PHOTOGRAPHY

In the quest to take good shots of wildlife and nature, people often don't realize that the city too offers a plethora of subjects that make for wonderful photographs. So much so that entire genres of photography have evolved, which deal with shooting urban landscapes. Learning how to take pictures of cities is not as daunting as it may seem. Photographing the city can be broadly dealt with under three headings: Architectural Photography, Street Photography and Night Photography.

Taking pictures of cities can be a rewarding experience indeed. Try out these tips and do share your results with us! Happy clicking!

Interested in breaking into the world of HDR photography? This article will guide you through the process of taking photos that will easily merge together to create the best, surreal High Dynamic Range photos you can imagine. In HDR photography, photos are taken at three different exposures to capture the highlights and shadows of the picture. Then, these photos are merged together in a program like Adobe Photoshop CS4 or Photomatix Pro 3.1
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Usually, HDR photography is limited to scenes that do not move, although some exceptions can be made to that. The biggest HDR candidates are:

• Landscapes

• Sunsets

• Buildings / Cityscapes

• Still-life

These are just a list of examples that could present themselves as excellent HDR photos. When looking for a place to get a great HDR shot, you’ll want to look for places that have extremes of shadows and highlights. When taking regular shots, properly exposed according to the camera, look for large areas of the photo that are either under or overexposed. When you find that, you will have found an excellent candidate for HDR photography.

Taking photos for an HDR photo varies depending on what kind of camera you have. For point-and-shoot cameras, you will need to switch to manual mode. In manual mode, you will have to manually adjust the exposure of each of the three photos that you are going to use for the HDR merge. This can be tricky and may take some practice. When doing this, it is best to take photos at many different exposures so that you have a lot to work with when you are working with your photo editing software.
If you are using a Digital SLR camera, this task is made easier by the use of Auto Exposure Bracketing (AEB), which will be discussed later. Obviously, if you have an SLR camera, use it. It will give you better pictures and save you more hassle in the long run.

One of the most vital keys to taking a successful HRD photo is to use a tripod. Do not use a monopod or set the camera on a stable surface - use a tripod! Although the former can work in some tough spots where you don’t have your tripod with you, it really is taking a risk. The slightest vibration or movement of the camera can cost you the final product. Using a tripod ensures that the three exposures are of the same exact picture, provided the scenery isn’t moving.
Along with a tripod, use a shutter release or wireless remote. This may seem trivial, but any vibration can spark changes in your final HDR photo. You’ll only notice it when you go to merge the photos together. The result will be a ghosting effect in the final product.

Unless you are using a point-and-shoot camera, always use the Auto Exposure Bracketing feature on your camera when doing HDR photography. Not only are you setting the exposure for all three photos beforehand, but you’re also ensuring that the camera stays in the same spot. Even changing the exposure between photos can move the camera just slightly.
Basically, Auto Exposure Bracketing allows you to setup different exposures to take even before you go to take the photo. This is much better than guessing and adjusting as you’re trying to take the photos.
Setting a bracketed exposure is easy, although it does vary from camera to camera. On most SLRs, it involves going into the Menu and enabling the AEB setting, and choosing which three exposures you want the photos to be taken at.
When taking the photos, hold the shutter button down until all three pictures are taken. Take them one after another, having your camera set in “burst mode”. You will know that your camera is set in this mode by the three overlapping rectangles that you should see on the screen. If you see only one rectangle, then your digital camera is set up for only taking one photo at a time. You'll have to change this to the continuous shot mode.
Once you have your photos, the next step is to merge them together. Click here to learn how to merge photos into one HDR photo using Photomatix Pro 3.1
With HDR photography, it's important to not give up after the first try. If the photo doesn't turn out the way you wanted, do some research, think about what mistakes you might have made, and get out there and give it another try. As one of the more involved digital photography techniques, it does take practice.

