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82 Articles

The Canon Camera Book

Photography is a universal language with the power to transcend international barriers. It's no wonder then that it is one of the most popular hobbies in the world. For those aspiring to make it more than 'just' a hobby, getting your hands on some high-quality kit is essential. That's where Canon comes in, as one of the leading manufacturers of EOS DSLR and Compact System models for amateurs, enthusiasts and professionals. The range is staggering. So if you're planning to invest in a brand new camera, look no further than the new edition of The Canon Camera Book for guidance on choosing the best model and mastering the essential modes and functions. We will even take you through a selection of advanced capturing techniques and basic editing processes so you…

The Canon Camera Book

A guide to your Canon camera

Canon has long been a brand that photographers from all walks of life, from all over the world, can trust. Regardless of brand persuasion most photographers will acknowledge that Canon has a reputation for crafting cameras that present cutting-edge technology in durable bodies capable of capturing industry-leading image quality. The brand divides its product line into two main portfolios: compacts and CSC/DSLRs. Its compact collection consists of two styles of camera: PowerShot and IXUS. These then fall into six different genres in order to target the various demographics: expert, bridge, superzoom, Wi-Fi, point-and-shoot and rugged. The compact range is also sectioned into a series for a more defined approach for penetrating each market sector. You will find that the PowerShot G and S series offer high-end features with full…

A guide to your Canon camera

Ultimate guide to Canon lenses

Selecting the right lens for the correct subject matter is crucial. Your lens is the eye of your camera and records or captures what it sees. In terms of cost and performance, it usually comes down to the more you spend, the better your results. However, if you’re just starting out there is no point in splashing out on lots of expensive equipment straight away as you first need to learn the basics of photography. A good lens is pricey; there’s just no getting around that fact. The cheaper kit lenses will produce good enough results for beginners, but when you need to take your photography to the next level you will have to invest in a couple of decent lenses A lens’s angle of view is measured in millimetres.…

Ultimate guide to Canon lenses

Canon EF 16-35mm f2.8L III USM The focal lengths covered here enable the vast majority of landscape scenes to be captured, as photographers only occasionally need to go beyond 16mm. Newly designed optics improve on the previous incarnation of the lens and 9-bladed, instead of 7-bladed, circular aperture diaphragm, help explain the admittedly fairly high price. Price: £2,350/$2199 Canon EF 14mm f2.8L II USM This fantastic landscape lens goes beyond human perspective, offering a massive 114-degree field of view. Its ultra-wide nature not only packs plenty into the frame, but also gives a strong separation between foreground and background elements. A maximum aperture of f2.8 enables you to take sharp handheld shots too. Price: £1,789/$1,999 Canon EF-S 10-18mm f4.5-5.6 IS STM This lens is intended for users of crop sensor…

Canon EF 85mm f1.2L II USM With advanced features like fast, nearsilent autofocus, a circular aperture diaphragm for beautiful background bokeh and Super Spectra coating to reduce flare and ghosting, this premium version of the ideal portrait focal length may not be cheap but if you’re serious and your people shots, it’s well worth it. An ultra-wide f1.2 aperture rounds off the list of attractions. Price: £2,100/$1999 Canon EF 50mm f1.2L USM Many consider a 50mm prime lens ideal for general shooting, and it’s certainly very capable when it comes to portraits, offering a slightly wider field of view than a 85mm. The wide aperture of f1.2 enables you to capture stunning shallow depth of field effects and allows the lens to be used in very low light conditions. Price:…

Canon EF-S 18-135mm f3.5-5.6 IS STM On this well-priced lens, Dynamic Image Stabiliser technology will smooth out any vibrations and camera movements so that whether you’re shooting hand-held or recording a video, the results are sharper and better quality – ideal for shooting on the go. High speed auto focus will lock onto subjects quickly as well as accurately. Price: £319/$549 Canon EF 28-300mm f3.5-5.6 L IS USM This push/pull zoom offers a wide range of focal lengths, enabling you to avoid changing lenses frequently, which can be a massive advantage when travelling, avoiding the need to expose the sensor to dust and ensuring that you don’t miss moments because you have the wrong lens on. Price: £2,600/$2499 Canon EF-S 55-250mm f4-5.6 IS II Light, compact and great for those…

Canon EF-S 60mm f2.8 Macro USM The EF-S 60mm f2.8 Macro USM is the first true Macro lens in the EF-S series from Canon. With its ability to focus crisp and sharp life-size images onto the sensor, the EF-S 60mm f2.8 Macro USM offers true macro performance for a relatively low price. Price: £399/$419 Canon EF 100mm f2.8L Macro IS USM 100mm focal length enables a comfortable distance between the subject and the photographer, meaning that there’s less chance of scaring insects and small creatures away. There is also less chance of casting a shadow and spoiling your otherwiseperfect image. Price: £789/$799 Canon EF 50mm f2.5 Compact Macro Light and compact, this generalpurpose macro lens can also function as a flexible standard lens. The large f2.5 aperture enables fast, flashfree…

Canon EF 100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM Boasting fast and quiet AF, this zoom lens takes you all the way from the relatively modest telephoto of 100mm right up to the rather more powerful 400mm. There’s no constant maximum aperture, but that would make the lens much heavier. As it is, the heavy weight is the downside here – and, of course, the high price. Price: £2,300/$ 2199 Canon EF 200mm f2L IS USM Fixed focal length lenses such as this one generally offer a wider maximum aperture. Canon offer a fixed lens for every shooting scenario, and this one is geared towards the wildlife, sports and news photographers that crave a telephoto lens to bring them closer to the action. The lens also comes with a dedicated, detachable hood.…

Canon TS-E 90mm f2.8 This is a short telephoto lens that comes with perspective and depthof-field control, which enables you to produce images that simply are not possible with normal lenses. It is perfect for architecture, portraits and product photography. You can also focus all the way down to 0.5cm, boosting its versatility. Price: £809/$1,399 Canon EF 8-15mm f4L Fisheye USM This robust 8-15mm lens has been made for rough weather conditions, while the allimportant front glass has been treated with a distinct fluorine coating that makes it much easier to keep clean. For users with a crop factor this lens will equal 12-24mm. It has a hefty price tag, so make sure you’re serious about creativity before buying. Price: £1,079/$1,199 Canon TS-E 17mm f4L The tiltand-shift lens effect has…

