Shutter Mike Photography

Photo Filters in PhotoShop are similar to the lens filters you would place on the front of an SLR or DSLR lens in order to alter the light hitting the film or senor.  You may be most familiar with polarizing filters and UV filters as these are fairly common in film photography.  On-camera filters are not used as often in digital photography because the camera itself can compensate for lighting and post-processing software such as PhotoShop has many features to add the effects of a filter after the fact.  However the PhotoShop photo filters go a bit beyond the familiar polarizing and UV filters.  A good range of easy to use warming and cooling filters are offered in PhotoShop (I’m using CS4) to subtract the blue tones or the orange tones from an image.  Additional colored filters from magenta to green are also available for artistic effects.

It is rather easy to apply one of these filters.

1.  Start by creating a new adjustment layer.  From the Layers Menu select New Adjustment Layer > Photo Filter.
2.  This will open a “New Layer” dialog box for you to name the layer and define its properties.

3.  You will now have a new layer and the Photo Filters will show in your Adjustments window.

4.  The rest is just as easy.  Either select a predefined filter from the filter drop down menu or create your own colred filter with infinite possibilities by using the color selection option.

Experiment with different colors as each will have a different effect on different images.  Some can make a sky more dramatic in your landscapes or neutralize shadows for images taken on a bright day or just to give your photograph your own artistic twist.  Here are some examples of the filters applied to one of my images.

Portrait photography has never been my forte.  In fact I have pretty much avoided it at all costs.  It scares me a bit.  First, you have to please someone other than yourself; your subject.  In the nature, landscape and architecture photography I have focused on almost exclusively the subject has little to say about how the final image turns out.  Second, I very much enjoy the solitary aspect that photography can have.  I can go to the middle-of-nowhere and be alone with my camera and engross myself in something I love.  Portrait phot0graphy, by its very definition, does not allow for much solitude.

But I have decided, for the sake of improving and expanding my photography skills, I need to branch out.  I started photographing a friend and my niece.  Then last week I had a portrait photography first for me; a four year old child.  I think I may have jumped in with both feet on this one. But that is a good thing and a great way to learn something.  Sink or swim so to speak.

These photographs are from my first shoot of a young child and the tips here are a few things I discovered in the process.  Some are specific to photographing kids, some can apply to any age subject and some even work for any photography subject, human or not.

1. Be prepared – Get everything set ahead of time.  Make sure your camera and flash settings are where you need them before your subject arrives.  Get tot he location early and scout out a few good locations.  Whether shooting a child or adult don’t keep them waiting while you get things set up.
2. Lighting is key – If you aren’t using studio lighting, but natural light, be watchful of how that light is interacting with your subject.  Are there shadows across their face?  Is the  sun in their eyes?  Move around to find the best lighting and try using a reflector to bounce light back up at your subject.
3. Talk – Keep the kids engaged and having fun by talking to them, asking questions and not making the experience so much like a chore.
4. Kids move fast – Keep the camera ready and shoot.
5. Let kids be kids – Don’t try to force smiles or poses.  Kids acting natural will result in great, fun poses.
6. Work with the Kids – Let the kids make decisions of where and how they want to pose.  Let them play naturally and capture them being a child.  It will result in photos that don’t appear forced and will hopefully keep your subject relaxed and more photogenic.
7. Be Unconventional – You don’t have to limit yourself to the traditional “head shot” portrait.  If you take points 4, 5 and 6 into account these “unconventional” shots will just happen.  As cliche as it may be, think outside of the box too.
8. Take lots of photos – This is easier done with digital photography.  But, especially for those of us just starting out with portraits, shoot as much as you can and edit down later.

It has only been a few months since I updated my Adobe PhotoShop to CS4.  But the sneak peak not too long ago of CS5’s new Content Aware Fill feature is a temptation to upgrade once more.  Adobe PhotoShop CS5 is officially released tomorrow, April 12th.  To tempt us even more PhotoShop has given another look at one of the new features they have packed into the latest version.  This time it is Puppet Warp, a tool used for bending and twisting images with just a few steps.  Watch a video on this newest feature and see if you can resist upgrading tomorrow.

