In general people tend to avoid the Auto ISO feature on the latest cameras in fear that the camera will automatically increase the ISO up and introduce noise into the image. It is a known fact that higher ISO settings do introduce more noise. While this is very much a concern, the Auto ISO feature is very useful and generally applies conservative settings.
Author: Geoff
Constructing a Panorama Image
This tutorial covers the making of a panorama with Photoshop CS3 using layers. The two original images used to form the panorama are shown above. These two images are opened in Photoshop and the two images are merged together in layers to form one image. Both images were taken in Raw format and converted in Photoshop. Any vignetting of the images is corrected prior to combining the layers.
High Shutter Speeds
Any image of a moving subject will require a high shutter speed to avoid blurring of the subject. The kite surfer above was moving very fast and required good long lens technique and a very high shutter speed to avoid movement of the subject.
Nikon Lens Terminology
Nikon has one of the most sophisticated range of cameras and lenses available from any manufacturer. Lenses range from wide angle, telephoto, micro and tilt and shift. There can be some difficulty in understanding the Nikon terminology and the following may assist to help you understand.
Helicopter Photography
Helicopters are great as a photography platform, it is possible to get an exceptional view.
Try to get the pilot to fly with the doors off, as it will allow you to photography without looking through windows and gives a far better view. Photograping through the windows will give great loss of contrast in the images.
Graphic Images
The simplest of subject matter can be changed into fascinating images. The image below was a straight image from the camera. All that was done was to create a high contrast image to exagerate the normal contrast between black and white.
Fireworks Photography
Fireworks displays are generally very stunning and colorful. To capture those moments with a camera can be quite is a challenge. It is essential to use a tripod to hold the camera steady. Tripods can be inconvenient to use however they are almost essential to get stunning images. A cable release can also be very usefull to eliminate camera movement.
Photography At Night
Great images are to be had by venturing outside at night time. A dull city can become a colorful blaze of bright lights at night.
Most cameras are capable of exposures up to 30 seconds, however once you start to exceed exceed this then the camera control moves from the precision of the camera’s light meter to some guess work on your part.
Making a Nikon Camera Remote Control Release
This article is a general guide to building a remote control cabl for Nikon cameras with the 10-pin socket.
Fill in Flash
Many images can be improved significantly by using a small amount of fill in flash to eliminate harsh shadows. The use of fill in flash will give a more diffuse and even lighting.
Unsharp Mask
One of the mysteries of digital photography is the Unsharp Mask, why is it needed, how is it done and what does it do to the image. The idea behind unsharp masking is to exagerate the light dark contrast between any edges in the image. Any light dark boundary becomes more distinct.
Post Processing for Quality Images
In order to produce the highest quality images it is essential to establish a professional workflow through the complete imaging process from download, through organisation, editing, manipulation and saving the files. Downloading Some downloading software now provides image editing functions through the downloading process, however this is generally less than the best optimised results possible.… Continue reading Post Processing for Quality Images
Automating Your Photographic Workflow
Automating your workflow can save many hours in processing your image files. Essentially Photoshop provides three methods of automation to process your image files. The first two methods, Actions and Batch Processing are quite easy to learn, however the third, Scripts is far more complex and requires programming knowledge.
Camera Focus Mode Settings for Quality Images
Modern cameras offer many options when it comes to choosing the focus modes on your camera. In this article we will discuss some of the options generally available in todays cameras.
Sunset Photography
In Photoshop you can reproduce the sunset in any red hue that you desire and with any color rendering that you think you can remember. You can also change the exposure, introduce more contrast to create a silhouette. Sometime darkening the image slightly in Photoshop will also give more dynamic colors and saturated colors.
Telephoto Lenses
Telephoto lenses are used when you wish to get closer to the subject to get the subject larger in the frame. The image above was taken at an air show and a 300mm telephoto lens was used to help fill the frame with the subject and the smoke trails.
Whale Photography
Whale watching will require a long lens of the order of up to 300mm for success. If taken from a boat, generally the boat will roll and make it dificult to frame the image. A lens with vibration reduction or image stabilisation would be very useful for this type of photography. A lens with a large aperture will help to keep the shutter speed up to avoid camera movement.
Wide Angle Lenses
Wide angle lenses are very usefull in landscape photography where you may wish to capture a very wide expansive landscape. The image above of Coolangatta was taken with a 14mm wide angle lens on a Nikon DX camera. A 14 mm lens on a DX type camera may not seem all that wide, on this type… Continue reading Wide Angle Lenses
Cropping an Image
Cropping an image is a very usefull method of bringing your attention to the main centre of interest of the image. If images are take with a camera with a high megapixel count then there is a lot more room for cropping, compared to an image from a camera with a lower megapixel count. Cropping an image will loose some detail in the image, however it may give the image much more impact.
Image Contrast
Photography and processing your images is all about having fun with your photography. Producing your own images and experimenting with them. The thrill of creating something you like gives you confidence and stimulates success. With black and white printing we used to use different contrast grades of paper ranging from soft to normal and hard and they would give different contrast ranges in the prints.