Ever looked at a simple fruit bowl and wondered if it could be something more? Well, it can! Still life photography is all about transforming ordinary objects into visual art, and it comes with an array of powerful advantages:

1. It’s highly accessible (you can do it in your own home!)
2. It doesn’t require ultra-expensive gear
3. It’s not nearly as hard as it might seem

I’ve been taking still life images for years, and in this article, I offer everything you need to improve your shots. I cover all the key elements including lighting, composition, and editing – so that, no matter your level of experience, you’ll be ready to shoot some amazing still life photos of your own.

Let’s get started.

What is still life photography?

Still life photography is an art form that involves capturing inanimate objects. This can include anything from a bowl of fruit to a carefully arranged collection of antique tools.

The appeal of still life photography lies in its accessibility and its potential for immense creativity. With complete control over all elements, from lighting to composition, you can turn ordinary objects into something extraordinary.

Seeing everyday objects through an artistic eye is the essence of still life photography. It’s about finding beauty in the mundane and ordinary. Whether you’re a professional photographer or just starting, still life photography invites you to see the world anew, and it’s a wonderful way to explore your creativity!

Essential still life photography gear

You don’t need to spend a fortune to get started with still life photography. An entry-level mirrorless camera or DSLR will work just fine. These camera types provide more control and flexibility compared to simple point-and-shoot models. Paired with a close-focusing lens, they allow you to capture sharp images of your subjects that you can edit, print, and hang on your wall.

A tripod is another important item, and while not every still life photographer works exclusively with a tripod, it’s a great piece of equipment to obtain. Even a slight camera movement can change the focus and composition, so a tripod will help streamline your workflow. More importantly, it’ll keep your camera steady, which is crucial for achieving clear, sharp images in low light conditions.

Other useful accessories include reflectors to reduce shadows and diffusers to handle too-harsh lighting.

That said, you don’t need to go gear-crazy; the key is to understand that quality images don’t necessarily come from expensive gear. With the right basic tools, beautiful still life images are entirely within your reach.

Key still life photography settings

Manual mode is where you want to begin in still life photography. Working in this mode gives you ultimate control over your image, allowing you to fine-tune the aperture, ISO, and shutter speed. With control over these settings, your creativity can truly shine.

A narrow aperture such as f/8 is a standard choice for still life photography. It keeps the subject in focus, giving you the crisp details that’ll make your still life images stand out. As for the ISO: Keep it low to maintain the best image quality. As long as you’re using a tripod, shutter speed is less critical; you can slow it down without causing blur.

Understanding these settings is essential to achieving professional-looking photos. While dialing in apertures, ISOs, and shutter speeds may seem technical at first, you’ll find that it quickly becomes second nature!

Basic lighting for still life photography

Light is an essential component of still life photography, and many still lifes feature beautiful lighting arrangements (which often create moody, painterly effects).

But it’s important to realize that you don’t need fancy lighting to create a stunning still life. When you’re starting out, I recommend using whatever light you have available, such as:

• Indirect light from a window
• A lamp
• A flashlight
• A candle

Don’t just create your setup, take one shot, and call it a day. Instead, try out different lighting effects! Use a curtain to block out some window light, then remove the curtain to let the light stream in. Shine a flashlight at your main subject, then try a second shot where the flashlight is positioned off to the side and shrouds your subjects in shadow. Make sense?

Note that, if you’re using lamps, flashlights, or candles, you will definitely need a tripod; indoor lighting won’t get you a fast-enough shutter speed for handheld shots. (This can be a relatively cheap model; as long as it’s positioned on a sturdy surface, it should be able to keep your camera steady.) When you’re ready to shoot, just mount your camera to the tripod, activate the two-second self-timer, and start taking images.

Still life photography composition

Learning to compose still life photos is often a struggle for beginners. This is understandable, as still life composition brings up a ton of questions, such as: Where should I place all my items? Should they overlap? Should they be close to the background? What camera angle should I use?

Fortunately, still life composition isn’t as hard as it might seem. I have two main recommendations, and they will take you far:

First, if you’ve not encountered them before, read about the rule of thirds and the rule of odds. These will offer a fantastic compositional starting point for beautiful still life shots, plus they’re really easy to use.

Second, just keep moving your items around.

This latter recommendation might seem a bit silly, but I promise: If you rearrange your objects enough, you’ll eventually hit on an arrangement that looks great. Don’t just settle for the first composition that you try – instead, test an arrangement, then evaluate it critically. Determine what you like and dislike about it, then make adjustments.

As you create different compositions, here are a few items to keep an eye on:

• Overly empty gaps (you generally want to keep the entire arrangement balanced!)
• Busy areas (you don’t want to confuse the viewer with too much activity)
• Movement between objects (aim to lead the eye from one object to the next)

Remember: A tiny tweak can make a huge difference. So if an arrangement doesn’t seem perfect, make a few changes. Chances are that you’ll soon hit upon a better setup!

Tips and tricks to improve your still life photos

Now that you’re familiar with the basics, let’s dive into some of the higher-level aspects of still life photography, including subject selection, different lighting directions, and more!

1. Look at the work of great still life photographers

It’s a valuable practice to study the work of great still life photographers online. By observing their photos, you can learn about the different ways to arrange elements, and you can even find inspiration for new subjects.

But don’t limit yourself to photography alone; look at the world of painting as well. Masters like Cezanne offer a treasure trove of lessons on composition, balance, and the use of color. The way these painters arranged objects, used light, and chose colors can translate into unique insights for your photography. A painter’s eye for composition can open new doors for your creativity.

Learning from others can be an exciting and enlightening process. While it’s important to develop your unique style, the techniques and ideas you glean from observing the masters can enhance your skills.

2. Experiment with sidelighting

Sidelighting is a powerful tool in still life photography. By ensuring that your light source is hitting the subject from the side rather than the front or back, you add shadows that improve a sense of three-dimensionality. The play of light and shadow brings depth and drama to an image, allowing ordinary objects to appear extraordinary.

A 45-degree angle is often a fantastic starting point for sidelighting. It offers a balanced blend of light and shadow, producing a visually appealing effect. Don’t be afraid to play with different angles and light sources; experimentation is key to finding what works best for your particular setup.

Realize that the angle of light can drastically change the mood and appearance of your photograph. By embracing the experimentation and understanding how sidelighting works, you add an essential tool to your still life photography toolkit. It’s a step towards creating more engaging, eye-catching images.

Bottom line: Whether you’re using natural light from a window or an artificial source, sidelighting can become your go-to option for stunning still life shots.

3. Pick items that interest you

Still life photography beginners often struggle to pick a subject and get started. But in truth, there are no “best” still life subjects, so there’s no need to stress! Ideal subjects are simply items that interest you, and they can come from anywhere, including:

• Around your house
• Flea markets and thrift stores
• Estate sales
• The grocery store
• The florist

Of course, the words “still life” generally conjure up visions of vases of flowers, pears on candlelit tables, old paper, and violins. And you can certainly capture beautiful still life shots by obtaining and arranging these “classical” items.

But you don’t need to spend time pursuing such images if they don’t interest you. Instead, ask yourself: What is meaningful to me? What objects do I love? Is there a story I would like to tell with my still life?

Alternatively, you might look for items that simply catch your eye. This next shot contains a piece of dried seaweed on some calico. Was the seaweed meaningful to me? Not really. Did it tell a story? Nope. It simply looked beautiful, so I wanted to capture it!

Finally, you can capture “found” still life arrangements – that is, still life arrangements that already exist (in houses, backyards, or on the street). Here’s a found still life, taken of a friend’s bedside table:

When picking still life subjects, here’s my final piece of advice:

If you’re stuck, just find some items that are personal and important to you, such as:

• Family heirlooms
• Pictures containing relatives
• Books that you love

Then, after a bit of arranging, you’ll capture a still life that’s loaded with meaning!

4. Work with a theme

Still struggling to pick the right still life photography subjects? Then I highly recommend working around a single theme.

Themes are an essential aspect of still life photography that can add depth and coherence to your images. They help you move beyond randomly selected objects and push you to think about the mood and meaning you want to convey. Whether it’s a color, season, or concept, a unifying theme can drive creativity.

For example, if you choose a theme around the color blue, you may gather items like blue glassware, a blue scarf, or blueberries. The consistent color palette not only creates visual harmony but also allows you to explore various textures and shapes within a specific color family.

Themes also help in storytelling. A setup focused on a seasonal theme, like autumn, can evoke feelings of warmth, change, or nostalgia. From leaves to pumpkins, selecting objects that resonate with the chosen theme helps in creating visually compelling stories that speak to the viewer.

5. Carefully select a background

The background can make – or break- your still life. If you want great results, you must choose your background with great care.

Specifically, don’t choose a background that features distracting elements. Avoid eye-catching colors that draw the eye, and if you use fabric, make sure you iron it first (few things are more distracting than a wrinkled backdrop!).

