All Day I Dream About Photography » Articles

Verne Varona on creating “in camera” artistic “aqua-impressionism” photos

Antoine Khater — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 15:32:59 +0000

2 weeks ago we featured Verne Varona as our photographer of the week, many of the readers on adidap facebook page and twitter account asked if those pictures were really taken in camera without Photoshop.

After getting back in touch with Verne again, he confirmed that indeed all photos are done in camera – and he kindly agreed on sharing with you how he managed to take those photos.
I leave you to enjoy a great tutorial by Verne and don’t hesitate to share your results in case you experimented with this technique.
For more details you can check out his website or get in touch by email on vv [at] vernevarona [dot] com

Artist Background

I have very limited knowledge of Photoshop. I came to digital, holding on to my last roles of Kodachrome and Velvia, stubbornly.
In 2006, I got an assignment to direct a film and shoot the photography as well. It was a quick learning curve and since I rely on Mac, I purchased their newly released Aperture program and learned it quickly. All of my adjustments are made on Aperture. I will often crop, use contrast to darken or highlight and image, or sharpen when necessary, and try to carefully minimize saturation, as most photographs I see seem to be over-the-top with “saturation-itis,” as I call it.

After a while you become numb to such exaggerated coloring, so, I think, in most cases, less is better. I set my internal camera controls (5D & 7D) to a tad toward saturation, but just slightly for much of my color shooting. Overall, I make minor adjustments and prefer to do most of my work in camera. Sometimes, I will accent an image with a slight horizontal, or vertical shake.

1. Trees In Water – Connecticut
ISO: 100 – f.5 @ 1/60 – Canon 5D / 24-70 L Lens
This was from a small pond in a rural Connecticut park. There was a log, half-in and half-out of the water, which I stood on and gently jumped up and down to create ripples. Then, I waited until they were almost gone and began shooting.

I took over 200 images of this in a two-week period to finally find one that I was satisfied with using. Did a slight blue tint and slight green saturation, with sharpening and a touch of contrast. The image is also turned upside down as you view it.

2. Solo Swim – Northern Greece
ISO – 400 – f16 @ 1/320 – Rebel TSi – 55 mm Lens
Had lost my battery for my 5D and was on an island, so I borrowed a Rebel TSi, with a standard 55 mm lens and took a walk seeking a photo op–not hard to find in Greece! This was a small bay on a remote island and I was standing on the edge of a sea wall. I waited for the lady (wearing sneakers to protect herself from sea urchins) to swim toward the middle of my frame and into the light blue waters, then grabbed my image. I was surprised, and pleased, at the Rebel’s quality.

Did slight saturation and some sharpening. This image is one of my most popular and sells very well at several East Coast galleries.

3. Shore Grace – Delray Beach, Florida
ISO – 100 – f22 @ 1/20 – Canon 7D – 28-135mm Lens (shot at 28mm)
This is one of my favorite. I had the model leap over 20 times to get this shot so that itwas not too high, not too low. Her movement, combined with a 1/20 second TV and a very colorful lose wrap skirt conspired for some nice blur.

I cloned some of the sand to get some of her footprints out toward the bottom, otherwise, a tinge of added blue saturation, a touch of yellow, very light sharpening and straightening.

My mother was a painter, but I have two left hands with brushes, so I’ve tried to create a painterly effect with my camera, with its speeds and my subjects movement. With a bit of dance background myself, I told her I wanted elevated poise with straight arms and face toward the heavens. She nailed it.

4. Solo Tree – Boca Raton Canal
ISO – 100 – f5@ 1/60 – Canon 7D – 28-135mm Lens (shot at 28mm)
You are looking at a tree that is really reversed in position as it is a water reflection that I turned upside down in Aperture to create a painterly effect.

One of my secrets is to carry very small rocks in my pocket and strategically toss them into the middle of my focus and wait for the effect I want. Bigger rocks will give you more abstract images. Added light saturation of green and blue with slight sharpening and cropping.

5. Early Canadian Fall – Northern Ontario
ISO – 400 – f9@ 1/80 – Canon 7D – 28-135mm Lens (shot at 100mm)
This was taken toward the beginning of fall this year. You are looking at a lake reflection that is turned upside down to appear as if they are upright trees. The wind did the water movement for me, so that was a stroke of luck. I was looking to take another picture, but as it usually works out, I realized that my real picture was opposite that direction.

