SJP – Tips & Lessons

Today I will talk about basic digital dark-rooming.

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…

To view the rest of the article click here!

Just an fyi…after I have completed this series of Basic Macro Photographing techniques I have decided to keep this blog for my tips and lessons.

Thanks everyone that sent me emails on what they would like!

Cheers,

Janice

Hello everyone,

Today I would like to show you some examples of how to photograph reflective objects and of course I will discuss the info based on macro photography.

Unwanted reflection can be distracting especially when your subject is in your face like a Macro photo.  Of course it’s always fun when you’re artistically photographing reflection but that’s for a later article.

With many glass objects, like light bulbs, we can reflect light on the glass to create a black or white rim to show the viewer the depth of the object, but with this bulb I need to show the painted artwork.  So we must defuse the light.

When we photograph macro most of the subject is in the shot, which can be difficult when working with reflective objects.  As you can see from figure 1 the light bulb is very reflective; you can see me in the bulb.  If you want to view the figures up close click on them and to get back to the blog use your back arrow key on your browser.

Figure 1

In Figure 2 I put a tent around the bulb but as you can see that the refection of the camera lens is in the shot.  Not Good.

Figure 2

Figure 3 is and example of the tent I used.

Figure 3

In order to minimize the reflection of light hitting your macro shot, start with the example in Figure 4.  Set two lights on each side of the subject and cross the light source beams.  You will actually see the reflection diminish, but if you’re still having problems use a polarizing filter; that’s what I had to do for this shot.

Figure 4

I purchased my polarizer from B & H – my favorite place to shop.

Figure 5

I knew that a black background wouldn’t work with this bulb so the white tent was perfect.  In Figure 6 you can see how I set up the object.  In Photoshop I removed the wire and cleaned up the bulb figure 7.

Figure 6

Figure 7

Of course I love to see everything up close so I gave my clients some fun shots of the inside of the bulb and the actual painting on the bulb (my favorite shot).

Figure 8

Figure 9

My next example is my fingernail.  If you have read my blog before you know that I love the creativity of my Manicurist Jennifer.  This time she put sparkles on my nail and I loved them so much that I had to photograph it.  As you can see from Figure 10 the flare is distracting and takes away from my sparkles so I photograph my nail with black velvet (velvet is excellent to use – it absorbs light so it won’t bounce on your subject) as my background. I diffused the light source hitting my nail with my translucent reflector.

Figure 10

Figure 11 is an example of my Translucent Reflector.

Figure 11

Now we can see my sparkles in figure 12, which puts a smile on my face

Figure 12

So remember…

• Diffuse your light.  You can use a tent, white silk, white tissue paper, translucent reflector…
• Use a polarizer filter on your lens
• Cross your lighting – see Figure 4

Yes, it takes time to work on reflective objects and when you Macro you really see the imperfections but it’s worth it in the end.  You will have an awesome photograph to show your clients or just for your own self-gratification a picture that our eyes would not see if it wasn’t for your time and creativity.

Have fun!

Cheers,

Janice

Hello everyone,

Today I would like to talk about ways to change the look of your subject by using various lighting techniques. Shooting macro style is fun but sometimes it can become monotonous. The subject is in your face…yes, and it’s cool to see it up close, but how can we make it POP?!

Of course my subject today will be a flower because I LOVE flowers! I used a pink Gerber Daisy to show you various lighting techniques to change the way your subject looks.

My last two photographs show you that you can light your subject as if you were outdoors but you’re not. You can work indoors during that snow and rainstorm!

Just a reminder, if you want to view the photo up close, you can click it and then use your back arrow key to get to the blog again.

All of these pictures were shot indoors.

Figure 1

As you can see in Figure 1, I placed the light in the middle of the flower. This gives the flower an inner halo effect. Your eyes automatically draw you into the middle of the flower.

Figure 2

In Figure 2, I adjusted the photo with curves in Photoshop to add just a bit more pop to the image. Play with the curves and see what you can do.

Figure 3

With Figure 3, I decided to add light behind and below the flower… with the black background this image looks totally different from Figure 1.

Figure 4

I cleaned up the image and played with the curves in Photoshop.

