Use Two Cameras

Beg, borrow, hire or steal an extra camera for the day – set it up with a different lens. I try to shoot with one wide angle lens (great for candid shots and in tight spaces (particularly before the ceremony in the preparation stage of the day) and one longer lens (it can be handy to have something as large as 200mm if you can get your hands on one – I use a 70-200mm).

Shoot the small details

Photograph rings, backs of dresses, shoes, flowers, table settings, menus etc – these help give the end album an extra dimension. Flick through a wedding magazine in a news stand for a little inspiration.

Turn off the sound on your Camera

Beeps during speeches, the kiss and vows don’t add to the event. Switch off sound before hand and keep it off.

Set expectations with the Couple

Show them your work/style. Find out what they are wanting to achieve, how many shots they want, what key things they want to be recorded, how the shots will be used (print etc). If you’re charging them for the event, make sure you have the agreement of price in place up front.

In Wedding Photography Preparation is Key

So much can go wrong on the day – so you need to be well prepared. Have a backup plan (in case of bad weather), have batteries charged, memory cards blank, think about routes and time to get to places and get an itinerary of the full day so you know what’s happening next. If you can, attend the rehearsal of the ceremony where you’ll gather a lot of great information about possible positions to shoot from, the lighting, the order of the ceremony etc

Scout the Location

Visit the locations of the different places that you’ll be shooting before the big day. While I’m sure most Pros don’t do this – I find it really helpful to know where we’re going, have an idea of a few positions for shots and to know how the light might come into play. On one or two weddings I even visited locations with the couples and took a few test shots (these made nice ‘engagement photos’).

Wedding Photography Family Photo Coordinator

 Wedding Photography Family Photo Coordinator

I find the family photo part of the day can be quite stressful. People are going everywhere, you’re unaware of the different family dynamics at play and people are in a ‘festive spirit’ (and have often been drinking a few spirits) to the point where it can be quite chaotic. Get the couple to nominate a family member (or one for each side of the family) who can be the ‘director’ of the shoot. They can round everyone up, help get them in the shot and keep things moving so that the couple can get back to the party.

Wedding Photography Tips

Wedding Photography

One of the most helpful tips I’ve been given about Wedding Photography is to get the couple to think ahead about the shots that they’d like you to capture on the day and compile a list so that you can check them off. This is particularly helpful in the family shots. There’s nothing worse than getting the photos back and realizing you didn’t photograph the happy couple with grandma!

How to Photograph Silhouettes in 8 Easy Steps

I normally talk about the importance of using a flash when taking shots into the sun to give sufficient light to add features to your subject but there are also times when making your subject featureless apart from their outline against a bright background can be most effective – or when in other words silhouette is a worth exploring.
Silhouettes are a wonderful way to convey drama, mystery, emotion and mood to the viewers of your photos and often stand out in an album because of the combination of their simplicity but also the story that they convey. I love them because they don’t give the viewer of a clear picture of everything but leave part of the image up to their imagination to wonder about.
The basic strategy you’ll need to employ in taking silhouette shots is to place your subject (the shape you want to be blacked out) in front of some source of light and to force your camera to set its exposure based upon the brightest part of your picture (the background) and not the subject of your image.
In doing this your subject will be under exposed (and very dark, if not black).
There are a lot of very technical descriptions going around on how to take great silhouette shots that you might want to look up but let me attempt to run through some basic steps that should get you the results you’re after. In essence what we’re trying to do is make your camera think that it’s the bright parts of the picture you are most interested in.
Here’s how to do it:

1. Choose a Strong Subject

Almost any object can be made into a silhouette, however some are better than others. Choose something with a strong and recognizable shape that will be interesting enough in its two dimensional form to hold the interest of those viewing your image. Silhouettes can’t draw on the colors, textures and tones of subjects to make them appealing – so the shape needs to be distinct.

2. Turn off your Flash

If you have your camera in automatic mode your camera will probably want to use its flash which will ruin the silhouette. Basically you want as little light on the front of your subject as possible – so the flash has to go (basic – but I’ve seen a few attempted silhouette shots with the flash firing).

3. Get Your Light Right

When it comes to lighting your subject you’ll need to throw out a lot of what you’ve learnt about normal photography and think a little backwards. Instead of lighting the front of your subject, in silhouettes you need to ensure that there is more light shining from the background than the foreground of your shot – or to put it another way – you want to light the back of your subject rather than the front. The perfect light for this is placing your subject in front of a sunset or sunrise – but really any bright light will be able to do the trick.

4. Frame your image

Frame your shot so you are shooting with your subject in front of a nice plain, but bright background. Usually the best backgrounds will be a bright cloudless sky with the sun setting. You want to position the brightest light source behind your subject (either so that they hide it or so that its in the background somewhere).

