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ISSUE 6

Keeping you on track on your photography journey

The Ad-Free Online Interactive Magazine for Photographers IInterviews Tutorials Reviews Features TOTALLY FREE ONLINE VIEWING !

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[CONTENTS]

[ ISSUE 6 [ www.phototrain.co.uk

[ INTERACTIVE MENU - CLICK CONTENT TITLES TO GO TO PAGE

[EDITORS SECTION]

[ Les Arnott

It’s been a while since our last issue and we are hoping that you feel it’s been worth the wait!

I’m personally on a high after getting the cover image on the popular UK magazine ‘Country Life’ with my ‘Kissing Barn Owls’ image. Although I’ve featured in many publications worldwide it was very nice to finally get on the cover of one.

[ IINT E RVI E W S ] Pa g e s 4 - 9 Richard Peters Winner of the European Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2015

We have lots of great content in this edition and hopefully something for all to read and learn. However if there are things you would like to see featured please contact me and tell us and we will try our hardest to please all.

Pa g e 24 - 33 Robert W Fawcett A stunning photographer from the USA

[ TU T ORI AL S ] Pa g e 14 - 15 Using a Professional Black and White Conversion Workflow

[ FE AT U R E S ]

Pa g e 44 - 45

Page 16 - 23

Photoshop for Beginners with Ken Fishers Livelink Video Tutorials Learn 5 dynamite things about brushes and how to create a pencil effect

Projects - A great way to hone your photography!

Page 34 -43

Pa g e 46 - 47

Skomer with a Camera by Monica Doshi

Getting Creative with Les Arnott Creating a painting effect

Page 48 - 51 Photoshop Quick Tips

[ R EVI E WS ] Pa g e 10 - 13

Our hardworking, travelling, roaming reporter Monica Doshi has been undertaking some voluntary conservation work on Skomer Island and has also found the time to put together a guide for photographers who may wish to visit this beautiful location. Monica also presents some splendid examples of her own photos to show the island’s potential to get some stunning nature and wildlife photographs.

We have interviews from two highly-skilled photographers Richard Peters and Robert W Fawcett who tell us about their work from both sides of the Atlantic together with some jaw dropping photographs kindly passed on for your viewing.

Graham Orgill and I display our Gold Award Winners from our popular FaceBook weekly photography competition.

Plus features, tips and video tutorials from myself and Ken Fisher.

Les Arnott - editor@phototrain.co.uk This Months Team: Les Arnott: Editor, tutorials and reporter Monica Doshi: Reporter Ken Fisher: Video tutorials

Graham Orgill: Phototrain Photography Contest Judge

Page 52 - 66

Book Review and special offer “Back Garden Safari” by Richard Peters Reviewed by Monica Doshi

The Phototrain Photography Competition Judged by Graham Orgill and Les Arnott

VIEW ALL OUR MAGAZINES FROM OUR WEBSITE: www.phototrain.co.uk 2

Cover Image by Robert W Fawcett 3

Richard Peters

Winner of the European Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2015

An Interview by

Monica Doshi

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ichard Peters is one of the few British wildlife photographers to have been awarded the accolade of the prestigious European Wildlife Photographer of the Year, a competition he won in 2015. As if that was not enough his winning photo didn’t even technically have an animal in the frame! Those of you who know me, know my passion for wildlife photography and so would understand my excitement for the opportunity to interview Richard in July of this year near his home in Surrey.

From an early age Richard has always been more creative than academic. He was interested in art and design, spending much of his time drawing. In 1995, at the age of seventeen, came a few firsts for him. He bought his first camera, a compact APS film camera and took it on his first trip abroad to Canada with friends. It was his first realisation that he enjoyed travel and photography and he took photos of everything that moved. Despite most of the photos being “rubbish” (his words) his interest in photography grew from there.

In 1997 a friend lent him a manual film Nikon camera. He enjoyed the creative control this gave him with the ability to adjust aperture and shutter speed. At this stage it was simply a hobby that he very much enjoyed. Becoming more serious he bought his own film SLR a couple of years later and then, in 2002, he upgraded to his own DSLR - a Nikon D100. His main reason for choosing Nikon - “Two fold, I preferred the ergonomics and I had a friend who used Nikon and it meant I could borrow his lenses”.

Over the next eight years he dipped in and out of photography largely because he had a full time job as a Graphics Operator for Sky television. With a preference for wildlife and animals from the start, 2007 saw Richard’s first big award when he won the Countryfile Annual Photography competition with a photo of a spring lamb jumping. “This was the first time I got a buzz from taking photos” He felt more encouraged so that by 2010 he had become increasingly serious about his photography and it was quickly becoming a serious endeavour.

In 2012 he achieved a highly commended in the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition with his photo, “Snow Pounce”, depicting a pouncing fox, only showing part of the animal in the frame.

In 2015 came the pinnacle of his career so far. Richard won the urban category of Wildlife Photographer of the Year and was overall winner of the European Wildlife Photographer of the Year with his photograph “Shadow Walker”. This is a very cleverly executed and striking photo of a shadow of a fox taken in his back garden in exotic Surrey! Despite not having travelled far to take this photo it actually took him six months of trial and error to perfect…time well spent. From there he became a Nikon Ambassador in 2016 and now works full time as a professional photographer running his own business, Richard Peters Photography.

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Above: Snow Pounce Below: Shadow Walker

What drives or inspires you in your photography?

I have always been creative at heart. I take inspiration from anything. I see things and apply it to wildlife. In every day life I pay attention to colour palates and then when I’m out in the field I look for opportunities to combine colours and tones. More than anything I am always looking at the way light interacts and bounces off things and take great inspiration from that, looking for any opportunity to work the light in my photos.

What are the highlights of your career and what has given you the most joy personally?

The biggest highlight for me was winning the European Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition and becoming a Nikon Ambassador is a personal highlight because it is the only brand I have ever used. My garden project give me the most joy personally because it was so well received. Six pictures were awarded in different competitions and this gave me a personal sense of achievement. It shows that you can take interesting wildlife photos without having to travel.

What are the biggest lessons you have learnt as a photographer?

Not to worry about what other photographers are doing or appear to be doing. They only show the best of their work. I have learnt to concentrate on my own work… me and my photos. All photographers take photos that don’t quite work for one reason or another and have rejections, they just don’t tell everyone.

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If you had access to any one person, area or subject that you would really love to photograph who/what would it be?

I have always really wanted to go to Alaska for the bears and the eagles. I love photographing large mammals and prefer mammals to birds, although I really like raptors. I don’t know why Alaska but it has always niggled me. I take inspiration from the scene rather than the subject and I prioritize the lighting in my photos. Alaska has it all. Cool raptors plus mammals plus stunning scenery.

Who have been your biggest influences personally and in your photography?

Personally my biggest influences are my photographer friends and the work they do. We bounce off each other. I am influenced by other photographers in general. This sounds like a weak answer but I am spurred on and pushed by seeing a good picture or an interesting take on a subject.

What is the current or latest subject that you have photographed and/ or processed?

Photographing the puffins on Skomer was the last time I picked up a camera (in June 2017) although I’m about to head to Africa for three weeks. I am not out everyday with my camera. It seems like I travel a lot but I spend a lot of the time in the office writing magazine articles, blog posts, dealing with social media, paperwork and of course, processing photographs. Selling photos isn’t the bread and butter for most wildlife photographers but rather the images allow me sell my other services, which all revolve around wildlife photography.

What is your main equipment?

Two Nikon D810s A Nikon D500 Lenses - all Nikon brand.

400 mm f2.8; 70-200mm f2.8; 105 mm lens f1.4; 300mm f4; 18-35mm f3.5 to 4 variable aperture; 50 mm f1.4; 1.4 and 2.0 teleconverters.

Above: Puffin on the Wick at sunset, Skomer Island

Below: A sub-adult lion turns to face the rising sun

Ten flashguns. Seven Nikon SB28’s are old ones of a discontinued range. I bought them cheap and bought seven because I was worried that they would eventually break and then I would be left without. That thing I like about these flashguns is that they fire straight away when waking from sleep mode. All other flash guns need to charge a little before firing so there is a delay. This makes them good for cameratraps. I also have three of the new SB5000’s. In addition I have Camtraptions PIR sensors, flash triggers, a Gitzo tripod and monopod, a Wimberley gimbal head, a ball head, beanbags and a skimmerpod.

