White balance
The actual white balance of the light at sunrise or sunset is close to the Tungsten or Artificial Light setting (3,200K). But if you set this preset you will lose much of the warmth that you want to capture in your shot. Instead, try setting the white balance to Daylight, or even Cloudy, to capture the orange glow in all its beauty. http://goo.gl/Qk4gc2
Night shot white balance
Where you have more than one type of light source in a night shot, you could try matching the white balance to this dominant lighting. There are two ways of going about this.
You could judge the scene by eye, identifying what look like tungsten or fluorescent light sources and choosing a white balance preset to match, or you could use a ‘grey card’ to measure and save a custom white balance value.
Actually, it doesn’t need to be a grey card at all. The important thing is that it’s neutral in color, so a sheet of white paper would do in an emergency, or even a black and white magazine or newspaper page.
You need to hold the card under the dominant light source, capture and store the white balance reading and then use this custom white balance setting for the rest of your shots.
The best bet is to shoot in raw format (if your camera supports it) so that you can choose another white balance setting if your manual calibration doesn’t produce the results you want.
Focus mode
Shutter button?
What happens when you half-press the shutter button?
Single-shot mode
This is the best mode for everyday photography. You half-press the shutter button (2) to activate the autofocus, the camera focuses once and then holds this focus until you press the button the rest of the way to take the picture or until you release your finger.
Continuous AF mode
This is the best mode for sports and action photography. As soon as you half-press the shutter button (2) the autofocus is activated, but it stays active all the time until you release the button or take the picture.
Auto mode
Auto mode will automatically switch between single-shot or continuous modes, depending on whether the camera detects subject movement or not. It’s a reasonable fall-back for novice users, but it can be unpredictable and it’s usually better to choose the mode yourself according to what you’re shooting – this is the best way to make sure the camera is going to react in a predictable manner.
Back-button focusing
AF-On button: ‘Back-button focusing’
Pro DSLRs have a button on the back, such as the ‘AF-On’ button on our Nikon D800. This takes over the AF from the shutter release – it’s a technique that sounds odd but makes sense when you try it. You can use it for single-shot AF, but it’s more often used for moving subjects in continuous AF mode.
Back button focus made easy
Focus is usually achieved by half-pressing the shutter-release button, but it’s also possible to customise most SLRs so that a button on the back of the camera – usually marked AF-ON or * – activates autofocus instead. This function, often used by professional photographers, is called ‘back button focus’.
Back button focus is useful when you’re using continuous autofocus, or focus tracking. Using the shutter button to focus is fine for static subjects, but with moving subjects it can be hard to tell whether or not the shutter is half-pressed, and if you accidentally press too hard, you run the risk of firing off a burst of shots too early.
There’s also a risk that when you come to fully press the shutter button, you’ll inadvertently lift your finger off the button for a split second before fully pressing it. In this split second, focus tracking will stop, and if the subject moves closer to the camera, the shot will be blurred.
The advantage of so-called back-button focus is that you don’t need to half-press anything – you just hold down the back AF button with your thumb to start focus tracking, keep holding it down as you track your subject’s movement, and then fire off a burst at the peak of the action – still with the back button fully-pressed.
Not all cameras have an AF button on the back, but on most models back-button focus can be set using a Custom Function.
Click the link below to see step-by-step how we set up the back button focus function this on a Canon EOS 5D Mark II, or refer to your camera’s manual.
How to set up back button focus on your camera
01 Find the Custom Function
Example for a Canon EOS 5D Mark II
(for other makes and models check your manual). Press the Menu button and use the Main Dial to highlight the Custom Functions. Use the Quick Control dial to highlight C.Fn IV: Operation/Others, and press Set.
02 Activate the back button
This will open Custom Function 1: Shutter Button/AF-ON Button. To activate back-button focusing, you need to select option 3: AE lock/Metering+AF Start. To do this, press Set, then use the Quick Control dial to scroll to option 3 and press Set again.
03 And shoot!
Press the Menu button twice to clear the LCD. With this option selected, you can use the AF-ON button to activate autofocus and take a meter reading, and the shutter button to release the shutter. It takes a bit
of practice, but it works a treat!
Filters
I prefer to leave a Hoya UV filter on every lens to protect it from damage.
I'll also always carry a graduated neutral-density filter only for shooting into a sunrise or sunset.
I rarely use a polarizer, and when I do, it's to cut through long-distance haze. The best polarizers on Earth are the Hoya HD Polarizers. They are expensive, but you'll be using your polarizing filter on many lenses in the future; filters don't go obsolete. I'm still using the previous model Hoya polarizer I got back in the 1990s!
