Digital Photo - Spring 2016

DIGITAL PHOTO SPRING 2016 ISSUE 206

Improve every shot you take

GET IT RIGHT WITH

RAW Maximise image quality with our easy guides

FRESH IDEAS FOR LANDSCAPES

CANON Q&A SPECIAL

ISSUE 206 SPRING 2016 £4.99

Expert solutions to all your EOS issues!

PEN TOOL MASTERCLASS IN PHOTOSHOP

Fresh ideas for

LANDSCAPES Take a new approach with the photographer’s best-kept secret!

MANUAL EXPOSURE GUIDE

SWITCH TO MANUAL

Master your DSLR’s settings

FUSE DAY & NIGHT!

Build a stunning time-spanning scene in seconds

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SPRING 2016 ISSUE 206 £4.99

INSPIRING TECHNIQUES FOR STUNNING IMAGES!

CAPTURE SPRING BLOSSOM

Process RAWs to bring out beauty

HOW SURREAL PICS ARE MADE

The inside knowledge on pro images

FRAME UP FOR MAXIMUM IMPACT TAKE DREAMLIKE PORTRAITS How to shoot amazing spring scenes

Make stunning light effects in-camera

PLANET PHOTO Your fresh fix of inspiration from the world’s best photographers

THE BIG PICTURE

Beauty of the beast In the world of animal photography, wild subjects can’t understand posing instructions! This often gives a photographer just one or two chances to bag the perfect shot. Luckily, pro photographer Wiebke Haas, based near Hamburg, thrives on this pressure and has the ability to make the complicated setups look effortless. Wiebke pushed her skills to the limit with this image, entitled ‘Whirlwind’. “The biggest challenge was directing the horse on a path that passed by my lighting equipment,” she explains. The solution was to build a passage that would lead her four-legged subject into view, in front of a black background. After a few test runs, the bridle was removed and Wiebke’s subject galloped by.

The brief burst of flash light froze the horse’s motion and the clouds of sand kicked up by its hooves.

Camera Canon 1DX & 70-200mm lens Exposures 1/250sec @ f/9, ISO 200 Software Photoshop Visit www.wiebke-haas.de

GET THIS SHOT

WIEBKE HAAS

With moving subjects in dark environments, a camera’s AF system can struggle to keep up. The solution is to prefocus on an area the subject will pass through before switching to manual focus.

This will enable you to fire off a well-timed shot without the AF slowing you down.

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A black background and flash lighting were used to bring a fine-art feel to this stunning equine shot.

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AARON PRYOR

FRESH IDEAS FOR LANDSCAPES

The shell adds the vital component of foreground interest and makes the shot work successfully.

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LANDSCAPE SECRETS

Recharge your photography with a new approach to shooting scenics. It’s easy when you discover the photographer’s best-kept secret…

I

t’s time to get a little analytical. As you turned to this page, your eyes first clocked the headline, and then drifted downwards to drink in the opening shot. Some of you may have read the description above, but most would have skipped it to study the picture. It’s a beautiful Australian coastal image bathed in the warm glow of the setting sun. But the gold-rimmed clouds adorning the top of the frame are where your eyes ended their journey – not where they started.

What attracted you most about the image was the shape and detail of the shell. This item effectively opened the door and invited you in.

The glorious light makes you want to be there with the wet sand massaging your bare feet, but the only reason the shot works so strongly is the inclusion and placement of the shell.

If we use a little sleight of hand in Photoshop and remove it from the scene, we get the shot below – something very different. Suddenly, with one component taken out, we have nothing more than a sunset snap on an empty beach.

It serves to illustrate not how foreground interest enhances a scenic shot, but how it actually makes a landscape image. Without it, there’s a high chance you haven’t got anything in the viewfinder that’s worth a shutter click.

Without the shell to attract the eye, and lead the viewer into the frame, the image no longer has the same appeal.

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SOMETHING FOR THE WEEKEND

BLEND DAY & NIGHT

Create a time-spanning composite landscape using just two images TECHNIQUE BY MATTY GRAHAM

O

nce photographers have discovered a fantastic location, they have another big decision to make.

What time of day (or night) should you shoot the scene? When it comes to vast landscape vistas, photographers are often told to time their visit with the golden hour light after sunrise or before sunset. However, if there are light sources or movement within the frame, the blue hour (which comes before dawn and after sundown) can prove equally as alluring.

Well, what if we told you there was a way that enabled you to capture the best of both worlds? A time-stretching, day-to-night composite merges two shots of the same scene, taken from exactly the same place, but at different times of the day. Minimal Photoshop work is required for this fascinating project and you don’t need to give up your whole day to capture the source shots as there’ll be a big enough shift in light quality from the golden hour to the blue hour. The equipment needed for this technique is just as simple – all you need is a camera and a tripod to ensure your DSLR doesn’t change position between the shots.

