Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Photography Lighting Tips That Will Help You Take Stunning Photos


Light tells us many different things. It tells us whether the scene is safe or not. It tells us if we can trust our environment. It tells us how hostile or safe it is. There is a reason why kids are afraid of the dark, and this exercise proves we have never truly grown out of that. However, not all photos with heavy shadow creates this sense of fear. In fact depending on how we set up the photo, and photograph it, we can actually create something really interesting.

Light also have an impact on tone, texture, colour and our surroundings. We can control our light in many ways; aperture, shutter speed, using the flash, changing the intensity of the flash, using other light sources, using only one light source, using filters, altering our photos in Photoshop, moving a person from a dark room to a window and many more things. It’s very important to work with light because it helps you tell your story. And story telling is what photography is all about.

When you want a well lit scene but can’t get it, it can be extremely difficult. This can include things like shooting fast movement indoors, without the subject being too blurry. This is almost impossibility so we then use extra light sources to help us get more light so we can speed up the shutter. We speed up the shutter so we don’t capture any blur. In a case like this we make use the flash, use a higher ISO to make the camera more sensitive to light or use other lighting sources.

On saying that though, sometimes you may not want a well lit scene. Sometimes you may want to create something quite moody and intense, or alternatively, gentle and romantic. This may require dim or very little light. You can still get good photos with a low intensity of light.

Many wedding photos of the bride on her own are used with very soft light. It makes the story and overall scene look romantic. Window light is an example of light that can do this. There are other ways to create lovely photos using very little light. I’ve done it so many times. It takes time but soon you will understand light and be able to get the effects you want.

You don’t always have to photograph people when using soft light. You can put an emphasis on the shape of an object. You may only want to highlight some things and not others. Let’s take a look at an example of a photo I took with this exact theme in mind.






Canon 5D, F5.6, 1/250th of a second, ISO 4000, 105mm.

In this photo here I photographed my husband’s hands. He was in his studio drawing up measurements for his next painting. As I watched his hands glide over the canvas I couldn’t help thinking how lovely the light was. It cast a soft and warm light over the entire room. I wanted to capture the softness of the activity, by keeping the light on certain parts of the image and not others.

Wednesday, March 06, 2013

The Importance of Lighting in Photography

The Importance of Light in Photography

You’ve heard me talk about how imperative lighting in photography is, but do you really know why? You may know that getting sufficient light is crucial, but there is a lot more to the story. Light comes in a couple of ways. The first is straight light from a light source, such as the sunlight. The second way is reflected, such as light reflections from a river or another surface.

In order for your pictures to look high-quality you need the correct light. You don’t just need sufficient light, but you must have the right light to help create the narrative for your image. The warmth (colour) of light, the brightness of light and whether it’s soft or hard play a crucial part in your photography.

Let’s look at the four major things to take into deliberation when investigating your light:

1.    Intensity (brightness)
2.    Direction (where the light is coming from)
3.    Hard or soft (how much differences between light and dark this light produces)
4.    Warmth or Cool (what colour the light appears).

Digital photography lighting techniques

I can tell you how to light something in a certain way but it doesn’t genuinely show you anything about how to progress your own sense of light observation|inspection|examination|study}. I was compelled to compose this article when someone emailed me last week. She inquired “I have to photograph my grandchildren and I need to know what settings to use, can you help?” I was sad to read this because she had not understood what photography is all about. Photography is not wholly about settings. Let me repeat that; photography is not totally about settings. 

As photographers we use lighting to convey emotion. When we want a photo to convey a feeling of romance and an engaging mood we use warm light. If we want to convey a photo that tells of a hard, tough and challenging story, then we could use close, strong light with deep shadows. This creates strong contrast. It’s all in the way you utilize light that creates mood.

Light has a powerful influence on how we emotionally understand what’s occurring in the photo. There are particular things you can carry out to enrich your story such as using the flash, not shooting with  the flash and using window light instead and making use of different temperatures of daylight.

Lets look at what certain types of light express.