This was it. In addition to this, I did a very subtle horizontal movement with my camera, almost too subtle to notice. Sharpening, slight saturation (the leaves were really purple!) and a bit of contrast, as the setting sun offered a fading glare.

6. Canadian Bush – Northern Ontario
ISO – 100 – f6.3@ 1/4 – Canon 7D – 28-135mm Lens (shot at 100mm)
This was a simple bush along the road side of a remote mountain road. My focus was aided by a slight intentional camera shake, sharpening, a bit of red, green and purple saturation with slight contrast. A London photo critic called this image, “Monet Lives” – it was the nicest compliment I ever got photographically.

7. 42nd Street At Midnight – NYC
ISO – 250- f22@ 1/6 – Canon 7D – 28-135mm Lens (shot at 105mm)
One of my favorite sites for light abstracts if, of course, 42md street. I watched these lights constantly change and patiently waited until I understood their pattern. Ideally, you want to photograph as little white as possible–other colors just offer more visual appeal than stark white.

This image was done with slight vertical camera shake, very slight, and in a straight vertical line. In Aperture processing, the most important tool for me here was the darkening tool. That allowed all miscellaneous squiggly lines to disappear. I removed with black cloning some of the upper squiggly ones just to get a clean image and sharpened slightly. A touch of saturation, and black cloning on the bottom.

Photographer of the week: Verne Varona

A last Photography Journey down the Ethiopian Omo River with Daniel Sullivan

Antoine Khater — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 20:18:30 +0000

In October 2010, photographer Daniel Sullivan traveled with a Kara tribesman by boat down Ethiopia’s Omo River to document some of the most isolated tribes on our planet. Together they camped along the banks of the Omo River. During the day they traveled by boat and hiked up into the jungles finding the tribes.

In Late 2011, the Ethiopian government will be completing the Gibe III dam on the Omo River, which will cut the water off from these tribes. Most of the people in the Omo Valley still don’t know about the dam. More than 500,000 people and countless animals will have no access to their only source of water.

The tribes of the Omo River are some of the last untouched people on earth. Daniel believes it is important to tell their story, This is why he is publishing a book called “Tribes of the Omo River”, it will be a beautifully produced hard cover, coffee table book with full color photographs documenting four tribes, the Kara, the Nyangatom, the Hamer and the Mursi.

Inside the book are some of the first translations of the tribes’ songs, which are the oral traditions passed down from generation to generation. The book will also include excerpts from his journals.

Included with every book will be a cd with recordings from the tribes’ songs mixed with the natural sounds of the jungle.
This unique combination of images and sound will be an experience that brings the reader closer to the beauty of the Omo Valley.

All of the photographs from this work were also donated to Survival International in order to fight for the water rights of the tribes.

I Leave you to enjoy 12 pictures that speak best of the Omo river tribes. But before you indulge in that photography trip to Africa, please take action by sharing and joining Daniel Sullivan’s Kickstarter campaign and also spend a few minutes to read some of stories that Daniel worked so hard to write.

About the photographer
For the past 15 years, Daniel Sullivan has been taking photographs in Central Asia, the Middle East and Africa, documenting the human spirit.
His photographs and essays have explored Afghanistan’s refugees, the children of Cambodia’s dumps and the orphans of Bihar, India among many other subjects. Most recently he’s been photographing the Tribes of the Omo River in Southern Ethiopia who will be affected by the Gibe III dam, for his second book “Tribes of the Omo River.”

Photography is Daniel’s passion and his vehicle for understanding, seeing and communicating the world to others.
When he is not taking pictures, he is living with his beautiful wife Caramiya and two kids Tristan and Evie in Maui, where he runs his store and gallery: Indigo Paia.

For his full work, you can visit his website, join his facebook group or check his gallery page

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Ansel Adams Wilderness on National Geographic October issue

Antoine Khater — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 09:21:29 +0000

The October issue of National Geographic magazine will feature a captivating article on world-renowned photographer Ansel Adams.
This story describes how the Sierra Nevada transformed an unconfident photographer into a lens master and a powerful voice for wilderness.
The piece features stunning photographs by well-known nature photographer Peter Essick, who notes Adams as an inspiration.