My go to kit is the D810 with the 400mm lens because the image quality is phenomenal and the lens is ridiculously sharp with a good depth of field.

The downsides are that it is a lot to carry and it’s all too heavy, although equipment on the whole is becoming lighter. I think we can all agree we’d also like it to be cheaper. I think it will be a while before we see further big improvements in camera technology although we’ve seen some great leaps forward in the last 8 years, for example good quality at high ISOs. What is the best piece of advice you have been given?

You have to be ruthless in image selections. If you take 1000 pictures there are going to be about ten really good ones. You need to be self-critical and force yourself to pick out the better photos.

Self-critiquing is important as is not showing every picture you take. My gallery only has twelve photos in each section for this reason.

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a silver lining to an otherwise horrible situation. Other worse moments are all those missed photo opportunities. These are too numerous to mention individually!

There have been times since I first picked up a camera when I have thought of giving up. I think all photographers have a moment like this, when things just don’t seem to be going right. There are always times when it feels like others are having a ‘moment’ and you’re not. But those times pass and you find inspiration again.

What is your favourite image?

I cannot tell you my current favourites…it’s a common subject (he said very cagily, hinting that this was because it/ they had been submitted for a competition). Sometimes my personal favourites are not received well by social media, so I tend not to worry too much about how much engagement images receive. It’s the same for competitions. People put a lot of importance on them but they aren’t a true indication of how good a photographer you are. One of my favourites has never placed well in competitions. It is of a fox in the rain. It is backlit by a flashgun in my back garden. It’s still one of my favourites though. So if you’ve entered a competition and been rejected, don’t take it personally.

Above: Dalmatian Pelican If you were to give one piece of advice to someone starting in photography what would it be?

The same as above! If they think they can do it then just get on with it and do it. I was told lots of times that you will never make a career or living out of it. Ignore this and just get on with it.

Concentrate on taking photos but remember, taking good photos isn’t enough. You also have to be good at marketing yourself.

What has been your best or funniest photography moment and why?

I thoroughly enjoyed interviewing Richard Peters. He came a cross as a quiet, considered unassuming man who has determinedly followed his dream of becoming an excellent wildlife photographer. Unlike other professionals he has stuck to his passion of photographing wildlife to satisfy his own creativity rather than please others, almost to the complete exclusion of other subjects. His approach to his photography is more about the light, the colours and the background than the subject itself and this strongly comes through in his photos. Richard has always shown a flare for being creative and his photos are original, dramatic and unusual. He has an innate ability to think outside of the box. To have photos showing part or no animal win prestigious wildlife photography awards is a real skill. I guess this is what makes him stand one out against others in these high profile competitions. Not only is he a great photographer but a good teacher, even generously sneaking in giving me a few hints on a project I am working on. It was a delight to spend a few hours in Richard’s company learning more about one of the best wildlife photographers in the UK. You can see more of Richard’s work at https://www.richardpeters.co.uk

My best moment was my Shadow Walker picture. It took me six months from the concept to execution. Seeing the image on the camera was a special moment. I had the idea because I was already photographing the wildlife in the garden. We had no security light so was using a torch by my side so I could see in the dark. A fox walked out, I saw the shadow of the fox and this gave me the idea. It then took time to work out how to do it and eventually settled on a 30 second exposure for the background using a flash to cast the shadow of the fox. The conditions had to be right in terms of there being no moon so I could capture the stars in the sky, so waiting for this took part of the time.

The funniest moment was when I took my spring lamb photo. I was with a friend. The lambs were gambolling in a field and looked so funny. There were times I was laughing so much at them I couldn’t hold the camera steady.

What has been your worst photography moment? How did you overcome it?

Being burgled. The house was burgled and my camera bag was in the living room. They grabbed this and did a runner. I lost most of my photography gear…about 75% of it. It happened years ago.

I claimed off the house insurance and got a new upgraded version of the camera body which was 8

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Book Review of Back Garden Safari by Richard Peters

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Book Review by

Monica Doshi

f you would like to take high quality, even award winning wildlife images, in your back garden then this is the book for you. Back Garden Safari by Richard Peters is an e-book published in 2015 that should appeal to an audience of wildlife photographers of all levels. Richard Peters is an award winning wildlife photographer who holds many prestigious photography awards including European Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2015.

The book has just over 200 pages packed with information that will teach and inspire you to go into your own back yard or garden, to seek the wildlife there is there and to give you ideas of how you can achieve good photos on your very own doorstep.

The book costs $22.04 (approx £15.00 including UK VAT) and information on downloading it is sent to you via email. The process of downloading it is simple. You can receive it in PDF format or download it straight on to a Kindle or iBook. For PhotoTrain readers this book is available at a generous 25% discount (see details of how at the end of the article).

What is the Book About?

This book takes you on the journey that Richard Peters embarked upon when he decided to use his back garden for a wildlife photography project. The book is based on the premise that you don’t need to travel to exotic locations or invest in expensive equipment to take good wildlife photos. In fact inspiration can be found in your own back garden, a place that can become your very own private nature reserve.

Richard Peters starts by describing some basic principles including a whole section on perseverance and the importance of understanding how to use your equipment. He reassuringly examples his own experience, how he built on what he learnt and fine-tuned his approach to reap dividends.

He discusses how he aims to maximise the visual appeal and aesthetics of a photograph by using techniques in composition and how to make a picture more interesting. Perhaps one of the most interesting and important sections is that on light and how it can be used to create a stunning, impactful image.

Throughout an effort is made on making photography accessible to all. He clearly sends out the message that you do not require expensive equipment or high-end lenses and that the best photos are taken by those who understand their cameras and not by those who have the best gear.

Richard Peters moves on to give a personal account of the process he went through in his project and personal endeavour to capture stunning images in his own back garden. Condensed in to this book is a whole journey that spanned several months of work, dedication and determination. It was a journey needing patience, perseverance and a relentless ability to overcome challenges and obstacles. He takes us through the highs, the lows, the frustrations, the humour, the unexpected and the rewards in a particularly inspirational way. He even includes his “failed” photos to show that this sort of a project is not all plain sailing! He covers the technical aspects balanced with his approach to the aesthetics of the photograph and his own, low cost and sometimes quirky approach to over10

coming problems. One rather amusing example was his solution to concealing the presence of his camera equipment using laundry! One of the nice things about this book is that he works through real life problems e.g. dealing with shutter noise, controlling light and using bait without creating dependence. Not only does he describe what worked but also what didn’t and why.

In the next chapter Richard Peters discusses and critiques the equipment he used. In a very open and honest appraisal and he goes into great detail even giving an account of the batteries he tried and finally settled on.

One of the best parts of the book for me is the chapter on Bloopers and Outtakes. Not only is it humorous but reassuring to know that even the best photographers have bad days and make very basic errors.

After having covered the basics and the process the reader is taken through some more advanced techniques including using or controlling for ambient light and ways of managing weather conditions in a positive way to enhance the photographs.

Lastly Richard Peters discusses individual photographs from their conception through to achieving the final result including his iconic, award winning ‘Shadow Walker” My Impressions of Garden Safari I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and by the end of it felt inspired to try the ideas and techniques in my own back garden. Richard Peters’ style of writing is relaxed and easy to read. It is very much an account written from the soul. The text is punctuated with numerous examples and photos.

Not only is the book inspirational but informative and in parts humorous. One of the parts that had me chuckling is a photo, with story attached, of his wife who helped him on a certain aspect of the project.

From a personal viewpoint this has transformed the way I think about my own photography in that I now consider the background and light before the subject and that I am increasingly picky about when I will press that shutter button. The subject for me has become very much a secondary feature.

The appeal of the book is very much that this is something that anyone with the will can embark on as a project. There is no travel or need for expensive equipment. The whole project can happen in your own garden.

I found that this is a refreshingly different approach to other photography books and guides I have read. It not only describes the techniques needed for photography, it takes the reader through the journey of embarking on a project then seeing it through to the final results. In Richard’s case the final results won him awards in Wildlife Photographer of the Year and an overall winner of European Wildlife Photographer of the Year in 2015.

