Photography Tips And Tutorials

There is currently a great amount of unrest in Brazil. Police officers barricade the streets as protesters riot with flags and shouts of discontent, cans of tear gas are thrown into the crowds to keep them at bay, and more and more of the stories are coming out as photographers take to the streets and record the violent actions taking place. One photographer, Michel de Souza, has filmed himself taking photos in the middle of all the conflict: It appears he is using a Canon 5D Mark III armed with the Canon 16-35 f/2.8 and Canon 70-200 f/2.8 IS lenses. Amidst the fire, flags, and fearful citizens, a number of photographers also run rampant through the city capturing videos and stills of the panic that surrounds them. You can see that they are none too shy to get up close and personal with the protesters and police alike, but a certain amount of precaution must be taken in situations like these. If you ever find yourself in a serious situation such as this one, remember these things: Don’t Interfere With Law Enforcement or Medical Officials - Stay out of their way. They are there to do a job and interfering could seriously affect your life or the life of others. Photographing the scene may be your job or duty, but just be aware of other people’s jobs as well. Be Conscious of Your Surroundings - Things can happen quickly in panic situations. Look around you and be aware of the people and events taking place. Don’t keep your camera up to your face the whole time or you might find yourself a little closer to the action than you want. Do What You Think is Right - There is a moral grey area that surrounds photographing events where people have been injured or killed or are at risk for either. Some people believe that it’s morally irresponsible to photograph a situation in which you could be helping others instead. Then there are those that argue that these situations need to be photographed and shown to the rest of the world so that we may take more precautionary measures in the future. Both make valid points, but at the end of the day, you are the one who has to live with the decision between the two. So whether you decide to help the present or the future or end up panicking and do neither, don’t let others try to tell you that you made the wrong decision because they’re not you and they weren’t in your situation. Protesters holding hands in front of a line of police officers Though the people outnumber the police, the police outgun the people Protesters offering flowers to the officers Thanks for showing us what photojournalism is all about. Stay safe out there Go to full article: Chaos in Brazil: Hit the Streets with this Talented & Brave Photojournalist What are your thoughts on this article? Join the discussion on Facebook or Google+ Article from: PictureCorrect Photography Tips

Beautiful, Clean, Simple, and Bold: These are a few of the words that describe Karl Taylor’s photographic work. For over 15 years, Taylor has been doing photography work, the most popular and successful of which has been his commercial images. His work is minimalistic, yet engaging. The camera shown is a Hasselblad H4D-50 used in combination with high-speed strobes: Beyond Taylor’s commercial and advertising photography, he has also begun giving live demonstrations at photography exhibitions. At the recent Focus on Imaging Show, Taylor gave a demonstration of high-speed flash photography with his Hasselblad and a Broncolor Scorro pack. The demo involved smashing two wine glasses together. As you can see in the video, the show was very popular, and for good reason. Too many vendors at shows focus on displaying their products and giving out information rather than showing what you can do with the product and teaching the show goers something new that they can use. A staple in Taylor’s photography is high-speed images with colorful paints A large group of people gather to watch Taylor’s high-speed photography demo of smashing two wine glasses together Taylor’s demonstration is practical and, even if may be a bit beyond the means of most photographers gearwise, it inspires. Go to full article: Commercial High-Speed Photography Demonstrations What are your thoughts on this article? Join the discussion on Facebook or Google+ Article from: PictureCorrect Photography Tips

For whatever reason I have not done a very good job documenting the area I live in "photographically" and have decided that this summer I am going to change that. So this past weekend I picked my first victim and headed off to photograph the town next door, Old Orchard Beach (Maine). The population explodes between May and September as Old Orchard Beach is most definitely a tourist town, it has a kinda "carny" town feel to it with all the rides, games, and pier, it also has some of the nicest beaches in Maine. Here are some images that represent a typical Saturday night in OOB. Click on any image to view larger, especially the one of Elvis! Lots of rides... And you can't throw a rock six feet in any direction without hitting a pizza place.... The best part of Saturday night is that I can now say, "I SAW ELVIS!" Yes, despite those occasional potholes and bumps in the road, life is very good. Now your assignment, should you choose to accept it, is to go someplace close to you, that you may have been to a bazillion times but never really photographed and do just that, capture it like you wanted to tell a story. Then (please) upload an image of two to our Flickr group. If you are not already part of our Flickr group we would love for you to join us, you can get all the details on how to join right here.

