How to Shoot and Post-Process Professional HDR Photos in One Day

1. Understanding High Dynamic Range (HDR) Photography

When we refer to Dynamic Range we talk about the difference between extremes. As it relates to photography and exposure we talk about the difference between the lightest part of the scene and the darkest parts.

Dynamic Range is expressed as a Ratio. So in that context, the human eye can see in a range of approximately 10,000:1. In comparison, a good digital camera can capture a scene with about 1,000:1. So, we can see that the eye is much more capable of viewing a range of brightness than a digital camera. Even more incredible is that a scene with both dark and light aspects–light as dim as room lighting, and Sun lighting in a window–can scale as high as a Dynamic Range of 100,000:1!

So, in conventional photography, we have to make compromises. We can expose for the highlights and get them without blowout, but the shadows will be dark and full of noise. Or, we could go the other way and expose for the shadows, but then we would blow out the highlights and lose all detail.

We could use a split Neutral Density filter, and half of the image would be one exposure and the other half would be 2 or 3 stops less depending on the filter. But that would only work with the straight line of a horizon. What if you were shooting an odd-shaped mountain or an open doorway? There is no way to put these shots in a standard photographic filter.

But if we were to make an image that exposed for every area “just right” we could expand the dynamic range of our camera to make it comparable to what our eyes can see and beyond. That is what High Dynamic Range Photography is all about.

Before we begin, let me make one thing clear that people often get confused about. We are going to use High Dynamic Range Photography but our end result is going to be a Low Dynamic Range image (and all current HDR images are really Low Dynamic Range images). As things stand now, no printer or computer display is capable of displaying a truly High Dynamic Range image.

2. How do I shoot a HDR Photograph?

A High Dynamic Range Image is composed of 3 to 7 of the same image at different exposures. Each image is at perfect exposure for every level of brightness in a scene. How we adjust the exposures is critical. If we kept the shutter speed constant and adjusted the aperture, this would give us varying Depths of Field–an unwanted characteristic. We want all the shots to look the same, only varying in exposure. We could vary the ISO, but higher ISOs add more noise and we want as noise-free an image as possible. Since HDR is an additive process any noise will be multiplied. So that leaves us with one choice: Shutter Speed.

To begin setting up your HDR photo shoot, set your camera on a sturdy tripod. This will ensure each image in the sequence is exactly the same. Set your ISO for the lowest noise and set your aperture for f16.

Yes, you could use wider apertures, but in my images I want detail, since capturing extreme detail is the reason we take HDR images. We want that detail to go as far into the field as possible, so that is why “I” suggest f16. YOU, don’t have to. This is one of the many artistic choices you can make when it comes to HDR.

As far as varying the Shutter Speed, we have two choices. We can set our camera to AV mode and use theAuto Bracketing feature most cameras have. Most Canons are limited to 3 exposures at the interval we choose (+ – 2EV Max). Certain Nikon models allow for greater numbers of auto shots and a wider spread of EVs (Exposure Values).

I recommend a wholly manual approach. I find it allows for a faster process, as I don’t have to go through any menus to set it up and will have more options at my disposal if I want to make a last minute change to how many exposures I will shoot, and at what intervals. But that choice is up to you.

3. What type of images do you use for HDR?

A HDR image is a 32-Bit image. This means that the image is capable of an infinite number of different tones and brightness levels. We need to produce the best images possible that will leave us with as much information as is possible. Since no camera shoots with 32-bits we must make do with the options available to us. This means shooting RAW or Tiff images, as these formats are both capable of 16-Bit which, while not infinite, gives us about 64,000 different levels of information.Can we use JPEGs? You can, but since JPEGs are only 8-Bit they are only capable of 255 different levels of information. While they are not optimum at all, they can be used in a pinch..

4. How many exposures will I need and how far apart should they be?

In most cases 3 exposures are all that is necessary and 2 stops or 2 EV apart is sufficient. If you have the sun in the shot or bright sunlight you should use more. I like to shoot at least 5 shots and have them only 1 stop apart but I am going for a more realistic look, which may or may not be what you want from your image.

Now that we have our equipment set up correctly we are going to take our 3 shots. The first one will be with your meter centered for a good average metered shot. For your second shot, we will dial back the shutter speed until the meter reads -2, then we will take our next shot with a meter reading of +2. If you use the Auto Bracketing feature of your camera, this will be done automatically for you.

In my own shoots, I start at 0 Meter and that is my first shot, then I do one at -1, -2 and then (if I have sun in the image) I also bang one hard at -4 because I want to make sure that I have no blow-out in the brightest part of the image. Unfortunately, there is no meter reading for -4 so I need to figure out what that would be. The good thing is that since we are using Shutter Speed it is quite easy to figure out, as opposed to aperture which is Logarithmic. If my -2 exposure was 1/50, I multiply x2 (1 stop) and then again x2 (1 more stop) and I get 1/200th of a second and I set my exposure at that. After that I take one shot at +1 and one at +2. Rarely will you have to go beyond that on the + side, since +2 normally exposes shadows quite well.

