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What Lens Should I Choose? Tips for choosing the right lens for portraits

portrait lens
Tips for choosing the right lens for portraits


In general portraits can be classified into three categories

1. Close up - head and shoulders portraits
2. Mid distance – ( ¾ ) three quarter length portraits and
3. Long distance – full length portraits

In order to avoid distortions and produce a natural perspective in your portraits it is essential to use the right focal length lens for each of the above portrait types. Here in this article we will discuss some practical guidelines for selecting the right focal length lens for each situation.

Why is using the right focal length lens important in portraiture?


If you use a wrong focal length lens when photographing a particular portrait pose, it will alter the perspective and result in distorted / wrongly proportioned facial / body features.

When using lenses of shorter focal length you need to move the camera closer to the subject to fill the frame;
If you are attempting a close up head and shoulders pose with a short focal length lens, it will cause the subject’s nose or other facial features to become slightly distorted. 

Similarly if you are shooting a three quarter length portrait with a lens of short focal length it will cause body parts which are closer to the camera (hands or feet resting in forward position) to appear too large.

When using lenses of longer focal length for portraits you will need to move the camera much farther from the subject to fit it in the frame. This causes an effect called compression where the image appears flattened and loses the feeling of depth and three- dimensionality.

Choosing the Right Lens for Portraiture


Lenses which have a focal length equivalent to the diagonal length of the sensor is considered a normal lens. So for a full frame DSLR camera which has sensor dimensions of 36mm * 24mm the diagonal length will be 43.3mm and hence any lens with a focal length in the range of 40mm – 50mm may be considered as a normal lens. If you are using a crop sensor camera then sensor sizes are slightly different from manufacturer to manufacture. Approximately APSC sensors are 16.7mm * 25.1mm and has a diagonal length of 30.1mm. So any lens in the focal length of 24mm-35mm may be considered as a normal lens.

The peculiarity of a normal lens is that it reproduces a field of view that generally looks "natural" to a human observer under normal viewing conditions, as compared with lenses with longer or shorter focal lengths which produce an expanded or contracted field of view that distorts the perspective.

Right Focal Length for Full Length Portraits



full length portrait
Photo by: xubangwen


In portraiture the so called normal lens is ideal for long shots or full length portraits. Subjects could be either standing or seated; it is also a great choice for photographing groups.

Right Focal Length for Head and Shoulders Portraits



head and shoulders portrait
Photo by: Garry Wilmore


For head and shoulders portraits (close up shot) it is recommended to use a focal length which is double that of the normal lens for your camera. So for a full frame camera you may use a focal length of 105mm as minimum and 135mm as maximum.

Right Focal Length Lens for (¾) Length Portraits 



three quarter length portrait
Photo by: Sean Molin


For three quarter length portraits use a focal length in between the full length and close up range. For full frame DSLR camera Focal lengths of 100mm – 105mm is considered ideal.

Android App News - Waze Adds Google Search in New Update


Android App News - Waze Adds Google Search in New Update

 



Android App News - Waze Adds Google Search in New Update. The merger between Waze and Google is slowly becoming reality. Waze has just announced a new update which adds Google Search functionality right into Waze's map and navigation.




The new search feature appears right ontop of Waze's main map. From there, you can search for places, locales or almost everything. Another very useful feature is auto complete, which can save a lot of time.We will keep following as Waze merges more and more of Google's technology into its navigation app.





Where to Focus when Photographing Large Group of People

photographing large group of people
Photo by: Jon


A most frequently asked question by beginners when faced with a situation where they need to capture large groups of people arranged in multiple rows is… 

Best place to focus in group shots?
Group shot, all faces focused help?
Where to Focus in Group Photos?
How to get group in focus?

Well different people frame the question differently but what they are all asking are the same; they need to make sure that all the people in a group, from those in the front row to those in the rear are all in focus. 

The trick to get everyone sharp in a group photo is to use a small aperture preferably f/16. In any case it is not recommended to go wider than f/11 for getting reasonable depth of field for photographing large groups of people.

