Archives For Quick Tips

Hakalau - Big Island - Hawai

The Spider’s Pearls: Tips for Shooting Tiny Things

Varina Patel —  February 1, 2013


This is a shot I took on the Big Island of Hawai’i. We were driving along the road, and we noticed a small road way down below us in a beautiful valley full. So, we pulled off the main drag and found the road we’d seen from above. I’m glad we did. We found ourselves in a gorgeous spot – waves pounding the rocky shore on one side, and lush rain forest on the other.

I noticed these lovely water droplets strung like pearls on a spider’s web. So, of course, I pulled out my macro lens and got down to business.

Capturing a shot like this is tough. Even with a macro lens, it was hard to get in close enough for the shot I wanted. And the slightest breeze is enough to keep the web dancing… so getting a sharp picture required patience.

I took several shots – hoping that I could get one that was sharp. Thanks to a few moments of stillness, the photo I took with a 1.6 second shutter speed (ISO 100) is cleaner than another I took with a 1/6 second shutter speed (ISO 400. :) Sometimes, you just get lucky. :)

A few tips for shooting spider webs.

1. Look for a clean background. Here, I used an aperture of 7.1. That setting gave me just a bit of depth of field to work with, and left my background completely blurred out. I was VERY close for this shot… just at the focus limit of my lens, so my depth of field is incredibly narrow.

2. Look for patterns. Notice that I included only a few strands of the web in this shot. I looked at it carefully to find repeating patterns that were appealing to me. The Y-shaped strands give me the patterns I want, and the single strands break up the pattern just enough to keep things interesting… in my opinion, anyway. :)

3. Align the objects you want in focus on a flat plane – and keep that plane parallel to your camera’s sensor. As I mentioned before, I was working with a ridiculously narrow depth of field here, so anything outside my narrow plane of focus would be blurred. I adjusted my camera very carefully to be sure it was aligned as accurately as possible.

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Hilo, Big Island, Hawaii (HI), USA

Capturing Reflected Colors

Jay Patel —  January 28, 2013

When we talk about using reflections, the first thing that comes to mind is capturing reflections on the smooth and still surface of a body of water. Most of us will ignore the reflections on a windy day when the surface of the lake is choppy – or in a flowing stream. But reflected light can make an image beautiful even even when the reflection is blurred.

This is an abstract shot I took during our recent visit to the Big Island of Hawai’i. I positioned my camera so that the most intense reflected light surrounded a small cascade in the stream. The brilliant colors you see in the stream are reflected from vegetation that was lit by harsh, late morning sunlight. I chose a long shutter speed that would preserve the flow lines in the water to create a pleasing abstract.

What if I were to change the position of my camera? In the image above, I photographed the same cascade from a different angle. As you can see, the glowing colors are completely gone.

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Quiet in the Valley of Fire

Making Targeted Adjustments with Masks

Varina Patel —  January 10, 2013

I use masks in Photoshop all the time. Take a look at the layers and masks I used to process this photograph from Valley of Fire State Park in Nevada. You can see that I used a mask on all but my background layer.

I targeted my adjustments with masks on several layers.

Here are the images I started with. These are actually a single exposure processed twice – once for the foreground, and once for the sky.

I processed this image for the foreground.

I processed this image for the sky.

In this case, the line between the sky and the foreground was well defined. I used the color selection tool to select the brighter areas in the sky in the lighter image, and then created a mask from that selection on the darker layer. The mask allows us to see the sky from the top layer, and the foreground from the lower layer. After creating that simple mask, I zoomed in and checked it for accuracy. I needed to subtract some areas of the foreground from the mask, and add some areas in the sky for a cleaner mask. I blurred the mask very slightly to smooth the transition between sky and foreground, and used the precision mode on my Intuos 5 tablet from Wacom to take care of a few small areas that didn’t blend perfectly.

I used this mask to blend the foreground and sky images.