I found very little to criticise about the book. It would be nice to see it in print as currently it is only available electronically.

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Special Offe

r for Phototr

ain Readers

25% discoun

t for buying ‘G arden Safari’

by Richard P To buy the b eters. https://www o ok go to .richardpete rs.co.uk/wild and use disc life-photogra ount code ‘p phy-ebook/ hototrain’ w hen prompte d.

Any book pu

rchased com

es with two

bonus offers Firstly the co st of the e-b ook is deduc lesson or lig ted from a o ht room tuitio ne-to-one n booked wit h Richard Pe ters Garden Safa ri comes wit h a discount code worth £ purchase of 15 for a sing £100 or mor le e f r om the http://www.c amtraptions .com store (terms and conditio ns apply).

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!

Using a Professional Black and White Conversion Workflow

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ome images just look stunning in Black and White. I especially love it for dramatic landscapes and for portrait work. It can also add a very classy historic style that gives a suitable image a “from the past” look.

his/her work as that will give you the most satisfaction!

Getting Creative Series

Les Arnott

Black and white conversion is a topic that many photographers will argue about. My own outlook on the subject is the correct method is the one that works and satisfies the individual photographer and

Therefore I want all to understand that this is my method and I put forward my reasons of why it works for me.

A common question I’m asked is do you turn your camera to black and white on the settings and shoot straight from the camera or do you convert using software?

I always shoot a colour photo and use the techniques as seen in the video. There are two main reasons for this. First of all I may take a shot for a customer and they say “I would love that in colour!”

If I took the shot using the black and white setting in the camera I’m stuck, there is no way back.

Therefore that is vital for me to also have a colour version of the shot.

My second reason is the most important one. Shooting black and white with a digital camera is the exactly the same process as converting in software. The camera uses in-house digital software to convert the image, unlike a film camera that captures the natural light a digital image is processed and uses methods that may change the luminance of the image. Converting the image the way I use in Photoshop is a little like putting on a pair of mono sunglasses (as if there was such a thing?) and by that I mean the luminosity of the image is retained, not converted as such by mathematical processes. It’s simply a colour mask that takes away colour but retains luminosity, i.e. the light of tones in much the same way as the eyes see.

This is a much more natural process and for that reason it’s great for portraits as it keeps the luminance of the skin tones pretty much perfect when converted using this method.

Other content of the “Workflow” video shows how to do much of the work non destructively. If you want to change different elements of the image such as reducing/increasing sharpness, bringing back colour, changing applied dodging or burning to the image etc. then all this is possible using this method of working. If your customer would like these changes to the image it is easy to go back and apply whatever changes they require. However, if the shot was taken black and white in camera, or just converted in the traditional ways in Photoshop it would require you to totally start all over again and either reprocess or even re-shoot. When working professionally this is an essential work-flow and even if you prefer to stick to other methods of converting it will still give you some insight to creating a better workflow when dealing with black and white or colour images.

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hotography like all things in life becomes better with practice. You can read books, magazines, watch endless videos online but the one thing that will make you a better photographer is to get out with your camera and use it. Working on a specific project will hone your skills into becoming much more creative with your work.

Projects - A great way to hone your photography!

Les Arnott

When I started photography at an early age the one thing that constantly held me back from developing my skill was simply money. OK, I had a camera but the cost of film and getting images developed was something a young boy could not afford on a regular basis. Using film you could capture up to a maximum of 36 images. I look back and think these days I go into a 3-hour shoot and can end up with hundreds of shots, occasionally a thousand! How did I develop using film when I would save for months to get my 36 shots, half of which would be out of focus, blurred etc. Well, the answer, of course, is very slowly!

Photographers are so lucky in the modern age to be able to take as many images as they wish, view them instantly and develop them themselves at no, or very little cost. Therefore make use of this wonder! You can experiment all you wish with different settings, equipment and compositions to hone and develop your knowledge of using a DSLR. The best way to develop your photography further and perhaps come up with some unique images is to set yourself projects that will take your photography to a higher level. One project I used to set students when I was teaching was to give them a small location somewhere, say a train station platform, or a small area of woodland for example and tell them to take around 50 images using just one fixed focal length on the lens and set out getting as many unique images using different angles as they could use invoking some creativeness. It’s amazing what you learn by being restricted in such a way!

When celebrated wildlife and nature photographer Jim Brandenburg took a break from shooting for the National Geographic magazine he went in search of a project that would re-stimulate his creative senses and inspire his photography.

He came upon the idea of photographing just a single image every day for the 90 days of fall. The location he chose was the landscape around his home. After completing the project, it sat untouched in a drawer in his office, He happened to show it to a friend at National Geographic sometime much later and he encouraged him to do something with it and forward it to the magazine. Not only did the project feature in the magazine it went on to become a book titled Chased by the Light.

Significantly, Jim recognised that it changed his approach to photographing nature and, ultimately, his photographic career.

At times, we all need to be motivated or inspired. It is probably the downfall of many photographers when they get to the point of thinking “Where do I go from here?” It is easy to simply get stuck in a rut and lose motivation. Taking on a photography project can change the way you go about your photography.

Pick a project that is achievable The very first thing to look at is what can you really do to fit into your lifestyle and available time you can dedicate towards your project?

When I finished full-time employment as a Photography Tutor due to health reasons I had to re-think at what I could achieve to carry on my photography in a manner that: one didn’t affect my health, and to fit in with my lifestyle of being a full-time carer and parent of severely autistic twin daughters.

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My past work before the birth of my daughters was mainly landscapes, a little wildlife and macro work. However then I had to devote much of my time to the care of my daughters so the main time for me to get out and about with a camera was when they were attending school. So landscapes really had to take a back seat, I wasn’t going to be getting any golden hour shots easily and also I could not venture off in lone places where help may be needed because of my severe diabetic condition.

Wildlife and macro, therefore, were a better choice for me to be the mainstay of my projects. The times I could get out, plus having nature very close to hand meant that I needed to steer most of my projects towards the wildlife and nature projects, or projects away from nature I could achieve close to home. This is what you need to look at when undertaking your project it’s simply no good thinking I’m going to photograph a subject unless it’s readily available in the time span you wish to undertake or taking on something you don’t have the means to achieve.

Plan your project So we now know what is achievable we need to plan the project. It’s best to plan out what you intend to do on paper to make sure everything goes smoothly.

Try to think out any possible problems before getting the camera in your hands, list and make notes of things like what equipment you will need? What settings will be the best to use? What lenses will be best for the job? Will the lighting be suitable? Will I need flash? What is the weather going to be?

If there is bad weather can I think of a way to continue shooting? Do I need spare batteries for camera, flash etc.? What time duration will the project last?

What I will do at this stage is come up with a few projects of different types you could undertake with some basic plans with instruction on some of the choices I make in the shooting of the project.

In the equipment I list for the projects obviously will be different in your case I will be selecting from my own available equipment I’m in no way suggesting you must have the same. You just have to think and list what equipment you have that will be best suited for the project to hand.

PROJECT EXAMPLE 1 - CAPTURE A BURSTING WATER BALLOON Duration: Short project, around 1-3 hours Goal: To get a shot of a bursting balloon filled with water and try and capture the moment where the water still retains the shape of the balloon before collapsing to the ground. A good project to get a unique image to put into a completion for motion images (achieved a finalist position) Set up: Suspend the balloon by a string from the washing line in the garden (Tree branch or other support will suffice.) Burst the balloon using a thin stick with a pin set in the end. Use fast repeat shutter settings on the camera mounted on a tripod. Try and capture the objective using a fast shutter speed to freeze the action of the water. Set the lens by focusing on the balloon then switch the camera or lens to manual focus before shooting so that it does not creep out of focus when shooting in fast continuous mode.

Items required: Balloons filled with water, string. Something to suspend the balloon from (I used a washing line, make sure it’s strong if you do this the balloons are heavy when filled with water.) Using a second person to burst the balloon would be handy. (I did manage alone but much easier with help!)

Equipment: The Camera will be set on repeat fast shutter release so if you have more than 1 camera it would be wise to choose whichever shoots the most frames per second.

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macro lens plus I also used a 70-200mm zoom on a few shots.)