So it is with great pleasure that I want to share with you some excerpts from the article that can be found here and those beautiful 5 images

“On his first trip to the Sierra Nevada, in June of 1916, Ansel Adams went armed with a camera—a Kodak No. 1 Brownie—and started shooting. “I expect to be broke if I keep up the rate I am taking pictures,” the budding 14-year-old photographer wrote to his Aunt Mary in San Francisco that summer. “I have taken 30 already.”

He kept shooting for almost seven decades, until his death at age 82 in 1984, by which time he had become a world-famous photographer and a powerful voice for wilderness.
Although he traveled far and wide, he returned again and again to the Sierra—”a noble gesture of the earth,” in his phrase—for the adventure, artistic inspiration, friendship, and solace he found among its jagged granite peaks, snow-swept passes, and brooding skies.
His uncompromising portrayal of these subjects still draws pilgrims to the wilderness that bears his name, deep in the heart of the High Sierra, in hopes of seeing what Ansel Adams saw there.”

Rocky spires known as the Minarets rise above 12,000 feet in the Ansel Adams Wilderness

Melting snowpack sluices down Shadow Creek

A setting moon makes a fitting backdrop for a lunarlike landscape near Donohue Pass

Lodgepole pines cast long shadows at sunset

Late summer thunderheads build above Garnet Lake

and don’t forget to grab your copy of National Geographic for this month

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45 pictures your ticket to the Norwegian dream

Antoine Khater — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 14:04:12 +0000

Occupying the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Norway is the second least densely populated country in Europe. One will find stunning and dramatic scenery and landscape throughout Norway, and the west coast of southern Norway and the coast of northern Norway present some of the most visually impressive coastal sceneries in the world. National Geographic has listed the Norwegian fjords as the world’s top tourist attraction.

How is that as destination for a landscape photographer? Pretty neat hein ! Not convinced yet? Let’s travel thru the lenses with 45 images that will make you live the Norwegian dream. So close your door and mute you mobile phone, let’s go visit Norway shall we?

Photo by Alexander B

Photo by Arnfinn Lie

Photo by Helge-Morten Mortensen

Photo by Børth Aadne Sætrenes

Photo by Gary Newman

Photo by Harald Naper

Photo by Max Perrini

Photo by johnny myreng henriksen

Photo by Jan Hugo Andersen

Photo by Kristian Westgård

Photo by Kai Krog Halse

Photo by Lasse Christensen

Photo by Morten Prom

Photo by Jarle Naustvik

Photo by Odd

Photo by Oystein Lystad

Photo by Norbert Piechotta

Photo by Reed Ingram Weir

Photo by Severin Sadjina

Photo by Ole Christian Salomonsen

Photo by Anna

Photo by Christina Børding

Photo by Martin Ystenes

Photo by Arne Halvorsen

Photo by …arpi…

16 magical pictures of Tibet

Step into wedding photography with these 20 poses

Antoine Khater — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 12:48:51 +0000

This article is written by Chris with UNDFIND, creators of Designer Photography Bags and Editors of SLR Lounge Photography Tutorials

Posing is one of the most important aspects of wedding photography. You can have all of the lighting, camera, and post-production knowledge in the world but still end up with unhappy clients if you fail to make them look beautiful, comfortable, and happy. The following list of poses isn’t comprehensive; and not all of the poses will work for all of your couples. However, it is a good starting point from which you should make adjustments to compliment your couples’ features and accommodate their style preferences. (The following images are provided courtesy of Lin and Jirsa, Los Angeles Wedding Photography)

1) The Basic Pose

The basic pose is a must-have in wedding photography. Make sure the bodies are close to each other with no gaps; and make sure the hands are somewhere other than hanging by their sides. Either have them hold hands in the middle or have the guy place his hand in his pocket and the bride place her hand on her hip.

2) Sitting Basic Post

The most important factor with this pose is hand placement. Awkward hand placement can ruin a perfect photo. Have the groom place one hand behind the bride’s body, with the other holding the bride’s hand in the middle. The bride’s other hand should rest on her lap or over the other hand.

3) Hug onto the Arm

Have the bride hug onto the bicep of the broom and place the other hand on his shoulder. This is a more casual pose than the standard basic pose mentioned above.

4) Standing Forehead to Forehead

Forehead to forehead is an intimate pose without the kissing. Make sure their eyes are closed so it doesn’t look like they’re staring each other down. If there is a significant height difference, have the groom do the splits until they are similar in height.