Below are some examples of a Shoot Pattern. The first shot is what your shot would look like if you did not use HDR photography.

Metering Modes

All Digital SLRs have a few different metering modes for different situations, and are very helpful for getting a correct exposure. In this Premium tutorial, we’ll be taking a look at how these different modes work, how to react when your meter gets it all wrong, and showing a few real-life examples of difficult metering situations.



All DSLRs have a few different metering modes for different situations and are very helpful to get a correct exposure. In this tutorial we’ll explore and explain:

• Matrix or Evaluative Metering
• Spot and Partial Modes
• Center Weighted Average

When Meters Get It All Wrong!

In-camera meters are designed to get a correct exposure on a mid-tone (think of green grass or blue skies), but more precisely an 18% reflective grey area. In most cases, this works out great since there are so many mid-tones in most scenes we shoot. But what if the predominate subject in our viewfinder is not a mid-tone?

We’ll go into detail on how to adjust and adapt in this situation, along with explaining just why the problem occurs. In addition to this, Peter shares a number of real-life examples and outlines what to watch out for when shooting.

MICROLENS ARRAYS

ou might wonder why the first diagram in this tutorial did not place each cavity directly next to each other. Real-world camera sensors do not actually have photosites which cover the entire surface of the sensor. In fact, they often cover just half the total area in order to accommodate other electronics. Each cavity is shown with little peaks between them to direct the photons to one cavity or the other. Digital cameras contain "microlenses" above each photosite to enhance their light-gathering ability. These lenses are analogous to funnels which direct photons into the photosite where the photons would have otherwise been unused.

Well-designed microlenses can improve the photon signal at each photosite, and subsequently create images which have less noise for the same exposure time. Camera manufacturers have been able to use improvements in microlens design to reduce or maintain noise in the latest high-resolution cameras, despite having smaller photosites due to squeezing more megapixels into the same sensor area.

DEMOSAICING ARTIFACTS

Images with small-scale detail near the resolution limit of the digital sensor can sometimes trick the demosaicing algorithm—producing an unrealistic looking result. The most common artifact is moiré (pronounced "more-ay"), which may appear as repeating patterns, color artifacts or pixels arranges in an unrealistic maze-like pattern:

                                              Second Photo at ↓ 65% of Above Size

Two separate photos are shown above—each at a different magnification. Note the appearance of moiré in all four bottom squares, in addition to the third square of the first photo (subtle). Both maze-like and color artifacts can be seen in the third square of the downsized version. These artifacts depend on both the type of texture and software used to develop the digital camera's RAW file.

BAYER DEMOSAICING

Bayer "demosaicing" is the process of translating this Bayer array of primary colors into a final image which contains full color information at each pixel. How is this possible if the camera is unable to directly measure full color? One way of understanding this is to instead think of each 2x2 array of red, green and blue as a single full color cavity.


                             >  




This would work fine, however most cameras take additional steps to extract even more image information from this color array. If the camera treated all of the colors in each 2x2 array as having landed in the same place, then it would only be able achieve half the resolution in both the horizontal and vertical directions. On the other hand, if a camera computed the color using several overlapping 2x2 arrays, then it could achieve a higher resolution than would be possible with a single set of 2x2 arrays. The following combination of overlapping 2x2 arrays could be used to extract more image information.












Note how we did not calculate image information at the very edges of the array, since we assumed the image continued on in each direction. If these were actually the edges of the cavity array, then calculations here would be less accurate, since there are no longer pixels on all sides. This is no problem, since information at the very edges of an image can easily be cropped out for cameras with millions of pixels.

Other demosaicing algorithms exist which can extract slightly more resolution, produce images which are less noisy, or adapt to best approximate the image at each location.

DIGITAL CAMERA SENSORS

A digital camera uses a sensor array of millions of tiny pixels in order to produce the final image. When you press your camera's shutter button and the exposure begins, each of these pixels has a "photosite" which is uncovered to collect and store photons in a cavity. Once the exposure finishes, the camera closes each of these photosites, and then tries to assess how many photons fell into each. The relative quantity of photons in each cavity are then sorted into various intensity levels, whose precision is determined by bit depth (0 - 255 for an 8-bit image).

Each cavity is unable to distinguish how much of each color has fallen in, so the above illustration would only be able to create grayscale images. To capture color images, each cavity has to have a filter placed over it which only allows penetration of a particular color of light. Virtually all current digital cameras can only capture one of the three primary colors in each cavity, and so they discard roughly 2/3 of the incoming light. As a result, the camera has to approximate the other two primary colors in order to have information about all three colors at every pixel. The most common type of color filter array is called a "Bayer array," shown below.

