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By Anshum Mandore
11 March 2010
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A big bright moon is undoubtedly one of the most captivating celestial bodies of the night sky. It is a camera magnet owing to the beauty and mystique that surrounds it. But capturing this beauty can prove to be difficult owing to the moon’s brightness. It is a challenging task to get the correct exposure such that the resultant image is neither too dark nor too bright. So here are a few easy pointers that will help you capture some delightful images of the moon.
Equipment:
The Lens:
While the moon may appear nice and large to the human eye on a particular night, your camera may capture it as a mere dot. This is because standard lenses of focal lengths ranging between 50 to 100mm are too wide for moon shots. For capturing the moon you need lenses with focal lengths of 300 mm and upwards, which are capable of revealing the details of the moon’s surface. The good news is that you don’t need an expensive telephoto with stabilization features or wide apertures. Thanks to the moon’s brightness, you can shoot with faster shutter speeds even at small apertures and still get fairly good results with an inexpensive, entry-level telephoto.
The Support & Trigger:
It is recommended to use a tripod when taking moon shots. Shooting handheld with the camera pointing at the moon can get tiring after a while and often leads to camera shake. For best results mount your camera onto a tripod, point it towards the moon and lock it into position. Now you are free to take as many shots as you like with varied exposures without worrying about vibrations. A wired or wireless remote shutter release can also prove very handy.
Technique:
Exposure:
A common mistake that photographers make when taking moon shots is that they underestimate the moon’s brightness which only yields bright, washed out images. Similarly, as the moonlight is a direct reflection of the sun’s rays, many believe setting your camera to ‘daylight exposure’ can do the trick. So some photographers practice the loony f/11 rule (from the Latin English word ‘lunar’) which is an offshoot of the sunny f/16 rule.
The rule states that when shooting a full bright moon at a constant aperture value of f/11, the correct shutter speed should be the inverse of the ISO value set on your camera. So at f/11 and ISO 100, the shutter speed should be 1/100. However this rule cannot be considered in isolation and may yield less than perfect results under many circumstances. Some factors that affect these values include the angle at which the moon rises over the horizon and the atmospheric conditions which can absorb a fair amount of light. But the rule does give you a great starting point to base your exposure calculations. So you can start with the loony f/11 rule and an ISO setting of 50-100 to avoid any noise and then use auto-bracketing if available to capture 4-5 frames with different exposures.
Focus:
Focusing on the moon is relatively easy. One way to do it is to point your tripod mounted camera at the moon and auto focus. Then with the focus locked on the moon switch the camera to manual focus, thus preventing the locked focus from getting disturbed. Take care not to touch the focus ring anymore thereafter. On many lenses, setting the focus to infinity will also work owing to the large distance between the moon and the earth.
Post Processing:
When it comes to moon shots, there are two basic adjustments that you can try in Photoshop which can make a huge difference to the end result.
Sharpen:
Sharpening your moon shots can work wonders to reveal more details. Due to the low ISO, these shots are generally noise-free. So the best Photoshop tool for sharpening these images is the Unsharp Mask. Set the radius to around 0.5 and you will have a fair amount of leeway with this amount.
Curves:
Moon shots often come out looking flat. A small adjustment using the Curves tool however, can change that. Simply create a small ‘S’ curve to amplify contrast between the light and dark areas. The result will be a moon with deeper shadows and brighter highlights, thus giving the photo a 3 dimensional feel.
Composition:
In the beginning you will find it exciting to fill most of your frame with the moon, thanks to your telephoto lens. However there are various other ways to include a big part of the moon along with other elements in the frame to make an interesting photograph. A full bright moon on the horizon with silhouettes of trees or a cityscape in the foreground can be a stunning shot. If the moon is higher up in the sky, try shooting from a low angle to get some really dramatic silhouettes. Similarly a small cloud or a flock of birds outlined against the moon can result in a gorgeous image. If there is a bright moon and a large number of clouds on the move, try a long exposure. The moon will probably end up obscured but the bright halo behind a curtain of clouds in motion blur makes for some extremely interesting shots.
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By Anshum Mandore
05 March 2010
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Museums and cathedrals are often awe inspiring structures with intricate design and meticulous artwork and hence offer photographers an excellent opportunity to get some great shots. Yet, capturing the beauty of these gorgeous monuments is far from easy. The tricky and unusual lighting make for a challenging task to get good pictures especially from the inside. So here are a few tips that might prove handy when shooting inside museums and cathedrals.
Get ‘Flashy’:
Use your on-camera flash inside a museum or cathedral and more likely than not, you’ll be disappointed with the results. The on-camera flash on most cameras, including the high end DSLR’s, just doesn’t pack enough punch to light up such large empty spaces and also cancels out light from other permanent sources in the room. So if you are keen on photographing museums & cathedrals, get a good external flash. Most DSLRs and some of the new generation ‘bridge’ cameras come with a hot-shoe for mounting an external flash. These external flashes can light up an area within a radius of 75 feet and can thus be invaluable for shooting in such environments.
