Strobist: Lighting 101

Good set of articles over at Strobist.com with regards to off camera flash use and lighting…

Been having fun with the 430EX I picked up for the wedding shoot just over a week from now… been learning a lot as well! The image above I actually used the pivot features on the Speedlight and bounce it off the wall slightly up and pretty much right behind me… definitely makes a difference over the on-camera and straight on flash.

Tags: 430ex, bounce, external, flash, light, lighting, photography, Portrait, self-portrait, strobist, Tips, Tutorials

Tilt-shift miniatures

I’d seen them on occasion, but recently looked into how to actually fake a tilt-shift.

In case you are wondering, Wikipedia defines tilt-shift as:

Tilt-shift photography is an artistic technique where the lens is tilted and shifted relative to the attached camera.

On a view camera, the lens and camera are connected by a bellows. When tilt is applied, the film or image sensor is not at a right angle to the optical axis of the lens, causing a gradient of focus. The technique can also be done with a modern camera by constructing a tilted lens manually.

On the other hand, tilt-shift miniature faking (according to Wikipedia):

…is a process in which a photograph of a life-size location or object is manipulated so that it looks like a photograph of a miniature scale model. By distorting the focus of the photo, the artist simulates the shallow depth of field normally encountered with macro lenses making the scene seem much smaller than it actually is. Many miniature faked photographs are taken from a high angle to further simulate the effect of looking down on a miniature.

It’s pretty easy to do, just check out this tutorial… I use it loosely, and usually add a vignette on most as well to help draw in the focus. Happy miniaturizing!

Tags: fake, miniature, photoshop, tilt-shift, Tips, Tutorials

Tone-mapping: Single RAW vs 7 exposures generated from single RAW

Had a few people inquiring after reading my blog post about HDR if I’d tried tone-mapping from a single RAW file. So here’s the result… the top image is tone-mapped from a single RAW file using Photomatix, the bottom image is tone-mapped from an HDR file generated from my 7 exposure from a single RAW method that I described in my blog post.

There are noticeable differences, the 7 exposure version definitely still gives a wider range of detail, it’s especially noticeable behind the pipe on the far right… I found it interesting that there was a slight color variation as well. I’ve uploaded this larger than I usually do to give you a better chance to see some of the differences.

Anyways… just thought I’d test it out and fill you all in!

Tags: hdr, jpg, photomatix, RAW, Tips, Tutorials

DIY Flash and Lighting Hacks for Digital Photographers

Lighting is always a big thing, and if you’re on a limited budget it can be frustrating at time. There’s a great article over at DPS on DIY Flash and Lighting Hacks.

Tags: DPS, flash, hacks, lighting, Tips, Tutorials

19 New Year’s Photo Resolutions…

Came across a pretty cool article over at Photojojo! Here’s the rundown of the 19 resolutions:

Get Schooled

1. Take a class
2. Self-guided study
3. Learn by studying the greats

Practice, Practice, Practice

1. Start Project 365
2. Shoot the most challenging subject: Yourself
3. Take a photo a week of the things you’re grateful for
4. Focus on the colors
5. Take your camera everywhere

Try something new

1. Make your own fish-eye lens
2. Experiment in unfocus
3. Travel
4. Take photos of things that make you afraid

Be a copycat

1. Stage a photograph
2. Capture the paranormal

Print!

1. Make your own photo journal
2. Turn a photo into a coloring book
3. Print two photos as one
4. Create the most romantic photo gift ever

And number 19, the most important - BACK IT UP. FOR REAL.

Anyways, I’ve already undertaken a few of these, looking forward to checking out some of the other suggestions. Read the expanded version and more detailed information over at Photojojo!

Tags: Photojojo, Tips, Tutorials

How To Make Digital Photos Look Like Lomo Photography

I’ve never heard of Lomo Photography, but it looks pretty cool… going to have to try this out!

From the first time I saw a photo that looked like this, I wanted to shoot one of my own. But, for the longest time I couldn’t figure it out how people took photos look like this. Then one day searching the web, I realized I needed a Lomo LC-A camera. This is a Russian made camera that was a knock off of another camera. It is poorly made and by Japanese camera standards, a bad picture taker too. As the legend goes, somewhere in the 1990’s a cult following developed and hasn’t stop since.

Photo from Frank Lazaro’s Lomo Photography Tutorial.

Read the rest of the article over on the DPS site.

Tags: DPS, Tutorials