5. Make silhouetted shapes distinct and uncluttered

If there is more than one shape or object in the image that you’re attempting to silhouette, try to keep them separated. ie if you are silhouetting a tree and a person don’t have the person stand in front of the tree or even leaning on it as it will merge them into one shape and as a result your viewers could be confused about what the shape is.
Also when framing you’ll probably want to photograph silhouetted people as profiles rather than looking straight on. This means that more of their features (nose, mouth, eyes) are outlined and they are more likely to be recognized.

6. In Auto Mode

Most modern digital cameras have automatic metering which are pretty good at sensing how to expose a photograph so that everything is well lit. The problem with this is that most cameras are so smart that they will light up your subject instead of underexposing it to get a silhouette so you need to trick it. Most cameras work out the exposure levels in auto mode when you push your shutter half way down (at the same time that they focus). So point your camera at the brightest part of your picture and then press the shutter halfway down (don’t let go). Then move your camera back to frame your shot with the subject where you want it and then finish taking the shot. With most digital cameras this will result in a silhouetted subject. In effect what you’re doing is tricking your camera into thinking that the bright part of the image is the mid tone of it so that anything darker than it will be exposed as a nice dark shadow.
Some digital cameras also have ‘spot’ or ‘centered’ metering modes that you can switch on which helps with the above technique as they will set the metering on the central spot of your frame rather than multiple spots. This means you can accurately tell your camera exactly which bit of the bright background you want it to set the exposure on.

7. Manual Mode

If this technique doesn’t work and your camera has controls to allow manual exposure or exposure compensation you might like to try some of your own settings. The beauty of digital is that you can experiment to your hearts content until you get the result you’re after.
A simple way to start using manual mode is to look at the shutter speed and aperture that it suggests in automatic mode and to start from there. If in auto mode your subject is too light (ie you need to make it darker) stop down the shutter speed a stop or two and see what impact that has. Use the ‘bracketing’ technique that I described in my previous tip on sunrises and sunsets to get a variety of shots at slightly different exposures.

8. Focusing

In most cases you’ll want the subject which is silhouetted to be the thing that is in focus most crisply. This can mean that the process described in point 4 can be a little tricky as pushing your shutter half way down to get the metering right also means that you’ll focus on that spot in the background. To get around this you can use two strategies. Firstly if your camera has manual focusing you might want to try that. Pre focus your shot before you meter your shot.
The other strategy is to use Aperture to maximize your depth of field (the amount of your image that is in focus). Set a small aperture (ie a larger number) to increase the depth of field – this means you’re more likely to have a sharper foreground and background in your shots.
One last tip on Silhouettes – while a total silhouette with a nice crisp and black subject can be a powerful shot, also consider the partial silhouette where some detail of your subject is left. Sometimes a touch of light on them makes them slightly more three dimensional and ‘real’. This is the beauty of bracketing your shots as it will leave you with total and partial silhouettes to choose form.

How to Photograph Mushrooms, Toadstools and Fungi

One of my favorite things to photograph is Mushrooms – in this post I’ll give you some tips on how to do it.
As a child I had a love hate relationship with Mushrooms.
It all started down on my Nana’s farm where on cool Autumn days one of the things we’d love to do was go Mushrooming. We’d hunt in dark damp places for them and would marvel at the different colors, sizes and shapes that they came in – these bizarre little things that looked like something from out of space.
Nana taught us which ones were edible and which ones to leave alone and we’d return to her kitchen with a bucketful which we’d clean, chop up and put in a pot. That’s where the ‘hate’ part of my relationships started. I can still remember the smell of that stewing pot and Nana’s attempts at getting me to eat the fruit of our mushroom hunt. No thanks – not for me.
These days I don’t mind eating them as much as I used to – however my love of the ‘hunt’ for good mushrooms, toadstools and fungi is still with me – however I don’t hunt them to eat, I hunt them to photograph.
The little alien like creatures that we used to pick and chop up are now sought after photographic subjects. The variety of shapes, colors and sizes present photographers with all kinds of striking possibilities.

How to Photograph Mushrooms, Toadstools and Fungi:

It’s all about the Season – Fungi photography is not a year round hobby as they only tend to grow at certain times of years. I suspect that this will vary from place to place and between varieties but I find I have the best luck in Winter and Autumn where it’s cooler, darker and damper.

Where to Find them

At Nana’s farm we learned where Mushrooms hide and discovered that it’s pretty much the opposite sorts of places that you’ll find flowers (who like warmth, light and are generally out in the open). Mushrooms like the dark, they like the wet and they tend to appear in places that you’d least like to be (on the farm it was often next to a cow pat). Keep your eyes open below trees, under leaves and amongst undergrowth of forests.