Essential kit for your Canon

Buying a Canon camera is an investment – whether it’s a small compact camera for snapping holidays and events, or a bigger DSLR model for professional or pleasure purposes. When it comes to adding accessories, the choices are vast, stretching from gizmos and gadgets that are fun play with, to more serious pieces of kit such as tripods and cleaning equipment. Chances are that if you’re passionate about photography, your kit wish list will never end as you aim to build as many options as possible to help you shoot better images using different techniques. We’ve compiled a list of accessories that complement your Canon camera and explain briefly about how they’ll help you. We start by looking at tripods, which are often the most bulky piece of equipment after…

Essential kit for your Canon

SIRUI N-2004X TRIPOD WITH BUILT-IN MONOPOD £180/$234 This tripod stands out from the crowd because you can remove one of the legs and use it as a monopod, and there’s a hand strap included too. It’s constructed from aluminium, weighs 1.8kg, and can hold up to 15kg, so it’s certainly a solid option. It has flip-type leg locks and nonslip rubber feet with metal spikes that can be retracted, so you’re able to get a solid purchase on the ground. This is an all-rounder and its ability to be turned into a monopod makes it a really versatile option. VELBON ULTRA 355 TRIPOD £135/$230 This compact tripod comes with a three-way panhead and quick-release platform. It also has a multi-angle splittable centre column to allow you to work down to…

Change the angle

MANFROTTO 055 MAGNESIUM BALL HEAD £165/$250 Built to work with the 055 Tripod series, this head is extremely precise and offers extra smooth movements, which is especially important if you use your Canon for the dual purpose of filming and photography. Its most useful features include the 90-100 degree portrait angle selector and an independent pan lock. It’s constructed from light-weight magnesium and it comes with a traditional disk attachment. GITZO SERIES 1 MAG CENTRE BALL HEAD GH1780 £190/$235 At a basic level the design of ball heads are based on a large ball that sits inside a socket, which is locked by a clamping screw. This model by Gitzo features the same basic design but with an added emphasis on balance and smoothness for the photographer. This tripod head…

Change the angle

Protect your kit

CANON 100EG PADDED CAMERA AND GADGET BAG £39/$50 Protect your gear from harmful bumps, moisture and dust with a shoulder bag that’s built to fit either one or two DSLR bodies and up to four lenses (depending on size). The padding serves a dual purpose of offering protection and making it comfortable to carry around. The Velcro inside the bag is adjustable to fit your particular gear. There’s also enough space for memory cards, batteries and other peripheral accessories. LOWEPRO SLINGSHOT EDGE 150 AW £63/$90 This fast-access camera bag is perfect for holding the smaller Canon EOS M10 or older Canon mirrorless models. Its slim size holds a small camera with a lens attached, an extra lens and a tablet, as well as coming with a protective rain cover to…

Protect your kit

Flexible lighting

CANON SPEEDLIGHT 90EX £120/$150 Simplicity is the main quality of the Canon 90EX. This no-nonsense unit is perfect for regular, everyday shots and is an ideal fit for an amateur’s kit. It is an apt speedlight for portraits and does wonders to evenly light up indoor scenes. Its slim design means it can slip into any size of camera bag and its quick, discreet and fully automated, ready to be pulled out a moment’s notice. The unit is powered by AAA batteries, so be sure to carry some spares with you. CANON SPEEDLIGHT 270EX II £180/$170 For use with EOS models, this flashgun has a lightweight and compact design while still offering a range of functions. One of its useful attributes is the ability to use the speedlight both on…

Flexible lighting

CANON LEATHER NECKSTRAP FOR POWERSHOT CAMERAS £12.49/$20 Keep your PowerShot camera safely around your neck with this smart and stylish leather strap. The nylon ends feed easily into the eyelets on the body of your camera and you can use the clips on the side to adjust the strap to suit you. The style of the strap fits perfectly with both Canon’s soft and leather cases for PowerShot cameras, which makes this a nice all-rounder. OP/TECH CAM STRAP QD £7.99/$9.95 Get more grip with this neoprene wrist strap, which is ideal for keeping smaller cameras securely around your wrist while being able to detach them if needed. The strap can take up to 1.13kg, while the thick and wide strip of material makes sure it’s a comfortable fit. Attach and…

Store the memory

SAMSUNG PRO MICROSD CARD (16GB WITH ADAPTER) £23/$30 This high performance microSD is perfect for any Canon camera that requires the smaller sized SD card. The card offers quick transfer to your computer as a Class 10 card with a transfer speed of up to 90MB/s, which translates to roughly 660 images per second. It’s also available in 32GB and 64GB versions. It comes complete with an SD adapter so you’ll be able to plug it into any SD card reader on laptops or other devices. SANDISK EXTREME PRO COMPACT FLASH 64GB £361/$150 The main difference between CF and SD cards is the speed and the size. CF cards are much quicker but don’t fit into all cameras, and they’re more costly. This high speed SanDisk card is available from…

Store the memory

KINETRONICS SPECKGRABBER £6.70/$3.50 Use the SpeckGrabber pen to get rid of pesky bits of dust or debris on your camera. The unit has an adhesive surface to pick up the dirt and remove it. The pen works best with spots, hairs or dust you’ve identified as being a problem. It’s handy to tackle debris on the sensor where you might not want to take the risk wiping over the entire surface. It’s a great way to clean your lens without risking it being damaged. Always be careful when handling the lens. LENSPEN MICROKLEAR CLOTH £15.74/$14.99 Keep your EF lenses sparkling with this neat cloth made from fabric soft enough to wipe away dirt and dust but not scratch or damage the lens. Always make sure to store the cloth away…

Get to know Canon modes

Your Canon’s mode dial has something for every photographer whether you’re an expert or just starting out. There are a variety of modes available, which range from basic Auto to full-blown Manual control over exposure settings. Whether you’re working with a high-end Canon compact, CSC or DSLR, most mode dials feature the same essential selection of options, which means you can follow along with us as we explore what’s really on offer here. The mode dial is normally positioned on top of the camera, although on some models it may be found within the camera’s menu interface. Your mode dial has an important role to play in the photo-taking process, and can essentially determine how well your shot turns out – no matter how skilled you are. Its is therefore…

Get to know Canon modes

Frame like the pros with Canon

From utilising the golden rule of thirds to that simple notion of moving your feet, composition is one of the main factors when constructing a truly great photograph. With music, if there was no composition there wouldn’t be a song, and the same applies to creating an image with photography. If you don’t perfect the composition, you won’t have a strong image – it’s as simple as that. Composition is all part of the fun with photography, whether that’s shooting on location, in a studio or exploring somewhere new. In essence, it presents your subject in the best way possible by creating an image with the minor details, such as the crop, the tilt and other composition elements, perfected for a really stunning shot. In our guide to composition we’ll…