5) Sitting Forehead to Forehead

Similar to the standing forehead to forehead, the sitting forehead to forehead is a very intimate pose.

6) Meet in the middle

Meeting in the middle is perfect for those symmetrical scenes. Have the bride and groom stand a few feet apart, bend at the hip with backs straight and meet in the middle for a kiss.

7) The Dip

The dip adds action to a scene. Make sure the groom is using his legs to dip to give him a sturdy base and have the bride either grab around his neck or have them hold hands as they dip.

8 ) The Casual Look

The casual look is great because it’s a more candid look that doesn’t seem as “posed” as some of the others mentioned. Have your couple hold hands and look at each other. From here, you can get playful and have them make faces at each other if you want to make it more fun.

9) Intimate Look

Bringing their bodies together (instead of apart as shown in the pose above) as they look at each other, creates a more intimate feel. Again, make sure there is no gap between their bodies and make sure neither of them is leaning back. Leaning back or tilting the head away can decrease the intimate feel of the pose.

10) The Sitting Look

Similar to the standing look, the sitting look is a great way to show interaction between the couple. Have them sit either side-by-side or have the bride sit on the groom’s lap.

11) Single Look

Having the bride (or bride-to-be) look into the camera and the groom (or groom-to-be) look at her is a nice variation to add to your poses. You can also reverse it, with the groom looking into the camera and the bride looking up at him.

12) The Kiss

Of course the kiss needs very little explanation. The two main things are closeness, bringing their bodies together without gaps, and hand placement, making sure the arms aren’t just hanging aimlessly.

13) The Sitting Kiss

The sitting kiss is an intimate pose that can allow you to utilize different backgrounds and foregrounds in your compositions.

14) Kiss On the Cheek

The kiss on the cheek is a classic pose. It’s somewhere in between intimate and playful, depending on the expression of the subject.

15) Looking Off

Don’t forget that your couple doesn’t always need to be looking towards the camera. Looking off creates a romantic, photojournalistic feel and highlights the scenery.

16) Hold From Behind

The hold from behind is also an intimate, photojournalistic pose that highlights the backgrounds.

17) Staggared Couple

The staggered couple highlights one of the two subjects. Don’t place the person in the background too far from the person in the front, as you want to make sure the person in the back is still identifiable. Also, have the person in the back look at the person in the front, rather than into the camera.

18) The Carry

The carry can be playful or intimate. In the following image, an intimacy is created with a kiss; however, if the subjects were smiling at each other, the mood would be much more playful.

19) The Swing

The swing, like the dip, adds action to a scene.

20) Sitting Headrest

The sitting headrest is a casual sitting pose. The idea is to convey comfort. The bride and groom should look very comfortable with each other, somewhere between casual and intimate.

As mentioned, these poses are just a starting point. From here, you can make small adjustments, take slightly different angles, use different lighting techniques and lenses, and more to create an entirely different look and feel to the image. We hope you learned a few things, and stay tuned for more wedding photography tutorials.

I would like to thank Chris creator of Designer Photography Bags and Editor of SLR Lounge Photography Tutorials for this great article and I surely hope we will have him again for some great photography tips

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16 magical pictures of Tibet

Antoine Khater — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 00:52:17 +0000

Tibet is one of my top list photography destinations and I often day dream about it looking at picture for inspiration. If you have visited, or would love to visit, Tibet then these images will certainly speak to your heart.

Photo by Nitin Joseph

Photo by h.koppdelaney

Photo by kevinlamphoto

Photo by Michael Bollino

Photo by mattscandrett.com

Photo by Not so fast

Photo by Rob Piazza

Photo by reurinkjan

Photo by AndersonImages

Photo by reurinkjan

Photo by samuelyung

Photo by AndersonImages

Photo by … Arjun

Photo by AndersonImages

Photo by Michael Bollino

Photo by Shubh M Singh

Do you have or know any great photo of Tibet ? share it with us in the comments

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10 great examples of wave photography

Antoine Khater — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 12:56:51 +0000

You can always share any wave photography you did with the community through the comments. If you haven’t so far, I hope I inspired you enough.

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Don’t stop shooting you will change with time

Antoine Khater — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 12:20:56 +0000

Each one of us tends to show only his best pictures and this is quite normal. However your best picture today might, and probably won’t, be your best picture of tomorrow.