Flash? Some people use flash for this type of shot however it’s not going to work using fast continual shutter releases, you would be limited to one attempt each balloon. Therefore shoot on a sunny day to be able to get good shutter speeds, which will mean no restrictions on the limit of bursts you take. Good light is essential.

Settings required: Continual fast repeat shutter setting. Fast shutter speed. (I used 1/1000 to 1/2000th second at F5 with a lens set at 150mm focal on my 70-200mm zoom lens for the best shots of the session. ISO varied according to the light available. Around 400 to 800 ISO was used.)

Above: The desired result .... after many attempts! I used Photoshop to remove the stick and pin from the shot.

A tripod, Essential really to get the best results but not impossible to get a shot hand held.

Lenses. These need to be a focal length that will capture the action without getting wet! Don’t choose a wide-angle lens something around 70 to a 200mm is best. (I personally selected a 100mm 18

In the above shot I captured the balloon just as the rubber was splitting. You can see the tension of the rubber about to burst and the water just starting to appear and you can see the pin on the stick piercing the balloon.

Project destination: What will the pictures be used for? In my instance it was to use in a photography contest. It could be for an event or a publication or just to hone your skills an area of photography.

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PROJECT EXAMPLE 2 - RECORD THE LOCAL WILDLIFE AND NATURE THROUGHOUT THE SEASONS Duration: 1 year covering Spring, Summer, Winter and Autumn.

Goal: Gather pictures from all the different variations of habitat and species throughout the seasons of the year on a monthly basis when possible. My selected area to cover will be Chasewater Park including the reservoir, heathland and woodlands all located very close to my home in Norton Canes, Staffordshire UK. Set up: Try to pick times when the frequency of people in the area is at a minimum when possible.

Concentrate on the macro work during the summer season when the insects are most active, birds when there is less leaf cover on the trees and on the deer during the rutting season if there is activity. Try to travel as light as possible but without cutting out the required essentials. This will help trekking around to cover the different habitats in the available shooting hours at hand.

Above: Kestrel in flight: Below: Red Deer Stag at Chasewater Heathlands

Equipment: The cameras I use will vary for the subject and the available light.

Cameras: My Canon 1Dx Mk2 will be the main camera where low lighting of fast shutter speeds prioritise.

Landscape work will be took mainly with my Canon 5D Above: Small Blue Butterfly sitting on the head of a wild mint flower at MK3 and where I need to Norton Bog,Chasewater Heathlands zoom in closer to subjects such as birds and macro work the Canon 7D Mk2 crop sensor will mainly come into play. Working with a few cameras helps me get more shots as I can quickly switch to a camera with a lens already fitted for the purpose with swapping lenses in the field.

Lenses: The main lenses I will use are a Canon L Series 16-35mm for landscape work, Macro a Canon L series 100mm Macro lens and for the majority of my wildlife and winged insect shots a L Series 100-400mm.

Other: Camera bag big enough for the required equipment and a few provisions if out for long 20

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Suggested Projects you could undertake to get your creative juices flowing 1. Create a project of images all shot from the camera being directly on the floor giving creative low angle images. Try different settings and locations. Try using a wide-angle lens to get some drama to the image if you have one in your kit.

2. Create a project of images all using one single flash detached from the camera. Try bouncing light, putting light behind or to the side of subjects it’s something they can lead to really great creative work.

3. Create a timelapse video using your camera. A search on YouTube will show you many ways of doing this.

4. Over a year take monthly shots of a landscape from the same location and vantage point, show how the season changes throughout the 12 monthly images.

Above: Sunrise at Jeffries Pool, Chasewater periods. Spare camera batteries are vital and I take as many as I have available. Memory Cards are worth mentioning as they are not all equal in performance. When taking fast shutter repeat shots a card of the highest speed and quality is important or it will slow the process down and miss shots!

In the case of Canon 1Dx Mk2 for instance unless I use the CFast memory slot with a high speed CFast card I will not reach the top repeat shutter releases per second the camera is capable of, or capture video in the highest video settings should I require it. Keep the slower cards for landscapes and single shot images where the speed is not so important and make sure you have spare cards also.

Now you have a few projects I have suggested to you it’s now time to think of a few of your own, please let us know about them at Phototrain we would love to see them!

Tell us about your projects by emailing us at: editor@phototrain.co.uk

Macro flashes for my macro work. Additional light when shooting macro is a must especially in low light conditions to ensure you get the depth of field you require using small apertures.

On the odd occasions I may require a tripod but I try to avoid carrying it around if I’m travelling around long distances on foot.

Last but not least my trusty light weight tarpaulin. It’s about 8ft by 6ft in size and folds reasonably small. It was really cheap and I think I acquired it from Amazon online. It’s great for lying on wet ground, serves as a shelter covering myself and my equipment in a downpour (which saves me walking around in a jacket in the warmer weather). It folds up and straps to the outside of my camera bag for carrying.

Using just one flash bouncing the light plus using diffusion methods to add creativity to a simple shot.

Project destination: Images collected for the project will be sorted, evaluated and be included in a forth coming book about the nature and wildlife of Chasewater.

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Robert W. Fawcett A stunning photographer from the USA

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Interview by

Les Arnott

first noticed Bob’s images on the social media site FaceBook. I saw one of his posts on one of the many photography groups I manage and immediately loved his images that I saw.

They were instantly recognisable through his natural, but spectacular technique and presentation of his work and that to me is the mark of a good photographer.

I can see a definite influence of Ansell Adams in Bob’s work, but importantly with originality and together with the use of colour it puts his own unique stamp on his images. I would like to thank him for taking the time to tell us a little about his life, work and also to display some of his beautiful photography.

Tell us a little about your work history and photography beginnings?

“I’m retired from 31 years of Government service, and for 26 of those years, I worked as a Forensic, Scientific, Technical Photographer.

Growing up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania the interest in photography began early with Dad taking the family on those weekend drives through the country, taking in the scenery down those back roads never explored.

Below: ~ Ricky Carmichael ~ Steel City Motocross My all time favorite capture of Motocross racing. This is the season Ricky went undefeated in every race of the season. This shot taken in the final moto of the season where Ricky had a commanding lead. I feel he noticed me there as he show boated on the final few laps.

In my own racing days I carried my camera with me and photographed the action in between heats when I was not racing. Captured with a Nikon D1x + early Photoshop editing skills

Autumn Sunset - Zion National Park, Springdale, UT “An image from the Southwest at Zion National Park, Springdale, Utah. Shot with my 2 frame vertical images to create a square format. This spot is a battleground for photographers who show up on a nightly basis chasing that ultimate sunset over the Watchman.”

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Left: ~ Above Eagle Lake ~ Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, Maine Nikon D750 / Nikon 50.0 mm f/1.8 Exposure: 20 seconds f/2.8 ISO 4000 + Hoya Red Intensifier This image was my first using a 50mm lens for Astrophotography. At this focal length the core of the Milky Way is magnified for a different perspective not often seen. In addition I’ve added the intensifier for enhancement. This location Eagle Lake is one of my personal favorites.

Little did I know back then it would become a career that would take me on a journey to places around the globe.

The beginning of my journey began in Washington, D.C. in October of 1985. As I continue the journey the plan is to share with others the passion of photography and pass along the experiences from the days of film to the current digital world.”

Looking at your work it’s easy to tell you have mastered a great technique, what are your secrets to getting great tone and exposure?

“From the beginning and up to this present time I have always been a true believer of shooting in a manual mode, using the three things of what photography is: ISO, Aperture and Shutter. When mastered one can be in total control of light and the vision in your mind to capture the creative images you desire.”

So although you’re now officially retired you still obviously pursue photography to the full as I see it?

“Yes, although I’m now in retirement I continue to offer training and tutoring in all aspects of photography. The forms of photography I participate in now is mainly nature, macro, and landscapes.”

What is your main inspiration in photography and the highlight of your career?

“My main inspiration is capturing the beauty of landscapes under their best possible circumstances.

The highlights of my career was having the honour of serving the American People through photography for the better and safety of the country, along with traveling to many places across the globe.”

If you could be granted any wish in your photographic goals what would you choose?

“To stand in the footprints of Ansel Adams and photograph the many iconic scenes as seen today.”

What was your latest project?

“My latest project was capturing the night sky and scenery from Acadia National Park in Bar Harbor, Maine.”