A Bayer array consists of alternating rows of red-green and green-blue filters. Notice how the Bayer array contains twice as many green as red or blue sensors. Each primary color does not receive an equal fraction of the total area because the human eye is more sensitive to green light than both red and blue light. Redundancy with green pixels produces an image which appears less noisy and has finer detail than could be accomplished if each color were treated equally. This also explains why noise in the green channel is much less than for the other two primary colors (see "Understanding Image Noise" for an example).

MORE :

BAYER DEMOSAICING
DEMOSAICING ARTIFACTS
MICROLENS ARRAYS

techniques of photography fundamentals - Using wide angle lenses

A wide angle lens can be a powerful tool for exaggerating depth and relative size in a photo. However, it's also one of the most difficult types of lenses to learn how to use. This page dispels some common misconceptions, and discusses techniques for taking full advantage of the unique characteristics of a wide angle lens.



OVERVIEW

A lens is generally considered to be "wide angle" when its focal length is less than around 35 mm (on a full frame; see camera lenses: focal length & aperture). This translates into an angle of view which is greater than about 55° across your photo's widest dimension. The definition of ultra-wide is a little fuzzier, but most agree that this realm begins with focal lengths somewhere around 20-24 mm and less. On a compact camera, wide angle is often when you've fully zoomed out, however ultra-wide is usually never available without a special lens adapter.

Regardless, the key concept is this: the shorter the focal length, the more you will tend to notice the unique effects of a wide angle lens.

What makes a wide angle lens unique? A common misconception is that wide-angle lenses are primarily used for when you cannot step far enough away from your subject, but yet still want to capture all of this subject in a single camera frame. Unfortunately, if one were to only use it this way they'd really be missing out. In fact, wide angle lenses are often used for just the opposite: when you want to get closer to a subject!
So, let's take a closer look at just what makes a wide angle lens unique:

• Its image encompasses a wide angle of view
• It generally has a close minimum focusing distance

Although the above characteristics might seem pretty basic, they result in a surprising range of possibilities. The rest of this page focuses on techniques for how to best use these traits for maximal impact in wide angle photography.

techniques of photography fundamentals - Tips for sharper pictures

Produces sharp images razor-sharp photography is the desire of many lovers, and a variety of camera features and additional accessories are created to help us produce this sharp photos. From tripod, stabilizer (or camera lens) through photo editor software tool equipped to sharpen the final image.

How to hold the camera

How to hold the camera very influential on the stability of the camera (read: the sharpness of images), read how to hold a good camera.
 

Shutter Speed.

If you speed up the shutter speed, then you will get sharp photos. Remember the standard rule for sharp images when you shoot handheld: "use a shutter speed faster than your lens focal length". Here penjabarannya:

•     If the length of your 50mm lens, shoot with a shutter speed of 1 / 60 sec or faster
•     If the length of your 100mm lens, use a shutter speed of 1 / 125 second or faster
•     If the length of your 200mm lens, use a shutter speed of 1 / 250 second or faster

Aperture

Aperture affects depth of field (area of ​​focus in your photo). Reducing the aperture (increase the number, for example you choose f/22) will add depth of field, meaning a sharp areas in the bigger picture will include objects near and far, so the sharpness of the picture as a whole actually decreased.
Then do the opposite, select a large aperture (small number, eg f / 4), then you will focus sharply only near the focus area. Choosing a large aperture that lets you get a faster shutter speed.
 

ISO

Adding the ISO will speed up the shutter speed and lets you choose a larger aperture. If you are photographing indoors, ISO was larger, but do not overdo it (eg: select ISO 600 for shooting inside the house). choose the ISO is too high (above 800), can cause noise (small black spots) in an image starts to look.
 

Focus

Do not just believe with autofocus camera, check carefully to use the eyes in the eyes of your focal point is located. When photographing the face at close range, make sure the focus falls diarea eye. When photographing an object, make sure the focus is there where you want the area's most sharply. Autofocus camera could be wrong and instead focus in addition to dropping the object that you want.
 

Lens

If you happen to have an SLR camera, choose the best lens you can buy. Good quality lens that can drastically improve the sharpness of your photo. KIT lenses are usually offered for sale as a complete package with its camera quality is usually terrible. My advice, if you will buy a new SLR camera, buy separately between the camera (body only) and the lens. Do not buy a package of KIT. A lens with good quality is usually characterized by a large aperture (eg f/2.8).
 

Sweet Spot Lens

The lens has its sweet spots respectively. Sweet spot is certain where the lens aperture will produce the sharpest images. Lens sweet spot is usually located two stops above the maximum limit the ability of the lens aperture. For example, for the f/2.8 lens is its sweet spot at f/5.6. Then use aperture f/5.6 lens if you shoot with it, your photo will be sharp razor-sharp.
 