If you have ever shot in RAW format and done any post-processing work using Adobe PhotoShop you have probably noticed and experimented with the sliders for clarity, vibrance and saturation at the bottom of the “basic” tab on the Camera Raw editing window (CS4 version).  All three of these adjustments are used to alter the saturation of your image.  Saturation refers to the intensity and purity of the color.  A highly saturated image has very vivid color while an image that has been desaturated is a greyscale image with monochromatic grey tones.  Each of these settings has a little different effect on the colors of the image.  The sample photos here are at either extreme end of the spectrum, -100 and +100 to help give you an idea of what each saturation setting does.  In most cases, except where you are trying to go for an “artistic” look, you would not take it to the extreme ends.  Generally you may blend a few of them at varying points along their scales to get the end result you are trying to accomplish.

Clarity – Clarity adds depth to an image and gives it a stronger focus and more impact.  Notice the sharper detail in the +100 clarity photo while the focus becomes softer and the colors almost muted in the -100 clarity image.

Click on the images to see the effect better in the full size version.

Clarity at + 100

Clarity at - 100.

Vibrance – From a visual standpoint the results of adjusting the vibrance settings may appear very similar to those you get from adjusting the saturation settings.  However there are a few subtle differences that make the two unique.  Most notably, vibrance changes the saturation of the least saturated colors and has minimal effect on the higher-saturated colors.  When you do not need equal adjustment across all colors vibrance is the route to go.  Also, when working with portraits vibrance helps prevent skin tones from becoming over-saturated.

Notice the difference between the vibrance -100 image and the Saturation -100 image.  The vibrance version still has hints of color left because these were highly saturated to begin with and vibrance has less impact on these types of colors.

Vibrance at + 100

Vibrance at - 100

Saturation – Increasing the saturation will brighten and deepen all of the colors in the photograph across the board, unlike vibrance which acts on the least saturated colors. Going the other direction will remove some of that depth and brightness in the colors and, if you go far enough the image will turn out desaturated or monochrome.

Saturation at + 100

Saturation at - 100

The need or opportunity to photograph a new car in any detail probably won’t come up too often.  But shooting a new car can be fun and allow you to explore a subject from every angle.  It is a great exercise in seeing.  So should the chance come along, here are 5 tips to help you get started photographing a car.

1) Pay Attention to the Light – Although lighting is key when shooting any subject, the lighting you use to shoot an automobile can play an exceptionally important role.  With very few exceptions, a new car is very shiny.  That means the wrong lighting can reek havoc on your subject.  Get the lighting wrong and you can have all kinds of issues; glare, reflections, over exposed in one area and under in another, the list can go on and on.  Since most of us cannot set up an indoor studio large enough to accommodate a whole car we have to resort to natural outdoor lighting.  But do not fret, there is a magic solution, of sorts.  You have two chances each day to find the ideal lighting situation for car photography.  The magic hour , as it is known, will give you natural light without harsh shadows or overly bright highlights.   This limits you to only an hour of shooting, give or take, but the end results will be well worth it.

2) Explore – You will want to take the basic shots; one from all four sides.  But do not stop there.  Explore the car in detail as you would any subject.  Get down low – even if that means laying on the ground, get up high – bring a ladder along, get up close, follow the natural lines of the car, check under the hood, in the trunk and don’t miss the interior.  And don’t forget the details that make each car unique.  Most cars today have some amazing lines and curves that when composed well make great images.

3) Don’t Let the Minor Details Ruin the Image – When shooting any subject even the most minor thing can distract from the overall image.  Think of that one hair that is out of place and how it becomes the focus of a portrait.  The same is true when photographing a car.  Keep a sharp eye out for these minor flaws that can ruin the otherwise perfect shot such as dust, scratches, window smudges and the like.  Of particular importance is reflections.  Again, being a shiny object it sees all.  Make sure you are not taking an unintentional self-portrait or that other objects nearby are not stealing center stage.