Groom Your Fungi before Shooting

Mushrooms grow up from under the ground and as a result can often be half covered in dirt, bits of vegetation and other ‘gunk’. While you might like this natural look it can also be well worth your while clean them up a little before photographing them. Brush off dirt and vegetation and remove any movable distracting objects in the foreground or background of your shots. Remember to be an environmentally friendly photographer and to leave things as naturally as you found them but don’t be afraid to do a little grooming pre-shooting.

Get down Low

Perhaps the most effective way of entering the world of Mushrooms and Toadstools and drawing the viewer of your image into your shot is to get down low and shoot from ground level. This will enable you to see the textures, shapes and colors of not only the top dome of the mushroom but it’s underbelly. It will also give your mushroom height which makes for a more dramatic and three dimensional shot. Of course means you’ll probably spend a lot of your Fungi photography flat on your stomach on the ground getting dirty. No one said this would be easy!

Get in Close

For a real impact in your mushroom shots get in as close to them as possible and try some tight framing. This will mean you might want to think about switching your camera into macro mode or, if you have a DSLR, hook yourself up with a macro lens or macro screw in lens and learn how to use it.

Lighting

One of the challenges you’ll be faced with when shooting from low down in lower lighting situations is that the underbelly of your mushroom (which is often it’s most interesting part due to the patterns and textures there) will often be in darkness when compared with it’s top. Lighting a mushroom’s belly can be a tricky thing. Here are a few techniques to try:

• Fill Flash - the first thing to try that almost any digital camera can do these days is to use a flash to achieve a ‘fill flash‘ effect. If you can control the level of output from the flash you’ll want to experiment with this as there is a danger of getting quite harshly lit parts of the mushroom.
• Directional/off Camera Flash - the problem with built in flash units is that you can’t really direct what direction it fires in and when photographing a small object like a mushroom this means that you might not just light up the underbelly but also the top of the mushroom as well as it’s surrounds. If you’re lucky enough to have an external flash unit experiment with bouncing it off other objects (trees, the ground or purpose built reflectors). If you can take your flash off your camera and move it around the mushroom you can also get some interesting sidelight or backlighting results also. Off camera flash is probably the best bet if you have the kit to do it.
• Reflectors – last time I went mushroom hunting I took a reflector with me and used it to reflect available light from the sun back up into the underbelly of the mushrooms. I found this worked quite well (although as I was alone at times I found it a bit of a juggling act).

Stabilize Your Camera

Due to the low light in most places that you’ll find Mushrooms, you’ll often need to shoot with longer shutter speeds which mean the need to find a way to keep your camera perfectly still. Some tripods will allow you to set up your camera as low as inches from the ground by spreading their legs widely but another option is one of the numerous

Slow Shutter Speeds

If you’re struggling with the low light levels don’t be afraid to lengthen the shutter speeds that you’re using. The beauty of Fungi is that they are very still and if you’ve got your camera stabilization working for you with a solid tripod and shutter release cable you can lengthen the shutter speeds almost as long as you’d like (within reason).

Use a Shallow Depth of Field to Isolate Your Fungi

Mushrooms and Fungi usually grow in environments where there can be a lot of clutter around them in the vegetation that they grow in. One great way to isolate them from this background and foreground distraction is to use a shallow depth of field by selecting a large Aperture which will throw the background out of focus (see this tutorial on other tips for getting great backgrounds). Of course it can also be effective to show the context of the mushroom if you’re lucky enough for it to be growing in a photographic location – in these cases you’ll want to select a smaller aperture.

Bursting the Burst Mode Myth: [What I Learned from Shooting with Film]

Over the next week we’ll be featuring a mini-series of posts from Rachel Devine (author of our kids photography eBook) in which she’ll be talking about five reasons learning photography on film cameras made her the digital photographer that she is today.

Here’s today’s on Busting the Burst Mode Myth.

no burst mode here

There are a few things I hear as top advice for budding children’s photographers and parents who want to take better photos of their children. I think that setting the camera to burst mode and holding the shutter down while taking photos is the one I hear most often and makes me cringe hardest. Called the “spray and pray” method, lots of digital photographers rely on taking hundreds of images (I have actually heard of thousands of frames shot for one portrait session) at a sitting to get a handful of good shots.

When keen new photographers ask for advice on how to get better photos of kids (their own or for a client) and are told, “It is digital, it will not cost you anything, just put the camera in burst mode and take as many as you can and you are bound to get a good one in there” they are being fed bad advice…or rather non-advice.

