amateur photographer - advanced photography skills

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RAISING YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY TO THE NEXT LEVEL SPRING 2013 £3.99 PLUS HOW TO CHOOSE A TRIPOD O GUIDE TO CONTINUOUS LIGHTING FILL-IN FLASH TECHNIQUES Beat shadows on bright sunny days PRO PRINTING ADVICE Produce high-quality prints at home IN-CAMERA EFFECTS Get creative without using software SENSORS EXPLAINED The science behind taking better photos TECHNIQUES O Secrets for sharper images O Learn to blend exposures O Shoot in low light O Capture infrared scenes O Understand focus stacking O Use enlarger lenses on your camera PERFECT LANDSCAPES Skills, techniques and advice for creating stunning outdoor images NEW INSIDE THIS ISSUE

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  • RAISING YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY TO THE NEXT LEVEL SPRING 2013 3.99

    PLUS HOW TO CHOOSE A TRIPOD OGUIDE TO CONTINUOUS LIGHTING

    FILL-IN FLASHTECHNIQUESBeat shadows on bright sunny days

    PRO PRINTING ADVICE Produce high-qualityprints at home

    IN-CAMERA EFFECTSGet creative without using software

    SENSORSEXPLAINEDThe science behind taking better photos

    TECHNIQUESO Secrets for sharper images

    O Learn to blend exposures

    O Shoot in low light

    O Capture infrared scenes

    O Understand focus stacking

    O Use enlarger lenses

    on your camera

    PERFECTLANDSCAPES

    Skills, techniques and advice for creating stunning outdoor images

    NEW

    INSIDE THIS ISSUE

  • specialauctionservices.com

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    1991

    An Ilford Witness, in makers case, sold for 13,200

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    28 February and 16 March 2013

    Our last sale on 5 October 2012 realised over 143,000 in total, withbidding from around the world and high prices realised in all areas.Ournext sale on 28 February 2013 includes fine Leica, other 35mm cameras,mahogany and brass cameras and movie cameras; we are now taking in

    consignments for our following sale on 16 May 2013.

    For further information on the largest regular sales of their type in theUnited Kingdom, or to get a valuation, please contact Hugo Marsh on:

    + (0)1635 580595 or [email protected]

    81 Greenham Business Park,Newbury RG19 6HWwww.specialauctionservices.com

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  • ADVANCED PHOTOGRAPHY SKILLS 3

    Amateur Photographeris a trademark of IPC Media Ltd

    2013 IPC Media Ltd ISSN No. 0002-6840

    Advanced Photography Skills is a Focus Network title,

    published by IPC Inspire, part of IPC Media Ltd, Blue Fin

    Building, 110 Southwark Street, London SE1 0SU

    EDITOR: Richard Sibley

    ART EDITOR: Simon Warren

    PRODUCTION EDITOR: Oliver Cotton

    ILLUSTRATIONS: Mark Jacobs

    CONTRIBUTORS: Damien Demolder,

    Mat Gallagher, Andrew Sydenham,

    Tim Coleman, Professor Robert Newman

    PUBLISHING DIRECTOR: Alex Robb

    SENIOR MARKETING MANAGER:

    Estelle Hicks-Bennett

    ONLINE MANAGER: Karen Sheard

    ADVERTISING: Julia Spencer, Simon Gerard

    THE TEAM

    INTRODUCTION

    WELCOMEBeing in the right place at the right time is

    vital when taking landscape images. The

    time of day, the photographers position

    in relation to the sun, and the weather

    all make the difference between a good

    landscape image and a stunning one. While you may

    get lucky and stumble upon a magni cent scene that is

    beautifully lit, with a little planning and preperation you

    can increase your chances of capturing a great image

    before you have even stepped outside your front door.

    In this issue of Amateur Photographer magazines

    Advanced Photography Skills, we tell you everything you

    need to know to take great landscapes photographs, from

    preparing for a days shooting to getting home and editing

    your images. We even look at how to capture other-

    worldly landscapes by shooting in infrared.

    Of course, this issue is crammed full of other useful

    information to help you take better images, and to

    understand how your camera and equipment works. From

    printing to ll-in ash, we want to take you beyond the

    basics and give you the skills and advice you need to raise

    your photography to the next level. Richard Sibley, Editor

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  • 4 ADVANCED PHOTOGRAPHY SKILLS

    CONTENTS

    7 TOP TIPS FOR SHARPER IMAGES Simple techniques for pin-sharp pictures

    12 ADVANCED LANDSCAPES Preparation, planning and dramatic compositions

    24 RETOUCHERS GUIDE Create smooth, noise-free skies

    26 CUSTOM WHITE BALANCE Render hues and tones with accuracy

    32 MACRO WITH A COMPACT Ditch the DSLR

    38 FOCUS STACKING Maintain sharpness in your macro images

    42 COMPLETE GUIDE TO SHOOTING INFRARED IMAGES Our comprehensive guide

    48 CONVERT A DSLR FOR INFRARED A step-by-step guide

    53 NO SOFTWARE REQUIRED In-camera effects

    60 BUILD A LCD LOUPE Solve your visibility issues in bright light

    62 RETOUCHERS GUIDE Blending multiple exposures

    64 CAPTURING WATER DROPLETS AND SPLASHES Try your hand at a classic technical challenge

    66 ENLARGER LENSES Macro images without the expense

    70 FILL-IN FLASH FOR PORTRAITS Use ash outside

    73 CONTINUOUS LIGHTING An alternative to ash

    76 LOW LIGHT Capture detail for stunning results

    78 SENSOR DESIGN Processes, principles and problems

    82 TRIPODS All you need to know about this essential kit

    86 PROFESSIONAL PRINTING Gallery-quality prints at home

    91 FUTURE-PROOFING Safeguard your archive

    94 CAMERA CARE Keep your kit in tip-top condition

    CONTENTS

    91 FUTURE-PROOFING

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  • ADVANCED PHOTOGRAPHY SKILLS 5

    12 ADVANCED LANDSCAPES

    Find out how to capture your best-ever landscape photos

    7 TOP TIPS FOR SHARPER IMAGES

    64 CAPTURING WATER DROPLETS AND SPLASHES

    86 PROFESSIONAL PRINTING

    53 NO SOFTWARE REQUIRED

    94 CAMERA CARE

    32 MACRO WITH A COMPACT

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  • Foundation in photography

    Improve yourphotography

    DIPLOMA IN DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY

    FOUNDATION IN PHOTOGRAPHY

    FOUNDATION IN DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY

    COURSE FEES ONLY 299

    COURSE FEES ONLY 299

    COURSE FEES ONLY 195

    FOUNDATION IN DIGITAL IMAGING TECHNIQUES Size and crop a digital

    image

    Adjust tones, correct colours and convert your

    images to monochrome

    Use the selection tools to adjust certain areas

    of your images

    Remove dust and scratches from precious

    photos

    Banish redeye forever Sharpen your images Create an archive to

    safeguard valuable

    pictures

    Viewpoint and composition

    How to use your cameras program modes

    All about lenses Sharpening your image Formatting, sizing

    and printing

    ISO, ash, exposure and white balance setting

    Basic image editing

    Working with tones: Levels and Curves

    Contrast control Using white balance Black & white

    techniques, toning

    and staining

    Working with colour Retouching and

    sharpening

    Sizing, printing and storing

    Winning composition Making landscapes

    with impact

    Expert metering techniques

    Shooting striking portraits

    Mastering still life Depth of eld control Controlling ash Wildlife and nature

    photography

    Using colour Sports and action shots Choosing the right lens

    Digital photo courses for all levels Apply now

    IN ASSOCIATION WITH AND

    I started with the SPI Foundation in Photography in 2009 and learned so much from this course. I always look forward to getting feedback from my tutors and I am currently completing the Foundation in Digital Imaging

    Techniques course. Ross Mackenzie

    To fast-track your photography skills call 0203 148 4326or visit WWW.SPI-PHOTOGRAPHY-COURSES.COM

    COURSE FEES ONLY 299

    Offer on Photoshop

    CS6 Extended Our exclusive deal with Adobe

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    ho do not qualify as a full-time student in order to obtain a discounted version of C

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  • It doesnt take much effort to produce the sharpest possible images, nor is the most expensive equipment required in fact, its all a matter of application. Here are our 18 top tips for pin-sharp pictures

    IF THERE is one thing all photographers appreciate, it is extremely sharp pictures. Whether it is a macro, landscape or architectural image, the sharper it is the more ne details will be revealed.

    Capturing pin-sharp images is neither dif cult nor reliant on the use of lenses and cameras costing thousands of pounds. In fact, it largely comes down to the choices you make when setting up your camera prior to taking the shot. There is no one secret trick, but by using a combination of the following 18 tips you can be sure your images will be as sharp as possible.

    1 FIXED-FOCAL-LENGTH LENSIT IS well known that xed-focal-length lenses generally produce sharper results than zoom optics. However, buying a range of such lenses is costly, so instead use image library software, such as the Organizer in Adobe Photoshop Elements, Lightroom, Adobe Bridge or Apple Aperture, to nd out which focal lengths you use most.

