Camera lens

Macro photography has become increasingly popular; so much so that most consumer digital cameras are equipped with a setting intended for such a purpose, and/or they arrive with built-in zoom lenses capable of focusing on the most minuscule or tiny detail of a subject.

The most common subjects for macro photography are flowers, insects and natural patterns in wood, stone, sand or even moss, but some photographers may take commercial images of jewelry, or other subjects as well. Macro photography is basically the capturing of clear details of very small or even microscopic subjects, and this requires special lenses.

A macro lens has a focal length that usually runs 50mm to 200mm, and is capable of continuously focusing on a subject from a one to one setting, and onward. This means that a long distance shot of the moon will have the same clarity and detail as the wings of a dragonfly perched on a flower.

In order to select the best macro lens it is important to consider the type of photographs that are planned. For example, focal length on a lens allows for a variety of possible images and a macro photographer hoping to capture images of hummingbirds, who are easily scared away, may want a longer focal length, such as the 200mm lens, while the photographer who wants to get a close up of a human eye would be able to use the 50mm to great effect.

There is a great deal more to good macro photography than simply having a lens and camera capable of focusing in and clearly recording the image, however. The lighting is also critical to a decent magnified shot. For example, most “on board” and even “shoe” mounted flash bulbs are not properly placed to light a macro subject.

Ensuring that a subject is properly lit for macro photography may take some work and a bit of creative thinking. For example, if photographing flowers in a macro format, it may be a good idea to have them “backlit”, meaning with the sun or other light source flooding the background of the image or shining directly through the flower itself.

Alternately, the photographer could use a handheld or trigger operated flash to flood the entire space with adequate lighting. They can also “bounce” their flash, use alternate lighting sources, or even purchase a special “macro flash” unit especially designed to meet the needs of a macro subject.

In addition to lighting considerations, focus on a macro subject may be disrupted when a shot is hand-held, and many macro photographers choose to employ a tripod for their outdoor and studio work as well. Because the subject of a macro photograph is so deeply focused, simply depressing the shutter can ruin the photograph, and in addition to tripods, many photographers will also use a cable trigger for their macro photography. Please leave your comments below - it does help us make this a better site if we can give you what you’re looking for and perhaps you have something to add to this article!

Contribution by Amy Renfrey

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Night photography

Night time photography produces some amazing results. It is fun capturing the night-time city shots and the bright lights of cars whizzing past.

Use a Tripod to Eliminate Camera Shake

If you are a serious night photographer a tripod is necessary to eliminate camera shake and get clear exposures with good depth of field.

When shooting sunsets and city scapes we normally just point and shoot. Try adding foreground to the photo to add depth. Something else to consider is the general rule of thirds so your photo has good perspective.

When you check the light levels using your camera, make sure it is not pointing directly at the sun. Take the reading based on the colors around the sun. If you don’t then your photo will be underexposed.

If you are photographing fireworks you will certainly need a tripod to get the best photos. The best way is to set your camera up on the tripod and point it towards the sky with the aperture set to narrow and the shutter speed set to long. Experiment with the different settings on your camera to get the best photos.

Your Flash may not be Reliable at Night

Your flash will help you when there are low light levels but your flash may be of little use once it gets dark. Your flash needs some light to bounce off your subject. If you are taking photos over a vast distance at night, all you will get is a dark photo with a burst of light from the flash. This is because your subject is too far from your flash.

Getting an add on, external flash may help but your camera has other features that will help you take photos at night.  Things you can do include increasing the ISO setting, decreasing the shutter speed, or using the night scene mode on your camera.

Use the Night Mode

The moon

If you are new to digital photography, check if your camera has a night scene mode. This setting automatically adjusts your camera’s settings when there is low light. It can also help you to take better night photos. If you are not familiar with changing your ISO or exposure settings, the night mode might just work.

Take Photos at Sunset

Some of the best photos are taken as the sun sets. At dusk the sky is darkening but has enough light for your camera to take a good photo without using a tripod.

It takes a little research if you are going to shoot at sunset. Check out the times the sun rises and sets in your local paper or you local weather bureau’s website, and check the weather conditions. You need to be ready to shoot around the optimal conditions to get the best photos.

Now you know more about taking photos at night the results you get will amaze you.