I am amazed when I notice how much my taste and pictures have changed over time, I am not saying that I am good but I surely have improved. At least I am happy with my progress and this is very important.

For no specific reason I was looking at some older pictures and there are quite a few I was very proud of back then I wouldn’t even want to be associated with today.

I vividly remember how much I was discussed at my own work when looking at others’ pictures and all I wanted is quit photography. Today I still seek inspiration and still in owe in front of a lot of masterpieces I find out there however I feel much better about my own work.

This was mostly a rant dedicated to the new among you who are feeling today what I was feeling 4 or 5 years ago (this is when I started photography), a call to tell you do not stop shooting you will eventually find your style and feel better about your work and gain more confidence.

And, before I change my mind, here are 5 pictures I took back then, pictures I will surely not include in my portfolio today and won’t be ever showing you if I was writing these words today.

I guess I should make a part II of this post in 5 years what do you think ?

10 things I hate about photography

Photographing Sunrise at Mesa Arch

Antoine Khater — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 12:20:00 +0000

This is a guest post by Cliff Kolber from Kolber Photography

Cliff Kolber is a nature and travel photographer and writer based in Miami, Florida. He and his wife Doris have created a spectacular portfolio of images and articles from around the world, specializing in the Florida Everglades, the American Southwest and Antarctica. Make sure to visit their website at www.kolberphotography.com

Canyonlands National Park is an amazing array of red rock canyons sculpted from millions of years of erosion by the Colorado and the Green Rivers. The “Island in the Sky” region of Canyonlands is a huge plateau surrounded by the rivers. It is not really an island since the plateau is connected to the rest of the National Park by a very small neck of land.

The views overlooking the National Park from the Island in the Sky region are spectacular and well photographed over the years. One of those amazing views is at Mesa Arch at sunrise. The arch is located on the edge of a cliff about 1,000 feet above Canyonlands, and the underside of the arch lights up in reds and oranges as the sun rises.

You’ll want to arrive fairly early at Mesa Arch since there can be a crowd of photographers by sunrise. We stayed overnight in Moab and the drive is about an hour to the Mesa Arch parking lot. Sunrise was at 7:00 a.m. so we left Moab a little after 5 a.m. and arrived at the parking lot just after 6:00. That worked out well. From the parking lot it’s an easy ½ mile walk to the arch, and we were set up by 6:30. At sunrise there were a dozen photographers and space was becoming a premium.

Arriving well before sunrise also gives you a chance to shoot in pre-dawn light. This can produce some amazing images. Obviously a tripod is a requirement, and although I used a wide-angle 12-24 mm zoom lens for most of the sunrise shots at Mesa Arch, I also used a mid-range lens, 24-120 mm lens for pre-dawn shooting of the buttes in the distance, especially the Washer Woman Butte.

For proper exposure once the sun breaks the horizon, meter on the sky just above the arch. Normally for sunrise shots I’ll meter the sky about two or three sun globes away from the sun. But since there is so little space inside the arch, I chose to meter above the arch. Even though you could adjust exposure in Photoshop, it’s best to get it right in the camera. So to be safe, I bracketed my shots, one stop each way. Check the histogram to verify the exposure.

To get a sunburst effect around the sun, use manual mode and close down the lens aperture to a small opening. This will be around f/18 to f/22 (the higher the denominator the smaller the aperture). A small opening allows light sources to become a sunburst so the smaller the aperture the more of a sunburst effect will occur. Since a small aperture requires a longer exposure use a cable release and mirror lockup in addition to your tripod for the highest stability. It’s also a good idea not to use the smallest aperture setting since this can create aberrations on some lenses. I will generally use the next to smallest aperture setting.

Be sure to experiment with a variety of apertures, speeds, lenses and angles. Once the sun breaks the horizon you’ll have around four or five minutes of great light and that should give you enough time to shoot with different lenses, angles and apertures. Don’t stay static; think about shooting from at least two different locations if space and time allows.

Within 10 minutes after sunrise I had a camera full of images, the great show was over, and we headed back to the car. All in all, an incredible early morning shooting at Mesa Arch with some amazing keepers for the portfolio, some examples included below.

Remember when visiting the outdoors – leave nothing but footprints, take nothing but pictures! And when you visit, remember to "pack it in and pack it out" — don’t litter and don’t damage anything. Leave the area as it was when you arrived and our natural lands will remain a memorable and rewarding experience for everyone.

