Page 1

Contents

On digital-photography-tips.net it has been policy since the day the site started to help everyone take better photos. With that in mind an area of the site was set up to allow anyone to submit a photo and have it critiqued by a professional photographer. The critique was posted online along with the photo the aim being that the advice given to one photographer would undoubtedly be useful advice for many other photographers too. In this eBook you'll find 12 images and critiques that cover many common photo issues from careful positioning to appropriate post-processing. By reading these tips you'll get more photo ideas and will see for yourself many of the pitfalls that break an image. You'll also get to see clearly some of the many ways to correct a poor image, and even how to rescue a real dud! This eBook is not meant to be a full-on photography course. It's written as an easy read with plenty of tips along the way. I sincerely hope, and I'm sure you will, pick up at least a few useful tips that you can introduce into your own photography. Kind regards,

Darrell Payne.

Page 2

Contents

Contents
Adding drama and odd numbers.....................................................................................................................4 Crop in close for more impact........................................................................................................................7 Sensible use of software..................................................................................................................................10 Photographing children at play......................................................................................................................13 Using software to add elements to an image.............................................................................................16 Seriously changing colours..............................................................................................................................19 Removing distracting elements......................................................................................................................22 Control shutter speed for creative effects.................................................................................................25 Using different shooting angles......................................................................................................................28 Combining tips clone, brighten and sharpen..........................................................................................31 Make use of foreground interest..................................................................................................................34 Rescue a failed image.......................................................................................................................................37

Page 3

Contents

Adding drama and odd numbers

Playmate
by Rahuel (Iligan City Philippines)

the submission
I took this photo when was interested to join a photo contest in titled World in Motion, its all about movement. I try to depict a moment with these children playing in the sea shore - a semi photo journalism. I will appreciate it if you could make a realistic and honest critique that may help me improve or even excel in the area of photography?

the response
The other day I was doing the family shop. The main shop, the one where you have to struggle back from the supermarket with a mountain of food. Much of which will be well past its 'best before' date before it gets a second look. And as my trolley rounded isle 17 I suddenly became a rabbit caught in headlights. I froze. And

Page 4

Contents

the shopping list that my wife had thoughtfully prepared was forgotten in an instant. Isle 17 is where they put the snacks. There I was surrounded by crisps, nachos, pretzels, nuts, lots of nuts, in all different flavours Before I knew it I was rustling crinkly wrappings, trying to smell the contents through the cellophane. If my wife hadn't phoned me wondering why the shopping was taking so long I would probably still be there now. The point is, I was suddenly faced with an opportunity, and everything else in my mind took a back seat. Rahuel's photo reminds me a little of this feeling. There on the beach were some children playing in the sea and the opportunity was born. At times like these by all means go ahead and fire off a few shots, but then wait. Stop. And think for a moment. Is the horizon wonky? Is the light in the wrong place? Is there something in the way that I hadn't noticed before? All good questions to ask. In Rahuel's photo the one that instantly springs to mind is the wonky horizon. Then, looking deeper I'm thinking that the composition is a little wrong. Four children? Three would be better (odd numbers nearly always work better in compositional terms). Fortunately there is nothing in this photo that can't be improved after the event. And so I had a go. Here's my edited version:

Page 5

Contents

Here are the changes I made: Cropped the photo - in order to create greater impact and cut out some of the background. Straightened the photo to get the horizon level (I did this as I cropped). Cloned out the child on the ground - odd numbers in photos generally make a better composition - three, five, seven - all good. Four (children in this case) somehow just doesn't seem to work as well! Boosted the brightness - the original was a bit dark. Increased the saturation - the colours in the original were a bit flat. Added a little 'zoom blur' - I did this because the theme was World in Motion and I thought that the zoom effect created a bit more 'motion' to the scene. Some of this editing might be considered by some to be a bit savage, but at the end of the day it's just my take on Rahuel's photo. But my overall impression of Rahuel's photo I like it. At that place and at that time I reckon he did well!

Page 6

Contents

Crop in close for more impact

Flower n' Bee

by Annie Cheng (Taiwan)

the submission
I was in a rose garden and happened to see a bee flying around a beautiful pink flower (not sure if it's a rose). Then I took out a camera and randomly snapped a few shots of the scene. This one is closest to the bee. The photo is unedited in any way. Thanks for the suggestions!

the response
Seems like a popular time of the year for photos of bees we've had a few recently.