    Using the search lters, nd all images taken

    using a particular zoom lens and then search by focal length. I found that out of 5,062 images I took with an 18-200mm superzoom lens, 2,450 were taken between 18mm and 24mm a xed 18mm or 20mm lens would therefore be ideal and certainly a lot sharper than the optic I used.

    Fixed-focal-length lenses do not have to be expensive. Both Canon and Nikon offer 50mm f/1.8

    optics at less than 200, and older, used AF versions can be found for around 100. And dont forget that old manual-

    focus lenses are also available for many camera systems. If your

    photography isnt reliant on fast focusing speeds,

    these can be extremely sharp and good value for money. One of the sharpest lenses I own is a 55mm f/3.5 Micro Nikkor lens from 1963,

    which cost me just 45.

    SKILLS

    ADVANCED PHOTOGRAPHY SKILLS 7

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  • 8 ADVANCED PHOTOGRAPHY SKILLS

    SKILLS

    2 CHOICE OF FOCAL LENGTHTHERE is no escaping the fact that some lenses are sharper than others. This doesnt mean that you need to abandon all your optics and spend thousands of pounds on new ones, but it may help if you learn which of them are sharper than others, and at what settings.

    Take the kit zoom and superzoom lenses of the 18-200mm variety. These are never going to be the sharpest lenses you can buy, but there are ways to maximise their performance. For instance, a zoom lens will usually perform the worst at its extremes, so before you zoom all the way in, think about taking a few steps forward and using a focal length nearer to the middle of the zoom range. This slight adjustment can make a signi cant difference. It is similar story at the minimum focal length where a zoom will also show distortion. Here, you should zoom in slightly and take a few steps backwards.

    Finding the focal length at which a zoom lens is sharpest is straightforward. Use a tripod to keep the camera steady and then simply photograph the same subject at different focal lengths, keeping the subject the same size in each frame. Now see which focal length produces the sharpest result.

    Of course, the more you pay for a zoom lens, the better the image quality should be and, as lenses hold their value far better than cameras and can always be used when you upgrade, it is always worth buying the best you can afford.

    4 APERTUREAPERTURE plays a vital role in the sharpness of an image. The rule of thumb is that a lens is at its sharpest when stopped down 2 stops from its widest aperture. Therefore, an f/2.8 lens should start to reach its sharpest at f/5.6.

    When used with an aperture set to its maximum, lenses are more prone to suffering from distortions, chromatic aberrations, are and coma, all of which have an adverse effect on sharpness. Conversely, diffraction starts to occur as an aperture becomes smaller. When

    the aperture is very small, the light tends to bend as it exits the hole. These divergent rays have to travel further to reach the focus plane, which means they end up being slightly out of phase, resulting in a slight blurring. So while the effects of diffraction are often only slight, they can cause noticeable loss of detail.

    To test which aperture is the sharpest on any given lens, aim the optic at a particularly detailed subject and lock the focus to this point. Now, in aperture priority mode, take the same image at every given aperture. By examining the results at 100%, you will see exactly which aperture settings produce the sharpest image these

    are usually between f/5.6 and f/11, depending on the lens.

    It is worth considering this information when shooting landscapes, when generally youll want to get as much of the image in focus as possible. While a small aperture of f/22 will increase the depth of eld, it will also increase diffraction, which will reduce the image sharpness. Instead, use hyperfocal focusing, where the aperture and point of focus are calculated, to maximise the depth of eld and sharpness across as much of the image as possible.

    3 MANUAL FOCUS AND LIVE VIEWIF YOUR camera is mounted on a tripod, take advantage of this by using live view to magnify the image on the rear of the camera. You can then manually focus the lens with real precision, making sure the desired area is precisely in focus for example, the subjects pupil rather than the end of their eyelashes.

    18mm

    24mm

    50mm

    135mm

    200mm

    22

    22

    22

    22

    22

    F/2.8 F/4 F/5.6

    F/8 F/11 F/16

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  • SKILLS

    ADVANCED PHOTOGRAPHY SKILLS 9

    7 MIRROR LOCK-UPTHERE are a few things that are hard to avoid when you press a cameras shutter button. One is that you will inevitably move the camera slightly. The other is that the movement of the cameras mirror springing upwards will cause tiny vibrations.

    One of the ways to avoid these movements is to use mirror lock-up mode. When available, this moves the mirror up when the shutter is pressed, with the shutter being released after a short delay or when the shutter is next pressed. This delay allows any vibrations or movements to settle. In taking these slight movements out of the equation, the resulting image should be slightly sharper.

    5 AF FINE-TUNE

    6 SHUTTER SPEEDTHE CAMERAS shutter is a tool for freezing motion, be it the movement of the photographer or the subject.

    If you are photographing a moving subject, remember to use a shutter speed that is fast enough to freeze its motion. While 1/125sec may be appropriate for someone walking leisurely, it wont be fast enough to perfectly freeze the motion of someone sprinting or leaping over a hurdle. If the speed is too slow, the motion wont be frozen and the subject will appear blurred.

    Similarly, any movement the photographer is making will also have an effect. If you are shooting handheld, the rule is that you should always use a shutter speed at least as fast as the 35mm focal length. Therefore, if you are using a 300mm lens on a full-frame DSLR, you should use a shutter speed of 1/300sec or faster. If you are using a 300mm lens on a camera with an APS-C-sized sensor, then you should be using a shutter speed of at least 1/450sec (which takes the crop factor into account). Although image stabilisation will obviously help to reduce the effects of camera shake, for best results try and adhere to this rule as much as possible.

    -5 0 +5

    MANY DSLR cameras now come with a feature that allows the autofocus to be ne-tuned, even allowing it to be adjusted for individual lenses. It can be the case that lenses display a slight front- or back-focus effect. Most of the time this will barely be noticeable, but for absolute precision it is worth checking your individual lenses.

    There are commercially available focus-checker devices that can help

    you to check and adjust the AF of your camera. However, a quick search online will also present a variety of free charts that you can download and make yourself.

    The basic premise is to focus on the focusing chart and look at how sharp the point of focus is. If your lens is perfect, the focus should be on the exact point that you have focused on. However, if the lens is slightly out, the point of focus may be just in front, or

    just behind, the intended target. Using the cameras AF ne-tune facility, it is possible to tweak the AF performance of the lens by a tiny fraction to accommodate any aw in the focus of the lens. Most cameras then have the option to save this setting so that it is automatically applied whenever this lens is used. By going through and adjusting each of your lenses, you can make sure that you get the best performance from them every time.

    Fine-tuning the autofocus can squeeze a tiny bit more detail out of a lens

    This is an extreme example, but choosing the correct shutter speed can make a big difference to the sharpness of your images

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  • 10 ADVANCED PHOTOGRAPHY SKILLS

    SKILLS

    10 SHARPENING

    11 NOISE REDUCTIONMOST raw-conversion software will apply default sharpening and noise reduction based on the ISO sensitivity of the image. However, these arent always the best settings to use.

    When it comes to noise reduction, it is luminance noise reduction that is the most destructive. It works by blending neighbouring pixels together to remove the speckled luminance noise. In doing so, the process often blurs texture detail, creating images that look blurred or smudged, but with sharp edges.

    When applying luminance noise reduction, start with no reduction applied and then gradually increase the level until the edge has been taken off any speckling, but before any signs of smudging or loss of surface detail emerge. It is better to leave a hint of speckled luminance noise in the image than cause a loss of detail and sharpness from too much noise reduction.

    Colour (chroma) noise reduction usually has no effect on the sharpness of an image, so it is generally acceptable to apply as much as is necessary to reduce any coloured noise.

    8 FOCUSING TECHNIQUEANOTHER habit of most photographers is to use the centre AF spot to focus and then, with the focus locked and shutter button half pressed, reframe the shot. This technique works if you have a large depth of eld, but with a shallow depth of eld the otherwise fractional shift in AF distance can slightly soften focus. It is far better to shift to a more appropriate AF point positioned over the subject. Another option is to use a single AF point and continuous tracking; it is then possible to use the centre spot focus and reframe technique as the focus tracking will adjust for the slight movement.

    9 SHOOT RAWALTHOUGH the level of sharpening and noise reduction can be set to varying levels in-camera, it is always best to shoot raw images. When an image is saved as a JPEG le, it is compressed to save space, but this can cause a loss of detail sharpness. Capturing images as raw les and then using raw-conversion software to process them offers far more control over how sharpening and noise reduction are applied.

    COLOUR NOISE TOO MUCH NRNR JUST RIGHTCOLOUR NR

    AS WITH luminance noise reduction, you should remove any default settings and start sharpening from scratch. In this way you will have complete control. I nd that sharpening can usually be applied a little more strongly than the default settings allow, but it is dependent on the subject.