Figure 5

Figure 6

With Figure 5, I only lit under the flower and with Figure 6, I back lit the flower just a tad. You can see that these are the same flower but with the light it dramatically changes the way the image looks and feels as you view it. Also, if you notice, Figure 6 was not cleaned up. If you are working with organic subjects I highly recommend you photograph them fresh so you don’t have so much post work to do!

Add some water and add light for a dramatic look, get up close and personal, and POP! Your photo can really stand out and say, “Hello I’m Here!”

Figure 7

I decided that with all of the crazy weather most of us are having….why not show you that you can light your subject as if you were out on a beautiful sunny day! Let your creative juices flow inside your home!

I bet you thought that Figure 8 & 9 was shot outside…nope! I put this flower in a vase and lit it from above!

Figure 8

Figure 9

So have some fun and change your subject’s look by playing with light; any kind of light you have available.

Cheers,

Janice

Introduction / II: Cameras, Lens’ & Tripods / III: Fun Gadgets for macro Photographing / IV: Basic Macro Shots using Natural Light / V: Digital Darkroom Basics / VI:  Creative Techniques using Natural Light / VII: Alternative Lighting Techniques 1 / VIII: Alternative Lighting Techniques 2 / IX:  Alternative Lighting Techniques 3

Hello all,

I have enjoyed sharing my knowledge of Macro & Close-Up Photography with you.  I have placed links above so you can have easy access to the various articles posted previously.  This way you can read up on the materials I gave you and work on some of the techniques to improve your macro mode experience.  Today, I will be discussing umbrella lighting and the use of tents for high reflective surfaces.

Also, I wanted to let you all know that my husband will be having surgery next week so I won’t  be able to post new articles for several weeks.  I do plan to post information on the software I use for digital darkrooming (Lightroom & Photoshop) when I return.

So let’s start…

Umbrella Lighting

I found Mark Bowers’ video on umbrella setup, etc… check it out here. Click around his site to check out his videos, I enjoyed them, I think you will too.  What I like about using umbrellas is the variety of usage I get from them.  I can use them with a flash or with my Speedotron equipment and they come in a variety of colors that can be used to bounce  light or you can purchase a white umbrella to defuse your light (kind of like a softbox).  Umbrellas are light and easy to use.  When shooting macro, position your umbrella close to the subject and then go from there; adjust the light/umbrella to your liking.  Like I always say,  ”play, play, play, with your equipment”,  this way you learn what the umbrella will do for you.  Below is a kit for you to check out.  I personally use a variety of umbrellas (but one at a time) and sometimes a reflector with it.  Just as an FYI…my future posts will focus on various subjects and how I photographed them.  But for now, click around B & H or a company of your choosing to see the variety of umbrellas out there, buy one (or two) and play with it.

Click on photo to see up-close and or go to B & H for more info.

The picture of the cute doggy was shot using the umbrella below with my bracket and flash unit…that’s it.  I placed the umbrella/flash unit behind me and above to simulate the sun shining down…don’t go too high or you will need a reflector to remove harsh shadows below your subject.  This technique works well for close-up shots.  I used the silver umbrella to bring out the highlights on the dog’s fur.

This is the umbrella I used to photograph the adorable dog above  :)

Place an adapter (see below) to a light stand…you can check out light stands from the link I gave you on the umbrella kit from B & H.  This is a great way to light your subjects when you’re on a budget and cannot afford expensive lighting equipment.

Tents

I found a site that has reasonable prices on tents check them out: EZ cube Light Tents. Click around…they show you various ideas for lighting and provide a variety of light drops to place inside your tent.  One word of advice… don’t purchase a small tent because you are macro shooting.  I have a medium size tent and love it…if my subjects are small I place them on a box and shoot away.  You really need to think about the subjects not the style of photography.  For example, the doll below needs to fit in the tent but the photograph may only be her face to see the details of the painted features.  I really like my tent and feel that it was a good investment.  When you have shiny subjects that reflect, I believe that a tent is the best way to photograph them.  My tent has Velcro doors, so if needed, I can leave one area open to put around my lens, this way you all don’t see me or my lights in the picture.