Page 7

Contents

This one struck me when I first saw it, but not necessarily for all the right reasons! The reason it struck me, was that I was a little confused if this was a picture of a flower, or a bee. The thing is, the bee is quite small in the photo, and the flower takes up the majority of the photo hence my initial confusion! Knowing that it is a photo of the bee brings about one idea for an improvement make the bee bigger! I don't know what sort of camera Annie was using, but most cameras these days come with a macro mode. Using this mode will allow the camera to focus much closer to the subject. The photographer can then get much closer to the bee too making it fill the frame. And this is what I would have liked to see in Annie's photo. I think this photo could be improved by cropping in closely on that bee, cutting out most of the petals. I think it is worth a go, and if Annie has any image editing software this would be easy to do. (Annie took my advice and cropped her photo, her cropped version is below)

Other than that, the only other suggestion I would make would be to boost the colours a little using software. Annie says she hasn't altered the photo at all. Personally, I think a quick tweak of the 'contrast' settings, and sometimes the 'saturation' settings too, can really lift a photo. Don't go too far with these though, as too much can really spoil the photo.

Page 8

Contents

If you want to find out more about cropping photos to improve composition there is more detail here, and here's a tutorial on how to make a crop using software even the most basic free imaging software will have a tool to crop photos.

Page 9

Contents

Sensible use of software

Starrett Lake at Dawn

by Ralph (Zion, IL)

the submission
Stepping out of the camping tent first thing in the morning to the edge of the family's favorite lake, to catch a sliver of beauty enjoyed for decades by loved ones and friends. The lighting was perfect and the objects situated to fit into a system of thirds. The border of greens assisted in adding 3D effects.

the response
I like this shot lots going on, and yet so tranquil! There are a great many things about Ralph's photo, it's tricky to know where to start. The scene itself of course helps here. A nice calm lake, surrounded by lots of leafy green.

Page 10

Contents

But there's more than just nature. See those boats? Now imagine the scene without them. Nowhere near as good. It would still be a nice photo, but the boats add a little extra something to the scene! Then there is the shooting angle. Ralph has sensibly sought to get something into the foreground. This always helps scenic photos as it adds depth to the scene. But there is more than just adding some foreground interest. The trees on the left and right of the photo add a frame around the picture. It's a good idea with this sort of photo to have a look around to see if you can frame a photo by using something of the scene well done! With all these positives in the photo, is there anything that would improve it? I have one suggestion use software to add a little post processing. I've said a few times here before that post processing is NOT cheating! (there's an article here that discusses this in more detail) Photographers have been manipulating colour, saturation and contrast as a stage of darkroom developing since photographic film was invented. Software simply puts these techniques into the hands of everyone. I've had a quick go at this myself, and you can see my efforts below, along with a description of what I did to the image.

Page 11

Contents

The changes were made Photoshop CS, but could be done with even the most basic of image editing software. Select Layer, and then New adjustment layer, and then selected Brightness/Contrast. The contrast was increased a little and the brightness lowered. Click OK in the next box. Then go back to Layer, and then New adjustment layer and this time chose Saturation. The saturation was increased a bit to give the scene more colour. Then flatten the whole picture by going to Layers, and choosing flatten. The final touch was to sharpen the image a little. To do this choose Filter, then Sharpening, and finally Unsharp Mask. Set the Amount slider on 100%, the radius to 0.7, and threshold to 0.

Page 12

Contents

Photographing children at play

My daughter on a tube tyre

by Anchal (Geneva)

the submission
I was aiming to capture her movement on the swing. I chose manual mode with 1/500th of shutter speed and f5. The swing was in shade under a tree. I also used flash with negative compensation to remove shadows. That's the best I could get without blowing the highlights in the background. I am not sure if I could have got sharper focus. Also I aspire to be a pro child photographer. There doesn't seem to be a wow factor!

the response
There's an art form to taking photos of children. They don't behave like adults. They don't always smile on cue, often they get cranky, and yet some of the most wonderful photos we take are of children.