    Most sharpening tools use an Unsharp Mask technique, which increases edge contrast to make them appear sharper. To successfully sharpen an image to its full potential, it is important to understand what each of the changes you make does.

    Adobe Camera Raw has four different sliders for sharpening, each performing a different task. While they may have slightly different names in other software packages, the basic functions are the same.

    The Amount slider controls the strength of the sharpening, basically adjusting the low contrast of edges to increase or decrease the effect.

    The Radius slider determines the number of pixels from an edge that are affected by the sharpening. Using a small number will only affect the area around very distinct edges; a larger number will apply the sharpening effect to a greater distance away from the edge, causing

    a stronger contrast effect. It can, however, create a halo effect around these edges, so it is best to keep the Radius fairly low, usually between around 0.5 and 2 pixels. Holding down the Alt key while moving the Radius slider shows a preview of which edges will be affected, highlighted in white. Grey areas remain unaffected. Look out for haloed edges and reduce the setting accordingly.

    The Detail slider is quite straightforward: it controls the degree to which details are sharpened. The higher the setting, the more ne edges are sharpened. When at a low setting, only the major outline edges will be affected, and not the smaller surface texture details. Again, holding the Alt key while moving the slider shows exactly which detailed edges will be affected.

    Perhaps the most useful of the sharpening tools is the Masking slider. This masks those areas of the image that you dont want sharpened. When set to 0, no masking is applied, but when at 100 sharpening will only be applied to major edges. Where the masking slider is particularly useful is in actually making sure that any luminance noise in skies isnt made worse by the sharpening process. Hold down Alt and use the Masking slider to ensure that you only sharpen those edges that need it.

    Only sharpen areas that you need to so that noise is not exaggerated

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  • SKILLS

    ADVANCED PHOTOGRAPHY SKILLS 11

    16 TRIPODS AND SUPPORTSA TRIPOD is perhaps the best tool for making sure that an image is pin-sharp. While it can sometimes be a pain to carry around, the bene ts of using one are huge. With the camera mounted on a sturdy tripod and head, there should be no camera movement during the exposure and virtually no excuse for the image to not be sharp.

    However, it isnt just tripods that can help steady your camera

    monopods also offer a great deal of support. Although they are not as stable as a tripod, monopods can make a signi cant difference to the sharpness of your images. Some professional portrait photographers even use monopods when shooting in a controlled and well-lit studio environment, as they offer support but with a degree of exibility not found with a tripod.

    18 REMOTE RELEASEFOR ABSOLUTE precision, a remote release is key. Using a remote release means that a cameras shutter button doesnt have to be pressed at all. As a result, the camera wont be subject to any movements created when you press the button. Once again, when combined with a mirror lock-up and a tripod, a remote release should allow for pin-sharp pictures.

    12 ISO SENSITIVITYYOU MAY not think so, but ISO sensitivity has some effect on sharpness because as the sensitivity increases so does luminance and chroma noise. These reduce detail, but not as much as noise reduction, which blurs and smoothes image noise causing a loss of image sharpness in ne detailed areas.

    Wherever possible, try to shoot at your cameras native ISO sensitivity, which is usually ISO 100 or 200. Doing so will mean the sensor and image processor will not have to amplify any analogue or digital signals an action that can itself create image noise.

    Similarly, avoid Lo ISO settings. These generally just use the cameras native ISO sensitivity and then underexpose the image accordingly, before boosting the signal to produce a correct exposure. Generally, any image noise produced is very slight, but there can be less detail in highlight areas compared to using the cameras native ISO sensitivity.

    13 IMAGE STABILISATIONWHETHER it is optical- or sensor-based image stabilisation, if you are shooting handheld you should always switch it on if available. Even if you are using a fast shutter speed, the extra stabilisation can make a difference.

    However, image stabilisation should not be considered a substitute for a proper camera support. Although it makes it possible to shoot images handheld at far slower shutter speeds than would normally be possible, for critical sharpness a fast shutter speed or an appropriate support should always be used.

    14 DEPTH OF FIELDTHE APERTURE of a lens is, of course, used to set the depth of eld. It may seem obvious to say that the subject must fall within the given depth of eld, but pay real attention to how the depth of eld may affect sharpness. If you are shooting a portrait image at a very wide aperture of, say, f/2.8, and either you or the subject moves forward or back by just an inch or two when taking the picture, it may be enough to throw the subject slightly out of focus. The eyes, for example, may now be not as sharp as they should and the focus point may be nearer the front of the subjects nose. Increasing the aperture by just 1 stop will increase the depth of eld enough to help reduce the effects of this movement.

    15 SELF-TIMERIF YOUR camera doesnt have a mirror lock-up function, the self-timer function can be just as useful. By setting the self-timer to re a few seconds after you have pressed the shutter button, any force you may have applied to the camera when pressing the button will have subsided before the image is taken.

    A self-timer becomes even more useful when combined with mirror lock-up. This means that the mirror can spring up and then, when you press the cameras shutter button a second time, it will be a further few seconds before the shutter automatically opens. Once again, this means that the camera should be perfectly still and free from even the slightest shake.

    17 CORRECT AUTOFOCUS MODESOMETHING that is often overlooked is the correct autofocus mode. On a basic level you have a choice between single and continuous AF. If you are shooting a still object, such as a still life or a landscape image, then single AF mode is the most sensible choice, while continuous AF is the obvious choice if your subject is moving.

    However, if you are handholding the camera and shooting something like a portrait image, where the depth of eld may be shallow, it may be worth using continuous AF. As previously explained, if you or the subject lean forward or back slightly, continuous AF should help maintain sharp focus on the subject.

    WITH SUPPORT

    WITHOUT SUPPORT

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  • 12 ADVANCED PHOTOGRAPHY SKILLS

    SKILLS

    ADVANCED

    The more preparation you put into taking a landscape image, the greater your chances of producing a fantastic photograph

    The rst step to improving your landscape photography is to ensure you are prepared. We explain how to plan your shoot properly, what to take with you and how best to achieve dramatic compositions

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  • SKILLS

    ADVANCED PHOTOGRAPHY SKILLS 13

    LANDSCAPESLANDSCAPES are one of the most popular subjects in photography, and something that nearly all photographers turn their hand to at some point. Many photographers choose to take a landscape shot simply because they are in a nice

    location with great lighting, so they set the cameras aperture to f/16 and click away. However, to be more than just a one-hit wonder in the world of great landscapes images, careful planning and preparation are essential, along with compositional skill.

    While most photographers are familiar with the basics of how to take a good landscape image, this guide will go beyond the fundamentals and explain how you can capture your best-ever landscape photographs.

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  • 14 ADVANCED PHOTOGRAPHY SKILLS

    SKILLS

    FINDING YOUR

    LOCATION

    Look through most photography magazines and

    you will see the same locations time and again. There are countless sites all over the UK that are notorious for photographers almost having to queue up to take photographs. Places such as Durdle Door in Dorset, or the wooden jetties on Derwent Water in the Lake District, are fantastic locations, but with so many images of them already existing, it is difcult to make your photograph stand out from the rest. While it isnt necessarily a bad thing to have a great photograph that is similar to someone elses, it is nicer to have your own unique image from your own location, or at least to see how you can photograph the more famous locations differently.

    Thanks to the internet, it is now possible to explore locations without having to leave your home, which makes the planning stage of a landscape shoot much easier. The rst thing to do is to nd out what locations have already been photographed many times before. If you are interested in a particular area, visit Flickr (www.ickr.com) and search for the name of the location. Very few places have escaped the

    Timing is crucial for landscape photography. If you are planning to travel to a location for sunrise or sunset, make sure you know exactly how long your journey will take

    photographers lens completely, and looking at the images taken by other photographers will give you an idea of how to plan your own shoot.

    Look for features in the landscape, and see how the location changes at different times of the day or in different seasons. All these ideas will be useful when you come to make your nal decision about what your photograph should look like.

    TIME OF DAY

    One of the biggest decisions facing the landscape photographer is what time of day to shoot a particular location. Some of the most fantastic colours, as well as long dramatic shadows, are produced just before and after sunrise and sunset, and these make it the favourite time for most people.

    The sun will always rise roughly to the east and set in the west, but consider how this light will affect what is illuminated in the landscape. Will the side of a particular hill be lit up by the sun during sunrise or sunset? At what time of day will the sun be bright enough to cause a perfect reection of that hill in the lake?

    While these are questions that can be fairly difcult to answer without rst visiting the location at different times of the day, there are ways to work out when the light will hit certain features in the scene while youre sitting at home. An Ordnance Survey map will give you a rough idea of where the sun will rise and set in relation to your location, but for a more comprehensive solution try the Photographers Ephemeris (photoephemeris.com). This is a simple piece of software for use on either a computer or an Apple iPhone/iPad

    to calculate precisely where and at what time the sun will rise and set on a specic day at any point in the future.

    By using a slider you can see how the position of the sun will change over the course of the day, so if you do want to see the sunlight hit a particular feature in the landscape you can nd out at exactly what time this will happen which will allow you to work out just how far in advance you need to be at the location to set up for the shot.

