Rapid Fire

One of the biggest things in developing photography skills is not reading about it or learning in a classroom. It is actually going out and taking those photos. Often times, people limit themselves when taking photos cause they try to look for that perfect shot before clicking the shutter. Instead they should be clicking till they get the shot they want and then some.

If you were to wait for the perfect moment, you may miss a good shot that you may not be looking for. It limits how you are thinking and how you see around you because you are too focused in just a small part of the scene. Always look around you for a different angle that you may not have thought of before. The most interesting photos are those that capture the moment in a unique way or angle.

A good exercise in seeing things differently is to take a simple object at random, even a crumpled paper ball, then take photos of it in as many different ways as possible. Try different f-stops or angles or change the lighting. Keep going until you have at least 100 photos then go through them to see what worked and what didn't. See why it did or didn't work.

Alex Chi 2011©

When at an event, don't just focus on the main speaker or the center of attention. Look around and observe your surroundings. Most people would take photos of the main attraction but miss the crowd. Get the crowd's reaction, look for the unique individuals you would have missed if you didn't turn around and looked behind you.

Alex Chi 2011©

On the Road

Traveling is great photo opportunity and to get shots from somewhere you have not been to. But it is not as easy as taking photos in a location that you know well. When traveling, you do not have the luxury of carrying all your equipment with you. You must learn to travel light and bring only the essentials as the more you carry, the heavier your bag is and the quicker fatigue will set in. Two lenses should suffice: a zoom around 24-70mm and a long lens 70-200mm. The shorter zoom will be the main walk around lens for general use and the long lens would be useful for shooting long distance objects that are hard to get close to such as nature. In addition to the camera body and lenses, you will need a battery recharger, an outlet converter if traveling in foreign countries, back up batteries, multiple memory cards, lens cleaning cloth, and card reader. This the most basic list and you will most likely need more in addition to this.

A bag is the best way to carry all this equipment but you must carefully choose which bag. The two popular carry bags are backpacks and messenger bags. This is based on personal choice but backpacks are more comfortable for carrying heavier items. Then there is size and design. It should be large enough to carry your items without forcing them in. Separate compartments help organize the contents for easy and quick access. Bags made for photographers will have padded interiors to better protect equipment during travel. The problem with some of these bags are that they are obviously made for carrying camera equipment. For thieves, this is a huge flag signaling expensive equipment inside.

Camera straps with the brands labeled on them in large writing is also an indicator for tourist and traveler that is new to the area. Thieves see them as easy prey and will generally target them first. The most common method for stealing from bags is to use razors to slash open bags or to slash the straps. Making yourself less of a target is the best prevention from being stolen from.

Aside from what you carry, how you dress is important. Be sure to dress comfortably but also avoiding clothing that would cause you to stand out in a crowd. Try to learn what the locals would wear and try to fit in.

In the case of theft, you should have a list of your items that you brought and a copy of passports and any other form of identification that you have with you. You should have multiple copies in your luggage, bag, and on your body separate from the bag. This will be useful in case you lose the original or would have to talk to the police.

The Raw Deal

When shooting with DSLRs, you will notice an image format mentioned, raw. You may wonder what this is if you are new to this format. Raw refers to a type of image that DSLRs use to record images. When looking at a raw file, you will notice that the file extension is not the same as the name of the format, differing from jpegs and gifs. The actual extension will vary from camera maker to camera maker. Sometimes it will change even between camera models from the same brand. This is because there is no standard file format so each brand has their own proprietary format that there cameras use. The differing formats should not cause problems for you to view your photos as there are many programs that can view most raw formats such as Adobe's Creative Suite. Camera companies also include a cd with the codec to view images or can be downloaded from their website.

The main problem with raw will be when you want others to view them on other computers, such as on the internet. Raw is not an internet friendly format because of the proprietary nature of the files to they must be converted to a format that anyone can view such as jpeg, png or gif. You may wonder why shoot in raw in the first place if it would be easier to shoot in jpeg.

Jpeg is an 8-bit format meaning that each pixel's color is determined by a number made of ones and zeros 8 digits long, giving 256 different color options. Raw uses 16-bits of information resulting in 65,536 points of information for each pixel. This means 256 times the information in raw versus jpeg.

Alex Chi 2011©

The quality difference will be noticed most in value gradients of your photos. In the photo above, you can see in the statue's cheeks and forehead do not have smooth transitions of colors. There are sharp transitions of color usually called color or chroma stepping. Usually this will not show in photos straight from the camera but one you start editing your photos, this will start showing up in your photos as you make your adjustments. Raw is considered a lossless format and will keep the original info and save changes separately. Information is then not compressed or changed as it would have in jpeg.