This article can be much broader and there are lot of detailed areas to cover. As a starter though I’d love to hear your comments (below) and what you specifically would like to hone in on.

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The key to good macro photography is lighting, and unfortunately most on board flash units will not do the trick, nor will traditional flashes mounted to the flash shoe, the bracket where a larger flash unit can be inserted into the camera body. A traditional solution for professional photographers is to employ a hand-held flash.

This solution, however, requires some consideration and preparation to achieve the desired effects. For example, it is remarkably difficult to trigger a camera while holding the hand-held flash in the ideal location. This is the reason so many macro photographers purchase a tripod for their work. While the tripod won’t always be applied to every macro photographic situation, it does eliminate many issues around lighting and frees the camera from any possible shake.

Camera shake causes blur, and when an image is in deep magnification such as those in macro photography images, the slightest shake can spoil the photograph. In addition to a tripod, some photographers choose to use their camera built-in timer, or to purchase a manual trigger that is attached by a cable to the camera. While this will require the photographer to trigger the camera’s lens, it will not threaten the exposure.

Experimental shots may be required to accurately flood the subject with the correct amount of light, as well as to determine the best angle which to deliver the flash. For example, many people photograph items such as insects and flowers, and these may move or have varying amounts of sunlight that will require the flash position to be adjusted for each exposure.

Some photographers also choose to rely on reflective surfaces, such as mirrors and diffusers to help light their macro subjects. Usually these are photographs taken in the studio setting, where the overall environment can be controlled.

Finally, there are macro flashes available for purchase which attach directly to the lens of the camera, or to some location on the camera body. They will usually involve several light sources that can be controlled by the user. Many also come with a pilot light feature which allows the photographer to see the amount of light that will be delivered with the flash, which will enable them to control their final result.

This is a contribution from Amy Renfree who tirelessly supplies articles to this site from time to time. Thanks Amy! If you didn’t already know, Amy has remarkable photography coaching skills and supplies an also remarkable guide on digital photography techniques. I’m not going to drill-down on it here but I DO suggest you check out the introduction page to decide if you want to download it for a pittance (yes a pittance). If you are not sure of Amy’s credentials, just look at the many contributions she has made to this site and it doesn’t scratch the surface of what’s in her guide on Digital Photography.

NB. Straight up - I recommend it (by the way - Amy’s very approachable too).

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Include a frequently asked questions (FAQ) page on your website. This is an excellent way to anticipate what your potential customers will want to know. Obviously you are the one to come up with the questions and answers, and you can add facts that do not fit anywhere else on your website.

Things you can include in this section are:

• tips for location shots
• tips for taking portraits
• provide answers to the questions you are commonly asked
• tips for wedding photos

This is an excellent way to engage your readers in a consultative way. It also makes you look professional and encourage peoples to contact you.

Sell your Photography

Too many photographers are scared to sell their photos. It may just be they do not know how to sell their work, but many seem to feel that selling their work is negative thing. Something you need to keep in mind is that you are offering a fair and valuable service to your clients and deserve to be paid for the service.

Make sure your website lets your visitors know all about your services. Extol the value of what you photography business offers and make sure you update your website regularly with special offers. Also, regularly update your photo galleries with your latest photos for all to see. Your work is the best way to sell yourself.

Your website should be a true reflection of your business. Make sure that everything you say on your photography website you live up to. If you make claims on your website make sure you can live up to them because, if you don’t and your client has chosen you as their photographer based on these claims, you will earn a bad reputation very quickly.

Don’t think that having a website will magically materialize clients or sales for you. You still need to work hard at earning your clients’ trust and interest. Let your potential clients know what makes you so special. What makes you stand out from other photography businesses.

Your website is an advertisement for you. Maximize its potential to reach prospective clients. Think about the message you want to send. Who are your typical clients?

If you act with integrity and always do what you say, and have top customer service you website can be a good marketing tool.

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Composition is subjective and depends on the subject of your photograph. There are rules for good image composition and, once you know the rules you can break them to get good photos more often.

What Format to use for your Photographic Composition

So many people seem to forget you can turn your camera on its side to get a vertical shot of your subject. Most people just use the horizontal format and end up with a whole lot of empty space around their subject. Just turning your camera on its side will eliminate this problem.