Tripod

A tripod is impractical and inconvenient, but if you are "willing to" take it, you'll get sharper photos. Especially if you want to generate the HDR or panoramic photos, let it go bring a tripod.

techniques of photography fundamentals - APERTURE Vs. SUTTER SPEED

Photography’s root comes from the Greek roots “photo” which means light, and “graph” which means to write or scribe. Photography is all about light and how to interact with it. Two basic functions of an SLR camera accomplish this through the aperture and shutter speed.

Shutter speed refers to the amount of time that the film, or in the case of a digital SLR, how long the image sensor is exposed to light. Depending on the camera, shutter speeds can vary from 30 seconds to 1/8000 of a second. Some cameras have a ‘bulb’ mode that allows the user to open and close the shutter manually using a switch.

The aperture setting of a camera refers to the amount of light that is let into the camera body by the lens. An iris contracts or expands depending on this setting on the camera, thus controlling the light that hits the film. Aperture terminology may be confusing as the “higher” the aperture, the lower its number. Lenses are rated by their aperture and focal length. For instance, Canon might have an F/2.8 28-75mm lens. The F/ prefix is the highest aperture that the lens can produce. In this case, an aperture of 2.8 is the maximum amount of light that the lens can let in. A lens that has a high aperture is considered a “fast” lens.

Shutter speed and aperture values are at a constant tug-of-war concerning light. Suppose someone was a handed a camera and was told that its aperture and shutter settings were set to ensure proper exposure using a shutter speed of 1/60th and an aperture of F/8. However, suppose that they wanted a faster shutter speed to capture a moving object, so they set the shutter speed to 1/250 and took a picture, they would get an underexposed photo because they didn’t allow the film to be exposed for the 1/60th of a second it needed. Therefore, they would need to change the aperture to allow more light in, perhaps by changing it to F/1.8, or whatever the maximum aperture of the lens is. It is always good once you have changed your settings to check them with a light meter and see if you are giving enough light for proper exposures.

* MORE ON SHUTTER

Cameras traditionally have two shutters, or curtains, that cover the film ready to be exposed — one shutter sits over the film and one rests off to the side. Once the shutter button has been pressed, the first curtain is moved away so that the film is exposed to the light coming through the lens. Once the film has been exposed for the length of the set shutter speed, the second curtain moves into the position that the first curtain initially sat. Why can’t there be just one shutter? For two reasons.

First, if the shutter speed is set to 1/1000 of a second, the shutter would have to move away from the film over a short period of time. Once the shutter has completely moved away from the film, the edge of the film that was last uncovered by the shutter has been exposed less than the edge of film that was first uncovered. This means that if a single shutter were to come back the way it left across the piece of film, it would again underexpose the already underexposed edge of the film, leaving the more exposed edge exposed longer still. Secondly, 1/1000 of a second is not even enough time for the first shutter to completely uncover the film; hence, a second shutter comes behind the first shutter and begins covering the film the first shutter has started to reveal. This has the effect of computer scanner moving across a piece of paper. This is why you cannot flash-fire a single burst of light for a photo with a shutter speed greater than 1/250th, you’ll have one part of the photo more exposed than the other.

TIPS For capturing potrait : Techniques of photograpy fundamental

It has been “many” years since I used to shoot portrait portfolios for Hollywood hopefuls, but many of the tricks I learned back then I have used ever since when shooting every thing from people to bugs. Even if you never do a model shoot, all of the tips in this list will help you in just about any situation you come across. In fact, using them on your friends first will give you great practice if you ever do shoot any models, and your friends will be even more impressed with the images you do of them.

*1 Probably one of the best types of portraits are the ones that deal with the subjects’ ownpersonal interests, such as hobbies. These can be done at their home if you know the person, or if you should both have the same interests they can use the items you work with at your home. Any subject of interest can be used even if you just make one up. All that is needed is that the model looks like they are engaged in doing something of interest. Even a person sitting in a state of meditation can make a great image in the right environment.

*2 The second most important thing to consider after #1 is the background that you take the shot in front of. There is no end to what you can use here, and a lot of the times all you really need to do is look at what is around you. Try to find a background color that does not match the persons cloths or they will be lost in it. Don’t use something that has a strong contrast to their cloths unless that is the effect you are after. Soft colors that compliment the person and their cloths will work best. You can even make your own background with a dyed bed sheet, or just find a nicely painted wall to shoot in front of.

*3 When it comes to portraits there are really just two types; candid and posed. I like the candid best, as those have more of a personal feeling to them. They are also 10-times easier than having to deal with what all it takes to set up a posed shot. For this work I like to use a medium telephoto lens, (105mm) so that I can give plenty of breathing room between the subject and myself. That also gives you more room to crop with, more depth of field control, and if you use a flash, it will be easier to balance the light.