Now comes the most important part… Where Do You Focus for Group Shots


First and foremost you need to have an understanding of how depth of field works. When we focus on a certain point, depth of field is not distributed equally towards the front and back. Out of the total available depth of field for any given aperture, focusing distance and sensor size combination; 1/3rd will be in front and the remaining 2/3rd will be towards the back.

So for example you are focusing on a point that is 10ft away and the total depth of field available is 3ft then everything from 9ft to 11ft will be in focus.

where to focus for large group shots
where to focus for large group photos

In order to make the maximum out of available depth of field when photographing large groups with more than one row of people always focus on the eyes of the people in the front row. As you have more depth of field behind than in front you will have the remaining rows also in focus.

 If you focus on the back row or somewhere in the middle and as a result eyes of people in the front row appear out of focus then it will completely ruin your shot. Instead if people in the front row are sharp and those towards the back are slightly blurred it will still be an acceptable picture. A group photo session is one those situations when the depth of field preview button becomes invaluable, use it double check the depth of field available with your current settings and make changes if necessary.

Here are some Tips and Techniques for Shooting Large Groups.

Android App News - WeChat Update 5.0 Is Here!


Android App News - GetTaxi Launched in New York City

 



Android App News - WeChat update 5.0 is here. This update brings with it a lot of new stickers and some new group features. However, there seems to be some problems with the update as well, as some of our reviewers experienced some problems with notifications of new messages that don't appear till AFTER they open the app itself.



In addition, one or two reviewers complained that they can't open pics sent to them by their contacts.

However, the vast majority of our reviewers worked with the new update flawlessly. We hope WeChat quickly fixes the few small issues some of our reviewers complained about. 





Hyper Focal Distance in Digital Photography - What is it? - How to Calculate? and How to Use it to Maximize Depth of Field


hyper focal distance
Photo by: Wynand

Factors that Influence Depth of Field


Depending upon the subject and situation; we might either wish for a shallow or a larger depth of field effect to our images. Certain genres like portrait photography go along with shallow depth of field effects to make their subject stand out from the rest of the elements. This is fairly easy to achieve, only requirement being a lens with a very wide aperture (get a 50mm f/1.8 for approx. $100 and you’re all set). But certain other genre of photography, like landscape photography often requires employing a very large depth of field to render objects across the frame, a few inches from the camera to infinity in sharp focus.

As photographers we are all familiar with the concept of depth of field and well aware of how it is influenced by the following four factors.

1. Focal Length
2. Aperture
3. Sensor Size and
4. Focusing Distance

Obtaining large depth of field is not as simple as getting it shallow, there are many factors that work against us when we try to do just that. Let us have a look at the four factors that we mentioned above that control depth of field.

1. Focal Length


The wider the angle of view of a lens is the greater the depth of field and vice versa. However the angle of view required for a frame is influenced by how we wish to capture the scene and it cannot be changed so as to increase depth of field.

2. Aperture


A narrower aperture generally yields greater depth of field; thus to a limit aperture can be used to increase depth of field in an image. There is a certain limit to it; every lens has a certain usable aperture beyond which if narrowed; it will adversely affect image quality as diffraction sets in. In most cases it is not recommendable to go beyond f/16. Moreover other factors like the amount of light available at the scene will also come into play when deciding aperture.

3. Sensor Size


A larger image sensor in the camera gives shallower depth of field. Even though a smaller sensor will produce images with slightly more depth of field than a larger one; but we do not have the flexibility to change sensor size as required. Using smaller sensor also causes a decrease in the value of the narrowest aperture before diffraction sets in. 
A bigger sensor can be stopped down a lens till f/22 without causing diffraction, whereas a camera with a smaller sensor can be stopped down the lens only to f/16; thus practically both cameras end up producing images with similar depth of field.

Now that we have discussed three of the factors that control depth of field and limitations on using them, let’s discuss the fourth factor - focusing distance. This is one element that we could make use of without any limitations and applied properly will help us get the maximum possible depth of field in our images.