What is your arsenal of photography gear?

I use a Nikon D750 with Nikon 17-35mm f2.8 Lens which is used for most of my work. I also have a Nikon 28-300mm, Nikon 105mm Macro, Rokinon 14mm f2.8, Tamron 150-600mm. I use extension tubes for all of my Macro work.

I’m an old school medium format film shooter and love all the current digital equipment I have.

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Below: ~ Between The Bridge ~ Annapolis, Maryland Nikon D750 / Nikon 17.0-35.0 mm f/2.8 / Focal Length 17.0mm Exposure: 1/200 second f/8 ISO 250 / Circular Polarizer This capture is not far from where I live in Bowie, Maryland. I am central to the town of Annapolis, Maryland and Washington, DC This was taking during a boat ride on the Chesapeake Bay

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What I would like to see is a modern day digital camera of highest quality that is free of all bells and whistles that strictly operates in a manual fashion.

Below: ~ After Midnight Squared ~ Nikon D750 / Nikon 17.0-35.0 mm f/2.8 / Focal Length 17.0mm Exposure: 20 seconds f/2.8 ISO 4000 / 2 - vertical frames combined to create square panoramic One of my recent passions is capturing the night sky. This image is taken in an area that is nearest to me with dark skies. About a 2 hour drive for me to Cambridge Maryland and beyond to a little town called Crapo, Maryland. The area is known for it’s Oyster Farms which is a main source for restaurants on the east coast. In addition there is a nearby refuge for wildlife, mainly birds and during season hunting grounds for duck and geese. Being a photographer that shot 6x6cm format during the film years I still see scenes in that manner. For this I shot 2 vertical frames to create the scene/ composition in square format.

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Above: ~ When The Sun Is Gone ~ Otter Point - Acadia National Park Nikon D750 / Nikon 17.0-35.0 mm f/2.8 / Focal Length 17.0mm Exposure: 20 seconds f/16 ISO 50 F&V 96 LED for foreground Illumination Right: ~ Step Into Darkness ~ Acadia National Park, Maine Nikon D750 / Nikon 17.0-35.0 mm f/2.8 / Focal length 17.0mm Exposure: 20 seconds f/2.8 ISO 4000 A recent image from a trip to Acadia National Park in Bar Harbor, Maine. Taken just a few days ago under the New Moon Little Hunters Beach is one of the darkest spots at night in the park. Once you park the car and turn off the lights you see what pitch black really is. Cameras set and ready to go this is a perfect spot for night sky photography. I scouted the position of the Milky Way and knew I had to get to this spot on time and be ready to go. Armed with various means of LED light sources my son and I worked with them to find just the right one for some subtle Low Level Lighting and provide just the minimum to light the stairway. Once set it was just a single shot to capture this image. In my opinion capturing these types of images at night requires the most photographic and lighting skill.

Get it right with one shot is how I do it.

Page 28: ~ Acadia Blue ~ blue hour at Eagle Lake Page 29: ~ Lady and the Eagle ~ Lower Antelope Canyon Thanks for spending time with us Bob I truly love your talent behind the camera. Where can the readers see more of your work, I’m sure many of them will be wanting to see them!

Currently my work can be viewed in the following locations: https://www.facebook.com/rfawcettfoto/ https://robert-fawcett.pixels.com/ https://robertfawcett.smugmug.com/ https://www.instagram.com/rwfawcett/ 30

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komer is a photographers’ paradise and a place I have visited over thirty times. Why go so often? The answer Skomer with a Camera by is easy. It is a place that I love and offers much variety to any photographer. I have spent time there as a day visitor, an overnight visitor and have worked on the island as a volunteer. For each visit the magic and charm of the island leaves me feeling that I have left the real world far behind. It is a place where the pace of life eases and slows giving the impression that I am existing in a different time zone. In June of 2017 I made a trip to Skomer Island in the company of eleven other photographers for three day, three night stint of pure photography. This was a trip that was pure bliss and most easily the best time I have ever had on the island so far. As such I would like to share my experiences of being a photographer on Skomer and give you an insight in to the potential there is for a photographer. Most people associate Skomer with puffins and visiting in June to achieve that iconic portrait of a puffin with sand eels or the puffin in flight with sand eels. However Skomer offers the photographer much more than puffins in June.

Monica Doshi

About Skomer Skomer, called Ynys Sgomer in Welsh, is a small island three miles away from the coast of South West Wales. It is just under two miles long and has a surface area of 1.13 square miles. For such a tiny land mass it has an important status being designated as a National Nature Reserve, a Site of Special Scientific Interest, a Special Protection Area and is surrounded by one of the few Marine Nature Reserves in the UK. Phew!

Below: A rare sighting of a Skomer Vole It is famous for its wildlife and is a breeding ground to Atlantic puffins, razor bills, guillemots, storm petrels and Manx shearwaters.

It is home to many other animals including skomer rabbits, slow worms, toads, three species of owl and the skomer vole. The latter is a subspecies of the bank vole and is specific to Skomer. In the sea surrounding the island there are grey seals, dolphin and porpoise.

Gannets from nearby Grassholm can be seen circling overhead. In the summer months the island is carpeted in bluebells (May), sea campion, sea thrift (June), May seaweed (July to August) and ragwort (August). The 34

Puffin on the Water island has historical, archeological interest with remains of prehistoric houses, standing stones and stone circles. The circumference of Skomer is made of cliff faces with a central plateau. Most of the land stands at about 65 meters above sea level and the highest point is 79 meters.

In all there is plenty to keep a photographer happy.

When to go Skomer is open to visitors from March or April to the end of September. Most people will go in June when the puffins are feeding their young and flying in with beaks stuffed full of sand eels. This is when the island is at its busiest with people with unto 300 visitors a day. However there is a lot to see and photograph at other times of the season.

During April (there are slight variations in timing Year by Year) the puffins arrive and can be seen floating in rafts of puffins on the water. Then once on land they are busy nest building and courting (beaking). Sometimes you can see one digging the burrow, showering its mate with the debris! There are also other birds to be seen including gold crest, guillemots, razor bills, wheatears, warblers, chiffchaffs, whitethroats, kittiwakes, fulmars, cormorants, peregrine falcons‌and many more.

May brings the bluebells when much of the island is literally carpeted in bluebells as far as the eye can see. The scent lingers in the air and is heavenly. Sometimes you can see short-eared owls in North valley as most years a handful of them breed on the island.

June is when the island is at its busiest especially with photographers hoping to achieve the iconic shots of a puffin portrait or, better still, in flight with a beak of sand eels. The island is carpeted with the pinks and whites of sea campion and thrift. Other birds to be seen are numerous and listed above. You may see some on eggs or with chicks.

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July is a lovely time to visit with the emergence of Sea Mayweed. If you are lucky and have timed it right you can see the pufflings emerge from their burrows frenetically flapping their wing in preparation from flight. The great black backed gulls swoop and hover above attempting, sometimes successfully, to predate on the vulnerable pufflings. Whilst a sad sight it is the way of nature.

August and September are quieter months for visitors and birds. Most of the young have fledged and auk colonies have departed. Seals gather in the bays and this is the main time for pupping.

Throughout the season you can see seals (look in the water where the boat lands) rabbits and if lucky a Skomer vole scurrying across the path. There are common lizards, Canada geese, mallards, pheasant, little owl, oyster catchers, curlew, whimbrels, water rail and gulls to name a few.

Getting There Access is by a fifteen minute boat ride on the Dale Princess. Tickets for landing on the island are bought from Lockley Lodge at Martins Haven (landing is free to members of the South and West Wales Wildlife Trust) and then you pay for the boat after boarding (currently ÂŁ11 for the return trip).

Sailings are very weather dependant especially on the wind direction so be prepared for cancellations. I recommend staying in the area for several days so if there are boat cancellations you have the backup of more opportunities whilst there.

Visitors can chose to spend a day on Skomer or if booked in advance can spend a few nights there in the farmhouse. For the latter option the accommodation is very basic and you will need to take your own bedding and food. If visiting Skomer you need to be reasonably fit and able to walk up steep hills and on uneven paths.

What to take Puffins in Flight

If travelling for the day then I would recommend travelling as light as possible.