*4 Keep your subject busy while you are composing and shooting, by giving them something to do like using props, which can include another person, such as a child, or you could have them work on a hobby project, such as their garden. These types of props can also offer other things you will need to make a good shot, like a good background, and plenty of room to work in. You can even shoot the person as they try something new for the first time. These types of shots though, usually require a faster shutter speed to keep things sharp.

*5 Character shots are one of my favorites, and I think the one type of portrait with the most feeling to them. “Characters” come in all forms, real or made-up. Maybe you are going to shoot an actor friend, so get them to put on one of their stage costumes, or if you have a girlfriend who sews, just have them model their own designs. You both win in that case.

*6 At times you may have a chance to shoot at places other than your normal ones, and at work or play makes two great alternatives. Work place portraits are usually called environmental portraits because they are taken in the environment the person works in. Many of these can make super images when done in dramatic locations. People at play can be just as good, and when done right can end up looking like pro sports shots.

*7 Most of the time we only think of portraits as being of the face, but other parts of the body, especially the hands, can tell just as much of a story, if not more, than a face can. Especially hands at work or play. For young hands use some toys as props, and for old weathered hands, use tools or some other object that also looks weathered, like an antique object. Don’t just think hands though, because even bare callused feet that look like they have never worn a shoe can work.

You may have noticed that many of these items can come together in the same settings, and all you need to do is recognize them so that you can then use them to make better portraits.

*8 When on a trip, taking portraits of people in their native dress could be some of the best images you bring back. There can be two ways of doing this. First you can ask the person permission to take their picture, and then use a medium length lens so that you do not crowd them any. Or if you cannot ask for permission, use a long lens to shoot them from a distance where they may not see you doing it, and maybe get some better candid shots that way. Always look for people in their native dress though, or else they may just end up looking like another tourist. – Always ask permission whenever possible though



*9 Kids are always a great portrait subject no matter if they are the center of interest, or not. Kids at play are always a winning image, and two playing together is even better. Just about any toy will work as long as it is one they like to play with. Don’t miss out on good images of them when they are asleep, because kids are the only people that look good even when asleep. If you won’t wake them up, this is also another good time to add a stuffed animal prop. We all see pictures of kids in the tub, but most of the time we do not think of taking our own pictures of them there.

*10 No matter what you shoot, or where you shoot it, you will most often need to think aboutadding some light to the subject in one way or the other. The easiest way to do that if you are outdoors, is to just use some white item, such as a paper plate, as a reflector, and paper plates can just be thrown away when you are done with them. The shinier the surface, the more light that it will put on the subject. You can find pro type reflectors in most photo stores, but get one that folds into a smaller size for carrying and storage. They also come in shades like silver, and a gold one will warm up your images at the same time.

*11 One great portrait effect can be had just by remembering that you don’t need to see a face to know who the person is, as when they are in silhouette. These do take some extra thought in creating, as you need to really get the lighting “right-on” but if all else fails just go outside at sunset and place the person in front of it. Just expose for the sky area a bit away from the sun and the person will then automatically come out as a silhouette. These kinds of shots also make for great romantic images such as a couple at a beach at sunset.

*12 Special effects are a nice touch to add to a portrait to make them stand out even more, and they do not have to be elaborate ones either. A simple soft focus filter on the lens is a nice start, or if you have Photoshop, there are tons of filter effects to use from simple to high-tech. You can also use a special film, like infrared, for another effect, but that one takes a lot of extra work, and you can get about the same look with a program like Photoshop.

*13 When you get tired of shooting all of your friends, you could think about looking for local modelswho are pursuing a modeling career. This can easily be done just by placing an ad in a community paper and offer free prints for the models time. Local collages are another great place to find willing models. Most of them are also willing to “trade” for services. You could even possibly work something out for their signed release of their images.

Again, many of these tricks for better portraits will work together, and as you use one of them, you will think of others. Just practice how to use them together. These are not the only tricks to making good/great portraits, just the ones to get you started. As you learn more about photography in general you will see how other tricks, used with other subjects, can also be used for portraits, and vise versa.

One last thing to remember when shooting strangers is that you must get a release from them if you ever want to use those images in any commercial manor, commercial meaning, making any kind of a profit from them.

How to Land Jobs Assisting a Photographer and Keep Them

Many young photographers want to enter the world of professional and commercial photography by working with or for another photographer. This is generally called assisting and can be an essential part of climbing the ladder to being a professional photographer.

However, with these jobs in high demand, it’s important to do a good job assisting to ensure that you continue to be hired. In today’s article, we’re going to take a look at how to do just that.

Getting your foot in the door for the first time is one of the tasks that photographers struggle with the most. I hear a lot of young photographers claim one of two things:

1) I live in an area with photographers who already have assistants.

2) I live in an area with no photographers to assist.

 Do you see an issue with the above statements? I do. Both are cop-out attitudes that people use in order to overlook the real reasons that they are struggling to land assisting jobs.