Frame like the pros with Canon

At the forefront of fashion

With a fashion portrait, the product is often more important than the model – finding the right balance here as well as incorporating props, challenging lighting and the pressure of pleasing a client can be a daunting task, especially if you’re not used to shooting people. It’s important to keep in mind that your compositions need to showcase the fashions in the best way. Unlike portraits where limbs close to the camera are a no-no, products in prime positions draw attention to the item rather than the model. However, when combining the two elements in the frame, eye contact is another technique to entice the viewer to engage with what’s on display. Despite what you may have heard, it’s okay to place the model in the middle, as the symmetry…

Pointers for stunning portraits

⊙ Position the body We get fixated on faces and sometimes forget what the rest of the body is doing. Keep hands and feet away from the camera. ⊙ Don’t ruin visual flow Arms and legs act as lead-in lines to follow to the frame edge. Cropping at ankles, wrists and foreheads is too abrupt for viewers. ⊙ Background distractions Avoid brain stems – lines, trees, or other things that photographers accidentally place their models directly in front of. In studios they appear as backdrop creases. ⊙ Slide to the side Symmetrical, centreweighted images can be good, but the rule of thirds is still strong. Placing your model at an angle rather than square with the frame is flattering. ⊙ Think of the light Broad lighting is good for softening…

Pointers for stunning portraits

Top tips and tricks for shooting on location

⊙ Plan Visit your location beforehand and take test shots to work out the best compositions. If shooting seascapes, check tide levels ⊙ Get up early, stay out late Be disciplined and get on location at least an hour before you intend to shoot so that you can work out the best light. ⊙ Compose using a decent tripod If you’re serious about taking great images, think about how to support your camera. I’ve seen students with tripods less stable than a drunk on a cattle grid. ⊙ Use a cable release Buy a hard-wired option as you’ll be confident of getting that stunning, shake-free shot. This is perfect for long exposures. ⊙ Invest in filters Buy a 0.9ND grad and a six or ten-stop ND. This is a great…

Top tips and tricks for shooting on location

What’s your ratio?

Set on symmetry Why not try to shoot a landscape by avoiding the rule of thirds and instead make use of symmetry? When the standard landscape format just isn’t cutting it, experimenting with different aspect ratios can dramatically alter the composition of a landscape shot. While it is absolutely fine to crop a landscape photograph in post-production, you should have in mind which section of the landscape you intend to crop when composing at the start so that you can head home satisfied. An aspect ratio such as 5:4 is pleasing when working with foreground and background elements, but turning to a portrait composition with 4:5 can completely alter an image. It’s worth spending some time experimenting with crops so that you find a ratio that complements your style. If…

What’s your ratio?

While many photographers will say how great a wideangle lens is for architecture photography, they aren’t the best option to keep the lead-in lines of a building straight. A telephoto lens is better when composing those important lead-in lines in an architecture shot as it won’t convex its original shape and will give a true representation of what is in front of you Tilt-shift lenses are also a good investment for architecture photographers, especially those who have a tight space to work with. The tilt-shift lens will maintain the straight vertical lines. If capturing straight lines on a building in-camera is proving difficult, you can correct in Photoshop by reshaping the image.…

Learn the art of architecture shots

⊙ Educate your eyes Learn to observe symmetry. Put this in your composition when you can, as it creates harmony. ⊙ Get a tilt-shift lens They are the most important tool. Images with converging vertical lines are totally unacceptable. ⊙ Find shapes Lines and curves must be in total harmony – they have to make your eyes follow them across the image. ⊙ Maintain balance Ensure that every aspect in your composition is in balance. ⊙ Look up and down Some of the best details aren’t at eye level, so look around. ⊙ Be patient Wait for the right time to get the right light, as lights and shadows can affect your composition significantly. ⊙ Visit the place beforehand Check the location and see if you need permission to climb…

Learn the art of architecture shots

Put the products in the frame

⊙ Balance items Make it look like the items are balancing and with one small touch it will a collapse. Like a game of Jenga, it adds tensions and interest. ⊙ Balance items Make it look like the items are balancing and with one small touch it will a collapse. Like a game of Jenga, it adds tensions and interest. ⊙ Use the rule of thirds The rule of thirds rarely fails and happens naturally most of the time in compositions. Saying that, rules are meant to be broken. ⊙ Add movement When possible, create a sense of movement. Although it’s a still life, there needs to be an energy so the viewer feels the atmosphere. ⊙ Use props Create a set to complement the products and to produce a…

Put the products in the frame

Master metering

The digital age has made it easier than ever for photographers to let their cameras meter and expose automatically, but there are so many good reasons to be more aware of how your device reads a scene and take back control. While this approach might take fractionally longer and require a bit more brain power, the results you’ll achieve when you meter smartly for the scene at hand can be breathtaking. Understanding your DSLR’s light meter is key to achieving consistent and accurate exposures, but these go beyond what the camera thinks is the ‘correct’ choice. Your camera’s in-built light meter determines the optimum shutter speed and aperture for the conditions at hand, but it doesn’t work creatively and can easily be fooled by challenging lighting scenarios. In this feature…

Master metering

Use a light meter

1 Choose camera settings Select your chosen ISO and set the meter to the same value. You can shoot in any desired manual mode, but should decide whether to prioritise the shutter speed or aperture. 2 Prep the meter Press Mode to select the Ambient Light mode. Slide the white domed Lumisphere mounting across to take a reflected light reading, or keep it in position for incident light mode. 3 Measure the light For a reflective reading, hold the meter by the camera, directing it towards your subject. Incidental measurements should be taken by the subject, with the Lumisphere pointed at the camera. 4 Tweak the result Toggle the reading to reach your desired aperture or shutter, and set the camera accordingly. An E.U reading indicates insufficient light, so increase…

Use a light meter

Cannon exposure exposed

Works best with Canon EOS 7D There’s nothing more fundamental to taking a photo than exposure. In fact, by taking a photo all you are actually doing is exposing the light-sensitive sensor in your camera to light. The two big factors involved are how much light is falling on your subject and how much of this light is recorded by the sensor – the latter being a direct response to the former. In some situations it’s possible to modify the exposure by reducing or increasing the amount of light on your subject, whereas in landscape photography, for instance, it’s necessary to adjust the exposure purely by changing various factors on the camera itself. Perhaps the most important thing to keep in mind with exposure is that it’s entirely subjective.…

