One of the most powerful tools for photographers that has come about with digital photography is the histogram – that little graph you see on the LCD screen of your camera after you shoot an image. Yet many people don’t know anything about the histogram. This is a huge oversight, as a histogram can be massively helpful in enabling you to take better images in almost any shooting situation.

What is a Histogram?

A histogram is simply a visual representation in graph form of the tonal information that your camera records when shooting an image.

How Do I Read a Histogram?

Histograms are actually quite easy to read once you know what you are looking at. The left side of the histogram represents the shadows and the right side represents the highlights.

• Memory Tip: If you cannot remember that, just think “black and white” – black is first, therefore on the left and white is second, therefore on the right. Thanks to David duChemin for that memory tip.

The different colours in the images in this article represent the different tonal values. Therefore a high peak of one colour means you have a lot of that tonal value.

If a peak is jammed up hard against one side of the graph or the other then it means that the camera has rendered the shadows as pure black (left side) or highlights as pure white (right side) – this is sometimes known as clipping. This is to be avoided if possible as it means you are losing detail in those areas.

NOTE: The histogram on the back of your camera will be monochrome unlike the images below which are from post-processing software. Don’t let that confuse you, as it’s the shape we are trying to draw your attention to.

Terrible: Indicates Underexposure and Loss of Detail in Shadows

Terrible: Indicates Overexposure and Loss of Detail in Highlights

Note: Often, only a part of the histogram will be up against the edge while the rest is more centered. Any part of the graph up against the edge indicates that some of the detail has been lost.

When Are Histograms Important?

If you are planning on doing post-production on your images in a program like Photoshop or GIMP, then you want to capture as much information as possible. The histogram can tell you whether you have done this or not – oftentimes much better than the LCD image itself.

In general, it is better to “shoot to the right.” That means that you are ideally wanting to get a histogram that is predominantly on the right of the graph (without being pushed up against the edge). The image may even look overexposed on your camera LCD screen. The reason for this is that the highlights, which are represented on the right part of the histogram, capture a lot more information than shadows. If your histogram is to the right, then the image file is storing a much larger amount of information about that image than if the histogram is to the left. The right hand side of the histogram holds 90% of the raw data – the left side of the histogram only 10% – it is not an even spread.

That means, if you “shoot to the right,” you have more information to work with when you get to Photoshop. In turn that means you can do more work on the image before you start to get the negative effects of noise and other undesirable outcomes.

When are Histograms Less Important?

If you don’t plan on doing any post-production, then you are most often looking for a classic “bell curve” shape for you histogram. This generally indicates a good exposure with an even spread of highlights and shadows that will probably stand ok on its own.

Note the Relatively Even Bell Curve Shape

What Does This Mean for Shooting?

If you are “shooting to the right” then that means getting more light into the camera (assuming your histogram is too far left). The easy way to do this is to overexpose the image by a stop or two.

A Histogram to the Right Allows More Flexibility in Post Processing

This Histogram Would Make Post-Processing Slightly Less Flexible

You might have a few problems when doing this when shooting very bright subjects. Use your judgment there, but remember that it can be easy to blow out too many pixels in such a situation, in which case you need to reign it in a little. If the histogram is crammed up against the right side, you’re probably going too far.

All in all, using a histogram doesn’t need to be rocket science. Once you are comfortable with it, you will probably use a histogram far more than the image on your LCD screen to judge the exposure of your images.

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One of the largest problems many folks have with digital photography is the amount of noise that ends up in the final image. Noise basically presents itself as graininess or speckles, usually most recognizable across larger areas of uniform colour such as sky. While sometimes it is a desirable effect such as in some of the photos below, often you will want to minimise it. The bad news is that there is no perfect solution to noise problems, but the good news is that there are things you can do to reduce, and in many cases, eliminate noise in your photographs.

Photo by Stuck in Customs

What Causes Noise?

Truly knowing how to reduce or eliminate noise is better served by knowing what causes it. In photography there are several causes of noise.

The first scenario is that image sensor heat can increase enough to stimulate electrons (“Thermal Noise”). These superfluous electrons then get mixed in with the “true” photoelectrons that are the real target of our image sensor. The analog signal (which is converted to pixels by the sensor) is therefore contaminated before it even gets to that point.

In some situations the above scenario can cause each of the photosites on an image sensor to generate superfluous signals which can then contaminate the neighboring photosites. On smaller image sensors which cram more photosites into a smaller area, this effect can be magnified.