Shooting sans flash:
While an external flash is great for shooting indoors, its use is prohibited in many public places including some museums and cathedrals. There are many plausible reasons for this. Flash photography can prove to be a disturbance for other visitors in a museum and can disrupt the sanctity and serenity of a cathedral. Also the ancient artefacts and paint used in these old structures can be sensitive to light and can get easily damaged by the flash light.
So what does one do in such situations? The answer is simple. If your camera can be controlled manually, choose a slower shutter speed. If you are using a point and shoot, switch to the night scene mode which is present on most modern cameras. But when using this mode in such low light conditions, it is important to keep the camera as steady as possible to avoid blurry shots. Those with DSLRs must avoid using wide apertures because the resultant shallow depth of field can prove detrimental for such shots.
Keeping it still:
If you aren’t allowed to use flash, then the only option you have is to shoot with a slower shutter. So it is recommended to carry some kind of a support mechanism for your camera. The best option of course would be to carry a tripod. But often, these too are restricted in museums and cathedrals due to their bulky and unwieldy nature. The next best option is to carry a monopod or a sturdy table top support like the Joby Gorillapod, the Gary Fong Flip Cage or other similar camera supports. If none of these are possible, pump up the ISO on your camera, brace yourself against a wall or sturdy surface, and shoot away. The results you get may not be the best, but they will still be better than not having any pictures at all.
Using Wide Angle & Fisheye Lenses:
Some of the most dramatic pictures to showcase the interiors of cathedrals and museums have resulted from the use of wide angle and fisheye lenses. The distortion caused by such lenses serves to render a more dramatic image of such structures. The resultant photos also give a more accurate sense of scale and dimension. So do not hesitate to use wide angle lenses, and don’t obsess over the distortion. If shooting with a telephoto, try shooting at the widest end. Another trick to try when using a tripod is to capture multiple sequential frames and stitch them together later, to create a panoramic image.
Photos Courtesy Artie Ng
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By Anshum Mandore
18 February 2010
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Shooting portraits outdoors poses a number of challenges and at the same time presents some unique opportunities. All kinds of photography, including portraits, depend on three key parameters– proper white balance, correct exposure and perfect focus. If you want good outdoor portraits then you need to understand and make the right use of the above three parameters. And these tips will help you learn just that.
White Balance:
Shoot Raw: Shooting images in RAW format gives you maximum flexibility during post production and allows you to alter the exposure, saturation and sharpness without any significant loss of quality. But the most useful feature of RAW format is that it lets you alter the White Balance in the photograph with a single click. This is of particular importance since altering White Balance and getting rid of colour casts in a processed image (JPEG etc.) is extremely tricky and often leaves you frustrated.
Gray Cards:
Shooting on Auto White Balance mode often yields a set of images with extremely varied white-balance. This can prove to be a tricky proposition especially when shooting at different locations in sequence. If the number of images is large, processing each individually to correct White Balance can be a nightmare. That’s where gray cards come in. Gray cards help you to equalize White Balance across images. Since gray is considered the most neutral of all colours, when shooting a sequence of images outdoor, shoot the first image at each location with the subject holding a gray card. That way all you have to do in post production is select the white balance of the gray card image and apply it to all other images from the same location. This can save you precious hours.
Photo by Anshum Mandore
Exposure:
Shooting in the midday sun:
It is recommended to use this technique only as a last resort. Try to direct the light using some kind of reflector to create studio like light conditions. If you don’t have a reflector, you can make do with other easy to find alternatives like a white sheet, a Styrofoam sheet, art paper sheets or even car dashboard reflectors. The sun directly behind the subject is an absolute no no unless you’re trying to get just a silhouette. The sun behind the camera can work, but ask your subjects to look away from the camera so they are not squinting in the photographs. Another position which works best on most occasions is when the subject and camera are located at a 90 degree angle to the sun, i.e with the sun to your left or right. Any harsh shadows here can be easily softened using reflectors or off-camera flash.
The sunny f/16 rule:
This is a simple rule of thumb that serves as a rough guide to get your exposure right in daylight. When shooting in the harsh sun, at an aperture value of f/16, your shutter speed should be the inverse of your ISO setting. So at f/16 and with ISO set to 200, your shutter speed should be 1/200. The same rule is applicable at f/8 when shooting in the shade. However, remember to use this rule only as a rough guide or a starting point and not a dictum.