Not long ago, I saw an article by Nicholas Day on Slate.com about babies and pointing. The article discussed how babies point at things to help them create meaning in their world and to share their experiences with someone else. It immediately made me think of what photographers do. We use our cameras to point; to carefully and systematically say to the rest of the world “look at that!” In this podcast, I discuss the importance of pointing and what it means when we point in a sophisticated way at something. Here’s the article on Slate And here’s the podcast: Aletta di Pesci, Venezia, 2012 – photograph by Jeff Curto

Here’s a riddle! Or the toughest photo assignment ever. How do you shoot a portrait without any people in it? Or a landscape without any land? While thinking about how Ansel Adams might shoot that second one is fun, we’re totally enamored with Camilla Catrambone’s response to the first. She shoots portraits of people not by having them sit for her but by laying out a person’s belongings and photographing that instead! Camilla shows us her grandfather with an old rotary phone, a watch, a well-worn leather briefcase. Her grandmother — a red comb, a collection of silver spoons, a pearl necklace. It’s the things we choose to surround ourselves with that tell the story of who we are. Photographing a person’s possessions is a way of bringing that person to life. What a way to solve a riddle. Also, see: Scanography — self portraits via scanner and What’s in your bag? Portraits of My Family by Camilla Catrambone Related posts: How to Shoot Impromptu Street Portraits This weekend, spend some time outdoors, explore a new neighborhood,... How to Shoot Dreamy Double Exposure Portraits + 5 Awesomely Inspirational Photographers Haunting, dreamy, and gorgeous all at once, double exposures of... Did Simon Hogsberg Shoot the Widest Photo Ever Taken? The trouble with photographers like Simon Hoegsberg is that it’s...

Recently I had the joy of partaking in some photography for a pet rescue organisation. They asked me to take pictures of quite a few kittens and cats on the same day, which was a dream come true for me. Not only am I a pro photographer, but I love cats and kittens, too. The task was fun, but especially difficult. You may have heard cat photography is challenging. It’s hard to think taking photos of sweet little kittens could be difficult. What is so tricky about this sort of photography? It’s the same thing that makes other types of photography difficult: quick motion. Let’s discuss tricks and techniques to work with some of these common difficulties. “Meet Wilber” captured by Matt Dean. (Click image to see more from Matt Dean.) Kitten Photography If you are photographing kittens, you will be photographing an unpredictable subject. It is unlikely for a kitten to just sit down and look at the camera. You must use toys to guide the kitten without intimidation. It is imperative to encourage the kitten to be as relaxed as possible. A playful kitten is very hard to photograph. A relaxed kitten is ideal. How can you make a kitten feel chilled out? One of the ways that kittens unwind is by burning off as much energy as possible. Once they start to fatigue, you will have a better likelihood of getting the cute photographs you have in mind. You can ask someone to tinkle a toy or lightly whistle over your shoulder so the kitten looks in the direction of your camera. You may also offer them a little bit of food. The moment the kitten raises its head up after eating, shoot the photo. Strive to get them to look in the direction of your camera. This can be difficult if they are still in play mode. This is why it’s better to take pictures of them when they are beginning to calm down. If you would like a spontaneous and playful photo, it may be a nice idea to let your kitten have some fun with a ball of string or a toy. You can take some splendidly natural and fun photos this way. You can take a shot of the kitten stretching up and playing with toy. You can also take a shot of the kitten being very interested in something. These natural, fun, and honest pictures work well as alternatives to the average pet portrait. “Look what I found…” captured by Jennifer Pagan. (Click image to see more from Jennifer Pagan.) Understanding Your Camera What are the correct shooting modes to use for photographing kittens? Many photographers who have not learned to use manual mode choose to shoot in semi-automatic shooting modes. I do not believe you can get the right shot when the camera dictates the settings for you. You are more clever than the digital camera. Your camera does not recognize how to create a wonderful shot, it merely knows that it needs to expose for lighting and capture depth of field. It does not understand how to get clear photos of moving kittens. Focusing I frequently position myself about a meter away from my kittens. Because the focal point shifts all the time (due to the motion of the kittens), I make use of auto focus. Using manual focus can take too much time, as you’ll have to wait for your kitten to jump into the plane of focus. I chase the kitten around with my finger on the focus button, continually focusing and refocusing. To help me to get sharpness of the kittens eyes, I am careful and particular about what aperture range to shoot with. I am inclined to use an f-stop somewhere between f5.6 and f8. Shutter Speed and Flash I use a shutter speed of about 200th of a second or faster. Your kitten can move very fast and you want to be able to freeze the fast action without blur. If you are using a strobe, you will see that you do not need to be troubled about shutter speed. Flash stops the action at around 1/250 of a second. This is handy to work with because all you have to do then is set your f-stop, knowing the flash will manage the shutter speed, so to speak. “Wha