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6 things you forgot to do when you first got your new dSLR

Antoine Khater — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 08:41:23 +0000

Picture by Gone-Walkabout

You just got your brand new dSLR camera, you can’t wait to unpack it and start shooting with it.

Here are a few things you will most probably forget to do before you snap your first picture.

Charge the battery overnight: If am guilty of one that would be it. I can never wait long enough, I usually charge the battery a few minutes (30 min or so) before I start playing around. But, seriously, with the new battery technology is it really still important to charge the battery for 6 hours+ the first time?
Set the date and time: This is crucial info for you and your pictures and, still, I see many cameras with dates way off. I have to admit that it is much more common to adjust the time after daylight saving changes occur.
Dioptric adjustments: You know that small knob next to your viewfinder? I have seen people owning they cameras for months/years not even knowing it was there. Hold the camera to your eyes and turn it up/down till you can see the text in the viewfinder clearly.
Reset the numbering: I can’t remember how many times I have read in forums people saying that their newly bought camera was not new because the first image number was xxx. Obviously they had just used a memory card from their old camera and the new one is just picking up with the numbering. I got used to format all my cards before inserting them in the new cam. This will not allow me to know if it is really new or not, not that I am worried about it, but rather to keep track of how many picture I am taking with my camera & assigning a unique reference number to each.
Read the manual: Yea right! Now, honestly, who does? It doesn’t matter if you are a first time dSLR user or you’ve been shooting for a couple of years, if you bought a new camera chances are it is for its new features, so spend some time reading the manual and getting familiar with it while the battery is charging.
Do not get obsessive testing it: I learned this the hard way. When I first got the Canon 30D I spent so many hours testing the focus that I sent it 3 times to canon for calibration and yet I was not happy with it. When I finally gave up testing and started shooting my pictures were getting better and sharper with time. Yea cameras have their own learning curve too so instead of doing useless tests enjoy it & take some pictures. Your warranty is for 1 year and it is plenty of time to discover all the defect your camera might have.
Set the owner information: This should have been in the list from the start, I just forgot about adding it. Thanks to John he kindly reminded me in the comment. So yes do not forget to add your name in the camera so that it will also appear in the EXIF. In Canon this is done by the EOS Utility software. I have got the chance to use my 30D last week, that I sold more than 1 year ago to a friend, and noticed it still had my name registered.

Got anything to add to this list? Maybe a personal experience? Feel free to drop a comment.

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The day I got hooked to live-view

Antoine Khater — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 18:12:01 +0000

Photo by Tiago Ribeiro

I clearly remember, not so long ago, I was “proud” to own a dSLR and not having a live-view. I couldn’t imagine taking picture with camera just looking a screen, I found that almost offending.

The day live-view hit the dSLR market I was really disappointed and was sure I was never going to use that feature.

However, just a few months after I got my Canon 40D (the first cam I ever owned with that feature) I am finding myself using live-view more and more and it is becoming a “must have” feature for me.

Here are 6 good reasons why I got hooked to live-view

100% coverage: None of the cameras I owned had a 100% coverage viewfinder, that means that the final picture will be, even if slightly, different than the one you actually see in the viewfinder. When you have time and you want to avoid cropping in the post processing, live-view will give you the exact view of your final picture.

Get it straight: The grid on the LCD is an easy way to align your shot and get a straight horizon right out of the camera (here are 6 others), this will also save you some post processing time.

It is good for my back: I suffer from an acute backache and live-view is particularly efficient when it gets too hard for me to reach the viewfinder. It would also be very practical when you set the camera too low or too high.

See the effect of changing your settings: Changing the white balance and/or picture style are directly shown on the screen thus saving you the trial/error approach specially when shooting JPG

Get the perfect exposure every time: Enabling live histogram and exposure simulation will help you get the exposure you want at every shot.

Critical Focus: This the reason why I use live-view the most, enable live-view zoom in and tweak the focus and you will get pixel sharp images guarantee.

All this being said, I use live view for less than 20% of my shots, however when you have the time to use it it is hard to beat.

Is there any reason why you use, or not use, live view of your camera?

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Six must read articles about Firework shooting

Antoine Khater — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 23:43:50 +0000

Holidays are here & I was trying to get creative and offer a firework shooting article when I have realized that everyone else already did !

