Archives For photography how to

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.

To learn more about composition and shooting waterfalls check out eBooks below:

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Metlako Falls, Columbia River Gorge, Oregon (OR), USA

Post-processing with a Histogram – Highlights

Jay Patel —  August 13, 2012

Here’s a shot from Columbia River Gorge in Oregon. In an earlier post, we talked about using histogram to capture details in the highlights. Here, we’re going to talk a little bit about bringing out details in every part of the image.

After RAW processing, the photo looked like this:

Notice the lack of details in the water. We can use the lasso tool to draw a selection around the highlights in the water, and then look at the histogram to see what’s happening in that area (see image above). In this case, the histogram shows that the water is not overexposed – but the peak pretty narrow, and skewed to the right. There’s not a lot of detail in the water, and the highlights are pretty bright. We’ll blend a second exposure for that area and see if we can reduce the brightness just a bit – pull that peak apart with a little more contrast.

There are a variety of options for fixing the highlights. We might use an adjustment layer and a mask to bring out the details in the waterfall. Or, we might blend two exposures – one for the highlights in the water and the other for the surrounding forest. Either option will work just fine. Here’s the finished image after blending. The histogram for the selected area is wider, which shows that we have much better detail in the water.

To learn more about Layer and Mark check our iHDR webinars and our eBooks:

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Eagle Creek, Columbia River Gorge, Oregon (OR), USA

Manual Blending Workflow

Jay Patel —  July 16, 2012

Take a look at the workflow I used to process this photograph from Eagle Creek in Oregon.

Raw Image

Raw Image + iHDR Highlight Blend

Take a look at the RAW image above on the left – the trees look just right, but there are some blown highlights in the water. This is a typical problem when shooting water. The solution is simple. I process the same image again – this time for the highlights in the water. I blend the two images using layers and masks in Photoshop. The result looks like the image on the right. Both the trees and the water are properly exposed, and we can see details in highlights as well as shadows.

The next step is to make some minor adjustments to restore contrast in the image. I use a stylus to draw selections with my Wacom graphics tablet and create masks to make adjustments that are targeted to specific areas. A little bit more contrast at the river’s edge, some softer contrast in the water… and so on. The image below shows the layers and masks I used to make those adjustments.

Raw Image + iHDR Highlight Blend + Targeted Adjustment

Most of our post-processing revolves around these simple steps. To learn more check out our iHDR webinars and eBooks below:

 

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Metlako Falls, Columbia River Gorge, Oregon (OR), USA

How do we determine proper exposure?

Jay Patel —  June 18, 2012

Take a look at this photo of Metlako Falls in the Columbia River Gorge. Besides the vibrant colors, you will notice that every part of the photograph seems to be correctly exposed. A histogram can help us determine whether a photo is properly exposed, and if the photo needs to be bracketed in order to capture the entire dynamic range of the scene. Sometimes, we process a single image multiple times in order to get proper exposure in different parts of the photograph.

Lets take a look at this scene as an example. If you wanted to expose this scene for the highlights, I would look at the bright water in the falls, and adjust the shutter speed and exposure until my histogram showed that I had captured detail in the bright areas of the image. We can do the same during post-processing… as seen in the image below.

In post-processing, I kept an eye on the highlights and histogram. I adjusted the image so that I had the detail and contrast that I wanted in the highlight. Of course, this meant that the rest of the image was drastically underexposed. I can blend the image exposed for the highlights with one exposed for the shadows and mid-tone, and the result will be a natural-looking scene with nice details throughout the image.

To learn more, check out our eBooks and Webinars below:

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Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada

Selecting the Best White Balance

Jay Patel —  June 4, 2012

White balance can effect both the mood and appearance of an image. The correct white balance contribute to a finished photograph that accurately represents the original scene. The wrong color balance, on the other hand, can leave a photo looking washed out or unnatural. So, how do you select the best white balance for your photograph? While there are tool that can help you get your color balance right –  like shooting with a grey card or using software like Color Checker – these tools don’t always work perfectly. There are lots of situations where these tools just won’t work – when there is a strong natural color cast caused by reflected sunlight, for example – or when there are different light conditions in different areas of your photograph. For more reliable results, we select the best white balance based upon shooting conditions, our memory of the scene, and the mood we are trying to convey.