HDR (High Dynamic Range) photography has become a popular technique over the past ten years and is being used more and more. This process involves taking three photos of the same image at different, bracketed exposures in order to capture both the highlights and shadows of an image. Using post-production, HDR software like Photomatix Pro 3.1 will allow anyone with a digital camera to create these brilliant photos.
After launching the software, you’ll click on the Generate HDR Image button on the pane to the left. Then, you’ll need to select the source images that you’ll be merging into one HDR photo. You can browse for these images, but I find it easier just to drag and drop the three photos from Finder into the box (If you’re using a Mac). Click OK. The photos above are the ones that we will be merging. As you can see, one is properly exposed, one is overexposed, and the other is underexposed.
When the Options window appears, Align Source Images is already checked by default, correcting horizontal and vertical shifts. Usually it makes sense to leave these at the default. If I have an image that has very distinct shapes and features, I will change it to align the source images by matching features.
If you’ve taken a photo where there was some movement in the image, HDR can be tricky because the object will take on a “ghost” effect. Ghosting artifacts occurs most commonly with people, animals, nature (trees, clouds, water), and other objects that can blow in the wind or move. Luckily, Photomatix Pro offers a feature in their Options page to Attempt to Reduce Ghosting Artifacts which can significantly help stabilize those images and reduce that effect.

Provided that the white balance is the way that you want it, click OK to apply those options. On my 2.16 Ghz iMac, it took only about 10-12 seconds to merge these three RAW files (taken with an 8MP camera). Photomatix is extremely quick with it’s processing, which puts it at a large advantage over other programs.
Where Photomatix Pro 3 really begins to shine (like its previous versions) is when it comes to tone mapping. The tone mapping features allow the user to really customize the HDR image in order to recreate the correct tones that match the original lighting of the situation or give a surreal effect.
In this image, I chose to lower the strength and color saturation a bit. I also made sure that light smoothing was set to high. Spend some time tweaking these images. If you mess something up, there is an undo/redo button at the bottom of the tone mapping palette.
When you have the image the way you want it, click Process. Photomatix took only 7 seconds to process the tone mapping changes that I made.

With the final image, I would generally open it in Photoshop to remove a few specs from the photo. Some of the specs in this photo are not symptoms of the HDR process, but instead a result of dust on the actual lens of my camera. This photo was taken in Hawaii while I was on my honeymoon. Somehow, I forget to clean my lens that day!
Photomatix Pro 3 only has a few basic editing tools, and they are not the easiest to use. Even the simplest of tasks, such as cropping, is more complicated than necessary, having to use the CTRL key while you’re dragging. So, I leave any editing that I need to do for Photoshop CS4 or Aperture 2.1.
When you have the photo the way that you want it, be sure to save it by clicking File and Save As and saving it as either a JPEG or a 16 bit TIFF. Usually, I will save it as a JPEG if I’m using it on the computer (4.7MB), and I’ll use TIFF if I’m going to be printing the image (45.9MB). You can see that there is an enormous difference in size between the two file types. When you are saving the photo, there is a checkbox below the format that you can click to launch Photoshop and save the image in that program. Doing this can increase the compatibility of the file.
Below is the final product of our merged photos.

With HDR photography, do not get discouraged if your first few attempts don't work out the way that you want them to. This is not the easiest photography technique to master. It does take some practice. So, don't give up and remember: Practice makes perfect!

Black and white pictures with color certainly make a statement when composed creatively. They can be used to bring out the most important part of the picture without losing detail in the rest of the image. Creating images with a shallow depth of field can be used to focus on just one area and have the rest of the picture remain out of focus, but with the selective coloring technique the entire picture can remain sharp and in focus, yet still have a focal point where the photographer wants to show emphasis. This helps to make a clear statement as to what the viewer should take from it, and the method can be used for different purposes such marketing, advertising products, telling a story, focusing on a character, setting a mood, and more.

So you want to emphasize a part of the picture and you don't want to draw a huge red circle around the area to tell your viewer what they should focus on, this is where this technique is ideal. Black and white pictures with color bring the attention where you want it to be. For example, say you have a field of flowers you want to photograph and there is a specific flower that you want to make stand out. If the picture is left in full color, this flower will blend into the rest of the flowers in the field, but if you made the picture black and white but left the flower in color, the viewer's eyes will automatically focus on that.


Which Parts to Pick?

So you have decided to give black and white pictures with color a try and want to know which part or parts of the picture you should leave in color, and which parts you should turn into black and white. First of all, choose a picture which requires this technique the most. If the picture is already focused on a subject and the rest of the picture is out of focus; this most likely will not bring much difference, or worse, will end up looking really awkward. Try to find a picture that is sharp overall.
The second concept to remember is that usually pictures that are somewhat busy tend to be good candidates. One of the best photos with selective coloring I saw was of a man standing in a busy street with his broom, while the public around him was whizzing by without paying any attention to him. What made the picture even more striking was that he was looking at the camera and had a bright colored uniform on which made him stand out even more.

