Photoshop Manipulation Thank you Andy.

Hey peeps we cornered our very own andyathlon (with the help of a few Storm Troopers) and talked him into a Photoshop Session. He did a fantastic job and fingers crossed, we may be able to talk him into another session later! Thanks for sharing your talent Andrew!

_____________________________________________________________________

andyathlon Just wanted to say thanks for this chance to write something. It's nice that people like my work enough to think I can explain how I do it.

In this session my aim is to show you some of my methods and ways of thinking when I approach editing an image.

You do not need the newest Photoshop to do the things I am going to show you. You can actually do them in Photoshop Elements and previous versions of Photoshop right back to version 6!

I am going to cover:
- Layer Masks (Using a brush)
- Layer Masks (Using the gradient tool)
- Spot Healing brush
- Black and white conversion

Here are few applications for these techniques:
- Removing someone or something from the shot.
- Creating an image that is impossible to take.
- Merging two focus points.
- Blending exposures.
- Blending random images.
- To gain additional tonal ranges in colour and black and white images.
- Removing lens flare, dirty, dust, hair from your shots.


Ok, step one requires some music; without music I cannot concentrate long enough to finish things.

Photoshop

What is Adobe Photoshop? If you have never heard of Photoshop it could be because you have been living in a cave or perhaps you use an alternative like Adobe Lightroom.

Photoshop is a graphics / image editing program Photoshop used by millions of people. In most cases, people edit their work. I personally have only uploaded 1 shot to Flickr with no editing! Some people say it's cheating and you should learn to do it on the camera. I say there are just some things you cannot do on the camera that Photoshop can do, so I will show you a few of my favourites.

Key Commands

Here are the only key commands that I use they will save you a lot of time.

UNDO!!! - CTRL+Z
Select all - CTRL +A
Deselect all - CTRL + D
Copy - CTRL+C
Paste - CTRL + V
ZOOMs in and out - ALT + Mouse wheel scroll
Moves Up and down - SHIFT + Mouse Wheel scroll
Moves Left and Right - CTRL + Mouse wheel scroll
Decreases brush size - [
Increases brush size - ]


Layer Masks

What is a layer mask?

A layer mask is a non destructive layer; it allows you to hide sections of an image. Two important points about a layer mask
1 - The colour black on the Layer mask hides the pixels in the linked layer.
2 - The colour white on the Layer mask leaves the linked layer intact.

I have two ways of doing layer masks, both are useful in different situations.

The first way I will show you is the way I was first taught from a tutorial back in the day. It involves using a mask and a brush to remove areas of a photo.

The second is one I sort of worked out myself (Not in any way claiming I invented it LOL). This way uses a layer mask along with the gradient tool. This method is my sneaky way of keeping gradients of colour and tone without creating those harsh lines that usually make something stand out that has been cut and pasted in.

Layer Masks #1

My aim of using layer masks is to merge two images together to create one seamless image, which contains elements from both images. In my example, I will merge two images together to create one image containing the same car twice. Other examples of doing this could be to remove something from a shot like a person or an object.

First take 2 images that you want to blend together, copy the image of one onto the other. So CTRL + A then CTRL + C, select the document you want to copy it into and CTRL + V. You should end up with something like this.

1

Next stage is nice and easy, click the top layer and then choose the add layer mask option from the bottom panel. A white square should appear next to top layer in panel indicating linked layer.

2

Now we need to actually see what we are working on; by reducing the opacity on the top layer we can see the layer below without having to keep clicking on the hide layer option. Click the opacity option and drop it until you can see the subject matter behind that you are going to blend. I usually put it around the 50% mark.

3

Get yourself a soft brush and choose a size that will be easy to use when you are painting in your image. Remember to use the [ ] keys once you have selected the brush, this will increase and decrease the brush size without having to click. (I really am lazy). The hardness determines how sharp/soft the brush will be. If you use a really hard brush you can generally see crisp lines. Unless the rest of your image is really crisp you do not want this.

4

Now we need to zoom in (ALT+ Mousewheel) and get close to what you are going to blend through. With your paint brush tool selected and set to black, simply paint over the area you want to see. If a big black circle appears CTRL+Z!!!! and make sure you have the layer mask selected.

5

Now all you have to do is zoom out (ALT + Mousewheel), change the opacity to 100% and bobs your uncle you have a layer masked image. It's easy when you know how!

6

Layer Masks #2

Now for something a bit special!

If you like long exposure then you will know that sunlight can be your friend and your enemy. You need it to create shadows and texture in an image but too much and you lose detail in the sky or in my case the whole sky.

I am going to recreate a sunset shot I took in Mumbles Swansea UK.



Take 2 images; 1 under exposed and 1 over exposed. You are probably already thinking this is some kind of HDR thing, well sort of, but without all the faff of the scroll bars or random effects. This is having a dynamic range but you get to pick what areas you want to use.

7

8

Like the first layer mask tutorial, we need to put the images into the same document so again CTRL + A, CTRL + C, select the document to put the image in and CTRL + V. Once you have done that add a layer mask again to the Top layer

9

Then take the gradient tool, this is the magic tool that will allow you to keep a range of tones and reduce sharp edges where tones are completely different.

10

Make sure the gradient tool is set to black to white using the colour setting in the top left of the screen. Then drag the gradient tool from the top to the bottom of the section you want to blend. The longer the line the more of a tonal range you will keep, the shorter the line the sharper and more blunt the gradient will be.

It usually takes me a few goes to get the blend of the layers how I like them. If you want to guarantee a straight line hold down the SHIFT key when drawing the line, this will lock it.

11

Here's what happens if you draw a short line using the gradient tool.