Clothing- prepare for all weathers i.e. Waterproofs, sun hat and sun cream. Sturdy footwear because the paths can be uneven and hilly. Wear layers.

Food - take enough food and drink to last the day. There are no shops/ cafe on Skomer.

Photography equipment - depends on what you wish to photograph. Most people go for the puffins.

These birds are very confiding and often only a meter or so away. If going for the day then take a camera body, medium to long telephoto and maybe a kit zoom. There is little space for tripods on the Wick and they can be hazardous so I would recommend not taking one. You could try a monopod instead.

If visiting overnight then you can take more and there are opportunities to photograph at night time so tripod, filters for landscape, wide angle lens for Astro photography and a flash would be handy.

Additionally without day visitors there is much more space. However remember that you may need to carry your kit up the steps, up a steep incline and the half mile walk to the farmhouse.

Sometimes on the boat, especially if the swell or waves are large, the water can come over the boat.

On land it is very dusty in parts. Therefore ensure that your equipment is adequately protected and take care when changing lenses.

Binoculars are handy especially for spotting dolphins, porpoise, seals and birds out at sea. If you don’t have a pair they can be bought at Lockley Lodge or hired on Skomer.

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Safety and animal welfare This is the most important part of this article.

Skomer has a large population of burrowing animals and hence the ground is riddled with holes and tunnels. Therefore it is important to keep to the paths. I cannot emphasise this enough. This is in part for your own safety and most importantly to avoid crushing the burrows where there are likely to be adult birds and/or chicks. Any crushed burrows need to be reported to the warden who then checks whether the chicks have been injured or crushed to death. Blocking or collapsing the burrows leads to pufflings (young puffins) or shearwater chicks to perish. Similarly be careful where you place bags, tripod feet and where you sit because of the fragile nature of the land. The rule is stay on the paths.

It is common to see puffins crossing the path as they make their way to their burrows with sand eels for their young. If you see this please do not block their route by trying to take photos of them. It stresses them and delays or at worst prevents food getting to the chicks. The puffins are more at risk of attack from gulls attempting to take the sand eels from them the longer they are out on land with their catch.

If you are on the island at night and would like to take photos of the Manx shearwaters you need to be mindful that they are sensitive to white light. It confuses them and temporarily blinds them. Therefore use red torch light to see. This has the added advantage of not affecting your own night vision.

If you need to use flash then just one flash per bird and move on. Don’t return to the same bird.

Whilst all of this may seem straight forward and sensible you would be surprised how many people especially photographers do not take heed each year.

So, please stay on the paths and put the animals welfare first.

Now having delivered the lecture onto the wildlife and photography.

Puffins - puffins are the main reason visitors including photographers go to Skomer. These comical, colourful and charismatic seabirds are on Skomer from about April to July. The main place to see them is on the Wick which is a 25 minute walk from the boat landing and where they nest in their burrows. For photographing the puffins on land you do not need long telephoto lenses because the birds come so close…I have had them step onto my feet and brush against my back. At times I have found a 300mm prime too long! Additionally bear in mind that there is not much room at the Wick, the path being only a meter wide. The fun part is that you can ‘experiment’ with different focal lengths, going in close to take parts of the bird, wide angle taking in the background cliffs and sea or normal portrait shots. Spend some time observing them. Look out for behaviours e.g. beaking (see photo on opposite page) during courtship, gathering nesting materials, gaping and preening. As with most wildlife photography using a wide aperture throws the background out of focus and therefore draws attention to your subject. As for shutter speed aim for 1/250th second on a full frame camera for portraits. I usually set the aperture then adjust the ISO so that the exposure is adequate at a shutter speed of 1/250. Take a few test shots to check the exposure and the background. In trying to be close enough to the puffins it is best to wait for them to come to you (they will) than to try and follow them which can stress them. It is worthwhile trying wide angle photos as these birds can come very close.

In flight shots are more challenging. Puffins are small birds standing about 18cm high. They fly at speeds of up to 55 miles per hour, flapping their wings 400 beats per minute. Lenses of 300mm or longer on a full frame camera are most suited to puffins in flight photos. Use shutter speeds of 1/2000 second or faster. If you take time to watch the puffins you’ll notice that they follow a circular flight path at the Wick. This will help you to select a spot with a suitable background and light. Prefocus where you think the puffin will pass and wait for one to come into view. Some people prefer to 38

then use focus tracking whilst others prefer a manual focus. Have the camera set to multiple shots and hope that one will be in focus. Depending on what you wish to achieve you could freeze the action, have some slight blurring of the wings to impress motion or try panning. It is worthwhile experimenting e.g. trying backlit photos Manx Shearwaters - The most important species of bird on Skomer is the Manx shearwater and Skomer has the worlds’ largest population with over half a million of these birds living in burrows across the island. They have a distinguished cacophonous call heard at night. Manx shearwaters are designed for flight and swimming/ fishing. As such they are great in the air and water. Their legs are set far back on there bodies and as such their centre of gravity is pushed forward making them extremely clumsy on land. They are very vulnerable prey especially from attack by the great black backed gulls. They have evolved to avoid predation by staying out at sea and fishing during the day. Sometimes they can be seen in rafts of birds off shore. They return to land under the cover of darkness bring fish back for their young. Apart from the carcasses of dead birds (skeletons with the wings intact) which litter the island you are very unlikely to see them during the day. They are sensitive to light and so the rule for these birds is one flash per bird then move on. Do not return to the same bird. Fledged chicks emerge late summer and can be seen at night practicing for flight.

Other birds - Skomer is home to many other species of birds or birds that pass through. The list includes fulmars, kittiwakes, guillemots, razorbills, gulls, oyster catchers, owls, wrens, blackbirds, wagtails, warblers, whitethroat, wheatears, chiffchaff, goldcrests, Canada geese, waders on the ponds, water rail, curlew, whimbrel and many more. It is possible to see and photograph many of these especially using the public hides. Often, in the introductory talk mention of such species and where they have been seen are alluded to.

Mammals - Skomer voles are a distinct species of vole similar to the bank vole. They differ by being larger, having larger teeth and jaws and are genetically distinct. That live and move within the litter layer feeding on fern and other vegetation. They are rarely seen by visitors (I have seen them on four occasions in over thirty visits to the island and two of those was when helping researchers who had 39

trapped them). If you are lucky enough to spot them then observe it’s path, wait with camera poised and keep your fingers crossed that it reappears. Do not be tempted to follow it off the path for reasons previously mentioned.

exposure time of about 30 seconds (ISO of 3,400 on my camera). Ensure that the camera is steady, all lights are switched off and preferably use a shutter release cable to avoid disturbing the camera during the exposure.

Above: Skomer Rabbit One mammal you are guaranteed to see are the Skomer rabbits which are quite literally everywhere.

They are more visible in the earlier part of the season when the vegetation is low. Seals are often seen in the water in North Haven but not easy to photograph due to distances and lack of clear vantage points. Come August they start to gather and pup in many of the bays around the island.

Again, thankfully for the seals and their wellbeing) there is no access to them down the cliffs and so not really suitable for photographing unless you happen to have a very long telephoto lens upwards of 2000 mm!

Reptiles - Common lizards can sometimes be seen on board walks especially if it is a sunny day.

They scoot off quickly if approached but again it is possible to grab a photo of them with care. Other reptiles include slow worms and toads. The latter are more often spotted at night.

Flora plus - If you like your macro and or plant photography then Skomer does not disappoint. In May there is an amazing display of bluebells in when much of the island is carpeted in purple flowers, a sign that there were once trees on the island. Then in June the thrift and campion come in to their own, giving rise to the potential for macro and landscape work. Ragwort flowers in August with stunning fields of yellow stretching down from the farmhouse. There are some interesting lichens on the island including one that is only found on Skomer or her neighbouring island, Skokholm. Alongside the flowers come the caterpillars, moths, butterflies, glow worms and other beetles and insects.

This is just a glimpse into the photography potential on Skomer. It is an amazing, awe-inspiring island and a paradise for all wildlife lovers. The big attraction is the large puffin colony although their are many other species to be seen there. If you do decide to visit then I would recommend staying overnight for a few nights to really experience what there is to offer.