Cannon exposure exposed

Hello to histograms

One of the best things about digital photography is that you now have the ability to see – at the time of capture – how your images have turned out, by pressing a review button on the back of your camera. Before digital, photographers had to wait until the film was developed to discover if their images were over- or underexposed. By that time, it was too late to change anything and also difficult to know just what it was that you did wrong – which made it harder for beginners to learn from their mistakes. However, rather than just looking at the image itself on the camera’s LCD, it’s important to pay attention to the histogram, as this tells you precisely how the scene has been recorded. The centre…

Hello to histograms

Ghostly portraits

During a long exposure, if a person is only in a particular position for a limited amount of time, there’s a fair chance that, depending on the amount of time relative to the length of the exposure, they won’t appear in the final image at all. This is useful if you want to take a photo of a popular tourist spot, but don’t want to capture all the tourists milling around! Use a tripod and a Neutral Density filter and, provided no one stands still for too long, there’s a good chance that you’ll be able to make the scene appear as if no one was there at all. You can experiment with this approach when taking portraits, then if you keep the light low you may not need to…

Ghostly portraits

Exposure value – or EV – simply refers to the effective combination of any shutter speed, any aperture and how different combinations relate to one another. There’s a rather confusing equation that can be used to calculate the EV based on any given shutter speed and aperture combination, but fortunately there are plenty of tables online – and of course apps – that negate the need to be an advanced mathematician. Assuming that ISO 100 is being used, a landscape scene at sunset will often have an EV of around 8 or 9. In other words, there’s a good chance that you’ll be shooting at something like 1sec at f16, or 2sec at f22. This EV table is the origin of the sunny 16 rule. As a sunny day generally…

Works best with Canon EOS-1D X Shutter speed – it’s one simple phrase that every photographer knows and one that describes something utilised by your camera every time a photo is taken to help get a ‘correct’ exposure. So, why take control of shutter speeds? Whether you want to photograph stunning star trails at night-time using very long exposures, or freeze the fleeting motion of a bird in flight to reveal the detail of its beating wings, learning how to control your shutter speeds is key. There are other aspects of shutter speed control you can take advantage of, such as the relationship between focal length and shutter speed, which can help to reduce camera shake. Plus, there are ways of using shutter speeds for specific effects using ‘rules’ that…

Shutters and shutter speeds

Cameras have within them a device called a shutter that allows a timed and finely controlled amount of light to enter the camera. It can take the form of a focal plane shutter, such as that found in DSLRs, or a more simple leaf shutter, as found in most compact digital cameras. The shutter is usually positioned in the camera body behind the lens and in front of the sensor as with DSLRs, where it can be clearly seen when you swap a lens. This is a focal plane shutter. Or it can be inside the lens (the leaf shutter type) as with compact digital cameras. Whatever the case, as the shutter travels it reveals an open slit to the outside world that allows focused light to enter and hit…

Shutter speed tips

• Use a fast shutter speed to freeze a fast-moving subject. The faster the action, the faster the shutter speed needed to freeze it. • Use slow shutter speeds to creatively blur your subject, be it a waterfall or waves on a beach, to convey the feeling of motion in a subject. • Using flash can help freeze motion as well as a fast shutter speed. • Use a neutral density filter if you have problems with detail bleaching out when using longer exposures in daylight. • Always use a shutter speed the reciprocal of the focal length in use to help reduce problems from things like camera shake. • Bump up the camera’s ISO sensitivity to help get faster shutter speeds at your disposal. • If using slow shutter…

Master off-camera flash

For many budding photographers, offcamera flash is considered either too difficult or something that,s best left for the professionals, but this couldn,t be further from the truth. Using off-camera flash is not only easy, but it,s fun too and it opens up the door to a multitude of creative possibilities. For those who are unfamiliar with off-camera flash, it involves firing a flashgun remotely in order to achieve studio-style lighting effects. Unlike conventional studio lighting, flashguns are inexpensive and are powered by disposable batteries, meaning that they don,t rely on mains power in order to operate. This in turn means that you can use them both indoors and while you are out shooting on location for added flexibility. Before you get started, however, you,re going to need three things; a…

Master off-camera flash

Low-cost pro portraits

Works best with Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM One of photography’s potential drawbacks is that it can often appear to be rather prohibitive in terms of affordability. Many people hesitate over whether or not to pursue photography, simply because there seems to be an ever-increasing amount of kit that needs to be purchased in order to do so – much of which is certainly not cheap. Despite being among the most popular genres of photography, portraiture is actually one of the biggest culprits when it comes to perceived cost. It’s all too common for aspiring photographers to see portraits online that have been captured using multiple lights – with each individual unit costing several thousand pounds – and be left feeling that they simply cannot access that sort of photography…

Low-cost pro portraits

Budget lens options

1. SIGMA 17-70MM F2.8-4 DC MACRO OS HSM This lens costs around £350/$400 and is designed for cameras with an APS-C sensor. This model is a new version of an old favourite and provides the equivalent of around 27-112mm on the Canon APS-C sensors with their 1.6x conversion factors. Its close focusing capability is ideal for minimising depth of field and the zoom offers flexibility in focal lengths. 2. CANON EF 85MM F/1.8 USM Canon users will be interested in this perfect portrait lens, which retails for around £250/$350. The f1.8 aperture enables shallow depth of field and it offers the classic 85mm portrait focal length. 3. SIGMA 50MM F1.4 EX DG HSM This alternative from Sigma is very highly respected and retails for around £300/$500. It features a maximum…

Budget lens options

Create blur without a wide-aperture lens

If you don’t have a lens with a particularly wide aperture to hand, you can re-create a similar shallow depth of field by going to the telephoto end and focusing tight on your subject at the widest aperture that’s offered to you, which will probably be f5.6. Depth of field is limited at longer focal lengths and closer focusing distances, so you will be able to reproduce the appearance of a much wider aperture.…

Create blur without a wide-aperture lens

Low-cost flash accessories

Bottletop 5-in-1 50cm Reflector (Diffuser + Gold/White & Sunfire/Silver) www.lastolite.co.uk £36/$39 This product enables you to reflect the light in using gold, white, sunfire or silver surfaces. There is also a diffuser panel included. 4 Section Heavy Duty Air Cushioned Stand www.lastolite.co.uk £50 (approx. $78) This portable stand will enable you to use your speedlight off-camera and produce creative, professionallooking flash effects. Ezybox II Square Medium 60 x 60cm www.lastolite.co.uk £91/$115 Quick and easy to assemble and disassemble, this softbox is highly collapsible and very portable. You can also get grids to fit across the front diffuser panel.…