Low light photography without direct flash

Many photos that have low light (dim and soft light with no intense shadow) have been used in lots of stories that embody sadness, bereavement, secrets and even intimacy. Light such as this can reflect introversion of some type; whether it is positive or unconstructive.

Artificial light photography

Artificial light comes in the form of uninterrupted light, like lights in a photography studio. This lighting is often reminiscent of daylight conditions. Bright, white light can signify confidence, pleasure, sociability and energy. Flash is also artificial light. Depending on the way you utilise this light (i.e. direction and angle you shoot it from) you can recreate these emotions.

Morning light photography

Morning light is typically soft and does not contain as much brightness as the daylight we see at midday. Remember the time of year play a crucial function in the intensity of light too. On a sunny day in the summer time the daylight is very intense and very white. This will mean that that there possibly will be a lot of contrast in your scenes, such as bright areas and deep shadows. This might work well if you want to include shadows to tell your story. It does not work for quiet, romantic portraits.

Dramatic lighting photography

Dramatic lighting usually relies upon strong lighting and strong shadow areas. This is a high contrast situation where the lighting creates and impacts the mood. It is also very dependent on the number of lighting sources and at what direction the light is coming from. If you point one light source next to a persons face you can create a lot of hard shadows across their face. This will produce a very different feeling from a softly lit portrait photo taken at sundown.

Hard light photography

Using hard light can create many bright areas and deep shadowed areas that can be selected to express a story, just as dim light can. You can use this type of lighting to enhance quietness, secrets, desolation and other feelings similar to this. Alternatively you may want to photograph a black and white portrait with close, strong shadows in the background and keep your subject well lit. This method will mean that that there may be a secret aspect to the persons life or situation.

Light is not just about exposure- it’s about mood and sentiment. As you recognize lighting you can then move forward and photograph many different styles of emotions for your photos. When you take photos of the same thing with different light, that object takes on a completely different feeling. The way you think about it alters, and that’s the strength of photography.

This is why photography is not just about settings. It’s about generating powerful, emotive photos. You certainly use settings like f-stop and shutter speed to be in command of the light. You direct the light to direct the emotion and narrative.

Begin investigating light today. Examine the light you see today and ask yourself those four things. This will support you so much.

These photos are exactly the same. I took the colour photo then made a black and white copy. See how differently you feel about them and why. 









Sunday, February 17, 2013

How To Photograph Kittens

 Photo copyright by Amy K Roberts

How To Take The Cutest Pictures of Beautiful Kittens

Recently I had the joy of doing some photography for a pet rescue organisation. They wanted me to take pictures of quite a few kittens and cats on the same day. This was a dream come true to me. Not only am I a photographer but I love all cats and kittens. I felt this task was a lot of enjoyment yet especially challenging.

You may have been told that cat photography is very challenging. It's hard to think that photos of sweet little kittens could be very difficult. What is so tricky about this sort of photography? It is the same thing that makes other types photography difficult; quick motion. Let’s discuss ways to work with some of these familiar issues.

Kitten photography

If you are taking photos of kittens the primary point to appreciate is that you will be working with an unpredictable subject. It is very rare for a kitten to just sit and stare at the camera. You must use toys to guide your kitten with no intimidation or fear. It is crucial to keep the kitten as calm as possible. A playful kitten is very hard to photograph. A relaxed kitten is ideal.

How can you relax a kitten? One of the ways that kitties relax is by letting them use up as much energy as possible. Once they begin to fatigue then you will have a better opportunity of gaining the photographs you need.  You can ask a friend to rattle a toy or blow a whistle over your shoulder so that the kitten stares in the direction of your camera. You may also give them a little bit of kitten food and as soon as they pull their head up following eating, shoot the photo. Strive to get them to look at the camera if possible. This can be tough if they are still in play mode. This is why I say it's easier and less stress for you to take photos of them when they are beginning to calm.






If you would like a spontaneous and entertaining playful shot then it might be at a nice idea to let your kitten play. You can take some splendidly spontaneous photos using this method. You can take a photo of your kitten stretching up and trying to reach for a toy with toy. You can also take a photograph of your kitten appearing very interested in something. These natural and fun and candid photos work very well as an substitute to the average pet portrait photo. I have taken many natural and fun images using this method.