Using the Flashes

Fixing White Balance in an Image

Hi my name is John Q. and I am writing a guest post for Alex. I have been photographing with a DSLR for about over a year now. Before that I was taking pictures on and off with an SLR. I have over 7 years of experience in using Photoshop for editing, compositing, and drawing.

One of the most common mistakes I see many beginners and also experienced photographers is setting the white balance in the camera settings before taking pictures. I do understand that there are shots that cannot be missed and shooting the picture becomes the priority. Luckily for us white balance can be done in post process as long as the picture is shot in RAW.

The reason why you would like to fix the white balance in your image is to accurately show the colors. If you have noticed some pictures can seem a bit warm because of the yellowish color casted on the image or the image can be a bit cool because of the bluish color being casted.

Depending on the condition that the picture was taken there are multiple settings to choose from in Photoshop’s Camera Raw. (White Balance: As shot, Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Shade, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Flash, and Custom)

As shot: How the image was shot with the last white balance setting in camera.
Auto: The software will automatically pick what it thinks the best setting is.
Daylight: Choose when shot in daylight.
Cloudy: Choose when shot in a cloudy condition.
Shade: Choose when shot in a shady area.
Tungsten: Choose when shot under a tungsten light source (Usually image is yellowish/warm), this setting will cool down the picture.
Fluorescent: Choose when shot under a fluorescent light source (Usually image is bluish/cool), this setting will warm up the picture.
Flash: Choose when shot with a flash.
Custom: Only choose if there was an item that is white which you can use the White Balance tool to click on.

Tutorial

In this tutorial I will be using Photoshop to edit the picture and fix the white balance.

1. Open up the RAW image that you would like to edit.

2. On the left side there will be options on fixing the white balance.

Right now the white balance of the image I am using is set to “As Shot”. The image looks a bit blue.

John Quidilla 2011 ©

3. Pick the appropriate setting. It is best to record what the lighting that was used when the shot was taken.

When I took the photograph I used a flash. Now the image looks better having a warmer tone.

John Quidilla 2011 ©

4. Now that you have the image fixed save your work.

Now there is also an option to manually set the white balance of an image by choosing “Manual” in the white balance setting. This will only work if there is something white in the image that you have taken.

1. Choose “Custom” in the white balance setting.

2. Click on the White Balance Tool in the upper left hand. Hot key for the tool is ( I ).

John Quidilla 2011 ©

3. Click on a white part of the image and this will fix the white balance.

Setting white balance is as easy as that. Remember to set white balance in the camera setting if you can. By doing this, you will save one step in post production.

This concludes the tutorial on fixing white balance. I hope this tutorial has helped.

Another Interview

I interviewed Hieu V, a junior in the ATEC program at UT Dallas.

What do you know about photography?

I know the general terms for photography but I still consider myself a novice when it comes to photography.

Experience with photography?

I spent a semester learning black and white photography. I got the basic skills using manual film camera and developing film. Beside that one semester I only take picture on rare occasions for friends and family but only as a side hobby.

Camera you use?

I current use a Olympus C-8080.

What about photography interests you?

I just enjoying taking pictures of object and places in a light.

What would you like to know more about concerning photography?

I want to be a better photo editor.

What do you look for in a blog about photography?

The skills and knowledge of a skilled photographer. I would expect him to share his experience and tricks that he has learn over the years.

Interview

An interview with Dallas C, a senior in the ATEC program, about photography

What do you know about photography?

That it is an art medium that has been debated over to be both a true and a false form of art. I know that it is a medium that is done by casual vacationers and professional magazine studios. I know it involves a camera and knowledge of that camera.

What experience do you have with photography?Took a class called Black and White Photography at University of Texas at Dallas. Had to take digital pictures for a 2D design class for future class projects. Took pictures with a point-and-shoot camera on several vacation trips.

Which camera do you use?

Canon 35 millimeter film camera.

What aspects about photography interests you?

The creativity involved in taking the right pictures that can tell a story or mean something symbolically. It is also interesting to use various techniques to develop the prints into different forms of art. How a single moment in time can be captured and remembered for all of a lifetime.

What do you look for in a blog about photography?

If the photographer discusses his/her personal views and ideologies about pictures that they have taken.

What do you want to learn?

How to use lighting to draw a viewer's attention to main parts of a composition. How to use subtle hints in a composition to give meaning to the overall picture. I would also like to learn how to manipulate a photograph after it is taken with such techniques as the burn or dodge tool.