Low-cost flash accessories

Budget speedlights

Metz 52 AF-1 Digital Flashgun www.intro2020.co.uk £230/$300 This speedlight is available for Canon, Nikon, Olympus, Pentax and Sony cameras. This model features 24-105mm automatic zoom functionality and a touchscreen, with a guide number of 52 with ISO 100/21 – more powerful than the Nikon SB910, which you can expect to pay more for. Phottix Mitros TTL Flashgun www.intro2020.co.uk £250/$499 Even more powerful still, this speedlight – which can be found for around £250 – is available for both Canon and Nikon cameras. It has a 24-105mm motorised zoom capability, TTL functionality, plus bounce and swivel features. Nissin Di866 www.nissindigital.com £268/$350 Available in both Canon and Nikon fits, this speedlight is adjustable from full power to 1/128 power. At full power, this is the strongest of the three speedlights featured here…

Budget speedlights

Create a colour cast

Some photographers like to add a second speedlight to their images, fitted with a CTB (colour temperature blue) gel to make the shooting environment – but not the subject themselves – turn a cool shade of blue. However, you can produce a very similar effect by using just one speedlight, fitted with a full CTO (colour temperature orange) gel and setting your camera’s white balance setting to 2500K. Here’s a guide to how it works. 1 USE A CTO GEL Fit your speedlight with a full CTO gel. You might want to add a ½ CTO gel too. Gels like these are very cheap and can be bought from many online retailers. 2 SET THE WHITE BALANCE Use a manual white balance to create a cold, blue colour cast. In…

Create a colour cast

Use flash for modern portraits

Have you ever watched a Hollywood movie and wished you could capture the glitz and glam of Tinseltown in a portrait? Well, what if we told you that not only could you do just that, but you can actually do it all from the comfort of your own home? All it requires is a clever bit of lighting, a willing model as well as the right clothing and props to make it appear convincing. If this sounds like a challenge, then think again as it’s actually incredibly simple to pull off and with our easy-to-follow step-bystep guide we’ll show you exactly how it’s done from setup and shooting, to adding the finishing touches in Photoshop. Before you get started you’ll need to make sure you have the right gear, most…

Use flash for modern portraits

Light modifiers

Firing a flashgun or studio strobe without a light modifier can often produce harsh, unflattering results and will cast strong shadows across the face. To remedy this, professional photographers attach light modifiers to the front of their studio lights in order to diffuse the light to produce softer results. There are a multitude of different diffusers available, but the most common choices are softboxes, beauty dishes and photographic umbrellas. Although all modifiers work in a similar way, they will produce varying results depending on their size and shape. If you wish to use a light modifier with off-camera flash, you’ll also need to purchase a suitable light bracket.…

Light modifiers

A SKY FULL OF STARS Using long exposures to capture moving water is an effective, creative way of working with motion, and can add a sense of drama to a scene Works best with Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM At its core, photography is all about stopping motion and capturing a tiny moment of time in a single freeze-frame. It’s for this very reason that photographers are constantly inspired to shoot action and show the reality of their images. There is an infinite number of different ways to capture a sense of life in a still image. You might decide to retain a blurring of the subject or trace that subject’s movement, keeping it sharp in contrast to a blurred background. Adding artificial light to the mix then opens up…

Extend exposures with a neutral density filter

One of the most common subjects to use an ND filter with is water, as waterfalls and coastal scenes take on a whole new feel when the motion appears smooth and milky. ND filters are perfect for shooting during the day, and reduce the light entering your lens. The Big Stopper (www.leefilters.com), for instance, will reduce the light by approximately ten stops. In real terms, this turns a 1/30sec exposure into a 30-second one that’s perfect for recording smooth water motion. As ND filters are available in a range of lightstopping powers, you might find it a more flexible solution to buy several varieties. To achieve a correctly exposed scene, compose the shot and take a meter reading before fitting your filter, then calculate the exposure time needed for the…

Extend exposures with a neutral density filter

Combat shutter lag

The term ‘shutter lag’ refers to the time between pressing down the shutter, and when the photo has actually been recorded. When photographing fastmoving objects or people in motion, any delay is an evident problem, but you can overcome it to a certain degree by anticipating your shot and using presets on your camera. On most DSLRs, when you press down the shutter halfway, the camera will set the focus and exposure before you take the shot. Then, on a full press of the button, the shot should be taken almost instantaneously because the majority of the processing has already taken place. STROBOSCOPIC FLASH Most modern speedlights are capable of firing a rapid burst of low-power flashes that capture a sequence of images of a moving subject in a single…

Combat shutter lag

Meet the expert

MODIFY THE LIGHT If you’re using multiple flash units, adapt their output to create a balanced result. Bounce light off the ceiling or diffuse it with a portable reflector to create softer illumination. Brief bio As part of his varied portfolio, Schilder loves the fun of shooting water collisions using high-speed flash. See his work online at www.markusschilder.com. What draws you to split-second images? It’s wonderful to capture ephemeral images of moments that only last around 1/10,000sec, and yet happen daily around the globe when it rains. We can’t capture with our bare eyes… So it’s a real pleasure to be able to manipulate a camera, controller and a drop sensor to precisely place one drop on top of another. How do you set up a shot? First I set…

Meet the expert

Hyperfocal focusing explained

Although it’s not exactly a rule of photography, landscape photographers usually like to keep everything sharp from the foreground, through to the distance. Achieving such depth of field depends on the lens you use. The wider the angle, the more depth of field you inherently have for example. The aperture you set, the smaller the aperture the greater the depth of field, and of course where in the scene you focus. When choosing where to focus, many photographers use the rule of thumb of focusing a third of the way into the scene. While this works well in many instances, it is not actually very precise. If you have a foreground interest very close to the lens, you need a more accurate method – which is where the hyperfocal distance…

Hyperfocal focusing explained

The power of PERSPECTIVE

A perspective is a particular way of considering something – whether it’s an opinion or just simply the way that you look at an object or scene. In photography, perspective refers to the relationship between the objects within the frame – primarily their position, size and spacing in relation to each other. Learning how perspective affects the elements in an image is one of the most important skills for photographers to master. The human brain will establish the scale and depth of the objects in a scene by determining their relationship to each other – so photographers use perspective to not only demonstrate the sense of scale in a scene, but also to distort and emphasise it. When thinking about perspective you must first understand the principle of linear perspective,…