Useful links Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales https://www.welshwildlife.org/ Sensational Skomer (organised three night photography break on Skomer with an official commercial operator) https://drewbuckleyphotography.com/sensational-skomer-3-night-photography-workshop/ Dale Sailings for information on boat trips to Skomer http://www.pembrokeshire-islands.co.uk/ Westhook Farm for overnight parking and camping near the boat departure point http://www.westhookfarm-camping.co.uk/ Useful book “Puffins” by Drew Buckley https://www.pubmatch.com/book/152587.html Lockley Lodge https://www.welshwildlife.org/visitor-centres/lockley-lodge/

Astro photography - If the skies are clear and you are staying overnight have a go at photographing the Milky Way. Rather than just taking a photo of the sky find some foreground interest. You need your widest lens set at the largest aperture. You then need to select an ISO that will give you and 40

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Above left: Up Close and personal. A puffin on Skomer island.

Above Right: Puffin Dispute!

Opposite page: The Milky Way Over the Farmhouse, Skomer Island Below: Razorbills Courting, Skomer island

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Photoshop for Beginners with Ken Fisher’s LiVELiNK Training Videos

Hi Photoshop learners!

Ken Fisher’s Adobe Photoshop for Beginners Series

Video Two: Create a Pencil Sketch Effect Download the Free Sketch Brushes from https://www.brusheezy.com Download images free from Pixabay.com Download my E Book and action from https://goo.gl/5wHCBY

This week we concentrate on creativity in Photoshop with information on brushes and also how to apply a pencil sketch effect learning lots of techniques along the way.

Remember if you missed any previous lessons, or you’re reading the magazine in printed form then head along to our website where you can view the interactive online magazine so you can see the video content for all the published issues totally free right from the link below! http://www.phototrain.co.uk/online-magazine.html Have fun! - Ken Fisher

Video One: 5 Dynamite things about brushes If you are a fan of the printed page there is a FREE e book to accompany the video just click the link below to download it from my downloads page. https://goo.gl/prKbGX

LiVE LiNK Tr a i n ing With Ken Fish er 44

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Creating a Painting Effect in Photoshop Following Ken’s great tutorial on creating a drawing effect in Photoshop I thought I would follow up with a tutorial on creating a paint effect. All the files required can be downloaded straight from this page to have a go at the exercise yourself, just click the download link below to get them then follow the video, Have fun!

Les Arnott Getting Creative in Adobe Photoshop

Download files

A couple more images I created using the same effect. The flag in the top image was applied as a separate layer and the blending mode changed to soft light. Experiment and see what you can do.

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workspace, you can use the On Layers view (Y) in the Properties panel to see the edge of the person on the new background. Now every decision you make is in the context of the new background.

Curve Channels A common way to make a Curves adjustment is to separately adjust each color channel (Red, Green, and Blue). Instead of choosing each channel from the pull- down menu in the Curves dialog or Properties panel, press these keys to switch between the channels: Option-2 (PC: Alt-2) for RGB, Option-3 (PC: Alt-3) for Red, Option-4 (PC: Alt-4) for Green, and Option-5 (PC: Alt-5) for Blue.

Options Bar, and drag left or right to change the setting (from 0 to 10). As you change the number, the patch will adjust, allowing you to find the ideal number in each situation.

Load Bright and Brighter To load a selection of the areas brighter than 50% grey, in the Channels panel hold down Command (PC: Ctrl) and click on the RGB thumbnail. After saving that as an alpha channel (Select>Save Selection), you can select areas that are even brighter. With the selection active, hold down Command-Option-Shift (PC: CtrlAlt-Shift) and click on the thumbnail of the new Alpha channel. This will select areas that are even brighter. Then you can save that as an alpha channel. Now you can Command-click (PC: Ctrl-click) on either of the two Alpha channels depend- ing on the brightness of the areas you want to select.

Combining Shapes You can combine two or more shape layers into one shape layer: just select the layers in the Layers panel and press Command-E (PC: Ctrl-E) to merge them together. Although when you change the Fill and Stroke in the Options Bar it affects both objects, the original shapes remain independently editable when you use either the Path Selection or Direct Selection tools (A).

Smarter Layer Comps Linked smart objects have one added benefit: using layer comps. In the original layered file, create layer comps in the Layer Comps panel that show and hide various layer combinations.

After you place the file into a document (as a smart object), use the Properties panel and click on the drop- down menu that displays as Don’t Apply Layer Comp to choose the layer comp you want to display. This saves you having to return to the contents of the smart object to change how it displays.

Placeholder Text When you’re working with a design and need to see what it would look like with some text, drag out a text box with the Typetool (T),and then use the Typemenu and choose Paste Lorem Ipsum.

This will fill the text block with random text, ideal for mocking up a design.

Color Adaptation Back in Photoshop CC 2014, a setting called Color Adaptation was added to the Content-Aware functions. With the Patch tool (nested under the Spot Healing Brush tool [J] in the Toolbox), you can apply this in an interesting way, after using the tool. With Content-Aware chosen in the Options Bar, use the Patch tool to select the area you want to remove, and then drag the selection to the area you want to use for the patch.

Then click-and-hold on the word “Color” in the

Extraction Timesaver When you need to composite someone onto a different background, drag the entire photo of the person onto the new background before starting any extraction. That way when you make a selection and enter the Select and Mask 48

with a color that’s darker than what you need, then paint with the Brush tool (B) onto a blank layer. The magic happens once you change the blend mode to Color Dodge. You can then control the intensity with the Opacity slider or even add a Hue/Saturation adjustment layer with a clipping mask and use the Hue, Saturation, and Lightness sliders in the Properties panel to finesse the look.

Reset Character One of the potentially frustrating things about working with text is that Photoshop remembers every setting you last used. If you’re formatting some text—changing leading, tracking, horizontal scale, etc.— those settings will continue to be used the next time you add text. In cases when you want to start fresh with the normal settings, go to the Character panel flyout menu and choose Reset Character.

Smart Plug-Ins Be sure to use third-party plug-ins non- destructively. Rather than use them on a merged stamp layer, select all the layers in the Layers panel, and convert them to a smart object (Layer>Smart Objects>Convert to Smart Object).

This way you’ll still have access to all the layers but can also return to the plug-in and make changes to the settings. This works great with Google’s Nik and Topaz plug-ins, for example.

Maximize Your Workspace Want more workspace? Try pressing the Tab key to hide all the panels, Options Bar, and Toolbox; press it again to reveal them. Or try pressing it in combination with the Shift key to hide just the panels; press it once again to reveal them.

Faking Cutouts with Brushes Fake challenging cutouts, such as those with hair or fur, using brushes. For exam- ple, the 112 Dune Grass brush built into Photoshop can, amongst other things, be made to look like fur using the settings in the Brush panel. Rather than attempt a perfect cut-out, make a rough selection, then add a layer mask. Paint in black to remove a section of fur or body. Then paint it back in using the Dune Grass brush set to white to reveal the fur again, but now in the shape of the brush head, which looks like fur.

Tiled Windows In tiled window view (Window>Arrange), you can change the view of all windows at the same time by holding down the Shift key. For example, use Shift and the Space- bar and then click-and-drag to scroll the windows at the same time, or Shift-Command-Spacebar (PC: Shift-Ctrl-Spacebar) to zoom all windows the same amount.

Selective Color: Fixing Tungsten Lights When you have color contamination from a tungsten light in a predominantly daylight-balanced image, use a Selective Color adjustment layer (Layer>New Adjustment Layer>Selective Color) with the Colors set to Yellows in the Properties panel to remove the yellow hues from only the places that have yellow in the image. This significantly decreases masking time. This also works for a blue window in a predominantly tungsten-lit room.

Clone Stamp Tool Rotation If you’re trying to clone over an area that’s at an angle using the Clone Stamp tool (S), make life easier by first Option-clicking (PC: Alt-clicking) to choose your clone source, and then in the Clone Source panel (Window>Clone Source), turn on Show Overlay, highlight the Rotate the Clone Source field, and use your Up and Down keys to rotate clockwise and counter clockwise, respectively. Throw in the Shift key to rotate in larger increments.

