – easy :) Respect people and their wishes. Many other opportunities around. - 5% of people are born assholes – or intensely dislike being photographed for their own private reasons. When you encounter this, just call out that you are deleting the image, and walk away. A few days ago, I was shooting a laughing session out in a city square. I laughed along with them. Someone asked me to join in, and I said that I was laughing on the inside ;) Then this guy rode up, and walked up to me. He asked me why I was shooting and I told him because it was a nice, fun thing to shoot. I asked him if he were going to join in and he said “no, not with a photographer around”. He said this as if I were a murderer. I said “easy fixed, mate. I promise not to take a photo of you”. And he walked off. Some people are just surly. NEVER hand your camera over to anyone. Even in the US, it is your right to take photos of anyone providing you are in a publicly owned area. This includes law-enforcement officers. Of course if they demand it, you must hand over your gear. But they are in the wrong, and it can usually be contested successfully. - A good way to take candids, is to visit fairs, fetes, etc – and face the crowd. Go to the side of the stage area and walk around, getting people used to you. Then start scanning the crowd through your lens. Make some jokes, take interest in the proceedings, become one with the crowd. Eventually people ignore you and you become a hunter/predator hahaha!!! / Look for emotions – listen to what is happening around you and time your shots to get the best emotive reactions. Position yourself so that light is to the left or right behind you, so that you can get reflections (catch lights) in the eyes. Always consider your backgrounds while shooting. Nothing worse then spending hours cloning out a light pole from behind someone’s head ;) / And frame your shots to allow for movement, as well as giving space to the direction someone is looking. - Wider street shots live and die by the ‘story’. This takes a little bit of keen observation and patience. A good system, is to position yourself in a people-traffic’ed (yes, I made that one up) location where you have visually composed an interesting scene. It may be a poignant billboard, or a large puddle in the street – maybe a pool of soft light spilling from an overhead lamp. And then wait like a spider :) A car will rush by as someone is walking, splashing them with muddy water – you time your shot to capture their indignation and water spray like an upturned umbrella. A mother and child walk through the lamplight, and as the mother moves back into darkness, the child, holding her hand, is illuminated. Your billboard espousing ‘have a happy day’ becomes a backdrop to a crying girl – or an arguing couple. Observe/setup/plan/wait/timing….a tripod is useful… Learn your camera so that settings are intrinsic. The less you need to think about technicalities, the more you can free your mind to focus on art. Hope that helps a little. Above all – try and relax and enjoy yourself. If you are uptight, it is contagious. If you smile, and interact with people, you will be automatically accepted.
Part two of the second in a series of tutorials I will be writing. If there are any questions in relation to this tutorial feel free …
Part two of the second in a series of tutorials I will be writing. If there are any questions in relation to this tutorial feel free to post them here and I will answer them as best as I can. The page is in A4 size for easy printing. Part One can be found HERE / Part Three can be found HERE / Part Four can be found HERE If you use other photo editing software such as Paint Shop Pro, the same rules apply. Have fun playing :o) Simone More Tutorials 9 Stop ND Filter Tutorial Levels and Curves Tutorial – Part One – Levels Levels and Curves Tutorial – Part Three – S-Curves Levels and Curves Tutorial – Part Four – Anchored Curves Self-Critique Tutorial Black & White Tutorial Basic Work Flow Tutorial
I have recently had occasion to comment on a person’s photography, and give some advise, as I see it. As I sometimes do, I have collated …