Page 13

Contents

One of the things to consider when photographing children (apart from the fact that they're not adults like I mentioned above!) is that many of the rules of photography don't work. If you're photographing children you don't need to worry about the rule of thirds, the horizon doesn't need to be level and the colours can just scream out of the image! In fact, the more of these things you can include the better. The rule of thirds? When photographing children why not place the child dead centre of the scene it can work well. Wonky horizon? Don't feel you need to make it straight, but if it's going to be wonky it's better to make the horizon clearly angled it adds an element of drama to the photo. Colour bright colours are great in children's photography. So, back to Anchal's photos. There is a definite lack of colour in these two photos. It all looks a bit brown and 'grown up'. A little colour could lift these photos a bit. There is also too much boring background for these photos to work well. Take the first photo the child takes up less than a quarter of the whole photo. And the background has nothing special in it either. In the second photo the child is looking wonderfully angelic towards the camera (well done there!) but is swinging out of the bottom corner of the photo. It's better in these situations to have space for the child to 'swing into' in other words they would be better placed nearer the top left so they can swing into the bottom right. The way it is at the moment it looks almost as if the child is about to hit the bottom corner of the frame! But there's nothing in this second photo that can't be cured by cropping your photo. Crop the photo close to the girl and I think you could be onto something. Concerning the sharpness there are two things to bear in mind with portraits; they must be pin-sharp, and if possible blur the background. This is easily achieved by doing two things. First, set a small aperture on your camera. This will enable you to get a faster shutter speed (to freeze movement) and will also give you a shallow depth of field.

Page 14

Contents

The second thing to do is to pre-focus. Select the point where you want to take the photo and half-press the shutter button down. This will lock the focus at this point. Then, as the child swings towards your focus point press the shutter. It's a good idea to press the shutter just before the child reaches the focus point because by the time you have reacted and the camera has taken the photo there will be a short delay and if you waited until the child has reached your focus point they would have swung past it by the time the photo has been taken. The photo below is one I took a little while ago also of children playing. It has colour and also a zoom-blur which I added afterwards to create an element of dynamism.

It sometimes helps to see examples of child photography like this so that you can get lots of ideas.

Page 15

Contents

Using software to add elements to an image

Morning Walk
by Lori Arnold (Utah USA)

the submission
I basically like this photo, it has lots of sensations of a morning walk. The colors are nice, yet somehow, maybe I am just being hard on myself . . . what could make this better? I love the lighting,.. I just don't know what it is.

the response
To be honest, I think Lori really is being a bit hard on herself this is a wonderful photo! I can almost smell the summer morning as I look into this picture. Things that make this good include the light and the framing. First, the framing this photo has some foreground interest, and the positioning of the trees lead us into the photo too.
Contents

Page 16

What do I mean by this? Look at the tree on the left, then follow the trees into the photo. They move into the photo diagonally. Diagonals are good for composition! And the light? As an early morning shot Lori has captured this scene during the golden hour. This is the hour after sunrise, and the hour before sunset where the light is soft and saturated. Lori is wondering here if there is anything she could do to improve this photo. The best suggestion I can offer would be to re-visit the scene on a morning with some fine mist. We can see some pools of light in Lori's photo where the sun penetrates the leaves and hits the ground. Imagine if there were some fine mist we would see shafts of light, and not just the pools. This effect can be achieved using software. Below you can see an edited version that includes shafts of light that have been added afterwards:

Steps to achieve this effect (the steps below use the full version of Photoshop, but most image editing software has the same tools available): First, create a new fill layer. Fill this layer with a pale yellow colour (choose a colour to mimick natural sunlight).
Contents

Page 17

Then add a layer mask to that layer. Fill the layer mask with pure black. This effectively completely hides the yellow colour of the fill layer. Now we have to 'punch' some holes in this mask to allow the yellow to shine through. On the layer mask draw 'fingers' using the polygonal lasso. In the select menu, choose feather - this will soften the edges of the 'fingers' that you have just drawn. In the dialog box add a fairly high number (the number depends a lot on the size of image you are using - the bigger the photo, the higher the number nees to be). Try '20' to start with, and see how you get on. Once selected, fill this selection with pure white. To do this go to Edit and choose Fill. Then choose white in the Use drop down box. This will now let your shafts of light shine through! Then tidy up your photo (maybe the shafts of light should go behind some objects in the scene in Lori's image some of the shafts of light have been removed so that they go behind the trees). This is easy to do. On your layer mask, paint on it with the paintbrush tool; using either black or white. Black will hide the shafts of light, white brings them back in. Once you're happy with the result, make sure you have the Layers palette open, and adjust the Opacity setting of the fill layer, until it looks more life-like. Finally, flatten your photo.

