Photo Technique

Best of British • Infrared landscapes • Shooting stairs

creatively • The 10 commandments of street

• Perfect weddings • Foxes • Creative Photoshop

Helping you to be a better photographer

Lightroom masterclass

PLUS

AUTUMN 2015

Discover the power of Lightroom

in our comprehensive guide

TRAVEL

Indispensible advice

from globetrotting

photographers

WILDLIFEFind out the secrets

to capturing Little

Owls and Swallows

LANDSCAPE

How early morning

light can transform

your garden photos

209Inspirational photo ideas

Plan, shoot, edit: How to make the

most of yourweekend

48hr Landscapes

● Get great shots whatever your subject

● Packed with must-try techniques

● Expert tips and advice advice

PORTRAITSUse gel lighting and

creative distortion for

unique results

Live | Learn | Create

Contemporary courses you can study

from home

0800 731 2116

oca.ac.uk

Open College of the Arts

I currently work

as a touring technician

and spend a lot of time

traveling around the

world with various acts.

OCA’s structure

allowsme to study

anywhere, which for

me is fantastic. Once

on the course I received

an incredible level of

support frommyOCA

tutors. This is what

makes OCA for me.

The tutors go that extra

mile knowing working

and distance learning

can be a struggle. They

fnd time to encourage,

motivate and stimulate

which when studying

remotely is invaluable.

Ozzie HendersonPhotography student

WELCOME TO PHOTO TECHNIQUE, a magazine created by photographers for

photographers who want to refi ne their skills, be inspired by stunning

images and take better images.

In this issue we’ve managed to cram a whole load of features in for you. If

you’re stuck for inspiration, then we’ve got stacks of expert advice on what

you should be shooting now. And once you’re back home, why not take the

time to get to grips with Photoshop Lightroom? Adobe’s powerful imaging

software will transform your workfl ow and we’ve got a comprehensive guide

starting on page 89.

That’s not forgetting a host of other exciting techniques you can try,

including how to maximise shooting over a weekend, travel tips,

capturing weddings creatively, using gels for unique portraits and

shooting on the street. Enjoy the issue.

EDITOR PHIL HALL

Welcome

including how to maximise shooting over a weekend, travel tips

capturing weddings creatively, using gels for unique portraits an

THE TEAM

GROUP EDITOR: Nigel Atherton

EDITOR: Phil Hall

DESIGN: Simon Warren

PRODUCTION: Jacky Porter

CONTRIBUTORS: Richard Sibley, Oliver Atwell,

Michael Topham, Andy Westlake, Callum

McInerney-Riley, Jon Stapley, Martin Evening

PUBLISHING DIRECTOR: Alex Robb

MARKETING MANAGER: Samantha Blakey

ONLINE MANAGER: Karen Sheard

ADVERTISING: Felix Barlow, Simon Gerard

CONTACT: [email protected]

TWITTER: @phototechniq

Cover image by Mark Bauer (www.markbauerphotography.com)

Amateur Photographer™ is a trademark of Time Inc. (UK) Ltd

© 2015 Time Inc. (UK) Ltd ISSN No. 0002-6840

Photo Technique is a Focus Network title, published by Time Inc. (UK) Ltd,

Blue Fin Building, 110 Southwark Street, London SE1 0SU

What Digital Camera™ is a trademark of Time Inc. (UK) Ltd

© 2015 Time Inc. (UK) Ltd ISSN No. 1366-5324

3

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p8 26 things to shoot now

p56 travel commandments

p40 into the light

c o n t e n t s

Camera skillsMaster your camera and enhance

the images you take

8 26 things to shoot now top tips and

must-try techniques

22 Best of British some of the best entries

from the British Life Photography Awards

landsCapesshoot the land creatively

28 Maximise your weekend Plan, shoot, edit

and share a landscape portfolio in a weekend

34 Infrared landscapes take a different look

at the landscape around you

40 Into the light see how early morning light

can transform your garden pictures

natureRefne your skills for shooting out in the wild

46 Fox hunt often approachable, foxes can

make fantastic subjects to photograph

52 Wildlife watch How to shoot Little owls

and swallows

travelessential advice when you’re on the move

56 10 travel commandments expert tips for

achieving memorable images on the road

portraitsAchieve stunning people shots

62 Creative coupling How to capture the

magic of the big day

67 Creative distortion How to get your

portraits noticed

72 Back in fashion Using gel lighting

streetMust-have advice for the city streets

82 10 street commandments Insight on

how to get the best results when shooting

on the street

image editingInspiration, advice and help

89 Master Lightroom In our comprehensive

guide to Adobe Photoshop Lightroom

104 Creative Photoshop Use the displace

flter to create refections

Contents

5

P46 FOX HUNT P82 STREET COMMANDMENTS

P72 GEL LIGHTING P28 48HR LANDSCAPES

i n s p i r e

ToTal Solar EclipSErEmy and rEbEcca HoEHEnEr

regardless of how many astronomy pictures you see, each and every

one is capable of offering something absolutely overwhelming. This

image is a composite intended to visualise how the eclipse progressed

over two hours and was taken as part of a two-hour photo session in

the Faroe islands – one of only two populated locations to experience

it totally. This was remy and his daughter rebecca’s frst attempt at

shooting a solar eclipse, and to do so they’d prepared for over a year.

To see all of this year’s winning entries and to fnd out about

how to enter next year’s competition, visit www.rmg.co.uk

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C A M E R A S K I L L S

Our experts give you their top tips

and must-try techniques to put into

practice over the coming months

26things to shoot now

1 SHOOT POPPY FIELDS MARK BAUERPoppies fl ower annually, usually in

summer, but rarely in the same place

two years running, so you need to put

in some effort to fi nd a good spot.

They usually grow on private

farmland, so you need to either obtain

permission from the landowner or

shoot from the side of the road.

Although you can go for motion

blur on a windy day, poppies are best

photographed in still conditions.

Warm early morning or evening light

enhances their natural vibrancy, as will

a polariser. Sunrise is probably best, as

there tends to be less wind. If you’re

lucky, there may be some mist in the

background to add atmosphere.

A wideangle lens can emphasise the

size of the fi eld and allow you to get

close to individual fl owers. A small

aperture and focusing a third of the

way into the scene will maximise depth

of fi eld. Alternatively, the ‘perspective

compression’ of a telephoto lens can

create the impression of a thick carpet

of fl owers. A long lens and narrow

depth of fi eld can also be used to

isolate poppies.

So much red in the frame can cause

exposure problems; the red channel

can oversaturate, causing lost detail.

Review images using the RGB

histogram and pull back the exposure

if the red channel is blown.

A large amount of red in the frame can

lead to exposure problems, so review

images using the RGB histogram

9

2 DON’T GO BEFORE THE GLOWMARK BAUERSummer’s long days mean very

early starts and late fi nishes for

landscape photographers. At the

end of a tiring day it can be

tempting to pack your kit away as

soon as the sun dips below the

horizon. However, if you resist

this temptation you could end up

with your best pictures of the day.

Twilight lasts longer in

summer, so you can continue

shooting for longer after sunset

and it’s often the most photogenic

time of day. The strongest colour

often occurs after the sun has set

– sometimes as long as 20 or 30

minutes – as a warm ‘afterglow’

spreads across the sky. If shooting

near water, any refl ections will

double the impact of the colour.

Even after the strongest colour

has gone, the light remains

photogenic for a long time.

In terms of technique, you’ll

need to pay attention to exposure.

People often assume that contrast

is low after the sun has set, but it

can be surprisingly high, as the

sky is lit from below, but there is

no direct light falling on the land.

Therefore, you’ll often either need

to use graduated fi lters, or bracket

your exposures and blend them

in post-processing. As the light

drops and exposure times get

longer, switch to bulb mode so

you can lock the shutter open for

the desired length of time. It will

be getting darker while the

shutter is open, so allow an extra

1/2 to 1 stop of exposure above

what you have calculated.

Compositionally, make the

most of the colour by getting in

close to refl ections and look

for interesting shapes for

foreground interest, or those that

can be silhouetted against a

colourful sky.

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3 MISTY MORNINGS JEREMY WALKERMisty mornings are a bit of a holy grail for me. They

add mood and drama to landscape images and give

a visual boost. An early start is always painful, but

being greeted with the sun rising over a calm, still

landscape shrouded in mist is worth getting up for.

You need a good alarm clock, and to be organised.

Pack your bag the night before and even sort out

what you will wear. Research your location, know

your vantage points, where the sun will rise and be

ready at least 30 minutes before sunrise as often the

light can be good when the sun is just below the

horizon. If possible, try to shoot into the light. Mist

that is backlit glows and has more life to it. Some-

times mist will hang around, but it can disappear

quickly, so have alternate locations in mind.

4 HARVEST JEREMY WALKERGolden fi elds being harvested,

round bales of straw and fruit

trees weighed down – harvest

time offers great image

opportunities. Get permission

from the landowner if you want

to venture onto a farm. They

can be dangerous places and,

even when on a public footpath,

don’t forget that farmers will be

concentrating on their job, not

looking out for photographers.

Harvesting allows for images

with a strong sense of shape and

design. Bold lines dominate the

fi elds and orchards, and

machinery adds a splash of

colour. Get up high and look

down, or go for the worm’s-eye

view looking up through the

crops or fruit trees. Try using

long lenses into the light with

tractors and combines silhou-

etted in their own dust.

Wideangle lenses will work well

close-in on fruit crops and

orchards. If you have no access

to the countryside, look out for

local allotments, but again get

permission. Even an apple tree

in your garden or a bramble can

be a good subject given the right

light. The harvest won’t last

long, so take advantage of it.

Backlit mist can add

drama to your shots, so it’s

well worth getting up early for

Twilight lasts longer

in the summer and it

pays to make full use

of the sun’s afterglow

10

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5 Lavender adam BurtonWhile southern France is the place

most associated with lavender, there

are several farms in the UK that are

ideal for photography.

These farms are, of course, private

businesses, and permission needs to be

gained whenever venturing onto

private land. For a small fee some

lavender farms open their doors to

allow the public in during the

fowering months in early summer.

However, this probably means you are

restricted to shooting from 9am to

5pm, when the light can be harsh.

Luckily, some farms have footpaths

running alongside the lavender,

making photography easily achievable

at any time from sunrise to sunset.

The key to shooting a lavender

feld is timing. A visit just a few weeks

early and the lavender will still be

green. Too late, and the lavender may

have been harvested already.

With intense colour and beautiful

receding diagonal lines, lavender is best

shot with a mid-range zoom. If you

shoot too wide, you’ll be looking down

over the lavender plants in the

immediate foreground and their

purple colour will be lost amid the

green stems. By shooting slightly

further with a mid-range zoom, the

lavender will appear more colourful

and intense.

It’s worth spending some time

looking for areas of lavender that are

free from weeds, grasses and other

plants. Alternatively, actively seek out a

secondary object to break up the

pattern of the lavender. Like most

subjects, shooting lavender beneath a

colourful sunrise or sunset sky

can yield rich results. I prefer to shoot

when the sun is low in the sky

providing rich side-lighting to the

delicate fowers.

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6 BaLes adam BurtonRolling countryside makes an

idyllic subject for landscape

photography, but it can be

surprisingly diffcult to shoot.

With a lack of available

foreground interest, wideangle

landscapes can be left lacking

any sense of depth. However,

this all changes with the arrival

of summer, especially after

crops have been harvested.

During summer farmers are

busy putting together straw

bales, sometimes rectangular,

often circular and occasionally

collected together as traditional

stooks. Whichever process is

used, the end result always

leaves a feast for the eyes.

Where I live in Devon, I

most often encounter circular

bales and stooks. Being the

most unusual, stooks possibly

make the most enticing

subjects. Each stook is piled

into a triangular stack and left

in long lines meandering over

felds. The result offers you a

series of leading lines to help

draw viewers’ eyes.

Look for a series of stooks in

close proximity to each other,

and fnd lines with interesting

curves. Shoot with a wideangle

lens to accentuate the nearest

stooks and exaggerate the

depth in the scene.

Circular bales are usually

more of a challenge. Farmers

tend to drop these bales in a

more haphazard way, so extra

care is required to fnd a good

balance within the picture. As

circular bales are large,

shooting too wide can be

problematic. The bale can

appear huge and any nearby

bales can seem lost in the

distance. I fnd it better to ft a

mid-range lens, and zoom into

bales slightly further away.

Whichever you decide to

shoot, light is always a key

consideration. This kind of

subject always looks its best in

rich, low side-lighting, so head

out to capture your pictures

early morning or late evening.

Circular bales are a challenge and

shooting too wide can

be a problem. It may be better

to ft a mid-range lens

Lavender is best shot with a

mid-range zoom to maximise the

plant’s colour and to enhance any

receding lines

11

Infrared photography is at its

most effective on bright

sunny days

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8 HEATHER-CLAD MOORS COLIN ROBERTSMoorlands can be bleak places,

especially in winter. But it is

transformed during summer

when the heathers come into

bloom. Heather doesn’t

photograph well in harsh

sunlight, so avoid shooting

when the sun is high in the sky.

