SJP – Tips & Lessons

Hello all,

Today we will talk about basic digital darkroom.  When you received your DSLR camera you most likely received software to fix your photographs.  Before digital cameras, we would process our photographs in a darkroom.  I had so much fun playing with the photographs back then.  Because of digital photography, the craft has changed, I now process my files using Adobe Lightroom and to detail the photo I use Adobe Photoshop.   I always photograph in RAW format.  Shooting RAW gives you more flexibility to change your picture.  I will show you later how to batch process but today is an introduction to correcting your photos with the CD/DVD you received with your camera, so let’s start…

Your steps may be different if you do not use Canon but what I discuss in this post, 3 basic ways to fix your photos, should be on the software you received. You will be fixing your color, spot removal, and sharpening the image.

(If you want to see the images below up close click on them, when you want to go back to the blog, use your back arrow key.)

Open your software…I did from my computer clicking on the CameraWindow:

Next, I downloaded my photographs to a file in my computer:

After the completion of my download the Browser window came up:

This is where you view your images.  You will have other options to play with, depending on your software.  Once I have the photograph I want to process, I will go to my Digital Photo Professional file (see first image above) and start working on my photo:

It’s time to fix your photographs…   Click the white balance icon at the top and double click the photo you want to work on (see above).  Once you’re in this area click around all the goodies your program has to offer.  You wont mess up your original, just don’t save it until you’re happy with what you have done.

Here is an example of what the canon software looks like when I white balance (color correct):

Next, it’s time to clean up the photograph, remove dust, scratches, or any other areas that you feel need to be cleaned.  Under my tools area there is the image stamper…basically, it’s a tool that you can use to fix your photo.  See below:

What I did is  click an area that I want to copy (holding down my alt/option key at the same time)  and then stamp it to the area that needs to be cleaned, and wala…it’s perfect!

Now sharpen your image:

I had to leave my photo and start up again later to fix it.  I saved my changes but left it RAW, so if you don’t have time to finish your project, no worries… just keep your file in the RAW format.  When you open your photo, click on the upper left to change, ” main window” to “edit window”.

In this area you can sharpen or make any other adjustment needed.

After you have sharpened your image, you need to save your file:

I always save my photo to TIFF’S to preserve the quality of the photograph.   See above to view the screen that I used.  You can change the name of your file here and make other adjustments…play with your software to learn it.

So today we discussed how to view your photos, color correct with white balance, and clean dust and scratch marks from your photos.  I recommend you save your file as a TIFF to preserve the quality of the photograph.  JPEG files depreciate every time you open and re-save them.  If you want to get a jump start on our future discussions on digital dark-rooming, read this book, “Digital Macro Photography” by Ross Hoddinott.

With the techniques I discussed today, see the before and after pictures below:

I went drastic on the color correction because I wanted you to see what you can do with the basic software you received with your camera.  To tell you the truth, I would change more on this photograph, but I don’t want to overload you just yet. One thing I want you to remember, always, always, sharpen your photographs when you’re done, or at least before you print or post on the web.

Your homework this week is to play with the digital darkroom software and read the book on Digital Macro Photography. Next week we will discuss some creative techniques to achieve an awesome Macro Photograph.

Cheers,

Janice

Hello,

Did you have a chance to read your manual on your camera?  If not, you should, because to photograph a great macro shot you really need to know your camera.

Read up on F-Stops and Shutter Speeds so you understand what you will need to do to make adjustments to the camera to get what you want.  The F-Stop is one of the most important aspects of photographing up close.

Today my post will be about basic Macro photographing in natural light.  My next post will discuss software to process your photographs, basically, when you work on your photos using your computer,  you will be able to achieve a more professional look to your photographs.  So don’t be discouraged if you’re not seeing the photographs you thought  you were going to shoot now.  Trust me…I will get you there

I would like you to play with your camera this week and focus on the various f-stops and shutter speeds to see what is in focus and what is not in focus.  When you shoot, for example an f-stop of F8 compared to F1.4 you can see that the F8 has more in focus, see below:

FYI: A variable to remember is that the closer you get to a subject with your lens the harder it is to achieve a sharp focus from edge to edge.

 

If you want your photograph to be more in focus change your f-stop to F22 and see what it does.  Be careful to not increase your f-stop more than F22 because of the Reciprocal factor.  Just be aware that anything above F22 may have a dark ring around the outer edges of the photograph.  Of course you will need to make sure your exposure is correct. Due to digital technology you can see the exposure at the moment you take the picture.  An easy way to check your exposure is to set the aperture to your liking, move your shutter speed so the exposure guide in your viewfinder is in the middle (read your manual if you don’t know what I’m talking about) shoot the photo, if the photo is too dark slow down your shutter speed (say from 160 to 100) if the photo is too light speed up your shutter speed (say from 160 to 200) each time looking at your photo to see how it looks. Again, later in our posts we can talk about more detailed info on exposure, but for now play with this and USE YOUR MANUAL MODE.