Another common cause of noise is shooting at higher ISO settings. As these settings basically magnify the light signal, they also magnify other unwanted signals such as background interference (eg. heat sources). When you are photographing an area of low light, the background signals can be strong enough to compete with the signals from the limited light of the area you are shooting.

Photo by GoldSardine

What Can a Photographer Do About Noise?

As with anything, photography presents us with a series of compromises when it comes to solving the problem of noise. Here are some of the more obvious things you can do to reduce noise in your images.

Shoot At a Low ISO – It’s a simple one, but if the situation will allow it, then turn down the ISO. Reducing the sensitivity of the sensor reduces the chance that it will pick up unwanted interference.

Reduce Shutter Speed – This simply reduces the chance that unwanted signals will get mixed in with the ones you really want to capture. Again, it’s really only a solution if the shooting conditions allow for you to reduce shutter speed.

Utilise the In-Camera Noise Reduction Feature – Most DSLRs come with an in-camera noise reduction feature. In many cases this does a fine job of reducing noise during image processing. The downsides to this are that the processing time of the image is often increased (sometimes by many seconds) and there can also be loss of finer detail in the shot.

Don’t be Afraid to Use Post Processing – There are several pieces of dedicated software available to digital photographers with the sole purpose of reducing noise in your images. Many people recommend noise reduction software as an integral part of any photographer’s arsenal. You can also utilise noise reduction techniques in other software such as Photoshop, GIMP or Lightroom. Some tutorials you might be interested in include:

• Turn Down the Noise in Photoshop
• Noise Removal with Selective Gaussian Blur in GIMP
• Noise Reduction in Lightroom 3 Video Tuorial

Keep Your Camera Cool – This one is often overlooked, but many people report that simply keeping your camera cool (or at least out of hot storage areas) immediately before a shoot can have a significant impact on improving noise in photos. The idea here is to minimise electrons that are stimulated by heat on your sensor therefor reducing contamination in the signal.

Photo by Centrifuga Teatrante

Noise is simply one of those challenges that photography throws at us from time to time that make it challenging to get that perfect shot. With a little forethought it’s easy enough to account for it and continue the chase!

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A lost of people know about the rule of thirds, the s-curve as well as other elements of photographic composition. Let’s have a look at something that is a little more advanced in the world of image composition that was discovered by a 12th century Italian mathematician called Fibonacci.

Introducing The Golden Section

The Golden Section is simply a compositional rule that dictates that a well composed image can be achieved by dividing the frame by 1.6 several times.

By doing this, you get a pattern like this:

Image courtesy of Nam Nam

The Geek Explanation

Fibonacci is most famous for developing a series of number sequence which adds the previous two numbers:

0,1,1,2,3,5,8,13,21,34,55…

When you divide successive numbers, you come up with 1.6 which is a key in mathematics to proportions (hence its relationship to photography). When you apply the Fibinacci sequence to a rectangle you get a tiling with squares whose sides are successive Fibonacci numbers in length. Each square is roughly 1.6 times as big as the last. Like this:

How to Use the Golden Section

Images speak louder than words, so have a look at this image and the one below it to see an almost perfect application of the Golden Section in action. The proportions and composition are textbook Golden Section.

Photo by DJ Flickr

Photo by DJ Flickr

Now, this one is a lot more difficult than say, the rule of thirds to apply to your photos. However, with practice you will get better. The great thing is that the Golden Section adds another tool to your arsenal of composition.

Photo by James Michael Hill

Photo by Alex Decarvalho

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Composing a great photograph can be done in so many different ways that it seems more logical to talk about “guides” to composition rather than “rules” of composition. We have covered several compositional elements of photography previously such as the photographer’s rule of thirds and the s-curve, but let’s move on to some other less stringent “rules” for composing a great shot. These elements of an image can create spectacular results if done well.

Pattern – Repetitious patterns or textures within an image can either draw or direct the viewer within a shot. In some cases it can be what makes the shot. Patterns can often be found in nature (clouds, sand, waves) and sometimes architecture and other human-made elements (farms, gardens etc).