In wildlife photography, they always say you need to know your subject if you want to capture a great photo. You have to know the behavioral patterns and tendencies of the animal you wish to bring out the best in it. However, this saying is not commonly used when we photograph people and sports. Sure we’re all humans, but the sports are all so different. When photographing a surfer or mountain biker or gymnast, it’s not enough just to know the person, you have to know the sport too. This is the advantage of photographer Arto Saari who is a skateboarder and also a pro skateboard photographer. Participating in the sport himself gives him extra insights and connections that help him in his photography: Tips for Shooting Skateboarders: Get Low - The lower your angle, the higher your subject will look. This works well when shooting your subject while he/she is in the air. The distance will be exaggerated, and will give the image a more dramatic look. Use Flash - Whether you’re shooting inside or outside, a flash will help you control the lighting situation. Shooting in mid-day sun can give you very contrasty and unflattering results. Adding a flash can help balance out the sun and make your images look more dynamic. Use a Fast Shutter Speed - When the action is fast, your shutter should be too. Slow shutter speeds will result in blurry subjects. Use a Wide Angle Lens - You’ll often want to be close to the action when shooting skateboarders. A wide angle lens will not only give you a closer working distance, but will let you capture more of the scene and help exaggerate the amount of air someone gets when doing tricks. A powerful flash is used here to balance out the sun For further training head over to this other article for some skateboard photography tips. Go to full article: Skateboarder Turned Pro Skateboard Photographer What are your thoughts on this article? Join the discussion on Facebook or Google+ Article from: PictureCorrect Photography Tips

The Benefits of Using a Polarizing Filter There are few more important things that a nature photographer can do to improve his or her photography than becoming familiar with the use of the polarizing filter. What can a polarizing filter do? Among other things it can darken the sky, remove reflections from water, and make foliage appear less shiny. Colour saturation is also significantly enhanced. It is the only filter for use with colour film that can do all of this. What is a Polarizing Filter? It is a filter for sunlight that attempts to block out the light rays that often cause glare, while still allowing the desired light through. Designed with layers of filters that form right angles with each other, the system within the polarizing filter is generally quite effective. But, due to the way that the layers prevent some light from entering the lens, it is necessary to rotate the filter so that it allows the light you want to enter. “Polarizing Filter Examples” captured by Aidan. Working with the Filter Since it’s necessary to visually tune or adjust a polarizing filter, some people believe that it’s not possible to use one with a rangefinder camera, but that is not the case. Some manufacturers have created ingenious solutions to this problem, but there’s also a simpler way. If you have a polarizer that has markings around the rim, simply hold the filter in front of you while pointing at the subject and note the angle of the mark. If it’s at, say, one o’clock at maximum polarization, then put the filter on the camera and turn it so that the mark is again at one o’clock when it’s on the lens. Heliopan polarizers are preferred for this reason; they have continuous numerical marks around the periphery of the filter. Another easy solution for previewing the effects of polarization is to wear polarized sunglasses. Just remember, when looking at a scene, to tilt your head from side to side to change the angle of polarization. If this is uncomfortable, you could simply take the sunglasses off and hold them in front of you as you rotate them. If you wear prescription glasses, you can order them polarized the next time you renew. The Challenges While looking through your camera, be careful not to wear polarized sunglasses AND use a polarizing filter at the same time. If you used both, you would basically keep all light from entering and would more than likely see nothing as you attempt to take your shot. Thus, the solution is to use one or the other–but not both! “Cottonball Sky” captured by Laszlo Ilyes. “Essentially straight from the camera, the unusually strange sky you see results from the use of a polarizing filter, a wide angle lens, and considerable help from mother nature,” Iyles explains. The second issue with polarizers and very wide-angle lenses is the thickness of the filter. By their nature, polarizers are thick filters because they have a double ring, the first of which mounts the filter to the lens and the second which is the rotating polarizing element. If the lens is wider than about 24mm, when used at small apertures the edge of the ring can cause vignetting at the corners of the frame. The solution is to buy a “thin” polarizer. One option is to buy a single polarizer of the largest size that you need and then to buy step-down rings to fit it to your smaller lenses. However, this is not something you should attempt in the field if there are difficult weather conditions. Knowing the solutions for these challenges will help you enjoy all the benefits that polarizing filters offer. Get ready for some spectacular photos. Have fun in the field! About the Author: Mathew Rivers writes for a camera blog about the Nikon D4 digital camera. Go to full article: Polarizer Filters: What They Are & When They Can Be Used in Photography What are your thoughts on this article? Join the discussion on Facebook or Google+ Article fro