Instead, keep it simple. Fabric, cardboard, and existing walls often work great, provided that they’re relatively plain. The goal is to emphasize your still life subjects (so the viewer knows exactly where to look).

Here’s an image featuring a plain backdrop made from a couple of old potato sacks:

And here’s another shot, this time featuring a sheet of red fabric:

Also, experimentation is important! Different background textures and colors can complement your subjects in different ways, so it pays to test out a few options before deciding on a final arrangement. You may be surprised by the backdrops that make your still life really pop.

And while I generally do advocate using a narrow aperture and a deep depth of field when starting out, over time, you might want to try experimenting with focus and depth of field. You can create a shallow depth of field effect – where you keep the front element sharp and the background blurry – for more artistic shots. It’s a trick that can also come in handy if you like the background but find it a little too conspicuous.

6. Try light painting for creative still life shots

Light painting is a thrilling technique that allows you to “paint” with light. It involves setting your camera to a long shutter speed, usually in the range of 10 to 30 seconds, and then moving a flashlight or candle around your subject during the exposure. The result can be mesmerizing.

One of the great things about light painting is that it enables you to have greater control over your lighting without investing in expensive strobes and softboxes. You can create unique effects and highlights exactly where you want them. All you need is a dark room and a source of light, such as a flashlight, candle, or even a glow stick.

Experiment with different light sources, movements, and exposure times. You’ll soon discover a whole new world of creative possibilities. Light painting can add depth, character, and flair to your photos, making it a valuable technique in your still life photography toolbox.

7. Consider using artificial lighting

Once you’ve mastered basic still life lighting using natural sources like windows or candles, you may wish to explore artificial lighting for more control. Studio strobes, speedlights, or continuous LEDs are common options, and each has its advantages.

For those just starting, speedlights can be an affordable choice. They are portable and easy to use but still deliver excellent results. Strobes, on the other hand, are more powerful and include modeling lights so you can see the lighting effect in advance.

Whatever your choice, softboxes are essential. A bare flash will result in harsh and unflattering light. Softboxes diffuse the light, making it softer and more pleasing to the eye. They come in various sizes and shapes, allowing you to fine-tune the lighting effect to match your vision.

Artificial lighting may seem intimidating at first, but with practice, you can use it to create stunning still life photographs. From generating specific effects to offering complete control over the intensity and direction of light, artificial lighting opens up a new realm of creativity. It’s an investment not just in equipment but in expanding your artistic capabilities.

8. Shoot from different angles

The angle you choose to shoot from can dramatically alter the look and feel of your still life photograph. While it’s common to start with a standard frontal composition, experimenting with different angles adds richness and variety to your portfolio.

Moving to the right or the left, shooting from above or below – these choices offer new perspectives on familiar subjects. Even slight adjustments in camera height can change how a setup is captured. Higher angles can amplify depth, making objects appear more spread out, while lower angles can give a greater sense of intimacy or grandiosity.

Experimentation is key here. There are no rigid rules, so feel free to explore various angles until you find what resonates with your subject and theme. Try photographing a bowl of fruit from directly above to emphasize shape and pattern, or shoot a vase of flowers from below to give it a towering, majestic appearance. The creativity of angles is in your hands.

9. Make sure you spend time editing your still life photography

Post-processing can make a huge difference to your still life photos, so I highly recommend you spend time editing your images in Lightroom, Photoshop, Capture One, or some other program.

Start out with basic adjustments, such as white balance, exposure, contrast, and saturation. Then, as you become more experienced, play around with more advanced options.

Consider doing HDR photography, where you take several images at different exposure levels then blend them together in Lightroom. Or use Photoshop to add a beautiful texture to your image for a painterly look:

How to create stunning still life photography: final words

As you’ve discovered, the world of still life photography offers a vast playground for creativity, exploration, and skill-building. By working with themes, you can craft images that are not only visually stunning but also filled with depth and story. Shooting from different angles adds another layer of expression and offers endless possibilities for capturing ordinary objects in extraordinary ways.

Remember to embrace the tools and techniques outlined, and practice to see how they transform your still life photography. The joy of creating mesmerizing still life photos isn’t reserved for professionals; it’s within your reach.

So experiment with lighting, composition, and editing. Have fun! Enjoy yourself! You’re bound to end up with some stunning photos.

Now over to you:

What type of still life photos do you plan to take? Which of these tips are your favorites? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

The post Still Life Photography: The Ultimate Guide (+ 9 Tips) appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Lea Hawkins.

Horses are not just beautiful and intelligent creatures; they can be the subjects of some truly breathtaking photographs. And horse photography – which is all about capturing the grace and majesty of these animals – is intensely rewarding.

Yet photographing horses can present certain challenges. Horses are free-spirited, plus they can be easily spooked. Add to that the technical expertise required to photograph a horse in action, such as racing or jumping, and you might start to feel more than a bit overwhelmed.

But don’t worry! Even a beginner can learn to take great horse photos; they just need an experienced guide. I’ve done plenty of horse photography, and I’ve also spent plenty of time learning from trainers and owners. In this article, I share it all: how to capture beautiful horse portraits, how to create stunning horse race photos, and even how to effectively photograph events like show jumping.

Ready to create some gorgeous horse images? Let’s dive right in!

1. Be careful

Approaching a horse with a camera is not always straightforward. While some horses may be exceedingly gentle, others can be unpredictable or even aggressive. A single kick from a horse can cause serious injuries, so caution is essential.

Never stand behind a horse or catch them by surprise. Sudden movements or even wearing bright colors can startle them. It’s essential to be aware of the horse’s presence and ensure they know where you are.

Before diving into the photography session, have a chat with the owner or handler about the horse’s personality. Is the horse flighty or bitey? Have they ever seen a camera before? Understanding these aspects can help you approach with caution.

Flash photography is generally a no-no around horses unless you’re sure they are used to it. A flash could endanger not just you but also the horse and the handler. I advise avoiding it as much as possible.

2. Learn the horse’s language

Horses communicate through their ears, leg stance, and head movements. This language is understood by horse owners and trainers, but it might be new to you. Spend some time researching horse body language before your first shoot. You’ll want to understand how the horse is feeling to predict their behavior and avoid danger.

Horse owners often prefer certain positioning of ears, legs, and heads. For example, pinned-back ears signify an unhappy horse, while relaxed, forward ears can mean the horse is content. Understanding this language will not only keep you safe but also ensure you capture shots that the owners will love.

If you’re familiar with this equine language, you’ll have a better sense of what the owners want, and your photo shoot will be more successful. So invest a little time in this unique aspect of horse photography; it’s well worth it!

3. Start with an introduction

Photographing horses isn’t about jumping right in with your camera. It requires a delicate approach. When you first meet the horse, it’s essential to create a calm environment.

Let the handler introduce you if the horse is calm enough. Allow the horse to approach you, sniff the camera, and become familiar with your presence. Talk softly and move slowly; a gentle pat might be welcomed if the handler deems it appropriate.

Are you unsure how the horse will react to the sounds of your camera? Organize a few test shots with the handler. Ensuring that everyone is in a safe position during these test shots is vital. If the horse reacts negatively, a sudden buck or kick can be dangerous.

If your camera has a silent shooting mode, this is a great time to use it. But remember, “silent” doesn’t always mean entirely noiseless. Test it out to gauge the horse’s reaction.

4. Choose the right lens for horse photography

Selecting the right lens is a critical decision in horse photography. It can be influenced by various factors, including the horse’s temperament and the type of shots you’re aiming for.

If you’re doing a portrait session and the horse is comfortable with you getting close, a wide-to-standard zoom lens, like a 24-70mm with a maximum aperture of f/2.8, can be a great choice. With it, you can capture wide-angle shots or zoom in for tighter images.

A 50mm or 85mm prime lens is also a fantastic option. These lenses often offer quality at an affordable price, with a wide aperture like f/1.8 for beautiful background blur.

When photographing from the sidelines or with a skittish horse, a longer telephoto lens is a must. A 70-200mm lens will allow you to capture detailed images from a distance.

Sometimes, having a good telephoto zoom handy, even with a more approachable horse, can enhance your shots. It allows you to get those close-up details without invading the horse’s personal space.

5. Dial in the right horse photography settings

Setting your camera correctly is fundamental. Using Auto mode won’t do justice to these magnificent creatures; instead, you’ll likely end up with blurry shots.

Shutter Priority, Aperture Priority, or Manual mode are your friends here. A fast shutter speed is essential – a minimum of 1/250s for general horse photography. If the horse is moving quickly, even faster speeds like 1/500s or 1/1000s are necessary.

Don’t be afraid to boost your ISO if you need to ensure a good exposure. Modern cameras handle high ISO quite well, but test your camera to know your limits.

A wide aperture, such as f/2.8 or f/4, can be valuable, especially in low-light conditions. But remember, a wider aperture narrows the window of sharpness. You’ll need to focus with precision, making sure the horse’s eyes and head are in sharp focus.