Page 18

Contents

Seriously changing colours

Lone Saguaro
by Doug Weber (Tucson Arizona)

the submission
I wanted to capture drama in the sky and contrast it against the silhouette of the lone Saguaro.

the response
There's always something captivating about a 'lone' something. It could be a lone tree, a lone person, or a lone saguaro. The lone aspect is a powerful part of the composition. Giving your subject plenty of space around it adds an element of isolation. In taking this photo Doug has stuck to the rule of thirds. Good thing!

Page 19

Contents

Other good things about Doug's photo are the silhouette. Taking the photo in low light, against the sky has created a really nice silhouette effect. Despite all of this good stuff, I can't help but feel that this photo is just a little bland, and could use some Photoshop seasoning! It's the sky that I'm specifically thinking of. There's some cloud there, there's some drama there, but I think it could be livened up. Below is my edited version of Doug's original and I think it shows what can be done with just a few clicks of the mouse. The basic concept I've used is to take the silhouetted saguaro and grasses, masked them off, and then altered the sky using a gradient map.

As with other manipulated images here I have used Photoshop but other image editing software includes the same tools and will work as well. First select Layer, and then New adjustment layer. Then select Gradient map.

Page 20

Contents

From the Gradient map dialog box choose a gradient map that suits the sky. There are plenty of gradient maps to choose from. Just keep selecting them until you find one you like. And if there are none that tickle your fancy you can always make your own. Next step is to click on the layer mask and select the tree and the grasses. After selection fill them with pure black (this masks them from the gradient map). With more time, and a larger starting photo it's possible to mask out the tops of the grasses too - using a small, pure black brush on the layer mask. This shows what is achievable by using the various tools that often go unnoticed in image editing software. After all, how many people bother to use gradient maps? If you're interested in seriously changing the colours of an image, like Doug's above, you could also try the different effects caused by the Layer menu. To access this just click on the Layer tab and under the tab you'll see a box with a drop down menu. The default selection in this box is "Normal". But click the drop down arrow and you will see lots of different types of layer to select. Click through these and you'll see some dramatic changes to your photo.

Page 21

Contents

Removing distracting elements

Modern Americana
by Peg Flint (TX)

the submission
I was intrigued by this building in Alpine, TX and was preparing to shoot it through the windshield of my car when this old-time car drove by. I clicked as quickly as possible to get the car - never noticing the flag on the back or anything else. I have cropped the photo so that the windshield does not show and to try and center the shop and the car. I've also played with it by changing it to grayscale, etc. But I think I would like to add more depth to it or something. I've always loved taking pictures - but I just decided recently I'd like to learn more about using my camera before I get a better one and take this up as a hobby.

Page 22

Contents

 the response
"Children grow up fast, don't they?" Now there's a phrase from childhood that we have all surely been on the receiving end of. Or at least something similar. The amount of times I was dragged round to a relative's house on a wet Sunday afternoon to be greeted by phrases such as "ooh, hasn't he grown!" or "doesn't he look like great uncle Alf!" Astonishing. As a child I simply did what all children do, grab onto any part of mum or dad that you can find and go all shy. This had two effects it brought on the fizzy drinks and deflected comparisons with great uncle Alf; whoever he was. As a parent though I now find myself at the top end of these conversations. I even comment to my own children whom, without the benefit of gallons of fizzy drinks, have another tac-tic for dealing with such comments ignoring me completely. But it is incredible how fast children grow up. Seriously, it really is. This means our cameras get a regular workout. It also means that when we look back at those pictures we are constantly amazed by the changes. All this means that we have to take photos quickly. Because if you wait hours will turn into days, days into weeks, weeks into years and before you know it you have no photographic record whatsoever of those little darlings. In Peg's case, she needed to be even quicker. Something photographic pops up, and the right car passes at just the right time. If you don't grab a shot it will be gone for ever. This however can mean photos lack the elements that you might reserve for more carefully thought out pictures. Nothing you can do about that though. If you don't take the photo you've got nothing. Fortunately digital photography comes to our aid! In Peg's picture here's what I'm thinking good composition, certainly; but the thing that really strikes me is all the extra stuff that gets in the way phone lines, electricity wires, and is that a ladder on the far right? No problem though. There are tools available to the digital photographer to correct all this. The specific tool to reach for is the clone tool.