Take a look at the photograph above. Jay took this shot early in the morning under a heavily overcast sky. In post-processing, he selected a white balance of 5200k – which is a lot closer to the default setting for daylight condition than for cloudy ones. Jay wanted to bring out the fresh greens that he remembered from the scene – so he relied upon his memory and the mood he wanted to create.

Camera default settings – 4300K – strong blue color cast.

Default “cloudy” setting – strong yellow color cast.

What would have happened if Jay had chosen a different white balance setting? The two images above show the most likely results. The first shows the image with the default white balance selected by the camera. In this case, the camera selected a white balance of 4300K, which gives the photo a strong blue cast. This blue cast makes the flowers appear dull. The second example uses a cloudy white balance. This time the image has a strong yellow cast, and the grass appears past its prime.

Take your time when you adjust your white balance. Look at your image as you adjust the sliders and watch for unnatural color casts and dull colors. Use your memory of the scene to produce the best possible results, rather than relying on mathematical algorithms to do the work for you. Good luck!

To learn more about how to produce photograph in vibrant colors check our our eBooks below:

 

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Black Sand Basin, Yellowstone National Park Wyoming (WY), USA

Quick Tips: Waiting for the Light

Jay Patel —  April 9, 2012

Changing light can make a dramatic difference in landscape photography. The angle and temperature of the light will alter colors, texture, and the mood of an image. Consider the image below…


I took this shot in Yellowstone National Park (Wyoming) just as the sun was coming up over the horizon. The soft light scattered in the water of the hot springs, and brought out the brilliant colors and the textures. The golden morning light also infused the steam with a warm glow as it scattered in the mist. The whole image has a warm, pleasant mood.

I took the second shot (below) at the same location just a few minutes earlier… just before the sun rose over the horizon. Without the soft, directional sunlight, the foreground textures are less defined, making the image feel flat and unappealing in comparison. The water isn’t lit by the warm morning sunlight, so it looks a little more dull. And the steam is greyish… not golden and glowing in the morning light.

So, the next time you find yourself photographing a beautiful location, wait for the right light. The results will be worth the effort.

To learn about tonal range and colors check our our eBooks below:

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Vibrant Colors

How do you deal with extreme tonal range?

Jay Patel —  April 2, 2012

Capturing a broad tonal range in landscape photography often poses a challenge – even for the most experienced photographers. Today, a lot of us deal with the problem by bracketing and using HDR software or manual blending techniques to blend images later. But, there is a simpler way to eliminate the problem entirely… wait for the right lighting conditions. Mid-day light tends to be harsh – so you have to deal with harsh shadows and blown highlights. Early morning or late evening light produces a much narrower tonal range – and overcast skies soften light even further. In many cases, your camera can easily handle that compressed tonal range. If you want to capture an image in-camera… and avoid using software to blend images… wait to take the photograph when the light is soft and even.

Sol Duc Falls, Olympic National Park, WA

I took this photo of Solduc falls (above) in Washington’s beautiful Olympic National Park early in the morning – well before the sun was high in the sky. The very soft light allowed me to expose every part of the image properly without having to resort to bracketing or targeted blending to bring out the details in the water. I could have created an equally effective image under overcast skies.

Sol Duc Falls, Olympic National Park, WA

Notice the highlights and shadows in the second photograph. Harsh, direct sunlight creates harsh highlights in the bright areas, and the dark shadows lack any detail at all. Although the rainbow is pretty, the unappealing light is more than the camera could handle… so the image doesn’t work.

To learn about tonal range and colors check our our eBooks below:

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St. Mary Falls, Glacier National Park, Montana (MT), USA

Why do you need Photoshop Layers and Masks?

Jay Patel —  March 26, 2012

St. Mary Falls, Glacier National Park, Montana (MT), USA

We are often asked why we need to understand Layers & Masks in Photoshop? After all, we can always blend or adjust images using HDR software, right? Here’s a quick explanation.

Overexposed Highlights

After iHDR Blend

Take a look at the two images above. Notice that the highlights in the image on the left are overexposed. You can’t see any detail in the white areas in the water. In the second image, I corrected the overexposure with our iHDR workflow. I can create a similar blend using an automated HDR tool. But this is not a finished image. I want to take it further. I think the image needs some corrections to improve the contrast in the rocks, and to help focus the viewers attention on the water itself. To accomplish this, I used different layers and masks to limit each adjustments to a specific region. The image below show all the layers and masks I used, and the areas I targeted with each adjustment.