Professional Pet Photography Tips

What are the correct shooting modes to use for kitten photography? People who have not understood manual mode correctly are likely to shoot in semi-automatic shooting modes. I do not believe you can get the accurate exposure when the camera dictates the controls for you. You are more clever than the camera. I always photograph in manual mode for absolutely everything. Kittens included.

What is the reason for this? It is because I understand more than the camera does. I know what will work. I need to have absolute control over my aperture because I want to control my own depth of field. If you let the camera control your f-stop then you are enabling the camera to dictate your depth of field. Your camera will not be aware of how to create a first-class image, it simply knows that it needs to expose for lighting and capture depth of field. It does not comprehend how to get sharp photos of moving kittens.

I typically position myself about a meter away from my kittens. As the focus point changes all the time I make use of auto focus. (Due to the movement of the kittens). Using manual focus can take too much time for your kitten to jump into the plane or focus, if at all. I pursue the kitten about with my finger on the button, constantly focusing and refocusing. To help me to get sharpness of the kittens eyes I am careful and specific about what F stop range to use. I tend to use an f-stop somewhere between F5 .6 and F8. This makes it possible for me to have a rather small depth of field without focus challenges.

I use a shutter speed of around 200th of a second or higher. Your kitten can move very quickly and you want to be able to freeze the movement without blur. If you are making use of the speedlite you will see that you do not need to fret about shutter speed. Flash will freeze the action at around 250th of a second. This is really helpful to work with due to the fact all you have to do then is set your aperture knowing the flash will handle the shutter speed, in effect.

If you set your f-stop to a large setting, like F2 .8 or F4, you may discover clarity eludes you. This may be due to the fact your kitten has moved out of the focal range and the image is no longer holding sharp focus. However, if you use a slightly smaller f-stop you may find you usually do not be subjected to this predicament. Aperture and depth of field are very much related. It is important that you get the true aperture for the distance from your kitten. In other words the larger the f-stop the further in to your subject you need to be. Contemplate this when you are photographing your kittens.







What happens if you don't have flash?

Just prior to one of the photography sessions my flash decided to stop working. Fortunately I was shooting with  continuous studio lighting. I made the decision to take my flash off the camera. I then produced my shots at 6400 ISO, 200th of a second and F 7.1. I chose a very high ISO to compensate for the soft lighting. I wanted to get as much light as I possibly could. I also wanted to use a high ISO so that I could use a rapid shutter speed. Using an F stop of 7.1 enabled me to get some clear and tack sharp images.

How to photograph kittens

I photographed a mixture of typical and candid, yet lively, photos. I made the decision to produce a series of these photos in monochrome. I call this my "Black and White Kitten Series". There are many chances to produce some very innovative photos of kittens. You may capture some intentional blur, side profile photos, intense close up pictures or even use aids such as baskets or flowers.

Just remember the key to photographing kittens is light and movement. It is preferable to get as much light on the kitten as possible. Window light is fine but you also want to light up the scene from the opposite side. You may want to employ reflectors but it might distract the kittens. Alternatively you may want to bounce the light from the flash off the roof as I did. (Before my flash stopped working.)

Bounced flash is terrific. It is also valuable to have a white card on top of your flash unit. This white card aids in leading the light from the ceiling down onto your subject. It is not a good idea to blast your kitten with direct flash. The direct flash may damage their eyes and unsettle them.





You need to be spontaneous and open minded when you photographing your kittens. Always get on the ground and shoot from a low angle. This will assist you to hold sharp focus on the eyes. Be ready to move about with your kitten. It is essential to offer them praise as you go. After you capture them offer them a little indulgence. Animals understand when they are appreciated.

Photographing kittens calls for practical skill and good light. It also requires the photographer to be calm and relaxed. Some days are more productive than others. From time to time your kittens are not scared of the camera. They will look at the camera with curiosity and even move toward you start sniffing the camera. This is a terrific image if you can get it. If you are working with unsettled kittens then be very gentle and very enduring.