The power of PERSPECTIVE

Create a miniature effect

1 Set up Get yourself into an elevated position and set up your camera so it is pointing downwards. It’s best to use a tripod to ensure that your camera is stable. 2 Choose your settings Make sure that you select a wide aperture of around f3.5 for the most striking miniature effect, and tilt your lens. 3 Frame and focus Tiltshift lenses need to be manually focused, so you are probably best to compose in Live View. Once the desired area is in focus, take the shot.…

Create a miniature effect

Product perspective

Why do you shoot from an elevated perspective? I think it’s an interesting way to show a broad survey of objects. It’s also very engaging – the viewer often spends some time with the image, and upon revisiting it will often find new surprises. Can you explain your technique? I work on a 10’x 8’ canvas on the floor, with the ‘film’ plane at about 12 feet from the floor. I generally start with the largest objects first and place them so they have a good rhythm in the image, then fill in around the larger objects. The camera collection is an excellent example of this. Sometimes there is a colour story and sometimes it’s more about shape. Ninety per cent of these images are made incamera on the floor…

Product perspective

Shoot low and close

1 Find your vantage point Using a low elevation is useful for reducing large expanses of middle distance, such as sea or fields that may add little to the composition. 2 Set depth of field When foreground elements are close to the camera, pay attention to the depth of field and focus point if you wish to retain front-to-back focus. 3 Use a slow shutter speed Water retreating from the camera or rushing towards it can be effective. Slow shutter speeds in this instance often work very well.…

Shoot low and close

Features of a portrait lens

Ideally a portrait lens will have a focal length of around 85 to 105mm and be bright and fast with a wide aperture. The wide aperture will let in a lot of light and also mean that you can isolate your subject from the background. A good example is the Canon EF 85mm f1.2L II USM. It has very little distortion, which helps to produce more flattering portraits. A subject’s face will not be misshapen or distorted, which will make for a more pleasing image.…

Features of a portrait lens

Capture a moody mono seascape

What you’ll need DSLR Tripod Remote release Ten-stop ND filter ND grad filter Timer or stopwatch What’s the longest exposure you’ve ever used to take a photograph? A second or two to capture a sunset? Maybe half a minute to record a night scene? For most, that’s about as long as it gets. But what happens if you were to use long exposures not because you need to, but because you want to, for creative effect? You can extend exposures way beyond the realms of normality in broad daylight by using extreme neutral density (ND) filters such as the Lee Big Stopper and Hitech Prostop IRND 10. Photographs normally freeze time, but with a ten-stop ND filter on your lens the exposure has to be multiplied 1,000 times so you…

Capture a moody mono seascape

Which ten-stop ND?

Lee Filters Big Stopper 100mm: £100, 75mm: £70 Fits the Lee 100mm and R75 filter holders, optically excellent, but made of glass so easy to damage. Tiffen ND 3.0 77m: £76 Screw-in and available in main thread sizes. Tiffen filters are made to exacting optical standards. B+W ND110 3.0 77mm: £106 Screw-fit so not as versatile, but optically superb and available in main sizes. Images are warm. Cokin Nuances ND1024 100mm: £89, 85mm £60 Part of a new range of Cokin filters, this one’s a good alternative to the Lee and Hitech options. Hitech Prostop IRND 10 100mm: £102, 85mm: £68 Made of resin, so is durable, and optically excellent with a neutral colour balance. SRB ND1000 77mm: £32.50 This budget ten-stop has a warm cast and is optically very…

Which ten-stop ND?

Works best with Canon MP-E 65mm f/2.8 1-5x Macro Photo No genre brings the fascinating world of the tiny and miniature into full view quite like macro photography does, yet it also demands such careful attention to technique that it can seem daunting even to professional photographers. To m ake t he j ump into smaller-than-life shooting, however, there are essentially only a few things to keep in mind. Macro photography is really no different to other kinds of photography once you understand the basic principles. Today macro is a loosely used term, and shouldn’t be limited to life-sized magnifications, but rather close-up photography in general. You needn’t invest a fortune to get pleasing results as there are plenty of budget kit options to enable you to get closer to…

Decide on your magnification

0.2x Canon EF-S 17-85mm f4-5.6 IS USM At the lower end of the scale, some lenses will only produce an image that a fifth of life-size. This Canon zoom lens has a maximum reproduction ratio of 0.20x at 85mm, and will only focus as closely as 0.35m. It does feature image stabilisation, though, so it’s great for going handheld 0.34x Canon EF-S 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 IS II Many standard kit lenses, such as this 18-55mm from Canon, can produce an image that’s a third of the life-size of the object. This applies when shooting at the minimum focus distance, which is 0.25m for this lens. It has a maximum reproduction ratio of 0.34x (when shooting at 55mm 0.5x Canon EF 50mm f/2.5 Compact Macro Macro lenses such as this Canon 50mm…

Decide on your magnification

Meet the professional

Brief bio Matt Cole is a British wildlife and nature photographer. His images have appeared in a wide variety of publications, and his close-ups of have had success in competitions. What advantages does this wideangle style of macro offer? The main advantage of wideangle macro is its ability to show the subject within its natural environment. Placing the subject within its habitat can be both more informative and more interesting. What are the ideal conditions for shooting wide-angle macro? It can be difficult to keep the sky out of wide-angle macro images and so a deep-blue sky is preferable to an insipid white sky. How do you focus your shots? I almost always use manual focus. If I’m using a tripod I’ll use Live View, but if shooting handheld I…

Meet the professional

Work with macro flash

1 Assemble the setup Begin by setting up your macro flash. If, like us, you’re using the Nikon R1C1, fit the adapter and attachment ring, then lock the speedlights into place. 2 Channels Attach the commander to your camera and set the flash mode to TTL. As we’re using a product with two speedlights, we set the Group dial on each unit to A and B. 3 Position your flash Compose the frame and angle the flash heads towards your subject. If your flash system has separate flashes, experiment by positioning one off-lens.…

Work with macro flash

Understand depth of field

Depth of field is the most limiting factor in macro photography, and it depends primarily on aperture value and magnification. At any given aperture value, the higher the magnification ratio is, the smaller the depth of field. If you like, you can either adjust your composition for greater depth of field, or narrow the aperture. F5.6 At a wide aperture, your background will generally be very blurred. When shooting at very high magnifications or very close to subjects, you will find it impossible to get your entire subject in focus with a wider aperture. F13 Arguably the image at f13 works best, capturing just the right amount of background detail in the shot. The insect’s entire wing is also sharper than at f5.6, and we get a better understanding of…