My opinion is formed from personal experience, having at some point used both of those statements to make myself believe that my own efforts were enough. In reality, I needed to increase my effort to increase my success.

 If you are suffering from the first feeling, chances are that you’ve attempted to reach out to a few of your local pros and have had little success.

 Maybe your process was to email a few of the names you found after Googling “Photographers in My Town, My State”. The truth is that the photographers at the top of those results are often the most established, and thus may need an assistant the least. They may already retain an assistant who they have spent time and money training.

 Let’s revise that process. Instead of reaching out to the big names in your area, why not go for some of the more mid-level photographers? They are perhaps no less skilled, and probably need the help just as much or more than any local photo celebrity.

 If you can’t find enough photographers in your area, it might be time to travel. Consider broadening the area you’re searching, and working out plans to travel to work for a pro regularly. I drove close to an hour nearly every weekend for weeks on one of my first jobs, and it was time incredibly well spent.

 A tip you’ will probably hear nonstop is to network and build contacts. I had a hard time figuring out how to do this in the beginning, and I suspect many others do as well. Emails sent out on a friendly basis and other photographer meetup events in your area are the best way to kickstart a networking effort.

 Also, stop by places where you know there are photographers. There are a lot of portrait photographers that still maintain brick-and-mortar studios. Also, don’t be afraid to reach out to photographers at newspapers or design studios. It might not be the area of photography that you’re interested in, but that doesn’t mean they can’t point you in the right direction.

 Look, I know it can be tough to work up the courage to talk to a photographer and put yourself out there. I struggled with it as much as anyone. But with enough persistence, you can land that first job and start down the path you want to walk.

* Making an Impact
Assisting is like any other profession. It is easiest to stick around if you are good at what you do. However, it’s not always easy to realize what it takes to be a great assistant. I think that the ultimate thing is to meet the expectations of the photographer that you are working for.

When being hired as an assistant, the most important thing is to enter the agreement with a good idea of what you’re going to be doing. This ensurds that you’re going to enjoy your work as well as meet the expectations of the photographer that you’re working for. No two jobs or bosses will ever be the same, so I can really only provide general guidelines for succeeding.

In general, you should work to make life easier for the photographer you are working for. If this means carrying their bags, do it. If they say jump, ask “how high?” Basically, while you are on the clock for them, do what it takes to make them more successful. Obviously, there are situations where assistants are taken advantage of. It’s your call whether that is happening to you, but it is important to remember that bag carrying, light carrying and lens wiping have to be done by someone. In my experience, abused assistants are the exception rather than the rule.

I’ve also been a primary and hired assistants. A friend of mine is my regular assistant because he knows how to help manage stressful situations and can think one step ahead of me. He is always ready with the lens I need, a spare memory card from his pocket, or even something to drink on hot days.

Also, a huge comfort to me is when my assistant double checks gear. Making sure that I have what I need ahead of time provides peace of mind when I have plenty of other factors to consider and plan for. Wedding days are events packed with activity. The less I have to think about, the more I can focus on doing my job. Consider this idea when contemplating how to do a great job as an assistant.


There is also a list of “don’ts” for assistants. If you’re second shooting, don’t post your photos online or send them to the client before the primary sends their images to them. You aren’t technically the hired photographer (at least not the primary one) and the photographer wants their own work to be the first impression. On a shoot, don’t think that you’re the star while assisting. Everything you do should be designed to complement the photographer who hired you. In short, assistants aren’t meant to be the star of the show. Assisting for me was humbling and a learning experience.

Most of the time, your attitude will determine how your assisting experience goes. If you walk into a job thinking that it’s beneath your station, it will show and you’ll be miserable. If you treat it as a paying gig with a huge helping of education on the side, you’ll be much more happy.

FLASH ZOOM (+ -)

Flash zoom refers to how wide your flash will spread the light. Some flash units do not have a zoom option. In an automatic flash zoom mode, the flash will detects the focal length of the lens mounted on your camera body, and adjust the light spread the flash emits to match the angle of view of your lens.

To do that, the flash changes the distance between the actual flash tube (the light) and the diffuser (the plastic front of the flash). If you’re using a zoom lens, some flashes can re-adjust this distance as you zoom in or out to matching the new focal length. If you are using a prime lens then the flash obviously only needs one adjustment.

Different flash brands and models offer varying zoom range coverage. For example Canon’s 430 and 580 series offer a usable focal length range of 24mm to 105mm when used with a compatible EOS lens on a full frame (35mm) DSLR. If you’re using a smaller DX (also called APS-C) sensored camera, the usable range covered is 15mm to 65mm.

You can also set your flash to manual zoom mode. This way you can dictate the zoom zone and set your flash spread to the available zoom setting closest to your lens’ focal length. You can also use manual flash zoom for creative purposes by setting your flash zoom to a different viewing angle than that of your lens to control the spread of light. This allows you to zoom your flash in, and illuminate a specific part of your scene.