I used a much simpler mask to bring down the brightness of the sky with a curves adjustment layer. Does this mask remind you of a graduated neutral density filter? The effect is the same.

For this mask, I used the rectangular marquee tool and a large feather.

I also felt that the white areas in the foreground were getting a bit lost. I brightened them up a bit with a curves adjustment layer and a mask created from the color selection tool. I feathered my selection very slightly – by about 1 pixel.

I used a very slight feather kept it precise.

When I make adjustments to an image, I often want to target those a adjustments to a specific area or color range. Masks let me be very precise with my adjustments.

There are infinite ways to use masks in Photoshop. You are limited only by your own imagination. These are just a very few tips for making your workflow easier. Please feel free to add your own tips and suggestions in the comments.

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Maroon Bells, Snowmass Wilderness, Colorado (CO), USA

Outdoor Photography – Being Flexible

Jay Patel —  December 17, 2012

We plan our landscape photography outings so that we maximize our chances of getting the best weather patterns and the right seasons. But things don’t always go according to the plan. Experience has taught us to be flexible and open to new ideas.

I first visited Maroon Bells in 2007. I used an interesting root structure beneath the surface of the lake as a foreground object in the photo above. Five years later, in 2012, we returned to the lake again. This time, we discovered that the lake had shrunk dramatically because of a long summer drought. It no longer reached the grassy shores we remembered from our previous trip. Instead, the lake was surrounded by mud and rotting wood. The brilliantly colored moss that was growing under water in 2007  had died off. Here’s a shot of the same roots I photographed five years ago. The difference is stark.

Though the banks of the lake were uninspiring, I still felt that there was incredibly beauty to be captured in this place. I focused my attention on the creek and the mountains behind me. I waited until the clouds were lit up by the evening light and captured the photo below less than 50 yards from the roots in the first two shots.

I was able to come away with a photo that I like because I was willing to be flexible and look for alternative shots. So next time you are faced with unexpected conditions, don’t give up.

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Maroon Bells, Colorado (CO), USA

Using Foreground in your Photos

Jay Patel —  December 10, 2012

Landscape photographers know that you can’t always get what you want when you want it. So, what happens when you don’t get those dramatic skies and perfect clouds that light up like a fireworks show? Do you just give up and go chat with your buddies on social networks? Or find the nearest Starbucks and tell stories about that one time when the light was perfect?

Not me! I try to scout the area for foreground elements that might help me create a photograph with impact. On our last visit to the Maroon Bells, I used reflections to add interest in the foreground of this photograph. I chose to fill the frame mostly with the reflections and fall colors. A small slice of sky is enough to provide a sense of  calm.

Reflections are not the only element that you can use to create an interesting foreground. In this next photograph I used colorful pebbles that were sitting  just below the surface of Bow Lake in Banff.

A vertical composition lets me fill majority of the frame with the colorful textures of the pebbles. Geology, flowers, flowing water, and other local elements can be used as interesting foreground elements. Get creative with whatever you find on location! When the sky doesn’t grab your attention, find something else that will grab your viewer’s eye.

Do you have an example of interesting foregrounds? Please feel free to share. To learn more about photograph please check our eBooks below:

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Death Valley National Park, CA

Photographing Reflected Light

Jay Patel —  December 3, 2012

The word reflection is usually used in reference to reflections on wet surfaces… but light is often reflected from other surfaces as well. In nature, this phenomenon is most obvious when light reflects off surface with smooth textures – such as sand, snow, salt, or mud. I took the image below just before sunrise at Mesquite Dunes in Death Valley National Park. Notice that the sand is reflecting the rich red and orange light from the clouds. Clouds and humidity will influence the color and intensity of the reflected light.

Death Valley National Park, CA

After the sun comes up, the color of the light usually becomes more golden. I took the next shot on another morning – this time, just after sunrise. On this particular day scattered clouds allowed the sunlight to come through and paint the dunes with an intense warm light.