Photo by Anshum Mandore
Diffuse:
How do you diffuse the sun? It is not really that hard. All you need is a queen sized white bed sheet (the thinner the better) and a few large clamps (you will find these at most stationery stores). Use the clamps to hold the bed sheet in place around some tree branches or any available frame or structure standing in front of the sun and get your subject to pose in the shadow. This way you could diffuse the sunlight falling on your subject. When clamped on the side or at an angle, the same sheet can also be used as a reflector to light your subject from the side or top.
Focus:
Focus Points:
The first step to achieve proper focus for your portraits is to never let your camera decide where to focus. The full autofocus feature on most cameras is designed to focus on the closest objects in the frame. So pick the focus mode instead which allows you to select a single point to focus on. This gives you full control and is likely to yield the best results.
Open Up:
Invest in a fast lens like a 50 mm f/1.4 or f/1.8 or a fast medium zoom like a 70mm f/2.8. These lenses allow you to shoot your portraits at wide open (largest) apertures. This technique blurs out the background and helps the subject of your portrait stand out.
Go for the Eyes:
Eyes are considered the sharpest feature of a human face and they are usually the first thing that grabs our attention when you are looking at a photograph. Naturally then, a good portrait should keep it that way. Focusing on the eyes of the subject yields the best results in any kind of portrait photography. Moreover, shooting at the large apertures will ensure that the subject’s skin is softened when you focus on the eyes thus making the portrait all the more attractive.
Photo by Anshum Mandore
Other Tips:
Shady Shots:
Don’t be offended just yet. We’re simply talking about shooting outdoors in the shade. When you shoot in direct sunlight, it can lead to unpredictable white balance settings and harsh shadows. Shooting in the shade on the other hand can get you some beautiful portraits if you expose your shots correctly and select the right white balance. The same is true when shooting in overcast conditions. The clouds actually act as a giant softbox and can give you some outstanding results.
Never wider than 50 mm:
Wide angle lenses distort your images. While this distortion can be insignificant when shooting landscape, it can be disastrous for portraits. In general a focal length of 70 mm or above is recommended for portraits and distortion isn’t usually a serious issue until you go below 50mm.
Compose out Distractions:
While composing your shot make sure you keep distractions like signboards and power lines out of the frame. Sometimes even seemingly insignificant objects like a single long blade of grass or the branch of a tree can prove to be quite distracting in your final image.
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By Neeraja Kukday
16 February 2010
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Sepia is all about nostalgia. We have all gone through times when we plucked out a bunch of old sepia toned photos that brought a smile on our face or a tear in our eye. And this is exactly why sepia filters are so important to photographers even today. There is something about the dark-brown colour of a photographic print that brings out the best in your pictures. So here’s an article on sepia filters and their use in photography.
Photo by Sagar Sheldekar
What is sepia?
Contrary to popular belief, sepia pictures are not old pictures with colours that have faded with age. So the various tints of brown that you see on a sepia toned photograph were there right from the time the picture came out of print. The word ‘sepia’ comes from a mollusc from which a reddish brown pigment was derived in the old days to use as ink. And the print got the name because in the process of developing prints, black and white photographs were treated with chemicals that left behind a sepia-like reddish tinge. Now, of course, we have different technologies that give us the faded effects. A sepia photo is identifiable by its unique brown-tinted monochrome colour, which is basically a photograph tinted in different shades of brown.
Ways to get a sepia picture:
You can get the sepia effect in your pictures in three different ways. First you can just attach a sepia filter to your lens and get the effect. Another way of getting a sepia effect is to use the inbuilt sepia filter, if your camera has one, which allows you to manipulate the sepia effect even before you take the picture. Third way is of course the software route, where you can use sepia tools in software like Photoshop to induce the effect before the picture goes to print. The software method, however, is not always as effective as using the filters.
Photo by Sagar Sheldekar
Using a filter:
Sepia filters from companies like Tiffen and Cokin, are normally circular shaped glass filters that go right on top of your lens. These external filters will normally give you a better hue on sepia pictures while you shoot them and the pictures can also go to print as-is without any post processing hassle. But before you take these to print remember to mention ‘do not colour correct’ in the print notes. This is important because most printing labs these days have a way of colour correcting your pictures. And sometimes they become overzealous in their effort which in turn can ruin your sepia prints.
Inbuilt camera sepia filters:
Another easier way to get this effect is to simply utilize the internal sepia setting of your camera if it has one. These days most digital cameras come with this setting and all you do is select the sepia setting from the menu and apply it to the photograph to see the effect right away. You can check if your camera has a sepia filter by scrolling down to the colour settings section. Some cameras not only let you apply sepia effect to your photographs but also give you an option to preview your scene in sepia tone even before shooting the photo.