4. Focusing Distance


The closer the focusing distance is the shallower the depth of field and vice versa. However when you are trying to shoot a landscape you have the flexibility to either focus up close on a foreground element, focus on something in the middle of the frame or on something that is far in the background. No matter where you set your focus to, it is nearly impossible to get the entire scene in sharp focus. When focus is set on a subject in the foreground elements in the background will be blurred, similarly if you focus on a background element, elements in the foreground will be blurred!

But there is one focusing distance determined by the size of your camera sensor, the focal length of the lens used and the aperture used, which will give you maximum depth of field. Welcome to hyper focal distance focusing.

What is Hyper-focal Distance in Digital Photography?


 Hyper-focal distance is the point which when focused at will maximize the depth of field. When focused at the Hyper-focal distance, everything from half the hyper-focal distance to infinity will be rendered acceptably sharp. This means that if you’re focused at a hyper-focal distance of 5 meters then, everything from 2.5 meters to infinity will be sharp.

How do you find the hyper-focal distance?


To set our lens to hyper-focal distance we should first find out what is the hyper-focal distance for that particular camera, lens, aperture and focal length. We’ll start with the formula for calculating hyper-focal distance. 

Hyper focal distance
Hyper focal distance


Hyper focal distance
Hyper focal distance


I know it looks scary, don’t worry; it’s much less complicated than it looks!

Let us consider the different variables first, we know the focal length we have set so that part is covered, next we know the aperture we wish to employ so that is also covered , what remains now is the circle of confusion.

Circle of confusion


Circle of confusion is based on the theory of what is considered as acceptably sharp in an 8” x10” print seen at normal viewing distance. It varies depending on the size of your camera’s image sensor.

For DSLR’s with Full Frame Sensor it is = 0.03 and
For DSLR’s with crop sensors it is = 0.02

Just remember the value for the camera you use and now you have all the variables required to calculate hyper-focal distance to be used in any situation you might ever encounter.

Choosing a Lens


Hyper-focal distance focusing is best done of normal to wide angle lenses. In terms of full frame cameras it is focal lengths of 50mm and shorter. When set to larger f numbers, they have relatively short hyper-focal distance. For example when a 24mm lens is set to f/16 the hyper-focal distance is 1.22 meters. Everything from half a meter to infinity will be rendered acceptably sharp.

In general telephoto lenses are rarely used for hyper-focal distance focusing. The main reason being the hyper-focal distance is quite distant with a long lens. For example, the hyper-focal distance for a 200mm lens set to f/16 on a 35mm camera is about 275 feet.

Rule of Thumb for Hyper-focal Distance


hyper focal distance
Photo by: Chaval Brasil

When photographing scenes that  either does not include the near foreground or do not extend all the way to the horizon, the rule of thumb states that you should focus roughly 1/3 of the way into your scene in order to achieve maximum depth of field.

Although this works reasonably well it is not the optimal solution as the hyper-focal distance is depended on many factors like subject distance, aperture set and focal length.

Smart Phone Apps


There are applets that can be downloaded and used with smart phones like DOF Master and Tack-Sharp which will tell you the precise hyper-focal distance for your camera, lens and aperture combination.

Using Hyper focal Distance in Practice


As a creative photographer one must master hyper-focal distance to get the most out of any situation. But blind adherence to any method regardless of the theme is not recommended. Focusing at hyper-focal distance is not for every situation; it works well when the subject matter extends far into the distance, and if no particular region in the frame requires more sharpness than others.

But when photographing scenes which has elements either in the front or back that require more sharpness; set focus accordingly. Over emphasis on hyper-focal method often neglects regions of a photo where sharpness is critical. For example, a finely detailed foreground element may demand more sharpness than a hazy background. Alternatively, a naturally soft foreground can often afford to sacrifice some sharpness for the background.

