Innholdsfortegnelse for 6th Edition i The Canon Camera Book

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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