Photo by Sagar Sheldekar
Tips for good Sepia pictures:
Whatever the camera type, remember to make sure that you have turned the settings to the highest resolution possible so that you don’t lose out on the details in the pictures. Another important factor while clicking sepia is to avoid digital zoom as much as possible. This will normally affect the resolution and the sepia tones might not be as rich as you expect. It might also be a good idea to switch to the 'raw' option rather than the JPEG format to capture the photos. This option provides images in raw format which do not undergo internal processing, compression and such. For the times when flash needs to be used, try using high shutter speeds. You can even switch to the auto settings on your camera if you aren’t comfortable in manually setting the flash. Finally it’s a good idea to use a low noise setting by picking the right ISO which will control your camera’s sensitivity to light.
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By Anshum Mandore
15 February 2010
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Photographing star trails has long been a fancied genre of photography. One of the probable reasons for this is the human tendency to be enamoured by extraordinary things you don’t find in day-to-day life or depicting them in a different manner. Also the opportunities for shooting star trails are abound as long as you have a clear sky to spot them. There is however another subject that entices just as many photographers, but is elusive most of the time; Meteor Showers. Although advances in astronomy now allow us to precisely predict where and when a meteor shower will occur, they are a relatively rare phenomenon. This also means that you have a very brief window of opportunity to photograph a meteor shower and you have to make every shot count. So here are a few pointers to help you prepare and successfully photograph meteor showers.
Photo by Ed Sweeney
Do your research:
In order to be able to shoot a meteor shower, you will need to do some research in advance to find out when and where the next shower will occur. There is a slew of information available on the internet, so don’t shy away from the little details. Best places to photograph the shower, how long will it be visible for, the direction of travel of the meteors, how large the cluster is likely to be and such other details can play a critical role in helping you plan your shoot. Also research other factors that could affect visibility such as weather conditions. Find out if there are others who are interested in and intend to photograph the same shower. Being part of a group shoot will give you the benefit of collective knowledge and experience.
The equipment:
It is recommended to use an SLR or a DSLR for shooting meteor showers, mainly because of the “Bulb” setting on these cameras which is a requisite for extreme long exposures required for such photography. An ideal choice of lens would be a wide-angle lens in the range of 10 mm to 24 mm. But any lens with a focal length of 50mm or wider can also serve the purpose. The ability to remote-trigger the shutter and lock it into place would also be essential. A cable release can easily achieve this but if you are using a wireless shutter, ensure that it is able to lock down the shutter in bulb mode. Finally a strong support in the form of a tripod will be required to keep the camera steady during the long exposures that are needed for Meteor Shower Photography. If shooting on film, a film with ASA rating of anywhere from 400 to 800 should work just fine.
Photo by Ed Sweeney
The technique:
Before we begin shooting, the first step is to choose an ideal spot to set up the equipment. Then mount the camera onto the tripod and hook up the cable release or wireless remote. The camera mode dial must be set to “B” or “Bulb”. Set the aperture to the smallest value possible on the lens you are using (likely f/22 or f/25).
Now switch your camera to manual focus and set the focus to infinity. The tricky part here is pointing your camera at the right spot. This is one of the reasons that the use of a wide angle lens is recommended because it covers a larger portion of the sky thus ensuring you capture the meteor at least in a portion of the frame.
When the showers begin, trigger the shutter release and keep the shutter open until you see a meteor or group of meteors travel through the sky at the place where your camera is pointed. Close the shutter only once the meteor has disappeared from view or seems to have travelled outside the frame. Avoid exposing your shot too long before or after the meteor is in the frame, as this may lead to a washed out image.
The right exposure will yield you an image of the meteor or cluster with a long tail against a relatively dark sky. However this may not come with the first shot. The key is experimentation with different exposure settings. If the image appears blown out, try to shorten the exposure by triggering the shutter a little later or closing it a bit earlier. The exposure may also be affected by the ambient light and the phase of the moon. While you won’t have much control over the latter, you can avoid the former by choosing a location as far away from the city as possible so that the ambient light does not affect your exposure. It may also help to take some test shots of the sky on the previous night at various exposure settings and use these shots and settings as references.
Photo by Ed Sweeney
Other points to remember:
Always remember that the wider the lens, the smaller your meteors will appear in the result. So as your judgement and skills get better, experiment with medium telephoto lenses so that the meteors can fill more of your frames.
Try to aim your camera at the darkest spot in the sky along the path of the meteor. This will enhance the contrast and improve your shots. If clouds happen to pass through your frame during the exposure (especially white or illuminated clouds) it is recommended to release the shutter and shoot again. Such clouds can wash out all meteors except the brightest ones.
Lastly, when developing film shots of meteor showers, do not forget to warn the lab technicians that the photos are likely to be dark with just a dot or a streak. Photo labs will often mistake meteor shower shots as a defective or un-successful shot and discard them.
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