I like to shoot with an ISO of 100 in natural light.  You can read about ISO here.  Basically, the lower your ISO the better the photograph.  If your light is limited go to an ISO of 400 or use lights.  I rarely use an ISO higher that 400 because of the grainy look to the photo.

When you photograph with natural light, pay attention to the light hitting your subject. Try not to have too much shadow on your subject, for now… when we talk about lighting (later) we can play with shadows. I begin my macro mode by photographing the subject in full – no macro.  I guess for me it’s getting to know the subject with the camera.  See how the dog is in the light and the backgound is in shadow. This drawes my attention to the dog – so cute isn’t she!

Ok, I’m going to confess! I am handholding the camera on the dog shots, but I’m not getting really close to her so I can wing it. The next two photographs I want you to see the difference in the aperture setting. This is what defines the photograph’s depth-of-field.

This photograph was taken at F8 @ 1/160 of a second:

The photograph below was taken at the same speed but with an F-Stop of 2.8:

Notice that her eye is in focus and the face is out of focus on the second photo (F2.8).  Remember,  you have the control!  Just change your f-stop to achieve what you want.  Take a look at the two photographs below with the same F2.8 stop.  The first flower is flat to my camera, notice that the flower is more in focus than the other flower.  I moved my camera to view the side of the flower (second photo) to show you how drastic this stop (F2.8) is.  Yes, I had to use my tripod, cable release, and focusing rack, for the flower shots. I had fun playing with the focusing rack…you can determine what you want the viewer to see in focus.  It’s a perfect toy for creativity!

Side view:

So your homework this week is to play with your apertures. Remember that an F22 will be in more focus than F2.8, but because of the small amount of light coming into the camera at F22, you will need to slow your shutter speed to add more light into the camera to get the exposure.  The next post  I will have photographs with F22 and some details about processing your photographs.

One more thing….because you need to slow your shutter speed…you may need to wait for the wind to stop blowing if your subject is outside.  I had to wait until just the right time to achieve a sharp focus on the flowers below.  I also suggest that you read up in your manual how to lock your mirror on your camera and use your tripod and shutter release cable.

Two more photos…can you tell which one has the f-stop open more? If not ask me:

Remember, the f-stop is one of the most important parts of macro photography.  Play with it so you understand how to create awesome macro photographs.  A great book to read is, “The Complete Guide to Close-up and Macro Photography” by Nicki Wheeler.

Cheers,

Janice

Related articles

• Shirley Says ~ Part Three: ISO and shutter speed (mrshutchison.wordpress.com)
• Exposure (darkroomadventures.wordpress.com)
• Aperture and Shutter speed (darkroomadventures.wordpress.com)
• What is shutter speed in photography (wiki.answers.com)

Hello everyone,

One of the many reasons I enjoy photography, is the gadgets you can play with while you photograph. I love a new toy! Most women love diamonds…I like diamonds but LOVE photography equipment. Today my post will be about some of the toys you can purchase, but I want to make it clear to you, these gadgets are not needed to photograph up close, they help you enjoy the process while photographing.

Before I start talking about what toys I like, check out Really Right Stuff”s info on macro photography. You can also click around their site to see if you like anything I have not mentioned in this post.

So, let’s get started… Of course I want to talk about my favorite tool first!

The Novoflex focusing rack is one of those tools that until you use it, you think you don’t need it.  When you want detailed focusing,  this helps tremendously.  When we talk about depth-of-field (what’s in focus and what is not in focus)  I will be discussing this tool.  The focusing rack is attached to your ball head (at least my ball-head) on your tripod.   The mini quick release is attached to your camera.  It’s so nice and easy to work with!

Ok…I like to show you a wonderful ball-head from Really Right Stuff.  Again,  you don’t need a ball head to connect to your camera but I can maneuver my camera much easier with one:

Remember, if this is too expensive for your pocket book, I showed you a great buy from B & H in the last post (#2).

This is another cool toy that I like to use, it’s called an angle finder :

If you need to be at ground level to view your subject (I have outdoors) or adjust your camera in a weird position to get the shot, the angle finder is excellent for this! It also has a magnifier that I love, which helps with sharp focusing.  For more details check this tool out at B & H.

Another good gadget to have is a cable release (see below).  My next post will be about basic ways to photograph up close and one thing I want you to remember is that if you keep the camera steady your photography will come out better.  With that said…I like to use my cable release (all the time)  so I don’t touch my camera.  Yes, I purchased this at B & H

The last tool I want to talk about is lighting.  Below is an expensive tool that you will love if you get into the macro thing.  I will have a post just on lighting in the future, but for now…this is on gadgets that I love, so here is one of them.  Again, if this is too expensive, you will be surprised on what a flashlight can do

This twin light attaches to your lens to get up close to your subject.  You can adjust the intensity of the lights and move them around for some fun exposures.   Save your money for this toy…it’s worth it!