So, instead, I gathered the best six articles I found so I can save you some time.

You still have a few hours so read them and, above all, don’t forget to have fun while shooting. Enjoy the show and share the pictures

How to Photograph Fireworks at popphoto.com
The Best Way to Photograph Fireworks at PCWorld.com
Photographing Fireworks Tutorial at enticingtheligh.wordpress.com
How to Photograph Fireworks Displays at digital-photography-school.com
Shooting Fireworks! at beyondmegapixels.com
How To Photograph Amazing Fireworks at yourphototips.com
*update*Quick Tips: Photographing Fireworks at Canon Digital Learning Center

Now, just in case the above is not enough here is 10 spectacular pictures of fireworks to whet your appetite

Picture by stage88

Picture by Joe Penniston

Picture by Christopher Chan

Picture by sachman75

Picture by MorBCN

Picture by Rafael Lopes – Dillbert

Picture by ttstam

Picture by Stuck in Customs

Picture by Joe Penniston

Picture by Creativity+ Timothy K Hamilton

Saturday Links Fever [2011-07-16]

Tips for shooting star trails pictures

Antoine Khater — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 09:25:14 +0000

Picture by Antoine Khater

Introduction

Star trails photography is at the same time easy and rewarding, it can produce results that will leave most viewers in awe with very little effort.
I will try to cover in this article the basic photography technique and equipment needed for star trails photography.

Get away from the city

Photo by dreizehn28

It is no secret that one should get away from the city to be able watch the stars, the same holds true for star photography.
Light pollution in the city is just to dense ! Head instead, for some remote camping site or other unhabitated locations with a clear view for the sky.

Pick a starry night

Photo by The Intrepid Antipodean

Yea right ! I know it is obvious but still wanted to pin-point it! Also you might have a better visibility on a moonless night or when the moon is still low on the horizon.

What to Pack?

Photo by monkeyc.net

So let’s take a look at what you should take with you

Camera: Don’t go without it
Lens: You will need the fastest lens you have. Well pack 2 one long and one wide. I use a Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8 (at 24mm) as my wide and an Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 as my long.
A few memory cards: Star trails is the type of photography when you’d expect to shoot a lot of pictures and keep only a few so make sure to have enough storage with you
A spare battery: Since we’re going to shoot long exposures you’d better have one or two freshly charged spare batteries with you. Specially that at night temperature goes down and batteries drain faster.
Remote shutter release:If you don’t have one you can always use your camera’s timer.
Camera cover: You’d probably need to protect your camera from dew and condensation.
Tripod: This one should rarely be left behind.
Flash light: Make sure to include on in you bag, you’ll need it not only to lighten you way.
Warm clothes & gloves: They might come in handy if it gets too cold.

Camera settings

Photo by greefus groinks

ISO Settings: You will need to crack up your ISO settings at at least 800. Although it is very common to use ISO 1600 and 3200 for these shots it is a safe bet to start doing test at ISO 800 and check if there is a need to go higher
Noise reduction: If your camera has a noise reduction feature make sure to turn it off or else you’ll end up waiting for your camera to finish processing unable to shoot between every 2 pictures.
White Balance: Knowing that a star is a far away sun then, logically, the correct White Balance should be daylight. However this WB setting will generally lead to a very odd sky color, I’ve had much better results using Tungsten white balance.
Mirror lockup: To minimize camera movements to the max you will want to enable the mirror lockup and, if you don’t have a cable release, enable the timer on your camera.
Shoot Raw: RAW is much more flexible in editing afterward and specially effective for tweaking white balance settings.

Go wide and include a foreground

Photo by c@rljones

It is interesting to include an building/tree/rock or any other object or scene in the foreground. It gives a sense of familiarity to the viewer as seeing a normal scene in an incredible way.

Go long for abstract effect

Photo by Odalaigh

Another option would be to compose your shot to include only stars. This will lead for a more abstract effect.

Get Creative with light

Photo by DennyMont

If you chose to go for a wide angle shot you can also use the flashlight to “light paint” the foreground. This will lead to have a nice foreground with details instead of only a black form.