Photo by Andrew Morrell

Photo by Garry at www.visionandimagination.com

Symmetry – Shots that use symmetry can often be very boring, but if you can incorporate other elements of composition such as shadow, pattern or colour then they can also be quite eye-catching. When using symmetry, look for these other elements also to add extra interest to the shot

Photo by Kicki

DOF – Using depth of field well is one of the best weapons a photographer has in their arsenal. Consider which elements within a potential shot should be in and out of focus. Traditionally, landscape shots have a deep depth of field so that most of the shot is in focus. Close-ups are often rendered with a narrow depth of field to place the focus squarely on one subject.

Photo by Danny Perez

Photo by John A Ryan Photography

Colour – Most photographs that leap out of the page usually display at least some adherence to colour theory. Contrasting or complimentary colours have a dramatic impact on colour photographs and can sometimes even save an otherwise ordinary shot. Highlighting colour within a certain area of a photograph can also be used effectively as a compositional element.

Photo by Seattle Miles

Movement – Capturing movement in a photograph through creative use of shutter speed can result in some of the most emotive images. Capturing the excitement of a motor race or the grace of a dance can be done this way.

Photo by Phil H

Photo by Bichxa

While this is by no means an exhaustive list of elements that can be used in creating an effective composition, these are certainly things that should be remembered when deciding on how to create an image. As with anything, a little thought can have a massive impact on your end result.

Photography Tutorials, Case Studies and Discounts - LightStalking Photography Newsletter.

Travel and photography go hand in hand. Who doesn’t dream of taking incredible shots to wow your friends and colleagues with when you return from some exotic destination? Unfortunately, there are a few down sides to travel photography that you probably need to be aware of before you go, especially when it comes to traveling in poorer areas.

Photo by Tranuf

Depending on where you are going, security is going to be an issue. Sure, you are probably (but not always) reasonably safe in your own country or places like New Zealand or Europe. But in a lot of other places, especially in third world countries, the cost of your photography gear is equivalent to a year’s wages (or more) for the locals.

Discretion is Your Friend

It is quite staggering to see so many people whip out a $1500 camera setup to take snaps in some tourist hell in the third world. Pull your Canon DSLR with a 300mm lens out of your Lowepro backpack and you are going to attract attention! And yes, the thieves will have an opinion on Canon vs. Nikon.

Photo by Yan Boechat

Now, I am not saying don’t take these things, but lets think of a few ways you can be a little more discreet.

Mess Up Your Camera - A little imagination and your camera can be made to look like a very un-tempting target for thieves. This doesn’t do any damage to your camera whatsoever, but it will make your camera less appealing than the next photographer’s gear to a potential thief. A bit of gaffer tape and some artists paper can make it look really bad!

Mess Up Yourself – If you’re wearing Armani jeans and an Omega watch in the third world, then you are already a target. Dress down. Be discreet.

Choose a Pack Wisely – I know that there are some fantastic packs out there, but a lot of them aren’t exactly shy about splashing their logos all over (and thieves know which ones to look for). Your options here are to get a less obtrusive pack or disguise your existing one (cutting off logos or blackening them with shoe polish is one way to do this. Even some gaffer tape will mess up the shiny, clean look well enough). When choosing a camera bag, choose one for a specific job.

Twist Ties – Remember those pieces of wire wrapped in plastic that used to be used for tying bread bags? They are fantastic for wrapping around zips and ensuring that things are difficult for prying hands. Take a few and make sure that your pack zips are always difficult to prize open in a hurry.

Be Aware of Your Environment – Take a look around and see who is looking at you before you bring out the camera. If you can move to a more unobtrusive spot to take a shot then do so. If you are in an isolated area, don’t bring out the camera gear until you are more sure of your environment.

Beware Hotels – Just because your gear is back in your hotel room doesn’t mean it is safe. Utilise the hotel safe or the safe in your room. If they don’t have one then take your gear with you.

Photo by Siim Teller

You are never going to eliminate the potential of being robbed. In many places, even a poor westerner is still considered a prime target. But personal security is not about eliminating the possibility of being targeted. It’s about making yourself less of a target than the next tourist. A bit of common sense and awareness of your environment will put you ahead of most people.

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This is a guest post by New Zealand landscape photographer, Chris Gin. Some of you might recognise images from Chris’ Flickr stream that we have used in our collections before.

I’ve been into landscape photography for a couple of years now. It’s a fantastic hobby and hugely rewarding, but also has a bit of a learning curve. While I would not consider myself anywhere near a pro at this stage, I’ve picked up on a few useful things here and there. Below are some tips which I hope others who are just starting out in the world of landscape photography will find useful.