I started my photography career on film 16 years ago and when I did, those who swear by the spray and pray method may be shocked to learn that there were lots of other kid and family photographers who had to get the entire session worth of images for their clients on just a few rolls of film. And they did…every time.

Here is why shooting in burst mode not best for everyone and what I think is better advice for those really wanting to get better at taking photos of kids.

Time:: It takes time on your end to weed through those hundreds of resulting shots. Culling images is a time sucking and soul zapping process where you will be tied to your computer for hours sorting, comparing and slitting hairs. It may be fun the first few times you go through your images, but it will wear on you over time and if you get into the habit of having to shoot this way, you will also have to allow time for sorting and editing all of those images.

Not learning to see:: If you do have to resort to shooting in burst mode, then things really are on auto. Burst mode does not allow for the photographer to make changes to the image and exposure settings while they are taking the shots. With single images taken thoughtfully, the photographer can fine tune the exposure settings and compose carefully. Learn to recognize what makes a great image and then set out to purposefully shoot that.

no burst mode here

Missing Details:: When the camera is set to burst mode, the focus is on quantity and quality tends to take a back seat. People tend to forget to scan the shot for details and end up with an entire series of cute expressions on a child who seemingly has a tree growing out of the top of their head. That photographer can now tack extra time onto their post processing routine to edit that sucker out. I have seen tags left on clothes, dirty faces, cars parked prominently in the background. Things get missed easily in the rapid fire fury.

Connection with the subject:: Finally, I have heard an argument in favor of burst mode that it helps avoid missing any special moments. Really, the wham-bam-thank you ma’am approach to photography may seem like a good idea for kids because they are fast and have short attention spans, but getting them involved in the whole experience is so much more enriching for both photographer and subject. These are not wild animals on safari, but tiny human beings who can and should bring personality to the table when they are active participants in your sessions, not just being shot at. This is especially true for people who enjoy documenting their own children over and over again. Slow down, take a moment to breathe, observe and photograph and then breathe again…it is then when you will not only be photographing the special moments, but also participating in them.

If that all does not speak to you, let’s talk cash…

Shutter actuations:: Your camera does have a shelf life and it really is not determined by when the latest and greatest new model is released, but more by how many times the shutter has actually clicked. While the total end number can vary by camera model and may seem really quite high, it will be reached faster if you are taking hundreds of images each time you go to use your camera.

no burst mode here

Shooting big group portraits :: Great for getting extra shots of the same scene (especially when mounted on a tripod) where you may need to do a head swap because someone closed their eyes.

Sports :: That is pretty much why it is called Sports Mode

Portraits with a point and shoot camera :: The shutter lag present in point and shoot cameras (the time it takes the camera to actually capture the shot from when you press the shutter button is called shutter lag and is very apparent in point and shoot cameras) can cause you to miss the moment even when you are shooting carefully and are ready for it. Setting the little compact cameras to sports mode can help overcome this technical hurdle.

Back in the days of film, we were limited by budget as we had to pay cash money for the film and processing. That made it necessary to shoot mindfully. We ended up with more images that we loved and fewer wasted frames. Today with digital, the costs are hidden, but there are still costs. Take the time to set up the sessions, meter the light, compose and be present while you are photographing your little subjects. Practice shooting digital with the discipline of film. You just may find that you enjoy the act of photographing kids even more than you thought possible.

For more on the topic of Kids Photogrpahy – Check out Rachel’s eBook Click! How to Take Gorgeous Photos of Your Kids.

Guest Contributor This post was written by a guest contributor to DPS. Please see their details in the post above. Become a Contributor: Check out Write for DPS page for details about how YOU can share your photography tips with the DPS community.

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Sunset/Sunrise Landscapes

Over the next few weeks – to celebrate the launch of our brand new Landscape Photography eBook (which is currently 33% off) – we are going to be issuing landscape photography challenges as our weekly challenge.
Image by Todd Sisson: Author of our Living Landscapes eBook
This week your challenge is to take and share a landscape photo taken at either Sunrise or Sunset.
There’s a section on photographing landscapes at sunset in the eBook to help you with this but whether you’ve read it or not we challenge you to get your camera out over the next few days and to head out early in the morning or at twilight to shoot with it!
Feel free to shoot a landscape in whatever setting you can get to. It might be a rural area, a seascape or even an urban landscape – it is totally up to you!
Once you’ve taken your ‘Sunset Landscapes’ photos upload your best ones to your favourite photo sharing site either share a link to them even better – embed them in the comments using the our new tool to do so.
If you tag your photos on Flickr, Instagram, Twitter or other sites with Tagging tag them as DPSSUNSET to help others find them. Linking back to this page might also help others know what you’re doing so that they can share in the fun.
Also – don’t forget to check out some of the great shots posted in last weeks Leading Lines challenge – there were some great shots submitted.