I have recently had occasion to comment on a person’s photography, and give some advise, as I see it. As I sometimes do, I have collated it into this journal so that it may serve others as well. These are my own opinions, and not to be taken as coming from some authority on the subject. Hope it helps, particularly with Christmas arriving soon, and lots of family members milling around the lounge room. When shooting people, particularly when you have (a) a busy background, and (b) have not much distance to the background – a wider aperture helps isolate the subject/s. This is possibly the single-most visual and initial difference between what looks like a family snap, and a professional photo – largely because point-and-shoots do not have the ability go to very wide apertures. Wide apertures decrease the DoF (depth of field) – which is the region that is in appreciably good focus. A bit of experience (or online DoF calculators, or your DoF preview button) helps you to select the correct aperture to bring to attention the areas of a scene that you want to highlight. Narrow apertures (higher F-number) produce deeper DoF – bringing more of the scene into focus. Useful for landscapes and such – not so great for a busy lounge room. The point to the photo. / It helps to keep in mind as you work, what exactly you are trying to achieve. Lucking shots is what most people do, and being pleasantly surprised every now and then. But the truth is – there is no need for luck. A photo is a story – a visual slice of time, frozen forever in a way that cannot be accomplished by other means. A good photo maximises this concept, by bringing a message, story, emotion to the viewer. A good photographer is a storyteller. A great photo reads like a book. Light / When we shoot, we are shooting ‘light’. We are capturing how light reacts on physical objects, just as our eyes do. Learning to read, use and manipulate light sounds complex, but in fact it is not. A good professional photographer can immediately see and sense how light falls, how shadows interact, how scenes and moods change with different lighting. Using available light such as sunlight, or overhead house lights is one of the most important things one can learn. This can be accomplished from moving yourself around a subject to take advantage of the conditions, by moving your subjects, and/or by moving your light sources. Using flash or another source of artificial light is a field unto itself and is worth learning, but I won’t get too far into here, other than to say – pointing a flash at your subject and firing is the least effective and natural way to add light to a scene. Try bouncing your flash off a ceiling or wall. Focus / Obviously, your subject, or at the least, the poignant portion of your subject, should be in focus. Aside from the obvious, DoF comes into play. Widening your aperture will reduce the depth of your focus area, as well as bring in more light, allowing faster shutter speeds and/or lower ISO. When focusing, there are a few methods to ‘nail it’. There are very few times when manual focus is preferable with indoor group photos and current day cameras. One method is ‘focus & recompose’ – a system I use very often when shooting from 20’ away or greater (the further away your subject, the greater your DoF). This is performed by selecting your exact focal point on the subject (like the eye) using the centre area in your viewfinder, half depressing your shutter release button, and recomposing your photo to frame as you see fit. Alternatively, you can use a different focal point, which will minimise your recomposing, and therefore not shift your plane of view appreciably (which can shift your focus at closer ranges and wider apertures). Composition and framing / Another major difference between snapshots and great photos. When I take a photo, I instinctively imagine the image in my viewfinder hanging on someone’s wall. This is before I release the shutter. I have done this for so long, and so instinctively, that I rarely need to crop any photos. It is a good practice, saving post-processing time, allowing you to keep the entire frame (and pixels), and also satisfying. All scenes have a natural flow to them. Just as we read books, our eyes follow an image from top left to bottom right. This does not mean that all photos need to take advantage of that particular physiological trait, but it is handy to keep in mind. A good photo has balance, with areas of the scene harmonising to each other using light intensity, facial expressions, emptiness, lines, etc. In fact this is a whole huge subject in itself – the psychology of photography. Timing / Since a photograph is a slice of time, getting your timing right, particularly with moving and animate subjects – makes a whole lot of difference. It is one of the main things I look for when shooting. I think of a snapshot as a glass of milk. A well-timed shot is a Pina Colada :) / Look for expressions on faces that relate to the mood/scene/environment. Hands have expressions also, and often carry as much ‘weight’ as faces. Exposure / In my journal I have a brief commentary on exposure – it may help you. Not plugging myself here – just something I wrote quickly to save time when people ask – I point them to it instead of re-writing. Feel free to debate, query or challenge. / Hope this helps you in your Christmas photography, and have fun