Sometimes it is obvious your photo would be better in a vertical format - anything that is taller than it is wide. But it does depend on the subject of the picture. For example, you may want a get a tall building as part of a cityscape. In this case you would use a horizontal format to get all the details in.

Watch this video

But if you want to isolate it then you would use a vertical format. Remember, these rules are only guidelines. And guidelines are flexible if it means you will get a better picture composition for your photo.

Rule of Thirds for Picture Composition

The rule of thirds says to divide your frame horizontally and vertically into thirds. After you do this, you line up your subject at the point of one of the four intersections. I tend to put my subject just off centre without being too tied to the rule of thirds. Just remember, put your subject off centre for good picture composition. If your subject is always in the centre of the photo it can make for very boring for your viewers.

Keep it Simple

The best photos are the ones that have uncluttered backgrounds. Eliminate people’s legs, or the junk scattered around your background - or the trees in the background that may turn your subject into an alien with antennas. For good photo composition it is recommended that you eliminate anything from your photo that distracts from your main subject.

Fill the Camera’s Frame

When you’re setting up your photo composition, fill your camera’s frame with as much of the subject as you can. You can do this by changing your position, angle or perspective. This gives you a more intimate view of your subject.

Do not cut parts of your Subject Off

Try to get your entire subject into your photo. While this is a good rule to follow, it is often successfully broken. It may not be a good idea to cut off your subject’s arms it can look quite disjointed. If you cannot get the entire subject into you photo, watch the edges of the frame to make sure your photo composition will produce a good photograph.

Remember, you need to know the rules before you break them. Practice these tips so you get better photos most of the time. Happy snapping.

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Pet Photos take Patience

Most animals are camera shy if you make it obvious what you are trying to do. There are plenty of things you can do to make it easier for your animal subject. If you are a professional pet photographer you need to be sensitive to the different needs of individual animals. This is actually quite simple if you are patient.

Visit the animal in its home environment. Spend some time watching and interacting with it. This will probably only take 10 or 15 minutes. Show the owners you care and ask what sort of treats they give their pet and take some along. Use these to help the animal gain trust in you, but always make sure the owner is there as part of the exercise.

Watch this video
http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=q5eoaFLLH8Y

Have your camera handy, even sit down and have a coffee and let the animal feel relaxed around you. Keep a watch out and take some random natural photos. The results will surprise you. Wait for cats to curl up and go to sleep to get wonderful pet portraits. Or watch a kitten at play outside and capture its image forever as it explores its world.

Using a telescopic lens gives you the best opportunity to capture animals on the move, in their natural environment and state. This applies to wildlife and animals in captivity as well as to our beloved pets.

Depending on the light and whether you are working inside or outside, using your flash can give good results with clearer definition in your photos.

Animal Photographers get up close and Personal

Something to consider when taking pet photos is to get down to their level. Try not to always stand over your subjects. Crouch or sit down to get animal photos from their best angles. This way you can capture the detail of their fur and their features. Concentrate on the eyes, or a paw. And, no, do not try getting close and personal with an elephant or a tiger use a telephoto lens.

The great thing about the digital age of pet photography is you can take as many photos as you like and just delete the ones that don’t turn out.

Use your Flash to Freeze your Subject

As an animal photographer, you want to get action photos of people’s pets for great results. Go down to the park with a ball and take photos using your flash as the dog chases the ball. The difference with the flash will amaze you as it helps to capture all the minute details. Use your digital camera to experiment.

Another pet photography tip is to set your camera mode to the action setting. It gives better results and defines the finer details of your subject. This will let you capture your pets as they run and play in full motion. But always remember, you can take many, many photos just to get a few really good ones. Practice and experiment with your camera’s capabilities. Learn how to produce excellent animal photos.

While working with animals may be a little harder than with other subjects the everlasting rewards are worth it. Here’s a book a like on pet photography.

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Pets have been a part of your life for so long and you have hundreds of photos spanning many years. You have captured them as pictorial memories for the rest of your life. Animal photography is rewarding. By combining the two things you enjoy doing the most; it can make sense to become a pet photographer.

There are so many people out there whose pets are part of the family. Many show their pets, horses and trial in dog sports. There is a huge scope in what you can do with pets in your pet photography business.

Watch this video

Starting a professional pet photography business has a lot of rewards but there are some things you may want to know before you start.

