How Does a Camera Shutter Work?
5/27/2020
We are all familiar with the sound of a camera shutter. But do you know what happens inside your device when that happens? In this article, we’ll explain how a shutter works, and why you hear that distinct clicking sound. What Is a Camera Shutter?First, let’s define what a shutter is and what it does. You can think of it as a gate that opens to let the light into the sensor or film and closes to stop the exposure. In reality, a shutter is a complicated mechanical contraption. It’s not just a simple gate that opens and closes. There are various types of shutters that work differently depending on the camera. Let’s have a look at the shutters you’ll find in DSLRs, mirrorless, video, and motion picture cameras. How Does a Camera Shutter Work?DSLR ShutterBefore we start, let’s define DSLR to understand how its shutter works. The acronym stands for Digital Single Lens Reflex. That means that your camera has an optical device composed of a mirror and a prism. This lets you see exactly what goes through the lens. The optics of the DSLR works by placing a mirror behind the lens, which goes to a prism inside your viewfinder. You can think of it as a tiny periscope that bounces light around to reach your eye. Now, what does the mirror have to do anything with the shutter? Well, since the mirror is directly behind the lens, it prevents the light from hitting the shutter. But the DSLR is designed in such a way that when you press the shutter button, the mirror goes up so the shutter can open and make an exposure. When you press the shutter button, you’ll hear the mirror make a slapping sound when it goes up. Since it’s not reflecting any light behind the lens and directing it to your viewfinder anymore, you get a black screen. While the mirror is up, a shutter curtain goes down and exposes the sensor behind it. Once the exposure is finished, a second curtain goes down and covers the sensor. The amount of time the first curtain goes down and the second curtain goes down depends on the shutter speed. The slower the shutter speed, the longer the shutter is open. Mirrorless ShutterMirrorless cameras are called such because they don’t have the mirror that DSLRs have. Mirrorless cameras transmit image data from the sensor to a small electronic screen in the viewfinder to let you see what you’re shooting. In many ways, the shutter mechanism of a mirrorless camera works similarly to DSLRs. It also has a shutter curtain that goes up and down as you take a picture. But the difference this time is the way it moves and captures the image as you press the shutter button. Since a mirrorless camera doesn’t have a mirror, the sensor is fully exposed behind the lens. But when you press the shutter button, a shutter door goes up to block the sensor, and then goes down to make the exposure. Once the exposure is done, another door goes down from the top of the frame. Medium Format ShutterWe’ve all heard of crop-sensor and full-frame cameras. Crop-sensors are typically found in cheaper consumer cameras. Full-frame sensors are the ones that most professional photographers use. But what about medium-format cameras? Medium-format got its name from 120mm format cameras during the film days. Since medium-format cameras have a bigger sensor and resolution, they’re very expensive. Only a small percentage of professional photographers get to use them on a daily basis. Just like full-frame cameras, medium-format cameras also have DSLR and mirrorless versions. That means that their shutter mechanisms also vary. But the high-end medium-format options often feature a special shutter called a leaf shutter. Unlike other shutter mechanisms, a leaf shutter is inside the lens and not the camera body. It also looks and works like an aperture, moving inwards or outwards instead of up and down. The advantage of a leaf shutter is that it’s faster than any other mechanism that employs a shutter curtain. You can use it for high sync flash that can be 1/1000th of a second or more, as compared to 1/200 or 250th of second for mirrorless and DLSRs. Compact Cameras and SmartphonesEver wonder where the clicking from your compact camera or smartphone comes from? The truth is that sound is produced electronically. Compact cameras and smartphones don’t have shutter curtains that go up and down at all. Instead, they capture light from the lens straight to the sensor. That’s mainly the reason why they’re smaller and can take more pictures than regular cameras. So if your smartphone works without a shutter, then why is it still necessary for normal cameras to have one? It all comes down to the quality of the photos. Cameras without shutters tend to produce grainy pictures. On the other hand, cameras with mechanical shutters have cleaner images. They have better control of the light hitting the sensor. Shutter Activity When Taking PicturesAs mentioned earlier, the amount of time the shutter stays open is proportional to the shutter speed you set on your camera. As an experiment, you can adjust your shutter speed to 3 seconds and press the shutter. The time between the first click (when the shutter and mirror opens) to the second click (when the shutter and mirror closes), is the same amount of time. But since shutters are mechanical, they can only go so fast when taking pictures. Try pressing the shutter and hold it for ten seconds and you’ll see how fast or slow your camera takes pictures. Your camera’s shooting speed is calculated by using FPS or frames per second. Most consumer cameras can only take about 5 to 8 frames per second even when using a shutter speed of 1/8000th of second or more. While some professional models (especially mirrorless options) can shoot almost up to 24 frames per second. Shutter Activity When Shooting VideosNow that you know that most cameras can only shoot a few frames per second, you’ll understand why the shutter is never used when shooting video. Otherwise, you’ll end up with jerky motion because the shutter isn’t fast enough to capture natural movement. When you record videos using your mirrorless or DSLR, your shutter goes up and never goes down until you finish shooting. In Video Mode, the sensor then becomes a “virtual” shutter by electronically scanning the light coming from the lens. Capturing video data depends on the kinds of sensor your camera has. Ther are two main types of sensors in cameras. The first one is the CMOS which is found in most entry-level and even professional cameras. It captures video by scanning the scene from left to right, and top to bottom. A CMOS sensor scans an entire scene in milliseconds (which is fast!). But it tends to suffer from the rolling shutter. In other words, it distorts fast movement because it can’t record a scene all at once. If you have a DSLR or a mirrorless, try swiftly panning your camera from left to right and you’ll notice that “Jell-o effect” caused by rolling shutter. The second type of sensor is called CCD and is mostly found in high-end and professional video or cinema cameras. It uses what’s called a global shutter to avoid any distortion in movement. That means it captures a scene all at once so you’ll see no lags in any motion in your frame. Check Your Shutter CountYour camera shutter is mechanical, which means that it can only do so many clicks before it stops working. Your camera’s shutter life expectancy can be found in your camera’s spec sheet or online. An average consumer camera has a rating of about 100,000 shutter actuations. Meanwhile, professional options are rated 200,000 or more actuations. It may not sound enough. But in general, most enthusiasts only reach up to 25,000 actuations a year. That means their camera can last up to 4 years. Meanwhile, it’s not unusual for professional photographers to reach 50,000 or even 100,000 actuations per year. That’s why you often see them change their cameras all the time. You can check your shutter count online by uploading a recent JPEG or raw picture from your camera. Remember that sometimes a shutter can break before or even way after it reaches its expected number of shutter actuations. Like your car mileage, a shutter life expectancy is a manufacturer’s estimation. ![]() ConclusionIt’s always a good idea to learn about how your camera works. Knowing the mechanics of your shutter, for instance, would allow you to see its capabilities and limitations. And let’s be honest: It feels good to know what’s going on inside your device when you hear that click. via RSSMix.com Mix ID 8230553 https://ift.tt/2XzD3Yh
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Presets can be extremely helpful when working on portraits in Lightroom. Adobe Lightroom comes with default presets. However, they do not always have the ones you need. Thankfully, you can find tons of Lightroom presets online without paying for anything. Now let’s check out the 25 best free Lightroom presets for portraits to download! ![]() [Note: ExpertPhotography is supported by readers. Product links on ExpertPhotography are referral links. If you use one of these and buy something, we make a little bit of money. Need more info? See how it all works here.] What Is a Lightroom Preset?Before we dive in, let’s find out what a Lightroom preset is and what you can do with it. You can think of Lightroom presets as filters. They change the colors and other exposure settings of your image for creative effects. Lightroom presets create a mood that further improves your portraits. Not to mention that they give your images a coherent look. So are there free Lightroom presets? The simple is yes, and there are tons of them out there. So what’s the catch? A lot of photographers share them to help market their name. Meanwhile, others use them to introduce you to paid versions that are better. Most free Lightroom presets are easily downloadable. While some require you to subscribe to the creator’s website or social media channels. Without further ado, let’s take a look at some of the best free Lightroom presets for portraits on the web! 25. Fixthephoto’s Light and Airy PastelIf you want to add subtle touches to your portraits, then this preset collection is worth a try. This preset package creates a soft glow on the skin without changing the skin tone. At the same time, it makes the colours in the images look vibrant. The effect it creates may be subtle, but you’ll definitely notice how it makes you feel: Light and airy. 24. PresetLove’s Warm CinematicPresetLove’s Warm Cinematic is the best option for photographers who love that moody look in some movies. Warm Cinematic deepens the shadows and creates beautiful contrasts. It also uses a warmer colour temperature to produce a sunny atmosphere in your images. This preset is perfect for photos with bright lighting. Using it on dimly lit images may produce dark and grainy results. Furthermore, it tends to make some pictures look muddy. But thankfully, you can easily fix all these issues with a few adjustments. 23. Creative Tacos’ 10 Free Professional PresetsPeople like to use the term “professional” a lot these days to make their products seem legitimate. But more often than not, many of them fail to deliver quality results. Thankfully, Creative Tacos really meant what they said about their 10 free professional presets. Each variation delivers quality tones and realistic effects that real professionals deserve and love. The collection gives you a variety of choices from adding a soft look to creating realistic film effects. And each option produces vivid colors and beautiful contrasts that don’t scream “it’s a filter!” Needless to say, this collection of free presets is definitely one of my favourites! 22. Creative Presets’ Ultra PopIf the colours in your images always look dull, Creative Presets’ Ultra Pop needs to be in your preset collection. Surprisingly, this collection of eye-candy presets now sell for $29 on Creative Presets’ website. But you can still get a free version at Pixelbuddha which we linked above. Ultra Pop does a great job making the colors in your images vibrant. But at the same time, it doesn’t oversaturate your image to the point that everything looks radioactive. You may have to tweak your contrast and other exposure levels every once in a while. But for the most part, Ultra Pop renders colors accurately. 21. Photonify’s Forest PresetThis free lightroom preset covers your photos in a beautiful, cool hazy look. We recommend to use it on portrait photos where the light is soft and warm, or neutral. Prepare yourself for an impressive image transformation as soon as you click on this free preset. It’s not for all types of photos, but when it works, it really works. You can access the free preset by submitting your email address. 