This step-by-step will walk you through the best way to capture your shots and will explain how to complete the project in Photoshop or Elements, too. The latter part is really simple, so in just a matter of minutes you’ll have crafted a time-shifting masterpiece that will bring the full beauty of your location to life.

Required kit DSLR Any camera that allows you to set the aperture will work for this technique.

A sturdy tripod you can lock-off and leave in place for an hour or so is essential for this technique.

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TIM BERRY

Tripod

Two shots of the same scene taken hours apart can be combined into a time-spanning day-to-night image.

TECHNIQUE STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE OVER THE PAGE DIGITAL PHOTO 33

PHOTOSHOP GENIUS

USE LUMINOSITY TO GET THE PERFECT SKY Discover how to make localised exposure adjustments with the Luminosity Blending Mode TECHNIQUE & PICS BY ANDY HEATHER

At a glance

You’ll learn How to make selective, localised exposure adjustments in any shot You’ll need Photoshop CS6 or CC Time required 15 minutes Difficulty level Medium

On the disc

Video lessons Watch as Andy runs through this tutorial on your PC or Mac. Start images The image used is called House.jpg and it can be found in the Start Images folder.

The original shot has potential, but the areas in direct sunlight are overexposed, while other areas, such as the trees and the grass in the foreground, are fairly well exposed already.

ANDY HEATHER

Before

A

fter reading this month’s landscape feature, you’ll be fully equipped to shoot great scenic shots. However, when it comes to enhancing your pictures in Photoshop it’s sometimes difficult to know where to start. Well, that’s where the Luminosity Blending Mode can really shine.

This amazingly simple technique allows you to selectively brighten or darken any area of your image by changing the luminosity value – or put simply, the brightness – of a particular colour range. All that’s required is a copy of the full version of Photoshop, a Layer Blending mode called ‘Luminosity’ and a Black & White Adjustment Layer.

Best of all, this post-processing technique doesn’t require you to make complex Selections nor blend multiple exposures together. Instead it allows you to enhance your shots with ease, expanding the dynamic range.

You’ll be amazed how effectively this can boost a washed-out sky or lift a dark foreground. By adjusting a set of sliders you’ll be able to fix a whole host of exposure problems.

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USE LUMINOSITY BLENDING

After Using the Luminosity Blending Mode, the sky and grass have been boosted, making for a better-balanced image.

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THE ULTIMATE TRAVEL TRIPOD Compact, lightweight and under £125, we put six of the leading travel tripod kits against each other to discover which offers the best blend of features and value TEST BY MATT HIGGS

N

ow we’ve shaken off winter’s chill, it’s time to grab the camera and start exploring the great outdoors once more. But while we’re all aware of the valuable stability a tripod provides for shake-free shots, lugging one of the larger models up hill and down dale can often seem more hassle than it’s worth.

Travel tripods are the perfect solution. Small enough to fit inside a camera backpack or a suitcase when collapsed, they can be kept close to hand and ready for use wherever you

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may find yourself. With all the models in this test impressively weighing under 1.4kg they won’t break your back on a walk, and with the most expensive costing just £125, they won’t break the bank, either.

Of course, professional spec, full-size tripods can securely support greater weights and can be extended to greater heights, but they’re often much more expensive, and much less portable. Read on as we pit six of the market’s best offerings against each other to discover which is the ultimate travel tripod…

How we did the test Each tripod was taken out on a landscape shoot. Here we tested their stability and usability with a DSLR fitted with a standard zoom and mounted on the supplied head.

The setup and take-down time for each was recorded, where we set the tripod to its maximum height (including centre column) and then collapsed it to its most portable form. Along with this information we compared their current prices, before a conclusion on the overall winner was decided.

TRAVEL TRIPOD GROUP TEST

WHAT TO LOOK FOR Tripod head

All of the tripods in the test come complete with ball heads, but these have different quick-release plates and features.

Load capacity

This is the maximum weight the tripod can safely support. Make sure you choose one that will take your setup.

Maximum height

For comfortable standing use, look for a model that extends to at least chest height.

Reversible column

For low-angle shooting and macro photography, a centre column that can be reversed is an advantage.

Leg locks

There are two types of leg lock – flip locks which are quick to operate but can sometimes need tightening, and twist locks that are slower, but tend to suffer less from gradual loosening.

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DAVID FORSTER / ALAMY

Travel tripods offer excellent stability in a package small enough to squeeze inside a rucksack.