If you are a wedding photographer and would like to put your name, details and website up here in our Group Please leave your details her…
If you are a wedding photographer and would like to put your name, details and website up here in our Group Please leave your details here….. It would be really great to get a register happening here at the Bubble…....... thanks / x Karen PLACE / NAME / WEBSITE / CONTACT DETAILS
The fourth in a series of tutorials I have written. If there are any questions in relation to this tutorial feel free to post them he…
The fourth in a series of tutorials I have written. If there are any questions in relation to this tutorial feel free to post them here and I will answer them as best as I can. These pages are in A4 size for easy printing. Click on each page to download the printable version. Have fun :o) Simone More Tutorials 9 Stop ND Filter Tutorial Levels and Curves Tutorial – Part One – Levels Levels and Curves Tutorial – Part Two – Curves Levels and Curves Tutorial – Part Three – S-Curves Levels and Curves Tutorial – Part Four – Anchored Curves Self-Critique Tutorial Basic Work Flow Tutorial
“If God had intended photographers to use more than one key light, he would have made more suns.” Just about every single shot includi…
“If God had intended photographers to use more than one key light, he would have made more suns.” Just about every single shot including the food and still life shots in my portfolio was made with one light. One light in the right place. You won’t need any more except possibly to light a background. In this case make sure that they light the background, and do not spill back on to the subject. Use barn doors or large black sheets of card if necessary. Very early in my career I learnt that light bounces around all over the place in a white studio. This is unwanted light. When I worked for top food photographers and fashion photographers like Barry Lategan, we actually blacked out the studio with drapes or black screens. Great for glassware too. I ordered funeral drapes to cover an entire studio when I was asked to light a “Finish” (the dishwasher stuff) TV commercial in Milan. The essential shot was of a glass. How do you get a glass to look sparkling clean? Answer, outline it in black, make it totally transparent and have one clean reflection of light on it. How do you do that? Black out the studio; this creates the black edges which are the walls reflecting in the edges of the glass. Use one ‘window’ type light. In this instance I used a 6×4 sheet of opaque white Perspex and stuck some halogen floods behind it. Result – one clean reflection of soft light, no glass to be seen, just the black outline of one. It looks as clean as a whistle because the glass is invisible! The actor doing the demo in the commercial looked good too, with a similar lighting quality to that in my stills. The cameramen were two old hacks from Rome who scoffed in bemused wonderment at this 22 year old kid who had made the studio look set for a funeral. The drapes were all that the three funeral companies could provide. However, the results were crystal, the client was thrilled, I was a hero for a day, and I got more work from the production company who shot the ad. This lighting style was often copied after that, and is still the basis of many British commercials today. So where were we? Yes one light. One light in the right place. At John Cowan’s studio, I persuaded John to have the entire walls of the studio painted black to which he agreed. Why black? So that the light does not bounce all over the room filling in shadows where you want shadows. To start with black and then paint with light gives you much more control over your lighting. It makes you the master of it. It gives you the contrast you want without having to print on grade 4 paper, thus allowing more detail in mid tones. I painted my studio in Milan black, and would do the same today. It gives you a quality that is sharp and precise. OK so where does the One Light go? More or less above your own head and slightly above the subject. This will slim the face by putting the cheekbones in shadow if the model is facing you head on. Take a look at the head shots in my portfolio and look where the shadows are. Then figure out where the light is. Above the camera, maybe slightly to one side. This should be the side the model faces if the shot is three quarters on or the shoulders are three quarters on. When you have set up, always use a tripod to establish your camera position and then adjust the light until it is exactly where you want it. Don’t run around the model with