12

Here is what it looks like when you do not think about what you are going to blend using the gradient tool. You can see it creates a sharp line and the angle of the merged documents do not compliment each other.

13

If you have created a nice smooth gradient you will be able to see it by holding ALT and clicking on the layer mask it will show you the gradient layer behind.

14

Just click back on your image to get out of the layer mask. Looking at the layer mask from time to time will allow you to see if you have missed any areas when using the brush tool. They will show up as white areas within the black.

If you save the file as a PSD, you will be able to return to the image and any layer masks you have created will still be there. If you save the file as a Jpeg, then it will flatten all your layers and you will not be able to change it. Unless you are confident that your image is how you want it do not apply the layer mask or flatten the layers, as you will not be able to get back to them unless you have access to them in your history.


Spot Healing
I use spot healing to take out the mess that lives on my sensor and filters and lenses. Without this little tool I would have to get my camera equipment cleaned every week.

I also use spot healing to remove lens flare.

I find the key to using the spot healing brush is the direction and point where you start from.

Take an image you need to fix, I've found one with some lens flare from the moon.

15

Next, choose the spot healing brush tool. For this example I will not use the content aware fill option which is available in photoshop CS5.

16

I find the best way is to start away from the detail. In this case the detail is the tree. I will start from the top working down and across until I reach the area closest to the tree. The reason I do this is I think the program starts filling in pixels from where you started. As the spot healing brush is set to proximity match it will take the information from pixels around the brush. If you start by the tree you will be moving the tree up the image, instead of bringing the sky to the tree.

This is what happens when I go from top to bottom.

17

This is what happens when I go from bottom to top.

18

As you can see one brings the sky, the other brings the tree. Give it a try yourself next time you are using it. Colour in different directions, it should give you different results.

Black and white Editing

I went through a long phase of using Silver Effects Pro www.niksoftware.com/silverefexpro/usa/entry.php
But ever since I got the CS5 I haven't felt the need to use it. This is mainly due to the improved black and white facilities in Photoshop CS5.

I am really one for trial and error with black and white conversion as there are so many variations you can create. So this will come down to personal preference more than anything I can tell or show you.

I am going to show you how I processed the following shot that was a HOF Winner in week 48.



For this shot I used two images, both taken using an ND10 filter for an uber long exposure, to create soft clouds and white sea. One shot is over exposed and the other is under exposed. This way I get the white sea but keep the dark contrast of the clouds.

19

20

Now we need to merge the two shots together. I'm going to put the dark image on top. If you were to put the lighter image on top you would need to do the gradient fill the opposite direction.

So CTRL+A, CTRL+C, select the image you want to paste into and press CTRL+V. Once this is done, add a layer mask to the top layer, select the gradient tool from the left hand menu, and make sure it is set to black and white in the top menu section.

21

Now we need to add the layer mask gradient, make sure you have the layer mask selected by clicking on it in the bottom right layer menu. In my example I want the white sea to show through so I will drag the gradient tool up. I want a sharp line so by holding down SHIFT and dragging a small line on the horizon I will get the desired effect.

In my previous example I dragged a longer line; this was to preserve tones. I do not need to keep tones. In this example I want bold crisp contrast between the sea and the sky so the sharpest edge possible without looking too sharp. (It's quite a fine line between what's good and bad, it took me about 10 attempts to get it how I wanted it)

22

Now the fun part, adding the black and white adjustment layer. This is done by clicking the black and white option on the menu on the right. If done successfully a new layer will appear in the bottom right layer panel. And a new menu will appear replacing the adjustment layer. This menu contains sliders which adjust the colours in your image by moving these up and down you are able to get different effects.

Because my sky was made up of blues and pinks, if I move the red, cyan and blue sliders towards the darker end of the spectrum it will increase the contrast of image making the sky darker. By moving the yellow slider up I am able to make my water and lighter areas of the sky brighter. (Remember, this is all personal taste and trial and error)

23

We are now going to make certain features stand out a bit more to create more depth and increase the contrast without affecting the whole image.

We are going to do this by using the dodge and burn tools. Burn, if you couldn't guess, is going to make things darker and dodge is going to make things brighter. They work by increasing the exposure of tonal ranges and are affected by the size of the exposure you set and how many times you go over an area.

Select the dodge tool from the left hand menu and pick the tonal range that you want to affect from the top menu. I want the sky to go darker; as it's already dark I want to affect the shadows. You also need to set the exposure to be a low figure, to start I usually try 10%. And make sure you have the correct layer selected from the layer menu.

Start drawing over areas that you want to go darker. I am going to accent the edges of a few of the darker clouds. If you find it isn't doing much increase, the exposure or you have picked the wrong tonal range to affect.

24

Magic beans burning is done. I'm pretty happy with that! (BTW trying to replicate a previous image is near to impossible!). What I want now is the dodge tool again selected from the left menu, with the tonal range and exposure on the top section.

I want to make some of the grey clouds a little bit more white, and also get rid of the grey patch in the sea in the bottom right.

This time I choose mid-tones as the range and pick the layer with the sea, and just draw over the sea in the bottom right until it stops looking so grey. Next I want to again accent some of the clouds but this time the grey/white areas. I still need it set to mid-tones and the exposure is ok around 12% (you will get used to judging these and if you don't, CTRL+Z). By drawing over some of the grey clouds I can make them lighter and increase the contrast (Find me a camera that can do that!)

25

Now we can see the final image, darker clouds lighter sea with accented clouds for depth. Every black and white image I do is different as it all depends on the original colours of the image.

Give it a try - find any image and play around with it. Sometimes the best images come by accident.