I prefer the Tiffen HT graduated filters. They are also expensive, but I'm still using the Tiffen grads I bought back in the 1990s as well.
Filters last forever; don't be cheap. more at: http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/filters.htm
Portraits
6 portrait editing tricks
6 portrait editing tricks for timeless and on-trend images
When you’ve got to grips with the basics of portrait photography, why not unleash your creativity and give your portraits even more impact? Whether it’s using a nifty accessory, indulging in some digital darkroom skullduggery or simply daring to challenge the conventions, there are plenty of ways to make your mark.
The important thing to remember is that every portrait tells a story about the subject, and because each subject is different you’ll need to adapt the way in which you approach each subject.
It’s a good idea to talk to your subject first and get an idea of who they are, what they want their portrait to look like or what you want to portray.
Whether you’re shooting a model’s portfolio, a formal corporate headshot or some warm and cheery family portraits you’ll need to make creative decisions about lighting, lenses, camera angles, lenses and more.
Here are a few ideas, tips and techniques – both in-camera and in post-processing – that’ll give your images that extra pizazz.
Best focal length for portraits?
01 20mm wide-angle lens
A wide-angle is not normally the ‘go to’ lens for portrait photographers. Even the best wide-angle lenses can be less than flattering to your subject, as if you’re too close, noses and foreheads appear larger. Wide-angle lenses do have their uses in portrait photography. While not great for headshots, they’re perfect for environmental portraits where you want to show someone in their surroundings, and can keep them relatively small in the centre of the frame.
02 105mm portrait lens
A short telephoto is typically the portrait photographer’s favourite focal length – with a 70mm on a DX camera or a 105mm on a full-frame model being ideal. It’s as much about how close you end up being to your subject, as the perspective you get. A 105mm usually gives a comfortable working distance from subject to photographer.
03 200mm telephoto lens
A long focal length can be a great choice for portrait photographers as it compresses the perspective. This can often be more flattering for your subject. It’s also to easier to create a blurred background with a telephoto lens, so if you’re also using a wide aperture such as f/2.8 you can get stunning results, as the blurred part of the image can often also look lovely.
Best aperture for portraits
01 Blurred backgrounds
A wide aperture such as f/4 or f/2.8 will create a shallow depth of field. This means that the areas before and beyond the point of focus that also appear sharp will be very small. This is ideal if you want to blur the background, keeping only your subject sharp. However you’ll need to make sure your focusing is tack-sharp as it’s unforgiving. Focus on the eyes.
02 Best of both worlds
An aperture of f/8 (or something fairly close to that) can give you the best of both worlds. There’s usually a narrow enough depth of field to create a sense of separation from the background, and focus is more forgiving, while you’re less likely to have to compromise on shutter speed or ISO. If you’re using a setup with studio lights, this medium aperture is a good starting point
03 Everything sharp
A very small aperture, such as f/22, is great if you want other objects in your frame to also appear in focus, for example the model in the background of this shot. However, shooting at small apertures means you’ll need either to use a slower shutter speed, which might necessitate the use of a tripod in order to avoid blur, or to increase your ISO, which will introduce noise (grain).
Family Photography
Depth of field
You’d achieve shallow depth of field with a wide aperture of around f/2.8 or f/4. But aperture isn’t the only factor in shallow depth of field. Focal length and the subject’s distance from the camera also play a part in giving your images a shallow depth of field.
The longer the lens and the closer the subject, the more of a shallow depth of field effect you will achieve. Conversely, shorter focal lengths and distant focus points result in deeper planes of focus.
Groups
While it’s possible to produce nice shallow depth of field portraits of individuals, it doesn’t tend to work so well with groups. In most cases you want everyone to be sharp and as groups get bigger the distance between the person at the front and the one at the back gets bigger.
Ideally you need to use and aperture of f/8 or f/11 to ensure that everyone is sharp.
Low lights
When light levels are comparatively low, window-light photography can look superb, especially portraits, but if you’ve got a large group it’s likely to be difficult to get everyone nicely illuminated. There’s much more light outside and provided you pick an over-cast day, there should be good, even illumination.
Alternatively, if you want to shoot at home, try pushing up your camera’s sensitivity and use a flashgun on two with the light bouncing of a white ceiling or wall to help spread it out and give soft, even coverage. If you don’t have a white ceiling or wall invest in a diffuser or softbox for your flashgun.
Glasses
Glasses can pose problems in portraits because they reflect light and suffer from glare. If a member of your family normally wears glasses, asking them to take them off means making them look very different in the photos. A polarising filter over the lens and correctly rotated can cutout the glare, but it will also reduce the amount of light entering the lens and you’ll have to adjust the exposure accordingly. Alternatively, move around until you find an angle to shoot from that avoids the glare. It may take time, but it’s usually possible.