There are three different techniques that can be used when editing the picture to bring out color on black and white:
1. Desaturate the photo to remove all color. This can be done by selecting "Image," then "Adjustments" and then "Desaturate" in Photoshop. Now click the "History Brush" from the tool palette and choose an appropriate size brush making sure the hardness is set to 100%. Carefully brush the part you want to bring the color back to and you are done. You can zoom in to brush the corners or any tight areas.
2. The second option is to make a duplicate of the image and convert that to grey scale. Then use the masking tools on the grey image to mask the area you want to bring to color by creating a hole in the grey scale picture. Now merge the two images together to show the colored part of the image through the grey scaled image. Masking tools can also be used to mask the area you want to remain in color and then desaturate the rest of the image.
3. Another option for selective coloring in Photoshop Elements would be to convert the image to black and white by selecting the "Channel Mixer Adjustment Layer" from the "Layers" menu. Now choose the "Brush Tool" from the tool palette and brush over the part you want in color. Make sure the color of the brush is set to black. Adjust size of brush for smaller areas when needed.
Choose whichever one of these techniques is easiest for you. The commands may differ slightly depending on which program you are using. Also, be sure to always make a copy before applying any changes so that you have a duplicate on hand just in case.

If you’ve ever been SCUBA diving, or snorkeling, or even just to an aquarium, you know that the underwater world is full of life and color. However, due to the fact it is all under water, taking good pictures is a little more difficult than taking regular pictures. The PADI Diving Society has a course in Underwater Digital Photography that can teach you everything you need to take great pictures, but the class requires a classroom phase, a pool phase, and finally a dive so you can demonstrate what you've learned. I have taken this course and believe it can be distilled into three rules:

• Get Close
• Use a Flash
• Hold Still

Before you can do much with these rules, you need appropriate hardware. At the least expensive end of the spectrum, you can buy a disposable waterproof film camera with a flash for under $20, and then scan the resulting pictures. The most expensive end of the system requires a DSLR camera (minimum $500) and a custom underwater case (often more than $1,000). I chose the middle ground – a compact digital camera and matching case from Canon.

Canon may not be the only camera manufacturer that makes its own waterproof cases, but they’re certainly the least expensive. They don’t sacrifice quality, however, as their cases are every bit as sturdy and feature-complete as the expensive 3rd-party ones. I use a Canon SD700 IS - it’s no longer being sold, but Canon has other models with more features at better prices. My current recommendation is the SD1000, which won PC Magazine Compact Camera of the Year (2007). It’s available at a very reasonable price ($159 at Amazon), and its corresponding underwater case (WP-DC13) is also available for a reasonable price ($168 at Amazon). The case is good to the range of 100-120 feet deep, which is about the range for standard SCUBA diving. Some cases are only good to about 10 feet deep – they’re OK for snorkelling but not diving.

The first thing you need to do is practice inserting the camera in the case and closing the case successfully. All cases like this have a giant “O-ring” seal, and this ring must be in perfect condition or it will leak. Even a small hair in the wrong place could introduce a leak. You need to practice installing and removing this rubber ring, and learn to smear it with a tiny amount of petroleum jelly to help get the best seal. Once you have the case closed, you’re ready to test it. Immerse it in water, with the lens pointed up…if any water leaks, it should accumulate at the back and not get into the camera itself. While the camera is under water, press all the buttons to make sure they do not leak.

Have you ever wondered why the ocean is blue? It’s because the water reflects blue light, and that’s why your photos will appear blue. The less water between you and your subject, the less blue you will have in the photo. You can get some great photos if your subject is arm’s length away. If the subject is any farther, you will not get as good a picture because you lose color.
[See Image 1]
The shark is a good example – when I removed the blue cast, there wasn’t much color left.
[See Image 2]
On the other hand, the brain coral was shot much closer and the detail is amazing, but it didn’t have much color to start with. If you can get close to something colorful and still, you will get a much better photo.
[Image 3]

I cannot stress this enough – always use a flash even on the brightest day. It helps bring out the color. Remember, the sunlight comes down from above, but you don’t always take a picture looking straight down at the well-lit parts.