The pinky-mauve hues show

up much better when the sun is

near the horizon, or hidden

behind cloud, as these

conditions keep contrast to a

minimum, and allow colour

and detail to be more clearly

seen. Moisture also helps

enrich the scene, bringing out

the orange tones of moorland

grasses, so it pays to exploit the

after-effect of rain if possible.

Some tracts of moorland

have a variety of subjects to use

as focal points. Try using

bracken ferns as foreground

interest – they spring up

randomly across the moor and

their pale green fronds make

for an eye-catching contrast

with the heather. Silver birch

and Scots pine are also

common, and these shapely

trees can be used to break the

monotony of the horizon.

Watch out as well for isolated

moorland pools – even very

small ones can be made to fi ll

the foreground if you use a

wideangle lens to exaggerate

the perspective.

7 SHOOT INFRARED JUSTIN MINNSSummer for us landscape

photographers means crawling

out of bed in the wee small

hours to catch the dawn light

or staying out equally late to

see the sun go down. In

between, the sun is too harsh

and fl at for most landscape

photography. But infrared

photography is at its most

effective on bright sunny days.

Infrared photography involves

blocking out visible light and

allowing certain wavelengths of

infrared light to hit the

camera’s sensor. In digital

photography this is done either

by using a lens fi lter (such as

the Hoya R72) or by converting

a camera body into a dedicated

infrared camera. The former is

much cheaper, but the dark

fi lter means exposure times are

often 30 seconds-plus; whereas

converted cameras are no

different in use to a standard

body. Whichever method you

decide to use, shoot in raw and

with surprisingly little

processing the result will be

stunning mono images, full of

impact with an otherworldly

feel to them. Fresh greens are

rendered white, blue skies

become almost black and the

whole image pops with depth

and contrast not always visible

to the naked eye.

Heather doesn’t photograph

well in harsh sunlight. The colours show

up much better when the sun is hidden

behind cloud or near the horizon

12


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9 PhotograPh PeoPle doing their hobbyadam duckworthWhen the weather gets warmer

and the days are longer, many

people take the chance to get

stuck into their hobbies.

Whether riding bicycles, going

fshing or taking a spin in a car

that they’ve spent the winter

restoring, everyone loves a great

picture showing them enjoying

their chosen interest.

It’s a prime opportunity to

capture a portrait that shows

more than just what a person

looks like. It’s a chance to show

what they’re interested in.

Ask around your friends and

family and chances are you’ll

discover someone with a

fascinating pastime. If that fails,

look around for events in your

local area where you’ll fnd lots

of potential subjects.

The key to a decent portrait

is to get the person in the right

clothing and put them in a

location that works for their

hobby. You probably wouldn’t

want to shoot a surfer in a city

centre, but that’s exactly where

you’d want to photograph a

death-defying parkour runner.

If there’s an obvious item of

equipment that the subject

uses, include that as well – such

as a skateboard, bicycle, boat or

radio-controlled car.

Avoid simply plonking the

person behind or next to their

bit of kit, smiling into the lens.

Instead, try to get them to relax

and look as natural as possible.

Use a variety of viewpoints and

lenses – from wideangles that

show off the environment to

longer telephoto lenses that can

target the subject while

throwing the background out

of focus. Get the subject to look

at the camera in some shots,

and off-camera in others.

Midday sun is best avoided as

it’s contrasty and not fattering.

Try shooting at the start or end

of the day, or even night-time.

The use of refectors or

off-camera fash can transform

a scene, too.

Remember that the devil is in

the detail. Look around the

edges of the frame to make sure

there’s nothing creeping into

the shot. Make sure the pose,

location, kit and clothing suit

the subject and you’ve thought

about composition and

lighting. And have fun!

10 Shoot a film Portraitmatt oSborneDust down your old flm camera (or treat yourself to a used

bargain). Professional colour flms such as Kodak Portra or

Fujiflm Pro 400H capture natural-looking skin tones and

you can get away with overexposing them. Remember to set

exposure for the shadow areas when shooting with flm.

With a digital camera you expose for the highlights, but

with flm you expose for the shadows as flm can retain

highlight detail even when overexposed by as much as 6

stops. I take a meter reading from just under the chin for

my shots. If you want to practise before splashing out

on top-of-the-range flm, load up with AGFA Vista

Plus 200, which can be found for £1.

If you enjoy mono photography, try using

coloured lens flters. A yellow flter can lighten skin

tones, orange and red flters can give high-con-

trast images and a blue flter can accentuate

freckles. Brighter days also provide enough

light to shoot with slow speed, ultra-fne-

grain flms like Ilford’s Pan F Plus ISO 50

black & white flm. Finally, if you’ve only

ever used 35mm flm cameras, look for

an old medium-format flm camera.

The detail captured by larger flm

negatives of 645 format, 6x6cm or

6x7cm, is more than 2-4

times that of 35mm.

Capture your

sitter in his natural

environment with the

tools of his trade

Film is an entirely different

proposition to digital. As

versatile as digital is, the

detail of flm can be stunning

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14 SHOOT SILHOUETTESDAVE KAI-PIPERUsing the late summer sun can produce wonderful

effects that are not possible at other times of the

year. Check the time the sun sets and head out an

hour before to see where the sun will be.

When it comes to metering, you should expose for

the sunset so your model is underexposed, resulting

in them being silhouetted against the setting sun. To

avoid any unwanted fl are, place your model directly

in the path of the sun, creating a shadow for you to

stand in, and shoot.

Using natural light can be fun,

especially when you use

shadows to your advantage.

Watch where the sun is and

where the shadows are falling,

then use them to creative effect.

This can be something as

simple as having your model

face into a shady area, perhaps

with eyes closed or allowing the

sitter’s eyes to open up for a

really intense gaze.

You could try something a

little more complex, such as

working ‘shadow play’ into

your shots.

Shooting with the sun at its

peak height, at midday or

thereabouts, is never a good

idea, as the harsh light will see

shadows fall too harshly on

your subject.

If you can, fi nd summer

shade to avoid this or turn the

subject away from facing the

sun, otherwise not only will

they end up squinting but also

you’ll fi nd it harder to control

your exposures.

It goes without saying that

to avoid this, you should try to

shoot earlier or later in the day.

11 USE FILTERSDAVE KAI-PIPERShooting in bright conditions

doesn’t necessarily go hand-in-

hand with the wide and fast

apertures we often desire for a

shallow-depth-of-fi eld portrait.

The high light levels can mean

that we have to stop the lens

down and lose that bokeh we

crave in order to get a balanced

exposure – even with shutter

speeds as high as 1/8,000sec.

This is where neutral-density

fi lters come into play. Thanks to

their ability to limit the amount

of light passing through the lens,

you’ll be able to open up your

lens to work at your desired

aperture without overexposing

your shot. They are available in

different strengths, so you can

select the right ND fi lter for the

light levels you’re working with.

Bright conditions call

for a neutral-density fi lter

so you can open up the

lens without overexposing

the shot

Opportunities for sunset

silhouettes are rare: plan

ahead to get your shot

12 USING NATURAL SHADOWSDAVE KAI-PIPER

13 AVOID SHOOTING IN THE MIDDAY SUNDAVE KAI-PIPER

14

15 TERNS ANDREW MASONWalk along the boardwalk in

summer on the island of Inner

Farne, off the Northumberland

coast, and you’re guaranteed to be

mobbed by the breeding terns that

have their nests on the island.

Terns are small-to-medium-sized

migratory birds that are resident in

the UK from late spring to early

autumn. Five species of terns can be

found breeding in the UK, namely

Arctic, common, little, roseate and

sandwich. Breeding sites can be

found along the UK coast (apart

from the south-west) on shingle

beaches and rocky islands. Some

terns also breed at inland sites such

as reservoirs. Arctic terns are by far

the most numerous, with around

53,000 breeding pairs in the UK.

They are also the longest travelling,

returning to the Antarctic where

they over-winter. Roseate terns are

one of the UK’s rarest birds with

fewer than 90 breeding pairs.

When photographing, avoid

venturing too close to the nests and

disturbing nesting birds. At sites like

the Farne Islands, keep to areas that

have been marked out for visitors.

Little terns and roseate terns are

protected and a licence is required to

photograph them at their nests.

With their predominantly white

plumage, terns make very striking

photographic subjects. When in

fl ight, they contrast markedly with

blue skies. On overcast days,

consider making high-key images

with the sky rendered white – the

terns will take on an ethereal

presence. The coastal locations

where terns breed (Anglesey, Farne

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Equally appealing against a blue or

white background, terns are one of the

UK’s most striking wildlife subjects to

photograph

C A M E R A S K I L L S

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17 RABBITSROBERT CANISHares are great characters, have a

fascinating history, are far less

numerous than rabbits and, as a

whole, are very diffi cult to get

good images of, making them

more desirable.

Rabbits, on the other hand, are

found almost everywhere

throughout Britain and they

have a fi xed abode, so are far

more accessible and, to top it off,

you don’t need lots of fi eldcraft!

Rabbits have an acute sense of

smell, so try to position yourself

downwind. Look for somewhere

to break up your outline, too,

such as patches of nettles, long

grass or a hedge. I prefer to shoot

at ground level as you get a more

intimate perspective, but failing

this, sit with your back against a

tree. Also, you should avoid

wearing noisy, brightly coloured

clothing. The more you can

conceal yourself, the better.

Rabbits always look good

bathed in warm, evening

sunlight. Try to arrive a couple of

hours before sunset, check the

wind direction and settle

yourself ten metres or so away

(depending on your lens).

If you’re lying down, support

your camera on a beanbag and

throw some scrim netting over

your camera. A cushion to

support your chest will also

make the wait more comfortable.

Lying as still as possible is vital.

Being inconspicuous also means

there is a chance of observing

and, potentially, photographing

other kinds of wildlife, so keep

your eyes peeled. Over the years,

in the course of photographing

rabbits, I’ve had some amazing

close encounters with foxes,

buzzards, hares and owls.

16 KINGFISHERS ANDREW MASONA bright fl ash of blue and

orange fl ying low and fast over

the water, a short, sharp whistle

and the kingfi sher is gone. As

well as brief glimpses in fl ight,

kingfi shers can also be seen on

riverside perches from where

they dive for fi sh. They are

found near clean, slow-moving

water, canals and lakes in the

UK and Ireland, albeit fewer in

number in Scotland.

There are numerous nature

reserves where kingfi shers can

be seen and photographed,

typically from hides set up for

birdwatching. At some hides,

local photographers have made

perches to attract the birds.

However, at most of these

hides, the kingfi shers can only

be photographed at a distance,

requiring the use of extreme

focal lengths and/or cropping.

A far better option is to fi nd

a quiet stretch of water that has

resident kingfi shers and (with

the landowner’s permission) set

up perches to attract the birds.

By using a portable hide – a

bag hide will work – or a screen/

blind, the kingfi shers can be

photographed much closer.

Avoid nest sites, as a licence is

required to photograph them.

When photographing,

consider varying the perches

– an old fi shing rod makes for a

great substitute branch, as do

‘No Fishing’ signs. As well as

trying portraits with a

kingfi sher isolated against a

clean background, experiment

with a remote camera and a

wideangle lens to show them in

their environment.

The hardest images to capture

are those of a kingfi sher diving

for fi sh. To capture such a shot

that’s well-composed, in ideal

light and in focus is incredibly

diffi cult, but very rewarding.

Keep downwind from a rabbit, lie very still

under some netting and you could be

rewarded with a close encounter

Due to kingfi shers’ brightness,

backgrounds need to be clean.

As for capturing a diving shot,

you’ll need perseverance!

16

C a m e r a S k i l l S

18 Barn owls oscar DewhurstRecently, the barn owl was beaten into

second place by the robin in the quest

to determine Britain’s national bird.

At this time of year, barn owls can

often be found hunting in daylight

due to the demand of having to feed

their chicks regularly, so they can be

easier to photograph.

Before you start photographing,

though, there are a few things to think

about. First, you need to fnd a

location where barn owls are hunting.

Look on your local bird-club website

to see if there’s an area where they’re

regularly reported. Once you have a

location, spend a few early mornings

or evenings watching from a distance

to work out what their hunting

patterns and favoured perches are.

After this, photography will be

signifcantly easier as you can position

your hide according to where the owl

and sun will be. If it is on private land,

make sure you check with the

landowner before setting up your gear.

Equipment-wise, I recommend

using a lens over 300mm. For settings,

I often use manual mode for barn

owls because their light colour can

often throw off the camera’s metering,

especially when combined with a

dark background.

Keep a shutter speed of at least

1/500sec to freeze movement, even if

this means increasing the ISO and

shooting at your widest aperture

because light levels early in the

morning and late in the evening can be

low. However, you can experiment

with slower shutter speeds and

panning to give motion blur. For this,

I fnd 1/4sec to 1/30sec are best.

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When barn owls are feeding

chicks, action-packed hunting

shots can be taken in daylight

– if you know where to look

19 heDgehogs DaviD tiplingBeing nocturnal does not mean

hedgehogs are hard to locate if you

have a decent population living in your

area. They can be very noisy as they

snuffe around looking for food, or

chase or interact with one another.

However, getting into a good

photographic position with a

hedgehog is easier said than done, and

as it’s likely to be dark, a fash or some

other form of lighting is essential.