20. Altphoto’s 10 Free Presets PackAltphotos has created a pack with 10 free Lightroom presets for portraits. Nine of them are color presets and one is White & Black. The color presets have a variety of effects. You can use them to either warm the colors of your portraits or cool them down. These free Lightroom presets also enhance the browns or the blues of your portraits. The result creates a subtle retro look. A nice thing about this pack is that you can find descriptions on the website. This way, you will know beforehand which exact effect each preset will produce. And the best part? You can download these Lightroom presets at once (no need to use your email address). 19. Warm Retro PresetThe website PresetLove offers many free Lightroom presets for portraits. And the Warm Retro Preset is one of its most popular collections. You can download the free preset by itself, but you do need to give them your email address. Once you subscribe to the newsletter, the website will send you the file to your mailbox. Warm Retro gives your portraits a soft vintage look. It increases both warmth and brightness and mutes the colors slightly. The difference with other muted presets is that Warm retro enhances the sharpness of the portrait. It’s also crisp and detailed. I recommend this preset if you are looking for a charming retro look and want to keep the natural look of your images. If you prefer, you can also download a bundle of 290 Lightroom presets from the website. The catch is that it’s not free. In my opinion though, Warm Retro would be enough for most of your photos. 18. Urban Cool Lightroom PresetThis is another one of the free lightroom presets for portraits from Presetlove. But it’s totally different from Warm Retro. Urban Cool is perfect for urban and street portraits. It enhances the cool colors by adding greens, blues, and violets to the shadows. To balance the cool colors, it saturates the warm tones. It also increases the clarity and sharpening, giving a pop to your photos. The great thing about this preset is that it adds a film look to the urban backgrounds of your portraits. At the same time, the skin color remains natural. 17. Shadow Crusher Free Lightroom PresetPresetlove’s “Shadow Crusher” saturates a portrait with intense tones. This increases both the exposure and the shadows and adds a dark vignette effect. All of these adjustments result in dramatically dark photos. The “tough and dangerous” look it creates makes it perfect for urban photos. And did we mention that it’s perfect for competitive or extreme sports photographers, too? When you use this preset, keep in mind that it pulls the mid-tones towards the extremities (especially to the dark). Furthermore, it also creates a tint of magenta in the image. Photos with a widespread histogram are perfect for this free lightroom preset. But you should also make sure that your photo doesn’t have too much purples and magenta. 16. All Gold Everything PresetIf you want to give your portraits an 80s twist, should check out Presetlove’s “All Gold Everything” preset. This is one of the free Lightroom presets that nostalgic millenials will absolutely love. All Gold Everything brings up the warm tones in your images and give them a yellow cast. It will make them look as if they were captured on a Kodak Gold film. If you want to take a Stranger Things Style photo, give this free Lightroom preset a try. 15. Antique Bronze Free Lightroom PresetPresetLove’s “Antique Bronze” preset for portraits is an awesome sepia portrait preset with a grainy effect. It adds intense tones and a subtle vignette to photos. This is another one of those free Lightroom presets that create a beautiful old and vintage look. But it keeps and even enhances the details and sharpness of the image. Unlike black and white monochromatic presets, this preset’s sepia tone enables the viewer to see more hues in the image. It completes the effect by increasing clarity and whites. This free Lightroom preset works well in a variety of scenarios. It performs well in almost any scenario from nature and outdoors to urban environments. Keep in mind that this free lightroom preset works better with intricate textures that it can emphasize. 14. Luc Besson Preset for PortraitsFreelightroompresets is one of the best resources for free Lightroom presets. They offer you 39 stunning options and most of them work great for portraits. You can even filter the Lightroom presets according to what you need them for. You can search for presets for portraits, cinematic, black & white and others. I like most of the 39 free presets for portraits. But my favorite would have to be the Luc Besson. Its name comes from the famous French director famous for his distinct movie look. This wonderful Lightroom preset mattifies your portrait while maintaining the contrast and brightness. It also lowers the saturation of all the colors, especially greens. At the same time, it does a good job keeping the skin tones natural and flattering. And if you’re fond of grain, this is one of the free Lightroom presets for portraits that delivers. 13. Photonify Free Lightroom Portrait PresetDramatic colors and lighting is a trendy look these days. And Photonify’s Portrait Preset is one of the best free Lightroom presets for portraits you can use to achieve that edgy look. This preset will help you to get a gritty look that works well for dark and intense portraits. For example, it is perfect for magazine covers and celebrity or street portraits. I don’t recommend it if you want to soften the skin if your models. Because this Lightroom preset is doing precisely the opposite. It sharpens your image quite a lot as well as increases detail and contrast and emphasizes textures. In other words, this makes skin imperfections and shadows stand out more. So if you’re looking for free Lightroom presets for newborns or beauty shoots, this may not be for you. 12. Super Preset Sample PackTo get these free Lightroom presets for portraits, you need to join Photographyconcentrate‘s Super Preset’s Explorers Club. That means you need to sign up and register your email. But that’s a small price you pay for what you get from the website. The most interesting thing is that they give you access to the Freebie Library. You can find presets packs and other resources here such as ebooks. This pack consists of 10 Lightroom presets for portraits. It includes 5 color presets and 5 Black and White presets. They have straightforward names, so you know which effects you will achieve. These free Lightroom presets for portraits are versatile and subtle. They work with a wide range of skin tones, giving them a natural look. 11. Hollywood CollectionIf you would like to put some glamour into your portraits, check out this collection of free Lightroom presets. If you want to get the entire collection of presets for Lightroom, you’ll have to buy it. But at least you get 70 varieties inspired by old Hollywood movie posters. But even if you don’t have the budget, you still get to try two free Lightroom presets for portraits. You don’t even need to give them your email address or subscribe to their site. These two presets affect portrait colors. With the Technicolor preset you can get a nice, soft, warm look. It has an orange-yellow tint in the highlights and blue in the shadows. The Stage preset is more dramatic. It lowers the vibrance of all the colors to zero. It works well for indoor portraits with artificial lighting. Keep in mind that it also turns the blues to purples. 10. Dark Moody Lightroom PresetSignatureedits.com is one of the best sources for free Lightroom presets for portraits. The great thing about it is that it comes with a tutorial that explains exactly how it was created. The tutorial is helpful if you want to adapt the preset to your own style. The Moody Lightroom Preset adds a bit of contrast to your portrait while having a dark faded mood. Beware that it creates a cooler look in images. On one side, it warms both yellows and the greens. But it also desaturates the pictures. As the last step, this preset adds an orange coloring to the whole image using the calibration panel. This really contributes to the dark mood. The preset works great if you want to give your photos an autumn or winter feel. As the author says, it might not work with all your portraits, but it will give you a nice start. 9. Sunset Desert Free Portrait PresetCreativetacos is a website that offers you a lot of well designed free Lightroom presets for portraits. One of my favourites is the Sunset Desert. As the name suggests, this preset adds a beautiful warm glow to photos. It’s perfect for portraits shot when the sun is low on the horizon, during the golden hours. You will see the natural warm colors pop while keeping the skin tone natural. Sunset Desert is one of the most versatile presets for Lightroom out there. You can use it in wedding photos, travel photos, urban photography, and many more. And did I tell you that it’s also suitable for Mobile Lightroom, 8. Caramel Wedding LG PresetThis preset is different from other free Lightroom presets for portraits and weddings. It adds brightness to photos while increasing the contrast a bit. This preset also enhances the whites, making them pop. This is usually nice for wedding photos, at least if the bride is wearing a white dress. The free Lightroom preset creates a slight matte effect. As a result. it gives portraits a bit of mood, but without exaggerating it. The only problem I found with this preset is that it might change some colors quite a lot. You’ll notice it especially with the blues. Think ahead if these color changes are relevant or not before applying the preset. You don’t want to change the color of some family member’s suit or dress! 7. Elegant Wedding PresetChicpreset’s “Elegant Wedding” is one of those free Lightroom presets for portraits that improve bland wedding photos. It keeps a classic look that will make your snapshot look timeless. Elegant Wedding brightens up your photos, enhances the contrast and vibrance, and sharpens the details. This free Lightroom preset is perfect for photos taken on cloudy and grey days if you want to give them a bit of extra light. What makes this preset especially useful for weddings is that it keeps the original colors of photos. You don’t need to worry about making changes to the clothes of the wedding guests or the flower decorations. 6. Free Night Life Lightroom PresetIf you are a night portrait photographer, you are going to love this free LIghtroom preset by Creativetacos. It is perfect for nightclubs, concerts, and street photos. You can also use it for your wedding photography for the party photos. This preset enhances night lights, making them pop. It increases contrast in photos and modifies the colors to emphasize blues and warm colors. It also recovers details from both the highlights and shadows. If you are starting out with night photography, this is one of the best presets for you. It gives you a starting point where you can experiment with the colors of your portraits and night shots. 5. Grainy Matte Portrait PresetIf you want to give your photos a nostalgic, vintage effect, you should check out the Grainy Matte preset. As the name suggests, it increases the grain (noise) in your images. But it also creates a washed effect that you usually see in old photos. As with all presets, you might need to make adjustments to fit your portrait and taste. But this little free preset gives you a good starting point. 4. Color Pop PresetThis is one of those vibrant presets that make your photos pop. Its specialty is livening up photos taken on a cloudy day or in bad lighting conditions. This free Lightroom preset is excellent for nature and urban portraits. You can create an impressive effect if you convert the image to black and white. And then combine the free preset with a mask to have only one item in color. Keep in mind that this preset also decreases the luminescence of blue and aqua colors. It might not be the best choice for seaside photography. 3. Sun Flares PresetThis is one of the best free Lightroom presets for portraits for outdoor photos, travel photography, weddings, etc. As with most free presets, you’ll need to provide an email address to download it. But it’s worth it especially if you like takin sunny photos a lot. The free preset works perfectly for outdoor portraits. It gives your photos warmth and clarity and create an awesome sunny effect. You don’t want to use this preset though or you’ll end up with artificial-looking photos. 