Getting the settings right will allow you to capture the horse’s grace and energy, adding depth and emotion to your photographs. It’s a combination of understanding the horse’s behavior and using your camera’s capabilities to their fullest potential. It’s not about having the most expensive gear, but about knowing how to use what you have to create stunning images.

6. Photograph the tender moments

Connecting with a horse is a magical experience. Capturing that connection between horse and rider in your lens? Even more so. Every horse owner has a bond with their companion that is unique, personal, and full of emotion. As a photographer, your mission is to capture that bond, that shared love, in a way that transcends the physical frame.

Take a moment to observe. Notice the horse and its owner, their interactions, their unspoken communication. Look for the soft moments, the shared glances, the loving gestures. It’s in these fleeting moments that the true essence of their relationship lies. Patience is key here, and waiting for these tender moments can often reward you with the most touching and powerful images.

An integral part of this process involves integrating the rider into your photoshoot. It’s essential for you to keep them engaged, keep them relaxed. Encourage them to interact with their horse naturally, as they would when no one is watching. These candid shots often result in the most authentic images, brimming with raw emotions and moments of connection. Remember, horse lovers are often just as excited to be part of the shoot as they are to have their equine companions photographed.

7. Don’t forget about the details

Horse photography is not just about the whole animal, but also about capturing the individual details that make each horse unique. These can range from the gleaming shine in their coat to the distinct patterns of their markings, the flowing mane, the softness in their eyes, and so much more.

I always find it useful to have a chat with the owner before I start clicking away. Get to know the horse through their eyes, understand what makes their horse special to them. They might have a fondness for certain features – the curve of the horse’s neck, the unique color of their eyes, the way their mane catches the light. Your job as a photographer is to capture these personal favorites in the best light possible.

Use your lens wisely for these detail shots. A telephoto lens works great if you want to maintain a safe distance, especially if the horse is a little skittish. However, with a calm and friendly horse, feel free to move closer and use a standard lens. Experiment with varying your aperture to create a range of effects, from an overall sharp image to a focused shot with a beautifully blurred background.

8. Take your time

A crucial tip for successful horse photography, which I can’t emphasize enough, is to take your time. Spend a day, if possible, with the horse and the owner. Get to know them, understand their dynamics, build a rapport. Patience and understanding go a long way in establishing trust, which in turn helps capture the best possible images.

Observe the horse’s habits, their likes and dislikes. Maybe they love a particular spot in the paddock, or they jump around gleefully after a good run. Keeping these nuances in mind will help you anticipate their actions and be prepared for spontaneous shots.

Slowing down also allows you to notice the small but significant details of the environment around you – interesting backgrounds, shifting light patterns, shadows, and reflections. All these elements can add depth and context to your photographs, turning a good picture into a great one.

Don’t rush the process. Horse photography, like all good things in life, takes time. It requires patience, practice, and a keen eye for detail. But rest assured, the results will be worth your effort.

9. Use similar techniques to photograph equine events

Photographing equine events like show jumping has its own challenges, but many of the principles remain the same. Finding a safe spot is crucial, and one where the horse can see you from a distance. Always stay put and never move towards the horse and rider, and remember, using flash is a big no-no. Checking with any officials before you start is also a smart move.

To capture both horse and rider in mid-jump – a favorite of horse riders – you’ll likely need a shutter speed around 1/650s to 1/800s. By setting your camera to continuous release (burst) mode, you can press the shutter just as the horse lifts off, increasing your chances of getting the perfect shot.

Focusing can be tricky, so you’ll need to be extra attentive. Prefocusing in advance where you know the horse will be is an option, but I find using your camera’s AF tracking to follow the horse generally better. It lets you shoot a variety of images as the horse moves in different directions, giving you a range of dynamic shots to choose from.

10. Work fast for horse race photography

Horse racing is a thrilling sport, and capturing it in a photograph requires a special touch. Horses at top speeds are incredibly fast, so I’d recommend the fastest shutter speed the light will allow. Use your camera’s continuous shooting mode, and don’t hesitate to take hundreds of shots. Among the failures and near-duplicates, you’ll find those magical moments that make it all worth it.

Getting close to the finish line at smaller race meets can make for breathtaking photos, but you’ll need permission. Assure the officials that you don’t use flash and that you understand how easily horses can be spooked. Your diligence can grant you access to some unique vantage points.

Here’s a pro tip: try panning shots during the races. It captures the sense of movement and speed, giving your photos an artistic flair. Lower your shutter speed to around 1/30s and move your camera along with your subject as you fire the shutter. If done right, you’ll end up with a sharp horse and rider against a stunning blur of motion in the background.

This technique might take a few tries to master, but the resulting images can be truly spectacular. Combining both standard and panning shots during horse races can provide you with an exciting and varied portfolio of images, each illustrating a different aspect of the race!

Horse photography tips: final words

From understanding a horse’s personality and body language to choosing the right lens and settings, we’ve explored essential tips and techniques so you can capture beautiful images of horses.

Remember to approach each photo session with care and patience; with some perseverance, you’ll capture plenty of horse photos you can be proud of – whether it’s a tender moment between rider and horse, or the thrilling speed of a race.

Now it’s your turn to grab a camera and explore the world of equine photography. Happy shooting, and have fun!

Over to you:

Which of these horse photography tips do you plan to use first? Do you have any advice of your own that we missed? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

The post Horse Photography: 10 Tips for Amazing Equine Images appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Lea Hawkins.

Talk to an experienced photographer, and they’ll tell you that photography is both incredibly fun and extremely rewarding. When you’re just a beginner, however, it’s easy to become overwhelmed; after all, you have to understand so many details, covering gear, camera settings, post-processing, lighting, and more.

But don’t worry! I’ve been exactly where you are, and in this article, I offer all the beginner photography tips I wish I had when I was starting out. I share plenty of gear advice, I demystify key concepts, and I offer an array of techniques that will ensure your photos improve in leaps and bounds. Specifically, I explain:

• How to buy the right gear
• How to choose the right camera settings
• Where to start with post-processing
• Much, much more!

Are you ready to jumpstart your photography hobby? Let’s dive right in!

1. Research gear (but don’t go overboard)

Your gear does not make you a good photographer.

In fact, if you are just starting out, a top-of-the-line camera will not only be a waste of money, but it will also make your learning process trickier. (Purchasing an expensive camera as a beginner is a bit like buying a race car to learn to drive).

When you want to buy gear – whether it’s your first camera/lens/accessory or your tenth – do your research. It’s helpful to take a look at some photography forums or articles for camera recommendations. Once you find something that sounds viable and fits your budget, read professional and user reviews to determine whether it’ll satisfy your needs. That said, I do have some recommendations:

2. Buy an interchangeable lens camera

You can capture amazing photos with any camera, but certain models will offer greater flexibility (not to mention better image quality). Smartphone cameras and point-and-shoot models are perfectly capable, but they lack one key feature: interchangeable lenses.

You see, DSLRs and mirrorless cameras allow you to swap out various lenses as you shoot, which makes a huge difference, especially if you enjoy photographing multiple subjects. You can use a wide-angle lens to capture a beautiful scenic shot, switch to a telephoto lens to create a tighter composition, then try out a super-telephoto lens for an ultra-close image of a bird as it flies through the landscape.

Of course, each lens does cost money, but there are reasonably priced models designed specifically for beginners. And one of the benefits of interchangeable lens cameras is that you can always upgrade your lenses – while keeping the same camera – as you become more serious.

Which interchangeable lens camera should you buy? The specifics aren’t really important, but you can get great results from an entry-level mirrorless model like the Nikon Z 30, the Sony a6400, or the Canon EOS R50.

3. Use your kit lens often (but upgrade it as needed)

When you purchase an interchangeable lens camera, it will likely come with a zoom lens, which is also referred to as a kit lens. Many serious photographers are critical of kit lenses, but I’d really recommend using your kit model frequently before splurging on additional glass.

For one, kit lenses are designed to handle many different subjects, so you can use one to really explore an array of different photographic genres and techniques. Plus, because kit lenses span commonly used focal lengths – including 28mm, 35mm, and 50mm – you can use a bit of kit lens practice to identify the focal lengths that really feel right to you.

From there, you can make informed decisions about purchasing additional lenses!

4. Consider investing in a tripod

Once you have a camera and a lens, there’s just one more equipment item that I’d urge you to consider: a tripod.

A tripod will keep your camera stable so you can capture sharp photos even in extremely dark conditions. It can be a huge asset in many different photographic genres, including landscape photography, architecture photography, product photography, and wildlife photography.

Now, tripods can be a bit cumbersome to work with, and they’re not right for every photographer. (Street shooting, for instance, is rarely done with a tripod!) But unless you know for certain that you’d never use one, I’d really encourage you to invest in a solid yet lightweight model and see what you think!

5. Take lots of photographs

“Your first ten thousand photographs are your worst.” – Henri Cartier-Bresson

As with any skill, the more you practice, the better you get. So the quickest way to get better? Simply head out with a camera and start taking pictures.