The balloon character was giving me problems even with natural light.  Sometimes I do want highlights on the subject but I was going for a flatter look.  As you can see from the picture below, the balloon mouse had too many hot spots.  So I decided to use my tent.

As you can see from below…the tent helped and I was very happy with the results.  If you don’t have the money to purchase a tent,  check out this link to make one.

I always like to give you reading material pertaining to macro photography but today I would like to give you magazines that I enjoy reading.  They may not always focus on macro but the more you read the more you will understand the craft of photographing.

One of my favorite magazines is Shutterbug.  They give you a multitude of information to help you decide on your photography purchases.  If you haven’t already noticed…you will,  photography is expensive!  I always hear, “Why do photographers charge so much!”  Many people do not understand that we don’t just point and shoot the camera, it is a craft that we must learn and invest in.  Learn from me…I have bought equipment (because I love the toys)  and have kicked myself after because I didn’t research enough and found better quality equipment at a cheaper price!

Another magazine I like is Outdoor Photographer.  If you want to get out of the studio, check this magazine out.  I have enjoyed many trips with my husband due to the articles in this magazine.  Macro is fun when you’re in the natural environment!

I also like Rangefinder.  This magazine has a variety of professional photographer’s work & articles about them. Reading the various articles gives me ideas with my own creativity…they may help you too.

One more for you to check out is AfterCapture.  If you’re serious about photography then you will need to learn about digital darkroom techniques.  This magazine is great for that!  You can read about other photographer’s techniques to again help you be more creative.

So today I talked about using various umbrellas to light your subjects.  You can use umbrellas with your flash or your studio lights.  When shooting up close move your light(s) close to your subject and then go from there, if you don’t like what you see change the position of your umbrella/light kit.  I also showed you how a tent can help with reflective surfaces.  Remember, before you purchase a tent think about the subjects you like to photograph, that will determine the size you need.  I also gave you a link to show you  how to make a tent, just in case you don’t have the money to purchase one.  Last but not least, I gave you some suggestions on magazines to check out.  It’s fun to sit down a bit and read articles on all aspects of photography…I enjoy them and I think you will too.

Of course if you have questions while you’re playing with the various techniques/toys, please feel free to email me at info@sullivanjphotography.com or ask via a comment on this blog.  See you all in a couple of weeks from now…well, it depends on how the hubby is feeling, but I will be back!!!

Cheers,

Janice

Hello all,

Hope you had a nice week practicing with your camera flash (off the camera).

Just to let you know, I didn’t have time to show you techniques using umbrellas and tents today, that will have to wait for another post, but I would like to talk about some other alternative lighting techniques that work well with macro photography.  Before I start, I wanted to let you know that I will be on a well needed vacation for a couple of weeks.  I may have a guest article next week, I’m working on that now… hopefully, you will have that post up next Thursday, July 23.  I’m hoping to have my next article ready for you on Thursday, August 6.  I could talk about more lighting techniques, for example, photographing shiny objects in macro using a tent and umbrellas?  Or I can talk about processing files using Lightroom and Photoshop?  How about you all letting me know what you would like the next post to be about… I’m happy to discuss any of them.  Just send me an email or a comment on this post and I’ll go with the majority.  Thanks!

So let’s get started…

One of my favorite tools is the flashlight.  There are so many fun flashlights out there for you to choose from.  I personally use Streamlights but if they are too expensive try  Maglites, see below: the mini is wonderful for macro work, click on the photo for a better look.

Remember, if you’re photographing in RAW format you can manipulate the white balance and change the color of your picture.  If you want to have your photog true to life then so be it, or if your looking for a more dramatic look then play with your white balance.  For more technical info on color temperature click here. I found this wonderful article discussing light & color in photography on Photography.com that you can also read.  I highly recommend that you do read these articles because it will help you understand the tech side of lighting.

The photographs below were shot with a small Streamlight, I adjusted the white balance to my liking.

With the photograph above I am holding the flashlight above and to the right of my camera.  Look at your camera’s exposure level the first time you use your flashlight and adjust the f-stop & shutter speed to achieve the correct exposure, read my previous post IV if you don’t know what an f-stop or shutter speed is.  You may need to play with the exposure levels a bit depending on how close/intense the light is to the subject.  On the picture below I focused the light high above the flower to give it a softer look and to have the stem pop right were it meets the flower, my focal point.