    For example, if you want to photograph a mountain with a lake to its east, the Photographers Ephemeris will show a map of that location. Moving the slider will change the time of day and show the exact position of the sun throughout. You will then be able to see at exactly what time the sun will be illuminating the mountain from along the lake, allowing you to stand at the far end of the lake and capture the mountain nicely lit up by the early morning sunshine. You can work out the time to the exact minute, so you can arrive and set up your camera gear in plenty of time.

    Although it is always ideal to know your intended location rst-hand, tools like the Photographers Ephemeris make it possible to know the right time to visit a location in order to catch sunrise or sunset. The information it provides even allows you to calculate where to stand to capture the perfect image. It can save a lot of time, and it means you dont have to get up early and visit your location time and again in an effort to perfect your picture.

    TRAVELLING

    If you are planning to visit your location at a very specic time, such

    The key to landscape photography is proper planning and preparation. Knowing exactly when and where to shoot dramatically increases your chances of success and saves a lot of time in the process

    PLANNING AND PREPARATION

    The Photographers Ephemeris can tell you the position of the sun at any given time, anywhere in the world

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  • SKILLS

    ADVANCED PHOTOGRAPHY SKILLS 15

    Some of the most fantastic colours are produced just before and after sunrise and sunset

    conditions where the batteries wont perform to their full ability. Also, even if your camera has an in-camera level facility, it is always worth carrying a separate hotshoe-mounted bubble level to help ensure your images are straight.

    Besides camera equipment, there are a number of other items you should pack. If you are heading off the beaten track in the Lake District, Brecon Beacons, Dartmoor or a similarly remote landscape, a map and compass should be high on your list. Despite mobile phones being able to access maps, many will require an internet connection that may not be available in a remote landscape. Similarly, mobile phone batteries can also die. With this in mind, make sure your mobile is fully charged and use an in-car charger to keep it topped up while travelling between locations.

    The most obvious advice of all is to take a bottle of water and some sweets, chocolate or a banana or two. If you dont stay hydrated or are low on energy, you will tire more easily and wont be able to stay out taking images for as long. Also, tiredness can lead to simple mistakes, such as forgetting to shoot in raw or forgetting to set the correct ISO sensitivity.

    as sunrise or sunset, make sure you allow enough time to get there. If you are driving, take into account any traf c you may face, particularly in the evenings. Also include the time it will take to park and walk to your location, and allow yourself ten minutes to set up your camera and tripod and test your exposure settings.

    ACCESS

    Make sure you are not trespassing on private land when taking photographs. There are many public rights of way in the UK, with footpaths and bridleways for walkers, horses and cyclists. There are also paths where the landowner allows people to use walkways across their land, but these are not of cially public rights of way. Ordnance Survey maps of 1:50,000 and 1:25,000 scale show public paths.

    Certain areas in National Parks, Forestry Commission woodland and National Trust land offer open access. This means that the public has legal foot access to any open area. Some of these areas are clearly marked, but always be sure you are not trespassing on private land by checking local maps and guides.

    PACKING YOUR

    CAMERA BAG

    While it is best to pack your camera equipment to accommodate any photo opportunity that you come across, if you are planning to walk for any length of time try to reduce the weight you will be carrying. As you are going to be speci cally taking landscapes, I would suggest taking a xed wideangle lens and a mid-range zoom, such as a 28-70mm or a 28-105mm lens. This will allow you to have a sharp prime lens for most landscapes and a zoom lens to pick out speci c subjects in the landscape. If you are driving between different locations, then by all means carry more lenses with you but leave them securely in the boot of your car to keep what you are carrying to a minimum.

    One essential item for sharp images is a remote camera release. Combined with mirror lock-up, this will allow you to keep to a minimum any vibrations caused by touching the camera, mirror slap or ring the shutter.

    If you plan to be out for the whole day, it is worth taking a spare camera battery, particularly in colder

    THE WEATHERAS UNPREDICTABLE as the British weather can be, most 24-hour forecasts are reasonably accurate and offer at least an idea of what you may be faced with before heading out. So make sure you check the weather beforehand and, if you are determined to head out even in the pouring rain, make sure you have packed your camera kit and clothing accordingly. It may seem like common sense, but when that 10% chance of a downpour materialises youll be thankful that you packed a waterproof jacket and your camera in its water-resistant case.

    Checking the weather will not only help you decide whether it is worth getting out of bed or to remind you to take a coat it can also help to prevent a dangerous situation. Although some of the best-known landscape locations arent far from a main road, many more are well off the beaten track, out on the moors or in mountainous regions, so always take care and be prepared. If there is the likelihood of a thunderstorm, heavy rain or snow, think carefully about whether you will be safe going out. If you think the conditions are manageable, remember to dress and pack your equipment appropriately.

    If you plan to photograph seascapes, knowing the tide times is just as essential as knowing what weather to expect. There is no point turning up at a venue ready to take long-exposure images of a wooden pier heading out to sea if the tide is out and there is a mile of exposed sand when you arrive. Similarly, if you want to photograph the rugged rock pools off the coast of

    Jersey, youll want to know when the tide will be low enough to do so.

    With safety in mind, it is important to know when the tide will be in. You dont want to be stranded in a bay that can only be accessed at low tide when the water is coming in. To check the tide times around the UK coastline, visit www.bbc.co.uk/weather/coast_and_sea/tide_tables.

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  • 16 ADVANCED PHOTOGRAPHY SKILLS

    SKILLS

    Once you have reached your chosen location, there is still work to be done before you even start setting up your camera

    ON LOCATIONCOMPOSITION

    With your scene now in front of you, it is time to decide exactly how to compose your image. There are countless ways to do this, and it is up to the photographer to determine a suitable composition for the scene at that particular moment.

    There are few rules when it comes to composition, although the rule of thirds is always a good starting point, but by breaking this rule you

    can sometimes produce some of the most striking images. Another similar method of composition is the Fibonacci curve. Like the rule of thirds, it places key compositional elements along certain points in the curve, and is meant to balance an image and draw in the viewers eye.

    Lone trees, a tractor or farm buildings can all be placed along the rule of thirds intersections to help balance an image and give the viewer

    a point on which to focus. Equally, placing an object in the centre of the frame can make it powerful and dominant, but it can also make it the complete focus of an image rather than the landscape itself.

    Control where the viewer will look through leading lines. Winding country roads that cut through a scene, or the ploughed lines in a eld, can be used to guide the viewer through an image. Leading lines can provide a sense of scale, which is important if your landscape is otherwise just blue skies and green grass.

    The aspect ratio can make a huge difference to the look of an image. Again, there is no right or wrong format for a landscape photograph. Many of Ansel Adams images are of a 5:4 ratio, while 3:2 and 4:3 aspect ratios are probably the most common today. However, there is nothing stopping you crop to other, less traditional aspect ratios.

    Although you will probably want to crop the image to a suitable aspect ratio using image-editing software rather than in-camera at the scene, it can be useful to know roughly what you want your image to look like.

    To help visualise this, it is possible to change the image format in-camera and then return it to its native aspect ratio before taking the image. Other photographers may use masking tape or card to cover part of the screen to help see their composition. Another trick is to use a series of small card frames with apertures of different aspect ratios cut out of them. Holding these in front of your eye will allow you to see roughly how an image will look, without even having to get your camera out of your bag.

    With a camera bag carefully

    When positioning elements in the frame, use the rule of thirds as a starting point

    Use a piece of acetate and divide it into nine equal areas. Thenplace it in a card frame to make a simple compositional aid

    A Fibonacci, or Golden Ratio, curve can be used to help compose images

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  • ADVANCED PHOTOGRAPHY SKILLS 17

    SKILLS

    packed and a tripod in tow, it can take a few minutes to set up your equipment once you are in position. For all a tripods good points, it can be restrictive when it comes to creatively exploring how to compose a scene. With this in mind, it is a good idea to work out the exact position from which to take an image before you set the tripod up. Once again, you can do this using small framing cards to compose the scene, or you can even use a small compact camera, but usually it is best to use your main camera and take some test images at different angles, heights and positions. Once you have found the height and angle you are most happy with, set up the tripod and lock the camera in position.

    HEIGHTS AND ANGLES

    With your scene in front of you, it is tempting just to pull out your tripod and take all your images at eye-level, but this isnt always the best option. We are all used to seeing the world at this height, so by shooting from a lower or higher angle we can create

    something slightly more unusual, and often more eye-catching.

    Shooting from above eye-level will often result in the camera being angled down slightly to capture the landscape. The result will be that more of the landscape, but less of the sky, is visible. Similarly, shooting from a low angle will reduce how much landscape is shown in the middle distance and draw attention to any subjects in the foreground. Think about how your shooting angle will draw attention to different parts of a scene.