Of course, knowledge does matter, but there’s something essential about holding a camera in your hands, looking through the viewfinder, and considering different compositions. Aim to spend at least a few hours every week behind the lens (and more is better!). It doesn’t necessarily matter what you shoot – as long as you’re shooting, you’re improving.

And don’t beat yourself up if your shots don’t turn out the way you’ve envisioned. Part of photography is about failing repeatedly; over time, you’ll learn how to get the result you want, and you’ll come home with more and more keepers.

6. Read the manual

Camera manuals are quite possibly the most boring thing you have ever read in your life, and reading the camera manual is certainly the most boring thing you’ll ever do in pursuit of photographic improvement.

That said, I suggest you do it anyway.

Why? It’s important to know how your camera actually works, especially in the beginning. And the information will become useful down the line, too. You’ll be out in the field and you’ll want to know how to change a particular setting; if you’ve read the manual thoroughly, you’ll be able to figure it out on the fly. On the other hand, if you haven’t read the manual, you’ll be forced to look up instructions on your phone, and by then your photo opportunity will likely have disappeared.

Of course, you don’t need to read the manual all at once. I recommend you place it where you can push through in small installments while you are killing time, such as in the bathroom, in the car, or in your desk at work.

7. Learn about composition

Composition refers to the way you arrange different elements in your photos. (For instance, do you place your main subject right in the middle of the frame? Do you place it in the corner? Or do you place it somewhere in between?)

And if you can understand how to create balanced compositions, your images will improve in leaps and bounds.

Why? The better your compositions, the more pleasing your images will appear – and the easier it’ll be to capture stunning shots of even the most boring subjects.

One way to delve into composition is through experimentation. Just find a subject (e.g., a flower), then capture lots of images from different positions and evaluate the results. But I’d also recommend reading about the basic composition rules, which will certainly help you successfully frame your shots.

8. Don’t start with workshops

So you’ve got the photography bug. You might be thinking, “Ooh! I’ll sign up to a bunch of workshops; that way, I can improve really fast.”

And workshops are great. But they tend to be geared more toward enthusiasts – photographers who understand the basics and are looking to level up their skills in composition, lighting, and advanced techniques. That’s why I don’t recommend going nuts with workshops right away. Instead, you should really start with the basics:

• How to operate your camera
• The meaning of different photography terminology
• How to determine the proper settings for the situation

Fortunately, you’ve already taken a step in the right direction, because you are currently reading one of the most useful photography sites on the internet. There are more tips and tutorials on this site than you will ever need, especially for a beginner. Once you get the hang of things, then you’ll have a better idea of the type of workshops that would suit you, and you might consider that route.

So I’m not saying that you shouldn’t do a workshop – just that you should wait until you know what suits your needs.

9. Connect with other photographers

Learning photography with others is often invaluable – whether you join an online group or you head to a local camera club.

For one, your photography will progress faster, plus it will be far more fun with the help of your fellow shutterbugs.

Camera clubs often have monthly competitions and may organize photo tours, exhibitions, and other activities. Talking with knowledgeable photographers or even fellow beginners will not only inspire you but also keep you motivated.

Also, sign up to some reputable photography newsletters and Facebook pages, or even reach out to photographers you admire. Most professional photographers don’t mind answering a few questions as long as you are respectful, polite, and don’t demand too much of their time.

10. Try everything

This piece of advice is short and sweet.

While you may have taken up photography with a certain genre or subject in mind, it can be helpful to try all genres. You never know what you might have a knack for, or what you will learn along the way.

So shoot landscapes. Shoot portraits. Head out to the streets and do some urban photography. Find a beautiful flower and photograph close-ups.

You never know; you might find a genre that you absolutely love but hadn’t previously considered.

11. Get feedback

Your friends and family may love you, but they will lie to you about your photography (and they may not even know what to look for). Unless you have a very honest friend or family member who actually knows a bit about art, it’s often more beneficial to get feedback from strangers.

Joining a photo-sharing site where others can comment on your work will get you mostly honest feedback (sometimes brutally so). Many years back, I posted the image below on a feedback site. I knew the image had faults, but I was keen to hear what someone else could point out and how they could help me improve.

Well, one fellow submitted a lengthy comment, basically pulling the image apart. He pointed out what seemed like several million faults, and he really went to town on it. But while the comments were painful and borderline unkind, it was useful advice that I could then apply to my next portrait photo shoot.

12. Look at tons of photos

Photography has been around for nearly two centuries, and in that time, practitioners have created billions of images. Many of these photos are bad, but quite a few of them are very good – and by looking at these shots, you can learn from the best of the best.

I’d encourage you to view a handful of photos every single day, no matter what. You can look on Instagram, on a website like 500px, or on photographers’ websites. The key is to find some beautiful images, then spend time absorbing them to the best of your ability. (As you view each file, ask yourself: What makes this shot special? What do I like about it? What do I dislike? How did the photographer use lighting, composition, and other techniques to create a pleasing effect?)

You might also consider heading to your local library and checking out some books created by classic photographers. Sure, viewing contemporary photography is great, but there’s also plenty to be learned from the past!

13. Enter free competitions

If you have money to spend and confidence in your work, by all means, enter some of the big competitions – even as a beginner. You wouldn’t be the first to take a major prize within the first few months of picking up a camera.

Even if you don’t want to spend money to enter competitions, there are plenty of free options. Throw in some images, see how the contest goes, and hey – maybe you’ll win!

14. Test out different lighting scenarios

Lighting is a key component of photography. In fact, lighting can make or break your images, which is why this beginner tip is so important.

When you’re just starting out, it’s essential that you really develop your sense of lighting. In other words, you want to be able to tell the difference between various types of outdoor lighting scenarios and how they affect your photos.

So carefully watch the cloud cover and the time, and make sure you photograph in many different situations. Shoot at dawn and dusk, at high noon, and on heavily overcast days. Then head back home and carefully evaluate the files on your computer. Ask yourself: How does each image look? How do the type and direction of light alter the shadows, the mood, and the effectiveness of each shot?

15. Aim to get off Auto mode

If you really want to be a good photographer, this is vital.

Because while Auto mode is useful enough when you’re just getting started, it’ll eventually hold you back, and it’ll certainly prevent you from realizing your full potential.

You don’t need to rush, though. At first, just enjoy photographing, even if that means using Auto mode all the time.

Then slowly move up the ladder as you familiarize yourself with Program mode, Aperture Priority mode, and eventually Manual mode.

In truth, manual settings aren’t nearly as difficult as some beginners think. It can be a bit like learning to drive. In the beginning, it’ll be challenging to manage gears, indicators, and steering, all while trying not to veer off the road. But with a bit of patience and practice, it’ll become second nature.

(When you are ready to try manual settings, there are plenty of beginner guides and cheat sheets here on dPS!)

16. Get a post-processing program

To become a serious photographer, you’ll eventually need an editing program.

Why? Because these days, editing is an essential part of the photographic process. If you want your photos to look their best, then you must learn to edit.

Which post-processing program is best?

Well, there are free programs such as Darktable and GIMP, which are nice but have their limitations. Then there are the big guns like Photoshop and Lightroom, which can be daunting for beginners. Personally, I recommend just forging ahead with Lightroom; if you intend to eventually get serious with your photography, it’s a hugely useful tool to understand, plus it’s not as difficult as it might initially seem.

Alternatively, you might consider an option such as ON1 Photo RAW or Luminar Neo, both of which are slightly more beginner-friendly than Lightroom yet pack a lot of power.

17. Have fun

This is the best and most important part of photography:

The enjoyment of it!

Don’t get bogged down by unsuccessful attempts or by comparing yourself to professionals. Even the best photographers in the world were beginners at some point. Just keep taking photographs, keep learning, keep challenging yourself, and above all, keep enjoying the fun you can have with photography!

Photography tips for beginners: final words

Hopefully, you’re now feeling inspired – and you’re ready to continue the learning process.

Photography is an adventure, and it’s a fun one, too. Sure, there will be ups and downs, but in the end, you’ll be glad you persevered!

Now over to you:

Which of these tips do you plan to use first? Do you have any beginner photography tips that we missed? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

The post 17 Beginner Photography Tips (How to Get Started) appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Lea Hawkins.

Festivals are a great place to practice a wide variety of photographic disciplines for any photographer. With plenty of action in one central location, often over a couple of days or more, there’s a chance to try your hand at everything; portraiture, street photography, landscape, night photography, fast action, and more, as well as play with all kinds of lighting and subjects, and the chance to tell a photographic story.

Festivals are a great place to photograph everything from portraits to panoramas, and pretty much everything in-between.

There is a festival for just about everything from the massive Burning Man Festival, to small food, wine, music festivals, there’s some bizarre festivals like Tunarama in Australia, where the key event is tuna tossing. Unfortunately I didn’t make it to Tunarama, so for this article I have used images from a small country town folk festival. Regardless of the kind of festival you choose, here are some tips to get you started – a beginner’s guide to photographing festivals.

Look up a local festival and get out there with your camera.