Even if your camera has image stabilization, it may not help if you’re chasing a fish while trying to take its picture. And even if it did, you’d get a picture of the wrong end of the fish (think of the analogy of the North end of a South-bound mule). It’s much better to get yourself in position and hold the pose – many times the fish will come to you if you’re still.

Many compact digital cameras today are packed with features, including special scene modes. My camera (and most Canon compacts now) has a special underwater scene mode, which I use for all my underwater pictures. However, this mode does not automatically turn the flash on, and it doesn’t remember the state of the flash. The result is that I have to remember to turn the flash on every time I turn the camera on. It took me half a dive before I figured this out, but once I remembered, I got much better pictures. You will probably need to tweak the pictures in a photo editor (here's a list of free photo editors) – this can be used both to remove the blue tint and to increase the overall color saturation.

Try not to move around too much if you’re near the bottom – you’ll just fill the water with sediment or sand, which reflects the flash back into the lens and fills your photo with well-lit specks. However, you can get some interesting artistic effects this way too. Another artistic effect can be had by shooting upwards at a diver or a fish. Take as many pictures as you can – remember they’re free to take. It helps to have a very fast memory card too, and can drop your time between pictures to the minimum time necessary to charge the flash capacitor. Many compact digital cameras can also take movies, so if yours can, play with that feature too.

Do you like to eat? Of course you do, who doesn’t (OK, maybe not if you’re a Bulimic spaghetti legs)? Now think of the myriad of photo opportunities that exist for well-composed, appetite-boosting food images. From succulent, eye-catching hamburgers, gourmet meals at multi-star restaurants, to taste-tempting, ice-cold drinks on a hot summer afternoon, this piece will delve into the unique sensory-appealing photography of meals, dishes and a wide variety of culinary or food items. From how to set up mouth-watering shots that get editors and buyers “biting”, to how, where and who could use food-related photography, you will get an in-depth overview of how to shoot even better, delicious-looking food photographs. Doesn’t this “Mixed Rice” photo make you just a little hungry?

Did you know that many of the photographs you see in newspapers, magazines and advertising are foods which aren’t even cooked? That’s right, many foods are best photographed when raw. This obviously includes many fruits and vegetables, a number of which are normally consumed raw. However, other foods like fish, pasta and cheeses, are best photographed while still uncooked. Not only that, but they’re much easier to handle and manage for setting up the shots too.

“I don’t want to handle raw fish”, you complain?

Easy, then don’t- at least not with those bare, gunky mitts you call hands. Use tongs or utensils. Better yet, wear thin plastic gloves. You know, like the ones you get at seafood, barbequed ribs or chicken restaurants. They’re so thin and light that you’ll har

What kinds of food photographs should you take? Well, for starters let’s look at some of the wide varieties you’d need to practice with. There are, first of all, ingredients photos for illustrating a recipe. Try some still life “layouts” of common staples like potatoes, onions, green, yellow and red peppers, green, yellow and red (kidney) beans, corn and other colorful fruits and vegetables. Here is a shot of yellow and white potatoes with white corn used in a dish called “Ajiaco”. Remember, clean them up first if need be. Yes, you can wash them. Then carefully dry and “polish” them if necessary. I like to use a little olive oil for the job. The olive oil smells nice and doesn’t render the foods “inedible”. Some photographers use waxes or mineral oils, which do a great job, but then you usually can’t use the food afterwards. If I did that my wife would vehemently object – and I might even miss a few meals as a reminder. (Egads! We can’t have that now, can we?)

Next, you’ll want to take some as-prepared, step-by-step images of a simple recipe in progress. Show peeling, slicing, chopping and mixing of colorful ingredients. Use side lighting from a higher angle to get good color saturation in your photographs. Also be sure to move to the right, left or across from your subject if you can get these positions during a cooking – shooting session. Vary the angles of your images so they’ll exhibit more variety than simply a dull batch of straight-on shots. Don’t be afraid to get close up either. When shooting photos of someone using a knife, have them stop at an up stroke for a shot and then again at the finish of a down stroke for another shot. It only takes a moment and most cooks don’t object. The same holds true when grating (as shown) or other rapid actions are involved.

In the next part of this series, we’ll continue with the process of taking better food photographs and look at where to sell and publish your delicious-looking images as well. See you then.