Equipment a Pet Photographer Needs

The main thing you need is a good quality SLR camera. One of the cheap models with a built-in lens can not achieve the quality you want for a professional pet photography business. An SLR camera will produce good results and you can change the lenses for different effects. For example, use a telescopic lens for distant work. Also, use it for action pet photography and you can get brilliant results.

Build a Pet Photography Portfolio

People love looking at photos and they want to see yours. This is extremely important as people want to see what you can do. The first impression you make with samples of your work can make or break whether you get a job or not.

Take photos wherever you go. Keep your camera with you and take every opportunity you can to practice. Ask people walking their dogs in the park or at beach if you can take photos. Ask friends and family if you can practice your action photography and pet portrait photography on their pets. This takes time, dedication and passion – but if you intend to succeed then these are the characteristics you need. You also need patience they always say animals are hard to work with sometimes they are. But if you have a natural affinity for what you do you, keep in mind that capturing the natural shots are usually the best.

Give people free copies for themselves and keep the best ones for your own portfolio. Remember, you have to take a lot of photos to get just one good one so make sure you only put really top photographs in your portfolio. And keep adding to it after each successful photographic session.

Brand your Photography Business

Give your pet photography business a name. Get business cards, create a logo, a website just completely recreate yourself. What a great opportunity to create something you dream of. This gives you a recognizable identity.

Take your Photography Business out on Location

Where are you going to work from? Home? Working from home makes a lot of sense and is cost-effective to setup. Make sure you put aside a separate space from the rest of the home. This gives you definable space for your photography business. Often it can be best to visit your clients or have their owners bring them out into a good setting.

Start out part-time and build your reputation. Reputation really means a lot as a pet photographer. Genuine love for what you do, knowledge of animals and a great attitude will take you a long way. Either one of these two books has valuable information if you’re intending to take pet photography seriously. I suggest you at least look at them and you’ll see what I mean.

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How often do you think you have that great shot of your dogs running along a beach? You take a look at it on your screen and you are excited it looks great. But, when you download the image it does not have the depth of feel you saw when you took it. A digital image cannot capture the full range of light of the subject. You usually get something less than you expect. But this is true of any camera. It is difficult to catch the minute detail in one shot. The only way to create HDR images is to merge several exposures of the original photograph into one to replicate the depth and quality of reality.

Light is full of life, it constantly moves and changes the illusion of what you see momentarily. Especially through a camera lens. This is where HDR imaging comes to the rescue. It is essentially a manipulation technique where you can use HDR imaging on all parts of photography editing, storing, taking and end result.

Watch this video

http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=466GbNKJmig

Editing HDR Images

The three things you must consider when editing HDR images are brightness levels, the graphics user interface for HDR editing and the size of the image. Five or more exposures are recommended. The more exposures the more the lens will capture the smallest spectrums of light so the HDR process improves blending the tonal details.

Photoshop is software that has a process for creating HDR images and creates separate files that record all the details for each image (ISO, shutter speed, aperture) to assess the light levels in them. It then creates a HDR file using 32 bits, instead of 8 or 16 bits, to determine color channels.

While HDR produces great results, overdoing the merging process can distort the subject. The better the light and tone of the original photography the better the end result.

Storing HDR Images

JPEG and GIF formats only have 8 bit per channel of storage so they can not be used for HDR images. Formats like PNG and RAW have 16 bits per channel and are suitable for storing HDR images.

Taking HDR Images

Well, contrary to the hype you can not actually take an HDR image. They are manipulated. How you achieve that is to take several photos with different exposures of the same subject. You then merge them into one dynamic image using digital software to manipulate your images.

Remember, we pay a price for everything we do in life and photography. The possible downside of HDR imaging reduces contrast between the tones. Be aware of this and use your editing technology to strike a balance.

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Lenses project a circular image back into a digital camera’s sensor, which is able to capture or record a rectangular portion of the total image in the lens. The way to envision the operation of the lens is to think of them as long tubes held to the eye the shorter the tube the more of the overall scene is revealed, the longer the tube the more specific the amount of the scene. This is how lenses operate.