Taking the shot

Photo by Brian Auer

Secure you’re camera on the tripod
Pick your composition
Set your Camera to manual exposure and RAW
Set ISO speed 800, Aperture to the widest possible and shutter speed to 30 second
Enable mirror lockup
Don’t forget your white balance
Put your lens on Manual focus. If you have live view focus in that mode if not simply set your lens to focus at infinity. Be careful most lenses can focus past infinity you have to be sure focus is at infinity.
Put your remote release to continuous shooting mode, this will lead your camera to take repetitively shots of 30 seconds each keep noise minimal
If you don’t have a remote release, simply press the shutter button gently every 30 seconds and make sure you have your camera set to 2 seconds timer not 10 seconds
Keep warm and enjoy your night. Don’t forget to give light painting a try!

In the dark room

And once you’re back home you will probably have a few dozains of pictures to play with. I will follow up with another article on how to post process these pictures to get the star trail you’ve been longing for.
So you’re back home with a handful of pictures!! Here is how to turn this exposures into one star trails pictures using Adobe Photoshop CS3.

16 magical pictures of Tibet

Don’t let the light meter fool you !

Antoine Khater — Wed, 14 May 2008 21:04:42 +0000

Understanding how does a light meter work can make the difference between a poorly exposed picture and keeper. Unfortunately, a lot of people nowadays just rely on their cameras without taking the time to understand the basics. So they end up frustrated by the “poor results” of their camera.

So what is a light meter ?

In short, a light meter is a device that is sensitive to light who’s basic job is to balance an equation.
You typically give the light meter 2 out of 3 variables (ISO, shutter speed, aperture) and it will give the correct 3rd variable to get a well exposed picture of the given scene.

What is there to know ?

It is often not enough to solely rely on the light meter’s decision because the latter can be easily fooled.
In fact the light meter “sees” only one color and that’s neutral gray. No matter what is the subject presented the light meter will balance the equation in a way that this subject will look gray in a Black and White picture.
Let’s take 2 example to better understand what we just talked about:

A picture of snow: Assuming that you just took winter landscape picture, the dominant part of the scene is the white snow and the light meter will meter for it to look gray. So, as a result, you will end up with an under-exposed pictures where the whites are gray.
A picture of your black dog: Taking a counter example, let’s assume you just shot the portrait of your black dog ! Here too the light meter will react in the same way and will meter so that the dog looks gray and the results are an over-exposed picture where the blacks are gray.

How to solve this problem ?

Once we understand how the whole thing works solving this issue is really easy

Use a gray card: Gray cards are cards that have a uniform gray color and are used as exposure reference. No matter what the scene you want to photograph is, let your light meter read from the card and you can be sure it gives you back the correct exposure
Exposure compensation: Exposure compensation, or EC, is when you deliberately override the readings of your light meter by a certain amount. Let’s go back to our examples shall we?
- The snow picture: In the snow picture we just took the snow turned out gray. Gray being darker than white then you want your picture to be brighter right ? So dial some positive exposure compensation of, let’s say, +1.5 EV. Doing this will tell the camera that the scene should be brighter than gray thus white
- The dog picture: Following the same logic the black dog turned out gray too and gray is brighter than black. So we want a darker picture right ? This time we will dial some negative exposure compensation of, let’s say, -1.5 EV.
Now what ?
If what you have just read is new to you then I advise you to go right now and do some tests. The problem is that you need some time and practice to get this concept into your system or you might forget it next time you need it !
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Canon users don’t blame your LCD

Antoine Khater — Thu, 08 May 2008 21:44:00 +0000

I’ve been a Canon user ever since my first DSLR and one of the things that always frustrated me is the uselessness of the LCD to evaluate the sharpness of your pictures.

In fact on the back LCD if you try to zoom while reviewing a picture it will quickly becomes pixelated and blurry. No need to tell you my deception when I was trying a friend’s Nikon and noticed the picture was perfect even after a 10x zoom and he could easily check if it was sharp or not.

Some research showed that Nikon uses higher quality LCD’s on their DSLR’s than Canon, and it looked like everyone complaining was associating this problem to the LCD quality. However I have also find out that this is not the truth.

Canon’s LCD is as good as the LCD of a regular laptop so this should be good enough, the real problem is that Canon uses a 2 megapixel image as a review one.
If you have one of the newest Canon bodies with liveview you would notice that the image is pretty clear when this mode is activated even when zoomed in 10x.

So come on Canon all it takes to resolve this problem is a firmware upgrade, nothing more.

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