Digital Still Life Photography [Book Review]

This is a sumptuous book in a number of departments: it’s large, beautifully printed and full of useful, easily navigated information.

So why the word ‘digital’ in the book’s title?

Author Sint explains ‘I hate using Photoshop to correct my mistakes because I feel the time required to do so is both unproductive and unprofitable. … what I really love more than Photoshop is downloading pictures that I find pretty close to perfect the moment I open the image’s file.’

The book’s style is thoroughly disarming and direct to the point: when approaching a still life photograph the first step, Sint suggests, ‘is to spend a moment thinking about what type of photograph you are trying to create.’

He then describes the techniques in shooting simple setups on a plain background, the need for speed and the need to plan your shoot efficiently. After all, time is money and the more shots you can pack in per hour the higher your financial return. This book Sint affirms is about ‘how to make a living taking pictures …’

An initial step is to select a suitable shooting space. It should ideally be a big space, one that includes an office, shooting area, storage for props etc, conference area, makeup room and maybe a kitchen. However, in an effort to describe how little you really need, the author describes his own first studio: a room 250 square feet in area, containing his own twin bed, a dresser, small nightstand … with the remaining 225 square feet dedicated to the studio!

Next, you should assemble the necessary tools to make the space work: timber and the necessary power and hand tools; some form of canned compressed air or even a compressor and more. This is followed by three simple building projects: building a simple set flat; a diffusion screen; a light table.

The important subject of lighting gets serious attention, with tips on how to assemble and use a continuous light array, electronic flash, reflectors, barn doors and snoots, hair lights, scrims, a lighting umbrella etc. The variations in continuous and flash light are explained thoroughly and examples given as to which type suits what subjects.

To give an idea of the depth of detail found in the book, just go to pages 150 and 151 on clamps but not just ordinary clamps but ‘super clamps’! These can do so many more things on a still life shoot than merely position a light as they come in handy to build backgrounds etc.

More follows on soft and hard lighting, the colour of light sources, how to vary a lamp’s colour balance and filtration plus a useful primer on working with fluoro lighting and how to mix it with flash. Fluoros may be 20-30 per cent green in hue so you may filter the flash output with green gels and then add a magenta filter to the camera lens to bring everything back to a daylight balance.

A superb eight page section takes you step-by-step through the shoot of an expensive Cartier watch: how to pose it, light it, position fill lamps. And then there is the fundamental advice never to perform post editing on the original digital file: duplicate! And only work on a copy.

This book will be invaluable to the photographer who wants to move into the studio. Big time!

Author: S Sint.
Publisher: pixiq.
Distributor: Capricorn Link.
Size: 28x22x2cm.
Length: 271 pages.
ISBN: 978 1 4547 03273 3.
Price: Get a price on Digital Still Life Photography at Amazon (currently 50% off).

Barrie Smith is an experienced writer/photographer currently published in Australian Macworld, Auscam and other magazines in Australia and overseas.

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How to Shoot Landscapes at Sunset

Sunsets are a huge draw for landscape photographers due to the unique light at the end of the day. Not only is the colour of the light attractive but also its low angle as the sun goes down gives greater texture to the landscape.

Whilst the conditions at sunset have the potential to yield great images, they also provide challenges that need to be overcome to maximise that potential.  Here I want to share some tips and approaches for shooting landscapes at sunset.

One thing I am often asked is “what settings should I use to photograph a sunset?”.  Photographing at sunset is no different to shooting any other landscape; therefore the following make a good starting point:

Shooting mode: Manual
ISO: 100
Aperture: f/11 (maximising depth of field, without compromising image quality)
Shutter speed: Adjust so that detail is retained in the sky highlights (if too bright, make it faster, if too dark, make it slower)
White balance: Daylight/Sunny (if shooting in JPEG)

However camera settings alone do not guarantee success, there are a few other things to consider.

Shot into the sun as the sun crossed the tree line (ISO 200, f/11, 30s, using 3-stop graduated ND filter, 10-stop ND filter)

Often, the draw of a sunset is a brightly coloured sky containing reds, pinks and oranges and the temptation can be to make the sky the focal point of the image, expose for it, and throw everything else into silhouette.  If there is an interesting skyline, this can work compositionally however if not, you will be left with an image that can lose the viewers interest quickly – after the sky, there is nowhere left for the eye to go.

Also, one of the joys of sunset is capturing the golden light illuminating the world in front of you and casting long shadows.  Therefore, capturing both the land and sky correctly exposed can produce images with a much higher impact that will hold the viewers attention for longer.  However, therein lies one of the challenges.