Awkward poses
Family portraits generally look better when everyone is relaxed. Forced poses look false and uncomfortable.
While the sofa in the living room might seem a logical venue for family shoot, try to avoid everybody squeezing on and sitting bolt upright or arranging themselves like the local football team in regular rows in front and behind.
Having someone seated on the arm of the sofa, someone else standing behind and another person sat on the floor in front of those on the sofa, however, gives a nice dynamic. If you ‘re shooting outside a bench is a good stand-in for a sofa, but also consider using some of the playground rides or even a fallen log to give a more spontaneous feel.
Distracting objects
Distracting objects in the background
Whether shooting outside or inside you need to watch out for objects in the background appearing to sprout out of the heads of your family. Inside it might be a lamp, a pot-plant or the Christmas tree, while outside it’s often trees, pylons, streetlamps and signposts.
Have a good look round the scene before you take the shot and if necessary move the offending article, recompose the shot or find an alternative venue.
Mistmatched couples
Try to arrange people in logical groups so that children are with their parents or grandparents and husband and wives are together. Ideally put the grandparents near the centre of the frame with everyone around them.
If your brother turns up with a new girlfriend of two weeks standing then by all means take a few photos with her in the group, but don’t assume that they’re going to be life-partners and make sure you get a few shots without her in the frame.
Reciprocity Law
The trick to exposure, is understanding something called reciprocity law. Basically, you can’t just use any shutter speed you want, because the relationship between shutter and aperture are linked… it’s reciprocal.. hence the name. Basically, think of a lens as a tap, but instead of letting water in, it lets light in. There are two ways you can control the amount of water (light) that flows through your lens (tap).
Aperture (the amount you open the tap). Basically, this is the size of the hole that lets the light in. The bigger the hole, the more light flows through.
Shutter (the amount of time you open the tap for). The more time the shutter is open for the more light flows through.
So thinking of a tap: If tap A is open halfway for 1 second it will flow X amount of water. Tap B however, is open all the way for 1/2 second…. that also flows X amount of water. The result is that the bucket (your film or chip) contains the same amount of water (light).
Start thinking about it as the water analogy until you get your head around it.
The amount of light received by the film is referred to in “stops”. The name comes from the “stops” on the lens aperture ring (most modern cameras no longer have this), but the same name applies to shutter speed as well because they both control the same thing: The flow or amount of light (water). Get it?
Aperture stops:
| Tables | Are | Cool |
|---|
F1
F1.4
F2
F2.8
F4
F5.6
F8
F11
F16
F22
F32
As a diagram, it would look like this
Here are some images of a real camera lens showing the aperture blades in action at various settings.
Lens
Contrary to common belief, focal length isn’t a measure of how long or short a lens is physically, but the distance in millimetres from the optical centre of a lens to the imaging sensor when the lens is focused at infinity.
Rather than being fazed by the physics, it’s easier to think of the way in which focal length affects image size.
For a camera with a full-frame sensor, for example, a standard lens (one that gives a similar perspective to the human eye) is 50mm.
Lenses with focal lengths less than 50mm are referred to as wide-angles – simply because they have a wider angle of view. Lenses with focal lengths greater than 50mm are known as telephotos, and these offer greater magnification thanks to their much narrower angle of view.
Understanding Focal Length: Wideangle vs Telephoto
Wide-angle and telephoto focal lengths each give pictures a very different look and feel. Here’s how to make the most of the extremes
Adding depth
A wide-angle lens (above 20mm) exaggerates perspective, making the foreground
and background appear further apart.
A telephoto lens (above 85mm) appears to flatten the image, bringing the key elements closer together. Notice that the tree in the foreground is the same size in each shot.
Cleaning up the frame
Because long lenses have a narrower angle of view, it’s easier to keep distracting elements out of the picture and create ‘tighter’ shots. Wide-angle lenses take in a much greater expanse, meaning you have to check the edges of the frame closely for unwanted elements.
Cheat sheet
Tamron SP 24-70mm
Tamron SP 24-70mm Di VC USD Canon Mount AFA007C-700 (Model A007E)
A great all-around lens.
Tamron’s SP 24-70mm is a high quality, highly functional, high speed standard zoom lens covering the 24-70mm focal range. It includes both Tamron’s proprietary VC (Vibration Compensation) Image stabilization to reduce shake and its USD (Ultrasonic Silent Drive) motor, enabling speedy, silent autofocusing. This SP (Super Performance) series lens makes full use of specialized glass elements in its lens layout, designed with top priority on image quality, including three LD elements and two XR (Extra Refractive Index) glasses.