What kind of concert music do you like? Rock, Pop, Classical, Jazz, Bluegrass, Country and Western, the Blues, Soul, Gospel or some other type? No matter what your favorite kind of music might be, you can relive the great moments of a music concert through a series of well-composed digital photographs. Concerts aren’t confined to solely musical performances either. There are performances of drama, poetry readings, stand-up comedy as well as other types. Here are some suggestions on how to take the best pictures at a concert or performance.

In preparing for a series of concert photographs, you should consider a bit of pre-concert or performance preparation. You’ll need to ensure your equipment is cleaned and in good repair and working order. An equipment failure of any kind during the concert will leave you sans photos and disappointed. But it’s not only your equipment that needs preparation, you do as well. What is the concert seating arrangement? How close can you get to the performers? Can you arrange for a photographer’s or backstage pass? Will you need permission to shoot photos during the concert? What about model releases and copyrights? These are but a smattering of questions which may require investigation and resolution prior to concert day.
What instruments will be used during the concert? It’s often a good idea to visit a music store, instrument rental facility or a school of music well before the concert. Why? This will afford you an opportunity to get a good series of instrument and musician close-ups which would likely be impossible to get during a performance even with a photographer’s or backstage pass. Musicians and store clerks are usually quite helpful in demonstrating instrument playing styles and allowing those essential close-up photos that will flesh-out your portfolio of music concert digital images.

The concert day is here. The performers have arrived in town. Were you there to greet them and get photos of their arrival, signing autographs and making final performance preparations? A quick call or two to their agent, newsroom staff offices (the entertainment editor might prove helpful here) or the concert facility offices should yield key information on the band or performer’s itinerary.
Get to the concert performance facility early. It’s possible to get brief access to the performers and stage area during a warm-up or rehearsal to snap a few well-composed digital images before the main event. A few publicity shots are usually welcomed too.
If you’ve no backstage or photographer’s pass, you might be required to shoot your images from the seating area fringes. You shouldn’t try to do so from your seat (if you have one). It’s disturbing to all to interrupt or block the other concert patron’s enjoyment of the concert in any way. You won’t make any friends with the concert facility staff either. You’ll have to cultivate their goodwill for future concerts held in that facility. Crowd pictures and scenes may not require model releases, but if you take photos of people in which they are recognizable, you may need to get signed model releases in order to be able to use or sell the images. If you have a quantity of prepared model releases including all your contact information on them, it’ll be much faster and easier to get the ones you need on the spot.

Shooting Tips: Flash photos are almost always a no-no during a performance, so be sure to disable your camera’s flash. Use slower shutter speeds with wider apertures for better imaging in low-light conditions. If your camera has a “silent” shutter mode, engage that too. This will eliminate the “noise” of the shutter snapping which can easily disturb those near you including other concert attendees, some of the concert facility staff and performers. You should also use at least two cameras if possible, in the event one camera “fails” for any reason, you'll have the second one allowing you to continue shooting with little interruption. Having more than one camera has saved me on a number of photo shoots. If you have a good telephoto lens with a wide aperture, it may come in handy too but you’ll frequently need to use a tripod, monopod or other camera-steadying support for sharp images. Know in advance what you can or cannot bring into and use in the concert facilities.

After the concert there’s still work to be done. Will there be an after-concert cast or performer’s party, reception or other type of gathering? You should know where and be able to attend if possible. If not, get photos of performers and other celebrities entering and/or leaving. Hey, the paparazzi do it all the time and are well-compensated for it too. Don’t forget emotion-evoking images of concert-goers before, during and after the performance. Get people’s names, contact information and signed model releases. People love getting complimentary prints or e-mailed digital files of their photos so offer this to them and you should have little trouble getting their permission to use the images.

The magic of the concert has ended – or has it? Days or even weeks later, those music concert digital images are still very much in the running. You can offer your images to:
· Newspapers (both online and print)
· Magazines (both online and print)
· Online publications and websites
· Stock photography sites (with signed model releases when required)
Also consider offering a series of digital images to the concert artists or performers themselves or their agents, especially if you have unique, personalized shots of a particular individual. Whether a performer is one of the “headliners” or not, even backup band members crave good images of them performing. Who knows? Your informal image may just be the one a performer or agent likes and uses for publicity or other official purposes. Now wouldn’t that be nice?