Why You Should Research Your Locations

If you are planning a photography trip then it’s important to do some research beforehand. Use the internet to find as much information as you can about your destination. Try to identify potential places of interest and find out the best times of the year to go – some places are much more photogenic in certain seasons while others look great all year round. Try to avoid peak tourist seasons though, as busy places mean more people to get in the way of your shots.

There are some great tools to help you prepare for your trip. Google Maps and Google Earth allow you to get a good idea of exactly how things will look and, in some cases, even enable you to compose your shots from the comfort of your computer! Not all locations have detailed views available but at the very least you can get a rough idea on potential spots to visit.

Another great tool for landscape photographers is The Photographers Ephemeris. This piece of software will tell you the exact time of sunrise, sunset, moonrise, and moonset at any given date for any location in the world. Not only that but it will also show you the direction that the sun and moon will be at those times. By knowing exactly where the sun will rise or set, you can plan your shots accordingly.

Whether you are planning a trip or shooting locally, have a look at photos that other landscape photographers have taken in the area. This will give you ideas on potential places to shoot, but don’t simply go and copy their photos, put your own take on them.

Do Some Area Scouting

Once your trip has started the research isn’t quite over yet. While the internet allows you to plan and prepare for your trip, nothing beats being on location in terms of finding the best spots to take photos from. Explore the area in the middle of the day when the light is too harsh to take photos. Doing this enables you to pre-visualize your shots and get some compositions in mind before the actual shoot. The last thing you want to be doing when the light is right is desperately trying to find some good compositions.

This is the most time-consuming and tedious part of a photography trip but unless you have a guide or know the area well, it’s a necessary evil.

Getting Great Composition

Once you have found a good location you still need to decide how to compose your shot. This is a very subjective area and it’s quite hard to describe what makes a good composition and what doesn’t. The best photographers just seem to have ‘a good eye’ for a shot – an innate ability to frame a scene in such a way as to engage the viewer and take the shot from the best possible angle. There are ‘rules’ that you’re supposed to follow, but some of the most amazing photos break these rules so it really comes down to each individual photo. However, keep these guidelines in mind when composing your photos:

• Avoid clutter. Only include things in the frame that you want to present to the viewer. The best photos are clean and simple. If there are unwanted items in the way, such as power poles, cars, roads, buildings etc, try a different angle to hide them from view. Small things can be cloned out in post-processing but larger items will just distract the viewer.

Simple compositions are often the best.

• Include foreground interest. Don’t take a photo of a sunset and rely on the colorful sky to make your photo interesting. Foreground elements such as rocks, water, etc help to balance out the photo and also draw the viewer into the shot.

A collection of rocks can make for great foreground interest.

• Leading lines are a great way to draw the eye into the photo. Piers, jetties, and roads are obvious examples but also keep an eye out for interesting rock formations.

Using rocks to create leading lines.

• Avoid placing the horizon or the focus of the photo in the dead center. Use the rule of thirds as a guide in framing your shot.

Don’t forget to treat all of the above as guidelines only. Rules are meant to be broken!

Waiting for the Light

Once the hard work of scouting has been done, it’s now a matter of turning up to your chosen location and waiting for the right time to click the shutter. This is, however, when things become out of your control and you are completely dependent on Mother Nature.

The best times for taking photos are the hours around sunrise and sunset, commonly referred to The Golden Hours by photographers, as these are when the light is at its best. During the day, outside of these hours, the light is usually too harsh and flat, resulting in washed out colors and boring photos.  There are exceptions of course, but most good-quality landscapes would be taken within the Golden Hours.

Once you have set up your shot, it’s just a matter of waiting for the light. Easier said than done! Some days (actually a lot of days), Mother Nature just does not want to play ball and the spectacular sunrise or sunset you are expecting never eventuates. This is, in my opinion, the hardest thing about landscape photography – no matter how much effort you put into planning and preparation, no matter how good your gear is, and no matter how skilled you are as a photographer, if the light is not right then you won’t get any good photos.

Those days are hard to take – coming back empty-handed after getting up at 4am for a sunrise shoot is never fun – but when things come together those days are quickly forgotten. There is no better feeling for a landscape photographer than when the light is good and you capture those magic moments with your camera.

It’s all worth it when everything comes together.