Selective Color: Fixing Face Redness When some of the wedding guests that we photograph have very red faces (due to dancing or drinking), we use a Selective Color adjustment layer set to Reds to remove redness from only the reds of the skin, leaving the yellows in

Color Dodge for Lighting Effects Color Dodge is an awesome blend mode for creating lighting effects. The trick is to use it 49

abling the align command. Once they’re aligned, use a layer mask to hide everything except the sharp eyes.

the skin tones alone. This also will significantly decrease your masking time.

Use Color Range to Create Masks for Shadows/ Midtones/Highlights If the light on a client’s face is very uneven, try using the Highlights, Mid- tones, and Shadows options in the Select drop-down menu in the Select>Color Range dialog to isolate different tones on the face and increase or decrease the exposure accordingly in order to even out the lighting. For example, after selecting Highlights in Color Range and clicking OK, add a Curves adjustment layer. This will generate a mask based on the selection. Decrease the exposure with the Curves adjustment. Repeat for the midtones, then select the shadows and increase the exposure with another Curves adjustment layer.

Put these three layers in their own layer group, add a black mask on the whole folder, and then paint in the smoothed-out lighting effect on the client’s face. To get it perfect, play around with the opacities of each layer in the group and also click on each mask and use the Feather slider in the Proper- ties panel to blur them a little.

Duplicating Documents Have you ever wanted to make an exact duplicate of your Photoshop document, layers and all? While you could choose File>Save As, and then save a copy and work on that, there’s a quicker way. Open the History panel (Window>History). At the bottom left you’ll see an icon that looks like a document with a plus sign on it. Click that icon to create a duplicate document.

Load Images into Same File If you need to create an image with multiple images stacked on top of one another (e.g., if you used a tripod to capture multiple images that you need to mask together), use the File>Scripts>Load Files into Stack command.

This creates a file with all of the files stacked as layers in the same image.

Find the Centre of any Image Here’s a simple way to find the centre of a document. From the View menu, choose New Guide Layout. Change the settings to 2 Columns and 2 Rows, with the Gutter set to 0 in both cases.

Then use the Preset drop-down menu and select Save Preset. Choose a name and save the preset. Click OK to close the New Guide Layout dialog. From now on in any document, use View>New Guide Layout and use your preset to find the centre of the document.

Toggle through Layer Blend Modes When looking for the best blend mode to use, activate the Move tool (V), hold down Shift-Option (PC: Shift-Alt), and then with your other hand, use the + or – keys to cycle through the different blend modes for the layer. This way, you can quickly determine which one works best for your needs.

Searchable Fonts The font fields in the Options Bar and Character panel are searchable. Just start entering the name of your font, and the list will shorten to match the results.

Use Gradients in Your Masks If you’re working on a landscape image and you would like an effect to only be visible on the sky, you can use the Gradient tool (G) to make perfect masks in seconds. Just make sure that the colors used in the gradient are shades on the white- to-black spectrum. Also, remember to apply the gradient to the mask and not the actual layer.

Auto-Align Layers If your client chooses a portrait where her eyes are slightly blurred, replace the slightly motion-blurred eyes with the eyes from a frame where the eyes are sharper. This usually works best for photographers who shoot multiple frames in quick succession. With both images open, drag the image with the sharp eyes into the blurry eye image, and then use the Edit>Auto- Align Layers command. Make sure both layers are selected in the Layers panel before en-

Create Composite Layer When you have a number of layers and want to apply an effect to all of them, it’s easier to flatten them. However, you may want to keep your construction layers for making changes. Choose 50

the top layer in the Layers panel and press Shift-Option- Command-E (PC: Shift-Alt-Ctrl-E).

A new flattened layer will appear above all the other layers.

Black & White Adjustment for Better Color Images The Black & White adjustment layer provides some great ways of toning different portions of an image. Imagine if you had this kind of control over a color image? Duplicate your layer, go to Layer>New Adjustment Layer>Black & White, and change its blend mode to Luminosity in the Layers panel. Now when you make changes to the Black & White adjustment, notice how you now have control over the tones of the color image.

Change Brush Size and Softness Press the Left ( [ ) or Right ( ] ) Bracket keys to make a brush smaller or larger, respectively.

This works with the Brush tool (B) or any relative of it, including things such as the Eraser (E) and Dodge and Burn tools (O), and even with brush Size fields in dialogs such as Liquify. If you also include the Shift key in the combination, you can change the softness of the brush.

How to Select a Layer Sometimes it’s difficult to know exactly which layer you’re working on. Maybe there’s a layer on the page that you want to select so you can move it, scale it, or somehow change it. It’s as simple as making sure the Move tool (V) is selected. In the Options Bar, make sure that Layer and not Group is turned on next to Auto-Select. Hold down Command (PC: Ctrl) and click in your document. Whatever you click on will become the active layer. Another way is to turn on Auto-Select, and if you want to see bounding boxes and have the Move tool work more like Illustrator, turn on Show Transform Controls, as well. I pre- fer the Command-click (PC: Ctrlclick) way.

Bird’s-EyeView When you have a very large image such as a panorama, it can be difficult and time consuming to inspect different portions of the image at large magnifications. Hold the H key, and click- andhold the left mouse button. You’ll see that the image shrinks to fit entirely on the screen. Drag the mouse to reposition the box surrounding the cursor, release, and Photoshop will fill the screen with the new selected area.

The Flame Generator The new Flame generator (Filter>Render>Flame) is great for creating realistic custom flame effects for almost anything. Designers may find, however, that they can create some rather interesting design effects if they play with different colors and drastically move the sliders around. A little experimentation can go a long way.

The Tree Generator Like the Flame generator, the Tree generator (Filter>Render>Tree) works in similar ways in that you choose a type of tree and then you can determine how lush or dead you want its appearance just by moving the sliders back and forth.

Don’t be afraid; be extreme with the settings and you may discover something new.

Quick Export The Quick Export feature (File> Export>Quick Export) introduced in Photoshop CC 2015 allows you to quickly export a file to whatever format you most commonly use. You can configure the Quick Export function in the Preferences (File>Export>Export Preferences). And if you choose to Export Files to an Assets Folder Next to the Current Document, when you choose Quick Export from either the File menu or by Right-clicking on an individual layer in the Layers panel, it will save in your selected format with- out any prompts at all.

Auto Levels Whenever you open a Levels or Curves adjustment, you might see the Auto button and ignore it like I have for years. However, it’s worth clicking now to see what you get. Adobe has made vast improvements to the Auto settings in Photoshop CC.

MORE TIPS NEXT ISSUE !

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The Phototrain Photography Competition - Judged by Graham Orgill We have a grand selection of winners to display in this issue from July 2017 to October 2017. The weekly competitions we hold on Facebook have been full of talent from Phototrain giving Judge Graham Orgill some difficult selections from the quality posts contributed to our competition wall.

Gold Award Winner for 3rd July 2017 Ian Bale

So here are our Gold Award Winners a big congratulations to them all.

If you are a Facebook member and want to take part please join us at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/735309709952413/

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Gold Award Winner for 10th July 2017 Cathy Davies

Gold Award Winner for 17th July 2017 Nigel Smith

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Gold Award Winner for 24th July 2017 Sheila Ivison

Gold Award Winner for 31st July 2017 Jon Jones

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Gold Award Winner for 14th August 2017 Ian Bale

Gold Award Winner for 21st April 2017 Steve Bailey

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Gold Award Winner for 28th August 2017 Michelle Howell

Gold Award Winner for 4th September 2017

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Nigel Smith

Gold Award Winner for 11th September 2017 Andy Rigby

Gold Award Winner for 18th September 2017

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Jan Sharp

Gold Award Winner for 25th September 2017 Sally Sallett

Gold Award Winner for 2nd October 2017

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Jan Sharp

Gold Award Winner for 9th October 2017 Andy Taylor

Links Page Phototrain Web Site

http://www.phototrain.co.uk

Phototrain Magazine Issue and Back http://www.phototrain.co.uk/online-magazine.html Issues

Phototrain Facebook Phototography https://www.facebook.com/groups/735309709952413/ Competition

Phototrain Photography Competition http://www.phototrain.co.uk/blog/ Winners Gallery

Les Arnott Photography

http://lesarnottphotography.co.uk

Ken Fisher LiveLink Training Videos on Youtube

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCanxesylolXpK0wtc6Mqsug

Phototrain Email Address: editor@phototrain.co.uk 66

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