your camera in hand. It may look good in the movies, but it will look crap in your contacts, with no consistent lighting whatsoever. Just one more thing, what sort of light you may ask? The light should be intense but soft, so a single umbrella is fine, a soft box is fine, and a bowl light is excellent. This is where the flash head is reflected into a shallow bowl and the head is shielded. If the bowl is then opaqued by a thin sheet of plastic, you will get the same quality as some of the Vogue photographers. It is a very flattering light. You can tell when it has been used by top photographers. You will see the circular highlight with a black center reflected in the model’s eyes. OK folks so that’s how I light head shots (and many of the top guys I have assisted). Give it a whirl and see if you can take some shots that stun you, the girl you are shooting, and the horse I rode in on. ‘til next time – John
I’m very pleased to announce the new group Seascapes I’m looking forward to viewing wat…
I’m very pleased to announce the new group Seascapes I’m looking forward to viewing waterscapes from around the world. I’d like to think that we can upload just our very very best, so please, look through the featured images and see if you can match them! Three photos per member only If you’d like critique, please ask. If you’d like information on how different techniques have been produced, please ask If you think you have a question that I haven’t mentioned, please ask. Thanks for sharing your photos with us! Mel
This is simply a page where I can the links to all the tutorials I have hosted on my web server. As I add new tutorials, this list will c…
This is simply a page where I can the links to all the tutorials I have hosted on my web server. As I add new tutorials, this list will change, but every once in a while I send out an update journal. Unfortunately a couple of weeks ago I accidently deleted a folder that contained the tutorials (among other things), but up until someone bmailed me looking for one of the tutorials, I hadn’t figured out all that was missing. This journal will be an easy way for me to check links in the future. Tutorials Directly Related to Redbubble How to Add Images or Buttons to Your Profile as Links How To Make a T-Shirt Design with Transparency for the Redbubble Tee Template What Size Images Do I Need to Get Prints on Redbubble Photoshop Tutorials Replacing A Photographic Sky using Adobe Photoshop Elements 7 How to Isolate Objects with the Pen Tool Basic Image Resizing in Photoshop Boosting Colours with Layers Using the Photoshop CS2 Enlarge for Print Wizard Using the Perspective Tool in Photoshop Removing Backgrounds in Photoshop Using Photoshop’s Extraction Tool Removing Backgrounds in Photoshop Using Layers and the Eraser Tool A Simple Colour Sketch from a Photograph using Photoshop A Tutorial for Cleaning & Smoothing Skin How To Create Your own Unique Text Designs Using the Text Mask Tool Beginner’s Photography Tutorials Compositional Rules F-stops and Shutter Speeds Shooting Isolated Objects, or Simple How To Shoot On a White Background
Mark has offered some outstanding and informative journals on photographic techniques and data …
Mark has offered some outstanding and informative journals on photographic techniques and data care. These offer an insight into the kinds of things that you can learn by doing, over and over and over…..so having Mark put them all here for you to take in is an absolute boon! I can’t emphasise enough the need to get OUT there to practice, the ones listed here, and every other technique you’ve picked up over time. You will never take good photos if you don’t pick up that camera and use it, and use it regularly. So anyway, enough of the rant…..here are some of Mark’s words of wisdom: Candid Street Photography Casual Portraits Exposure for beginners/intermediate photographers And one that just needs to be said Your Data, Computers, and not so common sense
I can’t talk about these filters in any sort of technical way, but I can explain what I bought, and how good they are at allowing you to …