Types of Lighting

There are different types of lighting, depending on where the sun is. The type of lighting you use is sometimes dictated by the scene you’re trying to capture, however at other times it offers you a variety of compositional choices and therefore lighting. It’s generally accepted that side-lighting – where the sun is coming from either the left or right of camera – is the most desirable for landscapes. This is due to the contrast between light and shadow caused by the directional light which adds depth to your photos. However front- and back-lighting, where you shoot directly away from or into the sun respectively, can also produce nice photos.

I tend to shoot directly into the sun in a lot of my photos as I find that is generally the direction where the most intense colors occur. To do this it’s best to wait until the sun is very low in the sky or below the horizon to avoid lens flare. With the sun higher in the sky, side-lighting is the best approach.

The side-lighting here produces long shadows adding shapes and texture to the photo.

Front-lighting can make clouds really stand out.

Shooting into the sun often produces dramatic results, if the flare is controlled.

Gear

One of the things I get asked a lot, especially by non-photographers, is what camera and lens I use. To me it’s a bit of a strange question – a bit like asking a painter what brand of brushes they use, or a builder what kind of hammers – but I suppose it’s understandable. The fact of the matter is the camera and lenses don’t make a huge difference in terms of the end result. Yes it’s true that high-end cameras produce higher resolution images with less noise, expensive lenses give you slightly sharper images etc, but unless you are making huge prints or pixel-peeping then they aren’t that important.

For the record, I currently use a Canon 40D and the lenses I use the most often are my Sigma 10-20 and Tamron 17-50. However some of my earlier shots were taking with a Canon 350D which has much lower specs than any entry-level camera available today yet still produced more-than-acceptable results.

Shot taken with a Canon 350D.

A tripod is an essential piece of equipment due to the fact that many shots will be taken in low light, resulting in shutter speeds that are too slow to hand hold. Other benefits of a tripod include allowing you to set up and compose a shot in advance, and also the ability to bracket your exposures (taking multiple shots of the same scene with different exposures).

Bracketing exposures is important when it’s not possible to capture the whole range of light in a single shot. For example, at sunrise and sunset the sky is usually several stops brighter than the foreground. Often the difference in brightness is too much for the camera to capture so compromises are made. Either the shadows are preserved at the expense of highlights or vice-versa – either way some details are lost.

By taking multiple exposures of the same shot, you can use post-processing techniques such as HDR or exposure blending to merge your exposures back into one, and for this it’s essential the camera doesn’t move in between shots – that’s why a tripod is so important. Almost all DSLR’s will have an Auto Exposure Bracketing (AEB) option that can be turned on via the menus.

A HDR image generated using 3 exposures.

By far my most-valued pieces of equipment are my filters – in particular my graduated neutral density (GND) filters. GND filters are rectangular filters that are half clear and half dark, with a graduated transition in between. The dark part is neutral in terms of color and its purpose is to reduce the intensity of the light in that part of the image (usually the sky). They come in various strengths (ranging from 1-stop to 4-stops) and are also available in soft-edged and hard-edged varieties. The soft-edged ones have a more gradual transition line and are more suitable when the foreground overlaps with the sky (e.g. mountains), whereas the hard-edged ones have a more abrupt transition line and suit scenes where the foreground and sky don’t overlap much.

I use GND filters in almost all of my sunrise/sunset photos, with the 3- and 4-stop hard-edged ones being the most-used. These filters balance out the difference in intensities between the sky and foreground and allow me to capture most shots in one exposure without needing to use HDR or exposure blending. I find it’s far more satisfying to capture an image in-camera rather than having to spend extra time in front of the computer to get the result I want.

GND filters. Hard-edge (left), soft-edge (right).

A 3-stop hard-edged GND filter balances the bright sky and darker foreground.

Another filter I use is a circular polarizer (CPL). The two primary uses of a CPL filter are to reduce glare (usually from water) and to enhance saturation in colors (e.g. blue skies, autumn leaves). This is one filter that cannot be replicated in post-processing.

A CPL filter can maximize the colors of  autumn leaves.

The final type of filter I use is a solid neutral density (ND) filter. This differs from a GND filter in that the whole filter is dark and its purpose is to reduce the amount of light across the entire image rather than just a portion of it. An ND filter is typically used to achieve a slower shutter speed than the light would normally allow. This is particularly useful for shots of flowing water as longer shutter speeds give water that smooth, ethereal look that a lot of photographers like.