For example, a 100mm lens brings two times the magnification of the standard 50 mm view, meaning that less of the scene is registered in the lens or camera sensor. A basic rule of thumb for understanding the function of a lens is to remember the lower the mm numbers the larger amount of a scene is viewable in the lens. The larger the mm number the more magnified the original scene, and less of it viewable through the lens.

With that being said, digital lenses work in much the same manner as traditional film camera lenses. The 50mm lens delivers the same field of view as the human eye, including some measure of peripheral view. smaller lenses are considered wide angle for this reason, capturing more than the human eye measures. These are relied on for landscape photographs or those with broad perspectives.

The 70-300mm lenses deliver a longer focal length, narrowing the field of view and presenting smaller amounts of a scene. Such lenses magnify a portion of the view, bringing it in closer to the lens and filling the frame. These are sold as zoom lenses and some offer macrocapability, meaning they will focus clearly and deeply on tiny objects such as flowers or drops of water, and at speeds that will allow the images to be enlarged without disruption or digital noise.

If someone wanted to take a photo of a bird on a wire they would need a longer focal range because the bird is likely to fly away if someone tries to approach it. The photographer would want to use a higher number lens, but may also want to investigate a zoom or even macro lens. This delivers a close focal point at a long distance, but eliminates many of the issues of digital photography such as pixilation and noise during enlargement.

An investment in a few good digital lenses makes sense for even an amateur photographer as they allow a great deal of experimentation and will always produce excellent results.

A contribution by Amy Renfrey - If you like Amy’s professional tips and teachings on the subject of photography, you can preview and download her tuition guide here. Many people praise her style and personal touch and I can vouch for her integrity.

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Avoid the Light at High Noon

All photographers know to avoid shooting in full, natural sunlight at midday. It is the worst type of light of the day. It is unforgiving. If you have to take photos at this time of day find some shade for the best results.

There are situations where this will work well for you. If you are taking photos in a naturally dark area (e.g. in a forested parkland area) this can work in your favour when your subject is in high contrast with the environment.

The best times of the day for photography are early morning or late afternoon. The harshness of the midday sun will give you hard shadows whereas early or late afternoon light will soften them.

Watch this video
http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=7Ysmn9cQm0A

Use Natural Light to your Advantage

You often have no choice about the time of day you take your photographs. You may not even have a choice on where your subject is positioned for the photographs either. Look at each situation individually. With experience, you learn to gauge light levels and how to use them to your advantage. For example, use buildings to change your directional light. This can be as simple as moving your shooting position, or opening windows and doors strategically to get the best lighting effect.

Using buildings as light modifiers is effective and easy in the city. Pose your subject in a dirty, littered city alleyway with the harsh midday sun streaming in. Take a photograph. Now, use the same concept in another area with a white building in the background. Compare the two photographs and the effect will be much softer in the second photo.

Photography Techniques using Outdoor Light

Using the light of the sky is the most effective natural light source for digital photography. You do need to keep an eye on the colour temperatures as they create different effects at different times of the day.

Early morning light tends to be yellow, by noon it gets blue, early evening light is orange and, at night, the sky goes the deepest cobalt blue. Even when all the natural light from the day has faded, you can use its natural light for doing digital photography.

Use Natural Light to Enhance you Subject from the Front

Many digital photographers starting out use front lighting. By the photographer putting the natural sunlight behind them, it lights up all the features of the subject.

This is a flat light that gives minimum shadows but the result is there is little depth, no textures and the details are not clear. A landscape photographer would not use this technique as front lighting does not capture the drama of the landscape.

On the other hand, animal and wildlife photographers use front lighting successfully to capture the animal in full detail. Front lighting is also used when photographing buildings to capture all the details of the architecture.

Use Natural Light to Back Light your Subject

Using natural light to back light your subject can have spectacular results. But there are problems like flare, overexposure and high contrast to deal with when using this photography technique.

When backlighting your subject, get as close as you can to eliminate the background, or so the background is out of focus. If you have a problem with flaring in your lens, use your hand to block the direct natural sunlight from hitting the lens of your digital camera.

Use Side Lighting to Soften your Subject

Using side lighting separates your subject from the background and adds a three-dimensional aspect to your photographs. When using natural light as side lighting, the best time of the day is just after sunrise or before sunset in the late afternoon.

As you can see, there is no need to go out and buy expensive equipment. With a little know-how and experimentation, natural light is all you need.

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