Sun-baked earth means their

favoured food, such as earthworms,

slugs and other small invertebrates, can

prove hard to fnd. By providing a

water dish and supplementary food in

your garden or local wood, you may be

able to attract hedgehogs to a chosen

spot. This is by far the best and most

productive method for photography.

Try any meat-based dog or cat food, or

dried mealworms and peanuts used for

bird feeders, but avoid putting out

milk on saucers, as hedgehogs cannot

tolerate lactose.

If fnding a wild animal proves too

challenging, try contacting your local

hedgehog rescue centre – they may

well be able to offer you some

opportunities to photograph animals

being nursed back to health or ones

ready for release.

20 close-up insects Mat perryYou don’t need expensive macro lenses to shoot

stunning close-up images. If you’ve got a DSLR, all

you need is a compatible (inexpensive) reversing

ring and lens. I mainly shoot with either a 28mm or

20mm prime lens reversed onto a Nikon D5100,

although for best results I use a lens that has a

manual aperture ring as all control of the aperture

via the camera will be lost once the lens is reversed.

I shoot with an aperture of f/8 or f/11 with the

fastest shutter speed that my camera will allow me to

sync with the fash (which, for me, is 1/250sec) and

to expose my subject correctly, I adjust the fash

power output or the ISO to fne-tune the exposure.

For lighting, I use a small fashgun with a DIY

softbox made from a Chinese noodle box and a

piece of polystyrene that came with a frozen pizza.

I try to use two to three photographs with

different areas of the subject in focus and then

automatically stack them together in Photoshop.

The working distance is also very small and this is

where patience and a steady hand come into play.

I fnd the best time of day is at dawn when they’re

at their most docile. Sometimes an insect will

happily sit there and pose while you snap away, but

the majority of times they won’t.

With depth of feld being so minuscule and the lens

so close to the subject, a steady hand

(and Photoshop) is required

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18


21 CyCling eventsPhil hallWe may not have the Tour de

France whistling through the UK

this year, but you’ll still have the

chance to see some of the biggest

names in cycling riding in the UK

and a perfect opportunity to grab

some impressive cycling shots.

Think about your positioning.

You can take some panning shots

on a straight, but try placing

yourself at a bend as you’ll be able

to shoot riders coming towards

you and there’s a chance they

may slow down to take the corner.

To avoid shooting large

groups of riders (the peloton),

look for major hills on the route

where the riders tend to slow

down and spread out a bit. There’s

also much more intensity in the

riders’ expressions as they push

themselves up hill.

A telephoto zoom lens such

a 70-200mm is a great choice,

but also pack a wideangle zoom

and shoot down low for a

dramatic result.

22 Candid street shotsMatt hart Now is a great time for candid

street photographers like me.

There are some amazing

images to be had at the Pride

events and carnivals, as well as

sporting matches. Personally,

I prefer to stay just outside

the main events and look for

the interesting characters.

I like to position myself in

the roads leading to and from

the events, as I can fnd more

intriguing scenes. It’s also less

crowded so you lower the

chance of your image being

spoilt by people pushing and

shoving. This is a great way to

fnd a really good background

and wait for the right subjects

to walk into the frame. You can

also compose the shot before

your subject arrives.

If I fnd a great subject while

walking around, I try to get in

front of them without being

noticed so that I can capture

them head on.

I try to shoot more and more

from the hip these days to add

interesting angles. I use the

tilting rear screens on the

Fujiflm X-T10, looking down

with the camera around

my neck as if I were looking in

a ground-glass viewfnder.

23 airshowsgeoffrey lee

At airshows your location

will very much dictate what

type of images you achieve.

The background is an

important consideration as

you may have buildings or

crowds that could distract

from the aircraft, while

another vantage point

might only offer the best

light in the morning or

afternoon. On top of that,

make sure you have a clear

180° view without

obstruction so you can get

a good range of vision while

panning the aircraft as

they fy past.

I set my cameras on

shutter priority for fast jets

and try not to go below

1/500sec, and will go as high

as possible to achieve an

aperture of between f/5.6

and f/8 at ISO 400,

Don’t forget that roads off the main event

are often a perfect opportunity to

photograph candid images

Subtle shooting from the hip is

a good way to go unnoticed in

a crowded street scene

Position yourself on a

bend to shoot riders as

they slow down

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It’s best to use larger

apertures with a lower

shutter speed for jet aircraft

24 CRICKET MICHAEL TOPHAM

There’s no better place to watch

a game than from the stands,

and a cricket ground such as

Lord’s always offers great

potential to capture

a series of interesting shots of

the crowd and the action.

If you were unsuccessful in

this year’s ballot, there are

plenty of shooting

opportunities closer to home. A

visit to your local village green

on a Saturday or Sunday

afternoon is the best place to

start, and if you’re new to

cricket photography you’ll want

to start by dialling in a 1/500sec

shutter speed in shutter priority

mode to help freeze the ball and

the action as it happens.

You’ll need a long telephoto

zoom to get to the heart of the

action. Make sure you get as

close to the boundary edge as

possible to fi ll the frame with

the batsman or bowler.

When you’re ready to take on

the next challenge, you’ll want

to attempt photographing a

county game or an evening T20

blast in low-light conditions.

You can check relevant county

cricket clubs’ websites for a full

fi xture list.

depending on the lighting

conditions.

To get the most dramatic

photos with sharp aircraft

against a blurred

background, it’s best to use

larger apertures (f/2.8-f/4)

with a lower shutter

speed (1/250sec) and a

good, steady panning

technique as

you follow the aircraft

passing through at more

than 400mph. With

propeller aircraft my shutter

speed is set to 1/320sec or

below, because any higher

shutter speed will freeze the

propeller and make the

aircraft appear static.

The weather is a key

player in how your fi nal

results look and if it’s damp

the air pressure drops, so

when you get fast, high,

G-turning aircraft it causes

a condensation cloud to

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Individual team members

may be interested in

buying one of your prints

Get right to the heart of the action with a long telephoto zoom

appear over the top

surface of the jet as

well as wing-tip vortices.

This is called the

Prandtl-Glauert singularity

or vapour-cloud effect, and

really enhances shots.

20


25 Balloon FestivalsCraig roBertsAn early rise is necessary for the

morning fights, as these take

place around 6am to suit the

conditions ideal for fying. If it is

too windy, they often do tethered

take-offs, where the balloons are

infated but stay on the ground

for safety. The arena will have

around 20-30 balloons taking off,

so it’s a packed environment

offering lots of opportunities for

frame-flling shots.

You can often shoot with

a wideangle lens if a balloon is

being infated near the edge of

the roped-off arena; otherwise

a telephoto zoom is best to fll

the frame with the balloons

and also to capture shots of the

balloons as they lift off.

If you aren’t an early riser,

the afternoon fights are a

second chance to shoot this

event, while a tethered

nightglow makes an alternative,

if tricky, shoot to do on the

Saturday evening. These

nightglows require a high ISO

for a fast shutter speed to avoid

blurring, as it will be very dark,

with only the fames in the

balloons illuminating the arena.

The Bristol Ballon Fiesta is a

great event and if you’re going

for the weekend, a second

viewpoint is from the Clifton

Suspension Bridge, where the

balloons pass after they depart

the arena. You need to get there

at least an hour before take-off

as it’s like a press scrum with

dozens of photographers

jostling for top spot to frame

the balloons with the bridge,

but it’s certainly worth it.

26 MusiC Festivals CalluM MCinerney-riley There are plenty of different genres of

music and festivals, which present

exciting opportunities to capture the

festival vibe and people having a

fantastic time.

Some festivals are enormous and last

almost a week, while others are rather

more humble affairs with a single stage

for the day. With the bigger festivals

it’s likely that you’ll need to be accredited

in order to take a camera into the event,

but at the smaller festivals this shouldn’t

be an issue. However, it’s still worth

checking in advance as to what you are

and aren’t allowed to do.

If you can get close to the stage and/or

musicians, then take a lens with a wide

aperture and shoot it wide open. This

will allow you to freeze the action with a

faster shutter speed as well as isolate your

subject from the background. Also, time

your shutter clicking to when the artist is

really getting into the groove to ensure

you capture the most engaging images.

If you have never shot video

before, a music festival is a great place

to try it out. As soon as a signifcant

song is played, hit record and capture

that important moment as the crowd

goes wild.

Trying to get close to

the action is probably

more feasible at

smaller festivals

The Clifton Suspension

Bridge is a good spot to

capture the balloons

during the festa

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FR

OM

In association with

b e s t o f b r i t i s h

Overall Winner DaviD YeOthis quintessentially british caravan in David’s image

‘Vroom with a View’ refects all that is good about

the british countryside. its wallpapered interior

makes it amazingly quirky, while the girl looks out of

the window. the caravan shelters under a

blossoming horse chestnut tree, which adds to the

many shades of green around it. the fock of sheep

in the distance is a lovely touch.

22

THERE REALLY IS A GREAT wealth of photography

competitions out there, so it takes something special

to catch our eye. Luckily, the inaugural British Life

Awards contains some of the most captivating work

we’ve seen recently. The competition is open to both

amateurs and professionals, with the only brief

being that the images must be imaginative and

contemporary illustrations of British life. There are

ten separate categories, including Street Life, Rural

Life, Portraiture, Work in the Community and Brits

on Holiday. There were some familiar names among

the winners and shortlists, not least among them

Brighton-based photographer Heather Buckley, who

we’ll be talking to in a future issue.

We take a look at some of the best entries from the

inaugural British Life Photography Awards

YOUNG

PHOTOGRAPHER AWARD

ELLA TURVILLE‘This is my brother on

Brighton beach,’ says

17-year-old Ella of this

stunningly lit shot called

‘Lord of the Flies’. ‘He

found this stone and ran

over to show me. I didn’t

have my camera in my

hand at that moment,

but asked him to repeat

his unusual pose so

I could take this shot

using the fl ash.’

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Best of British

23

24


RuRal life

Roy Riley Commendedthere’s something almost balletic about

this dizzying image, called ‘Climbing at

the roaches’ of a climber hanging off the

side of the roaches rocky ridge, which is

a popular location in staffordshire for

both photographers and climbers. While

the shot is beautifully composed to show

as much of the surrounding environment

as possible, it’s the setting winter sun

that really makes it so captivating.

StReet life

Simon PeaCoCk CommendedPerhaps the most important thing this

untitled image demonstrates is the need

to stay alert during your street

photography excursions. Not only is this

a lovely subject (the camera is a nice

touch), but it is also perfectly timed. the

bus moving in behind the woman is of

absolute importance to ensure she

stands out in the otherwise chaotic

scene. removing the colour helps this

further, leaving us with an image of

attractive contrasts. © r

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25

WORK IN THE COUNTRY

ROY RILEY COMMENDEDRoy found this extraordinary scene in Bodmin in

Cornwall. You’d be forgiven for having no idea what

it is you’re seeing. Called ‘Stuffed Animals go to

Auction’, the image shows auctioneers cataloguing

some of the larger exhibits from a collection of

stuffed animals prior to auction. We only hope each

animal was photographed individually and not

placed together, though it’s not often you see a polar

bear facing off against a lion and an elephant calf. RURAL LIFE

MIKE REGO COMMENDED‘This image taken in Dartmoor, Devon,

called “Tom Hunt Feeding his Sheep”,

shows the farmer out with his fl ock,’

says Mike. ‘With the sun shining

directly up the valley, I positioned

myself to capture both Tom’s Land

Rover and the sheep, balancing the

contrast in the foreground with the

high contrast of the sky.’

PORTRAITURE

JON BROOK COMMENDEDThe image is called “Big Dave, World

Champion Wargamer”. ‘Dave paints

the fi gures that make up his armies,’

says Jon. ‘This is considered as much a

part of the hobby as fi ghting the

battles. He asked me to photograph

individual pieces so he could show his

work to others and he agreed to pose

for me when we had fi nished.’

© JO

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HISTORIC BRITAIN

JOHN STURROCK COMMENDEDWhile the majority of categories asked

photographers to focus on the elements that make

up contemporary Britain, they also included a

category titled Historic Britain. This fantastic

documentary image called ‘Bathtime in Tain’ from

1976 shows a young girl taking a bath in the kitchen

sink, in the Highland town of Tain, on the south shore

of the Dornoch Firth. There are many things to love

here. The offside gaze, the respectfully placed cloth

and clutter of washing-up are lovely.

26


British Life PhotograPhy awards PortfoLio 1:

Images selected by the judging panel of the

inaugural British Life Photography Awards,

published by Ilex, is available to buy, price

£20. If you would like to see more of the

2015 competition, visit www.blpawards.org

RuRal life

HeatHeR Buckleybrighton-based heather buckley has turned her

prolifc photographic eye to the people who attend

the Goodwood revival, a weekend event in West

sussex of motor racing, period theatre and live

music. What’s particularly striking is the use of a

wideangle lens and a low shooting angle. it’s a

technique that exaggerates the perspective and

works in harmony with the vibrant pastel colours

that are so dominant throughout the scene.