    Remember that, as well as focusing your attention on one particular part of the scene, you can also avoid certain areas. For example, when faced with an amazing cloud formation made all the more dramatic by early evening sunlight bursting through, tilt the camera up to include more of the sky and less of the land. Conversely, avoid a dull, at, overcast sky by not including it at all in your image. Instead, place the camera up high and shoot with it angled downwards.

    When cropping images, consider the scenes key elements. Here, the 3:2 ratio strikes a nice balance between the clouds and sunlit foreground

    3:2

    16:9

    16:7

    1:1

    5:4

    4:3

    Shooting from above eye-level will often result in the camera being angled down slightly to capture the landscape. The result will be that more of the landscape, but less of the sky, is visible

    LOW ANGLE EYE-LEVEL

    The height at which an image is taken can dramatically alter the look of the scene. Here, the shallow waves of the low-angle image draw the eye to the building

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  • 18 ADVANCED PHOTOGRAPHY SKILLS

    SKILLS

    ND lters are semi-transparent and neutrally coloured. They lter the amount of light entering the camera

    ACCESSORIESFILTERS

    On page 21, we explain when to use lters and how

    to use them correctly, but rst we will look at what kind of lters you should be considering.

    CIRCULAR POLARISER

    An absolute must for a landscape photographer is a circular polariser. These lters polarise the light entering the lens and cut down glare and re ections. In doing so, blue skies can be made even bluer, and clear water can become even clearer, which is useful when shooting in exotic locations next to lakes or the sea.

    NEUTRAL DENSITY

    Neutral density (ND) lters are semi-transparent and neutrally coloured. They lter the amount of light entering the camera, leading to an increase in the required exposure. When shooting landscape images, ND lters are most commonly used to increase the exposure time when photographing lakes or the sea to create a soft, misty water effect.

    GRADUATED

    NEUTRAL DENSITY

    Graduated neutral density lters (ND grads) help to even out the exposure between land and sky. The graduated, semi-opaque nish gradually darkens skies before the gradient fades into the landscape. Using the correct ND grad will darken a bright sky in a scene and balance it with the land. To a certain extent its effect can be replicated by blending different exposures or by darkening a sky in editing software, but it is far better to get it right in-camera.

    ULTRAVIOLET

    Ultraviolet (UV) lters cut down the amount of UV light entering the lens, which helps to make distant features in a landscape look clearer. However, most modern lenses are coated to

    reduce UV light, as are the lters that sit in front of a digital cameras sensor, so UV lters are largely used to protect a cameras lens rather than actually reduce UV light.

    TRIPODS

    There are few situations when a tripod wont give you a better, sharper image than a photograph taken handheld, but for landscape pictures they are essential for getting the sharpest images, particularly when small apertures are used at dawn or dusk.

    If you are planning to hike to your location, then a small, light, four-section, carbon- bre tripod may be the most convenient. However, in windy conditions, a heavier, sturdier tripod is a better option to prevent camera shake. Most enthusiast photographers dont have the luxury of owning two tripods, so the best one is the one you already own.

    If you have one of the lighter tripods, there are ways that you can weigh it down. Many tripods have a hook at the bottom of the centre column. This can be used to attach a weight, to add ballast that will help to prevent small movements of the tripod and act as a shock absorber to reduce any vibrations. Purpose-made sandbags or beanbags lled with sand are available, tted with clips to make them easy to attach to a tripods ballast hook. Other options could include hanging your camera bag from the hook, or even just a carrier bag lled with rocks or stones picked up at the scene.

    If your tripod doesnt have a hook, then string can be wrapped above where the tripod legs meet the centre column. It can then be used to attach a sandbag or your camera bag. Alternatively, you can use a water bottle, and if you are near a water feature the bottle can be lled up on location. Another important

    factor is making sure that any quick-release clamps on your tripod legs are tight and will hold the legs rm when clamped down. Most tripods come with a key that will allow you to tighten the nuts that provide the resistance against the clamp springs. Before heading out, make sure that when clamped the legs wont slip.

    PREVENTING CAMERA

    MOVEMENT

    In strong winds it is not just the tripod that will need to be steady, as the wind will catch the camera and lens, and the tiny movements will cause a loss of a sharpness. To help prevent this, place a sandbag on top of the camera. The extra weight will help to reduce any vibrations.

    The hook on the bottom of a centre column can be used to add ballast to weigh down a lightweight tripod

    In windy conditions,

    use a sandbag or

    beanbag filled with

    rice to weigh down

    the camera

    ND grads are one of the key lters for any landscape photographer

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  • ADVANCED PHOTOGRAPHY SKILLS 19

    SKILLS

    Focus here

    Focus on subject

    Focus just behind subject

    Focus here

    With your image composed and your camera on a tripod, its time to choose your focus point and exposure settings

    FOCUSING AND EXPOSURE

    By focusing slightly further back, the tree is still in focus, but the depth of eld has now extended to in nity, bringing the mountain in the background into focus

    When focusing on the subject, in this case a tree, the depth of eld extends in front of the tree and behind it, but not far enough for the distant mountain to be in focus

    FOCUSING

    It may seem odd to discuss focusing before exposure,

    but when it comes to landscape photography the two are intrinsically linked. Before you select your aperture you should know how much depth of eld you require.

    For most landscape images, the aim of the photographer is to get as much of the landscape in focus as possible, from the very front of the scene to distant hills and mountains. To do this, hyperfocal focusing is used, whereby the lens is focused to a distance that allows depth of eld to extend from in front of the point of focus to in nity

    With most modern lenses not having depth-of- eld scales, many photographers remember the simpli ed rule that the depth of eld extends roughly one third of its total distance in front of the focus point. Knowing this allows them to focus behind the subject, extending the depth of eld further back, hopefully to in nity, but still keeping the foreground subject in focus.

    Although this knowledge is extremely useful, it is by no means accurate or precise. If you are using this technique, try increasing your aperture by another stop to increase

    the depth of eld further, or try focus bracketing to increase your chances of hitting the hyperfocal distance.

    A far better idea than all that guesswork is to create a hyperfocal distance graph for any lenses you own using free software from DOF Master (www.dofmaster.com/charts.html). This will allow you to create your own hyperfocal distance charts of each of your lenses, or for particular focal lengths of a zoom lens. Print these charts and carry them in your camera bag so you can refer to them to nd the exact hyperfocal distance for a given lens and aperture.

    Use the focus distance scale markings on your lens to focus to the correct hyperfocal distance. Generally, these markings wont allow you to set the exact distance so err on the side of caution and focus slightly further away. This should ensure the depth of eld extends to in nity, although a little foreground depth will be lost.

    EXPOSURE AND

    METERING

    Dramatic natural light can give a scene a dynamic range that even the most high-tech digital and lm cameras will struggle to replicate. Exposing for a sunset can leave the

    foreground looking very dark, while exposing for the foreground can leave the sky looking very bright, with little or no colour from the sunset coming through. Solutions to this problem could be to use an ND (neutral density) graduated lter, create an HDR (high dynamic range) image, or carefully edit and blend shots together. However, it is best to try to create an exposure in-camera that is as close as possible to your desired nal image.

    Generally, a cameras evaluative metering system will produce one of two results when metering a scene with a very bright sky. It will either try to expose the foreground correctly at the expense of the sky, or it will dim the bright sky causing the land to be very dark. Neither is right or

    Using exposure bracketing means almost certainly getting a correctly exposed image

    APERTURE, SHUTTER SPEED AND SENSITIVITYOF ALL the exposure settings, it is the aperture that is the most important. The aperture of a lens de nes the depth of eld, which is crucial when trying to get an entire scene in focus. The ISO sensitivity should be set to a low setting, which means it is the shutter speed that should be used to increase or decrease the exposure. With a low ISO sensitivity and a small aperture, exposure times may be quite long so a tripod will be essential for sharp images. In fact, particularly long exposures can be used deliberately to achieve certain effects. See ND lters on page 21 for more details on this.

    For best image quality, set the camera to its native ISO sensitivity, which will usually be the lowest ISO sensitivity. On some cameras, this will be ISO 200, with ISO 100 functioning as an extended or low setting. A cameras image sensor cannot become less sensitive than its native ISO setting. What happens in these low extended modes is that the image is exposed as if the sensor were at an ISO 100 setting, but it is actually at ISO 200. The information is then processed to reduce the signal by 1EV so the resulting image appears as correctly exposed. The result is often an improvement in measured dynamic range because the 1EV effective overexposure means there is detail and colour when you come to edit the dark areas.

    However, there is a downside. Extended low ISO sensitivities usually only offer a better dynamic range in the midtones and shadows, but the overexposure means that some highlight detail may be lost. If you are photographing landscapes and want to maximise detail in the sky, stick to the native ISO rather than the lowest sensitivity that is available .

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  • 20 ADVANCED PHOTOGRAPHY SKILLS

    SKILLS

    also manually change the exposure settings to bracket images. However, being able to set the camera to automatically take a sequence of three or ve differently exposed images is much faster, allowing you more time to recompose for another shot before the light changes.