26

Hopefully this session has helped a few people and maybe refreshed the skills of others. There is so much more I could go through and there's probably a lot others could show me.

The main aim for me was to pass on some knowledge and to get members of the group to give something new a go.

I am looking forward to seeing what people produce after reading this.

Thanks for reading

Andrew

Macro Photography Thank you Peter and Jonathan.

peterkinowski This tutorial is offered to give a few macro tips based on what I've learnt in the past 18 months both in the field and from other macro shooters.

First, a disclaimer. For me, macro shooting has always been about manual controls, namely manual focus and exposure settings and always with a flash. This is my preferred technique but may not agree with other perceived ideas, particularly with the use of the flash. There are many different ways to take a photo, but for macro shots, these are my techniques and should be viewed accordingly.

For all the Pinnaclers who have never taken a macro shot before, here's a basic overview:

1. Basic macro

Most lenses have a macro setting. This basically lets you close focus to a subject and gives a magnification in the range of about 0.3x. It can be argued that true macro starts at 1x mag, which means for a cropped frame sensor camera, a subject 22mm wide will fill your viewfinder. At 2x mag, a subject 11mm wide will fill the viewfinder etc. etc.

Just about any lens can be adapted to take macro shots. What is needed is to extend the lens further out from the camera body. This can be done with extension tubes, bellows etc. Close up filters also work but at a slight degradation to image quality.

I started taking macro shots basically the only way I knew how, by using a 50mm lens attached to a bellows outfit. Nearly all of my earlier shots were taken using a Canon camera fitted with a 55mm Nikon manual focus macro lens mounted on a bellows. Flash was fired into a cardboard diffuser as shown here:



The reason for the Nikon lens was that I always believed that they were the best macro lenses made, and still do (until I bought my MP-E65mm) and because they had an aperture ring. That 55mm lens cost me $50 and is one of the best optically ever made and gave me great results. My Montgomery Burns shot was taken with this set-up:



However, a cheaper alternative is to fit extension tubes (available on ebay for about $20) between your lens and camera body. Even 40mm of extension fitted to a humble 18-55mm zoom will give magnification up to and beyond 1x mag. The only disadvantage with these rings is that you lose your automatic features including autofocus and metering which aren't really required for macro work anyway. The more expensive tubes which maintain the automatic features are available but for the price of these a dedicated macro lens would be a better option.

For anyone wishing to try this method, set the lens aperture to say F11, shutter speed to 1/125sec and ISO to 200, and check the EV reading. If it's a couple of stops down don't worry because the flash will compensate for this. Focus is manual and obtained by moving the camera and lens backwards and forwards. This focus method is what I've used to take every one of my macro shots, irrespective of the lens and set-up. A flash is also essential. Generally, the on-board flash fired into a gary fong diffuser will get the light in front of the camera lens depending on subject-to-lens distance, otherwise an off-camera flash fitted to a flash bracket aimed just in front of the lens or fired into a cardboard diffuser is a good alternative. I can't stress enough the importance of using a flash for macro work, not just to fill in the shadows but also to enable faster shutter speeds to freeze any motion. Most flashes have E-TTL metering which will provide the right level of light so exact camera settings is not that important.

Remember, with manual extension tubes you are viewing the subject with the lens stopped down (to F11) so the subject will appear darker. For daylight shots this is not a problem and also what you see is what you get, DOF wise.

A tip to set the aperture on lenses without an aperture ring is to set the aperture with the lens on the camera then hold in the DOF button as you remove the lens. This locks the lens at that aperture and can then be fitted to the extension tubes. Normal lens position is resumed when the lens is re-fitted to the camera.

One of my favourite "macro" lenses is my 70-200F4L Canon lens fitted to 40mm of extension tubes. I pre-set the lens to F8 and with the tubes can obtain a mag of nearly 0.8x. This is great for larger insects like butterflies and dragonflies as the working distance is quite large. Focus is obtained by moving backwards and forwards and by turning the zoom ring. I usually use this set-up with a mono-pod. Again, flash is essential. I've modified my MT-24EX twin flash units to fit the end of the lens as in this pic but the combo works just as well with a hot-shoe mounted flash.



Another commonly use method to increase magnification of a lens is simply to reverse it. Reversing adaptor rings are readily available and excellent results are obtained. Reversing a lens places the leading elements further away from the camera body and hence the increase in magnification. Again, the humble 18-55mm zoom reversed on a camera will give excellent magnification especially at the 18mm end. As before, the aperture needs to be pre-set for greater DOF and exposures and focusing is again all manual. And don't forget the flash! Anyone owning a 50mm lens and wishing to dabble into macro should try the extension rings or reversing methods.


2. Dedicated macro lenses

Of course, the above set-ups are merely a compromise for a good dedicated macro lens. Most of the major lens manufacturers make a macro lens which lets you focus from infinity to 1x mag. The one I own is Canon's new 100mmF2.8L macro lens and this is great for flower shots as well as larger insects like butterflies and dragonflies etc. Whenever I use this lens I always set focus and exposure to manual and use the pop-up flash fired through a gary fong diffuser. Typically, 1/200sec, F8, ISO200 will give a metered value of about 1-2 stops down. This is what I want because the flash takes care of the rest. My flash setting is usually set -1/3 to -2/3. The reason I diffuse all my flashes is because most insects have highly reflective surfaces and the diffused flash helps to keep these reflections down. I also find that a balance between flash and ambient light gives the best result. Just my opinion though. This is typical of a macro shot with balance fill-flash:




3. Beyond 1x mag: Macro Extreme

This is where the fun really starts and where you can get the most enjoyment out of macro shooting, especially with insects. It's not only the end result here but the thrill of the chase, just like hunting. Stalking an insect and finally getting it in your gun-sights to take a perfectly exposed shot is a lot of fun, and believe me, very addictive. Some of the best macro shots I've seen on Flickr are of insects at 2-3-4x mag. perfectly exposed and focused.