BRitisH WeatHeR

cHaitanya DesHpanDe‘With a storm forecast, i made the brave decision to

go to brighton and photograph an angry sea,’ says

Chaitanya, about her image called ‘omen’. ‘i had

“perfect” conditions – angry sea, dark clouds and

even the sun showing itself on the horizon. i had

forgotten that it was still starling season, but i was

thankful when they made their appearance, adding

drama to an already dark scene.’

stReet life

cHaitanya DesHpanDe‘this shot, called “Merry

Christmas”, was taken in

east London, at the

height of the pre-

Christmas festivities,’

says Chaitanya. ‘santas

were everywhere, but

this young woman didn’t

seem to care about the

Christmas spirit.

Completely at ease with

herself and her

surroundings, with

telling tattoos on her

knuckles and a defant

look on her face, the

writing on the shutter

behind her could almost

express her inner

feelings.’

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URBAN LIFE

IAN WADEIan caught this image, called ‘On the Edge of

the City’, while taking a stroll one morning

through the vast estate of Ashton Court in

Bristol. In the foreground we see a red deer

against a backdrop of tower blocks. It is, as Ian

himself says, a strong juxtaposition representing

the dual territories of the natural world and the

ever-expanding urban environment.

28

l a n d s c a p e s

plan, shoot, edit and share a landscape portfolio in a weekend.

Phil Hall shows you how to make the most of your time

I don’t know about you, but I fnd photography

to be incredibly frustrating at times. Although when

I say that, I’m not really talking about it in the sense

of taking pictures. There’s no doubt it can be

challenging when out in the feld and things aren’t

going quite as you’d hoped – whether those things

are in or out of your control. No, what I’m talking

about is the frustration that manifests when you

haven’t been out taking photographs for a while.

You can read about photography, look at others’

images for inspiration, or drool over expensive kit

– but there’s defnitely no substitute for getting out

there yourself.

Many of us would love to dedicate huge swathes

of time to our photography, but often work and

family life make this an impractical aspiration so it’s

crucial to make the most of any time you do get to

go out. While you can grab the odd hour or two

before or after work during the week if you’re lucky,

it’s the weekend that presents the widest window to

get out with your camera. With some careful

planning (and possibly negotiating some time off

from other commitments), you’ll be surprised by the

number of images you can capture in a weekend,

while still having time to edit and share them before

you’re back at work on Monday, frustration having

subsided – for now, at least.

With this in mind, let’s look at how you can

maximise your time so you can plan, shoot, edit and

share your images in a single weekend.

Maximise your weekend

Early starts at the weekend

can be tiring, but the rewards

are worth it

all Images PHIl Hall

29

PLANNING Without sounding

too much like an

applicant on The

Apprentice, if you fail to plan, you plan

to fail. As soon as you know you’ll have a clear

weekend, start planning. The biggest decision is

whether you’ll remain relatively local to your area or

will be travelling further afi eld.

There are advantages and disadvantages to both.

Stay close to home and you have local knowledge on

your side: knowing the roads and how sites can be

accessed, and the ability to do a possible recce or two

beforehand. However, if you’ve shot these spots

before, they may not give you quite the same buzz as

a new location – which is why it might be worth

booking a B&B and going further afi eld. This can

give your photography fresh impetus, but comes

with the drawback of extra costs and not knowing

much about the locations you plan to visit. For my

weekend shooting, I opted for the best of both

worlds and headed to Suffolk. I know the area well

and, happily, I can stay with family.

SHOOTING LISTOnce you’ve decided whether to stay put or travel,

it’s time to line-up a shooting list of where you’d like

to take pictures. In this instance, I’d planned to

shoot from Saturday morning until the evening,

with another early start on the Sunday in order to

fi nish at lunch and allow time for editing. Flickr is a

good place to begin pinpointing locations you’d like

to visit. Start by making a list of potential spots,

before fi nalising a running order of where to shoot.

It’s important to maximise your time, so to avoid

travelling back and forth too much between your

locations, plan with a start and end point in mind,

visiting two or three locations along the way. Along

with a map and The Photographer’s Ephemeris

(www.photoephemeris.com – the desktop version is

free to use), you can plan a route and assess how the

light will fall on the spots you’re visiting.

Images don’t have to be

bursting with light and

colour, as this low-key

shot illustrates

Check the position

of the sun before

setting out

30

L A N D S C A P E S

SHOOTINGWith your planning done, cameras charged, and kit

cleaned and checked, it’s time to set your alarm

clock in anticipation of the early start needed for

your fi rst location. Double-check the sunrise times,

and make sure to leave enough time to get to your

chosen spot and set up you kit before the sun breaks

over the horizon.

Once you’re over the initial shock of such an early

morning (especially on the weekend), there’s

nothing like the sense of excitement and

anticipation as you head out towards your fi rst

shooting location. However, don’t feel too defl ated if

things don’t go to plan when you arrive. All too

often the weather, the quality of light or a range of

other elements out of your control may not be

This misty-morning

shot wasn’t planned.

In fact, it was spotted

as I was driving to my

next location

TOP TIPS

1If you can, shoot with a

friend. It will make the

day even more enjoyable,

and it means you won’t

be tempted to ignore

the early alarm call if

someone else is relying on

you to get up.

2Make sure you eat when

you can. Long days

shooting mean you’ll need

to keep your energy levels

up – have breakfast before

you start, pack snacks and

enjoy a good lunch.

3Remember that the plan

is not set in stone, so be

prepared to adapt

depending on the

conditions. If you see a shot

while travelling between

locations, get out (if it’s safe

to do so) and shoot.

4Don’t get downhearted

if things aren’t going

quite as planned. Make

the best of the location,

because you never know

what you might come

away with. Use the time

to experiment.

5Enjoy yourself –

it’s the weekend and

you’re out shooting rather

than stuck at home.

Regardless of the weather

or any other

uncontrollable factors,

make the most of it.

SHOOTING A PANORAMA

1Position the camera in portrait format and make sure your

camera is dead level using your tripod head’s spirit level. Once

that’s done, check that the camera sweeps through the vista

without dipping down or rising at your end point.

2Shoot in raw and set the exposure manually to avoid any

discrepancies. Also, set and lock-off your focusing so it

doesn’t shift as you move from left to right across the scene.

Start shooting, making sure there’s at least a third of an overlap

between each frame.

While there’s no substitute for a dedicated

nodal slide, it’s still possible to get

decent-looking panoramic images with

a ball-and-socket or three-way head. Avoid

using a wideangle lens as this will lead to a lot

of distortion, with a 50mm focal length being

a good starting point.

31

quite as good as you had hoped.

In my case, I arrived at the Tide Mill in

Woodbridge to discover not only that there was

scaffolding adorning the front of it, but also that the

light wasn’t as dramatic as I’d wanted. This resulted

in formulating a quick Plan B and wandering

further along the river walk so the Tide Mill wasn’t

as prominent in the scene, while several other

Shooting early

morning light

means ND grads

are a must to help

balance the scene

Even if conditions aren’t perfect,

make an effort to get out and shoot

TORCHWhether you opt for a

handheld one or a head

torch, this is a handy piece

of kit to take with you,

especially if you have to

walk to or from your car

when it’s dark.

COMFY SHOESYou’re going to be

spending a lot of time on

your feet, so comfortable

and durable shoes are a

necessity. You’ll probably

also want to pack a pair of

wellies if you’re working

near water.

FILTERSIt goes without saying

that you’re going to need

fi lters. A couple of

graduated neutral density

fi lters are a good bet,

while something like a Lee

Big Stopper to shoot long

exposures is also handy

LENSESA wideangle zoom like a

16-35mm is ideal,

although a standard zoom

will still do a decent job.

Don’t forget to pack a

telephoto too –

something like a

70-200mm – for a slightly

different view.

IT LISTT LISTK LISTKI LISTKIT ISTKIT STKIT L TKIT LIKIT LISIT LISTT LISTK LISTKI LISTKIT ISTKIT STKIT L TKIT LIKIT LISIT LISTIT LISTKI LISTKI LISTKIT ISTKIT L STKIT LI TKIT LIKIT LISIT LISTT LISTK LISTKI LISTKIT ISTKIT STKIT L TKIT LIKIT LIS

RCHT CHTO HTORORCHT RCHTO CHTORCRCHT CHTO HTOR

32

l a n d s c a p e s

subjects presented themselves to focus in on.

Having got some shots I was reasonably happy

with, I decided to cut my losses and head back to the

car. It was as I was driving to my next location,

feeling a bit disheartened with how the morning had

turned out, that I noticed how the sun had started to

warm the riverbank to form morning mist. It wasn’t

part of the plan or a location that would normally

lend itself to a good shot, but the mix of conditions

and light meant it couldn’t be ignored. The

opportunity for an unplanned stop resulted in some

images I was really happy with and spurred me on to

the next location.

DetailsLandscapes don’t always have to be broad vistas.

Shooting in Rendlesham Forest, I was drawn to a

birch tree that was set against a wall of pine trees,

with the sunlight highlighting the right-hand side.

However, shooting wideangle just didn’t provide the

shot I was after, so, after swapping to a 70-200mm,

I focused in more tightly for an image that was

altogether more low-key (see page 29).

While you may be inclined to shoot everything

with a large depth of feld, some scenes beneft from

a little experimentation with apertures, to direct the

viewer as well as create a three-dimensional effect.

Walberswick Harbour has been shot numerous

times and, while I took some traditional wider

views, I wanted something a little different. By

getting down and focusing on the reeds in the

foreground at a wider aperture, the wooden black

huts in the distance were de-focused just enough to

provide a more abstract result (right).

Opting for a wide aperture

has resulted in a slightly more

abstract image

With blustery conditions at Walberswick and with

the tide receding to reveal the remnants of the old

pier, it was the perfect opportunity to shoot a

long exposure. Let’s look at how to set up and

shoot with a 10-stop neutral density flter.

1Compose and focus your

shot before taking a meter

reading without the flter in

place. The Lee Big Stopper

comes with a handy exposure

guide, so you can easily work

out the adjusted exposure

once the flter is in place.

2With your camera in

manual mode, dial the

adjusted shutter speed into

the camera, then cover the

eyepiece to avoid any light

leaks. A remote trigger is

often necessary to avoid any

unwanted camera shake – if

you’ve got a smartphone,

then look at the Triggertrap

app and mobile kit.

Shooting a long expoSure

33

1 GENERAL ADJUSTMENTSSpend time getting these core adjustments just right. Pay

attention to your histogram, using the Whites and Blacks sliders to

make sure you maintain both pure black and white in the image.

Use both Clarity and Vibrance to add punch to your image, while

the Graduated Filter and Adjustment Brush tools will allow you to

darken skies and tinker with other elements of the image,

particularly the foreground, to balance the image further.

2 LENS CORRECTIONEven the best optics can benefi t from a little fi ne-tuning, so

whether you’re using Lightroom’s Lens Correction tab or the

similarly named tab in Photoshop Adobe Camera Raw (ACR),

ensure you tick the Enable Profi le Corrections box. Some subjects

with man-made elements sometimes require a little manual

adjustment, particularly with converging verticals, so spend time

with the manual sliders to tweak the image a bit further.

3 CREATING A PANORAMAYou’ve learned how to shoot one (see page 30), but here’s what to

do once you’ve downloaded your images. In Photoshop, make a

batch raw conversion and save them all in one place. Then go to

File, select Automate and then Photomerge. Find your fi les and

select Auto for the layout. In Lightroom CC, select your images,

right click and select Photomerge from the drop-down menu, then

select Panorama. Choose your Projection and Auto Crop.

4 ADD A SPLIT-TONE EFFECT If you want to give your mono images a little twist and add some

subtle hints of colour to the shadows and highlights, split toning is

a great way to achieve this. Using the Split Toning panel in either

Lightroom or Photoshop ACR, you can set the Hue for both the

Highlights and Shadows, toggling the Saturation of each, while the

Balance can have a big impact on the overall look. Aim for lighter

colours in the Highlights and darker tones in the Shadows.

EDITING Whether you carry your laptop around to edit images in between

locations, or sit down at the end of your weekend and go through

them individually, try to make time to post-process some, if not

all, your shots (depending on how successful you’ve been).

Otherwise, it’s all too easy to let them linger on your card or hard

drive. Everyone has their own way of editing and post-processing,

but here are some tips that will give your images a polished look.

SHARING

Once I’ve fi nished editing my images, I fi nd it’s a good

idea to leave some time before coming back to them.

Returning with fresh eyes will often let you see photos

in a different light – they may not be quite as good as

you remember, or some that were down the pecking order may have taken on new

appeal. Once you’ve settled on a couple of favourites, make sure you share them.

Image-specifi c social sites like Flickr and 500px are great places to start, but don’t

forget Twitter, Instagram and Facebook to reach a broader and more-varied audience.

34

A lavender fi eld in the

Cotswolds takes on a

completely different

look and feel

L A N D S C A P E S

KIT

LIS

T REMOTE RELEASE You’ll probably want to

use a remote timer switch t

avoid vibrations and enable easy

long-exposur

progr

ches

are cheap to

obtain on the

internet.

STANDING OUT FROM THE CROWD is not an easy

proposition for today’s landscape photographers. I

read an interesting article on this recently by travel

photographer Steve Watkins, who talked about the

importance of taking risks with composition, trying

a new technique and carving out niches.