2. Black & White BundleIf you like Black & White photography, Fix the Photo has 10 great free Lightroom presets for you. This bundle covers a lot of the needs of a portrait photographer. Both the Soft and Soft skin presets will make the skin of your subjects look softer. The second preset in the bundle even applies a skin color correction. You will also find presets to soften your portraits, adding an elegant pinkish tone or a matte effect. Others add drama, create an HDR effect or enhance photos taken in harsh light. You even have Lightroom presets for elegant and artistic effects, such as the Chocolate or the Old Film. 1. Orange and Teal Preset “Amber”Photos with predominant colors of teal and orange are very popular these days. They work well with landscapes, often of the sea or a mountain ridge with a lot of sky at sunset. If you want to try the orange and teal look, then the Amber preset is for you. As you can expect, it uses contrasting oranges and blues together with high exposure and sharpness. These help you to give more life to your portraits. This preset works for portraits as well. But you may have to do a few adjustments to get the skin tones accurately. Common QuestionsHow Do I Download Lightroom Presets?When you find a preset you like online, download it onto a folder on your computer. If the file is zipped, unzip it. Open Adobe Lightroom and find the Presets panel under the Develop Module. Click “+”, and then click “Import Preset”. Navigate to the folder where you saved the downloaded presets and press “Import”. Once that is done, the downloaded presets will appear in the Preset panel, ready to be used! How Do I Download Lightroom Presets for Free?There are many sources online that offer free Lightroom presets. Search for ‘free Lightroom presets’. Then, follow the steps above to download them. Can I Apply a Single Preset on All of my Images?Technically you can. But some presets work better than others in certain areas. For instance, some options may be better for portraits, while others perform well with landscapes. You may have to use a variety of presets to achieve the best possible results. If you want a coherent look, you may need to get preset bundles. That way you have better options for different types of images. Can I use my Presets on Lightroom Mobile?Yes! All you have to do is sync your Lightroom desktop with Lightroom Mobile. If the process went smoothly, you should see the new preset in the collection. ConclusionPresets are a great tool to make your editing workflow quicker. You can use them as a base for editing your portraits and adapt them to your photos and personal style. These 25 best free Lightroom presets for portraits will suit almost any portrait scenario. For most of them, all you need to do is offer your email address, and you get access to amazing free Lightroom presets for portraits. Check out our post on how to install Lightroom presets or Lightroom Mobile presets next! via RSSMix.com Mix ID 8230553 https://ift.tt/3da4Wg2 Most of us are wondering how to sell our images. And then we stumble across photographs for which a buyer was happy to pay millions of US dollars. Let’s have a look at the 10 most expensive photos. 10. The Pond – MoonlightEdvard Steichen – 1904 The artist created the early photograph by applying light-sensitive gums. This gave the final print more than one colour. There are three versions of The Pond -Moonlight. Each of them is unique because the layering of the gums is done by hands. The photograph cost its buyer $2,928,000 in 2006. At the time, it was the highest price ever paid for a photo at an auction. The two other versions are exhibited in museums. 9. Untitled Film Still #48Cindy Sherman – 1979 The photograph is part of a series that the artist made between 1977 and 1980. Sherman herself appears as fictitious female characters in the 69 black and white photos. She used makeup, wigs and vintage dresses to recreate female cliches from films. Photograph #48 was bought for $2,965,00 in 2015. 8. Untitled (Cowboy)Richard Prince- 2000 Prince’s work is a photo of a photo. He rephotographed pictures while he was developing his own style. In this case, the image is from a Marlboro campaign, and it depicts the ‘Marlboro Man’. The piece was bought for $ 3,077,000 in 2014. 7. Chicago Board of Trade IIAndreas Gursky – 1999/2000 The picture exhibits the trading floor of the Board of Trade in Chicago. To express the sense of movement, Gursky double-exposed several parts of the image. He often scanned the images and edited them on a computer. The photo was auctioned for $3,298,755 in 2013. 6. 99 Cent II DiptychonAndreas Gursky – 2001 Below is the chromogenic colour print that was sold at Sotheby’s London in February 2007. The two-part photo depicts a supermarket with several aisles. Gursky altered the picture digitally. What did it fetch? An astounding $3,346,456. Surely it should have ended in .99 cents. 5. Jeff Wall – 1992Here is the image in question, sold as transparency in lightbox. It depicts a fictional scene with a battlefield. The soldiers are coming back to life, resembling a zombie horror movie. This went on sale at Christie’s New York in May 2012. It made a cool $3,666,500. 4. To Her MajestyGilbert & George – 1973 These photographic provocateurs created this installation as a Gelatin Silver print. The series of photos commemorate drunk evenings of the duo. It went under the hammer at Christie’s London in June 2008. It made $3,765,276 ($4,971,030.33 in today’s money). 3. Untitled 96Cindy Sherman – 1981 Cindy Sherman is no stranger to expensive prints. This one netted her a welcomed $3,890,500 when it was auctioned at Christie’s New York in May 2011. Sherman used the centrefolds of men’s erotic magazines as inspiration for this work. She appears as the complete opposite of a model who we would find in those pictures. Many people claim that her facial expression and body language shows vulnerability. Sherman depicts rape and abuse in the photo. The model looks scared instead of being seductive. The image was presented as a Chromogenic colour print. 2. Spiritual AmericaRichard Prince – 1981 It is one of the most controversial photos in history. It depicts the 10-year old and naked Brooke Shields. Her childish body is in great contrast with her seductive and mature facial expression. The police banned the work from the exhibition in the Tate Modern in London. Ektacolor print. Sold at Christie’s New York in May 2014: $3,973,000 Note: This image features an undressed Brooke Shields as a child. We aren’t showing it here, so if you wish to see the photograph, you must follow this link to Christie’s website. 1. Rhein IIAndreas Gursky – 1999 Another chromogenic colour print, but this time, costing an individual $4,338,500. The image shows the Lower Rhine. The river is depicted between green grass fields and under the overcast sky. Gursky removed dog walkers and a factory building in digital editing. Sold at Christie’s New York in November 2011, it was the held the world record for most expensive print ever sold until 2014. +1 PhantomPeter Lik – 2014 This image is a black and white print of the famous Antelope Canyon in Arizona, USA. It is unverified, as the buyer is ‘private and anonymous’. Its place as the costliest photo in the world is still the source of heated debates. You may be tempted to think that Jeff Frost inched past Australian photographer Peter Lik by selling his image for $6.5 Million and ten cents. Judging by his chosen counsel, it is nothing more than a prank. ConclusionThe last thing I’m going to say is this: don’t be disheartened. Yes, the images are quite interesting, but who on earth decides on these prices? Most of these, except for the number one spot, were sold at auctions. What this means is the artists don’t think they are worth this much. The people with the deep pockets decided that is how much the image is worth to them. Maybe one day we’ll have a shot at the big time. In the meantime, we have advice on selling images here. Looking to get ahead with your portrait photography business? Don’t miss out on our eBook – Profit from Portraits! via RSSMix.com Mix ID 8230553 https://ift.tt/2NE0Jsw Your cover photos are one of the first things viewers are going to look at. This means your Instagram profile picture size needs to be spot on. This article will not only provide you with an Instagram profile picture size guide but also with a free guide you can start using today. What Instagram Profile Picture Size Should I Use?The Instagram profile picture sits next to the profile’s Username, Page Name, and Biography. Uploading profile pictures is easy. But most people are unsure of what photo dimensions they should use. The Instagram profile picture size is exactly 110 x 110 pixels. The small file size is perfect for viewing your Instagram profile on a mobile app. But such a low resolution isn’t enough on your web browser. We recommend a larger Instagram profile picture size of 180 x 180 pixels. Doing so ensures a high-quality image on both the web and on your mobile device. So how do you change the Instagram profile picture? Easy. Simply press the profile picture thumbnail. Next, select New Profile Photo once a dialogue box appears. Then, look for the image you like and choose it. It’s okay if you don’t resize your image to the proper Instagram profile picture size. You can have Instagram do it for you. Instagram displays your profile picture as a round thumbnail. But you don’t have to crop your image to fit the Instagram profile picture size at all. Admittedly, the small Instagram profile picture size makes it difficult to see the image even on the app. To see a larger version of someone’s profile, you can try apps such as instadp or izuum. Instadp and izuum provide you with the full Instagram profile picture size. They also remove the circular cropping and shows the entire picture. Sizing Guide for Your Instagram Cover PhotoYour cover photo is a collage of images you have uploaded. You can find it under the Instagram profile picture and bio. The cover photo shows an Instagram viewer a glimpse of your feed. The cover photo includes one large thumbnail measuring 410 x 410 pixels. Then there are six small thumbnails measuring 205 x 205 pixels. The resolution of thumbnails is 161 x 161 pixels for all images and videos. When you click on these thumbnails, the image expands to 612 x 612 pixels. 2,048 x 2,048 is the maximum Instagram photo size. But in reality, the dimensions fluctuate depending on your device. If you take an image using the app’s camera, the resolution can reach 2,048 x 2,048 pixels. Yet, using the native phone camera would only yield 612 x 612 pixels. What Size Are Images in the Photo Feed?The photo feed is the star of your Instagram view. It’s the grid of images you find below your Instagram profile picture, bio, and cover photo. Like Instagram profile pictures and cover photos, the photo feed also has size requirements. But you don’t have to resize anything as the app does it for you. For the photo feed, the app automatically downsizes the images into 40 x 40 square thumbnails. That’s smaller than your Instagram profile picture size. It also crops portrait and landscape images to fit the square format. If you view these images in the photo-viewing app Lightbox or Instadp, the maximum resolution becomes 612 x 612 pixels. For videos, the aspect ratio becomes 640 x 640 pixels. Every image and video you share appears in your profile and photo feed. If you set your visibility to ‘private,’ non-followers will see your Instagram profile but not your feed. Only followers can see all the content you post. Instagram Aspect RatioFor a long time, Instagram’s Aspect Ratio was square. Nowadays, you can add images of both horizontal (landscape) and vertical (portrait) orientations. The rectangular images show as square thumbnails on your photo feed. But Instagram displays their original aspect ratios once you select them. Size Recommendations for Uploading ImagesSquareThe Instagram picture size in 2020 should be at least 1,080 pixels on the shortest side. But it would be best to upload your images at 2,048 pixels. Landscape/HorizontalFor a landscape or horizontal picture, the recommended resolution is 1,080 x 566 pixels. But you can also use a smaller size, such as 600 x 400 pixels. Portrait/VerticalFor a portrait or vertical picture, the recommended resolution is 1,080 x 1,350 pixels. However, Instagram will show it as a 600 x 749-pixel image. Size Recommendations for Instagram StoriesApart from your photo feed, you also have Instagram Stories. It’s a collection of images or video clips that only last for 24 hours. Here, the correct video size is determined by where you publish it.
For images
Sizing Adverts on InstagramInstagram now uses adverts to connect you with your viewers. You must stick to the recommended Instagram aspect ratios for these. Using Instagram as a social media platform for a business is a great way to share your work. So don’t fall at the first hurdle of resolution.