I can’t talk about these filters in any sort of technical way, but I can explain what I bought, and how good they are at allowing you to shoot dawn and sunset without losing all your sky detail. I started off with a set of Cokin P filters. The filters sit in a plastic holder, that attaches to the front of your lens by way of an adaptor ring. The ring needs to fit the front element of your main landscape lens. When I used the Canon 20D the Cokin P was fine, with no vignetting, but once I bought the full frame Canon 5D, my lens had to be closed down to 24mm wide. This was unacceptable to me, since I like wide landscapes. Looking into various other filters meant spending quite a bit more money, however, all the reviews showed Lee filters to be ideal. There are a couple of companies here in Oz that sell them, and after wasting time ordering and paying in advance to an overseas company, only to find that they were out of stock, with no idea of a delivery date, I asked for a refund and contacted Mediavision in Sydney. Geoff was very helpful, and gave me a quote for a foundation kit, wide angle adaptor ring, a set of 3 neutral density soft graduated filters, and a full 0.6 ND filter. Postage was only slightly extra, and I had them in my hot little hands within the week. Geoff also sent a Lee catalogue. / Mediavision Australia / Sydney Office:- 4 Monash Road,Gladesville NSW 2111 / Phone:(02) 9816 4055 Fax: (02) 9816 1661 / Melbourne Office :- 22 Yertchuk Avenue,Ashwood Victoria 3147 / Phone:- (03) 9807 5133 Fax:- (03) 9807 7814 When I go to the beach, I take a bag with just filters and holder. They all have their soft cloth or soft vinyl bags, and it’s easier to slip them in and out of there without having to take off my backpack. Before dawn I’ll generally just have the adaptor ring and holder on the lens, with no filter. As the sun gets closer to jumping up from under the horizon, the filters are brought into play. Usually I’ll add the 0.6 first, if there’s not much cloud around, and once the sun has risen, the 0.9 will be added on top. The soft graduation means that you can slide the filter up and down, even slightly below the horizon, and it doesn’t leave a solid line. I haven’t been in a situation where I think I’d need the hard grad, to be honest. The holder turns easily if you wish to switch to portrait mode, just remember to turn it back when you go back to landscape mode! Because I live in Queensland where the sun is especially bright, all year round, it’s important to have these filters to make the most of a good sky. It’s near impossible to capture sky detail AND foreground detail without them. I don’t shoot in the daytime if I can get away with it, usually we pack up and leave the beach within 30mins after sunrise. I believe that you can still make good use of the ND grads all through the day, but I don’t have any real experience of that. Even shooting waterfalls can be easier when using ND filters, because it cuts out some of the light that might otherwise over-expose your image if you’re trying for silky water. The only problems we’ve all had is when the sea mist is particularly bad. In that instance we are constantly looking for ways to clean the filters, and still haven’t come up with a satisfactory solution. If anyone can help, we’d be much obliged! I hope this helps, as I said, not techy, but may be helpful for anyone looking to know what to buy….. cheers This has also been added to the tips and advice forum of All Seascapes Group forum
This is a ‘how to’ do the through the viewfinder or ttv technique written for all of you that have expressed interest recently. It is…
This is a ‘how to’ do the through the viewfinder or ttv technique written for all of you that have expressed interest recently. It is by no means a rule book because I think each person would approach it differently but this is how I manage it..and remember with ttv really there ARE NO RULES :) It will require you to use that creative imagination but this is honestly half the fun of it!! I should give you some background info firstly, it is rumored to have first been thought of by Mr E on Flickr back in 2005 but there are is no hard proof of this just speculation on my behalf. TTV is still really huge on flickr with hundreds of groups dedicated to the different styles and subjects of ttv eg nature, black&white, manipulated, ferriswheels, self-portraits, etc etc So firstly ..what you are going to need, the essentials; / 1- a twin reflex camera eg. Kodak Duaflex, Argus75, or any other camera that has a large viewfinder. NB Most can be picked up from flea markets or ebay for as little as $5. Most take 620 film that is no longer made/available so this is why they are so cheap plus they are a dime a dozen as they were mass produced in the 1950s & 60’s. / 2- a digital camera with a pretty good macro so you are able to zoom in nice and close to the viewfinder / 3- a tripod certainly helps but isn’t essential / 4- something to block out excess light from above that shines onto your viewfinder glass, this can be a specially made box, a round piece of cardboard, or anything else that will do the job that you have laying about. / 5- a good sense of humor and a healthy dose of patience!! Here’s some of my twin reflex kids / This is the argoflex 75 and the kodak duaflex / This is an ansco and not my gun shells