I completely connected with this sentiment, as

I’ve worked hard to stretch my comfort zone in

order to exist in the relatively small space occupied

by photographers who are actively trying to

produce something a little different. In my view, if

you’re not testing yourself artistically then you’re

not growing as a photographer.

This is where infrared photography wandered into

my consciousness. Monochromatic images had

captivated me for years, and it struck me that this

was a medium where you can really focus on the

core structure of a subject – its form, texture and

tone. Sometimes I’ve felt that my black & white

images have lacked something, and I found myself

seeking a technique that could not only support

strong composition, but also had the potential to

transport the viewer to another place.

UNIQUE VISIONInfrared squarely delivers for me in this respect and

I love the idea that while you get to photograph real

things and real places, you produce an almost unreal

vision in the fi nal frame. There aren’t that many

photographers who seem to pursue it, so it’s an

opportunity to draw some interest and, with

practice, create stand-out imagery. It’s not infrared

for the sake of infrared, though, as I’m not a fan of

so-called ‘false-colour infrared’. Rather, my interest

has been all about manipulating the technique to

create contrast-rich monochromatic photography.

So when and how does infrared really come into

its own? As many landscape photographers will

probably agree, summer is usually their least

favourite time of year. Ridiculously early sunrise

times, harsh light lasting up to 18 hours a day and

testing heat – it’s not where we really thrive, and

many will sit out the days patiently waiting for

sunset or even longer until autumn begins.

But this is where infrared is a true game-changer

– the more light the better. Shooting at midday in

the fabulous wilderness of Exmoor National Park in

south-west England during a roasting spell in June

last year was an absolute boon, and I got some of my

favourite images of the year. I can’t wait to go back.

At last I have something to keep me completely

occupied and focused through the long summer

days, with the opportunity to make something just

as artistic as any other season in the year.

The other true key ingredient is foliage, and

Form, texture and toneDiscover how to create unique

stand-out imagery with infrared, as

expert Russ Barnes explains

INFRARED FILTERIf y tarting out,

an in w-on

fi o go.

Y o pick a

chosen lens, but the

Ho 2 does

the job nic .

use a remote timer s

avoid vibrat

long

pro

Thir

are c

obtai

inter

RED

out,

on

.

ALL IMAGES RUSS BARNES

35

RUSS BARNES

Russ is a dedicated British landscape photographer with a particular passion for trees. Here he shows us how to think differently and creatively using infrared fi lters to create contrast-rich landscapes from ordinary scenes. www.russbarnes.co.uk

C TIBLE LENSESIt’s best to check your lenses against a hotspot database

such as www.kolarivision.com/lenshotspot.html. Not all lenses perform well with infrared, particularly at smaller apertures such as f/11-f/16.

CONVERSIONIf you are confi dent that infrared is going to form a large part of your portfolio, consider a 720nm sensor conversion instead of a screw-on fi lter to avoid perpetual long exposures.

SESst a hotspot database

36

L A N D S C A P E S

fortunately the landscape is stuffed with things that

are full of chlorophyll, the agent that makes things

green. Where there is green you have the potential to

make white, and where there is blue you have the

potential to make black. There are many other

factors, of course, but hopefully you can start to

imagine what sort of world you can depict in

photographs with that sort of recipe.

WORTH THE EFFORTThe technical side of infrared does contain an

amount of complexity, but anything worth doing

isn’t always easy. If it were, everyone would already

be doing it. There is a tick-list of resources you will

want to read about on this subject, but fortunately

there is extensive online content. An amount of

post-processing is certainly involved, so shooting

raw fi les is essential, while some understanding of

setting a manual white balance is required (if using

an infrared screw-on fi lter, set it to 2,500K or the

minimum your camera supports). You will also

want to look into ‘infrared hot spots’ for your

existing lenses (infrared light doesn’t necessarily

transmit well through certain lenses) and focusing

with infrared enters new territory (using live view is

best). Finally, you will need to buy an infrared fi lter.

ACCESSIBLE However, the whole infrared technique is very

accessible. My fi rst purchase that propelled me into

infrared was a second-hand Hoya R72 (720nm)

screw-on fi lter on eBay for £20. It goes in front of

your lens and is akin to using 10-stop neutral

density glass, although there is no neatly defi ned

exposure table to work off as infrared is a much

more random world than that. This fi lter gets a top

recommendation from me if you’re starting out.

Second-hand bargains are hard to fi nd, but it’s a lot

cheaper than buying a fully converted camera with

Shooting under the midday

sun produces much more

pleasing tones than normal

I waited and waited for

the right day, side light,

broken cloud and leaf

growth for this shot

Foliage turns to white,

producing a ghostly

effect and unique tones

that set it apart

37

FOCUSING

You’ll need to take extra care with focusing if

you’re using an infrared fi lter, as lenses are

designed to focus on visible – not infrared –

light. To compensate for this, it’s advisable to

offset your focus. While not so prevalent on

modern lenses, many optics carry an infrared

focus marker to indicate how far you must

offset your focus to compensate for infrared light. This is merely a guide,

as it will vary depending on the fi lter you use, and so long as an aperture of

around f/8-f/11 is used it should be enough to ensure that the depth of fi eld

is suffi cient to be maintained throughout the scene.

its sensor adapted that allows you to take ‘normal’

exposures with more light entering the lens.

It’s been a journey to get to the point where I

know what to expect, how best to manipulate a

scene and what sort of kit works best. I went from

my Hoya fi lter to getting a Nikon D7000 converted

and then a year ago went ‘all in’ and converted my

Nikon D800 with a 720nm fi lter.

There’s no going back on a sensor-level fi lter

conversion so it was a big step, but I have no regrets.

I used Advanced Camera Services (www.

advancedcameraservices.co.uk), which supplied me

with an excellent product and service. A DSLR

sensor conversion will cost about £300 when you’re

ready to make that fi nal commitment.

38

L A N D S C A P E S

1 TAKING THE SHOTDon’t be alarmed – if you’re using a fi lter like the Hoya

R72 this is what your fi le is going to look like. Use a

tripod, a low ISO sensitivity, focus via live view and

2500K white balance. It’s trial and error on the exposure

time. Check your histogram to ensure you don’t blow

your highlights.

4 COLOUR CHANNEL CHANGESNow open the image in the full Photoshop interface. Go

to Image>Adjustments>Channel Mixer and make the

changes as shown above in the Red and Blue colour

channels (i.e. Red 100%, Blue 100%). Creating a

Photoshop Action for this step is useful. The result will be

something that’s starting to look more usable.

2 OPEN THE RAW FILEOpening the raw fi le in the Adobe Camera Raw interface

in Photoshop gives us our fi rst chance to improve the

shot. The base image will have relatively low contrast

and a heavy pink cast. Use this opportunity to remove

any sensor dust using the Spot Removal tool.

5 FALSE-COLOUR INFRAREDAt this point your fi le should look something like the

image above. This is where you can choose to explore

false-colour infrared and experiment further or convert

the image to mono and work on tonal contrasts. I use

Silver Efex Pro 2 as my mono conversion tool of choice.

3 ADJUST WHITE BALANCE Now take the White Balance Eyedropper tool (third tool

from top left) and click the foliage areas in the frame to

neutralise the white balance and deal with the heavy

pink cast. Capture NX for Nikon cameras also completes

this task exceptionally well. Increase the Whites and

deepen the Blacks using the sliders.

6 FINAL FRAMEThis is the end result, and one I’m particularly happy

with. Taken on Exmoor with the Nikon D800, I love

the fi ne details on show here. I used the bright light

in the middle of a summer’s day and still got an

abundance of tone, texture and dynamic contrast

thanks to my positioning.

STEP BY STEPShooting infrared really shouldn’t

change the conventional approach to

creating a compelling image. Use

shadow to create depth, and be aware

of your subject matter, the position of

your light source and what you want

your fi nal frame to say. A lot of infrared

images I see are tonally fl at and

compositionally weak because the

photographer has got carried away

with the fact they are using the infrared

spectrum and forgotten about

everything else. So remember it’s about

showing your subject in the most

captivating way. Here I’ll go through

the processes needed to get from a

somewhat pink raw fi le to a nice

contrasty monochromatic image.

Use the bright, blue-sky

days of summer to your

advantage

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40

L A N D S C A P E S

FOR THOSE PEOPLE who like their bed, getting up

in what is effectively the middle of the night to catch

the dawn light is not an attractive proposition. In

the summer months this means getting out,

travelling to a public garden and being in position to

shoot before the sun rises at around 4.30am.

However, sometimes you just have to suffer for your

art. Those who have never photographed at this

time of day don’t know what they are missing.

My dedication to getting the best possible garden

shots means that I’m prepared to set my alarm clock

regularly at an unearthly hour, or sometimes

not even go to bed at all. This is because the early

morning is my favourite time to take garden

pictures. The quality of light at that time of

day often gives a unique and almost magical

atmosphere, as well as a sense of drama to a garden.

ADVANTAGES There are plenty of advantages to shooting in the

early morning. If it’s a sunny day, you have the

pleasure of shooting with rich, warm, early morning

sunlight. Early morning mist can really add to a

shot’s atmosphere, and when the sunlight is passing

through it the mist can take on a lovely pale-gold

hue. Morning dew is another element to consider,

and things such as spider webs are often dripping

with moisture.

Another by-product of being up so early is

that you’re likely to be the only person in the garden

at the time, so you won’t need to worry about other

visitors getting in the middle of your shot. The main

reason I like photographing at this time of day is so

that I can shoot towards the sun and backlight the

subject – whether that’s a wider garden scene,

individual plants or combinations of plants. Subjects

The use of creative early morning

light can transform your garden

pictures. Clive Nichols explains how

to do it

Into the light

KIT

LIS

T WIDEANGLE LENSFor shooting wider garden

scenes or combinations of

plants, without too much

distortion, a wideangle

zoom such as the

24-70mm on full-frame

cameras is a suitable

choice.

LENS HOODIf you are shooting

towards the sun,

attaching a hood to your

lens will signifi cantly

reduce or eliminate fl are.

By cutting out extraneous

light, it will also help

you get an accurate

exposure reading.

41

CLIVE NICHOLS

During the past 25 years,

Clive Nichols has established

a reputation as one of the

world’s fi nest garden

photographers and has

amassed more than 60,000

images. He gives

photography masterclasses

for the RHS and is a judge

on the International Garden

Photographer of the Year

contest. Visit his website at

www.clivenichols.com

SHUTTER RELEASEAgain, if you are using

long exposures, a shutter

release (combined with the

camera’s mirror lock-up

facility) will avoid any tiny

movements of the camera

that would reduce the

sharpness of your images.

REFLECTORIf you’re photographing

backlit fl owers or plants, it

can sometimes be useful

to knock some light back

on the front of the subject

and fi ll in shadows. I use

Lastolite refl ectors, about a

metre across.

42

l a n d s c a p e s

Try using a shallow

depth of feld to isolate

some subjects and throw

others in the background

out of focus

A fantastic display of

late-summer colour

captured at dawn at

Waterperry Gardens in

Oxfordshire

really come alive when they are backlit, and the

resulting rim lighting on things such as grasses or

snowdrops gives them an added sparkle.

The fact that the sun is low in the sky means that

you also get long, raking shadows, which you can

use to give an enhanced sense of depth and a

three-dimensional appearance to garden scenes.

Potential PitfallsShooting into the sun does have potential pitfalls.

The bright background can result in an

underexposed subject in the foreground. There are

various post-capture techniques that you can use to

overcome this problem, including Quick Mask and

HDR imaging, but I generally prefer to get the image

as good as I can in-camera and overexpose the

image when shooting [see page 45].

The other problem with shooting backlit images is

that you run the risk of lens flare spoiling your

pictures. However, this can easily be avoided by

shooting with the sun just outside your frame,

or using a lens hood. Another alternative is to adjust

your position until you can use foliage to block all,

or most of the sunlight hitting your lens.

In any case, there are times when letting a bit of

lens flare into your images actually enhances them.

The picture on pages 40-41 is a good example. Here

I was attracted to the way the sunlight was picking

out different flowers and plants in the border. The

sun was partly obscured by the trees, but the shaft of

light that it threw across the frame is an attractive

addition to the image, which, I think, contributes to

its appeal. However, if you’re shooting individual

plants and want a striking backlighting effect, try

FRAMING

Framing a view of a garden with something

else, such as leaves or branches, works

particularly well when the subject is backlit.

This shot was taken at Pettifers garden in

Oxfordshire, where I was able to use the

backlit rose arbour to frame a view of the

garden beyond. It also had the effect of

blocking the sunlight and removing the

possibility of lens fl are in the picture.

This picture works for a variety of reasons.

The early morning light is casting long shadows

and picking out textures in the grass. The roses

framing the scene (and the falling petals in the

foreground) give depth to the picture, as well

as some lovely splashes of colour.

The other visual device I’ve used is the

pathway, which leads the eye into the picture

from the bottom of the frame to the middle

distance. It was impossible to expose the

whole scene correctly in one frame, so I

exposed for the highlights through the gap

and used Quick Mask in Photoshop to lighten

the foreground.