My main choice of weapon is of course Canon's MP-E65mm macro lens, arguably the best macro lens on the planet. This lens is strictly manual as it has no focus ring and magnification marks are marked on the barrel ranging from 1x to 5x. At 5x mag the lens extends to about 230mm so it's quite a monster. Coupled with this is my MT-24EX twin flash unit which fits to the end of the lens and extends with the lens as it moves. This is my set-up which I used a few months ago. Since then I've modified my flash diffusion layers:



Flash heads are usually set to the 11 o'clock and 2 o'clock positions and the flash set to -2/3 EV. Using all my previous macro gear in manual mode and employing stop-down metering was all good practice for the day I finally got my MP-E.

When I'm using this lens and flash, like all other macro shots I take, I have my camera set to manual mode, F13 aperture, 1/250sec shutter and 100 ISO. At these settings there is virtually no ambient light reaching the sensor so the flash is going to be my primary light source. I think I'll state here that I never use a tripod to take insect shots and that all my shots are hand-held. There are lots of ways to support the camera which I'll reveal later.

Anyone not wishing to fork out money for an MP-E might consider the "poor man's MP-E". This is merely a macro lens mounted on dedicated automatic extension tubes, such as a set of Kenko's. I've seen a lot of great macro shots taken with a Canon 60mm macro attached to these tubes and which can achieve magnifications almost up to 3x.

But back to the flash. One of the tricks to getting sharp, hand-held macro shots of active insects is to get the light source (flash) as close as possible to the subject. Flash duration increases with distance. The shorter the distance between the flash and the subject the shorter the flash duration and as this is the primary light source, the less movement recorded. The intensity of the flash doesn't change but the duration does. My current set-up has the flash diffusers almost touching and just above the opening to the lens so that they are almost touching the subject.

Because the flash is the primary light source the shot can often appear with a black background. This is really a personal preference and occurs because there is nothing behind the subject close enough to receive any of the flash lighting. If an illuminated background is required, it needs to be placed close behind the subject. This comes down to camera angle. These 2 similar bee shots were taken a) with the bee on the edge of the plant and isolated from the background, and b) with the bee on the edge of the plant but with the camera angled so that the background was included.



It's just a personal preference which is the better shot. Some macro shooters hold a piece of coloured paper behind the insect just to include some colour, or twist up the leaf of a plant or flower so that it's included in the shot.

Of course the bane of all macro shooters at high mag is the lack of DOF. There are 2 (not tricks) but gospel procedures that I adhere to for maximizing DOF for macro shots and I have to give credit to John Kimbler (aka dalantech) who mentored me for a while as I got better at macro shooting. The first of these is point of focus and the second, camera angle.

a) POF. Even at F13, DOF extends not only beyond the focus point but also in front. When I focus on the front of an insect's eyes, if I take the shot there, the DOF that exists in front of the eyes is lost, somewhere between the eyes and the camera. To gain all the DOF available I need to move the focus point "in a bit", so that the forward DOF will still include the eyes. I know this sounds a bit "iffy" but it does take some practice to know just how far in you can go.

b) Camera angle. Think of your lens as a sheet of cardboard and you want to cover and touch as many points on your subject as you can. Remember that your plane of focus is perpendicular to the lens so the more points on the insect that are perpendicular to the lens the more that will be in focus.

The picture of the feeding honey bee shows that I was able to get perpendicular to the main points of interest, namely the eyes, face and tongue. I positioned myself so that the line running from the eyes, down the face, and down the tongue were all at right angles to my camera. Any movement to either side and I would have lost focus on one of these.



Of course there is one more method to increase the DOF and something that is widely used and that is focus stacking. I've always thought of this as cheating but it is becoming an increasingly accepted method. I've got 2 programmes I use namely, Zerene Stacker and Combine ZP, both of which are available download free. When you stack macros you move the focus point through the image and then combine the results. This is relatively easy with non-moving subjects like flowers etc and a focus rail comes in handy here. For insects in the field I'm not so sure as they tend to move between shots but apparently Zerene Stacker can compensate for any minor movements. I'm yet to try this, especially hand-held.

For depth in your flower macros though, give it a go. I've recently bought a Velbon 4-way slider and it's a beauty. Very solid and accurate. I'm also experimenting with a combination of focus stacking and HDR, using different EV values with different focus points. It's all good fun experimenting with different macro techniques.

As I stated above, I never use a tripod. There are many ways to support the camera and lens, especially when shooting insects and these can apply to all macro set-ups, not just the MP-E65mm.

I got the idea of the left-hand-brace technique again from John K. This involves holding the subject in your left hand, be it a flower or insect perched on a stem or twig, and supporting the camera and lens on the same hand. With the MP-E I can then focus by moving the lens back and forwards on my hand. The main advantage of this set-up is that the differential movement between the camera and subject is eliminated as both move as one. Often when I spot a jumping spider on a leaf, if I was to crouch down and stick my camera in its face it will disappear under the leaf, being a very shy creature. To counteract this, I snip off the leaf with the spider still on it, hold it in my left hand and view the subject through the camera also resting on my left hand. Of course now, the spider and I commence to play a game of hide and seek as it moves to the under-side of the leaf every time I turn it over. But eventually I'll wear it down as it realises I'm not a threat and gives me the shot that I'm after, a head-on close-up.