I continue to hear of photographers contemplating what to make of Adobe's recent Creative Cloud subscription plan announcement. Truth be told, I've been in the same quandary myself. Here's what I decided to do about it....

I have been a wildlife and travel photographer using Canon equipment for about 25 years now. Through the decades, I have used almost all of Canon’s cropped and full frame cameras and their EF and EF-S lenses. Spring is finally here, and many photographers are gearing up to go out to their favorite spots and start clicking up a storm. As some of you may know, my preference is to travel light on photo shoots. I generally carry zoom lenses instead of prime lenses. There is a never-ending debate on the image quality of professional prime vs. zoom lenses, but for my purposes, the difference is without a distinction. I will let the situation dictate the lens choice instead of the other way round. The following lenses are some of my recommendations, derived from years of experience out in the field on photo shoots. These are my personal opinions and will not accommodate every situation or every photographer’s needs. Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS A great value and all around lens for travel, landscape, and wildlife photography. This lens is always on my EOS-1D X or EOS-1D Mk IV cameras when I take travel or close-up wildlife shots. It offers excellent build and image quality at a reasonable price. The focal lengths and speed are ideal for indoor and outdoor shooting conditions, although the IS offers only a two stop advantage. I would love to see Canon bring out a Series II version with the latest coatings and a four stop IS system. “The Photographer” captured by Richard Taylor using a Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS . Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II This lens is great for wide angle landscape shots on full frame cameras like the 1Ds Mk III or EOS-5D Mk III. It also serves as a versatile travel lens on the EOS-1D Mk IV. It’s very sharp and fast and can be used indoors when flash photography is prohibited. Adding IS to this lens would be nice, but that would add additional weight. If price is a consideration, I would recommend the Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L lens. “Boarded Up” captured by Justin Jensen using a Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM. Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS This is my favorite EF-S lens and will go great with the EOS-7D camera as a general purpose lens. This is not an inexpensive lens, but the build and image quality are first rate, and the constant aperture across the zoom range is great for capturing images in low light conditions. “CPH ZOO The Arctic Ring” captured by Stig Nygaard using a Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS. Canon EF 8-15mm f/4L Fisheye With its unique focal length range, this lens is the widest fisheye zoom lens available on the market. It delivers a 180 degree diagonal angle of view images for all EOS SLR cameras with imaging formats ranging from full-frame to APS-C, and provides 180 degree circular fisheye images for full-frame EOS models. I use this lens to photograph whales and other marine animals when I am in the water. I use my EOS-1D Mk IV camera with the lens and the AquaTech underwater housing, topped with a dome lens port for maximum angle of view. On land, this super wide angle lens captures stunning nature photos and stimulate creativity. “Southwark Cathedral” captured by Aurelien Guichard using a EF 8-15mm f/4L Fisheye USM. Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II This is a super sharp, fast lens for close-up wildlife action, with IS providing up to four stops of correction at all focal lengths. I have used this lens for years, and the latest version is the best yet. It’s an excellent lens for close-up, low light travel, and wildlife photography. It works well with both the 1.4X and 2.0X extenders. The lens is very solidly built and stands up to heavy-duty field use. “Dashing through the snow” captured by Dmitry Kalinin using a Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II. Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS I held off on buying this lens for awhile, because the EF 70-300mm DO was such a disappointment for me. The extra reach and lighter weight (compare