Tamron has minimized all types of chromatic aberration in the SP 24-70mm, making it a lens at the top of its class whether you use it on a digital APS-C, full frame, or 35mm SLR camera. The SP 24-70mm F/2.8 aperture enables a balance between brilliant resolution and beautiful soft blur effects. This ideal lens makes full use of Tamron’s rounded diaphragm and the uncontrived, artistic blur that it provides. It is also Tamron’s first lens to feature our new moisture-resistant construction. Portraits, Landscapes, Studio Shoots, this is the lens for them all.
Capture the finest details of your images in precisely the way you have always wanted to. Extend your art to the limits of your inspiration with the Tamron SP 24-70mm.
Specifications:
- Model Name A007;
- Focal Length 24-70mm;
- Format size Di
- Maximum Aperture F/2.8,
- Diagonal Angle of View
- 84°04’ - 34°21’ (for full frame 35mm format cameras)
- 60°20’ - 22°33’ (for APS-C format cameras)
- Lens Construction 17 elements, 12 groups;
- Minimum Focus Distance 15”.
- Max. Mag. Ratio 1:5 (at f=70mm: MFD 15”).
- Filter Diameter 82mm.
- Overall Length 4.3”.
- Maximum Diameter 3.5”.
- Weight 29.1 oz.
- Diaphragm Blades 9 (rounded diaphragm).
- Standard Accessory Flower-shaped lens hood.
- Canon Mount
- Dimensions: 3.50” h x 3.50” w x 4.30” l, 2.00 pounds
Features:
Fast F/2.8 aperture throughout the zoom range
Top-in-class quality images with 3 LD, 3 Glass Molded Aspheric, 1 Hybrid Aspheric and 2 XR (Extra Refractive Index) elements
New VC anti-shake mechanism with 4-stop advantage
USD (Ultrasonic Silent Drive) powers a speedy AF drive together with continuous manual focus control (Full-Time Manual/FTM)
Moisture-resistant construction helps prevent water from penetrating the lens
Portraiture
Focal lengths between 85mm and 135mm produce the best head shots because they provide a desirable perspective in head shots
Lens tip to subject, not making allowance for background here.
Lens tip to subject 7 feet
300mm 11inches
200mm 17inches
135mm 24inches
85mm 40inches
50mm 65inches
average head from tip of head to chin 10 1/2 inches
1 inch above head to nipple line of average large (tall) woman,
average 6’2inch male, 18 1/2 inches
Now realize, if the background were behind them by several 3 1/2 feet the angle of view would mean if you gave 1 inch head clearance your image would have approximately 5 inches above the head in frame.
Look at my work and the close up face shots for some great examples of long lenses and the flattened face you all say is present and tell me if a bigger nose and further backset ears would be better for you.
By comparison a 50MM on the same 35MM format Full Frame gives the following realize that a full face as stated above from tip of the head to the chin is 10 1/2 inches you would need to be almost but not quite 1 foot from the subject just to fit the whole head in frame, and closer if you crop into the head at all
50mm ___24inches at 3 feet 36inches
50mm____17inches at 2 feet or 24inches
50mm ____9.5inches at 1 foot or 12inches
Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM
Specifications
Focal length: 24-70mm
Aperture: f2.8
Lens mount: Canon EF
EF-S Equiv: 38- 112mm
FF compatible: Yes
Anti-shake: No
AF motor: USM
Closest focus: 38cm
Filter thread: 82mm
Hood: EW-88C
Optics: 18 el. / 13 groups
Diaphragm blades: 9
Weight: 805g
Size: 89x113mm
Canon’s EF 24-70mm f2.8L USM
A favourite of pro portrait and wedding photographers, and is now more popular than ever in an improved Mark II version. It delivers a perfect range on full-frame bodies for group shots and single portraits, and is also great for cropped bodies if wide-angle isn’t important. The f2.8 aperture may not be as bright as the primes above, but still delivers nice blurred backgrounds and as an ‘L’ model it features excellent build quality and manual focusing. The Mark II version delivers superior quality to the original and is preferred, but it’s a shame there’s still no stabilisation; also beware the wider 82mm filter thread on the new model. Note Canon also offers a newer 24-70mm with stabilisation, but with a slower f4 aperture which makes it less attractive for portrait and low light work.