44

l a n d s c a p e s

shooting with the subject shown against a dark or

shadowy background. The rim-lit subject will stand

out all the more. Some fowers, such as irises, look

particularly good when backlit, but it’s a technique

works well with a range of garden subjects.

PreParationTo make sure that you’re going to get a good dose of

sunlight for backlighting, it’s a good idea to check

the weather forecast beforehand. I use www.bbc.co.

uk/weather and/or www.metcheck.com. If you want

to check the way the sun is going to fall on a specifc

garden at a particular time in the morning, there are

various Freefone and browser apps that will give you

that information. Type ‘sun position app for

photographers’ into Google and choose the one that

suits you best.

As far as your kit bag is concerned, you won’t need

lots of equipment in order to create the perfect

backlit garden shot, but there are a few accessories

that would be useful (see pages 40-41). If a clear,

bright morning is forecast, the most important thing

is to get to the location early enough to catch the

kind of beautiful light that can transform your

pictures. Remember, you can catch up on your sleep

at any time, but the light won’t wait for you.

If you pick a good garden that’s well planted, well structured and has plenty of variety, you’re not going to be short of subject matter. Look for features such as summerhouses or sundials being picked out by the morning light, and watch how the sun falls on different areas of the garden as the sun rises. Here are a few suggestions of what you can look for, plus a couple of ideas to try if the hoped-for sunlight doesn’t materialise.

Using waterWater features such as fountains look wonderful when they are backlit and the water spray is illuminated against a dark backdrop. In this image, water has also played another role, as the mist in the background comes from water vapour rising off a river that is out of shot.

sUbject movementAnother approach – when the early morning light isn’t so good and there’s wind blowing the foliage around – is to use a small aperture and a long shutter speed. Here I’ve used the conditions to my advantage by using an exposure of 2secs at f/32 and recorded the movement as an impressionistic blur.

ideas to try

Use an app to fnd out which way the sun will fall on a particular garden at a specifc time

45

OVEREXPOSURE

When your subject is backlit, you sometimes

need to overexpose it. When shooting these

snowdrops at Colesbourne Park, Gloucestershire,

I got down to ground level and shot towards the

light using a 180mm macro. The brightness of

the background was infl uencing the camera’s

lightmeter, so I overexposed by 2 stops to keep

the snowdrops bright. In general, try

overexposing by 1 stop – increasing it by 1/2-stop

increments until you’re happy. You don’t want to

clip the highlights so the whites burn out, so

check the histogram. You want the curve as far

to the right as possible without clipping.

BORDERSBorders are a great subject for backlighting.

As you can see in this picture, the sun is highlighting

different plants, rimlighting some of the tulips and

illuminating parts of the leaves. At the same time,

I’ve retained detail in the shadow areas, which gives

a rich variation in tones.

HIGHLIGHTING FEATURESThe highlight and shadow

areas created by backlight

can be used to focus

attention on garden

features, such as this

summerhouse at Wollerton

Old Hall Garden in

Shropshire. The sunlit,

lavender-coloured fl owers in

the foreground stand out

more than they would

later in the day, contrasting

with the shadow areas.

MISTIf you get to a location early and the

sun isn’t shining, try using muted

early morning light to create an

atmosphere. Here I cropped in on the

trunks in this grove of birch trees with

my 70-200mm zoom and used the

mist as a backdrop. The soft light has

brought out the detail in the bark of

the scrubbed white trees.

46

N A T U R E

ALL IMAGES LUKE MASSEY

KIT

LIS

T TELEPHOTO LENS You will need a telephoto lens, and anything from

300-600mm should be ample. This will be a huge

help when shooting rural foxes. For urban foxes

this might be too much, so

don’t forget to pack

a wide and

smaller zoom. A

70-200mm will

be perfect.

HIDEI’m not just talking about

a glorifi ed green tent,

which will help a lot with

rural foxes. If urban foxes

are a bit wary of you,

then use the most-owned

hide on earth and

something the foxes will

be used to – yes, your car.

this might be too

don’t forget to pa

WIDEANGLE LENSUsing a wideangle lens will be a little

trickier with rural foxes, but you could

still try with an infrared

set-up. You can often

get quite close to urban

foxes, and with a bit of

bait and a remote you

should get some nice

photographs.

FOXES ARE A TRUE Marmite animal – you either

love them or hate them. For me, foxes are incredible.

There aren’t many species in the world that have

adapted so well to the invasion of humans into their

habitats. Foxes have embraced us by moving into

our cities to raid our dustbins and pick up discarded

Fox huntWhether you’re in the city or the countryside,

Luke Massey explains that foxes make fantastic

subjects to photograph and are often approachable

Foxes have adapted

incredibly well to

living in the city

food scraps. Every so often a tabloid runs a story

about a fox the size of a bear attempting to feast on a

baby, but during my many encounters with foxes,

both on our city streets and in more rural

surroundings, I can’t say I’ve felt that I’ve been in

any danger. The best thing about foxes is that they

make great photographic subjects. Many people go

on about how boring British wildlife is, but it’s not.

We have a fantastic array of species and foxes are

right at the top of the ‘must-photograph’ list. For

personality and looks, and all-round photo

opportunities, foxes are, in my opinion, one of the

best animals in the world to photograph.

The bonus with foxes is that you’ll fi nd them

pretty much everywhere. Whether you’re in the

47

LUKE MASSEY

Luke Massey is a 23-year-old

wildlife photographer and

cameraman, who has been

taking pictures since he was

12. His passion for nature

and conservation has led

him all over the world, but

he always returns to the

incredible wildlife of the UK.

See more at www.

lmasseyimages.com or at

Luke Massey Images on

Facebook.

REFERENCE BOOKThe internet is a wonderful

thing, but so are bookshops.

There has been a huge

amount of study of both rural

and urban foxes, so pick up a

book and have a good read.

You will fi nd out loads about

these fantastic creatures.

DOG TREATSSome people disagree with

giving food to foxes, which

is fi ne. I use dog treats,

but make sure they’re not

visible in your shots and

don’t let the foxes gorge

on them. Use the treats to

gain their interest and

then stop feeding them.

If you’re lucky

enough to fi nd a

den, you may see

some cubs

48

N A T U R E

countryside or in the heart of the city, with a bit of

searching you’ll probably come across them. And

when cubs emerge during the spring months (the

cubs can be seen any time from April to July) foxes

will be a lot more noticeable and the cubs are

incredibly photogenic.

IN THE URBAN JUNGLELet’s start in the city. Foxes can den absolutely

anywhere. I’ve seen them nestled in dense shrubbery

without even digging a hole, and squeezed

underneath a shed or some decking. Foxes in the

city will be used to seeing and smelling people, so

you can get away with a lot more than you can with

their rural cousins.

If you’re struggling to fi nd a fox, try to think like

one. One of the fi rst places I try is near train

stations, where there’s a plentiful supply of food and

a good amount of cover. Embankments provide

perfect homes for foxes, and with the constant fl ow

of people there’s always a few food scraps around.

If you have no luck at the station, talk to people.

Security guards and cleaners are mines of

information, as they are often around when foxes

come out. Some even have their own personal foxes

that they’re happy for someone else to enjoy. Urban

foxes are an easy target and more often than not are

tolerant of humans.

GO WIDE

There has been a surge in DSLR

camera trapping: complicated

infrared-beam kits have been

joined by simple, affordable

versions. The Camtraptions kit,

for instance, is lightweight and very simple. This, combined with a

wideangle on a DSLR, can get great results in rural and urban surroundings.

You can also get good wideangle shots using a remote (or a very tame fox).

With a few well-placed treats (on top of the lens hood is ideal) and a

remote, a fox will come very close. Don’t blast away – a few clicks is enough.

You’ll fi nd foxes absolutely

anywhere. You never know,

there may be one

living along your road

There has been a surge in DSL

Camera traps let you

get unique shots

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back, which is

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Including 164-page handbook, 2 tutorial DVDs, Essential Photo Tip

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50

n a t u r e

Out in the sticksRural foxes are a whole different ball game.

Historically, they’ve been persecuted so they dislike

people. You might glimpse one running across a

country lane at night or bounding across a distant

feld, but that is all you’re going to see – foxes

running away from you.

Once a vixen has denned she becomes even more

secretive. Her aim is to raise her cubs safely and keep

them well hidden, so for the frst few weeks she’ll be

hard to fnd. Once her cubs are a little older she

hasn’t got much control and that’ll help you. Cubs

are noisy; they like playing and when mum is not

around they’ll happily frolic around near the den.

This is what you want to photograph and is the

occasion when you’re most likely to fnd them, but

you need to be careful because foxes are easily

spooked. Unlike in urban areas where foxes are more

tolerant of humans, if you get too close to a rural

den and the vixen sees or smells you she’ll most

likely move the cubs and you’ll be back to square

one. It’s best to keep a reasonable distance and don’t

be too intrusive.

Foxes can make great

photographic subjects

LUK

e’s t

op

tip

s

in the hideA canvas hide or a car will work well, although you may look

a little strange setting up a canvas hide on a street! To

position your hide correctly, work out where the light will fall

and be aware of smell. Don’t get too close and make sure you

place yourself with the wind blowing towards you, away from

the den site.

BehaviOurFoxes make a whole range of calls. Listening for and

recognising them, such as a vixen calling to her cubs, can help

you to locate the dens. Other calls can also alert you to the

fact that you are too close. When a vixen lets out an alarm

bark, that is a cue that your time with the cubs is about to

come to a swift end.

Fox cubs can be hard to

fnd, as the vixen will

keep them well hidden

51

TIME OF DAYEarly morning and evening are your prime times for fox cub photography, when they are most active. However, they can be out playing all day depending on the conditions. If you’re incredibly lucky you might even get the vixen suckling her cubs – this is the golden snitch of fox cub photography.

SIGNSFoxes aren’t very clean, they smell and they leave a mess. They can den anywhere and in some surprisingly small holes. Take your binoculars and study them. If you spot fur, lots of fl ies and bits of dead animal, you’ll probably have found a den. Don’t get too close, though, as you’re unlikely to see cubs if you do.

LIGHT ISSUESFoxes can hang out in gloomy areas and they’re mainly nocturnal. This isn’t ideal for photography, but there are solutions. In urban spaces street lights are a blessing, so with a relatively high ISO and suitable shutter speed (1/80-1/200sec) you can get good shots. Flash is also an option, depending on your distance.

Try shooting with fl ash under mixed lighting

WHY IT WORKS

Portraits of animals look

excellent, and in their

natural habitat, even

better. I’d been trying to

get this shot for a while,

but sometimes I’d get

ghosting, at other times

the fox would be

blinking, have its leg at a

funny angle or a dog

treat would be in shot.

At fi rst I tried remote

shooting, but the fox

was wary of the camera

on its own. Yet when I

lay down with the

camera and pressed the

shutter the fox was a lot

more tolerant.

I don’t want animals

becoming completely

tolerant, as some peple

might take advantage.

Luckily, these foxes

seemed to know who I

was. They wouldn’t

approach other people

and at the slightest fast

movement they would

jump back into the

fl owerbeds to safety.

Gaining a creature’s

trust is a privilege and

it’s nice to know they

don’t think we’re all bad.

ONE THAT DIDN’T WORK

The bonus of using fl ash is that it can completely

freeze a subject, no matter how slow your shutter

speed – so long as there is no other light source.

When shooting urban foxes there are going to be

a number of other light sources, from street lights

and security lamps to car headlights.

Sometimes you get it just right (see above),

when the fox doesn’t move and the lights don’t

affect it too much. A minute later the fox had

moved (see right), and the combination of fl ash

and street lights created a double exposure that

resulted in ghosting. Sometimes you’ll get a cool

effect, but on this occasion it ruined the shot.

The double exposure didn’t quite work here

52

N A T U R E

Little owlsThese pint-sized owls are full of character, making them one of the most

enjoyable owl species to photograph, as Richard Peters reveals

LITTLE OWLS WERE ORIGINALLY introduced to

the UK in the 19th century, but in recent years there

has been a slow but steady decline in the bird’s

population. Although active during the day and

night, little owls can often be hard to spot during

daylight hours due to their small size and their dark

grey and brown feathers, which allow them to blend

in with their surroundings incredibly well.

HABITATThese wonderful little birds like farms and open

woodland, so an easy way to spot them is to keep an

eye on the roofs of farm buildings and the tops of

fences and telegraph posts. Trees, especially oaks,

provide another favourite nesting opportunity, so

look for holes in the trunks, especially ones that are

clear of cobwebs. Another tell-tale sign is the

distinctive hissing sound the young make in the nest.

BEST TIME TO SHOOTLittle owls are most active at night, when they prefer

to hunt, so the best sightings can often be had late in

the evening when the hunting starts, or fi rst thing in

the morning as it slows. If they are nesting near an

area that has a relatively high footfall, such as parks

or footpaths, they are more likely to stay hidden

from view during the day. The breeding season starts

in March and many little owls lay eggs in April and

May, so May and June could provide a higher rate of

activity as the young hatch and require feeding.