    Even if you are happy with the image exposure shown on the cameras rear screen and by the curve of the histogram, it is still a good idea to set bracketing to -0.3, 0 and +0.3EV. As good as the rear screens on modern cameras are, they cannot be relied upon for complete accuracy and these slight exposure deviations make a lot of difference to highlight and shadow detail.

    Bracketing exposures will take up more space on your memory card, but when lighting can change from minute to minute, it is better to return knowing that you have a number of exposures to choose from rather than relying on just one. Remember that the less editing that is required, the less chance there is of introducing artefacts and noise.

    Bracketed exposures can also be used for HDR images or blended images. Setting the camera to bracket +2 and -2EV from the most suitable exposure should also be enough to recover highlight and

    wrong in this instance, as the camera doesnt know where you want the emphasis

    to be, but after a while you should become familiar with how your camera will meter in certain situations and you can then use the exposure compensation accordingly. The aim should be to nd a balance between land and sky.

    Having taken a test shot, use the histogram to check for blown-out highlights. If you are photographing a sky, you should aim to have the right side of the curve just touching the far right of the histogram range. If there is a peak on the far right of the graph, this means an area is completely blown out to 100% white and will have no detail. It is ne to have some details that are completely white, but a large area like a sky will look odd. Also, when you later edit the image, the sky may create a posterised effect, with the burnt-out area appearing as a solid block of white, or off-white, colour.

    Left: Carefully check your histogram for highlight and shadow detail. Ideally, avoid large highlight areas and patches of complete black

    -1EV 0EV +1EV

    Right: Bracketing your images gives you options when it comes to editing. Not only will it give you the best chance of a suitable exposure, but it will also allow you to blend exposures or create an HDR image

    0EV

    +1EV

    -1EV

    Make sure you also check the histogram for shadow detail. As with the whites, any black tones on the far left-hand side of the histogram will show as completely black. While you will obviously want black tones in your image, unless you are going for a silhouette effect you dont want a large clump of the histogram curve to be on the far left. Use exposure compensation to brighten or darken the scene so that both the image on the rear screen and, more importantly, the histogram look good.

    EXPOSURE BRACKETING

    One of the most useful features of a modern DSLR is exposure bracketing, but how often do you actually use it? When shooting landscape images, exposure bracketing is a convenient way of making sure that you go home with a correctly exposed image, or at least one that can be effectively edited.

    Of course, you can

    shadow detail, and allow different exposures to be blended together to create an HDR image.

    FIRING THE SHUTTER

    While image stabilisation can help keep a camera still, the low light just before and after sunrise and sunset, combined with small apertures, will mean that a long exposure and a tripod will almost certainly be necessary.

    Yet even tripods are prone to slight movements, caused either by the wind or because of vibrations generated by ring the cameras shutter. This is why, on page 18, that we looked at how to stabilise a tripod and camera, reducing these small movements by adding additional ballast.

    To avoid any camera movement, it is best not to touch the camera at all when triggering the shutter. Using the self-timer will allow a few seconds to elapse from the time the shutter button is pressed to the time the image is taken, during which any small movements can subside. A remote release will allow you to avoid handling the camera altogether.

    However, minute vibrations can also be caused by the slap of the cameras mirror ipping up. These vibrations

    can be reduced by combining a remote release with mirror

    lock-up. Nearly all high-end enthusiast and pro DSLRs have this feature, which locks the mirror up when the shutter release is pressed. Once any vibrations have subsided,

    the release is pressed again to open the shutter and

    expose the sensor or lm. The shutter then closes and the mirror returns.

    When using long exposures, make sure your tripod is weighed down and use mirror lock-up and a remote release to reduce vibrations

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  • ADVANCED PHOTOGRAPHY SKILLS 21

    SKILLS

    ND FILTERS

    We all know what a neutral density lter does, but most photographers seem to use one solely for achieving a longer exposure to blur moving water. However, the longer exposure means that any other moving object in a landscape image will also be blurred.

    In an exposure time of more than a few minutes, clouds will start to blur and form patterns as they move across the sky. This will show in contrast to static subjects such as trees or bales of hay, which will remain sharp.

    Similarly, the wind will blow the

    branches of trees back and forth, creating blurred patterns as they sway around the trees static trunk. Fields of crops also produce an interesting effect as they move very often, the blurred effect will only be visible at the top of the crop, which blows back and forth, while nearer to the ground the crops lower centre of gravity leaves it more static, and sharper, in the image.

    So the next time you are taking landscape pictures, think about how an ND lter can be used to capture movement on the land and in the sky, and not just for blurring water.

    USING FILTERS

    Filters are par for the course when shooting landscapes, so it is essential that you know how to use them correctly. As a lter goes straight in front of the lens, it is crucial that it is of good quality. Cheap lters may cause are, a loss of contrast or sharpness, and they often affect colour balance. Some lters will affect white balance slightly, so take a white balance reading with the lter in place, or set to the correct strength or position. Shooting raw will give you the exibility to alter the white balance when the le is converted.

    Always keep your lters clean and seal them when not in use. With the small apertures used in landscape photography, any dust on a lters surface is much more likely to appear on the image, making for laborious, post-capture retouching work.

    ND GRAD FILTERS

    To use an ND grad, take an evaluative meter reading of the scene, then adjust the exposure until the land is correctly exposed. Make a note of these settings, then darken the exposure until the sky is correctly exposed. Again, make a note of the settings. Given that the same aperture will be used each time, look at the difference in shutter speed between the two exposures. Use this difference to work out which ND grad lter to use. For example, if the exposure for the land is 1/60sec and the exposure for the sky is 1/250sec, a 2EV lter will be necessary to darken the sky suf ciently.

    POLARISERS

    Polarising lters are a great way of making sure that skies are a nice shade of blue. They reduce the amount of image editing required, which is bene cial because over-editing can often lead to image artefacts and banding. However, polarisers are also one of the most notable culprits for affecting white balance, often giving images a slight yellow tint. Make sure, then, that

    you take a custom white balance and adjust the raw le to warm or cool the image to reproduce the natural colour of the light in the scene.

    Remember, too, that a polariser isnt just on or off it can be set to different strengths. So see which setting is most appropriate to the scene rather than simply setting it to its maximum each time.

    An ND grad lter darkens skies and is a must for all landscape photographers

    A polariser can make skies bluer and reduce re ections on water

    An ND lter can be used to create long-exposure images that show movement

    WITHOUT POLARISER WITH POLARISER

    WITHOUT ND GRAD WITH ND GRAD

    Keep your lters clean. With small apertures, any dust on a lters surface is much more likely to appear on the image

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  • 22 ADVANCED PHOTOGRAPHY SKILLS

    SKILLS

    COLOUR

    The reason that many photographers favour shooting at dusk and dawn is for the variety of colour that appears in the sky. Reds, pinks, oranges, purples and blues can all be visible within an hour of each other as the atmosphere refracts the light from the sun as it passes the horizon. When editing the colours in an image, do so sympathetically. Add saturation and brightness, but avoid creating a comic-

    book landscape. The aim should be to enhance the natural colours rather than impose arti cial ones.

    Sometimes a quick nudge of the Saturation and Vibrance sliders is all thats required. The former increases the saturation of all colours, while the

    GENERAL EDITING

    With ongoing improvements to image sensor technology, more and more detail can be recovered from shadow areas without introducing too much image noise. But by far the best option is to get the image as close as possible to its nal version in-camera, and to shoot and edit raw les.

    Many images can be adjusted using the basic colour and contrast editing tools in Adobe Camera Raw. First use the Exposure adjustment to lighten or darken the image as necessary. Check the histogram when lightening the image to see that it isnt creating large burnt-out highlight areas. A computer screen cannot always replicate every highlight tone, so the histogram is a more accurate indicator.

    With the overall image exposure corrected, it is time to assess the individual tones. Often the Fill Light tool is the next feature to use. This lightens the lightest shadow areas and midtones to recover more detail and brighten the image. For landscape photographers, the Fill Light tool is one of the most useful as it can reveal detail in areas that would otherwise appear as silhouettes.

    When working with a particularly dark image, it can be a good idea to shift the black point slightly. By default this is set to 5 in Adobe Camera Raw and Lightroom. Setting it to 2 or 3 will reduce the areas that register as 100% black, which will again reveal a little more detail in these areas. Be sure to check any areas that are affected by this adjustment, as sometimes changing the black point can create banding or a posterised effect in shadow areas.

    With these corrections made it is time to look at the images contrast. Use Levels or Curves to increase the contrast, but keep an eye on the histogram while doing so to check that it doesnt clip any black or white areas.

    The nal step for brightness and contrast is to use the Highlight Recovery tool. This darkens highlights to pull back any detail that may have been lost during editing. If there was no detail there originally, this will just darken the highlights slightly and create a grey patch that will look out of place. It is best used to recover any details that may have been lost when performing the nal contrast adjustment.

    latter is more subtle, and increases the saturation of colours in relation to each other. It also has less effect on skin tones. A slight move of +10 on the Vibrance slider is often suf cient.