Understand depth of field

Capture light trails

During the winter months, the days get shorter and the nights get longer – this makes it the best time of year to head outside and capture some low-light photography. One of the most common techniques is that of capturing traffic trails by using a long exposure. But what happens if you take the principles of this popular technique and use them inside the moving vehicle? Well, as you’ve probably seen from our final image, it can result in some pretty amazing photography. What’s more, it’s actually incredibly easy to do and doesn’t require any expensive equipment – just a digital camera (preferably one with full manual controls like a DSLR or CSC), a sturdy tripod and, of course, a car. You will also need to wrangle the help of…

Capture light trails

Hands-free shooting

When shooting with very slow shutter speeds, even the slightest of movements of the camera during the exposure can be enough to create blur and result in a soft image. When you’re trying to shoot in a moving vehicle, this can be a somewhat tricky task, but there is one simple thing you can do to help reduce the chances of shake ruining your shots. Using a shutter release cable is invaluable and will allow you to fire the shutter without actually having to touch the camera, removing any chance of you accidentally knocking the camera or tripod. If you don’t own a release cable, the next best option would be to set the camera to self-timer mode, which will produce similar results.…

Hands-free shooting

Use Canon to shoot in Black & white

Work best with canon EOS 100D There are some things in life that seem to have a resilience that defies expectation. Just as vinyl records have survived the arrival of both the CD and digital downloads among music fans, black-and-white photography has never gone away. In the early days of photography, black and white was the simpler option, with reliable, faithful and durable colour photography proving a significant challenge to achieve. Naturally, while monochrome was the only option, the desire to produce practical colour film was inextinguishable. By the end of the Thirties, colour was no longer merely a dream for general photography, spreading like wildfire. However, if anyone expected colour to subjugate black-andwhite photography or render it moribund, they were wrong. Despite the availability of colour, black and white…

Use Canon to shoot in Black & white

Create and enhance contrast with filters

One way of controlling the appearance of black-and-white images that photographers could use in the field was coloured filters over the lens. This is often replicated in digital cameras, with these filter options built into the Monochrome shooting mode. A yellow filter slightly lightens tones – such as reds, oranges and yellows – while a red filter produces dramatic results, greatly brightening red tones and sending blue skies nearly black. A green filter is used for making foliage stand out in monochrome images and a blue filter can be used for creating interesting portraits, as they darken down skin tones significantly. 5. reasons to shoot in black & white A black-and-white image has a timeless look to it that’s hard to conjure in colour. Black and white is ideal when…

Create and enhance contrast with filters

5 tips for shooting black & white

Tap into texture Always keep an eye out for interesting surface textures when you’re shooting black-and-white images. Weathered wood is a good example, but you’ll find an endless supply if you explore the world of mono in macro. Hiding in the shadows Black-and-white shots are often at their best when they’re as much about what you can’t see as what you can. Including plenty of shadows can create a fitting mood and atmosphere. Contrast control Success when handling monochrome often owes much to your ability to judge and control contrast. Black and white can work well with stark, hard or soft contrast, but in every case it needs to suit the subject and the scene. See in shapes Pay close attention to the shape and forms present in your monochrome…

5 tips for shooting black & white

Shoot architecture with Canon

Works best with Canon TS-E 24mm f3.5L II Arguably the best thing about architectural photography is that you are never going to be short of subjects to capture. Just head to any town or city, for example, and you’ll be presented with a wealth of potential photo opportunities; whether you’re shooting an ultra-modern office block or a classic historical building, there’s always plenty on offer. However, what may look like an impressive image to the human eye doesn’t always translate well into a photograph, so the real challenge comes when using your creative smarts to find new and exciting ways to capture some truly intriguing imagery. Unlike other areas of photography, which require specialist equipment in order to get started, almost any lens can be used to snap impressive building…

Shoot architecture with Canon

Correct verticals with tilt-shift

When shooting buildings with a wide-angle lens, distortion can become a bit of a problem, causing buildings and structures to appear as if they’re leaning backwards or forwards, which can look a bit unnatural. Using the shift function of a tilt-shift lens, however, will enable you to fix this by manually adjusting the camera’s perspective. To do this, simply look through the viewfinder of your DSLR and roughly compose the shot, as you would do normally. Then, slowly rotate the shift dial on the side of the lens and watch as the verticals in your image start to correct. It’s often useful to use the composition guides or AF point markers displayed within your viewfinder as a guide to help better determine when the verticals are dead straight. Once the…

Correct verticals with tilt-shift

Iconic architecture

Eiffel Tower, Paris, France Map coordinates: 48.858871, 2.294419 The Eiffel Tower is one of the most recognisable landmarks in the world. With multiple roads and paths leading up to the tower, the use of symmetry and lead-in lines is abundant. Taipei 101, Taipei, Taiwan Map coordinates: 25.034361, 121.563842 This is Taiwan’s tallest building and stands at 101 stories tall. Its symmetrical design makes it ideal for abstract photography, though it can also be shot at a distance via the nearby Nangang District Hiking Trail. The Houses of Parliament, London, England Map coordinates: 51.503186, -0.124483 This London tourist hotspot is great for creative photography. Using a long exposure is your best bet for bagging a clutter-free shot Sydney Opera House, Australia Map coordinates: -33.857017, 151.214998 Situated on Bennelong Point in Sydney…

Iconic architecture

Master abstract

By its very nature, abstract photography is about relishing shape, form, texture and colour to create an image with complex and interesting patterns. It’s for this reason that modern buildings – generally speaking – will lend themselves better to abstract photography, as these features can be found in abundance across most contemporary architecture. When out shooting architecture, be on the lookout for interesting patterns, shapes and colours within a building’s design and, if you need to, hone in on them using a telephoto lens to crop out any other distracting features from the frame. Repeating patterns and shapes can be displayed to their full effect by shooting them head-on, while snapping from a low angle will make straight lines appear as if they continue on into the distance indefinitely. The…

Master abstract

Fake a dark background

Off-camera flash provides a relatively convenient means of producing much more effective portraiture. The inverse square law means that light will inherently ‘fall off’ dramatically over distance, meaning that an object several metres away from your flash will receive only a fraction of the output of light that your flash is emitting, perhaps the equivalent of only 1/32 or 1/64 power, if your flash is set to full or half power, for example. This means that, to create a dark background you need to have fuller control over the lighting. Often, the power output limitations of a speedlight can create problems for photographers, but they can also be used to your advantage when you want to produce a dark background in a room with white walls suitable for low-key portraiture.…