Little owls can be seen during the day, but may

be hard to spot due to their small size

Little owls can be found

across England and Wales

A little owl catching the fi rst rays

of sun shining through an oak

tree’s branches

KIT

LIS

T

BINOCULARSBinoculars will give you a

much-needed advantage

as the owls have a

tendency to see you

and hid

ABOUT THE LITTLE OWL

It may be small by name, but

the little owl has possibly the

biggest character of all the

owl species.

● Location: widespread

across England and Wales,

with limited numbers in

southern Scotland.

● Size: both males and

females are 21-23cm tall.

● Nest: farmland, open

woodland, parkland and

copses. Farm buildings and oak

trees are especially favoured.

● Diet: mainly insects such as

worms and beetles, but

small mammals and birds are

also on the menu.

● Population: an estimated

5,700 breeding pairs.

IST

tendency to s

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TELEPHOTO LENSGiven their size, and the occasional

diffi culty in getting close, a focal length of

400mm and above is often needed to

ensure minimal disturbance

53

Three owlets

peering out of the

nest, awaiting food

SHOOTING ADVICE

WATCH QUIETLYSuccessfully capturing the

little owl on camera can

be done in a variety of

ways. I have done so from

a car, a pop-up hide and

also by just sitting,

uncovered under an

adjacent tree in a park. In

all cases, the key is to sit

and wait quietly and

patiently.

Although they may

shy away from view

initially, little owls are

creatures of habit and will

always return once they

realise that there is no

danger present.

Watching them, you

will also see that when

another person or car

goes by, they hide until

the coast is clear.

This is why they can

sometimes be hard to spot

initially, because they will

always see you long

before you see them.

DISTANCEAll animals have a circle of

fear and little owls are no

different. Aside from

taking fl ight if spooked,

they will also bob their

heads up and down at any

sign of danger. Depending

on the nest location, their

tolerance will vary, but it’s

always important to

ensure you do not cause

any stress or disturbance.

Always back away if they

seem to be upset by your

presence.

PERCHESLittle owls have favoured

perches and sunning

spots, but they especially

enjoy being up high in

order to spot and drop

down on prey. So if you

fi nd a nice broken branch

or old post nearby,

standing it upright will

often result in the owl

checking it out.

54

N A T U R E

KIT

LIS

T

FLASHGUNSwallow nests are rarely

sited in well-lit corners

of buildings and so

a fl ashgun will almost

certainly be required.

TELEPHOTO LENSA lens of at least 400mm is recommended.

Shorter lenses with the use of a remote

trigger may be useful for photographing

nesting swallows

SwallowsThe end of summer and beginning of autumn is a great time to

shoot these migratory birds, explains David Tipling

IF I WERE A BIRD I would like to be a swallow. It

seems very appealing to spend the winter under the

warm Southern African sun before lazily making my

way back north, arriving at my favoured

breeding site in the spring just as the weather

begins to warm up.

However, the reality is much more harsh,

with swallows having to undergo an

arduous annual journey across seas and

desert that sees them cover many thousands

of miles on the wing.

Try to pre-focus on a point, to have

any hope of a sharp fl ight shot

Swallows

can

be found

across most

of Britain

HABITATYou’ll fi nd swallows in areas where there is a ready

and accessible supply of their main diet, small

insects. A good place to fi nd swallows is open

pasture with access to water, as it offers a good food

source, while quiet farm buildings nearby offer the

perfect place to nest.

Towards the end of the summer months through

to the start of early autumn, large reed beds can be

excellent places to look for pre-migration roosts as

they prepare for the fl ight back to Africa.

55

SHOOTING ADVICE

IN FLIGHTSwallows tend to fl y low

to the ground with an

easy free-fl owing fl ight.

With their size and speed,

it does make them quite a

challenge for fl ight shots

against an open sky, but

when fl ying against the

landscape they’ll really

test your panning skills

and your camera’s

autofocus capability, so be

prepared to practise.

PRE-FOCUSOn cool days when fl ies

are in short supply, you’ll

fi nd that swallows will

often congregate over

reed beds or bodies of

water where there may be

food. To have any hope of

a sharp fl ight shot, I try to

pre-focus and then track

the out-of-focus bird as

best I can in my

viewfi nder, before fi ring

off a burst of shots when

the swallow begins to

come into focus. I have

successfully photographed

swallows plucking fl ies

off the surface of a pool

close to my home by using

this method.

NESTLINGSDuring the breeding

season fl ight shots are on

offer as birds feed their

young in the nest.

Nestlings make great

subjects as they lean over

the rim of the nest

begging for food. Once on

the wing, the young will

stay close to the nest to

continue to be fed.

Further photographic

opportunities are to be

had when fl edglings are

perched on a fence or on

low vegetation, as adults

will hover in front of

hungry mouths delivering

food. But be careful not to

get too close, as you could

put the adults off feeding

their young.

ABOUT THE SWALLOW

Swallows are small birds with

dark, glossy-blue backs, red

throats, pale underparts and

long tail streamers.

● Location: The swallow is a

traditional harbinger of spring

and is our most widespread

summer migrant. Found

throughout Britain, they are

most common in regions

where cattle are grazed.

● Size: 17-21cm including tail.

● Nesting: The nest is a mud

cup built inside outbuildings.

● Diet: Flying insects. Swallows

often feed by fl ying low around

livestock, picking off fl ies.

● Population: Increasing slowly

since the late 1990s, estimated

to be around 860,000.

Shoot from a parked car

to avoid disturbing them

Adults will hover in front of their

young in order to feed

BEST TIME TO SHOOTSwallows can be photographed any time from spring

to autumn. I fi nd that the best opportunities are

between May and June when birds are breeding, and

then when they gather to migrate from late August

through September. When they do start gathering in

readiness to fl y south for the winter, fl ocks often

perch along telegraph wires. They can also be found

lined up along fences or on low vegetation. To avoid

disturbing them, a parked car makes the perfect

mobile hide and will allow you to shoot quietly.

56

t r a v e l

2 Make the Most of

situationsSometimes when you’re

out with your camera

the light does something

amazing or a certain

drama begins to unfold

in front of you, and you

know instantly that it’s

going to be good. this

can often be an

unexpected event –

weather or people-

related – so make the

most of such

opportunities.

More importantly, you

have to believe that they

will never happen again.

In other words, you

should seize the

moment. If you know

something is good, you

three top travel photographers, including

the current travel Photographer of the

Year, share their expert tips for achieving

memorable images on the road

1 Learn your craft and then be creative

We should all know technically what we are doing as

photographers, whether we are professionals or

amateurs. You get so much more from photography

when you are in control of your equipment. If you let

your camera control everything, chances are you

won’t get the creative look you are after. So, the frst

thing to do is to turn off any automatic settings, and

that includes semi-automatic exposure modes such

as program, aperture priority and shutter priority.

I shoot in manual mode nearly all the time. It’s fne

being experimental and creative with your

photography, but as a professional, you need to be

able to repeat it. So I decide what’s in focus, I decide

the exposure, and I draw upon an arsenal of other

technical tricks without having to think.

With focusing, I prefer to use single-point aF, using

the focus and recompose technique rather than

continuous aF (although I sometimes use focus

tracking for wildlife). I often use manual focus too.

I was photographing hummingbirds recently, and

switched to manual focus as the birds move so fast,

I wasn’t sure where they would come into the frame.

commandments oftravel photography10

You’ll get much more

from your photography

if you know your kit

57

3 USE DAYLIGHT AS A CREATIVE TOOL TO CONVEY EMOTION

Too many travel photographers don’t understand

how our minds can be changed by the quality of

light. If you want an image to feel ‘sensitive’ for

example, a hard light on a subject’s face won’t work.

If you can backlight the subject or use fl are from the

sun, you are using daylight to add a third dimension

to your image. The fi rst dimension is you and your

framing, the second is the subject, and the third is

the light. I am fanatical about using light to convey

emotion. It takes a conscious effort to do this, as we

have probably got used to shooting in a lot of fl at

grey light here in the UK.

I also prefer to use ambient light and never use

fl ash – even fi ll fl ash – unless I am shooting at night,

as I don’t like the way it looks, but I do use white and

silver refl ectors as the need arises. Essentially,

though, I try to stack the odds in my favour by

making sure I am out on location when the light

could be dramatic – sunrise, sunset or during a

storm, for example.

must exploit it, even

if that means sacrifi cing

what you were going to

do next, or pushing your

subjects just a bit harder

than you normally

would. I was shooting on

a beach in Java recently

and a huge storm was

about to break.

Everyone else went back

into the hotel, but I sat

out the storm and got

soaked, because I knew

it had the potential to

generate some really

dramatic skies.

We were after drama

on that shoot, so it was

the correct decision –

and well worth getting

wet for!

When opportunities arise, make

sure you seize the moment and

get the shot

Learn to use daylight as a

creative tool for your images

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58

4 Share the reSultS

When people have been generous with their

time and allowed you to photograph them, try to

repay the favour by providing them with prints. Most

places still have one-hour processing labs where you

can print a few 6x4in copies, which will always be

appreciated by the recipient. Returning later with

prints demonstrates that you appreciate the

generosity and hospitality that you were shown. It

also paves the way for the next photographer who

visits the same location. If you can, carry an instant

camera such as a Fujiflm Instax or a printer. There are

many occasions when I have returned to a location

one or two years after my frst visit to fnd those

treasured prints pinned to a wall or tucked inside

somebody’s wallet. Instant prints provide a wonderful

way to break the ice, and rather than simply ‘taking’

photos, allow you to share the results.

Don’t shoot and run – share your images as much as you can

Instant prints can be

treasured for years to come

Once you fnd

your spot, make

the most of

your location

Work the scene

to ensure you’ve looked

at every perspective

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6 DON’T SHOOT AND RUN

Once you’ve done the hard

work of fi nding a suitable

location, waiting for the

light, selecting an

appropriate lens and

choosing the perfect

perspective, don’t waste

it by shooting a frame or

two and then moving on.

Make the most of the

opportunity. Check your

exposures, fi ne-tune your

composition, tweak the

perspective and try different

apertures until you’re

confi dent that you’ve made

the image that you really

want. With landscapes and

cityscapes, you’ll usually

have as much time as you

need. With people, take the

opportunity to share the

images by showing them

previews from your

camera’s LCD screen. It will

help to make them feel

involved in the process,

creating a more

collaborative experience,

and you’ll also get the

opportunity to catch their

reaction when they see their

own image. People tend to

pose when they’re fi rst

photographed, which can

lead to stiff, awkward

expressions. Allow people

the time to relax and enjoy

the process and you’ll create

more memorable travel

portraits.

5 TEA FIRST, PHOTOGRAPHY SECOND

The best travel photography communicates a sense

of place and shares something about the experience

of being in a specifi c location. To make effective

images, you need to know what that experience feels

like. Put your camera away, walk through the markets,

chat to the street vendors, explore the location fully,

observe how the light falls and search for locations

that will provide the best photographic opportunities.

Pausing for tea or chai gives me time to really observe

a location and inevitably leads to conversations with

local people. I know that the time I invest in exploring

without a camera – when I can think about the light,

about compositions and perspectives – will pay

dividends. Also, when I return to locations, people

might remember my face and an earlier conversation

we enjoyed, so they’re much more inclined to work on

creating a memorable portrait with me.

Make time to

explore your

location without

your camera by

your side

60

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7 Get down low to minimise distractions

With the image of a tenger horseman in Indonesia

(above), I wanted to capture the early morning sky in

the background, as the morning sun hit the face of

both rider. I also wanted to give the horseman a

more grandiose pose, even though he was only

about 4ft tall! the only way I could do this was to lie

on the ground directly under the horse to capture

the shot. this also removed any distractions in the

background landscape, which could easily add

clutter to the image and take the viewer’s eye away

from the man.

8 look for a different

perspective In the absence of colour,

a photograph is reduced

to a symphony of light,

shapes, lines and texture;

composition and detail

become more prominent.

the perspective from

which a photograph is

taken is crucial, as light,

shape, lines and texture

can be emphasised or

downplayed. Not every

photograph needs to be

taken at eye level or

ground level, so look for

a different position to

create a better image.

When I was in Djenné,

Mali, photographing the

Great Mosque (see left),

I was in awe of the

enormity of the building.

Get down low to

avoid distracting

backgrounds

Think about the

perspective you’re going

to be shooting as it can

be vital to the shot

Consider how contrast

will play out in your

image and how it affects

composition

61

I love the way black & white

photography removes any

of the emotion and feeling created by

colour (a beautiful red sunset may

evoke warmth and romanticism, for

example). To compensate for this loss

of colour, a black & white image

creates atmosphere and emotion

through its subject matter and

through lighting.

The photographer learns

to see shades of grey and contrast,

and must watch how highlights and

shadows are arranged within the

boundaries of the image. Positive

space is just as important as

negative space, so you need to pay

attention to the background as much

as the foreground, because it plays an

important role in the composition of

the image. This is called visual balance.

Note how the photograph here of the

two boys, carrying bags of charcoal to

sell at a market in Manila in the

Philippines, is balanced with fi elds of

light and shadow. I waited for the boys

to walk into the light to take the shot,

so their silhouettes contrast with the

background.

