Page 12 - (DK) Advanced Photography Guide

10 A B O U T T HIS B O O K

ABOUT WHAT’S ON THE PAGES?

THIS BOOK INTRODUCING |

At the start of every chapter, “Introducing” pages provide an
Full of practical information and tutorials, this overview of the topics that are covered in the chapter. They
book will help you to learn new skills and take introduce the basic principles behind each topic, such as what
your photography a step further. Canon and composition is or what filters do, show which equipment you
need to use, and explain in simple terms how it works.
Nikon DSLRs are used throughout, but even if
the make or model of your camera is different, 34 INTRODUCING | COMP OSI T I O N 35
COMPOSITION Choosing a viewpoint IMAGE FORMAT
The most natural way to compose a shot is to hold
Most photographers default to shooting in landscape
you will find that most DSLRs and many CSCs Successful photos rarely happen by accident. It goes without saying that you have their camera at eye level. There’s nothing wrong with format (horizontally), because this is the most comfortable
shooting this way, but it will not necessarily produce
way to hold a camera, but it does not suit every subject. To
the most interesting images. Start by walking around
help you to decide between landscape and portrait, think
your subject to find the best point of view and angle,
about your subject and how it sits in the image space.
to have mastered your camera so that you are on top of technical issues such as then experiment with different shots. Do you want
a background, or does your subject stand out best
have very similar functions and controls. exposure and focusing. There is one thing that your camera cannot do, however: filling the frame on its own? Try getting down low
and looking up at it, or shoot it from above, either
it cannot compose a picture. Composition essentially means how you line up a
from a higher viewpoint or by holding the camera
shot to make it look as interesting and striking as possible, choosing your viewpoint, above your head, perhaps at the end of a tripod.
You could vary the angle of your shots to see how
image format, and framing to make the very best of your subject. that works, then zoom in on details. Be creative in ▲ LANDSCAPE FORMAT
your approach and review your shots as you go, ◀ PORTRAIT FORMAT
What makes a great photograph? FRAMING to see which of them create the most impact.
Great photos may have impact because of their split-second timing,
pleasing balance of form and line, or brilliant colour. They are often To try out different viewpoints and
formats, hold a small card frame up
the result of several factors: being in the perfect place, catching the
to your scene and vary its position.
CAMERA SETTINGS KEY right moment and the best lighting conditions, and having the right Ideally, the hole in the frame should
be the same shape (or aspect ratio)
lens to hand. All of these things take planning. Ultimately, however,
as the sensor in your camera. Try
the best photos are created when you have a clear idea of what you
mimicking a specific lens by holding
want the photo to achieve. This means focusing on your subject and
thinking about exactly what to include in the image and, just as the frame the same distance from
your eye as the lens’s focal length.
importantly, what to leave out.
The following icons are used in the book to show you
precisely what settings were used for the final images in
the step-by-step tutorials.
SHOOTING MODES WHITE BALANCE ▲ FROZEN MOVEMENT ▲ CONTRASTING PATTERNS ▲ BRILLIANT COLOUR
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P Program mode AW B Auto THINGS YOU’LL SEE
A Av Aperture Priority Daylight 116 APPLYING | FOCUS STACKING
mode
PERFECTING FOCUS STACKING SOFTWARE
S Tv Shutter Priority Cloudy A common problem when shooting close-up and distance between each shot starting at the front of Not all photo editing software can be used to
create a focus-stacked image. Adobe Photoshop
(shown here) is one option. Helicon Focus by
the subject and ending at the back. Then you blend
macro is a lack of depth of field. Even when using
HeliconSoft, available for both PC and Mac, and
mode
the smallest aperture it is often impossible to achieve
(stack) the sequence using editing software. During
Zerene Stacker, are alternatives. Focus stacking
front-to-back sharpness. One solution is focus stacking, this process, the out-of-focus areas are discarded,
can be applied to any subjects that require an
a technique that consists of two stages. First, you
foreground to the background.
shoot a sequence of photos, altering the focusing so the final image should be sharp right from the extensive depth of field, such as landscapes.
M Manual mode Shade
* x5 * x5
B Bulb mode Tungsten you shoot, so mount it on a heavy tripod complete control over how your point of the subject you want to be sharp (away from the camera) and shoot. Continue
PLACE THE FOCUS POINT
MOVE THE FOCUS POINT
SET UP YOUR CAMERA
SELECT MANUAL FOCUS
Focus the lens so that the closest
It is essential that you have
Focus slightly further along the subject
Your camera should not move as
and fit a remote release. Select Aperture
so that you can zoom into the image
Priority and set a mid-range aperture,
be sharp. How many shots this takes will depend
out-of-focus.
fixed ISO value, and WB preset. camera focuses. Switch to Live View is in focus. The rest of the scene will be until you reach the furthest distance you want to
to check focusing.
on the size of the subject.
Auto-Blend layers
METERING MODES Fluorescent Blend Method Cancel OK
Panorama
THE RESULT
Photomerge Stack Images
Layout OK The final photo is in focus from front-to-back,
Auto and sharper than it would have been using
Use: Files
Cancel
Browse... the aperture range of the lens alone. Using a
mid-range aperture has also helped to avoid
Perspective Remove Seamless Tones and Colours
Add Open Files the softening effects associated with diffraction
Cylindrical Content Aware Fill Transparent Areas (see p.91).
Multi-area Flash REVIEW THE SHOTS MERGE THE SHOTS STACK THE SHOTS CAMERA SETTINGS ▲ BEFORE USING
Select all the layers. In the Edit drop-down
Import all of the photos into a software of your choice.
Click the File drop-down menu, select Automate,
Here, Adobe Photoshop was used. Check that the exposure and and then Photomerge, and add all the photos. Uncheck menu, select Auto-Blend Layers. Click Stack Images, A ƒ/20 1/125 SEC ISO 100 FOCUS STACKING
WB are consistent, and alter them if necessary. Also check that Blend Images Together. Select OK and the individual photos then OK. Once the layers have been processed,
your subject is sharp from front to back throughout the sequence. will be added to a new file, stacked as a series of layers. flatten the layers and save the final photo.
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Spot K Kelvin CAMERA SETTINGS
A f/5 SEC 100 AW B
EXPOSURE 1/30 ISO
f/5 Aperture setting
1/100 Shutter speed Camera settings Wherever you are shown how
SEC how to apply a technique, you will also see the
ISO final result and the settings used to create it (see
200 ISO setting Key, left). Throughout the steps, you may find that
different settings have been used to take test shots.
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