Flash Sync

Flash sync originally referred to the faster shutter speed at which your camera and flash could properly function. Getting everything timed just right used to be pretty tricky.

Now flash sync usually refers to when you flash fires in relation to your exposure. This is best demonstrated by imagining a long exposure, like 6 seconds. The flash can fire right after the first curtain of your shutter is completely open, or it can fire right before the second curtain of your shutter begins to close. For first curtain flash sync, your shutter will open and the flash will fire. For second curtain flash sync you shutter will open and the flash will wait until just before that six second mark to fire.

Both ways serve a specific purpose and creates a certain effect in the final image.

If your subject and your camera are not moving, then it won’t matter whether your flash fires in first curtain sync mode or second curtain sync mode. If there is motion, then having the flash fire in first curtain sync mode would illuminate the subject and freeze it at the point once the first curtain is completely open, and then ambient light will illuminate any motion occurring during the rest of the exposure.

Having the flash fire in second curtain sync mode would allow you to record motion until right before that second curtain closes when a burst of flash light illuminates the subject freezing them. You image could have all tell-tale trails behind the the subject in the final image.

If a subject is moving left to right and you’re using first curtain sync, blur will appear to right of your frozen subject if you’re using an appropriate shutter speed. If you’re using second curtain sync, the blur will appear to the left of the subject. If you’re having trouble getting blur, then slow your shutter speed down. Don’t be afraid to extend your shutter speed to 1/2 second or beyond.

MODES FLASH

When operating your hotshoe flash in manual mode, you are basically setting the power of the flash. Most flash units allow you to decided whether to use the maximum or the minimum power it can supply along with steps in between.

Like camera stops, flashes also have stops. These are referred to as flash power, and are measured in fractional increments: 1 (or full) » 1/2 » 1/4 » 1/8 » 1/16 » 1/32 » 1/64, etc. Practically named: Full power, half-power, quarter-power, etc.

Moving one step along this scale (from full power to half-power, or from half-power to quarter-power) is one stop difference. The same change in exposure as adjusting your shutter speed or aperture one stop.

Depending on your particular hotshoe flash model or brand, half or even third-stop power increments might be possible, ust like in-between shutter speed and aperture adjustments. On some flashes, the power can be set directly from the flash and is indicated on the flash LCD screen.

Other flashes (especially the smaller ones with no LCD screen on the back), can only be set through the camera’s menu, or are completely controlled by sensors in the flash. Getting a flash that is compatible with your camera, can make your life a lot easier. Not only is there added convenience, but you’ll also enjoy extended functionality.

When changing the flash power, it’s important to remember that you are not actually altering the amount of light a flash emits. The light burst a flash fires is constant. When reducing your flash power, you are actually just changing the duration of time of that bursts light the flash emits. So, increasing your flash’s power increases means you’re making the flash stay lit just a bit longer.

Another fact is that the amount of light a flash can burst at full power differs from one model or brand to another, and the range of power settings between full power and minimum power differs as well. For example the Canon 580 EX is more powerful than the Canon 430 EX at full power, and it offers a range of power settings that go from full power all the way down to 1/128, while the Canon 430 EX can only go as low as 1/64.

For Canon flashes, E-TTL stands for “evaluative through the lens” metering. When you set your flash to ETTL mode, the flash actually emits light prior to the actual flash firing that is used for registering the exposure. This first light is known as the pre-flash. It then measures the amount of light returned through the lens and compares it with the original amount of light emitted, taking into account the distance between the camera and the photographed subject. Based on those facts, it then calculates the power the flash needs to be set at in order to register an appropriate exposure.

The following images show two different flash settings: In the first image, the flash is set to manual mode at 1/2 power. In the second image, the flash is set to ETTL mode, meaning that the camera will set the flash power automatically according to the framed scene.

Remember, when your flash is set to manual mode you are the one in charge. Meaning you set the flash power and it stays the same from one shot to the next until you re-set it once again to a different power. In TTL mode, your camera works with the flash unit to determine the power needed for a specific scene, and that power does change from one shot to another if necessary. So if the scene changes, the distance to the subject changes, or the available lighting conditions change, a flash in this mode will detect it.

Have you discovered the continuous shooting mode

  

Have you discovered the continuous shooting mode (or burst mode) on your digital camera? Most cameras these days have them and if you get in the habit of using it the results can be quite wonderful.