ND filters come in different strengths with the most common being 3-stops (this reduces the amount of light hitting the sensor by 8 times). However there are also much stronger ones available such as the B+W ND110. This filter is 10-stops in strength, reducing the amount of light by 1000 times! These strong ND filters offer some creative opportunities to shoot in lighting conditions that would normally be too harsh for landscape photography, especially when there are fast-moving clouds or flowing water.

Lake Hayes, Queenstown. Taken with a 10-stop ND filter in bright light.

Using a 10-stop ND filter at sunrise allows for long exposures.

Post Processing

Because I shoot all my photos in RAW mode, they all have to be processed in some form or another. RAW images are, as the name implies, the raw, unprocessed information that the camera has captured. This is in contrast to shooting in JPEG mode where the camera automatically converts the RAW image into a JPEG file and performs post-processing (such as sharpening,  saturation, contrast etc) for you. When people boast about their photos being ‘straight out of the camera’ or ‘untouched’ it usually means that they shoot in JPEG mode and let the camera process their photos for them. While it’s certainly a convenient option, and for certain types of photography where fast turnaround is required, a necessity, I think it’s better to take control of this processing yourself.

The main benefit of shooting RAW is that you have more information to work with. Once an image is converted to JPEG a lot of information is discarded and can never be retrieved, whereas a RAW file contains every single piece of information the camera was able to capture. This gives you more leeway to make exposure adjustments and also means you can process the same file in different ways. This can be useful when your post-processing skills improve (or new software techniques become available) and you want to reprocess older photos. RAW files are sometimes referred to as ‘digital negatives’.

The amount of post-processing you do is a personal choice. Some people prefer to do minimal processing such as  sharpening, noise reduction and minor enhancements to contrast, curves,  and saturation. Others like to use more of an artistic license to give their photos a surreal look (this is particularly true with a lot of HDR-enthusiasts). Personally I prefer to let the natural light do the talking rather than overpower it with post-processing. However, when the natural light was average to begin with or if I’m after a different look then I may experiment with different processing techniques. The majority of my shots would fall into the minimal post-processing category.

Good light means minimal post-processing.

Getting more creative with post-processing.

Summary

Taking good landscape photos is pretty easy when you think about it. It just comes down to being at the right place at the right time, and knowing some basic techniques to capture the scene. The most important thing is to get out often and take photos. The best way to learn is by making mistakes, but don’t forget to have fun while you’re doing it!

You can view my other photos on my Flickr stream or my website.

Photography Tutorials, Case Studies and Discounts - LightStalking Photography Newsletter.

This is a guest post by New Jersey wedding photographer, Julianne Markow. Check out her photography blog here too.

Bokeh is something that makes non photographers say to you “Wow, that is an amazing photograph,” and the professionals tend to agree with them. The definition of bokeh is simply “blur” and comes from the Japanese word boke, meaning “blur quality.”  Bokeh is really just a fancy way of saying that a photograph is aesthetically appealing by having a shallow depth of field.

Bokeh must be done right. It is not difficult to set your camera up to do some of the work for you, but if you don’t follow these 5 tips, your results may be less than desirable.

Open your lens up wide. This goes without saying. Many DSLR cameras come with a kit lens that varies from f/3.5-5.6, this means that at your shortest zoom level you can set your aperture to f3.5 and as you zoom into the subject, the aperture will change to f5.6. A 2.8 lens or faster is of course desirable, but if this is too much for your pocket to handle, remember a 5.6 kit lens can go a long way if you follow the next simple tip…

Get in close. Photographers are always afraid to get in close to their subject and figure that they will crop it later if it doesn’t look right. The problem with using this safety net when you are trying to achieve great bokeh, is that the lens reacts differently at different focal lengths, as well as your actual distance to the subject. The closer you are to the subject your are photographing, the less depth of field you will have… so even if you have your f number set at 2.8 at 50mm and the same at 105mm, the resulting blur will vary. Cropping it later is not the easy fix. If you want great bokeh, you have to be daring!

Photos by Julianne Markow

Lines, Lines, Lines! Lines that are directed toward your subject can really make for an interesting composition and can also help control the blur. Remember, it’s not only the background that you may want to have blurred, but sometimes, the objects leading up to the subject can really make an impact when bokeh is done properly. You can almost always achieve great bokeh if you include lines in your photograph.