One of the fun things to do is to stop motion macro style.   I found a wonderful article for you to read up on before you start your macro mode on water drops, just click here to read.  You will need your flash and either continuous lights or strobes for this.  My photographer friend said that you can try this outside with a reflector under your glass tank and a white cardboard behind the tank to achieve a good exposure, but I was in my studio so I used my flash and two hot lights, at least that’s what the lights used to be called before fluorescent light bulbs were around.  First let’s talk about continuous lighting.  Shortcourses.com has information on this style of lighting, they have some interesting reading on continuous lighting.  What I like about this type of lighting is that what you see is what you get.  You shoot the photograph and look at it on your LCD from the camera or your computer (if you have it synced) and make changes instantly.  The kit below is an awesome set!  It’s small for macro and all ready for you to work on.  The Plexiglas can add some creativity to your shots, you have an instant backdrop and you can also set your lights under table to diffuse the light for more fun creative shots.   You can purchase this kit at B & H or you can purchase the equipment individually, if you don’t have the money now for a kit.

To make the picture below, I used my continuous lights on each side of the water shot and used my flash above the drop with a ratio of 3:1.  Chuck McKern has a great article, “Understanding Lighting Ratios” if you want more detailed info on ratios.  I also suggest you read your manual that you received when you purchased your flash so you can play with the various ratios.   Tooooo much fun playing with water!!

Water shot: F3.5  @ 1/250

Another way to photograph macro is using strobe lights.  I don’t expect you to have these lights, they are very expensive but I want you to see what I use on a lot of my product shots. If your subjects do not like continuous lighting… then this is the way to go.  I like the quality of Speedotron, for more details on this brand you can click here.

Because we are shooting macro I like using honeycomb grids and snoots.   If you want more directional lighting this is the equipment you should use for macro. The degree of the grid will determine the amount of  light you want on your subject.   If you would like to research grid information check out B&H and other companies like Adorama.

Some of my photographer friends have used Calumet and have been happy with this company…check out this snoot from Calumet:

The photograph below was shot with the Speedotron equiment I just discussed.  I placed the snoot behind and a bit to the left to hit the lid of the can and I had my grid 20 on the lower right of my camera to really bring out the bubbles against the mirror.

I would like you to read this article by Urs Recher, posted on Digital Photo Pro on Light Lessons, focus on Image 6.  Just remember the more research you do on lighting techniques, the better you will understand how to light your subject.  Another excellent book on lighting is by Robert Morrissey, “Master Lighting Guide”, check it out at Amazon.  I would like you to focus on his lighting basics.

Today, I talked about my favorite tool, the flashlight.  I would like you to play with various flashlights to see what you can create.  I also discussed continuous lighting (see what you get lighting) and strobe lights for the subjects that can’t handle continuous lighting.  I showed you some really cool toys for directional lighting that work well with Macro & Close-up photography.  When playing with lights remember to always move them around to get a feel for your equipment, it’s like putting a puzzle together…at first it can be difficult but if you put it together more than once you’ll know where to put the pieces to complete your project.

I would like to leave you with another shot I did using the Speedotron equipment I discussed today.  You can photograph anything macro…this is my husband’s hair gel, lol!

Just have fun and be creative…

Cheers,

Janice

Hello all,

As I thought about this post I realized that there is a lot of information to talk about on alternative lighting.  My goal in these posts is to have you all learn something new on macro photography,  have projects for you to practice on during the week, read material to help with these projects, and if you have questions ask me via comments or email.  I don’t want to overload you with homework because I remember those days…. LOL!

So I decided to have 2 posts on alternative lighting (maybe 3)

Let’s talk about exposure for a bit.  When we photograph we want to be careful not to underexpose or overexpose the picture, read up on it again, it’s important.  Sometimes the subject can give us exposure problems and the only way we will be able to fix this problem is to use alternative lighting, reflectors, or working in HDR (I will have a post on HDR later).