When creating adverts, take note of the text size you use. Instagram allows you to use not more than 20% of text within your picture. Conclusion: Size MattersThere are tons of specific Instagram aspect ratios to remember. So why not use our Instagram profile picture template or Instagram profile template? Knowing the best sizes to use will help you upload your fantastic images quickly. Since your pictures have the proper dimensions, Instagram also displays them in better quality. So go ahead and bookmark this guide. You’ll find it helpful in case you forget which sizes to use. We have some great articles on taking great profile pictures. Also, how to become Instagram famous. Or best photography hashtags to check out too! To give your feed a consistent look, try our Preset Collection before uploading your images! via RSSMix.com Mix ID 8230553 https://ift.tt/2SI4Brk Most photographers struggle with pricing their services. That can be even more difficult for real estate photography pricing. Let’s take a look at a few things to do when establishing prices in your real estate photography business. Follow these 12 tips to ensure you’re charging what your real estate photography is worth.
10. Study Your Competition to Learn the Local RatesThe more you know about current real estate photographers in your local market, the better. Learn what rates your competition charges. Research the starting rates and the price range. Make sure you know what level of quality your competitors deliver. Knowing your local market will help you define your real estate photography business offerings. You will also know where you fit in. If you want to charge higher than the average, you need to justify it. Emphasise why your real estate photos are worth paying more for. You should also consider the region you work in. A real estate photography business in an expensive and big city can charge more than one in the countryside. In my local market, there are real estate photographers who charge anywhere from $100 to $500. And this is for photos only. Rates go up for things such as twilight photos or video tours. Larger-than-usual homes also mean higher rates. Have a look at your competitors’ portfolios. You’ll see that the quality of work delivered can also vary from one end of the price range to the other. 9. Talk to Clients to Explore Market NeedsAsking clients what they’re looking for and what turns them off is a simple way to improve your offering. It helps you to see how well you please the clients’ needs. This will influence the prices you can ask for. Do your clients love that they only deal with you directly? Fantastic! Now you know that you need to remain the face of the company, even if you bring in outside help. Do your clients look for the fastest possible turnaround? Then you want to make sure that your process is streamlined so you can deliver as quickly as possible. With real estate, turnaround time is often very fast. Real estate agents are anxious to get the home on the market as soon as possible. This tends to mean a 24-48 hour turnaround. Real estate agents can also tell you what extras they need most often. These can include video tours, twilight photos, or neighbourhood photos. Be sure to take these into consideration when thinking about your rates. Think about offering them as add-ons agents can choose for individual listings. Besides talking to agents, don’t be afraid to reach out to other real estate photographers in your area! 8. Decide Between Quality vs QuantityThere are two basic routes that you can take when it comes to real estate photography pricing. You can focus on quality or quantity. Do you want to do standard listings, but streamline your process to do a large number of shoots? Or do you want to photograph high-end listings, but take more time with each shoot? This would mean doing fewer total shoots. If you choose high-end listings, you’ll get more caught up in the editing. You’ll also take your time a bit more during the shoot. Photos tend to show off unique design elements or sweeping views. This kind of real estate photography comes with higher rates. You’ll be investing more of your time, energy, and expertise into each shoot. This means that clients need to pay accordingly. If you choose to focus on quantity, then you’re still delivering quality work. But the expectations are set a bit lower. Instead of focusing on artistry, you’ll want to make your process as streamlined as possible. This way you can provide a quick turnover. The focus will be on delivering sharp, clear, and well-lit wide shots. Potential buyers will be able to see each space in the home. Many of the listings will feel the same, so the process can feel a bit repetitive. The advantage of this route is that there’s a larger market looking for these services. There are more listings in the median range. This means clients will be easier to find at the beginning, which makes this option a great one to start with. With lower price tags, this is also a great range to fall into while you learn the ropes. You can refine your workflow until you’re ready for high-end property shoots. The price tag for each shoot will be smaller. Your investment of time and energy should be as well. You can offer your services for all types of properties. But I’ve found that most photographers fall into one niche or the other for the bulk of their work after some time. 7. Set the Number of Images You Provide to Your ClientsIn general, real estate photographers provide 25-50 final photos for their clients. But there are circumstances when you have to produce more. It can be because of the size of the real estate or due to special features the real estate agent wants to highlight. Either way, more photos mean more work for you. You have to spend more time taking images and editing them. You can set a limit for the number of pictures your basic package includes. If your client is asking for more photos, you can ask for extra money. As another alternative, you can set different prices based on the size of the property. For example, there are real estate photographers in the US who charge more for properties that are bigger than 3000 square feet. 6. Consider Different Factors When Setting Your PricingMany people think that the major part of real estate photography is taking photos. But you should consider every single factor that requires time and money from your side. Client CommunicationConsider the amount of time you spend with emailing or phoning your clients. It takes time to talk about the services they need and the timing of the photoshoot. You also have to educate your clients about the photoshoot. You want to make sure that they clean and declutter their homes. You don’t want to waste time with tidying up when you arrive at the property. Transport CostsWhether you are driving or using other types of transport, it will cost you money. You have to calculate this also into the prices. Or you can set lower prices but agree with the client to reimburse your transport expenses. Gear and EquipmentYou don’t need a lot of fancy equipment as a real estate photographer. But you need to make an initial investment to start your business. A camera, lenses, a tripod and even a few lighting tools. It’s easy to lose profit if you spend money on your gear but don’t calculate prices to earn it back. ![]() 5. Decide on Your Post-Processing StrategyAs a real estate photographer, you cannot avoid post-processing your photos. Your clients need immaculate photos to sell their real estate. You might need to replace the sky in Photoshop or make a lot of adjustments. You can end up spending more time editing than taking photos. You can decide to do the post-processing yourself and calculate it into your prices. You can also outsource the editing part. There are freelancers you can hire, and their prices are quite fair. You would spend money on hiring them but you gain time to focus on the growth of your business. You can end up working for more clients if you optimise your post-processing strategy. 4. Ensure Quick Turnaround for an Extra FeeYou might have a proper work-schedule when you do real estate photography. But you need a flexible schedule for this type of business. Real estate agents want to sell the property as soon as possible. They need a quick turnover of the photos. You can decide to charge extra for last-minute calls or short notices. You can also ask for higher fees if they need the photos quicker than 24 or 48 hours. You could also differentiate yourself from your competitors by offering extra flexibility. Then you can set higher prices because you are available anytime for the clients. 3. Reverse Engineer Your Real Estate Photography PricingTo reverse engineer means to take a look backwards at your process. This way you can have a better idea of what to charge upfront. For example, think about how many hours you spend on a typical real estate photography job. From client communications to travel time to the actual shoot and the editing time. Now consider how much you need to make hourly to cover expenses, pay taxes and other costs. Then leave yourself enough profit. Multiply that hourly rate needed by the number of hours that you take for a shoot. And voila! This should be the real estate photography rates you charge. This can be a tough one to carry out. We often spend a different amount of time on each shoot. It works to at least give you clarity on what you’ve been getting hourly. And you’ll figure out whether you need to go up or stay at current rates. Keep in mind that in the early stages your shoots will take longer and the times will vary more. As you develop your workflow more, the time spent on each job will stabilise. The time spent on each job will get shorter. This is a great exercise to try early on to see how different rates break down. You can also try it when you’re a more seasoned photographer to audit your rates (which is a good idea every year or so). 2. Charge for Premium ServicesReal estate agents often have extra needs you have to cater for. These can include twilight real estate photography, videos or drone photography. Twilight real estate photography requires different lighting equipment and different editing presets. You also have to work overtime to capture the photos. Videos are popular and efficient ways to show around the complete real estate. It gives better impressions about the space and the property’s atmosphere. Editing the video means you also have to buy the rights for the music you use. Post-processing can take more time and effort, so you want to make sure to get your work’s worth. Drone photography has been getting more and more popular in various photography niches. Real estate photographers started to use drones too. You can show the surroundings of the property. Drone photography makes perspectives clearer and easier to understand. In some regions, you need to buy a license for drone photography or get a permit to use it. These are extra costs you can ask higher prices for. 1. Test Your Offering and See If Your Rates WorkAt the end of the day, there will still be some trial and error. Once you’ve done your research and decided on an offering, put it out into the world and take note of reactions. Stay open to the possible need to make adjustments but don’t let yourself get swayed by every tiny bit of feedback either. It’s always a good idea to go through the above steps about once a year to audit your rates. You’ll then know if there’s anything you need to change. Incorporating client feedback into your process is also another great option. You could have a follow-up email that you send to your client after each shoot to see if they’re happy with the results. Ask if they have requests for future shoots moving forward. Learn if anything stood out as exceptional from this shoot. When faced with the decision to make a change to an offering, I consider two things:
If the change is for someone that is not a good fit as a client, then I would most likely not do it. They’re not in my target market. Likewise, if I only got the request from one client out of thirty, then I’ll most likely hold off on making any changes. If anyone else brings it up, I will reconsider. ConclusionSettings your real estate photography pricing can be nerve-wracking. But it becomes easier with time and practice! Getting to know your market and having a lot of information are key aspects. These will help you gain clarity on rates for your services. And once you have those real estate photography rates set, remember to adjust them from time to time. Want to learn more about how to improve your photography technique? Check out our ebook Photography Unlocked! For more great tips, check out our great article on real estate photography marketing ideas that work. via RSSMix.com Mix ID 8230553 https://ift.tt/2IrWPjM Most posing tutorials focus on the female form, and there isn’t that much information available on how to properly pose men in a photo. And even when you do find a guide, it is more about listing some poses for male subjects. You rarely find any article explaining why to use certain male poses in photography. Why is it that we need to pose a man in a different way in photos? ![]() Is There a Difference Between Posing Men and Women?Talking about why and laying out some ground rules will help photographers understand classic male posing better. These also serve as a guide in creating their poses and variations. Before we even get started, it is essential first to identify the goals of posing a man vs posing a woman. A man wants to be strong, fit and tall while oozing coolness, confidence, and self-control. While posing women, we usually try to accentuate curves, when posing men, the opposite holds. A man’s body is not about curves; it is about angles and power. It’s about the V and the jawline. ![]() General Tips for PosingGeneral facts that will help you better pose a person and understand why some poses work:
The following suggestions are for impressive male poses. But it doesn’t mean that you can only apply them for a male model. Female and gender-neutral models look great in these poses to. You just have to know that these postures create a masculine appearance. Give the Face a Strong CharacterHighlight the Jawline to Emphasize MasculinityA strong jawline is a measurement of perceived masculinity. Your job as a photographer is to make sure the jawline is well defined and as angular and sharp as possible. Ask the subject to push their chin out and a little bit down. This will give the neck a gentle stretch. Meanwhile, part of the neck is hiding from the camera. You can further refine the jawline by clever use of shadow. Make sure that the jawline doesn’t blend into the neck. And never, and I mean NEVER, let your subject pull his chin back. This will not only accentuate any existing double chin but also create one where there wasn’t any in reality. ![]() Make Him ‘Squinch’ to Flatter the EyesBig round puppy eyes do not look good on men. They evoke fear and confusion. Ask your subject to do what Peter Hurley calls a “squinch”. It is a half squint, where the lower eyelids raise a bit to narrow the eyes. The upper eyelids don’t move much or at all. This will make your subject look like “he is up to something”. It is adding a bit of mischievousness, playfulness, and character to the image. Check a few photos in which a male model poses. Their eyes are often squinching, making them look more attractive. This technique works even better in the case of male portraits. Let Him Tilt His Head AwayA man should not tilt his head towards the camera. That is a cute feminine pose. Either keep the head neutral or tilt slightly away from the camera. Be mindful with tilting too much away from the camera! It can make your subject look arrogant and a bit aggressive. Quick Pro Tips:
Tips for Posing The BodyThe ideal male body form is a V shape: broad shoulders, thin waist. Here are some tips for accentuating and defining the V shape with proper male models’ poses. Square the Shoulders to Make them Look BroaderShoulders should look as broad as possible. You may want to square the shoulders towards the camera as much as you can. If it’s possible, make the model lean towards the camera a bit. This will make the shoulders look bigger. Make the Waist Look SlimmerThe waist will look slimmer if the lower body does not exactly square the camera. Also, keeping the upper body closer to the camera will make the waist seem slimmer (general fact 1, 2 and 5). You want to make the waist look slimmer achieve that V shape which is so typical for men. Make Sure Your Model has Great PostureGood posture is key for an excellent male portrait. Make sure your subject is standing tall, with shoulders up yet relaxed and keeping his core tight. Male poses should convey confidence and power. It doesn’t mean you have to show their muscles or tones in every case. You just need to find a pose saying that this masculine subject can stand up for itself. Do Something With the HandsMen don’t do very well with their hands when they have nothing to do with them. You need to keep your subject’s hands busy. You need to give men’s hands a reason for being where they are. Otherwise, most men will feel it looks stupid, and they get uncomfortable. Here are a few ways to take care of this problem and find a great pose for the hands. The hands in pockets, either thumb in (GQ style) or palm in and thumb hooked on the pocket. Men can hook hands in belt loops or one hand on the belt buckle. Place one hand loosely to the side, one hand in pocket. Want to make your subject look like an ancient Greek philosopher? Place the hand on the chin and the elbow on the knee to create a thinking posture. Men can cross their arms on the chest with shoulders a bit down. This posture ensures that the shoulders seem relaxed. The subject can also rub his hands together. It gives the impression that he just closed a good deal. You can also make the hands busy with an object in the photos. The model can be holding a newspaper with one hand and just relax the other. Men can create a laidback yet impressive posture when they fix their outfit without looking at it. Your subject can fix a tie, cufflink or watch with one hand. One hand can be in a pocket while your model hooks the other hand on a jacket and throws over his shoulder. You can also give your model props that help to create a personal feel. Hands-on a football, a guitar or even on a camera that the subject holds. When your subject is standing, you can have him rest his hands on a tall chair, desk, etc. Pose the LegsStanding Male Poses in PhotosDirect a pose with the legs crossed at the shin-level. The weight should be on the back leg. Another great pose is when the legs are shoulder-width apart. One leg should be a bit closer to the camera. You can also make your model lean on the wall. Then the leg closer to the camera gets higher on the wall, and the knee should bend. This is a very chilled out and cool pose for both men and women. The model can place the leg closest to the camera higher. For example, put it on a rock, step, etc. The outer thigh should be facing the camera. Sitting Male Poses In PhotosIt doesn’t matter if the model sits on a chair, bench or a desk. These poses work well in any case. When sitting on a chair, the ankle of one leg goes onto the knee of the other. Shoot slightly from above and avoid getting too close. This creates a natural, relaxed posture. The model can also lean against a desk at the waist and place the feet a bit forward. Crossed arms on the chest make the photo look even better. When sitting in a photo, a subject shouldn’t sit in a 90-degree angle to the camera. ConclusionNow, this is not, by any means, an exhaustive tutorial on male posing. But, by understanding why we do what we do, we no longer have to rely on our memory and recall “male pose 34”. You can be more flexible, better prepared for unforeseen circumstances and you can adjust on the fly. In the end, what we all want is for the client to look great in the photo. So now, my question is, what is your favourite tip or your biggest no-no on male posing? For more great guides on photography poses, check out our article on couples posing or best poses for family photography. If you are looking to get ahead in portrait photography, then don’t miss out on our guide: Profit from Portraits. Have a look today! via RSSMix.com Mix ID 8230553 https://ift.tt/2uXDS0z Night photography can lead to some amazing images. But photographing stars can be tricky. In this article, we will cover the different types of star photography and the gear you might need. We’ll cover camera settings, finding a location, and setting up your shot. We use some specialised terms when talking about astrophotography. Check out our complete astrophotography glossary for the most common terms. Let’s get started with a list of gear you’ll need Then, we’ll talk about a few of the most popular subjects in astrophotography: star trails, the Milky Way, and deep space objects. Finally, we’ll give you some general shooting and compositional advice for photographing the night skies. ![]() [Note: ExpertPhotography is supported by readers. Product links on ExpertPhotography are referral links. If you use one of these and buy something, we make a little bit of money. Need more info? See how it all works here.] Camera Settings for Star PhotographyCamera settings vary depending on the type of night sky photography. Let’s start with settings that are similar across different types of star photography. Shoot in Manual mode. You’ll need to be able to change aperture, shutter speed, and ISO independently. Set your camera to manual focus. It is usually too dark for autofocus to work for star photography. Later in the article, we’ll show you a couple of different ways to focus on the stars. Shoot in RAW format. Post-processing is essential to making the most of star photography. Gather as much information as possible in a RAW file. Many photographers suggest turning off the internal stabilisation when putting your camera on a tripod. But not all photographers agree. Turning on your camera’s noise reduction is also a debated setting. This feature reduces the noise created by using a high ISO. The camera takes a completely black photo and merges it with your image. Unfortunately, this doubles the exposure time. If you set your shutter speed for 30 seconds, your camera will take 60 seconds to process the image. Many photographers prefer to use other noise reduction techniques in post-processing. ![]() Recommended Gear for Star PhotographyYou’re going to need some specific camera gear for star photography. The best gear to use depends on the type of night photography you’re doing. We’ll start with a list of recommended gear that is useful for most forms of night sky photography:
![]() Other gear, like the following, is useful for some types of astrophotography:
Types of Star PhotographyThere is no one-size-fits-all procedure for night photography. Each kind of star photography has its own set of rules, optimal gear, and camera settings. Star TrailsStar trails are the easiest type of starry night photography you can do. As the earth rotates, stars appear to move. Star trail photography captures this movement by using long exposure settings. The photographic technique is like photographing light trails created by moving vehicles. But there are a few extra steps to photographing star trails that we’ll go through in a minute. ![]() To photograph star trails, you’ll need the following gear:
Set your camera’s aperture to f/2.8 and ISO to 400. For star trails, we recommend taking a series of long exposure photos over about an hour. The stars will move enough in an hour to create a nice circular movement. But you can’t leave your shutter open for this length of time. A 60-minute exposure will blow out your image. This is where your intervalometer is useful. Set up the intervalometer to take a series of images, each 30 seconds long, with 1 second between images. The short interval between photos reduces gaps in the trail. You can take just over 100 images in an hour. In post-processing, stack these images together. This will create a circular star trail pattern. See our article “Post-Processing Astrophotography: All You Need To Know” on how to do this. If you are in a very dark place, you can try a 10-minute exposure time. Milky Way PhotographyStarry landscapes and Milky Way shots are a bit more demanding than star trails. These types of photographs feature the night sky usually as a background to a landscape. We are part of the Milky Way galaxy and can see the pattern of stars for about half of the year. Most photographers want to capture the galactic core of the Milky Way. To capture the Milky Way, you have to freeze the stars’ movement in the sky. Depending on the focal length of your lens, you will see stars begin to blur in your photo after only a few seconds. This means carefully balancing shutter speed with ISO. ![]() To photograph the Milky Way, you’ll need the following gear:
Set your camera’s aperture to f/2.8 or wider and ISO to 3200. Many of the newer digital cameras can handle a much higher ISO. Go as high as you feel comfortable with your camera. Your shutter speed depends on the focal length of your lens. When photographing the Milky Way, we want to freeze the stars’ motion. Shutter speed needs to be long enough to capture stars on a dark night, but not so long that the stars begin to trail. This is a tricky balance. We use the 500 rule to figure out how long we can leave the shutter open before the stars smear. In the 500 rule, divide 500 by the focal length of the lens. For instance, if you’re using a 14mm lens, divide 500 by 14. 500 / 14 = 35.7 seconds You should be able to leave the shutter open for 35 seconds before the stars start to blur. But there’s a problem with the 500 Rule. The rule was developed for film cameras. Looking closely at the stars on a digital image shows that they are already starting to blur at 35 seconds. With digital cameras, a 300 rule is probably better. 300 / 14 = 21 seconds Because the shutter speed is limited, a camera with high ISO performance is particularly important. Deep Space ObjectsPhotographing deep space objects (DSO) is a lot more challenging. DSO are bright star clusters, nebulae, or galaxies other than the Milky Way. Some photographers mount a camera to a telescope. But long telephoto lenses will capture bright star clusters like the Pleiades. Photographing bright nebulae like the Orion and Cygnus constellation are also possible. The most difficult subjects are galaxies, due to their small size and low light. A notable exception is the Andromeda Galaxy. With the right settings, the camera can see what we can’t see with the naked eye. We’ll limit our discussion of photographing DSO in this article. But we have an extensive article on how to photograph DSO. You can also go check out these composition tips for DSO astrophotography if you want to learn more. ![]() To photograph deep space objects, you’ll need the following gear:
The camera settings for DSO photography are like photographing the Milky Way (f/2.8 or wider and ISO to 3200). The 500 rule still applies. But using a telephoto lens will greatly reduce your shutter speed. Using a 200mm lens reduces the maximum shutter speed to 2.5 seconds. This shutter speed isn’t long enough to capture distant starlight. An equatorial tracking head allows us to increase exposure. It moves the camera to follow the star movement. This allows you to capture longer exposure shots of the night sky without star trails. If you’re using an equatorial tracking mount, you’ll have to set it up properly. This article will help you: “SkyWatcher Star Adventurer Review | Astrophotography Equatorial Tracking Mount“. ![]() Scouting a Location for the Best Starry SkiesThe night sky is all around us, but some locations work better than others for creating good night sky photography. You’ll need to find a location with dark skies. City light pollution obscures the stars. Use a tool like Dark Site Finder to find areas away from city light pollution. It’s also important to keep track of the phases of the moon. A full moon is bright and will obscure the stars. Most star photography is best at or near the new moon. It’s also important to know where stars and galaxies will be in the sky. For instance, the Milky Way is visible in the northern hemisphere from about March until November. It will rise in the southern skies. Apps like PhotoPils, Stellarium, or Sky Guide tell you exactly where and when the galactic core of the Milky Way will appear above the horizon. When scouting a location, look for an interesting foreground element in the landscape. Star photography looks great behind a building, a rock formation, mountain peaks, or lone trees. Foreground elements can be in silhouette or lit by a low-level LCD or moonlight. PhotoPils and The Photographer’s Ephemeris (TPE) have a virtual reality setting. Point your phone’s camera at a scene and the apps will show you where the moon or the Milky Way will rise in relation to a foreground element. If nothing looks interesting, photograph yourself in silhouette against the sky. A human figure will give a sense of scale to the image. It will also help the viewer connect with your photo. ![]() Setting Up for the ShotOnce you’ve found a location, it’s time to go out in the field and set up your shot. First, check the weather and the phases of the moon. Choose a clear night near the new moon. Cloud cover and moonlight obscure the night sky. Set up and level your tripod. Don’t fully extend all the leg sections. Start extending the segment with the largest diameter first. If possible, spread the legs a bit. This reduces the chance that you will tip it over if you bump it in the dark. You can further stabilise the tripod by hanging your camera bag or a weight from your tripod. For best results, the weight should touch the ground rather than free-float in mid-air. Set up your intervalometer and tracking mount if you are using these tools. If you have a zoom lens with no locking mechanism, tape down the zoom ring. The weight of the lens will not slowly change the focal length during the session. How to Focus on the StarsAchieving focus on stars can be a bit tricky. The stars are faint, and the infinity mark on many lenses is only a guide, not a true focus point. To focus on stars, use live view and magnify the brightest star you can see. Increase the ISO if that helps. Turn your focus dial until the star size shrinks to its minimum chromatic aberration (purple fringe). You’re looking for the point at which the star becomes the smallest pinpoint of light. Blur creates a halo around the star. Removing blur (focusing) shrinks the star. Lighting up a distant tree or rock will also help you focus. If the light is bright enough you might be able to use autofocus. Make sure the object is far enough away that you are focusing to infinity. If you are doing DSO photography, a more precise focusing tool is a Bahtinov mask. This is a special mask placed in front of your telescope to create diffraction spikes around the brightest stars. The perfect focus is achieved when all the spikes cross on the bright star you are considering. ![]() For those of us shooting with photographic lenses, there is a simpler tool we can use to focus: a kitchen sieve. Put it in front of your lens and when you see strong, contrasted diffraction spikes, you are good to go. ![]() Once you are happy with your focus, you can tape down the focusing ring with some gaffer tape. This will help you avoid moving it when you mount filters or reposition the camera. To help beginners work fast in the field, we created an infographic on how to focus when taking pictures of stars. Either save the infographic on your phone as an image or print it. If you fold it, the printed version will have the size of a credit card. ![]() Frame the PhotoOnce your tripod is set and your focus is good, it is time to frame your target. With star trails and starry landscapes, framing is like with any classic landscape composition. Take a test shot using a very high ISO – around 10,000. This sample shot allows you to check the composition. Make sure your horizon is level and the foreground element is in the right place in the frame. The test image will have too much noise. But it helps you frame the scene without waiting 30 seconds for a long exposure. If you’re lighting the foreground element, you may not be able to see the illumination with the naked eye. Remember that you’re taking a long exposure. The light will intensify with exposure time. In some situations, it may be better to expose for the foreground element separately. This may mean exposure time of a couple of minutes. You can combine the foreground image with the night sky image in post-processing. ![]() If you are after DSO photography, identify your celestial target. Then double-check that its path across the sky will stay unobstructed. Take the ShotOnce you’ve checked your composition, lower the ISO and exposure time to the correct camera setting and take another test shot. Use this image to check that your stars are in focus, sharp and round. Unless, of course, if you are shooting star trails. Make sure that highlights aren’t clipped. The settings we’ve suggested are a general starting point. If you are not happy with the result, feel free to experiment with different camera settings. To reduce noise in the image, some photographers take a series of 10 to 12 images of the same scene. In post-processing, they use programs like Starry Landscape Stacker to merge the images together. The program adjusts the stars to remove the movement, then compares the frames to reduce noise. ![]() ConclusionCapturing star pictures is not the easiest skill to master. But when you do, you will get breathtaking images. Camera settings vary depending on the type of star photography. Exposure time is determined by the focal length of your lens. High ISOs are often needed to balance out limited exposure time. Specialized equipment like intervalometers and tracking heads help photographers extend the exposure time. If you loved taking star photos and want to learn more, try our Milky Way Mastery course!! via RSSMix.com Mix ID 8230553 https://ift.tt/2Lf23gW Shadows can be beautiful additions to your images. They add depth and interest. But they can also be distracting or too harsh. In this article, I’m going to show you how to remove shadows in Photoshop. First, I’ll show you how to remove shadows in Photoshop using the content-aware fill tools. Then, I’ll show you how to reduce the harshness of shadows using layers. Finally, we’ll remove and reduce shadows on someone’s face. How to Remove Shadows with Content-Aware FillPhotoshop has a range of tools available to help you remove shadows. For removing simple shadows, I like to use content-aware fill tools like Patch tool. This method works best when the shadow you’re removing has clear lines and is being cast on a well-defined background. I’m going to remove the extra shadows in this image on the edges of the frame. There is an ugly dark spot in the bottom right-hand corner. There are also odd extra shadows coming in from the right side of the frame. [Twentytwenty]
[/Twentytwenty] Step 1: Open and Duplicate the BackgroundOpen the photo and right-click on the background layer. Select Duplicate Layer... (Ctrl or ⌘J). This will allow you to edit your photos without destroying the original image. Step 2: Select the Patch ToolSelect the Patch tool from the toolbar on the left. Make sure to select ‘Content-Aware‘ in the Patch dropdown menu. By doing this, Photoshop will help you by creating new pixels. This will make transitions as smooth as possible. Step 3: Remove ShadowsMake a selection of the shadow you want to remove. I’m going to start by removing the odd-shaped shadow in the bottom right-hand corner of the frame ![]() Drag the selection to an area that looks similar. In my case, I select an area of pavement. While dragging, you can see the selected area change. Let go when you’re satisfied with the area you’ve chosen, and Photoshop will smoothen it out. If you’re not getting the look you want, change the Structure and Color options in the Patch toolbar. With Structure, you define how closely Photoshop should match the shapes. With Color, you define how much colour blending you want. You may need to clean up the patch. Especially look for repeating patterns. These will draw the eye and call attention to your replacement. Use the Clone Stamp tool or the Healing Brush for detailed work. Reduce Harsh Shadows using LayersSometimes the shadows are fine, but they are just too harsh. A softer shadow would be more pleasing. I’m going to reduce the shadow in this image of this man reading a newspaper on an Indian train platform. The shadow makes sense in the image, I just want it to be less noticeable. I’ve also removed a little shadow in the foreground. [TwentyTwenty] ![]() ![]() [/TwentyTwenty] Step 1: Select the ShadowStart by selecting the shadow. You can do this by using the Object Selection Tool (keyboard shortcut W), the Lasso, or Quick Selection – whichever allows you to isolate the shadow best. Step 2: Copy Shadow to New LayerCopy the shadow to a new layer. To do this, go to Edit>Copy (Ctrl or ⌘C). Then, paste by selecting Layer>New>Layer via Copy (Ctrl or ⌘J). ![]() Step 3: Adjust Brightness and TemperatureThe easiest way to reduce harsh shadows is to lighten them. But shadows are cooler than the surrounding light, so you’ll also have to warm up the temperature to blend the shadow with the surrounding area. You can do change both settings in Photoshop using the Brightness and Color Balance adjustments. But the adjustments might be easier if you use Adobe Camera Raw (ACR). Go to Filter>Camera Raw Filter (Shift + Ctrl or ⌘A). This will open a new workspace. You’ll have sliders similar to Lightroom. Increase the shadow slider and warm up the temperature. Do this a little bit at a time. Click OK to check the blend. If the shadows are really harsh, try decreasing the Clarity and Dehaze. Removing Harsh Shadows from Faces to Improve an ImageIn a studio, you can control where the light falls. But in street and travel photography sometimes the light falls awkwardly across someone’s face or body. When removing or reducing shadows across a face, you’ll need a detailed tool and a lot of patience. The Clone Stamp tool in Photoshop is perfect when you want more control over what you do when removing shadows from photos. If I’m looking just to reduce the shadow, I use the Dodge Tool. I’ll show you both techniques for removing harsh shadows from faces in Photoshop. Remove Harsh Shadows with the Clone Tool for More ControlWith the Clone Stamp tool, I’m going to remove shadows with a similar, but not shaded, section of the face. This image is a bit tricky because the woman is wearing a Venetian mask with texture and detail. I’m going to have to search the mask to find details that match the shaded section. Most faces will be simpler to clone. ![]() ![]() [TwentyTwenty] [/TwentyTwenty] Step 1: Open and Duplicate the BackgroundOpen the photo and right-click on the background layer. Select Duplicate Layer... (Ctrl or ⌘J). Step 2: Select the Clone Stamp ToolClick on the Clone Stamp in the toolbar on the left. It looks like a rubber stamp. Pick a soft medium-sized brush. A soft brush will get you the best result because of the smooth edges. You can easily change the brush size by using the bracket keys. “[” will decrease your brush size. “]” will increase your brush size. If I’m only trying to reduce, rather than remove shadows, I decrease the Opacity of the Clone tool to around 50%. Step 3: Select the Clone SourceSelect a non-shaded area of the face. Press the Alt or Option key and click to confirm the source pixels. The cursor will change into crosshairs. The moment you click, the cursor will change and show the pixels you’ve selected. Step 4: Remove Shadows from the PhotoZoom in and start painting over the shadow you want to remove. You may have to repeat Steps 3 and 4 repeatedly. Select pixels that are closest in content and colour to those you are replacing. If you don’t like the result, undo by going to Edit>Undo Clone Stamp (Ctrl or ⌘Z). For the best result, use different clone sources to cover the shadow. If it doesn’t look natural, go back and take pixels from another part of the photo and paint again. I also use the Healing brush when I can. It’s important to avoid repeating patterns. These patterns are a sign of cloning and removing an object or shadow from a photo. I’m aiming for a natural look, so I often don’t remove all shadows on the face. Think about where the light may have naturally have fallen. Reducing Harsh Shadows on Faces Using the Dodge ToolIt might not be possible to remove a shadow on someone’s face completely, but you can reduce it using the Dodge tool. [TwentyTwenty] [/TwentyTwenty] Step 1: Open and Duplicate the BackgroundOpen the photo and right-click on the background layer. Select ‘Duplicate Layer...’ (Ctrl or ⌘J). Step 2: Select the Dodge ToolClick on the Dodge tool in the toolbar on the left. It looks like a lollipop. In the Dodge menu, select Shadows under Range and enter between 10 and 50%. I find a little goes a long way. I can always build up the dodge effect by going over the area again. Step 3: Paint over the ShadowZoom in and start painting over the shadow you want to reduce. If you don’t see a lot of change, increase opacity or switch the Range to Midtones. If you make a mistake, go to Edit>Undo Dodge Tool (Ctrl or ⌘Z). You can also switch to the Burn tool, which looks like a clenched hand and darken the area again. ConclusionIn this article, I showed you how to remove shadows in Photoshop. Photoshop has many tools to help you replace or reduce shadows in your photos. You can remove shadows from a background or across someone’s face. Always try out different techniques to find out which one works best for you. Make sure to avoid patterns to get a natural result. Delve into the world of editing with our Effortless Editing in Lightroom course! via RSSMix.com Mix ID 8230553 https://ift.tt/2SOk3kz Depth of field (DoF) is one tool that will make your images more powerful and interesting. It is an artistic focusing choice with a technical foundation. In this article, I’ll help you understand depth of field and how you can use it in your own photography. ![]() [Note: ExpertPhotography is supported by readers. Product links on ExpertPhotography are referral links. If you use one of these and buy something, we make a little bit of money. Need more info? See how it all works here.] Understanding Depth of FieldDepth of field in photography describes how much of your scene is in focus. Technically, depth of field is the distance between the closest objects in focus and the farthest point of focus. Imagine looking out into a landscape through your camera. Depth of field starts at the first thing you see that’s in focus and extends to the furthest object in focus. Deep and Shallow DoFWe talk about depth of field in terms of “deep” and “shallow”. Deep DoF is also called “wide” or “large”. Shallow DoF is also called “small” or “narrow”. Landscape photographers often want the entire scene in focus, from the closest rock to the furthest mountain. This is a “deep” depth of field. In this image, the waterfall in the background and the rocks in the foreground are both in focus. ![]() Portrait photographers don’t necessarily want the entire scene in focus. If you’re walking around a city taking street portraits, you want the person to be the main focus. A distracting background should be minimized. To do this, you use a shallow depth of field. Your foreground is in focus, but the background is not. In this image, only the foreground holy man is in focus. The background gives a sense of the environment without distracting from the foreground. ![]() Shallow DoF is a great way to separate your foreground from the background. The background might be uninteresting or distracts attention from your subject. Check out this article about more ways to use shallow depth of field. It is possible to cleverly combine shallow and deep DoF in one photograph. In this image, the photographer used a smartphone to capture a wide DoF. Then photographed the image using a shallow DoF. ![]() I’ll show you in a minute how to achieve deep and shallow depth of field. But before I do, there’s one more thing you need to know about the focus area. What is Focus Distribution?Focus draws the eye. So as a general rule, you should focus on the point of greatest interest. Depth of field tells you how much of the scene will be in focus in front of your focus point and how much of the background will be in focus. When you select a focus point, focus isn’t equally distributed in front of and behind this point. Often one-third of your focus falls in front of your focus point and the other two-thirds behind it. Let me give you an example. I’m going to use an online depth of field calculator to compute how far in front of and behind a subject will be in focus. It might help to open the calculator yourself and follow along.
The DoF calculator says that the nearest point in focus is 2.14 meters away and the furthest point is 5 meters. This calculator also tells me that 0.86 meters in front of the subject will be in focus (29.97%). Two meters behind my subject (70.03%) will be in focus. This is roughly the one-third versus two-thirds I just mentioned. ![]() The DoF calculator also tells me the hyperfocal distance. This is important for landscape photographers. Hyperfocal distance tells me where to focus in the scene so that I’ll have sharp focus all the way to infinity. Infinity is as far as the eye can see. In landscapes, if you focus on the foreground, the background will appear blurry in the image. If you focus on the background, the foreground will look out of focus. To fix this, focus needs to be somewhere in the middle, between the foreground and background. This focusing point is the hyperfocal distance. Now that I’ve introduced you to the DoF calculator, play with it a bit. Enter your camera body and different focal lengths. Notice that the numbers change. All sorts of factors control depth of field. Now that you have a little theory under your belt, let’s get practical. Let me show you how to control depth of field in your images. How to Control the Depth of FieldDeep and shallow depth of field fall on a continuum. You can go for an entirely sharp scene or you can have the very slimmest line of focus. It’s up to you. Most photographers find a sweet spot somewhere in the middle. I’m going to talk about three elements that change how much of the scene is in focus: aperture, focal length, and relative distance. Once you know how to control depth of field, you’ll be able to decide how deep or shallow you want your focus to be. Change the ApertureChanging your aperture (f/stop) is one of the major ways of changing depth of field. In general, the wider the aperture, the shallower the depth of field and vice versa. Remember that wide apertures have small numbers. ![]() Take a look at this illustration. The top highlights DoF when using an aperture of f/2.8. The girl is in focus, but the dog in the foreground and the tree in the background will be blurred. The bottom shows how the focus area expands with an aperture of f/16. The dog, the girl, and the tree will be in focus. Neither is right or wrong. It depends on what you want in focus. ![]() If you are taking a portrait, a very wide aperture like f/1.2 can put the eyes in focus, but make the nose and ears blurry. Using the same f/stop, you can focus on the nose, which will blur the eyes. To get both eyes and nose in focus, you may need to use f/5.6 or f/8.0. ![]() Let’s return to the online depth of field calculator and put in a couple of different f/stops to see what happens.
Notice that the DoF in front and behind my subject changed a lot. With f/11, my DoF was 2.86 meters. With f/2.8, only 0.61 meters will be in focus. It’s a much narrower range. ![]() In general, an f/stop of 2.8 will have a blurrier background than an f/stop of 16. If you want to create a shallow depth of field, select a wide aperture. If you want more of the scene in focus, select a smaller aperture. This is one reason portrait photographers prefer apertures of f/1.4 to f/5.6 while landscape photographers prefer apertures from f/11 to f/22. But that’s not all there is to it. Other things factor into how wide or narrow your depth of field is. Change the Focal LengthThe focal length of the lens also affects depth of field. Without getting too complicated, a longer focal length like 300mm gives you a shallower DoF than a 35mm wide-angle lens. Let’s return to our online depth of field calculator and put in a couple of different focal lengths to see what happens.
With a 50mm focal length, my focus area would start at 2.34 meters and extend to 4.19 meters. Everything between these distances (1.85 meters) will be in sharp focus. But with a 200mm focal length, my focus area would start at 2.95 meters and extend to 3.05 meters. This is a much shallower depth of field. Only 0.10 meters will be in focus! ![]() But there’s a bit more to it than that. A 200mm lens focused at 3 meters isn’t showing you the same composition as a 50mm lens focused at 3 meters. A 50mm focal length gives you a field of view of 40°. A 200mm focal length gives you a field of view of about 10°. The composition is very different. Compare these two images taken from the same vantage point. The only setting that changed was focal length. The image on the left was taken at 133mm. The image on the right was taken at 100mm. Notice the change in blur in the waterlilies in the background. [TwentyTwenty] [/TwentyTwenty] You can equalize the compositions by walking closer to your subject with the wide-angle lens. If you do this, the depth of field difference is less noticeable. Consider the Relative DistanceDepth of field has a lot to do with distance. But relative distance rather than absolute distance in terms of feet or meters.
Moving farther away from your subject will make your depth of field wider. Moving closer to your subject will make it narrower. If you want shallow depth of field, your subject needs to away from the background. For instance, if your model is standing up against a wall, you won’t be able to blur the wall. The model and the wall will be on the same plane of focus. Ask your model to step towards you. There is one instance where your depth of field can be manipulated. That is by using a tilt and shift lens. By playing around with the ’tilt’ of a lens, you can place an entire scene in focus when using a wide aperture. ![]() How to Get the Depth of Field You WantDepth of field isn’t one setting on your camera. You can change three different variables to affect DoF: aperture, focal length, and relative distance. Your sensor size also affects depth of field. Larger sensors have a shallower depth of field. So, a crop sensor camera will generally have a narrower depth of field. I didn’t cover this variable because most photographers don’t change their camera body as a way of controlling depth of field. I mention this in case you’re comparing images with a friend who has a different camera body. Aperture is the easiest setting to change to control depth of field. Generally, the wider the aperture, the shallower the depth of field. But opening up the aperture lets in more light. You may need to balance the increased light with a faster shutter speed. It’s all about the exposure triangle. If you’re not getting the depth of field you want, the next thing to change is relative distance. Get closer to your subject. If that doesn’t help, then move your subject away from the background. It will be impossible to create a blurred background if your subject and the background are right next to each other. Creating depth of field is all about depth relationships. If you’re trying for a deep depth of field, you may need to figure out exactly where your focus point should be. Computing the hyperfocal distance will tell you this. Finally, know that the focal length of your lens also impacts depth of field. If you have a zoom lens, try a wide-angle lens for greater depth of field and zooming in for less. Changing focal length also affects your composition, so you’ll have to balance the perfect depth of field with the perfect frame. Next Level Depth of FieldI’ll finish this article by introducing you to a couple of related depth of field topics. Focus stacking is a way of creating a very deep depth of field. It is also possible to simulate shallow depth of field. This is particularly useful when using a smartphone. Focus StackingThere are situations where it is impossible to get a deep enough depth of field in one image. Landscape photographers sometimes struggle to get a very close foreground element in focus while at the same time keeping distant elements in focus. Macro photographers capture very small subjects like flowers and insects with a long macro lens. A macro lens allows photographers to get very close to their subjects. Because they are close to their subjects with a long focal length lens, the depth of field is often very shallow. ![]() To combat both situations, photographers focus stack images. They take many images of a scene. With each image, they slightly change the focal point. A landscape photographer may take three or more images. The first focused on the foreground element, the second focused on the mid-ground, the third focused on the background. Later, the images are stitched together in Photoshop. The in-focus parts of each image are merged to create one image. If you want to know how to focus stack image, see the article “How to Use Focus Stacking for Sharper Photos“. Simulated Shallow Depth of FieldIt is possible to simulate the blurred depth of field effect of a shallow depth of field. You can add a blur effect in Photoshop or you can use apps or software that digitally simulate the effect. Smartphones are limited in the ability to create blurred backgrounds. But you can still achieve the effect by getting close to your subject or using a depth of field simulator app. Newer versions of the iPhone have made it easier to control the effect. I still can’t change the aperture on my iPhone 11S, but I can simulate and control shallow DoF. Let me give you an example. I used portrait mode on my iPhone 11S to take a photo of my cat. Because I selected portrait mode, the camera automatically applies a background blur to the image. I can use this mode even if I’m not shooting portraits to get a blurred background. ![]() When I click the EDIT button, I have some options. The left image is the original. You can see that the camera chose an aperture of f/4.5. If I click the aperture, I’m given a slider tool that I use to change the aperture. The middle image shows what happens if I select f/1.4. The right image shows what happens if I select f/16. If your phone’s camera doesn’t have this feature, apps like Focos on iPhone or android simulate depth of field by virtually changing the aperture. ConclusionTo increase your depth of field, you have three options: You can narrow your aperture by increasing the f/stop, move further away from your subject, or by shortening the focal length of your lens. To decrease your depth of field, you have three options: You can widen your aperture by decreasing the f/stop, move closer to your subject, or by lengthening the focal length of your lens. For more photography knowledge at your fingertips, try our Quick Capture Cheat Sheets! via RSSMix.com Mix ID 8230553 https://ift.tt/2IRhwlb Photographing miniature objects and enlarging them beyond their 1:1 ratio is the backbone of all macro photography. Mirrorless, DSLR and even smartphone cameras are perfect tools for capturing all the small things. For all the information you could ever need on macro photography, read our complete guide here.