Camera gear

If you are a beginner reading this, chances are you have a DSLR with a standard kit lens, so you are good to go. I would highly recommend a zoom, but it’s not necessary, you can still get great images while learning a wide variety of photographic skills. For all these images I used either a standard kit 18-55mm lens, or a small point and shoot camera. If you have other lenses, take them, you’ll most likely have a chance to use them.

A tripod will also come in handy if you are going to photograph at night. Many festivals have fireworks, or people twirling glow in the dark things, that need long exposures.

Spare memory cards and batteries are pretty much essential, and a polarizing filter wouldn’t go astray for bright daylight.

You really don’t need fancy camera gear to get some interesting images at a festival.

Camera settings

If you are a beginner, and not used to rapidly adjusting manual settings on the fly, I would recommend starting with Auto or setting your camera to Program Mode, or pick an appropriate “Scene mode” for night and low light. But also take the opportunity to experiment with manual settings. Read up on low light, street photography, fireworks, etc., before you go. Try to avoid using your flash.

The bottom line though, in order to have a great time photographing a festival, and getting a few images you are really happy with, you don’t need anything more than your mobile phone – everything else is bonus. If you are using your phone, and I recommend you do so as well as use your camera, try looking up some free extra apps to experiment with.

This image was photographed using a small point and shoot with its auto filters.

What to photograph

Photography everything. Shoot non-stop from the setting up, to the live acts, parades, stall holders (vendors), the crowd, surrounding landscape, behind the scenes, people in audiences, details, packing up, and even what was left behind. Sometimes shooting from dawn until evening, in close, panoramic, and everything in-between.

Try to tell a story

You can capture a story in a whole series from a festival, or small series within a series, or within a single photograph.

These two pegged a drawing on the fence with a request for a lift to the next station. It worked!

Locals hanging out at the festival bar.

Each festival I have been to, has a different feel. For example, a food and wine festival has a different crowd, and is more relaxed than a rock music festival.

Capturing small details and panoramas set the scene, give the viewer a sense of place. Then, capturing events, acts, and people give a sense of what is going on there. Capturing audience reactions and small details create a sense of really being there.

Getting involved

Festivals are often annual events. Depending on the event, there may be an opportunity to volunteer. While you may spend most of your time helping out, you could have access to back stage, or other areas behind the scenes. When you have a decent portfolio, you could volunteer as photographer to build up an excellent portfolio to apply as official paid photographer.

The last festival I went to, I worked as an assistant to the artist in residence, dressed as a clown. This helped me to capture a lot of smiles, and some not so smiley expressions. Not everyone loves a clown.

Photographing as a clown was a new experience!

This guy from the band 19-Twenty just noticed he was being photographed by a clown, and he didn’t miss a beat. I certainly wouldn’t have got that shot had I not been in my rather amusing costume.

Don’t be afraid to approach people

People photography is also a great thing to practice at a festival. It can be pretty intimidating approaching strangers, as it is to be approached by a photographer. But most people don’t really mind, and are often flattered.

Most people don’t mind having their photograph taken if you are polite about it. Some, like this lass, love it.

So just ask, be honest with them, and let them know you are a beginner practicing at the festival. Perhaps even carry some cards or pieces of paper with your name, and a website, where they can see your images.

If you’re too shy, sometimes a smile and a wave, pointing to your camera and giving them a hopeful questioning look will do the trick. Or you can try a street photography approach, capturing people more candidly, and naturally.

Thank you Elvis, thank you very much.

Keep doing the rounds

Walking around the entire the festival over different times of day/night, can provide fresh images of the same spot as the light changes, and different people and characters pass by. A stall that doesn’t look like much during the day, could be lit up beautifully at night. Capturing stall holders when busy and quiet, can provide two entirely different moods.

Don’t get in the way

Try not to annoy the live acts, and audience, by photographing all the way through the entire act, or getting in anyone’s way. A good general rule for band photography is to only photograph for the first three songs.
Morris dancer with evil eye.

Keep your eye out for moments, rather than just firing away. Look for different angles and interesting color compositions.

The best tip I can give you is to have fun. Enjoy the festival, as well as photographing it. So much photographic fodder in one place, often with good food and music as well.

So get out there, find yourself a fun festival, and start photographing. Please share your festival photographs with us in the comments below. Have you any tips to add for our readers? Any great festivals to recommend?

The post Beginner’s Guide to Photographing Festivals appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Lea Hawkins.

Years ago I shot an image for a competition that I was sure was a highly original piece of genius. Only to find out when looking at other entries, there seemed to be rather a lot of other highly original geniuses with exactly the same idea.

To get further in competitions I realized I had to start thinking outside the box. So I developed a strategy for getting a bit more original with my photography. Here are some tips you may find helpful for coming up with unique ideas and for creating original images.

Coming up with an idea

If you don’t already have an idea to work from, you can pick one right now – be it the first item you see after reading this sentence, or google your town and see what comes up. For example, the first link might be to a local hairdresser, so your theme could be hair. Try this with some other keywords like; photography or art, or go completely random and google both hair plus the first item to your left.

Send in the clowns

A quote from musician Nick Cave explaining his song writing process:

“Do you want to know how to write a song? Song writing is about counterpoint. Counterpoint is the key. Putting two disparate images beside each other and seeing which way the sparks fly. Like letting a small child in the same room as, I don’t know, a Mongolian psychopath or something, and just sitting back and seeing what happens. Then you send in a clown, say, on a tricycle and again you wait and you watch. And if that doesn’t do it, you shoot the clown.”

Apply this to your photography. Your theme, that’s your small child. Add to that a certain style of photography, macro , high speed , light painting, that’s your Mongolian psychopath. Now send in the clown, perhaps this could be, as above, the first thing you see to your left, or something available to you that might not be available to other photographers like an awesome local location, unique props, or skills. In my case some mad crafty skills and a friend, with a lot of red hair, to model for me.

Combining other skills or hobbies (in this case my crafty skills) with your photography can help to create unique images. I made a crown out of coat hangers and wrapped the model’s hair around it. The jewels in the crown were some old chandelier parts I found at a market. Markets and thrift stores can be a good source for unusual items to inspire an original photograph.

Think about what is available to you

It’s all well and good to want to do a high-speed Kung Fu fighter action shot in low light, when all that is available to use is your mobile phone camera and your dog as the actor, and he has no Kung Fu training whatsoever. Not that it can’t be done, just saying, know your limits – then ignore them, or try to work around them.

Go for a walk

Even if you have a good idea, it’s a good idea to go for a walk.

When you get home, write or sketch further ideas. They don’t have to be good, or fully thought through, just get them down on paper or computer. Make notes of anything that comes to mind, you can sort out what works later. Even if you think your first idea is the one, still try to stretch yourself to come up with at least five to 10 more. This may sound like a lot, but sometimes that is what it takes to get yourself thinking outside the box.

If by then you don’t come up with anything original that you are excited about, go for another walk.

Let it rest

Creativity requires leisure, as they say. I am all for striking while the iron is hot, as they also say, but there is a lot to be said for allowing yourself to just mull over ideas for a while. Send in or shoot a few more clowns, see if you can improve the concept, or add a new element to really make it original.

Research

Google your idea or theme in an image search. This may not only inspire further ideas, but also allow you to check that any you’ve come up, with haven’t already been done a million times before.

Be prepared to re-shoot

Sometimes we can get caught up in an idea. I once went to great length with costume, setup and a bizarre concept, for a competition brief. After a lengthy photo session and editing, I realized the idea didn’t actually make any sense because the concept was too complicated. So I simplified the whole thing back down to basics, shot the clown as Mr. Cave advised, and the second attempt worked a treat. Going that extra mile to keep thinking and photographing, plus a willingness to let go of an idea you have worked hours on, will help you get to that truly original image in the end.

Shoot a series

This works on the same principle as coming up with 10 ideas in the sketching stage before you settle on one. Getting past your first inclinations, and pushing an idea, will get you outside your initial box. Photographing a series, forces you to take that a step further. When you are thinking about an idea over an extended period of time, over several shoots, you really give your creativity a work out. You may surprise yourself with what you come up with by your seventh photo shoot, based on your first concept.

Collaborate

Aristotle said; “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts”. Not all collaborations create equally, but when they work, something wonderful happens. The combination of two or more collaborators can create concepts and ideas that take you far beyond what you would have done on your own.

Even something as simple as asking a portrait subject to bring in some props or personal items of their own, can change a photo shoot from ordinary to original.

Go beyond the sunset

This applies to any form of photography but I’ll use the ubiquitous sunset shot as an example.

Basically what I am saying here is get out of your comfort zone, and take a different approach. Instead of the cliché sunset, try something new with it, be it learning different photographic method such as infrared photography, multiple or long exposures, light painting, or add a new element, some random item. Hair + sunset = a challenge, but it’s going to take you beyond the ordinary sunset photograph.

An exercise to stretch your imagination

Choose one of each from the two lists below, then try a few of the tips above, especially coming up with 10 possible photograph ideas. Then go have a hoot photographing the one you like best!