there ..its goose shooting season here and I have included them for size comparison. I wouldn’t recommend the ansco to start with as its really fiddley!! / This is looking down at the ansco’s viewfinder. / This is zooming in as tight as possible with my macro lens. / This is the image that has been cropped and is now ready for what ever colour adjustments or processing you wish to do. / OK so this isn’t my image of choice here but you get the general idea.. / This is a random piece of cardboard tube that I now use to block out excess light reflecting on the viewfinder glass. / Here is the side view..if you insist on being really anal about it you get some ideas for building the exact fit to your camera from flickr here If you would like a really indepth tutorial I can recommend Russ Morris’s here A few other points I’d like to add….some may wonder why go to all this trouble when you can do all of this with photoshop (fake ttvs) well my answer to that is I really like being able to see what image I want to create in the field and quite frankly it is so much more fun and creative to be actually ‘out there’ doing it! Secondly I don’t think all images or concepts are suited to the ttv style so this will be a matter of trial and error to see what fits for you. Lastly -the ttv style is all about embracing age and the antique-look of an image so think carefully about your post processing. Alot of ttv actually looks wonderful all on its own and I think many would be shocked at how little I actually do to some ttvs. Please use this link if you wish to find out more about the different processes and for free photoshop downloads here / that help achieve the vintage, grungey look. A great one to start with is urban acid :) Here’s a few more … / An urban acid ttv There you go…I think thats it?? Let me know if you need to know more or perhaps I’ve left something out…and don’t forget there is a Through the Viewfinder / group for ‘real’ ttvs when you are all ready to go!! Cheers Everyone!! Jules :)
Camera maintenance is an important habit to get into, but of course no one has to be too meticulous about it. Hell, housework is certainl…
Camera maintenance is an important habit to get into, but of course no one has to be too meticulous about it. Hell, housework is certainly not my strong point. This morning I gave my baby (Canon 20D) a spruce up. I thought it was perfect timing with the sun shining and a stunning blue sky – just as you’d expect in Melbourne. Of course at time of writing the clouds have rolled in to provide a diffusing effect to the scenery. :) The camera sensor was due for a little dust removal. So, off I toddled with the 50mm prime lens attached and I set the camera to manual mode and proceeded to take exposures at F/22. F/22 is perfect for revealing those dust bunnies. You know the one’s, those darn spots we remove in photoshop and are a right pain in the ass. What fun – not. Anyway, I soon found a big dust bunny had come to the party. The bloody thing was bigger than Bugs Bunny. Huh, that big bugger was in fact on the rear lens element, so after a few exposures rocket science (a brain wave) soon dictated that he/she had to be exterminated with a quick wipe with a soft lens cloth. Done. Onwards we go to a little fiddling in photoshop and a play with the auto levels option. That was interesting to say the least and clearly revealed those dastardly bunnies at their worst. After a few goes at exterminating them I have a relatively clean baby all ready to take for a spin. Above – Sensor before cleaning Above – Sensor after cleaning Above – Sensor before cleaning with auto levels adjustment in Photoshop Above – Sensor after cleaning with auto levels adjustment in Photoshop I use the Copper Hill kit products as supplied by Quality Cameras in Perth. I have no affiliation with them, but can recommend their prompt and courteous service and cleaning kit products. Of course I couldn’t get rid of all the bunnies, so I suspect the mummy and daddy bunny will make more little bunnies for me to exterminate in the future. Those rascally rabbits. Some great info here to assist. / http://www.pbase.com/copperhill/ccd_cleaning And this is the way I do it. / http://www.pbase.com/copperhill/image/71784128 Advice articles can be found on my site here
From Wikipedia HERE _Tilt-shift photography refers to the use of camera movement…