When the sun is low, the sky will appear very bright in comparison to the land.  Due to the limited dynamic range of digital sensors, the difference in brightness between the sky and the land can cause problems for the resulting image – if the difference is too great, you will either lose detail in the highlights (sky) or shadows (land).

There are two ways to overcome this:

Use graduated neutral density filters (as covered in this post) to reign in the bright sky, and ensure that you can record the full range of highlights and shadows in one imageTake multiple images (one exposed for the sky, one exposed for the land as a minimum) and blend the two together using photo editing software.

Both approaches come with complications (the potential for unwanted flare or colour casts from filters, or unwanted movement between exposures for the blending).  My preference is to use graduated neutral density filters, with the aim of getting as much right in-camera in one image, to save having to spend time blending exposures when back at my computer.

Shot with the sun at 90 degrees to my right highlighting the foreground rock detail (ISO 100, f/11, 1.6s, using 3-stop graduated ND filter)

Too many people pack up and head home when the sun goes down, but it’s only 10 or so minutes after the sun has set that the real colour display in the sky begins.  A small amount of time after the sun drops below the horizon, you often see any clouds in the sky take on a red/pink hue.  As there is no bright light source at this time, shutter speeds soon increase to a few seconds, so a tripod is a must, but you will be able to capture images with incredible saturation in the sky, without any post processing.

Taken approx. 30 minutes after the first image above, showing the clouds taking on the pink/purple tones (ISO 200, f/11, 4s, using 2-stop graduated ND filter)

Everything I’ve written here discusses shooting at sunset, but it all applies to sunrise too.  It is a much more difficult to motivate yourself to go out at sunrise, but it is my favourite time of day to take landscape images as the light is just as magical and, depending on the overnight temperatures, you can often be greeted with early morning mists that can add a whole new dimension to your landscape images.

Taken just after sunrise with mist rolling in the valley below (ISO 100, f/11, 1/40s, using 3-stop graduated ND filter)

So whilst sunrise or sunset are challenging times of day to shoot effectively, hopefully the above tips will help you go out and capture the full potential of the landscape in front of your lens.

Elliot Hook is a wildlife and landscape photographer based in Hertfordshire, UK. He tries to learn as much as he can to improve his photography and enjoys sharing what he has learnt with others. Elliot can be found at http://www.elliothook.co.uk/, on Twitter, Flickr and 500px.

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Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-HX50V Review

I’ve had lots of experience with these mega zoom cameras: some enjoyable, some not so much.

If you’re new to the field, approach them with caution: the zoom range is appealing, impressive and somewhat frustrating.

For one, you simply cannot use them handheld at the full tele end: at best, use a tripod; at worst, lean them on something substantial, like a fence or a wall.
If you’re crazy enough to want to shoot video with the zoom working mid shot … practice, practice.

The HX50V initially surprised me: feels solid, pocketable, well-balanced in the hand, thanks to a prominent speed grip.

At rest, the camera is only 38mm deep; powered up, the lens protrudes and the depth increases to 73mm; with the zoom fully extended, it reaches 100mm depth.

Most external controls are id’d in white but some are rendered in off-white text. Designers: make ‘em all white next time!

Sony claims it’s the world’s smallest 30x zoom, a claim with which I have no argument. The zoom range has a 35 SLR equivalent of 24-720mm, which makes it a very powerful shooting tool.

What sets it apart from most other mega zoom cameras is it ability to capture 20.4 million pixel images. This large image size is of course burdened by a small CMOS size, so noise will be a factor in large prints.

Maximum image size is 5184×3888 pixels or as a 44x33cm print.

Video can be shot in either MPEG4 or AVCHD formats up to Full HD 1920×1080 pixel resolution. You can’t shoot stills while recording video.

For what it’s worth the HX50V model offers enhanced Optical SteadyShot image stabilisation that is claimed to be about twice as effective as the HX200V high-zoom model of last year. It seems to me that each HX model raises the bar in image stabilising. Where will it end?

At first glance I felt the camera had minimal external controls. Anything missing?
No, as far as I could tell, everything appeared to be on deck.

Top surface: at left is the flash cell, with activating button just below; mid-surface is the multi interface shoe to attach electronic viewfinders, flashes or mics.

Moving further right is the power button, zoom lever, leading to the mode dial, with positions for intelligent and superior auto, PASM, scene modes, video, sweep panorama, memory recall. And a dial for exposure compensation.

The scene modes (17 in all) include positions for 3D shooting, fireworks, night portraits etc. Nine picture effects are accessed via the finder menu and these include HDR painting, rich tone mono, pop colour etc.

Rear: buttons for video record, replay, menu and trash. The four position control wheel gives access to self timer/burst shooting, flash options, display and ‘photo creative’ options. There is also a custom button that takes you directly to ISO, white balance, metering mode and smile shutter choices.