Items:

• Something from your refrigerator
• A bottle
• A piece of fabric
• An item from your bathroom

Camera method:

• Long exposure
• High shutter speed
• Black and white
• Low light

An image from that list could be a low light shot (sunset) and a message in a bottle on the beach, not exactly an original concept. However, just because something has been done before, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t run with it, put your own mark on it, find an original way to show that story.

Should you try the exercise, or any of the above tips, share your results in the comments, let’s have some fun with this!

The post Tips for Creating Original Images appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Lea Hawkins.

Working mostly in fine art portraits I’ve never felt the need to try a retouching program.  I like to keep a natural look, using Photoshop only for any minor retouching needed. I had looked into a retouching program briefly, but after clicking on a few sites I never got further than looking at the before and after samples. I always preferred the natural before image to the over processed, plastic looking after images. I want my subjects to look like themselves, in their best light of course, but not like some barbie doll cyborg with lifeless eyes.

When our Digital Photography School editor offered a free download of Portrait-Pro 12 Studio Max to test out and possibly review I figured this was a perfect opportunity to see if this kind of thing is something that a cynic like me, I might actually find useful.

Editor’s note: we’ve been informed by the company that there are no versions 13 and 14 (they skipped those numbers) and the newest v15 was released Sept 17th, 2015 (after this review was published). So this review is not three versions outdated and while there are a few changes it is fundamentally the same product. You can see what is new in v15 here. 

Getting started

The download and install were super easy, off to a good start. There are instructional videos, tutorials, a forum, a support page, and a manual to download on the website. All good things, but I’m not one for instructions and just opened the program with a test image.

Portrait Pro did its thing and opened the before and its auto processed after image. It came up with an interesting eye situation and I thought, oh dear, this is not good.

My first test image didn’t go so well, if I was going for a Picasso look, this would be great, but it wasn’t exactly what I was after.

Second attempt

Rather than succumb to instructions I tried another image. This one had the correct number of eyes, so I started playing around. The simple interface, and pop up instructions made it easy to just jump right in. I tested out the sliders and their effects, then went to town. It was pretty fun, with a bit of practice I eventually turned my blonde, brown-eyed, no make-up friend into a saucy red lipped, blue eyed, red head vixen with an uncanny resemblance to pop star Kylie Minogue.

I won’t show you the results, because the before shot was a not exactly flattering lighting test, when I say not flattering, a beautiful woman looked more like a potato than herself, and I would like to keep the friendship. I did show my friend both images and she really liked the after shot.

That had me thinking this program certainly has potential. I had only been mucking about and I turned an unusable portrait shot into something the subject of the portrait really liked.

Testing on a tough shot

So I decided to put the program through its paces with a poorly lit, overly grainy, weirdly white balanced shot of a dear friend who looks lovely no matter how terribly I might light her. Portrait Pro popped up with the auto version, it gave her quite the tan and sparkly, but kinda spooky eyes.

Portrait Pro helps out by offering up an auto edited version to work from.

But this where the easy to use sliders come in. You can adjust how much the skin is smoothed, colored, alter lighting, or how much cyborg look you want in the eyes. I was pleased to see you could just use this program subtlety. I could do a fair bit of gentle retouching, even on this poorly photographed shot that I either would have been unable to, wouldn’t have been bothered to, or taken for ever to do in Photoshop.

Pulling back the sliders to get a more natural look.

Of course after that I couldn’t help myself with pushing it a bit further.

It was super fun playing around with the hair/eye color adjusters. I can see this being handy for some of my more surreal fine art images. After showing this version to my friend, she is now considering this new hair color!

Testing on a saleable shot

I was pretty impressed that I could pull something out of a rejected shot with this program, but what about a shot I would use? Would it be subtle enough to be useful for my regular work? Turns out yes, the sliders make it possible to add very slight retouching, and still maintain the natural look of the portrait.

While Portrait Pro can smooth out wrinkles and pores, it can also be used very subtly without loosing the natural look of your subject.

After playing with some faces, I thought all well and good but now the neck looks weird and the face and body don’t match, but turns out you can adjust those too. You can also batch process with the Studio Max version and work directly with Raw files.

I was pretty much sold on the program by this point, but I had a free version, would I actually pay for it? I was pretty surprised to see that it sells for around A$100, depending on which version you choose. For that price, I absolutely would buy it, even as a photographer who likes to keep programs to a minimum, and doesn’t like to fork out for new ones.

Any issues?

My only issues were finding the face alignment tool a bit tricky on some images, but then again, I still haven’t actually read the instructions. That was the only issue I had with the program itself, I took a slight offence with the promotional line “Slimmer subjects result in happier clients and more revenue“ in reference to the program’s ability to change face and body shape.

I’m sure that is true, but do we as photographers, really want to make money out of peoples insecurities? To edit distracting parts of a photograph and improve lighting flaws, sure, but to pander to the illusion of perfection created by modern media, not so much. I’d prefer my subjects to see themselves in their portrait as they are and still like what they see with the only retouching being to fix faults in my camera work, not in them. Portrait Pro can do both.

I have no doubt I will continue to use this program, both in my fine art and regular portraits. It will clearly save some editing time and in some cases does a better job that I would in Photoshop. I particularly liked the ability to adjust the lighting and skin tones. I’m even inclined to read the instructions and check out a few tutorials to really get to know the program. In fact I wish I had found it sooner.

My favorite part of this program was how much fun I had playing with it and how easy it was to use straight away, with impressive results even on not so great original images.

I can’t compare Portrait Pro to any other retouching programs, but as someone who has been against them in general and preferred to stick to Photoshop, I’m converted. It’s simple and fun to use, you have a lot of control of the subtlety with the sliders and it produces great time saving results. It’s a thumbs up from me.

How do you feel about retouching? Would you use a program like this? Have you ever tried a program like this? Tell us about your experiences and results.

The post Portrait Pro v12 Studio Max Editing Software Review appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Lea Hawkins.

I love to set myself little exercises to stretch my photographic muscles. I thought I might share one that has been most beneficial to me, photographing a familiar place or subject you would normally do in color, in only in black and white for a day, with the aim of getting a new perspective that could prove helpful when you go back to color.

This possibly doesn’t sound like much of a challenge, and won’t be if you shoot mainly in black and white already, but for those of us used to color, it can be a real challenge not to cheat by shooting in color and converting later, or quickly switch settings back to color every now and then. I confess to failing the challenge pretty much every time, but the exercise has proven fruitful regardless.

Why black and white?

Because once you take the color out of the picture your awareness of other compositional elements such as tone and contrast increase. It also makes you photograph differently and look at your subject in a different way.

I first did this exercise some years ago during my regular walk along local beaches. It’s a stunning place with white sands and crystal blue water. You don’t have to be a fantastic photographer to capture a pretty image when surrounded by the beautiful colors of the water and the skies in this place.

It’s really a challenge sticking to black and white when in a location like this, full of gorgeous colors.

Once you challenge yourself to let go of the beauty of the colors in your usual color subjects your approach can change dramatically. It becomes more about tones, patterns, contrast and mood. You can end up photographing your regular subject entirely differently when you start to play more with shapes, patterns and designs you might otherwise not have noticed when color is involved.

By doing this simple exercise both my beach subjects and compositions changed. Some images I would normally take that looked lovely in color looked washed out and a bit nothing, and vice versa, something that just didn’t look so wonderful no matter how many times I color photographed them, suddenly worked. Things like graininess became a bonus rather than something to avoid.

I had photographed this rocky part of the local beach a few times as a landscape image, always included the area’s amazing colors. A day of black and white changed my perspective. This image and the first one in this article where later commissioned for a guitar duo’s album artwork. A surprising result from a simple exercise.

Why a familiar place or subject?

Because you will be less tempted to switch to color when you can always go back and shoot color next time. If you are constantly tempted to switch back, you will keep seeing and thinking in terms of color and the point of the exercise is to see your familiar subject differently and hopefully start seeing it in a way that will then help you out with your color photography.

Whether you are a landscape, portrait or any other type of photographer it can be fun and beneficial to take a slightly more restricted approach. Much like a free form poet suddenly attempting a haiku, the limitations of the haiku format insist on a completely different attack requiring a stretching of creativity.

You might not be keen to try it again but it can be a learning experience and you might just get a decent photograph out of the experience.
For this article I tried the exercise again at another familiar place I have photographed many times. An artists studio where I often work on collaborations.

It doesn’t matter where you try this exercise, just as long as it is a familiar place or subject so you can always go back and do color versions later after seeing it through a black and white perspective.

An added benefit of shooting at this location being that the artist, Randall Sinnamon, is also an art teacher so I asked him for some tips on working in black and white.

“Contrast is the balance between the extremes of black and white, with tone being the gradation of black and white, you use them both to create form. It’s the placement of these elements that creates your composition. If you get these things right then the picture works. It’s often good to have some larger shapes of light or dark in a composition.”