I took the photograph below at mid-day under blue skies. As you might expect, the dunes in this image are reflecting the white midday light. The scene looks very different at noon than it does during the golden hour.

In many cases, your camera’s automatic settings will try to “correct” these natural color casts. Camera algorithms are set to determine a neutral base point, and to adjust the other colors accordingly. You can get past this annoying problem by paying attention to colors when you are shooting – and setting your color balance manually. Those color casts are real and beautiful! Don’t let your camera (or automatic settings in your processing software) make decisions about color balance for you!

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Cracked Eggs - Varina Patel

Simplifying a Cluttered Composition

Varina Patel —  November 15, 2012

 

This beautiful place in Bisti Wilderness in New Mexico is absolutely bizarre. These rocks sit on a smooth stretch of white ash and clay. The rocks themselves show striking evidence of erosion in the patterns and layers on their surface. It’s totally cool!

The challenge is to find a composition that isn’t cluttered, and to show the incredible details in the rocks without losing that beauty in all that clutter. To do this, I chose a single rock as a point of interest, and moved my camera until the rocks behind it formed a smooth curve. I got as close as I could to the rock in the foreground. This serves a dual purpose. I fill the foreground with a single object – and in doing so, I simplify the composition. This gives the viewer as much information about the site as possible – so they feel as though they could walk right into the image. The rocks in the background seem smaller because of the wide-angle lens.

I used a Graduated Neutral Density filter to reduce the brightness of the sky so that the overall dynamic range was less extreme. In post processing, I was careful about setting my color balance correctly. The sky needed a slightly different setting than the foreground since they are lit differently. It’s critically important to realize that over or under exposure can actually be distracting – so getting the exposure right helps eliminate distractions too.

Also – be sure to keep your sensor and lenses clean. If you find yourself with dust spots, water droplets, or distracting elements (footprints?) don’t be afraid to clone them out. Content-aware is a great option for handling problems like these – and we use a Wacom tablet and stylus to make precise edits effortlessly.

Here are a few tips for simplifying a cluttered composition:

  • Eliminate distracting elements from the composition.
  • Determine your point of interest, and let it fill a large part of the frame.
  • Use a wide-angle lens to enhance the size of an object close to the lens – and the decrease the size of other objects within the frame.
  • Use a larger foreground object to hide smaller objects behind it.
  • Try using a narrow depth of field to blur background objects and keep your viewer’s attention on the most important objects in the frame.
  • Get your exposure right!
  • Keep your lens and sensor clean – dust, dirt, grease, water droplets, and condensation can add distractions.

Have you ever been in a cluttered location? Do you have any tips for simplifying a cluttered comp? It’s such a fantastic challenge to be out there shooting in a place like this!

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Pony Tail Falls, Columbia River Gorge, Oregon (OR), USA

Composition: Why Size Matters

Jay Patel —  October 29, 2012

If you have ever taken photographs in a forest, you know that it can be challenging to find a good composition in a cluttered environment. One of the techniques we use for cluttered scenes like these is to isolate elements by size. This helps them stand out against a cluttered background, and clearly identifies those elements as “more important” than smaller elements within the frame.

Take a look at the above photograph of Ponytail Falls in Columbia River Gorge (Oregon). I composed the photograph so that the waterfall and the foreground trees appear to be larger than the rest of the elements. In doing so, I was able focus the attention of the viewer on these three elements.

Here is another example from the Hoh Rain Forest in Olympic National Park (Washington). Here, I have used size to isolate the old tree and the two trees leaning towards it. Because of their size, they stand out in the composition, and the viewers attention is focused on them.

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Flowers in Columbia River Gorge - Oregon, USA.

Quick Tips: Leading the Eye with Focus and Blur

Varina Patel —  October 25, 2012

I took this pretty shot early on a rainy morning in a meadow. Oregon’s Columbia River Gorge is overflowing with flowers in Spring, so it’s a perfect time to pull out your macro lens and play with the possibilities.