The finder menu is graphically clear and not at all intimidating.
The PDF manual I found to be sufficient bot no more than that. For a beginner, it’s poorly laid out and a little jumbled in access to important features.

Only at ISO 6400 did noise become a problem. At ISO 12800 noise was well up and definition down.

No problems at either end of the zoom.

About two seconds from power on I could shoot the first shot; follow-ons as fast as I could tap the button.

Quality: above average.
Why you would buy it: compact; powerful zoom range; integrated WiFi; GPS functionality.
Why you wouldn’t: no RAW capture; no optical finder; no vari-angle finder.

Having already bought a couple of mega zoom compacts, I am loathe to invest more hard-earned shekels in acquiring another one, but this baby is enormously appealing. Please, mummy, can I raid the piggy bank one more time?

Image Sensor: 20.4 million effective pixels.
Metering: Multi pattern, centre-weighted, spot.
Sensor Size: 11mm CMOS.
Lens: Sony G f3.5-6.3/4.3-129mm (24-720mm as 35 SLR equivalent).
Shutter Speed: 4 to 1/1600 second.
Memory: Memory Stick Duo, PRO Duo/PRO-HG Duo/SD/SDHC/SDXC and Micro SD/SDHC cards plus 48MB.
Image Sizes (pixels): 5184×3888 to 640×480.
Movies (pixels): 1920×1080, 1440×1080, 1280×720, 640×480.
Rear LCD Screen: 7.6cm LCD (921,600 pixels).
File Formats: JPEG, AVCHD, MPEG4.
ISO Sensitivity: Auto, 80 to 12800.
Interface: USB 2.0, HDMI, WiFi, DC.
Power: Rechargeable lithium ion battery, DC input.
Dimensions: 108.1×63.6×38.3 WHDmm.
Weight: 272 g (with battery and card).
Price: Get a price on the Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-HX50V at Amazon.

Barrie Smith is an experienced writer/photographer currently published in Australian Macworld, Auscam and other magazines in Australia and overseas.

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Setting The Mood With Low Key Lighting

This image was made using a flash on camera, bounced into an uncoated muslin reflector. The uncoated muslin warms the light up about 400 degrees Kelvin. The reflector was positioned above and to the left of the camera, with the flash aimed into it. EOS-1D Mark IV, EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro. ISO 100, 1/250, f/4.

This diagram shows the lighting for the image above. The uncoated muslin reflector is positioned above and to the left of the camera, with the flash bounced into it. Play with the angle of the reflector to get the lighting just right.

Last week I wrote about high key portrait lighting and how it creates a very upbeat feel in images lit that way.  The opposite end of the spectrum is low key lighting, which creates a more moody feeling in images.  Low key lighting tends to be lit with one light on the subject, using reflectors or fill light if necessary to fill in shadows. Because only one light is required, it can be a bit easier to light a subject in the low key style, and certainly less costly indoors.

Light reveals your subject, and shadows define your subject.  The shadows you create are equally as important as the light you use to expose your subject.  Low key lighting will have a high lighting ration from main to fill, typically as high as 8:1.  High key, by comparison, will approach 1:1.

Indoors, the simplest way to achieve low key lighting is to use a speedlite on camera, bounced off a wall, or into a reflector angled to catch your subject in the face. Adjusting the flash output will help you get the softness in light, as well as using a larger reflector. Another reflector on the opposite side of your subject can be used to throw reflected light back where it came from for fill if desired.  Using a silver or gold reflector will create a harsher light, while using uncoated muslin or soft white will create a softer light.

If you’re able, and want to get the flash off camera, using a wireless trigger on your speedlite, while placing it in a softbox gives you another option to light your subject.  A softbox gives you soft, directional light, without spilling the light into the background.  Softboxes work by enlarging your light source.  The larger the light source, the softer the light will be.   I use several softboxes depending on what I need.  The first is a Westcott Bruce Dorn 18×42 assymetrical strip box.  This is great for

lighting a full length figure, with a natural falloff at the feet.  The rest I use are Westcott Apollo softboxes. I have the 16?,  28? and 50? softboxes, depending on what the situation calls for.  The 50? creates light very similar to window light, with a nice soft wraparound effect.  The 28? is a bit harsher, and the 16? harsher still.

For this image, I used a Westcott 28? Apollo softbox, with a speedlite off camera. I turned down the flash output slightly to give a more moody feel. EOS 5D Mark II, EF 24-70 f/2.8L. ISO 100, 1/200, f/8.

The softbox is positioned to the left of the camera and aimed at the subject as the subject is turned toward the light. The camera shoots from the shadow side of the subject, allowing the light to just kiss the contour of the subject from the side.