Page 23

Contents

This little tool allows you to select one part of your photo and then paste it over another part. It's like using the standard copy and paste feature in word processing, but with photos not words. Anyway, with a little time you can easily clone away those wires and other distracting objects from a photo. The photo below is Peg's original minus some of those distractions that were cloned out:

You'll also notice that the colours are a bit more punchy in my version and the contrast is a little higher. I just felt that the original looked a little bit washed out. If you want to try this sort of thing yourself here's a useful tutorial on using the clone tool.

Page 24

Contents

Control shutter speed for creative effects

Sunrise at the Beach

by Jose Devanir Bordignon Junior (Parana, Brasil)

the submission
I'm new at photography so I tried reproducing some photos I saw on the net. I wanted to get more of a mist look on the water, but ended up with a nice reflection of the sky. Other thing I tried to do was to get a darker sky and get the focus in most of the picture, rather than only at the wood stick. Problem is most of the time I have to take too many pictures to get one half-good one!

the response
Ever tried cooking a poached egg in the microwave? Easy, apparently. We even bought a little plastic thing-ey that you just crack your egg into and then pop into the microwave.
Contents

Page 25

And in 30 seconds you'll be rewarded with a perfectly cooked poached egg. I think that's what it said on the box. It's certainly not what came out after 30 seconds. What came out was nothing more than raw egg. And as I'm not into body-building raw eggs aren't normally on my list of favourite things to eat. So, after washing out the thing-ey I popped another egg in and tried for 45 seconds. And out came another raw egg. But at least this one was warm. After rinsing the thing-ey out yet again, and running low on eggs at this point, I brass-necked it and whacked it in for a full minute (my life is nothing if not exciting!). Seconds before the "ping" the whole thing exploded, pebble-dashing the inside of the microwave. And then I gave up. The thing is, photography can be like this sometimes. You try something. And it doesn't work. So you tweak things a bit and it still doesn't work. After a while you decide that you might as well give up and see if your camera is worth anything on eBay. But hold on a moment, there is a solution! Here's what Jose needs to do. First of all, get a tripod or at least a solid spot that you can perch your camera on. Set a small aperture on your camera if you can (that will be the highest "f " number on your lens). This will close down the aperture and will have two effects first it will limit the light getting into the camera which means you can set a longer shutter speed; and second it will keep virtually everything in the scene in focus. Then you need to set a long shutter speed on your camera (20 seconds would make a good starting point). Use the self timer on your camera to trip the shutter and then stand back until the exposure has finished. Because you are using a long exposure anything that is stationary in the scene (like the wood and any rocks) will be in crisp clear focus. Anything that moves (like the water) will blur to a mist.

Page 26

Contents

Use these links to find more on how to make creative use of shutter speed, what the aperture is and understanding exposure. And if I were you, steer clear of microwave egg poachers!

Page 27

Contents

Using different shooting angles

Cautious Kitten and the Milk

By Jason

the submission
Hi! This is my second picture that I am posting for critique. There are three kittens in the vicinity and I give them milk or something to eat. I have been photographing them and tried to capture this one close to the milk pot (so called). I wish I could get it from a lower angle but since the kittens are very cautious and still not that friendly. I chose to take the snap by staying away and zooming in.

the response
Recently I've not been feeling quite 100%. It's the throat very sore! And weirdly so too. Normally when I get a sore throat it's the forerunner of a full blown cold. It's like the tiny little

Page 28

Contents

bugs are playing with me letting me know they're there, but not giving me any idea what sort of cold it's going to develop into. Will it be a simple sore throat and a few sniffles? The sort of mild cold that is so minor you can't even be bothered to reach up to the top shelf of the medicine cabinet. Or will it be the full on woolly head, blocked ears/sinuses/nose, and that weird unsteadiness in the back and legs? The sort that not only gets you reaching for the paracetamol but also has you locked in a darkened room for days. Whimpering. A lot. Well, my recent sore throat came on at night and it felt like there was a swelling that was practically cutting off my oxygen supply. And in this situation I did what every man would do wake the wife. After giving me short shrift, and my throat closing at a rate of knots I reached for my cell phone. Like most cells it has a camera and the design of these cameras means they take pretty lousy photos, but are able to focus very close to the subject. Perfect. I opened wide, put the phone as deep into my mouth as I could and clicked. Bingo! Two little lumps on the side of my throat just where the tonsils should be. The point is, you don't always have to look at the camera screen to take a photo. Sometimes you can just point it in the general direction and hope. With Jason's cats it seems like this is a good approach to take. The camera can be held to the side while the photographer talks softly to the kitten. All the time he or she can be snapping away. To take it a step further you could rope in a helpful friend. You've set the bait (the milk) so you know where the kittens will be. Your friend is waiting for them to approach, and you become the distraction. If your friend keeps quite still the kittens will more than likely ignore them especially if you're moving around a little. This will give your friend the opportunity to get some lovely photos.
Contents