When a single element in an image is in sharp focus and the rest of the image is blurred, the eye tends to settle on the sharp element. The blurred areas lack detail, so the eye shifts away from them. That doesn’t mean they aren’t in integral part of the image – not at all. But a soft blur allows me to soften the effect of the pink flowers in this photograph. The sharp grasses and water droplets draw the eye.

I took this shot with a 180mm macro lens. Although the pink flowers were beautiful, it was the water droplets that caught my eye. So, rather than trying to capture the entire scene in sharp focus, I chose to bring the droplets and grasses into focus and allow the pink flowers to go soft. I use this technique to point the viewer toward the object I want them to notice. In this case, I chose those two blades of grass covered in droplets as my “point of interest”. So, my goal is to minimize distractions in other areas of the image. The pink flowers provide a sense of place and a beautiful counterpoint to the main subject – but the eye migrates towards the water droplets rather than wandering around through the image.

Post-production is just as important as in-camera work. In this case, I made sure the white balance was just right – I wanted a nice, clean pink, and a very natural range of greens and yellows. If I’m trying to keep your eye on those little water droplets, the last thing I want is for you to be distracted by weird colors. The same goes for distracting spots. I used Photoshop’s Patch Tool and my Wacom tablet and stylus to remove them quickly. They might have been bugs, but were so blurred that they were unrecognizable - and they certainly didn’t add anything to the image. And for printing or web display, I used my tablet to draw a quick selection around the droplets, created a mask, and sharpened just that small area. I left the rest of the image alone for a very soft look.

The finished product is very simple. I created a clear point of interest with a narrow depth of field. I kept my colors clean to avoid distracting my viewer. I removed any distracting spots that might grab your attention. And I avoided sharpening areas that were meant to remain soft. What do you think?

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Calf Creek Falls, Grand Staircase-Escalante, Utah (UT), USA

Photo Processing: Specialization vs. Basics

Jay Patel —  September 17, 2012

‘Why should I learn to use Layers and Masks? Can’t HDR software do all that for me?”

Well… if somebody will hand me my soapbox, I’ll go ahead and answer that…

Here we are in the digital age. It’s an era of high-speed internet, smart phones, and instant gratification. It’s tough to remember that sometimes you have to slow down and think about the details. We want quick solutions. Click-of-a-button answers. But photo processing isn’t always that easy.

More and more photographers are abandoning the art of Photo Processing and going directly to the plugins or specialized programs that process images with the click of a button. Just pick your preset and whamo. It’s all done for you. Cool stuff! Varina and I even use some of it! But what if you want to create something specific? What if your artistic vision falls outside the scope of the software’s ability to create a finished product for you?

When you get to the point where presets aren’t enough, you need to chose a program and learn to use it. Take the time to really learn how to use the software – we use Adobe Photoshop – and you’ll find that you are no longer limited.

Consider the High Dynamic Range (HDR) software that’s available today. It’s incredibly easy to blend images into a single finished image with a broad dynamic range. The photographer doesn’t have to do a lot of thinking. You play with the sliders until you are happy with the result. Easy enough, right?

But what if you want to blend images where half the scene was in shade and the other half in the sun? Now you are dealing with different white balance settings on top of dynamic range problems. What if you want to blend a polarized lake with an unpolarized sky? In the image above, I used layers and masks in Photoshop to blend two images. Take a look at the original shots…

I took the first image (below) without a polarizer. Notice the clear reflection in the water. I took the second with a circular polarizer. Notice the rich tones in the rocks and trees behind the pool. To get to the final image, I selectively blended the two images below using photoshop layers and masks.

With a working knowledge of layers and masks, I can blend dynamic range like most HDR programs do, but I can also do so much more. I can blend image with different color balances. I can work with polarized and non-polarized images. I can target adjustments to specific areas so that my adjustments only effect the areas where they are needed.

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