4) Chose Your Location Carefully – When deciding where to photograph the car you want to pick a location that compliments the car and doesn’t steal all the glory.  Or worse, one that is just a distraction with too much background busyness.  A parking lot may seem like a natural choice for a car, but make sure it is one without 17 other cars making yours look like “just another car.”  There should be no doubt that the car is the subject of the photo and not the building, people, city scape or whatever else is in the background.  That having been said, an appropriate urban, rural or scenic setting can often compliment the car and help tell its story.   Just keep the car as the main character.

5) Post Processing – Post processing, editing images in a software program such as PhotoShop, can be your best friend.  In case you miss one of the above tips, and it will happen, there is not much you can’t fix after the fact if your post processing skills are up to it.  You obviously want to get as close to the perfect shot the first time right out of the camera.  But perfection rarely happens the first time around.  So when you have the perfect setting but there is a no parking sign in your shot or you overlook your own smiling face in the chrome, don’t hesitate to save the image with a little magic wand and spot healing.

BBC Wildlife Magazine is well known for its spectacular wildlife photography form around the world.  The pages are graced time and time again with wildlife and nature photography that will make you want to go on safari or deep into the jungle tomorrow.  But above and beyond beautiful photography the expert photographers at BBC Wildlife also offer advice and tips on photographing animals and nature through a series of Photo Masterclasses.  Now you can get all 21 Photo Masterclasses packed with advice, tips and expert know-how on a vast range of nature photography how-to topics.  The classes all of the basics for improving your photography skills.  Here are just a few of what is available all for FREE:

• Plant Portraits
• Animals in their Environment
• Bird Portraits
• Urban and Garden Wildlife
• Zoo Photography
• Extreme Close Up

Each topic is concise and full of great advice that will help you to improve you photography of animals and nature.  You can download all 21 Photo Masterclasses in PDF format.

Adobe products are probably some of the most widely used image editing software by both amateur and professional photographers. I recently upgraded from CS2 to CS4 and the vast improvements from one to the other were impressive.  But software technology advances quickly and that only means there are much better things to come.  Adobe recently gave a sneak peak of a feature that will be in the next version, PhotoShop CS5.  Content Aware Fill is a remarkable bit of technology.  In its simplest terms, it takes the spot healing brush and the clone stamp tools to a whole new level.  The Content Aware Fill tool uses data from the area surrounding your selection (content) to smart fill in and match the selected area resulting in near perfect corrections in your photograph.  Based on the demo video released from Adobe it does an amazing job of it.  Will this feature alone force me to upgrade again so soon?  Adobe PhotoShop CS5 is slated to be released in just a few weeks on April 12, 2010.

Thanks to Matt at Awesome Toy Blog for passing on the news about PhotoShop.

When it comes to the rules of composition in photography there are two things you need to know: 1) all the basic rules of composing a good photograph and how to execute them and 2) when to disregard those rules.

To start, composition in photography refers to how the elements in the frame are constructed and arranged to result in the desired final image.  There are a lot of these rules and a lot of expert opinions on how and when they should be executed.  Knowing them will help you be a better photographer and help you know when they do not apply to the image you are trying to construct.  I have already talked about framing the subject, leading lines and vertical vs. horizontal composition so up next is filling the frame.

Filling the frame is about making your intended subject the center of attention by doing just that, filling the frame, from top to bottom and left to right with nothing but your subject.  By cropping out the background “noise” and distraction you bring the subject to the forefront and leave no doubt as to what your photograph is about.  But as with all of these photography composition rules this is not an absolute rule.  You can’t zoom in on the intended subject and cut out everything in the background and expect a good rule obeying photograph.  Sometimes the background is part of the story or it enhances rather than distracts from the main subject or maybe that “distraction” gives your particular image the creative touch you were looking for.  This is where part two comes into play, know the rule and then know when it does not apply.