Photo by Julianne Markow

Don’t ignore your background. Sometimes the difference between a good photograph and a great one is what is in the background, and not the subject its self. Too many photographers assume that since they are attempting to blur the background, they don’t have to worry about what is in it? Well, different shapes, colors, and light sources blur differently. Don’t be afraid to put the subject in the back ground either, if it’s done right, the effect can be pretty interesting.

Photo by Julianne Markow

Photo by Julianne Markow

Don’t think it is something you can manipulate in post processing… because if it is not done right, its really, really wrong. Alien Skin Bokeh is a great program, and I am not trying to discourage anyone from using it. If you have no choice but to achieve bokeh in post processing, by all means purchase this program. However since this tutorial is about achieving bokeh in the camera, I recommend you learn to do it this way this first. Learning to do things right in the first place saves you time in post processing… and will almost always look better.

If you are still looking for something to enhance your bokeh, think about purchasing a lensbaby. These small, odd looking lenses are great tools to raise the creativity level in your photographs. They allow for a “sweet spot” so you can control where the bokeh is in the photograph… While this kind of “sweet spot” bokeh can be manipulated in post processing, like traditional bokeh, the only way for it to look right is if it is done right in the first place.

Photo by Julianne Markow

Photo by Julianne Markow



Photography Tutorials, Case Studies and Discounts - LightStalking Photography Newsletter.

The Wikipedia entry for stock photography describes it as, the supply of photographs licensed for specific uses. It is used to fulfill the needs of creative assignments instead of hiring a photographer. Dropping prices in high quality DLSR cameras and increasing speeds and bandwidth for the Internet, stock photography has become a second stream of income for thousands of photographers.

At one point, shooting stock photography was a private club that only let certain new people in, and much of the inner-workings remained guarded under a veil of secrecy.  The general concept and approach to shooting stock hasn’t changed, but the availability for anyone to contribute and sell is.  Here’s what you need to know if you’re interested in shooting stock.

Photo by D’Arcy Norman

Know your rights.  There are two ways stock is sold, royalty free and rights managed.  Royalty free does not mean you will be giving photos away for free, it simply means someone will buy a license to use your photo an unlimited, or predetermined number of times.  Royalty free also indicates that more than one person can purchase rights to use the photograph and rights to use the image are usually less than rights managed.  Rights managed photos have a predetermined use which can often include number of times printed, length of time  used, exclusive use of or non-exclusive use, print run numbers or specific demographics.  The license on rights managed images is usually higher due to the specific inclusions and exclusions of the rights granted.

Microstock and regular stock.  The Internet brought along what some have considered the death of the stock photography market – microstock.  These are usually royalty free files that are available for a fraction of what a traditional royalty free stock photo would have cost ten or more years ago.  Some files are available for as little as $1 and often the photography only receives between 20-45% commission for each purchase.  Those who believe in microstock often feel that they will experience the Wal-Mart effect, which is large volume with slim profits in order to make money.  Microstock is one of the easiest ways to break into making money selling digital photos for many though.   By comparison, selling stock with a larger house often results in 40-60% commission per sale with prices per file anywhere between $50-500, however the total number of sales is often quite less.  It’s important to note that microstock does not directly correlate to lower quality photographs – it’s just one way to sell photos.

Get released.  People in photographs are among the best selling stock, but in order to legally sell them you’ll need to have them sign a legally binding release form, usually witnessed by another person.  Each stock house (or website) will have their own guidelines about this.  Likewise, if you’re shooting on private property or in a private building you’ll need a release from the owners for that in order to legally sell the images.

Retain your copyrights.  Selling stock does not mean giving away your copyright – almost all stock houses have the photographers retain their copyrights.

Photo by Wseltzer

Only the best will thrive.  Stock photography is among the most competitive of commercial shooting because any given house will have millions of images available for the customer to choose from.  You might have an exceptional photograph of a sunflower, but the site you’re listing your image on could very well have 15,000 or more photos of sunflowers.  Only the best photographs will thrive in a stock house.

Keywording is key. When a user goes to a stock photography site to buy images, they search the site.  How they find the photos is based on photographer submitted keywords.  In other words, you need to describe every way a potential customer could find your photograph.  The better at keywording you are, the easier customers will find your photos.