Page 29

The final piece of advice I can offer is to be patient. Most animals are wary of humans at first. And most become much more at ease once they've gotten used to us. Your patience will be well rewarded! Thanks for the submission, and if anyone's interested my throat had cleared up within a day back to full health!

Page 30

Contents

Combining tips clone, brighten and sharpen

Farm Boy
by Ceaphus (Hayfield MN)

the submission
Shot this at a friends wedding, I just like the angle of this!!

the response
Lovely photo! Taking photos of children is never an easy task. One of the benefits of taking photos of them at

Page 31

Contents

a wedding is that they'll be neatly turned out! That said, it's a funny thing with children - dress them up smartly and for a few minutes they will be on their very best behaviour. After half an hour (sometimes less) they will have forgotten completely they are supposed to be on their best behaviour and will be climbing tractors. Which is absolutely magic! Great news for them (be honest, who wouldn't want to hop on and have a play?) and great news for photographers! I like this photo it captures wonderfully a child in a world of their own but I couldn't get away from the holding hands. So with a few clicks of the clone tool (often used to repair photos) I managed to erase the hands out. Unfortunately once I start fiddling with Photoshop I can't stop (it's an illness, I think. Photoshopitis?) so I lightened the shadows a bit as well and sharpened the photo a bit. Hopefully I haven't destroyed a lovely photo my editing is below:

Page 32

Contents

Even without any editing this is a photo to cherish. Some people think creating photos like this is just trial and error, but it's not! A few tips and tricks (like those you'll find all over my site) can really improve your 'great photos' success rate. One of my favourite eBooks summarises many of the techniques that can really add a 'wow!' factor to your photos. You can find out about these photo techniques here.

Page 33

Contents

Make use of foreground interest

London's very pointy these days

by Jane C. (England)

the submission
Was on my first trip to London for 25 years. I was fascinated with the new buildings. Just stood on the street and wanted to capture the way the new building was being built round the centre lift shaft (thoughts of 9/11) then saw the pointy sculpture (London Bridge area). Also my first go with a camera for 35 years!

Page 34

Contents

 the response
London when a man is tired of London he is tired of life itself. At least that's what Samuel Johnson wrote (aka Dr Johnson who wrote the first English Language dictionary we have a lot to thank him for!). And I can see his point. I've spent a lot of my life living in London and I can honestly say I was never bored. Poor, often. Bored, never. Which might be why I took a very deep interest in photography in an expensive city it's a cheap way to amuse yourself and if you're good at it you can even make a little bit of money too. Photo opportunities abound in London. If it's quirky you want there's Covent Garden. Architecture? There's gothic, classic and modern all within a short walk of each other. And if it's weird you could always hang out around Cyberdog in Camden looking for people dressed in some of the craziest fashions known to man. I always liked the South Bank. The North and South Banks in London are like chalk and cheese. One got the looks and the other got the arts. Hang out on the South Bank and you can gaze at the far more attractive (in my opinion!) North Bank but be sitting in a one of the World's hotspots for the arts. And it's on this side of the Thames that you'll find the subject in Jane's photo 'The Shard'. It's a new office block going up and when it's finished it will be the tallest building in Europe. As it's not finished yet it gives the photographer an unusual photo opportunity. One of the best times to take photos like this is in the early evening. This is when the sky has some colour and the unfinished building creates a contrast against it. It helps to have some foreground interest and Jane has spotted another spike that sets off the building nicely. This is a good photographic technique mirroring one shape in another. Here Jane has

Page 35

Contents

mirrored the shard with another architectural spike nearby. If I was being picky I would say that the spike should be further to the right so that the building in the middle (hidden somewhat by the spike) is framed by The Shard and the spike. But that is being a bit picky! The colours are lovely here, the spotting of a mirror shape to The Shard is good, and all round the photo is good well done!