What Is Macro Photography?You can capture images of small-sized things with macro lenses, extension tubes, bellows or reverse adapter rings. These allow for a closer focus distance. Thus, you get more magnification compared to a standard lens. Some lenses have a macro setting printed on the focus distance ring. But it doesn’t mean they are true macro lenses. True macro photography means something else. It is when the projection of the subject on your camera sensor is the same size as the subject itself. That represents a ratio of 1:1, also known as life-size magnification. You can learn more about macro equipment and techniques in our article here. What we’ll focus on here is where and when to photograph macro. Finding the right subject is probably the hardest part. Beginners think that they need to be outdoors with exotic flowers and insects to create interesting macro images. But the truth is that interesting macro scenes are everywhere. Take a look around where you are standing right now! I bet you will find a few potential subjects that will inspire you. So here are our 21 macro photography ideas to help you capture small objects. ![]() 21. Ice Crystals and Ice CubesYou can find ice crystals everywhere, you don’t need to live in Winter Wonderland! A frosty fridge hides all the good ideas and subjects for macro photos. You can use real snowflakes too in case you have it around you. But simple ice cubes make ideal subjects for macro photos as well. You can make them look like crystals or diamonds. The only thing you have to do is play around with light and the depth of field. ![]() 20. Bubbles in DrinksCarbonated water or an ice-cold beer is not only for killing your thirst. You may use them or your macro photography. Serve the drink in a glass or container that is suitable for your subject. Use an elongated champagne glass to let the bubbles form chains in the sparkling wine. If you have a glass from a famous coke brand, serve the beverage in that. Did you get exhausted from your macro photography session? You have the refreshment right in front of you. Cheers! 19. Souvenirs and PostcardsThere are times when we don’t have the opportunity or resources to travel. Remember that fun time in 2020? Souvenirs such as keychains, postcards or fridge magnets are good macro photography ideas. They help to ease the travel ache as well. Set up a small scene that recreates a place’s typical atmosphere. Got a Big Ben keychain? Place it on a postcard from London and put a teabag next to them. You have your authentic English afternoon tea. ![]() 18. Makeup ItemsOpen up your make up drawer and make a bit of a mess. As a kid, I melted by mom’s lipstick and poured her eyeshadow powders on the floor. The small crystals of the powder sparkled all around in the sunshine. You don’t have to destroy your or somebody else’s make up collection, though. You can drizzle small amounts on a paper sheet or on other textures. This way, nobody will be angry at you for your macro photography ideas. ![]() 17. Stones and MineralsYou can find stones even in front of your door. They might not sound exciting at first. But they are good macro subjects for your photography. Together, they give you a repetitive pattern, where no two stones or rocks are the same. Each will have a unique colour, shape and texture. Single them out, or use in a group. Change the depth of field to get unique results. You can’t go wrong. When I was a kid, I collected minerals that came with a magazine every month. They have fantastic crystalised elements that you can use as macro photography ideas. ![]() 16. Fruits and VegetablesFruits and vegetables are a great way to start getting into macro photography. You most likely have some around the house, so you’re already halfway there. By looking at them up close, you see a new world. They will give you rich degrees of colour and contrast, interesting shapes, textures and patterns. They can be abstract or blown up larger than life to give them a powerful presence. You can also slice them up and take macro photos of the inner parts. Oranges, lemons and kiwi make good subjects. Do you want to spice things up a bit? Passion fruits, pomegranate and figs can serve you well in macro photography. 15. Rust and Peeling PaintPeeling paint and rust are good tools for showing the passing of time. It is difficult to show time or movement in images, as they are still. Peeling paint and rust brings up connotations of the past. A forgotten building, something out of care and attention. They also add a wonderful texture, made even more important by the natural, varying degrees of destruction. 14. FeathersThere is a reason why natural objects appear many times on this list. We admire the natural world. We have such an array of things to photograph. As many people don’t get to see as close as you do, their interest increases. People wouldn’t know what a feather looks like up close. But you can show them with your macro photographs. 13. TextilesClothes and textiles are something very easy to work with. The chances are that you will have many different types already in your home. Different threads and changes in colours are all photographs worthy. Especially when you get close. Abstraction is a great tool to use. Textile is also pliable. You can create textures, patterns, and compositional lines to help draw in the viewer’s eye in. 12. Household ItemsThe best thing about using household items for macro photography is that they are already in your house. You don’t need to buy expensive flowers, cloths or go hunt down some insects. Walk around your living space and see what could be interesting if you get very close. Each item in your possession has an entire world living on it. You can create beautiful landscapes, aerial photographs and cityscapes with items you already own. 11. LeavesAnything natural works wonders for macro photography ideas. Leaves are great because they come in many different types. They change in colour, size, shape and texture after falling from the tree. You can experiment with this subject, even showing the transition of seasons due to the change in colours. They have a texture similar to an aerial photograph of rivers stemming from tributaries. 10. Food PhotographyYummy, food! If there is one area that macro photography really takes off in, it is in food photography. Who doesn’t like to see well-dressed plates filled with scrumptious treats? You can take a close-up macro photo of bigger food items. Or you can use small pieces such as candies or even colourful sugar sprinkles. Getting in close emphasises the beauty, the texture, the colours while bringing out the flavour in the viewers taste palette. The best thing about food photography is you get to eat the subjects. 9. Water DropletsWater droplets are great to work with. You can use them after a rainfall or even create them yourself with a spray gun. The best thing about these droplets is they add a texture to your image. They let you blur out the background, letting the colours shine through. More interestingly, they mimic mini crystal balls, harnessing objects found in the background and making them sharp as a tack. 8. JewelleryIf you have ever tried product photography, you have seen what a macro lens can do to beautiful pieces of metal, entwined around precious gems. A macro lens lets you focus on the beautiful part of the jewellery while allowing the metal to create an interesting bokeh effect. The plus side is that they will look much bigger than they really are, turning little pieces of magnificence into grandeur objects. 7. AbstractAbstract macro photography is one of the easiest projects to undertake. You can turn the most obvious objects into abstraction, just by getting closer to it. They are the images that people will spend a long time in front of, trying to figure out what that image is of. For you, it was a scrunched up piece of tin foil, but for your viewers, it might be one of the most interesting photographs they have ever seen. 6. PatternsPatterns are everywhere. Look at the objects in your house, and try them from a new perspective. Nature has a great way to repeat objects, giving you a plethora of macro photography ideas to work from. Patterns in macro photography may overlap with abstract and textured images, which only boost the interest in your image. Colours are also important, so look around you and start shooting. 5. TexturesTexture in macro photography is one of the most versatile areas you can discover. Everything in this world has a texture; you may just have to get close enough to it. Anything in a powder form, such as spices can give you that rough look. They come in many colours, the grains come in many sizes, and you can even manipulate the shape to create mountains and valleys. It overlaps into the world of abstract macro photography too, depending on your creativity. 4. ToysOne of the most recent trends in macro photography is utilising toys. They can be placed in all sorts of scenarios, ranging from very abstract, to mimicking human life. Mixed with a tilt-shift process can make viewers double-take to make sure they aren’t looking at something realistic. If you have children, they will get a kick out of helping you. If you don’t, well who are we kidding, adults love toys too! 3. InsectsInsects are amazingly wonderful, or downright creepy. Especially blown up to the sizes that macro photography offers. You can turn these tiny beasts into huge monsters using the right camera and lens combination. There is a whole other world out there, not seen with the naked eye. Insect macro photography tends to be one of the most challenging niches, as they are mobile and unpredictable. But nothing good ever came easy. 2. FlowersFlowers are beautiful as they are colourful. There is a wide range of flowers (around 400,000 species) which means you will never be bored. They come in all sorts of different sizes and shapes. Some are found in the remotest areas of the globe, so it means you get to travel too. Getting in close is a great way to show our natural world in a different light. 1. EyesNothing is more important than the eyes. We use them for all photographic purposes, for one! We also use them as a way of non-verbal communication, where our emotions are easily readable. They are the most important thing to look at when walking past someone on the street. One eye can tell more about someone than a full-body photograph. The eyes speak volumes of our ancestry, and their colours and patterns are amazingly beautiful and unique. The great thing about these is that you are not limited to capturing human eyes. ConclusionMacro photography may seem hard at first sight. But it is so much fun in reality! You don’t even need a lot of equipment. A camera or a smartphone and a macro lens are enough. You can even stay at home and take photos of subjects you can find around the house. If you need inspiration, start with the ideas above, and find one that triggers your creativity! To create breathtaking macro images, try our Macro Magic course today! via RSSMix.com Mix ID 8230553 https://ift.tt/3dbJeZ2 |
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October 2021
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