The left hand brace technique is also ideal for composition, as you can twist and rotate the subject to get the right camera angle. For nearly all non-flying insects like spiders, ants, bugs etc, I almost always use this technique. Even for damselflies and dragonflies I'll grip the twig that they're perched on to also support the lens and camera.

A lot of insects also move at ground level. Lying on your stomach and supporting the camera and lens on your elbows is also a good way to take macro shots.

Another good technique is to use a "hillbilly monopod" . This is just a stick or branch stuck in the ground while you grasp the other end which can also support your camera and lens.

Finally, the flash support for the MT-24EX unit has a flat bottom which enables me to slide the end of the flash/lens along a solid surface. Most insects sit on something which will also support your lens. This is a good way of getting precise focus.

When shooting insects you do get to know their behavioural habits, especially the winged variety. Most of the winged type I shoot including flies, hoverflies, butterflies and damsels tend to fly in patterns, often returning to a favourite perch or flower. Often it's just a matter of staking out a favourite flower and waiting for the insect to return to get the shot.

The best time to photograph insects however is when they're distracted, e.g, feeding, preening, mating, etc. Shots I've taken of hoverflies and spiders with prey are easy because the insect is more intent on feeding than escaping the nosey photographer.



Nearly all insects preen themselves at one time or another, usually to clean their eyes and tongues from pollen etc as well as regurgitate food as flies do in the form of a bubble.



This is the easiest time to move in close and nab them as they are pre-occupied. Mating insects are also very approachable.



Butterflies are very approachable early in the day as they warm up their wings. Damselflies are approachable at the end of the day as they settle in for the night.

But if you can't get to the insects, make them come to you. We have bird feeder bowls which get bombarded by insects when the birds have finished, namely bees, wasps, flies, ants, etc. I often place a flower laced with raw sugar and water near the bowls and just wait for an insect to arrive. I've got the flower set up in a place that I can support the camera and move around to get the camera angle and picture that I want. Similarly, if wasps are in the area, a small piece of cooked meat will attract them anytime. One tip, bees and wasps won't bite unless you attack them. I've had both land on me but never been stung. Don't swat at them, that's a sign of aggression. Just gently brush them away, if you've got the nerve of course (LOL).

Finally, I always shoot in RAW as it gives a bit more flexibility in post as well as not losing data during compression and saving to JPEGs as it does when shooting in high quality JPEG directly.

Have fun shooting in macro. Be patient and be prepared to wear out your camera's delete button. If you get 1 keeper in 20 you're doing OK.

Cheers,
Peter

As a footnote, check out dalantech's web site, particularly his macro tutorials.
here's the link:
dalantech.deviantart.com/gallery/#Tutorials
also Mark Plonsky's gallery:
www.pbase.com/mplonsky/insects
and Brian Valentine's (Lord V) flower dewdrop refraction techniques.
www.wonderfulphotos.com/articles/macro/dewdrops/
and pay close attention to his flash set-up and the diffusion he's using.



Dialed-in! If you have a powershot, or other non-DSLR:

I have been shooting for a couple years now with a Canon G9 Powershot (the little engine that COULD). I have had some very satisfying results with this camera, and have seen many other fantastic macro shots at 1:1 or better from flickr users using powershot cameras. My camera goes only to f8, and therefore I don't have quite the capability to expand my depth of field that maybe I could with a DSLR, but this little piece is about working with what you have.

There is a great site in addition to the one Peter mentioned to get away from "auto settings" on your camera... it truly is worth learning how to set up your camera without the "Auto" button... This is the site www.stopshootingauto.com.

There are also adapters you can get that will accommodate additional lenses. These are only "fixed" macro lenses, not lenses that connect electronically to your camera. Basically magnifying lenses attached by adapter. Use your full optical zoom when using these lenses, it increases the shooting distance by a few mm's, which is less likely to scare away a fly, or bump your lens into something that would scratch it!

If you want a quick, dirt cheap way to diffuse the light when shooting macro, I have made a diffuser using a piece of white paper. Here's how:
(1) trace the end of your lens
(2) cut out the circle
(3) fit your lens through the hole you've cut out.

You will find that you'll have to play with the positioning of the paper, and maybe bend it in places to even out the lighting, but that's what the "delete" button is for!

I've found that on shorter focal length you must use some sort of diffusing device, or the flash will be uneven, and/ or cast a dark shadow on your subject. This is one of the best examples of using that paper diffuser:



The one below was also taken close to sundown, and as you can see, even through two layers of paper, the flash was still a tad bit strong against the fly's reflective surface:



I, too, only shoot handheld. Using anything to brace the camera, and using techniques Peter has mentioned... there is one other that I use, and that is tying a long string to a screw that fits the tripod mount, and stepping on the string when it's on the ground... this (when practiced) is very useful for that extra steadiness. I usually hold my camera like a Policeman holds a handgun. Support with the left, and shoulder slightly back... what ever seems steady enough for you. That is using the LCD screen, and (not the viewfinder).

Another tip I picked up on getting the best position for the best use of what DOF you have is:
~ Set the focus (holding the shutter/ release button down halfway)
~ Then pan the camera around the subject until you find that perfect angle.

I do this a lot of the time while taking photos because sometimes you "accidently" find an unexpected angle to use!

So, with the mountain of knowledge that Peter has given us, and this little tit-bit, I encourage all to dive into macro no matter the type of camera you use.

Send me a note for questions, or constructive feedback...
Jonathan

P.S. I have bought additional adapters, and macro lenses for my powershot at this website www.lensmateonline.com/

If not there, search in one of the search engines for macro lenses with your camera.

Long Exposure Thank you Clay.