Photographing kittens is a fun and interesting experience. Always take care of your animals with utmost respect and love at all times. Kittens and perceptive little beings and must be be treated with respect.

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Special offer, available this week only:

I have fixed the link below, should be working fine now :)

Special offer, available this week only:

Or : 
http://www.digital-photo-secrets.com/tip/focus-1-g4hiebn/

Get free photography ebooks, plus a photography emagazine containing video.

Best wishes,
Amy

Thursday, January 24, 2013

Outdoor Portrait Photography Tips


It’s not uncommon for domestic portrait photographer to head outside on a nice day and photograph their model. As a photographer I find that the studio can make people a bit nervous. The large lights and camera lens can make for a nervous experience. For shy people wanting their photograph taken, a studio isn’t always ideal.

Light is very important even in outdoor portrait photography. You must take your flash with you to fill in any shadows that appear. A reflector is a handy tool too. You can place the reflector under the persons face to shoot a very abstract shot, or, to simply get rid of shadows under the nose and chin.
Recently I did a portrait shoot outside. It was of a young lady who wanted photos for her portfolio. She was hoping to break into modelling. After some ideas back and forth it was decided that going to the park was an ideal way to do the shoot.

Lenses for portrait photography
Firstly, one of the most important features of successful outdoor portrait photography is the lens you use. Using the right aperture, focal length and depth of field are crucial factors to an outdoor portrait shoot.
A fast lens is the preferred lens by professional portrait photographers. What is a fast lens? A fast lens is a lens that has a very large maximum aperture. This may be anywhere between 1.8 and 2.8. This means that you can let a lot of light in and use a fast shutter.

Creative portrait photography ideas
You can develop a multitude of creative portrait photography ideas simply by practicing. Practicing gives you something so incredibly valuable: experience. Once you begin to gain more experience in outdoor portraits you will see how outdoor light and flash work, how shadows interact on peoples faces and most importantly how you can do it better next time.











Many of my most creative ideas come from receiving a formal education, but also, from watching the way light works. Light can give you some great ideas about where to position a person, how to angle yourself to get the best portraits.

Outdoor portrait photography poses
It depends on whether your model is male or female as to how you ask someone to pose for you. There are different stances that a man will take to appear more masculine. There are very different poses a woman will take so she looks more feminine. Female models look best when the lines of her body are accentuated. This involves turning on an angle, tilting the head and using the focus on the eyes. You can employ the use of a foot change to accentuate a postural change.





High key portrait photography
What does high key actually mean? Well if you go by the technical definition it is all about reducing the lighting ratio present in the scene. What this means, in English, is that the lighting is overexposed with just the main details in focus. This is great fun and a terrific way to create interesting portraits.
Can you use high key photography outdoors? Most definitely. As long as you have a strong light source on one side of the persons face, you can use the flash on the other side. Make sure you lock your focus on the eyes first so detail is maintained on the eyes.

(I will post some high key photos on the blog very soon, just as soon as I receive the model release form.)

Remember that shooting outdoor portrait photography is a great opportunity to have an interesting background. A park, beach or city street scene can enhance the story of your photo significantly.

Thursday, January 10, 2013

White Balance Explained

White Balance Explained

White balance is the way we gauge and establish the colour of an image. White balance means the "all over" colour tone itself. Colour tone is the broad colour that’s spread right over the entire picture. When you take a photo in the house, with no direct flash, you will sometimes notice a blue colour tone spread over the photo. This is your white balance.

Getting correct white balance is one of the most important factors of photography. When you have the correct white balance you will see that colours look true to life.. Skin tones look real also, instead of looking fake or too yellow. Correct white balance becomes a really central element of portrait photography for this reason.

How do we find the most correct white balance we can? First we need to comprehend that there is no one set white balance for every situation. Each white balance feature on your camera, like Tungsten for instance, is not correct for every occasion. Tungsten makes your photos look quite blue if they are photographed in normal light. When you photograph a subject that is under yellow lights it can make your subject appear too yellow. Photographing in Tungsten will eliminate the influence  of yellow and help take your photograph back to a usual colour tone again. 