The above sequence was taken by a Flickr photographer by the name of diyosa on her Nikon D50 DSLR which shoots at up to 2.5 frames per second (this sounds a lot but in the scheme of DSLRs its on the lesser end. For example my Canon 20D shoots at 5 frames per second). That means if she activates this mode and then holds her finger down on the shutter she can shoot five shots like the above ones in just two seconds.
In actual fact she took these shots over a longer period (just under a minute) but it illustrates the effectiveness of shooting lots of shots quickly as it’s produced a beautiful series of shots that would look wonderful framed together like this or even in a photo album on the same page.
Continuous shooting Mode isn’t just something that DSLRs have – most point and shoot cameras have it as an option also.
It’s a particularly useful mode for taking shots of any situation where there is movement. Obviously photographing children is one such situation but there are many others including the photography of sport, animals, and even in portrait photography.
When I’m doing a portrait sitting I quite often use continuous shooting mode simply because I find that subjects often relax and look most natural after the first shot that you take and when they lose the ‘posed’ face. Of course the beauty of shooting in a digital format is that even if the second, third and forth frames that you take are not as good as the first – you can just delete them afterwards with no cost associated.

Using Continuous Shooting Mode
It’s worth noting a few things to keep in mind when using this burst mode:

• Shooting images so quickly means your camera will not usually have time to directly save your images to your memory card. Instead most cameras have a ‘buffering’ system that stores the shot up until you finish shooting. It then sends them to the card. The more shots you take the longer it will take after you stop shooting before you can start shooting again as the process does usually take a fair bit of processing power from your camera.
• Most cameras have a limit to how many shots they will allow you to take in this mode. For example the Nikon D50 will let you take up to 137 shots (depending upon the size of the images you’re shooting) – this is more than most point and shoots but less than some DSLRs. The number of shots allowed will depend upon numerous factors including the format you’re shooting in (ie RAW files are bigger and you can’t shoot as many in a row) and the size of images you’re shooting.
• Some cameras have a predetermined number of shots that they will take in ‘burst mode’. ie it might take a sequence of 5 shots instead of just shooting until you release the shutter
• Obviously the more shots you take the quicker you’ll run out of batteries and the faster you’ll fill your memory card – so shooting all day in continuous mode will mean you will need backups.
• When shooting a moving image you might need to think about your focussing strategy. Some DSLRs have a continuous focussing feature to help with this but in simpler cameras you might find that the focussing just cant keep up.
• It can take a bit of practice to use continuous shooting mode in order to get the right number of shots. Some cameras are more sensitive than others when it comes to their shutter release and in some cases it’s difficult to take just a single shot

What is ISO??

* In traditional (film) photography ISO (or ASA) was the indication of how sensitive a film was to light. It was measured in numbers (you’ve probably seen them on films – 100, 200, 400, 800 etc). The lower the number the lower the sensitivity of the film and the finer the grain in the shots you’re taking.

* In Digital Photography ISO measures the sensitivity of the image sensor. The same principles apply as in film photography – the lower the number the less sensitive your camera is to light and the finer the grain. Higher ISO settings are generally used in darker situations to get faster shutter speeds (for example an indoor sports event when you want to freeze the action in lower light) – however the cost is noisier shots. I’ll illustrate this below with two elargements of shots that H just took – the one on the left is taken at 100 ISO and the one of the right at 3200 ISO (click to enlarge to see the full effect).

(you can see larger sized images of both shots here for the 100 ISO and here for the 3200 ISO)

100 ISO is generally accepted as ‘normal’ and will give you lovely crisp shots (little noise/grain).

Most people tend to keep their digital cameras in ‘Auto Mode’ where the camera selects the appropriate ISO setting depending upon the conditions you’re shooting in (it will try to keep it as low as possible) but most cameras also give you the opportunity to select your own ISO also.

When you do override your camera and choose a specific ISO you’ll notice that it impacts the aperture and shutter speed needed for a well exposed shot. For example – if you bumped your ISO up from 100 to 400 you’ll notice that you can shoot at higher shutter speeds and/or smaller apertures.

When choosing the ISO setting I generally ask myself the following four questions:

• Light – Is the subject well lit?
• Grain – Do I want a grainy shot or one without noise?
• Tripod – Am I using a tripod?
• Moving Subject – Is my subject moving or stationary?

If there is plenty of light, I want little grain, I’m using a tripod and my subject is stationary I will generally use a pretty low ISO rating.

However if it’s dark, I purposely want grain, I don’t have a tripod and/or my subject is moving I might consider increasing the ISO as it will enable me to shoot with a faster shutter speed and still expose the shot well.

Of course the trade off of this increase in ISO will be noisier shots.

Situations where you might need to push ISO to higher settings include:

• 
  
• * Indoor Sports Events – where your subject is moving fast yet you may have limited light available.
• 
  
• * Concerts – also low in light and often ‘no-flash’ zones
• 
  
• * Art Galleries, Churches etc- many galleries have rules against using a flash and of course being indoors are not well lit.
• 
  
• * Birthday Parties – blowing out the candles in a dark room can give you a nice moody shot which would be ruined by a bright flash. Increasing the ISO can help capture the scene.

* ISO is an important aspect of digital photography to have an understanding of if you want to gain more control of your digital camera. Experiment with different settings and how they impact your images toda