Light: The critical ingredient of any photograph. But not all light is the same. How about shooting in that ephemeral, fleeting light just before sunrise and after sunset? The Pinnacle is proud to present another member's expertise in that time of day, from Little Rock**, Arkansas, USA, Clay Wells on Long Exposure.

Clay Wells

Table of Contents

1. Intro
2. Equipment
3. Preparation
4. Shooting
5. Processing
6. Technical Details
7. Conclusion

Intro


|Cano n 40D | ISO 100 | 17mm | 30 sec | f/7.1 |

Big thanks to the group for asking me and allowing me to share this. There are quite a few shooters in this group who create some really amazing long exposures, so I was honored when approached for this. I hope you find what I have written to be informative, that it generates some good discussion, and that you all enjoy reading it. Further, I hope it motivates you to get out and try some long exposures on your own.

I have always been fascinated by long exposures and how motion translates onto film or a digital sensor. It is intriguing how a 5-second exposure during daylight can turn moving people into ghosts or how a 30-second exposure can make them disappear completely. Night-time long exposures are often colorful and eye-catching especially if the subject is a city or moving traffic or reflections on a body of water.

There are many subject and scenes that lend themselves nicely to long exposures. In this Session I will focus mainly on traffic streak long exposures made during the “blue hour”, also known as twilight, that little window in the morning before the sunrises when the black sky is just starting to get some color and that corresponding window after the sun has set. For me, the ideal scene is one where there is interest in the sky like low-lying, thin, wispy, fast-moving clouds with clear air above. These conditions are rare and as my luck usually goes, tend to occur on mornings when it’s not practical or possible for me to shoot. Needless to say, I have many more outings under my belt than keepers in the portfolio.

Whenever everything does work out though, the results can be very satisfying.


1. Equipment


Mandatory:
• Camera
• Tripod

Optional:
• Filters
• Remote shutter release
• Flashlight
• Phone?

Mandatory stuff:

At the very least you will need a camera (obviously). I use a digital 35mm SLR which allows me to control exposure, aperture, ISO, etc, but there may be many non-SLR cameras that allow this sort of control as well. No matter the camera you use, you must have the ability to:

(1) to shoot exposures of at least 3-5 seconds and have the ability to blend images in post-processing
or
(2) shoot exposures as long as 30 seconds or longer.

Ideally, you will also need a tripod. While a flat, sturdy surface may work as well, I don't recommend it. Just get a tripod even if it's a cheap one. Hand-holding is absolutely out of the question.

Optional Stuff:

Filters - you really don't need any filters, and I have taken quite a few shots with none, but there are times when they do allow for some additional creativity. I typically use a circular polarizer to control glare and reflections off of buildings and sometimes a neutral density (ND) filter to extend exposure time if I'd like to capture the motion in the clouds in the sky. Many folks initially think that a neutral density filter makes the image dark or under-exposed. They don't - when used correctly they simply reduce the amount of light entering the lens thereby requiring you to shoot at (1) a wider aperture or (2) a longer shutter speed. But the resultant image, if correctly exposed, should not be dark or underexposed in any way.

The ND filter that I use is a 6-stop, but these come in many other flavors. There are one and two-stop versions and even a 10-stop. I could go broke buying filters. Singh-Ray makes a vari-ND that allows you to dial in 2-8 stops of neutral density. This would make composing the scene much easier since it’s almost impossible to even see through the view-finder when the 6-stop is attached. The problem is the vari-ND is about $400.

I use B+W brand filters which are screw-in type and are stackable. So when I combine my 6-stop ND and circular polarizer, I am getting about 7-8 stops of neutral density since the polarizer provides some as well.
In section 3 I will touch on how I decide when to use the ND or not.

Remote locking shutter release - using this will help reduce camera shake and will allow you to shoot in "bulb" mode and get exposures that are longer than 30 seconds. But it has to have a lock.

Flashlight (torch to some folks) – I carry one in my bag. I probably don’t have to go into detail as to how practical one would be on a pre-sunrise/post-sunset shoot.

Smart phone (iPhone) for entertainment while the long exposures are being made. I don’t recommend calling friends at 5:30 AM – they may decide to find a new friend, but if the phone has internet/game applications, it can help pass the time. Especially when the pre-sunrise light is not all that exciting.

2. Preparation

Preparation is very important. While the shots are easy to make with few variables to deal with, the light changes fast, very fast. In fact from my experience the ideal light typically takes place in about a 10-15 minute window about 30 minutes or so before sunrise. For me the “moment” is that little window when there is some color in the sky but not enough light hitting the streets and traffic to drown out the headlights and taillights. Once you get out and try these, you will know when the shoot is over. Once it becomes bright enough to read without a flashlight, it’s too bright.

I always scout out a location well before I actually shoot it. For a morning shot, I typically like to shoot facing the eastern sky, allowing me to take full advantage of that blue hour light in the east. If it's an evening shot, I like to find a scene that allows me to shoot toward the western sky. It’s a good idea to actually compose the scene during daylight hours noting all the elements and paying attention to which ones are potential distractions, which ones can be cloned, and which ones are likely to become less prominent in the pre-sunrise/post-sunset darkness.

In the shots below, note how the streaks lack real pop. I have learned that a couple of things seem to affect this. Shooting more straight-on seems to increase their prominence. This was shot well off to the side of the scene. Another thing that really robs from the streaks is the presence of street lights. In fact, they can literally kill the shot. So when scouting a location, pay attention to this. In some areas they are so bright that it's nearly impossible to get the desired effect.


| Canon 40D | ISO 100 | 17mm | 25s | f/16 |



| Canon 40D | ISO 100 | 23mm | 30s | f/10 |


Punctuality cannot be over-stressed. The sun won’t wait while you are stumbling out of bed or fiddling around with your gear, so find out what time the big event is and get there early. Shooting at sunrise or sunset will of course require you to know the exact time of the big event. In case you are not aware of it, the longest day of the year, June 21 has the earliest sunrise and latest sunset. The shortest day of the year, December 21, has the latest sunrise and the earliest sunset.