From Wikipedia HERE Tilt-shift photography refers to the use of camera movements on small- and medium format cameras; it usually requires the use of special lenses. “Tilt-shift” actually encompasses two different types of movements: rotation of the lens relative to the image plane, called tilt, and movement of the lens parallel to the image plane, called shift. Tilt is used to control the orientation of the plane of focus (PoF), and hence the part of an image that appears sharp; it makes use of the Scheimpflug principle. Shift is used to control perspective, often involving the convergence of vertical parallel lines, as when photographing tall buildings. In many cases, “tilt-shift photography” refers to the use of tilt and a large aperture to achieve a very shallow depth of field. Tilt shift faking is the process whereby we take a normal life size location or object and give it an optical illusion to make it appear as a miniature scale model. Probably the best images to use are those that look down on a subject i.e. from a high angle – this isn’t always the case though and a bit of fiddling in Photoshop will soon let you know if the image is suitable. Definately one of the easier effects to achieve in Photoshop – so lets get rolling. I would very much like to thank Steve Carter for the use of his image Shieldaig Village in February. Steve has some fabulous images of Loch Torridon and other places that I’ve never heard of :-) over at his site – which you can find HERE THIS is the link to the images of the latest local photos(Highlands) I have resized the image a little for the purpose of this tutorial. Please be respectful of Steve’s copyright to this image. Open the image, duplicate the image and close the original. Duplicate the image by dragging it to the create new layer icon at the bottom of the layers palette or pressing Ctrl + J on the keyboard. Make sure your f/ground is set to black and the b/ground to white then click on the gradient filter, go to the top toolbar and make sure the filter is set to f/ground to b/ground i.e. black to white and click on the Reflected Gradient icon. Next click on the Quick Mask Icon at the bottom of the side toolbar, or press Q on the keyboard. In this particular image, you want the main row of houses to be in focus, see the image below for the start and finish position I used for the gradient. Once you have done that, the mask will appear, exist quick mask mode by clicking on the icon on the side toolbar, or pressing Q on the keyboard – marching ants will appear. Next you need to go to Filter>Blur>Lens Blur and the teeny weeny dialogue box will open :) I did adjust my gradient after previewing it in the Lens Blur dialogue box, just take it a little bit higher than shown in the example above. You can punch in the same settings as I have, see image below. Most miniatures are painted bright colours, so next you are going to use a Hue and Saturation adjustment layer to boost the colours. Click on the little ying yang symbol at the bottom of the layers palette (create new adjustment layer) and choose Hue/Saturation from the menu. On the Master, pump the colours up quite a bit, I chose +60 on the saturation slider – just watch what is going on with the houses, you are going to add a mask in a minute so the changes only apply to the part that is in focus. Hold down the Alt key and click on the add layer mask icon at the bottom of the layers palette. Grab a soft edged white brush and making sure the mask is active by clicking on it, paint back in the colour to the houses, road, cars etc., all things that are in focus. You can boost the Saturation a little more if you want by double clicking on the adjustment layer thumbnail. And there we have our miniature village. I went ahead and added a small amount of sharpening to the houses. Bear in mind that the settings used are relevant to this image 800×507@72dpi.
This is really big! We’ve tracked down some of the coolest photography prizes we could find, passed the hat round the office for some b…
This is really big! We’ve tracked down some of the coolest photography prizes we could find, passed the hat round the office for some bubblecash, stuck the megaphone out the window, and now we’re ready to launch the RedBubble Real Photography Competition. Prizes include: / – Leica M4-P plus 50mm F2 Summicron (or a Canon 400D + 17-85mm IS USM) / – Elinchrom D-Lite 4 – Studio Lighting Kit / – Gitzo Carbon Fiber Tripod with a Really Right Stuff BH-40LR Head / – 15 x great photography books / – $2500 bubblecash There are five categories, and you can only enter once per category. Simply upload your entry and tag it as follows: 1) Landscape, Travel and Nature Tag your entry with landscapephotocomp 2) Portrait, Fashion and Commercial Tag your entry with fashionphotocomp 3) Black and White, Street, and Reportage Tag your entry with bwphotocomp 4) America Tag your entry with usaphotocomp 5) Europe Tag your entry with europephotocomp See www.redbubble.com/promo/photocomp for full details
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