Macro is fun!  I love the photograph below because we can see the unique view of the bubbles in the liquid.  Be creative…  I have photographed body parts, products, bugs, and of course flowers (my favorite subject).  I now look at things differently…I remember my professor telling us that he wanted us to see photographically.  At first I didn’t understand, but now I do, and I’m grateful that I have added this sense of sight to my life… The more you Macro the more you will pay attention to the details around you.

So for now check out some gadgets and send me questions if you have any. Our next post will be the basics of photographing macro. I’ll give you the steps I take while I photograph in natural light.  Your homework is to read your manual on your camera or google your camera…there should be a blog out there you can refer to.  There is no such thing as auto photography in macro…so learn what an F-stop is and what the shutter speed does.  I will briefly discuss this in the next post but would like you to understand the terms.   One more thing…A good book I suggest is John Shaw’s Macro and Nature.  I found it on Amazon.   It’s a good starter book on Macro Photography.  It’ a bit outdated and discusses film more than digital but whether you’re photographing digital or film the concept is the same.

See you next week

Cheers,

Janice

Related articles

• Photographing Insects and Other Small Creatures (nikonusa.com)
• 20 Spectacular Macro Photography Examples (digital-photography-school.com)
• Macro photos of explosions of color and liquid (lostateminor.com)
• Stunning and Inspiring Macro Photography (techie-buzz.com)
• Closer Still (pronghornwildlifephotography.wordpress.com)

Hello all,

Before I get into the post I wanted to let you know that I have various links for you to go to if you want more technical information on what I’m talking about.  So here we go….

Welcome to the 2nd post to our, “How to Photograph Up Close” series.   I would like to share with you the various tools that you will need to start your macro mode.  I personally use Canon products and the reason I am even telling you this is that you will be investing money on your equipment and I feel that your camera and lens’ should be the same brand (they work excellent together).  I have been frustrated with off brand equipment… try to keep the same brands at least for your lens and flash purchases.  So research the various cameras and choose the one YOU like.  My suggestion is to research Canon, Nikon, and then Olympus, they are wonderful cameras for macro photography.  Below is an excellent start.  The camera should be a D-SLR (which means Digital Single Lens Reflex).

This Rebel is an excellent starter camera:

Some of the various views from B & H:

Check out this article on “D-SLRs Buy Now” it’s a great article on why you will be happy with your investment.   The reason, I believe, that a 35mm D-SLR is a better camera to use for Macro Photography is: 1.  I don’t like point and shoot cameras because you can NOT interchange lens’.  2.  Medium and Large format cameras are bulky + pricy.

Once you have your camera, play with it…the more you know your equipment the better you will photograph.  Don’t worry if your photos turn out bad, it’s o.k…that is how you learn.  If you’re confused with the manual you received with your camera, check out Amazon.com, they usually have used books you can purchase at a discount.  I found this book for the Rebel camera above.   I personally use a Canon 5D and LOVE it!

I recommend B & H to purchase your equipment…they stand by their products!  Just check out various camera shops in your area to feel and touch the equipment… if you want to purchase at the time, go for it, but I bet you that the costs will be more expensive than B & H.  I have learned to be patient…it’s hard when you want your products NOW but trust me…you can buy more goodies if you shop logically

Now you have your camera…let’s check out some lens’.  Go for the MACRO lens’ (please click this link and go to equipment it’s important). If you took the time to read the link I gave you… you will understand why a macro lens is the best for what we want to achieve.  Also, the link gives you information on the various focal lengths you can purchase (we will discuss focal lengths in more detail in another post).

My favorite lens is the Canon 100mm macro lens:

Yes, I bought this lens at B & H  :)

Ok, now the tripod…In order to have your subject sharp and photograph looking professional, you really need to set your camera on a tripod.  I’m going to take you away from B & H and send you to another company I like, “Really Right Stuff”.  They really do have some really cool “stuff”, lol!  We will be visiting them next week with more goodies to check out but for now let’s just look at the tripod system.   Now, before you say, “This is way too expensive for me!”  Remember, I am giving you info on quality equipment.  Read up on it and if you can’t afford it, that’s ok…. I found you a starter tripod below  I do have to say that my husband always tells me that if you buy crappy stuff you will get crappy stuff and he is correct.  I have never been unhappy with my equipment until  I went cheap.  So learn from me before you waste your hard earned $ and read Thom Hogan’s article about wasting money with regards to photography equipment.  Ok, now read up a bit about tripods but don’t get discouraged about the price, remember I found a starter tripod for you at B & H.

What I like about my tripod is that it’s sturdy, I can adjust the legs to go flat to the ground (which I have used outdoors), and I can adjust the neck to a horizontal position, when needed.  I have the ball head, which is excellent for Macro Photography.  I plan to talk about this in more detail on my third post…I would also like to show you some other fun gadgets for macro photographing on the next post.  So for now, research and ask me questions on your camera, lens’ and tripods, okay

Of course, I need to put up a macro shot…

I used my Canon 5D, 100mm macro lens, my tripod, and some other goodies (we will talk about next week) to make this photograph. With that said….see you next week or sooner.

Cheers,
Janice