Some Practical Tips that are Useful in the Field


hyper focal distance
Photo by: Doug Wheeler

Focus a little beyond the hyper-focal distance


Remember that hyper-focal distance is just a reasonable estimate for actual photographic lenses.  . Make your best estimate of where the hyper-focal distance is from the camera position and focus a little beyond the hyper-focal distance and you'll know that everything from at least 1/2 the focus distance to infinity will be acceptably sharp in the photo.

Stop Down One More Stop


Once you have calculated the hyper-focal distance and set the focus, stop down your lens one more stop; this will give you some leeway and any slight mistakes will thus be covered.

Google Adds its Own Find My Phone Service

Android Device Manager
Google calls its new Android device location and remote access service Android Device Manager. This has been a feature that has been missing from stock Android for a long time that has been filled with a host of 3rd party apps, but it is nice to finally see a free stock Android solution.

It is also interesting to note that this did not require any sort of update - Google Play Services is indeed quite powerful and can allow new features and services to be deployed without any updates to the OS itself.

The service allows you to locate your device, cause it to ring for up to 5 minutes (even if it is on silent or vibrate mode), and to wipe the device remotely. In order to wipe the device remotely you must first enable a remote factory reset by going to Google SettingsAndroid Device Manager → Check Allow remote factory reset.

Android App News - GetTaxi Launched in New York City


Android App News - GetTaxi Launched in New York City

 



Android App News - GetTaxi Launched in New York City. The taxi booking app is now up and running in New York City. Tip: Look for GetTaxi coupons that could save you money for the rides. The app works with the Black Cabs, the more luxurious cabs in New York. The five dollar extra charge for GetTaxi is more than compensated by the ability to call a cab to your location and the flat rates, saving you a lot of money during rush hour traffic jams with meter running yellow cabs.


New Yorkers find that GetTaxi is really useful for those times a regular yellow cab can't be found, or during late hours. Calling a cab straight to your location is sometimes a necessity and not a luxury.

New York City now joins London, Moscow and St. Petersburg as Android mobile app technology strives to make life better (faster and actually cheaper) for us.

We will update on the progress of GetTaxi in the United States. Good Luck!
 





Google Nexus 4 Price Drops By $100, Hinting at an Impending Update (The Nexus 5)

Today Google decreased the price of the Nexus 4 by $100.  If you are in the market for an excellent unlocked GSM phone, this price is hard to beat. Sorry no longer available.

However, I suspect the reason for the price drop is to clear out stock for the rumored Nexus 5 that should be unveiled soon, likely in the next couple of months along with Key Lime Pie KitKat (Android 4.4).  If you want the latest device, you probably want to wait until the Nexus 5 comes out.

I wish they would make real Nexus CMDA devices so I could buy them to use on Ting, my favorite carrier by far... unfortunately that hasn't really happened yet.  The closest thing available for CMDA users is the aging Galaxy Nexus and it doesn't get updates nearly as fast as the GSM versions.

Thank you Google for making a real CDMA/GSM unlocked device. It is unlocked to work on any carrier, only Verizon LTE bands are left out (probably because Verizon doesn't want unlocked devices on its network... thats pure conjecture on my part though).

20 Common Mistakes Beginners Make in Landscape Photography and How to Avoid Them


1. Rushing a Shot


No toddler has ever mastered the art of walking without several falls; similarly there is no professional photographer who has never committed mistakes in handling his gears and other aspects related to the art. Among these innumerable mistakes some of them are most probable ones and knowing them may enable one from committing them in future. In short; learn from other peoples’ mistakes and have the pleasure of giving them sweet advices!

Unlike street photography where everything depends on split second decisions and reactions as quick as reflex to get the shot at the precise moment; landscape photography requires time to get prepared. Scouting the location in searching different/better viewpoints, setting up equipment, waiting for the light/clouds/shadows whatever to be just right; these are just some of the rituals!



landscape
Photo by: Vaidotas Miseikas

Landscape photography is one genre of photography which cannot be rushed; patiently work on each frame taking ample time.