Automatic white balance is the general selection for most newbie photography enthusiasts. This is fine as long as you fine-tune your white balance in Photoshop or Lightroom afterward. You will discover that if you shoot in auto white balance on a regular basis, your photography just won’t look very nice. You might find that your pictures just don’t replicate the proper colours that you see with your naked eye.

Shade and cloudy white balance are two favourites if you want to “warm up” your shots. They present a warm colour cast such as yellow, to overlay onto your pictures. This can be a great shooting feature particularly at twilight or sunrise. Shade and cloudy white balance can highlight the vibrancy in your warmer colours. This allows sunsets and sunrises to appear energetic. This is a nice option for sunrises.

Shade and cloudy white balance settings are not suitable for photographing people. The last thing we wish for in our wedding and portrait images is a yellow hue over a photo of the bride and groom. Tungsten is not correct either. We certainly do not need the bride and groom appearing too blue. Auto white balance doesn’t always succeed for portraits because of the way the digital camera is made. The digital camera you own does not naturally comprehend what colours should look like. When you choose auto white balance you give the digital camera free reign to do as it wants. This does not work well when you want true to life vibrancy.

True to life colour is dependent on “training” the camera to recognize colour. This is where custom white balance has advantages. When you level a grey card at the front of the camera and set your custom white balance to it, it then understands what’s happening. It then sets all colour either side of that grey tone. It’s quite difficult how it does this. As a photographer all you need to understand is that colour needs to be true, and a grey card is the means to do it.

Basically modify your white balance mode to custom. Then photograph a grey card with the correct exposure. Then it’s important to “set” the custom white balance from that photo. You will notice that for that precise photo session, your colours come to life. You’ll be able to see finer colours like light pink, magenta and lemon yellow as they really are.

White balance is one of the primary things to producing a striking photograph. If you follow these easy actions, no longer will you feel baffled about why you are not getting correct colour. It will truly transform the way you look at photography forever.




This colours you see are enhanced using a grey card and custom white balance. I've increased the vibrancy in Photoshop a little, but mainly kept everything looking natural.

To learn more just come and see me at www.DigitalPhotographySuccess.com

Monday, January 07, 2013

How to Photograph Texture and Detail in Nature Photography

How to Photograph Texture and Detail in Nature and Landscape Photography

For anyone considering experimenting with photography there are all sorts of possibilities for trying to capture various different textures. For instance, materials such as wood can often give the photographer with a variety of challenges and photographic examination. Regardless of whether the photographs will be shot in full-color or in the black and white style it is vital to make a well thought out “plan of attack” before beginning to capture the photos. This would incorporate visualizing the kinds of effects and consequences preferred and then working out a a small number of different approaches to shooting such images.


Let’s first consider photographs of wood or wooden objects. Because this is an organic material many people may not consider bringing wood into their studio setup for a photo session, but if we take just a second to contemplate how timber might look we can understand how it would succeed in the “sterile” or cleaner setting of a studio surroundings.

Timber may be in the form of manufactured items ranging from pencils right through to home furniture to boxes and bowls. It is also naturally occurring in debris and branches too. A single branch or portion of bark will reveal crevices, moss or lichen, and a large variety of special hues and grains.
A photographer might want to take photos of the numerous textures and tones in a piece of driftwood using only the sepia settings on their camera, or they may instead rely on the color features to photograph the texture and different color patterns in something like Tiger Maple. Clearly, this means that a range of approaches is necessary, and choosing the right setup will become imperative to success.

So, how do you know the correct approach to photographing wooden textures? It all comesdown to your intentions. That piece of driftwood could be photographed along the sandy beach where it was found; with the different tones of the wood and the textures of the sand finishing and where you place things in the photo. This same piece of wood, however, might be brought into the studio and set against a concrete black or white background where its swirls, lines, ridges, and different hues will become the whole scene as an alternative.
Irrespective of the type of wooden textures to be photographed and the choice between color or black and white, it is significant to bear in mind that sharpness in texture is the ultimate goal. For this example we will come back to that piece of driftwood and consider looking at it “up close” and also examine it “au natural” with the digital camera.