Photographing in black and white for a day can help you see tones and shapes better, which you can then apply to compositions in your color photography.

“I often look at my paintings in the moonlight, the low light allows you to see the balance of shapes. You can also to this by squinting, or turning your image upside down. Considering I often work with charcoal and ink I tend to do a lot of black and white. It’s nice to just do a drawing and not worry about the color. Sometimes color can be an unnecessary complication. There is a lot of beauty in black and white, with so much color photography we still see a lot of black and white work, obviously there is something appealing about it. It simplifies things.”

Portrait of artist Randall Sinnamon. As he said, “Black and white simplifies things”. The colors in this image were distracting, they bounced around too much, where as in black and white it calmed things down and we are more able to focus on the mood, the joy of his smiling face in the sun.

You might notice when trying this exercise that an image that can look like a busy mess in color can become elegant in black and white. Photographing outdoors in the middle of the day can work well too, we color photographers so often prefer the softer light of morning or evening, midday light can add harsh shadows or too much contrast, but black and white photography loves contrast. It also loves patterns and repetition.

I’ve photographed this tie collection in the artists studio before in color, but this time without the distration of color, it became about the patterns and repetition and worked much better.

Of course sometimes it just makes sense to photograph in color. But this exercise can help with working out what does and doesn’t work in either camera setting.

I cheated. Again. I’d like to pretend it was for the purpose of this article, but really I couldn’t say no to that orange color. Yet when photographing this fungus outside the studio, the orange was distracting, and when I looked at the black and white version, I realized composition wise, things could have been better.

So set your camera to black and white, and head out, or even photograph your own home or backyard. No cheating. OK, maybe a little cheating if the color is just too hard to resist. I wouldn’t want you to miss out on a brilliant shot. But do try to stick to it, keeping your eye out for situations with patterns, tones, shapes, contrasts without thinking about color can really make a difference to how you later compose your images. Remember this is just an exercise, you don’t have to get the perfect shot here, relax and enjoy the change. It’s as good as a holiday so they say.

If you do try the exercise, please share you favorite results in the comments below. Or perhaps you have some other simple exercise idea you’ve tried that you would like to share with our readers.
Happy photographing.

The post Photographing in Black and White for a Day appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Lea Hawkins.

Whether you are a pro photographer or a dedicated amateur, sometimes when you are photographing a lot you can get so caught up in achieving the perfect image, that you lose the sense of fun that got you interested in the first place.

Actively putting the fun back in can not only help you to enjoy your regular photography work more, and assist in getting your photo mojo back, but can inspire new ideas you otherwise might not have come up with. My favourite way to do this is a Cow Safari. It’s kind of like an African safari, but with cows.

Why cows? Well, for a start they tend not to eat you as much as lions and it’s much cheaper than a trip to Africa. Cows are not the most athletic of creatures, they tend to just stand around a lot and are not well camouflaged, so are pretty easy to capture in a photo. They generally hang out in very picturesque areas, perfect for a day out photographing.

Cows make a great safari subject and are generally vegetarian so your risk of getting eaten by one is fairly low. Can’t say the same for lions.

However, if you don’t live close enough to a cow hang out, you can make up your own safari. For example; if you’re in the city, maybe a pigeon safari, or seagulls if are near the beach. Perhaps a people walking their dogs safari, or even a flower safari – it doesn’t really matter, just so long as you can find your subject in various different places that you can travel around to easily over a few hours, a day, or even a road trip weekend.

My first safari was some years ago by the seaside with my father, the subject was seagulls. We set up a small wager, winner gets bragging rights. There has been no definitive winner, because the safari still continues years later. Even when we’re in different parts of the country, there is an occasional exchange of seagull photographs. It’s been inspirational, I’ll be bogged down in the photographic process and my phone will light up with something like this:

A photograph sent to me by my father while on a seagull safari. I don’t think that seagull is very well, in fact I don’t think it is actually a seagull, I suspect foul play! Photo credit: Chris Hawkins

The main point of the safari is to step away from your usual photography routine and just enjoy taking photographs for the sheer sake of doing so. No planned images, no trying to achieve anything or get that perfect shot, just fun photographic play time with the idea of loosening and lightening up a bit as a photographer, and not taking yourself or your images too seriously.

Once you take the trying hard part out of the picture, you can get back to experimenting, and maybe surprise yourself, just like you did when you first fell in love with photography. Of course you may not end up with anything worth saving, and that’s not the point of the exercise. But, then again, you never know what you might come across in your travels.

Had I not been out on a cow safari, I may have missed the opportunity to capture this cow doing a remarkably good impersonation of a horse.

Your safari is a great time to experiment with things you might not normally try when you’re too busy trying to get that perfect shot. Try the lens you haven’t really played with yet, test out some of the features on your camera you haven’t gotten around to trying. If you are a pro who is dedicated to manual setting, maybe just try out some of the Scene Modes, or vice versa, play with manual settings if it’s something you have not really tried. Maybe even pick up one of those cheap disposable film cameras, or test out some different mobile phone apps.

Use the photographic time-out to slow down and experiment with things like mobile phone photography apps. 

How to Conduct Your Safari

Step 1: Grab a fun friend or two

They don’t necessarily need to be photographers, although I’m willing to bet they’ll end up taking a shot or two on their phones. Encourage them to bring a camera, or bring one for them. They could also come in handy as a model.

Safari fun is best shared.

Step 2: Bring some supplies

Depending on where you conduct your safari, you may not be close to a convenient cafe or food place, so why not take your own. Pack a few sandwiches or a whole picnic.

Maybe pack a healthy picnic for your safari. It’s all healthy as long as there’s some fruit right?

Step 3: Get out there and have fun

Jump in the car, on your bikes, the train, or get your walking shoes on and head out. You can map your trip beforehand, or perhaps toss a coin for which direction to go, as you step out the front door. Just so long as you travel around a bit, and have a few different spots to stop and take some photographs.

It’s thumbs up for the cow safari. My little friend here really got into the spirit of the day. He even took some great photographs and video on his portable gaming device. By the end of our safari he wanted to know how much he had to save up to buy a camera. Safari success!

Safari Tips:

• Experiment: Use the safari to experiment with different lenses, settings, or cameras.
• Go Mobile: Don’t disregard the phone camera, even if you are not a fan of phone photography.
• Do variations: Try all versions of the above at each place you stop. See how each setting/lens/app deals with the same situation.
• Don’t trespass on properties, as much as you might be tempted to slip under a fence to get that perfect cow shot, these animals can be dangerous, as can farmers who don’t appreciate trespassing.
• Don’t hassle the cows. If they are close to the fence, keep a distance and approach very slowly. If they start to get up and move, back off. No shooting off a flash in their moo-ey faces.  The same applies to other subjects. Just be kind and respectful.
• Set up a challenge with your co- safarians (I think I just made that word up), such as best, funniest, or worst pic of the day. Just don’t get too serious about it!
• Keep it going in the processing stage: The fun doesn’t have to stop when you get home from your safari, take the same approach to editing. Use some of your images from the day to experiment in your editing program with different effects and techniques that you wouldn’t normally try.
• Take it global: You could do your safari with online friends, just set up a date or an event on Facebook. In this day and age of instant online access, you can safari with friends from around the world.

The final shot on our cow safari, taken through the car window on the way home.

Above all, have fun, relax, enjoy, laugh, play. This is about taking a photographic break of sorts and getting outside your normal photography practice. You never know, you may end up with that coveted perfect shot in the process. Or, maybe not. It doesn’t matter, as long as you were having fun with your camera. Although I am sure you will end up with at least one shot that makes you smile, and I would love to see that shot or any others you take on your safaris.

Please do share in the comments below, any safari shots inspired by this article or from a previous safari, or any tips or safari ideas you might like to share with fellow safarians (yup, it’s a word now). They don’t have to be great shots! It’s about sharing the experience and having fun with your photography.

The post Put the Fun Back into Your Photography with a Cow Safari appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Lea Hawkins.

Adding texture to photographs was happening long before the invention of Photoshop and other editing programs. In the days of the darkroom, we would scratch negatives with pins, sand paper them, stain the photographic paper with fixer before exposing, layer two negatives on top of each other in the enlarger, or push our film ISO to increase grain. These days, with editing programs being our digital darkroom, we simply have yet another way of adding texture to photographs.

What is a texture?

In digital photography terms it’s simply another layer added to your photograph in an editing program, usually an image of some sort of textural surface, such as paper, wood, concrete, etc., but anything at all can be a texture. They can be photographed, scanned or even made in Photoshop.

Some examples of textures. A friend’s work bench, a close-up of my lamp shade, a mossy rock, fog from a smoke machine, and some very ugly carpet.

Why use textures?

With the right texture overlay, and application of it,  you can add an extra level of depth and feeling to your photograph. You can use them for anything – from adding a vintage or grunge look to your photographs, to creating fine art pieces.

One of the best uses is to rescue a photograph that just isn’t quite working. I’ve been told no texture overlay will save a terrible photograph. While this is true for the most part, sometimes it can transform an otherwise unusable image to something more promising.