Page 36

Contents

Rescue a failed image

Sled dogs running through the night

by Chad H. (Marquette, MI)

the submission
Took this at a road crossing for the up200 dogsled race. Was limited to no flash because of not wanting to blind the musher or distract the dogs. I used the widest aperture I could and set the ISO to the max in an effort to reduce blur; lens was focused on the closer snowbank. I'm aware the wide aperture caused a shallow depth of field; the dogs would have been more motion blurred had I set the aperture smaller. What are you thoughts/what would you have done different? Thanks! Nikon D70s 50mm; 1.8f 1/25s; 1600 ISO

Page 37

Contents

 the response
I love that hobbies and past-times have their own vocabulary. Twitchers means to many of us people who can't keep still for more than a few minutes at a time. To lovers of our feathered friends it means fellow birdwatcher. A snapper is a fish to a lot of folks but a photographer to others. And a musher is not someone who likes to squash their peas but is a dog-sled driver. Which is just as well because otherwise those dogs you see in Chad's photo would be all over the place if the driver was in fact a pea nut! I take my hat off to Chad for trying to get a few shots of this race, not only because it looks flippin' cold out there but also because it's really difficult to get a good photo without some very expensive kit. The best way to take this sort of photo would of course be to use a flash. However, as Chad points out, this may well distract the musher and his or her team. The reason to use a flash is to get more light into the camera. So if you can't use a flash what can you do? Chad has taken the right approach to this by using a 'fast' prime lens. This means it has a large aperture in this case f1.8 (click to read more about controlling the aperture) However, in this situation it wasn't fast enough (which means the aperture was still too small). Only a really expensive lens will get you a wider aperture. So if you can't add light from a flash, and you can't open the aperture any further, what about the shutter speed? Normally I'd suggest using a long exposure about 4 seconds would be a good starting point here. But the problem is the dogs would have come and gone in those four seconds and all you'd be left with is a streak across the photo where the dogs should be. There's only one thing left the ISO! This makes the image sensor on your camera more sensitive to light. Unfortunately Chad had already turned it up to 1600 and that's about as high as you can go with many cameras.

Page 38

Contents

If you have a pricier camera you could go up to 6400 but even then image quality can suffer. Before I go any further you might want to read up on a few technical terms so that you have a better understanding of camera exposure. Final options? There's the software option. Using software you can brighten an image and you might be amazed at how much detail you can extract from an image that you thought was one for the delete button. If you look at the two photos below I've taken Chad's original and in the first photo I lightened using software. In the second one I just ignored the scene completely and attempted to create something entirely more abstract:

But the best option is to get a better photo in the first place. If you don't have expensive lenses or an expensive camera you need to work with whatever light you can get. In the photo above it looks like the spotlights are shining into the camera. If you could position yourself so that they are behind you they would illuminate everything in front of you giving the whole scene more light. Concerning focussing, pre-focus on where the dogs are going to appear. By pre-focussing it means the camera has already locked onto its focus point. When the dogs arrive it means the camera has one less thing to do and will operate quicker. If you don't pre-focus the camera will hunt for focus when the dogs arrive. In low light this hunting can take a few seconds and then the dogs would be gone.

Page 39

Contents

It's easy to pre-focus. On most cameras it involves pressing the shutter button down half-way. When the camera beeps it's focussed and ready for action. You can then press the button down the whole way to take the photo. A final tip to try is to adjust the exposure setting on your camera. Although you can set the ISO to 1600 you can then increase the exposure by two stops using the + and exposure buttons. This would get you an effective ISO of 6400 which might just be enough to capture the scene. Well done for getting out there in the cold to take the snap, and hopefully these tips will help the next time.

Page 40

Contents

All contents copyright 2011, all rights reserved. No part of this document or the related files may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, by any means (electronic, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Limit of Liability and Disclaimer of Warranty: The author has used his best efforts in preparing this ebook, and the information provided herein is provided "as is." The author makes no representation or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaims any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for any particular purpose and shall in no event be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damage, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages.

Trademarks: This ebook identifies product names and services known to be trademarks, registered trademarks, or service marks of their respective holders. They are used throughout this book in an editorial fashion only. In addition, terms suspected of being trademarks, registered trademarks, or service marks have been appropriately capitalized, although the author cannot attest to the accuracy of this information. Use of a term in this book should not be regarded as affecting the validity of any trademark, registered trademark, or service mark. The author is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book.

Page 41

Contents