If a photographer has decided to bring the wood into the photographic studio and get in close to the patterns and textures that have naturally occurred they are going to need to assess the accurate means to do this. Should they shoot with a macro lens or should they use the equivalent method as they would with up-close portrait photography? Generally, it is best to use the zoom lens (such as put to use in a greater part of portrait settings) to get a really good variety of alternatives. If you select macro for such a photo you are going to have to really battle with the lighting development, but the zoom lens will let the photographer keep at a distance and really flood the wood with a large deal of easily controlled lighting. This means that shadows can be designed when needed or they can be totally eliminated by the lighting setup too.

If we head outdoors to capture that piece of driftwood as it lies on the beach, we are going to have to think about the depth and value of its position in the shot. Is it wise that we stand above it and just shoot down into its patterns? Is it more interesting to juxtaposition it against the pale sands, the gray waters, and the pale blue sky? Should it be created in black and white? Some of these queries have more to do with a photographer’s individual preferences than anything else, but for the sake of this conversation we will opt for the color photograph of the driftwood.

It is going to be an object in deep grey and black tones positioned in a location that is full of paler and softer colors. A photographer must use many of the same procedures for this shot as they would for standard landscape photography. This means they will need to make sure that their foreground and background are in the same focal depth as the subject, and they will need to make sure that the lighting of the setting is balanced. Implementing a polarizing filter can decrease some reflections off the the sea and the sands and keep the colors a bit cooler.

Evidently, these are just straightforward illustrations of how a solitary piece of wood can create an infinite series of photographic opportunities, but it is important for any photographer to keep in mind that their general surroundings are an ideal subject for experimentation.

Monday, November 05, 2012

Testing the new Canon EF 24-70mm f2.8l II USM





  


The other day I purchased the new Canon EF 24-70mm f2.8L II USM lens.  After shooting with it for only 3 days, I can truthfully say that this is now my favorite canon lens. I had complete my research and understood what I was buying, but still, it really didn't stop me from having a few niggling doubts in my mind. Doubts about the $2,300 price was my major worry. I understood it would be a great lens, but was it really worth that much money? I’ve been a photographer for a few years now but that does not prevent me from questioning the price of digital camera supplies.

When I got the lens home I positioned it carefully on my writing desk. I studied at it for a second almost as if I was letting the purchase sink in. I began to unfold the box and carefully took out the lens. It’s not anything dynamic to look at. It’s just a lens. Okay, I will admit, I have the familiar “Red-Ring” fever. This is an affectionate way of discussing a Canon shooters enthusiasm to using nothing else but L series lenses. It describes me perfectly. Well, you can’t blame me really, they are incredibly beautiful and sharp quality.

So what’s so particular about this lens that I just must write down an evaluation about it? To begin with, the glass quality is nothing like Canon have ever done before. If you hanker after sharpness then this is your lens. I discovered that  fstops at in the region of F11 give more clarity and sharpness than other lenses at do at F11.


It will detect the smaller fine points of a subject in very filtered lighting. This is one of the benefits of using a quick lens. Fast lenses work well in low lighting conditions. They do this because of the wide aperture. But open apertures are not as clear as smaller apertures, right? Right. So what do we do about focusing in filtered light? Does this lens still maintain the sharpness of the image? Yes it does. There is sharp detail at F2.8 even if you underexpose a photo.




I took a series of photos about the studio. I chose F2.8, no flash fill or normal room lighting was employed. I selected 6400 ISO to assist get as much lighting as I was able to. My shutter speed was about a 50th of a second. To my astonishment I found my test shots to be clearer and more sharp than expected. Clear and sharp in really low light? You bet they were!