    A far better option is to alter the colours individually. In Camera Raw there are Hue, Luminance and Saturation sliders for each colour that can be used to ne-tune particular areas. For example, I am often unhappy with how green grass looks in images taken in dim sunlight. But using the green slider, I can adjust the hue to give it a slight bluey-green colour, rather than yellowy-green. Then I can then use the Luminance slider to darken or lighten all the greens in the image. Often I will slightly darken the greens using the Luminance slider before increasing the Saturation to produce

    vivid, but realistic, dark greens.How you work with a particular

    colour will change depending on each image. On a bright summers day, dark-green grass under a bright-blue sky will look odd, so a brighter green will be more suitable. The same applies to skies. At dusk, the hue and saturation of a blue sky can be changed slightly to produce a cold, steely-blue colour. If you increase the saturation and brightness so that the sky is as blue as it would be at midday, it wont look natural.

    So emphasise natural colours without overexaggerating them. Also try reducing the saturation of some colours, such as in the foreground of a landscape. This gives the perception of increased saturation in the sky without actually having to do so.

    With the raw les safely captured and loaded onto a computer hard drive, it is now time to begin editing the images to ensure the landscapes look perfect

    IMAGE EDITING

    BLUE/GREEN

    AS SHOT

    YELLOW/GREEN

    HIGH DYNAMIC RANGEBRACKETED exposures can be blended together using software to create a high dynamic range (HDR) photograph, which displays increased colour and contrast information for each pixel.

    Some photographers may feel uneasy about producing HDR images because of the way they are often processed. A full range of tonal information is used to form an image with no shadows or highlights, and full of midtones and it looks completely unnatural. This is often combined with local rather than global contrast, all of which gives hypertoned HDR images their distinctive look. It is a look that landscape photographers should avoid.

    There is nothing wrong with creating an HDR image, but the extended dynamic range should be used to pull out shadow detail, not turn that detail into a midtone. Be sure to keep some highlights in the sky and shadows on the ground, and avoid adding excessive local contrast if you want the image to look natural.

    Think about how you edit particular colours. Landscapes can look very different depending on how the green colours are rendered

    TOO MUCH

    IDEAL

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    SKILLS

    SPOT RETOUCHING

    Sensor dust is a particular problem for landscape photographers, as images are usually taken at a smaller aperture when dust becomes most visible. Once combined with an abundance of smooth sky, the small black and grey dots become obvious.

    The trick is to keep the cameras sensor as clean as possible. Always change lenses quickly and in a clean environment. Try doing so with as much of your camera inside your camera bag as possible, to shield it from wind, which can blow dust into the camera. Despite the best of intentions, however, some dust is inevitable, but thankfully it is relatively simple to remove.

    Before nishing an image, view it at

    100% and meticulously scroll through the entire photograph to look for any dust spots. Most raw-conversion software will allow spot retouching to be applied to other images, saving time looking at each one at 100%. Photoshop Elements users can apply batch-processed spot adjustments by opening a selection of images, spot correcting one, and then selecting all the other images. By hitting the Sync Images button, the same corrections will be applied to all images.

    The Healing tool is also useful for retouching skies, as it works by blending the correction with the surrounding area. The Clone tool takes an exact sample but, as it doesnt blend, it can make any retouching look obvious if not done with care.

    With small apertures used for landscape photography, dust can be a problem. Keep your

    sensor as clean as possible, and carefully check images for dust

    MASKING AND ADDING A GRADIENT

    IF YOU are editing a single image rather than multiple ones, some local adjustments will almost certainly be necessary. There are many ways in which to do this. For small changes, the Dodge and Burn tools set to a very low strength of 2-8%, and with a very soft-edged brush, can be used to lighten or darken areas.

    For larger areas, such as skies and landscapes, selection and masking tools can be used. Which ones you use will depend on your software and, more importantly, which you feel most comfortable with. In Photoshop, for example, the Quick Mask or Marquee selection tools are among the easiest to use.

    Most of the time you will want to concentrate on editing the sky, as this is easier to blend into the landscape. The reason for this is that during early mornings and evenings, the sky will be lighter towards the horizon. This makes it easy to select the sky and use a large feathered edge to fade the effect off before it reaches the horizon. From here the brightness, contrast and colour saturation of the sky can be adjusted to blend it into the landscape.

    If you havent used an ND grad lter, it is possible to go some way to replicating the effect in Photoshop and similar editing software. The trick is to add an adjustment layer to the image and then add a gradient to the layer mask.

    1Copy the original image layer by selecting

    Layer>Duplicate Layer. Name this new

    layer Dark Sky. Alternatively, load a

    bracketed, darker version of the image onto

    a new layer.

    2If you arent using a bracketed image, use

    the Levels tool to darken the new Dark

    Sky image layer until you are happy with

    the contrast in the sky.

    3In the Layers palette, create a new Layer

    Mask for the Dark Sky layer.

    4

    Select the Gradient Fill tool from the

    tools palette and select a black-to-white

    gradient.

    5Use the Gradient Fill tool to add the

    black-to-white gradient to the Dark Sky

    layer mask. Drag the gradient from black

    at the bottom of the image, to white at the

    top. Hold down the Shift key while you drag to

    keep the gradient at 90.

    6The dark side of the gradient creates

    a hole in the Dark Sky layer, which

    reveals the original, lighter layer. If the

    effect is too strong, adjust the opacity of the

    darker layer.

    BEFORE

    AFTER

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    SKILLS

    ONE OF the great things about editing digital images is that there is no single correct way of doing things. As software developers come up with new features and tools, photographers discover new ways to edit and correct their digital images.

    While the most obvious way to reduce noise in an image is to use the luminance and colour-noise removal tools found in raw editing software,

    there are in fact other ways. One method to reduce the amount of noise in the sky of a landscape image is to apply a localised correction using Adobe Camera Raw or Lightroom.Rather than simply applying noise reduction, you can actually reduce the sharpness of the sky by using the Masking slider to make sure that only the edges with the strongest level of contrast are sharpened, meaning that any slight patches of noise arent sharpened and are less visible.

    Having done this, a rough selection of the sky is created. With the mask in place, the sharpness of the sky can be reduced further. However, the trick at this stage is to also reduce the amount of local contrast between pixels, by

    Find out how to use Camera Raws Clarity and Sharpening tools to get smoother skies

    BEFORE

    RETOUCHER S GUIDE

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    ADVANCED PHOTOGRAPHY SKILLS 25

    using the Clarity slider tool. This makes any noise in the sky far less obtrusive and gives the overall impression of a smoother sky.

    With this editing now done, only a very, very slight luminance noise reduction is necessary across the entire image, and best of all, it can all be done from within Camera Raw or Lightroom.

    1Open the raw image in Adobe Camera Raw and perform

    all the basic colour and contrast adjustments. Zoom in to 200%

    and reduce all the noise reduction and sharpening settings to 0.

    This should allow you to see any colour and luminance noise.

    3Now hold down the Alt key while using the Masking slider.

    Anything black will not be affected by the sharpening, so the

    aim is to get as much of the sky as possible to be

    black, while leaving some edge detail in the clouds.

    5Select the Adjustment Brush and reset all the Adjustments to 0

    except the Clarity slider, which should be set to -10. Click on Show

    Mask and paint to adjust the sky, avoiding any detailed edges.

    7Turn Show Mask off and switch to a 100% view to see how the

    following changes will affect the image. Reduce the noise by

    lowering the Clarity slider. This affects the local contrast, so it

    should even out the brightness of neighbouring pixels. Also, reduce

    the sharpness to add a slight blur. Only the sky should be affected.

    2Zoom to 100% and use the Amount, Radius and Detail sliders

    to sharpen the image. Dont worry too much about the sky

    becoming noisier.

    4Find a part of the image that is affected by colour noise

    and use the colour noise slider to reduce the noise. You

    can be quite aggressive with this, particularly on newer

    raw conversion software. However, be careful as heavy use can

    slightly reduce the colour saturation.

    6Zoom in closer to any ne edges and select Auto Mask. Use a small

    brush to paint around any ne edges. There will usually be a slight

    halo, but for this effect it shouldnt be too much of an issue.

    8Exit the Adjustment Brush tool and perform a luminance noise

    reduction of around 5-15 across the entire image. Now open

    the image in Photoshop (or similar) and use the Dodge tool, set

    to Highlights and 2% strength, to brighten highlights in the clouds.

    Then set the Burn tool to Shadows and 2%, and darken the shadows

    in the clouds. Finish with a nal tweak in Levels.

    AFTER

    BEFORE

    BEFORE YOU STARTSOFTWARE Adobe Camera Raw and Photoshop

    KEY TOOLSAdjustment Brush, Sharpening, Clarity Slider

    Skill requiredTime to complete 20-30mins

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    HOW COLOUR is used in an image is crucial to its mood or feel, and it determines the viewers emotional response to a picture. For instance, warm light from a sunset establishes the mood beautifully, while the vibrant colours of autumn leaves display the season in all its wonder.