Specifications
Focal length: 24-70mm
Aperture: f2.8
Lens mount: Canon
EF EF-S Equiv: 38- 112mm
FF compatible: Yes
Anti-shake: No
AF motor: USM
Closest focus: 38cm
Filter thread: 82mm
Hood: EW-88C
Optics: 18 el. / 13 groups
Diaphragm blades: 9
Weight: 805g
Size: 89x113mm
On both cropped and full-frame bodies the 85mm focal length is considered a preferred candidate for portrait-photography as it gives you some distance from your subject which leads to a flattering perspective. This, combined with the capability to render blurred backgrounds with a smooth bokeh, makes large aperture 85mm lenses very sought after. Another use-case for 85mm primes is street-photography where you need some reach and a fast shutter speed. But 85mm lenses may also be used for nature photography and capturing landscapes.
It’s really very simple. You NEED more than one lens.
I’ve always used a twice-normal lens (like your 85mm) for head-and-shoulder and 3/4 length portraits, and something shorter for full-length.
Essentially, I nearly always choose the longest lens that the prevailing circumstances permit.
So… you’ll have your 85mm for individuals and your 50mm for groups… or something like that.
I bet you have more than one screwdriver in your tool drawer… so you’ll have the right tool for the right job.
In portraiture, it is often flattering to have the camera lens down around the solar plexis area of the subject, and then tilt it up to get their face. It helps to give a subtle suggestion of importance. With a shorter lens like the 50mm that could give you a good view up the subject’s nose! But with the 85mm you are a safe distance back and don’t have this problem.
Calculating Relative Background Blur
Methods of Calculating Relative Background Blur
The subject of this thread relates to mathematical formulas for the purpose of estimating the amount of relative background blur in images (recorded using any camera format). If the use of mathematics happens not to be your personal interest, or if you may feel that the use of mathematics is somehow unrelated to photography, then there is absolutely no relevant need for you to post to this thread.
Derived a mathematical identity to describe the (diagonal) physical dimension in object-space that an image-frame represents (at the location of background subject-matter of interest):
S = ( (Df) (H) / (L) ) x ( 1 + (M) / (P) )
where:
S is the (diagonal) size of the physical dimension in object-space that image-frame represents;
Df is the Camera (front nodal-plane) to Background Subject Matter Distance;
H is the diagonal dimension of the image-sensor’s active-area;
L is the Focal Length (when focused at infinity);
P is the Pupillary Magnification;
M is the Image Magnification.
Note: The Image Magnification (M) is itself equal to the ratio of the diagonal dimension of the image-sensor (H) divided by the unknown variable being solved for (S). However, in cases (such as the specific intended application of this formula) where that ratio is very small, I am ignoring that additional complexity. As M is very small, the effect value of P is also very small, and it seems reasonable (in this application) to consider ( 1 + (M) / (P) ) as simply being equal to unity, yielding:
S ~ (Df) (H) / (L)
.
Solved for a mathematical identity describing the diameter of the “Disk of Confusion” in Merklinger’s “Object Field” approach, representing the smallest resolvable diameter (in object-space). That smallest diameter can (it seems to me) be thought of as a “blur-disk” diameter:
B = ( (L) / (F) ) x ( (Df) / (D) - 1 )
where:
B is the (“blur-disk”) diameter of Merkilnger’s “Disk of Confusion”;
L is the Focal Length (when focused at infinity);
F is the F-Number;
Df is the Camera (front nodal-plane) to Background Subject Matter Distance;
D is the Camera (front nodal-plane) to Subject (plane-of focus) Distance.
.
In order to evaluate the size of the “blur-disk” diameter (B) as a percentage proportion of the (diagonal) physical dimension in object-space that an image-frame represents at the location of background subject-matter of interest (S), the ratio of the two identities ( B / S ) is taken:
BP ~ ( (100) / ( (F) (H) ) ) x ( ( (L) / (D) )^(2) ) x ( Df - D )
where:
BP is the percentage of the image-frame diagonal that the blur-disk represents;
F is F-Number;
H is the diagonal dimension of the image-sensor’s active-area;
L is the Focal Length (when focused at infinity);
D is the Camera (front nodal-plane) to Subject (plane-of focus) Distance;
Df is the Camera (front nodal-plane) to Background Subject Matter Distance.
.
What I like about the above described approach is that it is derived entirely from object-space quantities. As a result (and unlike approaches that evaluate Depth of Field and Hyperfocal Distance), it is not dependent on the accurate determination of a Circle of Confusion diameter (which is a function of image-sensor size, print/display size, and the viewer’s distance from the print/display).
It is certainly possible that I may have made conceptual or mathematical error(s) in my derivation of the above method of quantifying the effects of background-blur in an image. Would welcome any coherent and meaningful thoughts or suggestions from others relating directly to the specific subject of this thread as it is described in the text of this post above.