A texture can transform an otherwise unusable image into something more promising.

Textures can be added to almost any kind of image. If you’ve ever downloaded a photography app for your Smartphone, you have most likely had them add a texture with the app’s built-in filters.

If you’ve ever used a filter on a mobile phone app, you have probably already had textures added for you.

Getting started

You don’t need to create your own texture to get started. There are many pre-made, free textures available on the internet. A quick Google search will bring up a bunch of free texture sites. But not all textures are created equally, or usable legally. You need to look for textures that are a decent size and resolution, a 200px/72dpi texture over a 3200 px/300dpi image probably isn’t going to work so well.

You’ll also want to make sure the texture has the right copyright permissions. Sites like deviantart.com have many stock textures offered free by their artists for personal use. These artists ask that you simply return the favor by sending them a link to the image you created using their work. Other sites like freetstocktextures.com offer their images copyright free for personal and commercial use, as long as you aren’t reselling the texture images themselves.

Creating your own textures

Creating your own textures is as simple as taking a photograph. Why do that, when you can download free ones? Because it’s fun, your work is then completely all yours, and you can tailor your textures to suit your images. For example; if you’re photographing skateboarders at a skate park, you could also gather some shots of the concrete they skate on, or graffiti around the place to create original textures that work with, and possibly add to, the story of your subject matter.

Textures can add a bit more of a story to your images.

The image above is of my daughter asleep after a day at the beach (many years ago) combined with texture of the water I took that day, to add to the story and memory of the day, and give the photo an extra dream like feel.

Create a texture with your scanner

Below is the first texture I created, one that I still use years later. It was created by scanning the bottom of an old baking tray. Scanning works well for textures of papers and other small flat surfaces.

Scanned texture from an old baking tray.

The baking tray texture was used in the image of the cello player at the beginning of this article, in combination with a manuscript image of the music she played on the day. I also used it in the image below; one of a series of images created in collaboration on album artwork with Canadian singer songwriter Sora. The texture was used to tie all the photographs in the album together even though some were taken by other photographers. Yet another use for textures!

Textures can be used to tie a series of images together.

Create a texture in Photoshop

You don’t need to understand complex Photoshop processes to create a texture quickly and easily. Here are a few simple steps to create a basic texture in a few minutes:

1. Open a new file the size and resolution you require
2. Brush around a couple of colors
3. Add a Render Clouds filter
4. Adjust levels for a bit of contrast
5. Add a vignette and a color filter

Paint in some colors, add Render Clouds Filter, some contrast, then some colour and vignette. Easy!

Instead of a Render Clouds you could use the Blur Tool to swirl your colors around, or try some of the other filters in Photoshop to get different effects. I tested it out on what was originally a rather terrible photograph of this orchid.

The texture, plus a few color adjustments and a warming photo filter, and it’s a whole different image.

While it does look a little like something you might see on your Facebook stream with a positive affirmation written across it in an awful font, it took me less than five minutes to do for this demonstration to show you how simple it can be to create a texture from scratch.

Applying your texture

It is really very easy to apply your texture. There are some more technical articles on adding textures here on dPS, but here is a quick guide to get you started.

Click and drag your texture thumbnail in the Layers palette over onto your original image. Your texture becomes layer 1 in your original image’s Layer palette. Choose your level of transparency with the Opacity Slider and use Free Transform Tool to move the texture about. Turn it around, enlarge or stretch. See where it sits best.

Then it’s simply fine tuning the Opacity, maybe putting Eraser Tool on a low opacity and painting out unneeded parts of the texture. Alternatively use a layer mask to paint out some areas, as well as back in, if you accidentally paint out too much.

Have fun with it and experiment. Try a few different layer blend modes, add multiple textures, or add the same texture image a few times, perhaps with each layer having a slightly different hue. There are no rules.

Have you created a texture that you love? Share it and its use (your images) in the comments below.

The post Beginners Guide to Creating and Applying Texture Overlays Using Photoshop appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Lea Hawkins.

Using the surprisingly simple technique of light painting you can create a wide variety of portrait styles using only a small flashlight as your light source. I should warn you though, light painting of all kinds can be highly addictive. Once you start, you may not be able to stop.

Light painted portrait

One of the main things to understand with light painting is that the camera sensor only reads light, if there isn’t any light hitting the person shining the flashlight, they simply do not show up in the image. This allows you to move around in front of the camera while the shutter is open, and gives you ultimate control of what areas of your subject are lit. This is great for portraiture, especially in situations where you might have a complicated background, or one where you only want to light certain sections.

Below is a list of what you will need for any light painting, and a guide on how to use the technique specifically for portraiture. For a more detailed information on light painting have a look at this two part tutorial .

What you will need:

A hand held light source. Any cheap flashlight or LED light will do, you can even use your mobile phone.

Any small LED or flashlight will do, even your mobile phone.

For light painting a portrait subject a directional beam of light is best, non-directional (or diffused) light will illuminate you as well. Different flashlights give off different types of light. Some have blue cast, which isn’t great for portraiture so you might want to experiment with your white balance, or add a warming filter in post-processing. You can also add color to your light source with cellophane (colored gels) or colored sheer fabric.

Tripod and camera settings

Light painting needs a long exposure, so you will need your camera set up on a tripod. Setting your shutter speed somewhere between 10 and 30 seconds is a good place to start, then play around from there. Your ISO should be at its lowest to avoid the grain (noise) caused by a long exposure.

The cover of darkness

You’ll need a completely dark room or studio, or you can shoot outside at night. If shooting outside, you’ll have to be careful of incidental light, such as street or car lights, overexposing your image. But these things can be used to your advantage in creating interesting backgrounds for your portrait subject.

Light painting a portrait outdoors

Ready, set, light paint

Have your portrait subject in position and turn all lights out. Shine your light source on your portrait subject to help you get focus. You’ll want to focus on the face, so it’s possibly best to have your subject close their eyes before you shine your light directly into their face.

Note: to keep the focus locked when you press the shutter button, you will either need to switch it to Manual Focus or use back button focus.

Then click the shutter, and try not to trip over anything in the dark as you move in toward your subject. How close you get to your subject depends on your light source strength, how fast you move it, and the effect you are after. You’ll have to experiment, but for a small LED, a few inches from your subject is a good starting point. Keep the torch (flashlight) moving constantly, and pointed away from the lens.

Getting sharp images of people when you are using long exposures usually doesn’t work so well due to people’s inability to sit perfectly still. With light painting, you are only exposing a small part of them at a time, and only for a brief moment, so while it can be a bit tricky with fidgety subjects, for the most part you will be able to get sharp images. Sometimes a bit of motion blur can also be effective.

Making the most of motion blur

Help your subject stay still during the exposure by letting them know when you release the shutter, and when you are about to shine your light on them. They’ll be in the dark, literally, so they won’t know what you are doing.

Have them take a deep breath in and out just as, or after, you release the shutter. Don’t have them hold their breath, you don’t want them to look strained. Start your light painting with the face so they don’t have to hold their head still for your entire exposure.

Letting your portrait subject have a look at your camera preview can help them to understand what you are trying to do. If they are unfamiliar with the technique, it can seem a bit odd, all this waving a torch in their face in the dark.

You can set a flash to a slow sync so it fires off at the beginning of the exposure (or you can just set your flash to manual mode and fire it using the Test button), sharply lighting your subject, and then move in with your light source or have your model wave it around. Alternatively you can give a quick burst from a studio light.

While still technically a light painting portrait this method is more of portrait with some light painting added in as opposed to light painting the portrait subject themselves.

It will probably take you and your portrait subject a few attempts to get the hang of it, but once you’ve got the general idea, and have tested out how your light source plays on your subject, you can then experiment. Below are some ideas to try out.

Creating light trails

Adding light trails

To get trails of light, shine the torch directly at the lens as you move it. You can move it anywhere, including in front of your subject.

Multiple sources of light

In the first image above I’ve used a small LED light to paint the face, and a laser pointer for the red patterns. The laser pointer shines in very short bursts creating the broken lines. In the second image on the right, I put fairy lights in the model’s hair. The subtle movement as I light painted the rest of the model caused the fairy lights to take on the wiggly forms.

Using an iPad or tablet

For this effect I downloaded an app for my tablet that lit the screen with a solid block of bright color. The colors could be changed with a slider, so with a few attempts I managed to get coordinated enough to change the colors as I moved the tablet around the subject.

Have fun with movement

For both these images I shone the light over the model in one position, then had her move to the side and lit her again. As you can see, two fairly different effects using exactly the same process.

I confess I am thoroughly addicted to light painting portraits. I love that no two shots are alike, there’s plenty of room for getting creative and having happy accidents. You can use it for many styles of portraiture, and it costs basically nothing in lighting gear. So what are you waiting for? Grab a flashlight and get started! Share your results in the comments below.

The post How to Make Unique Portraits Using Light Painting appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Lea Hawkins.