Photo by AF-Photography

Shoot on spec. This concept baffles many new stock shooters, but for each frame you photograph you need to be thinking about how a graphic designer could potentially use your image.  Did you crop too tight, is the focus on the right part of the frame, is there enough negative space to allow for a text overlay?  These are all questions you’ll need to consider while shooting and post processing.

While many other factors come into play with shooting stock, this is a great base for you to start earning some money and getting your photographs used commercially.  While it can sometimes seem frustrating to shoot without purpose, sometimes it’s just a matter of time before a certain image becomes popular or the right designer finds it.

Photography Tutorials, Case Studies and Discounts - LightStalking Photography Newsletter.

Technology has progressed photography faster in the last ten years than over the last 100.  Over the last ten years, photography has gone from a somewhat misunderstood, often thought to be overly complicated hobby to something nearly everyone takes part in.  Auto-mode settings, advancements in facial recognition in cameras and red-eye reduction built-in have made just about anyone who points a camera in the right direction a photographer.  During this ramp-up in interest, more gear has become available then ever before, both good and bad for photographers and budding hobbyists.

Having the best photography gear does not mean you will get the best photographs.  This has been proven time and time again with the so-called mega-pixel race for those thinking the more mega-pixels something has, the better it is.  Sure, it’s true that at a certain point, having a better piece of gear will yield you a better shot, but only if you understand how to properly use it!

Photo by pasukaru76 (away for 2 weeks)

Cameras, lenses, filters, flashes and all the accessories that go along with photography are nothing more than tools, tools which allow you to manipulate light and capture moments in time.  Before you start to make a really significant investment in any new gear, ask yourself what it is you’re trying to accomplish and how this new piece of gear will really help you.  Can you make something yourself that would give the same result?  Can you rent or borrow the item first to ensure it’s what you really need?

Gear itself does not make you any better or worse of a photographer, better gear only enables photographers with knowledge on how to use it and a creative eye the abilities to take different photographs.  Ever show up at a family picnic with a DSLR and speedlight and have someone say to you, “Wow, I bet that thing takes great photos huh?”  The reality is, modern point and shoot cameras are capable of taking stunning shots, so don’t assume bigger always equals better.

Photo by mikebaird

Having an eye, continuously learning and always shooting will, in the end make you the photographer, not the gear you carry around.  Gear envy and the so-called upgrade-itis syndrome is easy to fall into, but it won’t help your photograph any if you aren’t already using what you have to the full capabilities.  Before you invest in more gear, invest in knowledge.

Photography Tutorials, Case Studies and Discounts - LightStalking Photography Newsletter.

One of the most important abilities you can have as a photographer is deciphering how other shooters captured their photos.  It’s not always the easiest thing to do though, so here we’ll look at three great photos and explain how they were taken.

Photo by SergioTudela

Running water, the beach and sunsets are all subjects that make for wonderful photographs, and this one has them all!  Taking a page almost from the difficult lighting article, this shot was done on a tripod with a wide angle lens.  Because a longer exposure was needed, 1/2 second for this shot, the risk of blowing the highlights in the surf or the sky were fairly high.  The shooter used a graduated ND filter to help prevent this from happening.  Waiting for the water to come in and then start to rush back out to see before pressing the shutter button gives a great sense of motion to the foreground of this photo while the rest of it remains sharp, with great color.

Photo by nickwheeleroz

One of the most popular collections here on Light Stalking was that of Bokeh Photographs.  Going one step further, this is a studio shot with self created bokeh. This stunning butterfly photo was put together using two hotshoe flashes on tripod stands, some Christmas lights and some careful planning.  The best part of this photo is that there’s a shot of the setup!

Photo by nickwheeleroz

The final result is a stunning image and this photo of the setup shows that it’s possible to do this in your home, with some thought beforehand.

Photo by Andrew Stawarz

We think HDR is here to stay, and photos like this continue to prove us right.  Setting the camera to bracket exposure mode and taking 9 shots, one stop apart and then utilizing Bridge, Photoshop and the plugin Photomatix merged and tweaked them altogether to make this simply stunning photo. Final sharpening done in Photoshop and then output was created in JPG format.  This image is more about the post production, however the actual subject in the photo is very well framed and a great subject for HDR.

These three different photos are easy to replicate, once you understand how they were shot.  Looking at other photographer’s work and reverse engineering it is a fun game to play, and will improve your knowledge and capabilities to photograph more complex subjects.

Photography Tutorials, Case Studies and Discounts - LightStalking Photography Newsletter.