Never rush a shot, no matter what the reason


Bring some food and water, proper clothing/rain gear for both you and your equipment,  make sure you are not on a strict time frame, bring a like minded friend or even better a fellow photographer, avoid bringing family members or others who’s not interested in photography and would get bored soon.

2. Shooting Wide All The Time



landscape photography
Photo by: Alemdab


The first thing most beginners do when they see a beautiful landscape before them is to attach their widest lens and try to capture the scene in its entirety. But landscape photography is not about capturing as much of the scene as you can; it is the art of isolating the most important elements in a scene and portraying them in the best way possible.

In most cases capturing too much of the scene will only serve to distract the viewer from what you are trying to achieve. Shooting too wide causes elements in the middle and background to look tiny and irrelevant.

Zoom in, or put your tele photo lens to good use by focusing on the most important part of your frame, remember with a wide landscape there are many much more interesting frames just waiting to be explored.

Zoom in on different parts of a landscape and you’ll find many such opportunities, the capability of the long focal length lens to compress various elements in a scene can be used to create some pleasing landscapes. There are many award winning landscape photographs captured with lenses that are longer than 200mm.

3. Not Getting Your Horizons Leveled

If the horizon is visible in your photograph then make sure it is well in level. Human eyes are particularly sensitive to anything that is not level especially horizons. Although it can be straightened in post- production; that process will inevitably lose some portions of the image and it may affect both composition and image resolution.

Getting the horizon level when you’re shooting from an unusual angle could be a little tricky; it is advisable not to completely trust your judgment and use a bubble level to indicate when the camera is on an even keel. Either fix a bubble-level on the tripod or a little spirit-level that fits into camera’s hot-shoe. Many cameras at present have a digital level built-in that can be displayed in the viewfinder or on the LCD screen.

4. Forgetting About Shooting in Portrait Orientation

The fact that it is called a landscape photograph does not mean it has to be shot in the landscape orientation a 100% of the time. In most occasions it could be the best way to capture a landscape, however don’t feel limited by this; there are times when shooting in portrait orientation creates very unique and interesting landscape photographs.

In most cases it is simply impossible to tell which one looks better just by reviewing in the small LCD screen at the back of your camera. The best solution is to shoot both vertical and horizontal frames and decide which one’s best when reviewed at your computer.

5. Not Including an Interesting Foreground Element



landscape photography tutorial
Photo by: Tobi


Probably the most common mistake made by beginners to landscape photography is to get caught up in the beauty of the distant scenery and forgetting to add an interesting foreground element in the composition. The lack of an interesting foreground element may make the picture look dull and featureless; it will make viewers feel that you are far away from the scene.

The foreground element could be anything from a piece of drift wood when photographing sea shores, a patch of flowers when shooting a mountainous landscape or anything that can catch eye-balls. Try to compose the frame in such a way that the foreground elements leads the viewers’ eyes towards the main view, try to include something interesting in various layers, in the foreground, near the middle and towards the far distance.

6. Not Enough Depth Of Field

There are exceptions to this but it’s so rare; most landscape images require huge depth of field so as to render objects from near the camera to those towards the far end of the frame in acceptable sharpness. For achieving large depth field; choose a narrow aperture and carefully focus your lens at the hyper-focal distance.

7. Using Very Narrow Apertures


landscape photography tips and techniques
Photo by: Jesuscm


For better depth of field in their pictures; generally beginners make use of too narrow aperture; however using narrower aperture values has its limit; beyond that; it will actually reduce image quality due to diffraction. For any given lens, the sharpest aperture setting will be towards the middle of the scale, usually f/8 or f/11. Using apertures smaller than this will cause image softness; this won’t be apparent till you get to very narrow apertures like f/22 or f/32.

Take some time to shoot a scene with various apertures and find out the narrowest usable aperture of your lens; if a particular situation demands more depth of field; it could be achieved by focus stacking.