Outdoors, to get a low key lighting effect, you’ll need to catch the sun when it’s low in the sky, just as it’s setting, or in the morning as the sun rises. Alternatively, standing at the edge of deep shade can help create a low key effect as well.  If needed, a scrim can help soften the light hitting your subject, but generally a sun low in the sky creates a soft warm lighting on your subject.

Low key lighting is great for setting a mood. Add it as another option in your lighting toolbox and see what happens.  Share your favorite low key images in the comments too!

This shot was taken using only late afternoon sun, just before sunset. When the sun sets it becomes directional, and all I had to do was instruct my model to face the light, watching the soft shadows it created. EOS-1D X with EF 85mm f/1.2L II. 1/320, f/4, ISO 320.

Rick Berk is a photographer based in New York, shooting a variety of subjects including landscapes, sports, weddings, and portraits. Rick's work can be seen at RickBerk.com and you can follow him onhis Facebook page.

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6 Lessons the Square Format Can Teach You About Composition

In another article I wrote that one of the main attractions of the square format for me is composition. Today I’m going to elaborate on that idea.

Composition in the square format is a different process than within a rectangular frame. The benefit of understanding of why that is so is that you will be able to apply the lessons learnt to improving the composition of your images in any aspect ratio. Even if you never intend to use it in earnest, it’s worthwhile playing around with the square format for this reason alone.

Let’s take a look at some of these factors:

A square is a perfectly balanced shape. Each side is equal in length. Using the square format encourages the eye to move around the frame in a circle. This is different to the rectangular frame, where the eye is encouraged to move from side to side (in the landscape format) or up and down (in the portrait format). There are many factors that influence the way the eye moves around a photo, including the use of line, texture, colour, selective focus and negative space. But the shape of the frame is a major factor.

In this landscape, composed within the 3:2 aspect ratio of my 35mm camera, the eye is encouraged to move from side to side by the shape of the frame and the horizontal lines:

In this square format photo, the eye is encouraged to move around the frame in a circle:

Negative space is the term used to describe the empty space in an image around the subject. Composition is often improved by getting closer to the subject. But sometimes you can create atmosphere or emphasise the shape of the subject by including negative space around it. In the rectangular frame, this can be difficult to do as it results in a lot of empty space. But it can be very effective in the square format.

Here is a photo that I took of a lizard in the 3:2 aspect ratio:

And here is the same photo cropped to a square:

Which do you prefer? There is no right answer – it’s entirely subjective. But it’s interesting how the dynamic of the image is changed by a single crop.

The square format lends itself to a simple approach. There is less room within the square frame than the rectangular one, therefore simplifying the composition becomes a necessity.

Creating a simple composition is often much harder than it seems. But it’s a very useful exercise. For your photos to have impact, you want to eliminate as many distractions as possible. The focus should be on your subject. If there are other elements within the frame that pull the viewer’s eye away from the subject that can lessen the strength of the image.

The composition of this image is about as simple as it is possible to get:

How many shapes can you see in the images below? There are circles, squares, diamonds, rectangles and triangles within these photos. The square format lends itself to this style of composition. I think that’s because the square is such a powerful shape in itself, that it emphasises other shapes within it. Linked with this are the ideas of balance and simplicity. Simplifying the composition emphasises shape, and so does placing shapes within a square frame. Converting to black and white emphasises them further.

In the square format you can often place the subject in the centre of the frame for an effective composition. Generally speaking, many photographers tend to avoid place the subject off-centre for a more interesting composition.The rule-of-thirds is a reminder of this. But in the square format that doesn’t apply.

It’s even more true when the image is simple. The less distractions there are in the frame, the more effective a central composition becomes. If the subject has a strong shape, the empty space around it emphasises the shape. And the square format provides the perfect, balanced frame:

Take away colour and what do you have? An image that relies on tonal contrast for impact and that emphases visual elements such as line, texture and shape. The square format and black and white seem made for each other, which perhaps explains its popularity with fine art photographers.

Take another look at the photos in this article. Do you prefer the colour images or the monochrome ones? The answer may give you an idea for future photo projects.

Whether you shoot with the intention of utilising the square format, or go back over old images to see whether they can be improved by cropping to a square, the most important thing is to have fun with the process. Enjoy the challenge of getting to grips with the square format and its implications for composition. Don’t take it too seriously. You’ll create some beautiful images and the lessons you learn about composition along the way will help you create better images in the future.

Andrew Gibson is a writer and phototographer living in New Zealand. He is the author of over fifteen photography ebooks and he's giving one of them away for free. All you have to do is sign up to his monthly newsletter and you'll receive a complementary copy of The Creative Image.

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