Fake a dark background

The essential guide to Editing

Over the years, Adobe Photoshop has become a hugely important part of the photographic process. More and more photographers now rely on this software instead of using the traditional on-camera settings, even though Canon offers its users all the control they could want. This is because in the post-production phase you can push your images to the next level and achieve fantastic creative results that just can’t be captured on your camera alone. It is a process that has come to be relied on by the professionals, who are able to enact some quick fixes later if certain imperfections aren’t spotted until the shoot is over and they get their images home. Many factors can let down a photoshoot, be it the weather, poor equipment, a blinking model or simply…

The essential guide to Editing

Creative cross-processing

Cross processing is a simple technique to master, involving increasing the image contrast and dramatically altering the colour balance. To do this we will use a Curves Adjustment Layer (Window>Adjustment>Curves). Click onto the RGB drop-down menu and choose Red. Click onto the line adding two anchor points. Now move these to create an S shape. Repeat this for the Green channel then swap to the Blue channel. Don’t add any anchor points; just move the top-end downwards. The bottom left anchor must point up to enhance the blues in the shadows. Play around with these settings. Once happy, set this layer’s blend mode to Color.…

Creative cross-processing

Q&A Standout style

Web: www.bigbouquet.co.uk Bio: Emma Davenport works alongside her husband Ian, shooting weddings and portrait shoots on location. They use pro camera bodies and a wealth of prime lenses. Big Bouquet is in its ninth year of business. How important is Photoshop to you in your professional career and how much do you use it? Because of the volume of shots I have to process on a weekly basis, and the quick turnaround time I need for my clients, I now do a lot of my basic image tweaking in Lightroom. However, when I turn on Lightroom for work, Photoshop is always powered up too. It’s become second nature! For those feature shots, or images that need a little bit more editing work, Photoshop gives me a far more polished finish.…

Fix your photos

Composites When you’re out on a photoshoot, it’s all too easy to make a mistake. Horizons may be wonky, lighting not set up efficiently, or the rule of thirds may be forgotten resulting in a distinctly average photo. However, all of these elements can be corrected afterwards in Photoshop. You can even merge and composite several photos together to get the ultimate seamless image for your portfolio. In the mini step-by-step below, we will show you how you can take the best parts of several photos and comp them together to achieve a brilliant, polished final image. No more dull skies, blurred foregrounds or poor conditions. We’ll show you how to take specific sections within your photos and replace them with new and improved areas from another photo. Once the…

Fix your photos

Prepare your photos correctly for print or web

You may wonder why you would need to re-size your photos if they have been shot at high resolution. If you wish to print your images, chances are you will need to enlarge them. On the other hand, if you want to share your photographs on the web for all to see, then you will need to down size them. Learning how to correctly resize images in Photoshop is tricky as there are many different methods for both print and web. Read our two mini tutorials to see how to treat your images correctly and get the most from them however you wish to display them. Remember: if you’re unsure about resizing, always make sure you make a duplicate first! Actions If you are resizing and exporting multiple files then…

Prepare your photos correctly for print or web

Subtly enhance portraits

Mastering the art of portrait retouching is a powerful and useful skill for every photographer. Beauty retouching can sometimes be regarded as a controversial subject when taken to the extreme, however when it is used subtly it can be very effective and generate realistic refinements to improve your subject. Learning what should be left and what should be altered is important – the skill is in getting the right balance between making enough alterations to enhance the image, but not so many that the image looks false. Over the next few steps we’ll show you how the tools in Photoshop can be used to accentuate a model’s natural beauty and draw attention to their best features. The Liquify filter is arguably the most powerful tool in the portrait-retouching toolbox, but…

Subtly enhance portraits

Master RAW conversion

When it comes to the post-production phase after a successful shoot, many photographers share the same objective. And that is to optimise a photo for editing in Photoshop using Adobe Camera Raw software. To maximise your RAW image’s potential, Photoshop offers up many robust image-manipulation options. You may not want to perform too many edits using Camera Raw and use the versatile plug-in to simply prime your shot for more extensive Photoshop treatment. However, if you are most comfortable using Camera Raw exclusively, then that’s fine with us. The techniques we share here can easily be modified for either workflow, so the choice is yours. In this tutorial we’ll run through a roster of essential tools that can be harnessed by you to modify the exposure, light colour, texture detail…

Master RAW conversion

Adobe Camera RAW version 8.8 is compatible only with Photoshop CS6 and Photoshop CC. For those of you who own this, there are a few cool new functions for you to add to your editing arsenal. The new features in Camera Raw 8 include an interactive histogram, workflow presets and refinements to the Spot Healing Tool and Local Adjustment Brush. Version 8.8 supports 10 new cameras, 41 new lenses and has fixed a series of bugs. This update will be the final version of Camera Raw 8. DNG Converter 8.8 is also available for Lightroom users or if you are using an older verison of Photoshop CS. Explore the new editing options in the software and start transforming your shots.…

Make edits in Lightroom

Most photographers tend to avoid anything automatic when editing, and presets in Lightroom seem to be viewed the same way. It’s something that none of the professionals would do – or at least that’s the official line. The truth is that Lightroom presets are actually an excellent starting points for the editing process. Don’t view them as an end result, but rather as a shortcut that takes a lot of the mundane edits off your hands so you can focus on the more interesting and creative edits. In this project we demonstrate how to do just that. We start with a preset effect, add to it, and then save our very own custom preset to make future edits even faster and easier 1 Launch and load Import the image of…

Make edits in Lightroom

Add mist to your landscapes

The different conditions that landscape photographers who are willing to set out early are rewarded with are often incredibly stunning. Frequently, they are able to capture phenomena that are rarely, if ever, witnessed after the Sun rises and the day progresses. Mist is an excellent example of this. It can transform even relatively ordinary scenes into something that looks far more magical and atmospheric, but it only occurs when conditions are just right, so it’s not something that you are guaranteed to see every time you head out on a dawn shoot. Fortunately, mist can be re-created quite effectively in Photoshop, but you need to do it as subtly as possible so that it looks natural and believable. A range of tools and settings are required for this, so you…

Add mist to your landscapes

HOW TO USE FILESILO

To access FileSilo, please visit filesilo.co.uk/bks-B39 01 Follow the on-screen instructions to create an account with our secure FileSilo system, log in and unlock the bookazine by answering a simple question about it. You can now access the content for free at any time. 02 Once you have logged in, you are free to explore the wealth of content available on FileSilo, from great video tutorials and online guides to superb downloadable resources. And the more bookazines you purchase, the more your instantly accessible collection of digital content will grow. 03 You can access FileSilo on any desktop, tablet or smartphone device using any popular browser (such as Safari, Firefox or Google Chrome). However, we recommend that you use a desktop to download content, as you may not be able…

HOW TO USE FILESILO

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