Not only does the filtered light sharpness performance impress me, so does the reaction of the lens. I discovered that as I worked on getting good focus on an region of a subject it grabbed it and held strong. I didn’t have to keep getting the right focus and sharpness on a regular basis. Some lenses I have used in the past have had difficulty getting the right focus and sharpness, particularly when the scene was deep black or very dark grey. The lens held the focus quite sharply all the way to the edges. Admittedly I used a medium to small aperture to keep focus the entire image, but it’s the speediness and accuracy of how the lens mastered this shady subject that impressed me the most.



When I was doing my test shots, I did not use a tripod. It was pretty much hand holding the camera in really low light to see what would happen. I wanted to see how the lens kept focus and clarity. In a shady scene you would have definitely noticed camera shake.






I have discussing getting the right focus and sharpness in dim light. What about sensitivity and other performance issues? Well, aside from being fast to hold sharp focus, I am impressed by the absence of lens flare and no warping at the edges. In a number of lenses you find some bothersome distortion at the start or end of the focal length scale. For example some 24mm lenses can make the exact edges of the frame of the image look like they were photographed through a bit of glass. That’s because when the lighting goes through the lens, it begins to bend and creates a warping outcome. Not with this lens. I have not noticed any distortion at all. This is relevant to the 70mm end of the range also.



It seems to reproduce colours a lot better than any other lens I have shot with. So far all my vibrancy alterations have been very small. This is great for the reason that it means you do not have to spend a long time editing your shots. It just seems to pick up more true colour than my other lenses.




Receptiveness, sharpness, superior colour capture and optimum low light performance is what I love about this lens. It’s a bit heavy in weight, but all the L series lenses are. I am used to heavy gear now so it does not worry me in the slightest. I have yet to find out why this lens is so first-rate. Canon have really set precedent for the entire industry. I highly recommend this lens.

All photos are copyright by Amy Renfrey and must not be used without payment and permission.

Sunday, September 09, 2012

How To Choose A Sturdy tripod


Many photo enthusiasts who seek the best tripod counsel are really seeking a way to find the best sturdy tripod for them. Not all tripods are designed for every single type of photography. Some tripods vary in heaviness, straightforwardness of operation and handling and some have additional attachments to accomplish extraordinary positions for the camera.

Deciding on a tripod originally requires a rock-solid knowledge of what you want and the reason why you want it. Do you like to take close up photography? If that is what you choose then you might want an extra attachment that facilitates to camera to be positioned down through the center of the legs of the tripod, right to the land. Other tripods do not encompass this element purely because they are designed for landscape photography. Landscape professional photographers need a sturdy, stable tripod to guard against movement of blustery weather. They also search for a tripod that’s not too weighty, in case the more adventurous photographer wants to climb a mountain peak to get the very best photo.

Deciding on a sturdy tripod means gaining the best results from a high-quality, concrete reinforcement whereby you can crumple the legs, fasten and detach attachments and put it away. This seems reasonably clear-cut until you look around at the various kinds of tripods on the marketplace today.

A number of tripods have a joy stick head. This means you can slot the camera on the tripod and manually move it from left to right with one control. You can swiftly let go of the handle and it will lock tightly into slot. Other tripods have a simple rotation grip. This lets the digital camera to move laterally only. If you want to shift the camera to move up and down, then you need to make adjustments to be able to accomplish that.

Different functionality is what we need to be conscious of. The best tripod, to me, is the one that is light weight, has effortless functionality and postures the digital camera safely in the place you put it. I had an old tripod that was good for starting out. When I started to be expert at taking pictures I became aware that the tripod was not able to match with the demands of my improving comprehension.

Every time I wanted to place the camera exactly up to the stars at night time, I was unable to. The tripod was not capable to keeping the digital camera in place without it slipping and sliding downwards again.

In order to choose a tripod that’s perfect for you, and I mean one that you are going to love for years to come, then contemplate ergonomics, effortless to lift and reposition and finally ease of function. All these things add to a very joyful and encouraging experience in your photography.

Deciding on a tripod is a very positive stage in your photography. It means you recognize light and how the camera needs to be rocky steady, particularly filtered lighting situations.