Focus Stacking


Focus Stacking is the technique of stacking several images to create a single image which would be sharp from front to back. It lets the use of lens at its sharpest aperture and still creates an image with sufficient depth of field. What is needed is to set the camera on a solid tripod so the composition does not change between shots. Set your lens to its sharpest aperture, usually f/8 or f/11. Shoot a sequence of images with focus set to different distances. Either start from the front and move towards the back or the other way around. Make sure you have captured enough frames to cover the entire landscape from foreground elements to background. Finally merge the images using any image editing software; there are softwares like Combine ZP, which could be downloaded for free.

8. Blurred Images


The combination of narrow aperture (to get maximum depth of field) and lowest possible ISO (to record maximum detail with least image noise) requires one to use slow shutter speeds to correctly expose the shot. This increases the risk of camera shake, in a landscape photograph slight image blur cannot be spotted while reviewing in the cameras LCD.

When reviewed in a computer monitor or when taken in print-outs; the blurs will become obvious. The way to avoid blurred images is to use a solid tripod, if necessary weigh it down, use mirror lock up function and a cable / remote release to trigger the shutter.

9. Blown out Highlights or Clipped Shadows


Landscapes are more often than not a high contrast situation. Often the sky is significantly brighter than the ground. So if you expose for the land, sky will appear blown out and if you expose for the sky the ground will be underexposed. There are many ways to fix this, generally landscape photographers use graduated neutral density filters to even out the difference.

A graduated neutral density filter enables one to even out the exposure difference and capture detail in both highlights and shadows in a single shot. Another option is to take multiple exposures, one exposing the sky and one the ground and blend them together.

10. Obvious Graduated Neutral Density Filter Use


When photographing scenes where there are foreground elements that run the length of the frame, like a tree or a tall building using a graduated neutral density filter is not recommended as the exposure change along their length will be immediately recognizable. Both of these will make the picture look un-natural and also exposes the obvious use of a GND filter.

Even when there are no such elements that extend into the sky, it is critical to position the transition section of the filter so that it goes unnoticed. Graduated filters work best when there is a well- defined horizontal separation between the land and the sky.

11. Incorrect Use of a Polarizing Filter



landscape photography
Photo by: Adrian Sifre


Polarizing filters are great at reducing reflections and improving color saturation, however their effectiveness varies with the type of lighting available at the scene. It is not advisable to attach a polarizing filter permanently to the front of the lens. They are most effective when sun is at a 90 degree angle to the camera. In other situations they have limited effect; also they cause loss of light up to two stops so in low light situations they could do more harm than good.

Polarizing filters may be used carefully with wide angle lenses; when they are used with a wide angle lens, they could produce uneven polarization visible especially in the sky. This could make the picture look un-natural and ruin an otherwise perfect shot.

12. Using Cheap Filters


Landscape photography uses many photographic filters; commonly used filters are UV, ND, GND and polarizing filters. They all serve different purposes, but what is important to note is; never skim on filters; use only good ones produced by reputed manufacturers. Using cheap quality filters will seriously degrade your image quality. What is the logic of mounting a $10 filter in front of your $1000 lens; one who does so get a $10 quality out of a $1000 camera lens!

13. Shooting at the Wrong Time


There is no standard, perfect time of day, perfect season etc. that can be counted on. It’s all about finding the right light. Professional landscape photographers may wait for days or even months to pass; to photograph the scene in the most perfect way. Image of a great landscape will look dull in an uninteresting lighting. Some extra effort taken for a revisit to the scene or some time spent to wait till there is desired light does not go waste.

The nature and quality of light has a huge impact on the landscape images, bringing colors to life, revealing texture and detail, accentuating the contours etc. when combined with the perfect sky, cloud formations the effect could be almost magical. If the sky is grey devoid of any features with little or no clouds; try converting the photograph to black and white.

14. Placing Horizon in the center of the frame

One of the main rules regarding horizons is not to place them in the center of the frame in such a way that it divides ground and sky 50/50. The trick is to position the horizon line more towards the thirds.


A low horizon


Placing the horizon towards the bottom of the frame is a great way of emphasizing a very dramatic sky.