When I’m outside photographing macro I realize that I need to wait for the wind to stop and pay attention to the sun/light hitting my subject.  Sometimes I ask my husband to stand over the area so I can remove the harsh shadows.  I have a very nice husband!!  But he’s not always available so I use reflectors to help me diffuse the area (see below).  B & H has a variety of reflectors/diffusers that you can choose from:

I also use reflectors to help eliminate shadow problems.  I use tinfoil most of the time when I shoot 1:1 macro, but when I’m focusing on close-ups, I work with the above reflectors.

Your flash is also a wonderful tool to add drama to your subject or to control the zone levels.  To learn your flash and any alternative lighting, I would  like you to photograph indoors first, then step outside and have some fun too.  Shooting indoors will help you understand your flash unit better, try a time when the light indoors is soft, maybe in the morning or in the evening.  Read your manual and play with the various adjustments. I realize that most of you do not have a macro flash.  If you get into the macro mode, you should definitely purchase one. Post III has an example of a macro flash.  One thing for sure…if you have a built in light on your camara…well, it won’t work for macro, sorry.  There is a variety of ways you can use your flash but you will need to take it off the camera,  click here to view some ideas and on here for more.   I used the system below with a flash diffuser to soften the light, check out Amazon for some excellent prices on diffusers.

This is an awesome kit if you use Canon products, check it out at B & H.

Check out this link to read up on various diffusers.  Sometimes you will want a more dramatic look to your photo so take off the diffuser and go for it!

In this post I used a diffuser like the example below:

I figured I would explain what I did for this macro mode of photographs. First, I went out to my back yard to grab some flowers. I decided to use natural light and my flash to show you what happens when you photograph in macro. My sliding glass door is on the left of the subject. As you can see from below:

Below are the geraniums from my garden that I used for this post.  You can use any subject to practice on except shiny objects.  We will work on reflective services in a later post.  I decided not to clean these up, except for sharpening, so you can see the difference between natural and flash lighting.

I start my macro mode by deciding what I like about the flower. Keep things simple, too much in the foreground and background can be distracting, especially in macro photography.

I have my camera on my tripod and I’m photographing with my cable release.  I sprayed this flower with water for fun.  Even with water drops the flower has a flat look to it (see above), which is fine if that’s what you’re going for but I want the photo to pop,  so I set up my flash on 1/1 ratio.  Yes, I’ll have a post just on ratio’s too but for now let’s just play with the basics.  (You can click on here to read a discussion on ratios from photo.net, which is a wonderful networking site for photographers.)  I did several shots on the flower with my flash.  An easy way to achieve a good exposure is to check your setting you used in natural light and then set it to underexpose using your shutter speed by 2 stops, when flash is on 1/1 ratio, the flash will compensate for the underexposure.  If you feel the photo is over or under exposed by looking at your LCD screen, then change your shutter speed until you’re happy.  ”The power of digital photography”  Instant views!!

This flower was shot with the flash and diffuser:

Both photos below where photographed with a flash. Can you see the difference?  When you photograph macro and you need long shutter speeds to achieve a good exposure… you will see that the long shutter speed will need more direct lighting to create a more dramatic look. It also goes the other way, if you have prominent shadows on your subject you will need to increase your lighting intensity.

Notice that the above photo is at a faster shutter speed than the photograph below.  When you play with this technique this week you may be frustrated if you want most of the photo (or flower) in focus (longer depth-of-field), no worries…I’ll show you next week some photos of the same flower using different lighting techniques.

I always like to give you reading material on macro photography. Read, “Closeup shooting” by Cyrill Harnischmacher’s book in your local library or purchase it for your own macro library.  I will be discussing in our next post some of the techniques in this book.

Today, I discussed the various ways to reflect and diffuse light.  When using your flash, you MUST take it off the camera and play with it by photographing around various locations on your subject.  Play with this technique indoors first to learn how your flash works.  Read your manual because next week we will talk about ratio’s a bit more.  We also discussed the difference on the way your flash will work on short shutter speeds compared to long speeds while photographing macro.

Next week we will talk about more lighting techniques using a flash light, umbrellas and tents.   I would also like to try and talk to you about hot lights (tungsten) and A/C strobe lights.

I’d like to leave you with a fun shot from the day:

Cheers,

Janice