In the winter in Little Rock when the sun is rising fairly late, the morning temps are often in the teens and the wind can be brutal (to me anyway), so find out what the weather is going to be like and dress appropriately. In some cases you may have to park and walk a good distance to the shooting location making a return trip to the car unpractical, so carry that jacket with you even if you think you may not need it. Get some good gloves too or invest in one of those cold weather camera systems. It is basically a pair of mittens that somehow fit over the camera body and allow you to access all the controls. I tried fingerless gloves once and they only seemed to accentuate the numbness in my finger tips.

Lastly, since I typically shoot pre-sunrise, there are a few things I usually do the night before. These include things like making sure the camera bag is packed and ready to go, memory cards available, batteries charged, lens that I am going to be shooting with is attached, ISO is set back to 100 (or whatever its lowest possible setting is). These sound like little things, but the less you have to remember at 5:00 AM the better!

3. Shooting

The hardest part of these shots for me is getting out of bed, especially when it's January and it's 15 F (-9 C) outside and my spot next to my wife in said bed is warm and cozy! But they say, “One must suffer for one’s art”! Once up and out of bed though the rest is pretty easy. Fun too, if you have good skies and good early morning color in the sky. Get to the spot and set up. I usually find a single composition at a previously scouted location and shoot it the entire time. The reason is that since the ideal light doesn't last all that long, the chances of getting more than 2 comps are relatively slim. So just pick one and go with it.

I try my best to compose the scene carefully and commit to it. In other words, once I have started shooting, I keep the camera/tripod position as still as possible. By not making any changes/adjustments I stand a better chance of being able to blend a couple images in post a lot easier. Blending 2 or more images will allow me to create a final image that is evenly exposed in the sky and the traffic and one that has full streaks of light trails in all lanes of traffic.

I recommend taking several test exposures to get an idea of how much you should compensate (under/over) on the exposure. Once you've got the correct exposure settings, it's time to begin shooting through the good light until the show is over.

If you use a dark neutral density filter, it is a good idea to compose the scene without it, then switch to manual focus or lock the focus, then attach the filter for shooting. There is a good chance that you won't even be able to see the scene with the ND attached and the camera will probably have a tough time focusing. If your lens doesn't focus internally, be careful when attaching the ND filter so as not to turn the focus ring, or the polarizer for that matter.

You will also want to cover the eye-piece while your exposures are being made to prevent light from entering the back of the camera. Not doing so will throw the metering off. If you don’t believe it, set up and do this: look through the eye-piece from about 6 inches and note the shutter speed. Then really get your eye pressed up against the eye-piece and use your hands to block light coming in from the sides and note the shutter speed. Big, big difference! And to minimize camera shake I also recommend using a remote and/or the self-timer and mirror lockup functions if your camera provides it. Anything you can do to preserve the sharpness of the image the better.

Shoot for the streaks first (the lower half of the shot), the sky later (top half). Once you have made your test shots and determined the appropriate exposure settings, it’s time to start shooting. If you can get 15 to 30-second exposures without the ND, I recommend not using it for the traffic shots. Ideally the light in the sky is still approaching “ideal”, so start getting some good traffic shots. You can worry about the sky in a few minutes. Watch the traffic closely. There isn’t much of it in Little Rock at 5:15 AM and there are some occasions when a 30-second exposure won’t net too many streaks. Pay close attention to the access roads, exit ramps, and side streets. When you see a car on these less-used streets, make sure to capture it. Remember, you are going to blend these in post to make it look like every street was full of cars and light.

Once the light in the sky starts getting nice, carefully attach the ND if you want more than 30 seconds on the shutter speed and begin capturing shots of the sky. You may need to compensate your exposure so shoot a test shot or two and adjusts accordingly. And be glad this is digital and not film! At the end of this is a discussion on how to determine the exposure and shoot 30-plus second exposures in bulb mode. I figured I’d save the boring part until the end. Some people may be perfectly happy shooting shorter exposures.

4. Processing

Creating more traffic than there really is:

"Another Early One"


| Canon 40D | ISO 100 | 20mm | 30s- traffic/170s- sky | f/7.1 |


"The Worm"


| Canon 40D | ISO 100 | 21mm | 30s | f/10 |

I use Photoshop Elements 6 for editing. Typically I will blend an image or two in order to get full traffic in all lanes including the access ramps in the above. You don't need bumper-to-bumper traffic, but having light in every lane is typically more appealing. So while shooting, I try to pay attention to the traffic and make sure to capture the scene whenever a car is approaching those access ramps and side streets. In Elements I simply open the two images I want to blend, use the move tool (V), hold down the shift key and drag one image onto the top of the other. This will ensure that both images line up assuming you composed without moving the camera. Set the blend mode of the top image to "lighten".

The top shot above is a composite of several shots for the traffic ranging from 20-30 seconds and a 170-second exposure for the sky to get the streaks in the clouds. Skip to the bottom to see how to correctly determine the exposure on a 30+ second exposure. It's somewhat technical and I was hoping not to put anyone asleep until the end of this.


The four "non-keeper" images below were shot under fairly un-interesting skies and were edited very little, but they illustrate two things:

(a) The blending to get more light streams into a the final image
(b) What these types of shots look like when shooting at relatively short shutter speeds. Whether you like the effect or not of course depends on personal preference.