A high horizon


Placing the horizon towards the top of the frame gives dominance to the lower portion of the image, allowing you to emphasize foreground detail.

So rule of thumb is to place the horizon towards the lower third when you have interesting sky and place it towards the upper thirds when the sky is dull but foreground is interesting.

15. Hot Spots


When you compose a frame without any sky visible, for example while photographing in front of trees or in the forest, watch out for hotspots, where small patches of sky can be seen through gaps in the foliage. Such hotspots are quite a distraction as they are areas of high contrast that can distract the viewers’ eyes; while what you intended to show go unnoticed. Such high contrast spots disrupt the natural flow of the photograph.

16. Not Using a Tripod



landscape photography tips
Photo by: Tobi


Many beginners feel it is not important to shoot on a tripod if there is enough light to use fast shutter-speeds. But it is not so, a tripod not only allows you to capture sharp images by reducing camera shake, it also makes you think about your composition, gives you better flexibility when choosing aperture coz you need not worry about slow shutter speeds. Similarly a tripod allows you to shoot at the lowest ISO settings and makes using filters like GND and Polarizing filters very easy.

17. Including Too Much Clutter



landscape photography
Photo by: Jeff S Photo Art


The human brain has a built-in filter it that lets to see only those elements that the person wants, but a camera does not have any such feature; it records everything in front of it. This is the reason why a perfect scene one has witnessed; does not look that ‘perfect’ when viewed in a photograph.

The best landscape photos are often the most simplistic. Trying to incorporate everything into your scene can make the image very distracting. Either compose the scene so that the unwanted elements are not there, or if possible remove these elements before you shoot, or if all else fails, remove them in post.

18. Poor Composition



landscape photography tutorial for beginners
Photo by: Lutz


Suppose in some occasion your image might have to compete with some well framed photographs; don’t give reason to feel any inferiority; for keeping your head high and declare “it is my photograph”; read the following.  When happened to be in a beautiful location don’t get carried away by the scene and fire off shots like a Western Movie hero. Landscape photography requires careful composition to be effective, Look around the scene, from various vantage points, decide on the what to include / exclude, where to place the horizon etc. also consider compositional guides like the rule of thirds and the golden mean.

19. Not Shooting RAW

Shooting in RAW has many advantages, it is especially so in case of landscape photography. Shooting RAW allows one to capture the scene in greater detail; get more information, power to alter white balance in post etc. It also gives the flexibility to generate HDR from a single image shot in RAW. You can also try processing using different white balance for sky and background and later combining them in Photoshop to create unique effects. The advantages are many so make it a habit to always shoot your landscape photographs in RAW rather than JPEG.

20. Going Over the Edge in Post Processing

Last but not the least a very commonly committed mistake of overdoing, in an urge to make their images as rich as possible, beginners often resort to overdoing like using overly saturated colors, image sharpness, contrast etc. This screams amateur photography like nothing else.

Develop a strong understanding of post processing and resist the tendency to overdo it. Also not using professional quality monitors (which are properly calibrated) to process the images will end up in unpredictable results; the image might have had an entirely different feel when seen in a different monitor.

Reducing Glare When Photographing People Who Wear Glasses



how to photograph people with glasses
Photo by: Madabandon



Have you ever tried taking photographing someone wearing glasses? If you have, chances are you might have met with the problem of reflections on eye glasses. Light sources get reflected on eye glasses and strong reflections will interfere with or cover the subject’s eyes, making the photograph look uninteresting. As professional photographers you need to pay attention to such details and take measures to reduce them.

Photographers deal with this common problem in different ways. Some of the methods used are:

1. Just Take Them OFF


This is the simplest method but not recommended for professional photographers. Photographing the subjects with their glasses on could be important for their self esteem. 

2. Have the subject look away from the camera.



tips for photographing people with eyeglasses
Photo by: Ben Klemm


If your subject is not looking directly at the camera, chances are you will have fewer glares or it just becomes less important.

3. Tilting or Angling the Subject’s Head



portrait photography tips
Photo by: Elliott


Reflections could be reduced by tilting or angling the subjects head down. But make sure the eyes don’t appear cut off by glasses.