    These colours are best shown by enhancing them, not muting them. A portrait, however, can be ruined by an overly vivid and un attering colour cast, which may give an incorrect skin tone. This can be disastrous for, say, fashion photographers, who need colours to be rendered accurately

    when they are attempting to capture the glories of the latest haute couture.

    For all that, there is no single de ning rule for accurate colour when taking photographs. This is partly because human perception of colour is often inaccurate, as our brain makes adjustments for what we see. It is only when an extreme colour is detected that we notice something looks out of place. This makes the accurate viewing of images on a camera dif cult, especially given the various light sources that compete for our attention when we are looking at a camera screen.

    Neither is a cameras white balance system (the means by which a digital camera makes the necessary adjustments to record colour) infallible. When set to auto, it too can be tricked, so even the very latest models cannot be relied on to get it right every time.

    The best option for ensuring accurate control over colour is to set a custom white balance. In this article, we are going to explore white balance itself, investigate the methods of using custom white balance both on location and on the computer, and learn how to make creative use of colour.

    The way that colour is rendered is an important factor in creating an image, and the best way to achieve an accurate rendition of hues and tones is to set a custom white balance. We explain how

    CUSTOM WHITE BALANCE

    26 ADVANCED PHOTOGRAPHY SKILLS

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  • 28 ADVANCED PHOTOGRAPHY SKILLS

    SKILLS

    Top: The yellow leaves have tricked the auto white balance system, which has given the scene a cool colour cast to compensate

    Above: The cool colour cast in this early morning scene is important to the feel of the image

    Right: The Kelvin scale shows the colour temperature in different situations, along with the camera presets

    1,000K

    1,000-2,000K

    tungsten bulb

    2,500-3,500K

    tungsten bulb

    3,000-4,000K

    sunrise/sunset

    4,000-5,000K

    uorescent

    5,000-5,500K

    ash

    5,000-6,500K

    daylight

    (clear sky)

    6,500-8,000K

    overcast

    9,000-10,000K

    shade/very

    overcast

    2,000K

    3,000K

    4,000K

    5,000K

    6,000K

    7,000K

    8,000K

    9,000K

    10,000K

    WHITE BALANCE

    White balance systems in digital cameras are designed

    to ensure that the white tones in a scene are rendered accurately by removing colour casts created by the light source. Most cameras have several settings from which to choose, and these usually include auto white balance (AWB), around six presets, such as cloudy, ash and tungsten, a manual (Kelvin) setting and a custom setting. The AWB setting and presets cover a whole variety of light sources and provide a quick means of adjusting colour. They are fairly accurate, too.

    AWB, PRESETS

    OR CUSTOM

    I suspect most enthusiasts usually leave the camera set to AWB or rely on the presets and why not? On the whole, these settings do a great job, whether on a compact camera or a DSLR. They are also the best options for high-pressure shoots when there is no time to ddle with the settings.

    The presets in a white balance system are set to a particular colour temperature. This makes each preset a great option when it matches a scene because it will not be swayed in ways that AWB can, which

    AUTO WHITE BALANCE

    USE OF CREATIVE COLOUR

    CUSTOM WHITE BALANCE

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    continually makes adjustments according to the light. Furthermore, a preset can be quickly selected in a high-pressure situation.

    Where custom white balance has an advantage over AWB is that it allows us to choose a neutral-coloured object in the frame to act as a reference when creating an accurate colour rendition, according to the temperature of light. An AWB system does this job automatically, interpreting the scene as it sees t.

    CREATIVE COLOUR

    AWB is typically neutral, so it removes colour casts to produce a neutral white. While custom white balance does the same, it enhances the colours in a scene rather than neutralising them. In both cases, though, the colours are corrected.

    There may, however, be times when having the wrong white balance gives a pleasant effect, and there are no hard-and-fast rules about this. Whatever looks good to the photographer in the way they want to convey the scene is best. Adding a warm cast is likely to make a pub on a winters day seem invitingly cosy, while a cool cast provides a threatening atmosphere that isnt really possible with a neutral colour balance.

    WHERE THE AUTO

    SETTINGS GO WRONG

    Auto white balance systems in compact cameras and DSLRs usually work well, although there are several situations in which the system can be thrown. For instance, when a particular colour is dominant in the frame such as a bunch of red owers, a green eld or a plethora of yellow autumn leaves the system may think this dominant colour is actually a colour cast, so AWB will adjust accordingly. For example, a scene dominated by green can typically have a magenta cast, which is at the opposite end of the colour spectrum.

    A mixed light source can also present problems, such as light from inside a building mixed with the cool cast of outdoor evening light. With AWB, the user has no control over which light source is being balanced. Problems can also arise when taking the same image and adjusting the focal length or the position, by switching to a panorama, for instance. This alters the content in the frame, which can cause the white balance to vary between images in a sequence.

    As far as presets are concerned, they are great if they match the speci c scene but even then there

    are variables. Using a tungsten setting under tungsten lighting is better than sticking with AWB, but the sheer variety of tungsten bulbs and the temperature each emits, depending on how long they have been on, means that one setting does not cover all types. In these situations, other options must be considered and employed. The manual setting will allow the user to select the temperature (measured on the Kelvin scale), but this requires the user to have an accurate perception of the scene, and the eye is not always the most accurate of tools.

    Time permitting, the best pre-capture option for any of these situations and, in fact, in most circumstances is to make a custom setting. Colour rendition is the most accurate because the custom setting works according to the exact temperature of light. Often the differences between custom and AWB are minimal and can be hard to perceive, but

    making the smallest change can mean the difference between getting the nal result just right or not. It is not just a case of the right colour cast, but also the vibrancy.

    SHOOT RAW

    It is best to shoot in raw format for a variety of reasons, not least of which is the level of control it offers. Raw allows the white balance to be set post-capture using any one of the presets, AWB and even manual adjustment. Colour in a scene is also affected by the exposure, and raw gives greater control post-capture to adjust the exposure correctly.

    That said, relying on the raw data and post-capture changes alone can mean time-consuming alterations, so it is better to get the balance right in the rst place, and there are several ways to achieve this in-camera. Doing so even frees up the possibility of shooting JPEG only, provided the exposure is correct.

    CUSTOM WHITE BALANCE ON LOCATIONCAMERAS usually record a custom white balance reading in one of two ways: from an existing le, or by taking a reading from a new exposure. Check the manual to nd out how your camera records a custom white balance. The Nikon D300, which we used for most of the pictures in this article, uses an existing le.

    Both methods require a neutral reference in the scene to record an accurate colour temperature. In the rst method, simply select custom white balance in-camera and then choose the le with the neutral reference to take the reading from the colour temperature will be set for the next capture. For the second option, select the custom setting and take an exposure.

    The best neutral reference for exposure and colour is middle 18% grey, angled towards the light source. The nal temperature will be affected if the grey is any lighter or darker than this. If the correction method is via an in-camera custom white balance, the grey should ideally ll the

    greater part of the frame. If the method is via post-capture adjustments, however, then the reference only needs to be placed in the most important part of the frame. In the case of a portrait, this will be next to the subjects face. For a mixed light source, it is worth using multiple grey cards

    in different parts of the frame, and then calculating a median temperature post-capture (see page 30). Failing a grey card, a white card is a good backup.

    Once the information is gathered, the processing varies because each camera uses a different algorithm. This occurs even within the same

    brand, so there is no set way the camera produces the nal result.

    Both grey and white card options are good for correcting the balance of neutral colours. A full GretagMacbeth colour chart goes one step further by offering a full spectrum of 24 colours, covering a number of natural objects.

    AWB CUSTOM WB

    Raw allows the white balance to be set post-capture using any one of the presets, AWB and even manual adjustment

    A grey card (left) is ideal for adjustments post-capture, while lling the frame with a grey card is ideal for in-camera changes

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    SKILLS

    CUSTOM WHITE BALANCE POST-CAPTURE

    RESCUING JPEGSLike raw les, JPEGs can be opened in Adobe Camera Raw and adjusted using the White Balance picker tool. However, Photoshop and Photoshop Elements have tools to bring back the colour in a JPEG le, too

    IF AN image has not been shot using a custom white balance, it is possible to correct it post-capture. Shooting raw will be particularly helpful for this, although all is not lost even with a JPEG le.

    Creating a custom white balance post-capture is more time-consuming, although once a pro le has been set up on one image, it can be applied to the remainder of the images that were shot under the same lighting conditions.

    All raw correction software has the option to select the white balance setting from any one of the presets and AWB, as well as a manual Kelvin adjustment. This is achieved by the click of a button. However, while the temperature

    is changed, correcting the colour cast needs another step. The colour

    cast can be removed by adjusting the green/magenta shift on the

    slider, although this takes some time to produce accurate results.

    In Adobe Camera Raw, a quicker option is to click on the White Balance picker tool (top left in the toolbar, see lef