Final:





Other early morning traffic streak shots:


Good Morning (Fire Eater)


| Canon 40D | ISO 100 | 17mm | 30s | f/5.6 |

The above is actually my most "interesting" image according to Flickr and is still very popular in terms of daily views and such. This happens to be a single image, no blends. I was lucky enough to get enough motion in the clouds in 30 seconds. This is rare though.

The shot below is another single image. I was lucky enough to get this on my 2nd outting. It was very cold that morning - I guess this was my reward.

"This City Comes to Life"


| Canon 40D | ISO 100 | 50mm | 30s | f/11 |


5. Other non-traffic-streak evening/night shots that are fun to take

Even though many of the photos I posted here focus on traffic-streak shots, shooting at twilight or dusk, in the blue hour, is quite fun. Here are a few other shots I have taken during these times:

This is the street-car that runs a loop in downtown Little Rock. This was only a 1 or 2 second exposure, but it was long enough to blur the car and give an interesting effect.


| Canon 40D | ISO 160 | 17mm | 1.60s | f/4 |

Another favorite subject of mine I shot under some fast moving clouds one evening and with a 6-stop ND:


| Canon 40D | ISO 100 | 50mm | 30s | f/7.1 |


This is an evening shot the Arkansas State Capitol building dressed up in Christmas lights. No motion of any kind here, but this to me illustrates the blue hour at its most beautiful. Ten minutes later, this shot would lose all interest for me, as the sky would have been totally black.


| Canon 40D | ISO 100 | 17mm | 4s | f/8 |


Morning shot of the Capitol that illustrates both (1) the beauty of the blue hour in the sky and the window reflections and (2) photographer's luck, something I don't have too often, in that traffic streak that resulted from a maintenance vehicle passing in front of the building.


| Canon 40D | ISO 100 | 17mm | 30s | f/5.6 |

Sometimes it's possible to capture motion in the sky after the sun is up in the morning, but you will need both lots of neutral density and fast moving clouds.


| Canon 40D | ISO 100 | 17mm | 30s | f/11 |


Waterfalls are another favorite subject of mine. Someone could do an entire session on these subjects. Best to shoot these on cloudy, overcast days. While this exposure is 8 seconds, that is really more than long enough. In fact, in some cases, it may be too long. At this length you run the risk of capturing movement in the trees. Typically an exposure of 1/2 second or more is all you need. Of course there are ways to fix the movement in the trees if you feel like blending a couple images.


| Canon 40D | ISO 100 | 17mm | 8s | f/11 |



6. Boring discussion on how to calculate exposure manually

If I use a neutral density filter, it is typically a 6-stop. In the pre-sunrise darkness at a desirable aperture of f/8 to f/11, the camera is typically going to display the blinking "30 sec" or equivalent message, for shutter speed when this filter is attached, indicating there isn't enough light to get the correct exposure. To determine the correct exposure, I usually open the lens up all the way with the filter attached. If I'm lucky enough to get something other than the blinking "30" at f/4, then I'm in good shape - this is a little easier to calculate than if I were to still get the blinking "30".

For reference, each interval below represents one full stop of light:

f/2 - f/2.8 - f/4 - f/5.6 - f/8 - f/11 - f/16 - f/22 - ??? (my sensor is too dirty to worry about it at this point!)

In aperture priority mode, say for example that at f/4 the resulting shutter speed is 25 seconds. From f/4 to f/5.6 is one full stop and for every full stop down (going from wider aperture to smaller) you have to double the shutter speed. So the shutter speed at f/5.6 needs to be 50 seconds. The next full stop on the aperture is f/8. Shutter speed at f/8 should be 100 seconds. The next full stop, f/11, would need 200 seconds. F/16 would require a 400 second exposure.

If you open the lens up all the way and still get the “low light” indication, then you will have to remove the ND and observe the shutter speed at the desired aperture setting. Say for example, without the ND, you get 2 seconds at f/8. When you attach the filter, you are cutting 6-stops of light. It’s like stopping down the aperture 6-full stops. To compensate for that, you will need to double the shutter speed 6 times, resulting in a shutter speed of 128 seconds.

It’s best to experiment with and get an understanding of all of this before you are out shooting, so play around with it when it doesn’t matter. The math is simple, but at 5:30 in the morning, when time is of the essence, it can be easy to make a simple mistake. One that might cost you “the shot”.

So decide which of these you want, switch to "M", manual exposure mode, set shutter speed to "B" or "bulb", aperture to desired setting based on your calculation, use the locking remote shutter release and make the exposure. Just make sure that if you go with a 400 second exposure that your calculation is right and that you remember how long it has to be after you lock the shutter open! There is nothing worse than making a 7-8 minute exposure only to discover that it is either under or over-exposed. Write down the exposure time too if needed. In “bulb” mode you have to physically lock the shutter open, then unlock it at the appropriate time. It’s not all that hard to forget how long the exposure needs to be midway through it. Check your camera – it may display the elapsed time on the LCD. If not, use a stopwatch.

I recommend turning off the in-camera noise reduction, since it takes as long to perform the noise reduction as the camera took to make the exposure.

I shoot RAW, but if you shoot JPEG you will have to experiment with the white balance settings. I typically use the setting that the camera chooses when making the conversion. You may have to de-saturate the yellows depending on how harsh the artificial street lighting is in your area.

Conclusion

Well. You've made it to the end! The great thing about digital is that it affords us the opportunity to experiment with all these techniques. I seldom tried any of this in the film days. I just couldn't afford to. I have complete respect and admiration for those that did though.

So, get out this evening or tomorrow morning and give that "blue hour" a try!

**Little Rock, AR, home of former US President Bill Clinton, while he was Governor of Arkansas.