4. Angle the glasses



how to reduce glare in eyeglasses
Photo by: Phil Hilfiker


Rather than tilting the subjects head angle the glasses. Instead of resting the back of the glasses on the ears, lift them above tilting the glass downwards. If you tilt it more this will look awkward.

5. Shade your subject’s Eyes



portraiture tips for avoiding glare in eye glasses
Photo by: Neil Moralee


Make your subject wear a hat or anything similar to either partially or completely block light causing reflections.

6. Remove the lenses from the frame


 Remove the lenses from the frame, though it makes matters super easy for the photographer, it is not the right approach and at times the picture will look unnatural.


All the methods described above do work; one method might be suitable for a particular situation and another one for a different scenario. However, if you know the underlying science behind these reflections, avoiding them is easier than you’d think.


reducing reflections on eye glasses when photographing people
Photo by: Studio SSAMO

You know that law of physics states that light bounces off at the same angle that it strikes the subject. So simply move the light source up, down or to the side so that light bouncing off the glasses are not reflected in the direction of the camera. The modeling lights on studio strobes make this a very easy task. But you need to make sure the reflections are gone from the point of view of the camera and not from where you are standing. So having an assistant who could move the lights as you tell them will make life much easier when photographing people who wear eye glasses. Position your subject and your lights, stand directly behind your camera and simply ask your assistant to move the lights till you see that the reflections are gone from the glasses.

Diy Light Tent


DIY Light Tent
DIY Light Tent


Light tents are popular among photographers who do a lot of product photography inside of studio. Light tents are collapsible white fabric box with a hole in the front. You keep the product to be photographed inside the tent, place your lights out side, you may place lights on the sides or on top, the fabric will diffuse the light and produce soft light that wraps around the subject.

A light tend is the easiest method of lighting small objects, It also gives consistent results, but on an average light tents cost around $100.  Here’s a diy light tent that costs next to nothing but gives similar results as that of commercially available light tents.

Materials Needed for this project



DIY Light Tent
DIY Light Tent


1. A cardboard box, the size of the box depends on the size of the products you wish to photograph.
2. Some diffusion material, I used tracing paper, you could use any white paper or white fabric.
3. Ruler and Marker
4. Kinfe / cutter to cut out the inside of the box.
5. Glue or tape to stick the paper / fabric to the box.
Step by Step 

What we need to do is cut out windows on three sides of the box, we will also completely take off the flap which now comes on top. 

If you need to use the tent outdoors to shoot flowers or other subjects then you should also cut out the bottom so you can slide it over your subject.


DIY Light Tent
DIY Light Tent


Step 1. Measure and mark 2 inches from the side of the box on multiple points and join them using a ruler. Do this on three sides of the box, leave the front and back as it is. 

Step 2. Use a razor to cut out the inside on all the three sides (two sides and top), you should also cut out the top flap on the front, the ones on the sides will come in handy to block extraneous light.

Step 3. Stick white paper or white fabric on all the three sides (on the areas you cut off).

Step 4. Attach a seamless background (in this case white paper).

Step 5. Place your subject inside the light tent and lights on the outside, you have the flexibility to use off camera flashes,  studio strobes, tungsten or cfl continuous lights, or plain daylight (just place the light tent outside in bright sunshine, simply rotate the box to make the sunlight come from the desired direction).



DIY Light Tent
DIY Light Tent


Now you have completely wrapped your subject in high quality light. You have the ability to place your lights on either side or the top or any combination of the three. The thing to remember when using light tents to photograph subjects is that even if you use just one light the diffusing material on the sides and top will reflect some of the light back on to the subject thus acting as fill. When using multiple lights vary the power of the lights (light ratio) to achieve different lighting effects. If you are using continuous light sources you can achieve varying light ratios by moving the light sources closer or farther to the light tent. If you want to kill the reflection on any side or the top, stick a square of black poster board on the inside on that side or the top.
 
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