Adjustment Layers and Masks

It is true that I can accomplish the same adjustment without layers and masks in Photoshop, but adjustment layers combined with masks allow me a lot more freedom. I can fine-tune the adjustments I made on each layer without destroying the other layers. I can make adjustments to a single layer without having to retrace my steps. I can turn layers on and off to see what effect they have on one another. And I can add to or subtract from each mask to refine it at any time during the workflow.

I often save the image as a PSD file – with all those layers and masks intact – and return to it a few days later. In this way, I can keep track of all the adjustments I’ve made.

So, layers and masks let me take my blended image to the next level, and they allow me to preserve the processing steps I used to create the image. As my workflow gets more complex, layers and masks allow me to keep track of each adjustment, and gives me much greater control.

To learn more about Layers and Masks, check out Session 2 of our Nature Photography and iHDR Workflow Recording: Histograms and RAW Processing

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vacation_1687

Do the rules matter?

Varina Patel —  March 22, 2012

Compositional rules might make a photo more appealing, and it’s important to know the rules. But, are there times when it’s perfectly acceptable to break the rules? Photography is an art form. You need to be able to find the beauty in the scene before you and present it in your own way.

The Rule: Reflected light should never be brighter than its source.

Why we broke it: Although in reality the reflected light in the pool wasn’t as bright as the light in the sky, I made an artistic choice to let it go a little brighter because I wanted to draw the viewer’s attention toward that area of the image.

The Rules: Never use direct flash, and always place your point of interest off-center.

Why we broke them: Let’s start with the flash. For this shot, I needed bright light inside the cabin in order to match the exposure indoors to the exposure outdoors. I used the flash on my camera to light the interior of the cabin. Then, in post-processing, I reduced the contrast inside the cabin in order to reduce the extreme lighting. I broke the direct flash rule because I didn’t have any other light available. As for the centered point of interest – that came down to personal preference. I felt that a centered composition worked well in this case.

The Rule: Never center the horizon. Use the rule-of-thirds to place it in the top or bottom third of the composition.

Why we broke it: For this particular shot, I wanted to capture both the reflection and the sky. By placing the horizon at the top third or the bottom third, it would have been necessary to sacrifice either part of the reflection or part of the sky.

Maybe you’ve had other photographs comment on rules that you’ve broken with your photography – but it’s important to remember that the rules are often more important to other artists than they are to potential buyers. So let your eye be your guide. Shoot what feels right to you. Know the rules… but don’t be afraid to break them.

To learn more about creative photography and rules of composition check out our ebooks below:

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california_5137

Where does an image end up?

Varina Patel —  August 22, 2011

One of our readers sent me the following question:
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How you choose which images to show on your website gallery and which to put on photo sharing websites? And then there are those that go to stock agencies… I guess my question is: how do you decide what goes where?
—

This is an interesting question because much of the decision-making process is unconscious. I don’t use any kind of checklist to determine which images will be added to my online portfolio, which will be posted online, and which will never leave my computer. I don’t use a complicated method – I just go with what feels right.

In fact, I feel much more strongly about choosing the images that I don’t show. I think it’s important to be your own worst critic. I’d rather have ten really good images than ten thousand mediocre ones. If a photo isn’t good enough, it gets tossed out.

That said, I’ll try to provide a basic overview of my decision-making process for where images end up. For what it’s worth…

My online portfolio is home to landscape photos, macro and detail shots, and nature images. You’ll find the occasional small animal or insect there, but not much that isn’t a part of the natural world.

I am known, primarily, as a nature photographer – so although I shoot all kinds of photos, you won’t find stock shots or portraits in my portfolio. They go directly to stock agencies – and most people who know my work don’t even know that I shoot for stock as well.

I do have a special “showcase” gallery on my website that is reserved for my favorite images – and there you’ll find shots that just make me particularly happy. It’s the default gallery when you go to my site.

When I want to post on a photo sharing or networking site, I’ll probably choose some of my recent favorites. Something from a recent trip – so friends and fans can see what I’ve been working on – or something I was playing with recently.

And then there are competitions. This is a whole different ball game. I choose competition photos for impact. A technically perfect image isn’t enough – if you want to win, you need to choose a photo that jumps out and calls for attention.


So – there it is. Nothing mysterious here. I prepare a photo, decide if it’s worth showing to the world, and if I think it is, I get it ready to add to my portfolio. When I feel like sharing something, I’ll grab whatever catches my eye that day – and when I want something with some extra pop, I’ll put a little more time into my selection process. It’s as simple as that. :)

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