Photographing your pet is something most every pet owner does.  But getting a good photograph of your pet eludes most of us.  Pets tend to not be as cooperative as human subjects (although sometimes the opposite is true).  This makes the pet snapshot much more common than the pet portrait.  However, there are a few things you can do to capture a good portrait of your pet.

1) Avoid using the flash – The flash can cause some eerie effects in the eyes of your pets, from red eye to green glowing demon eyes.  In addition a particularly skittish pet can be easily frightened by a flash going off.  A tripod and proper exposure settings can compensate for the lack of flash when an abundance of natural light is not available.

2) Keep it natural – Natural light is ideal for most portraits when you can get it.  This is especially true for your pets given the negative effects of using a flash.  Natural light also allows you to capture your pet in their natural setting.  A cat in a sun filled window or a dog in a grassy back yard provides both natural light and puts them in their element.

3) Fill the frame – Using this composition technique can make for a great pet portrait.  Get in close, preferably with your zoom lens so as not to startle them, and fill the entire frame of the image with your pet.  This keeps out the distractions of the background and keeps the focus on the subject of the photo, your pet.

4) Don’t try to pose – Trying to pose your pet and getting them to keep the pose long enough to take the photo is an exercise in futility.  Both you and your pet are going to end up frustrated.  Keep it natural and let your pet chose their own pose.  It will make for a much better portrait.

5) Get down to their level – The angle from which you shoot can make all the difference.  Some of the best pet portraits take into consideration that anything but being at the cat or dog’s level (or lower) is going to be little more than a great shot of the top of their head.

6) Try the unconventional – Not every portrait has to be a head shot.  Paws, tails and ears can make for great detail shots.  Don’t limit yourself to just the conventional.

7) Have patience – You have heard the expression “it is like herding cats.”  Cats in particular can be a challenge and their natural disinterest in cooperation can make photographing them difficult.  The same can be true of all but the most well trained and obedient dogs.  Patience will go a long way and be prepared for a lot of takes for the one good shot.

Sometimes you capture an image where the subject is right and the composition is just what you were hoping for but the exposure is off or the color saturation is not what it could be.  With post-processing the image is not lost.  In the photo below I was very happy with the subject and with a little cropping the composition was what I had intended.  However, the coloring of the photographer was very dull.  The cloudy sky and the snow covered building and trees made the whole image very gray and dark.  By using the quick mask feature of Adobe Photoshop CS4 I was able to select the sky and make a few digital enhancements.

The first instinct in Photoshop may be to use one of the selection tools from the tools menu such as the magic wand or one of the lasso tools.  But in this particular photo’s case the magic wand tool selects much more than just the sky because everything is so similar in tone (see image at the right).  And the lasso tools are more difficult to use because of all the non-uniform edges of the trees.

This makes the quick mask tool a great alternative.  I feel that it allows for more control over the area you are selecting.

Before getting into the quick mask tool I opened the image in camera RAW and made some basic adjustments to white balance and exposure to brighten the image overall.  But the image was still too monotone.

1) The Quick Mask tool can be found at the bottom of the tools menu.

2) Double click it to get started and the Quick Mask Options window will open.  Select the “Selected Areas” option and the opacity can be left at the default 50%.  Click OK.

3) Now select your paint brush and set the brush size to something appropriate for paining in the area you want to select.

4) Then trace an outline around the area to be selected.  You will notice this method is much more forgiving than the lasso selection tools.  It will look like you are painting your image pink, but don’t worry this will go away.

5) Next you need to fill in the area inside of your outline.  You can either do this with your paint brush or with the paint bucket tool.  The resulting image should have your selection in pink as shown below.

6) Now turn the quick mask off by clicking the same button you used to turn it on.  Your painted area will turn to a selection as indicated by the flashing dotted lines.

7) From the Layer menu select New Adjustment Layer and then select the adjustment you want to make to the selected area.  In the case of my overly dull sky I selected a color balance adjustment, but play around with it to find the effect you like.

8 ) Make your adjustments and save your image.  I over did the coloring on this image to emphasize the effect, but you can go as subtle or as wild as you want.