Meanwhile, the image of the

Nepalese temple (below), which

crumbled during the earthquake in

May, was taken one morning in early

winter. The fog with the birds created

several shades of grey, giving it a very

mysterious feel.

10 CAPTURE THE HUMAN CONNECTION

Travel photography to me is more than just a pretty

face in a pretty place. First and foremost, the image

should be interesting and you have to ask yourself

what do you want to show the viewer about this area

and why? Create a story and use local people in your

image. The way that the local subjects dress, act and

behave in their local environment can provide a

compelling story and will certainly create a more

powerful travel image.

The image must communicate something to the

viewer and evoke a response – a feeling. Sometimes

it should even make the viewer take a second look and

wonder what is going on. The local fi shermen working

into the night along the Galata Bridge that spans the

Golden Horn in Istanbul, Turkey (above), can stimulate

many conversations, and anglers worldwide will be

able to identify with it.

I spent several hours

walking around it,

fi guring how I could best

photograph this beautiful

structure. I fi nally realised

I needed to be on higher

ground. With the help of

a local guide, I scouted

out a new vantage point

on the roof of a nearby

house. I returned the

next morning before

sunrise and waited for

the sun to appear to light

up the front of the

mosque. Luckily, a local

walked into my scene

and was lit by the sun’s

rays. He provided a great

sense of scale and

perspective. With the

higher viewpoint,

dramatic early morning

light and the fi gure in the

foreground, I created a

more memorable photo.

While colour may be

your fi rst instinct, mono

can be just as powerful

for travel photography

Remember to tell a story

with your images

9 STRIKE A VISUAL BALANCE OF LIGHT AND SHADOW

62

ALL IMAGES ROSS HARVEY

KIT

LIS

T STANDARD ZOOMPrimes make you think more about what’s in the frame, but I use a 24-70mm f/2.8 for any off-camera fl ash shots.

WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY has evolved. Gone are

the static images of formal, uncomfortably posed

couples smiling at the camera. Documentary

photography has become the new standard – real

emotions, real moments and real love.

However, the industry continues to evolve and

adapt. Documentary photography has become just

one of the skills in the modern wedding

photographer’s arsenal. Innovation is the new

currency and those who are both excited by and able

to develop this transformation are thriving. So, what

skills are necessary to ride this wave?

Many. To reach the top tier of photographers you

must be versed in many aspects of photography. You

need to be a great documentary photographer to tell

the story accurately and be able to spot emotional

moments and combine multiple stories into a single

image. These images need to be shot in a manner in

which they fl ow from one to another, keeping the

One of the UK’s most successful wedding photographers,

Ross Harvey, reveals how to capture the magic of the day

Creative couplingviewer enthralled and the story engaging.

To take emotive portraits the photographer must

be able to connect with couples on a personal level,

to get them to relax and share their emotions not

only with themselves, but also with the camera. It’s a

highly underestimated and crucial skill. The world’s

best photographers can elicit emotion and

connection, rather than rely on a vista as a backdrop.

Magic can be found by combining authenticity

with a specifi c balance of advanced composition and

intelligent use of light. Here are some tips and tricks

to help you accomplish such imagery.

h shotPrimes make you think more about what’s in the frambut I use a 24-70mm f/2.8 for any off-camera fl ash sho

P O R T R A I T S

A fl ashgun was fi red remotely from behind the

couple for this striking result

63

TRIGGERSRadio-based Phottix Odin triggers offer full TTL fl ash, as well as the ability to remotely control power and

zoom settings.

FLASHGUNSMy preference is for natural light, but I use Nikon SB-910s for dance-fl oor shots and off-camera images.

FAST PRIMESI’ve got a range of primes and do 95% of my work on either the 35mm f/1.8G or f/1.4G. The f/1.4G is my professional choice thanks to the better contrast and colour reproduction.

FRAMINGIt’s easy to think of framing in a simplistic manner, such as an archway, window or doorway. While these are frames, with a creative mindset you can construct frames from much more. In this example, the couple is framed by the pathway they are dancing on. Shifting the camera angle and balancing the environment with a certain perspective can offer surprising opportunities.

A CREATIVE STORYA wedding is a story. It has a start and an end, with lots of events in between. Tell that story through the lens with a relaxed, creative mindset. Merging a creative perspective with a keen eye for documentary is a killer combination. Look for emotions such as laughter, tears and hugs. Shoot wide to give an overview and context, and shoot close to reveal intimacy and secrets. If you fl ow with the day, the story will naturally reveal itself through your vision. Always remember the mundane and repetitive can be seen through an innovative eye. Is there another perspective to shoot from? What frames can be used? Can multiple stories be told? Is there an interesting patch of light? There are always options.

RIGGERSadio-based Phottix din triggers offer full TL fl ash, as well as he ability to remotely ontrol power and

oom settings

LASHGUNSy preference is for atural light, but I use ikon SB-910s for

FAST PRIMEI’ve got a range of primeand do 95% of my work either the 35mm f/1.8G o

professional choice thank

ROSS HARVEY

Ross has a slew of accolades and awards, including Best Wedding Photographer in England 2013 and 2014, and a place on the Junebug Wedding ‘Best in the World Wedding Photographers’ roster. www.rossharvey.com

64

P O R T R A I T S

PORTRAITSIf you spend as much time researching communication, rapport and body language as

you do researching creative shooting techniques, prepare to become a high-calibre

portrait photographer. Only those with great communication skills can gently encourage a

couple to completely relax and allow their true emotions and love to shine through.

Before you shoot, tell them how easy it is, relax their expectations and give them some

pointers. Assure them they don’t need to be models and strike awkward poses, and

remind them that they just need to be themselves and enjoy each other’s company.

RAPPORTBeing personable is not just benefi cial for portraits; it’s

invaluable all day. Take time to get to know the people

you’re shooting, be a friendly face in the crowd, one that

people feel happy to speak to. You’ll fi nd that they’ll be

themselves around you and sometimes you’ll be witness

to wonderful moments that are absolutely invaluable to

friends and family.

THE CAMERAI’ve been very open and

public about my love for

Nikon gear, and have been

the catalyst for many

amateurs and professionals

to adopt or move to Nikon. I

adore the D3S – it’s been

my main camera for several

years and I’ve been a very

strong advocate of it as the

perfect wedding camera.

But with my two bodies

getting towards the

300,000 shutter point, it

was time to fi nd a

replacement, which I did in

the D750. It’s basically a

mini D3S. Nothing on the

market can match its

combination of price, size,

weight and performance. It

is an absolute gem.

65

PROCESSING

I do three runs on my post-processing – two in

Lightroom and one in Photoshop. The fi rst is

getting the crop and adjusting the white

balance to ensure the colours are correct. Then

I make sure the white balance is consistent

throughout the set before applying sharpening

and exporting into Photoshop. I fi nd

sharpening in Lightroom to be pretty feeble,

but at www.photographers-toolbox.com

there’s a great plug-in for Lightroom called

Mogrify 2. It tends to be used for watermarking

images, but this is a little gem as it’s got an

unsharp mask fi lter just like Photoshop. I use

that over the sharpening tab in Lightroom, but

only minimally as it’s quite strong.

Once in Photoshop I do my cleaning phase

to get my shots clear and consistent, giving

the viewer a feeling of cleanliness and space.

I went through a stage where I thought I

could process a wedding in two hours –

wonderful – but I then realised that the more

effort I put in, the better it would look and the

more I would be giving to the couple, so my

processing stage

has actually got

longer and

longer, and I

spend much

more time on the

fi ner details.

FINALLY...Always shoot for the couple. Give

them everything you have. Don’t

ever do it for the money – if you

do, your lack of compassion will

come through. It’s a social

occasion and you need great social

skills. If you’re upbeat and

positive, that will naturally shine

through in your attitude and be

represented in your work. What

we create is a complete expression

of our state of being – our fears,

hopes, loves and dreams.

DIFFERENT LIGHT, DIFFERENT OPTIONSTo develop the notion of using light creatively, imagine a sunny day at noon.

This time of day is often considered harsh and unfl attering. The above image

was taken on such a day, but it was taken from under a tree and the shade

offered a different exposure to that of the bright surroundings.

GEOMETRYThe subconscious mind loves geometry; it can be thought of as ordered

form. Perspective, leading lines, refl ection and symmetry all fall into this

category. Note the symmetry in the accompanying image; the left and

right sides are essentially mirrors of each other. The couple is placed in

the centre of the space to uphold the neat positioning of the frame. Don’t

be afraid to crop slightly to achieve the perfect symmetry in post-

processing. It’s incredibly hard to perfect it in camera.

CreativedistortionGet your portraits noticed with some clever in-camera

lens-distortion techniques that don’t cost the earth, says Jake Hicks

WE ARE BOMBARDED by thousands of images

every day. Many of these we instantly forget, but

some catch our eye and it’s those images that we

remember. So how can we make sure that our

portrait images are the ones that get noticed and are

remembered?

The next time a photograph catches your eye, take

note of what it is that attracted your attention. It

could be any number of things, such as an image that

tells a story or an image that makes you look at it a

little longer because your eye has to do a little more

work. It’s these types of photographs, the ones that

give our eyes a bit of a workout, that I want to explore.

There are many ways to achieve this ‘visual

workout’, but I want to look at a number of in-camera

techniques that are often the most successful. You can

get interesting results with software and apps, but

certain looks can never truly be recreated with fi lters

and plug-ins alone, so good old-fashioned camera

tips and tricks are a great place to start.

One of the most successful ways to create

interesting in-camera results is through lens

distortion. The basis for this technique is using

anything that distorts the light as it enters the lens.

This involves shooting through a variety of

transparent objects, such as glass and plastics, or

using an even more creative solution to get the

desired results.

P O R T R A I T S

67

ALL IMAGES JAKE HICKS

68

P O R T R A I T S

CRYSTALSCrystals produce a s

distorted look than a

holding a crystal, or s ystals,

directly in front of your lens, you can

create some gorgeous colours and

bokeh effects. For the best results, try

to get your hands on some antique

crystal. This slightly older crystal was

coated in a very thin fi lm of lead,

which produces gorgeous rainbow

colours as you look through it.

THE GLASS PRISM This is one of the easiest lens-distortion

techniques to implement. Keep a glass

prism in your camera bag and when

ou’ve found the shot you want to take,

simply hold the glass prism in front of

your lens. As the light enters the prism

it will refract and show the lens a sliver

of a different scene. If you don’t like the

image the prism is showing, you can

simply rotate the prism until you fi nd a

look that you do like.

In this shot the prism is held over the

top half of the lens. The refl ection is

the top half of some Venetian blinds

that are just out of shot, which

is bleeding into the frame and adding

depth and interest to the image

THE WORLD AROUND YOU

Let’s start with the easiest technique,

which involves you taking a look around

you to see if there is anything that you

think you could use to shoot through or

around. Maybe you could simply

recompose a shot so that something

nearby is included in the corner of the

frame. A glass door, a shiny chair or even

something refl ective like bare metal will

all create interesting results, so long as

you abide by one simple rule – a shallow

depth of fi eld.

If your whole scene is in focus

it is going to be too busy, and generally

an object that is in focus closer to the

camera lens will always dominate the

subject that is in the background.

However, if you set your camera to a

shallow aperture of around f/2.8 or wider,

then so long as you focus on your

subject in the background, the

foreground will be thrown into a lovely

soft focus, meaning that the viewer’s

attention will always go to your subject.

RYSTALS

his is one of the easiest lens-distortion

echniques to implement. Keep a glass

rism in your camera bag and when

u’ve found the shot you want to take,

ply hold the glass prism in front of

RYSTALSYSTALSCRYSTALCrystals produce a Crystals produce a slightly

distorted look than distorted look than a pri

holding a crystal, or ystals, holding a crystal, or stals,

imply rotate the prism until you fi nd a

CRYSTALCrystals produce a slig e Crystals produce a slightly mo

This shot was taken between two

crystals held either side of the lens. By

shining light directly at the crystals,

you can create additional colours and

highlights in the foreground

69

WINE GLASS

A humble wine glass or tumbler can

be held in front of the lens to refract

and distort the light. Try to fi nd glass

that has patterns cut into it or

interesting stems, as these will

produce the best results. One tip when

using these is to try to have some light

shining towards the lens as well,

because this will catch on the facets of

the glassware and cast highlights and

sparkles onto the image.

By simply holding up a patterned wine glass to your

lens, you can create striking refractions and

distortion. Ensure you have some light directed back

towards the lens

This shot was taken

through some net

curtains and available

glassware. A shallow

depth of fi eld ensures the

foreground elements are

completely out of focus

TOP TIPS

1If you are planning to

hold items in front of

your lens like crystals and

prisms, you have to shoot

with a very shallow depth

of fi eld. If you don’t, both

your subject and your

distortion object will be in

focus, so the viewer won’t

know what to look at.

2It can be easier to to

throw foreground

objects out of focus with a

slightly longer lens. I

wouldn’t try this using a

lens any wider than

50mm on a full-frame

camera, as it may make

your scene too busy and it

will be harder to get the

smooth and creamy

soft-focus foreground

objects you’re after.

3Whether you are using

objects that you hold in

front of the camera, like

crystals and glassware, or

simply lens fi lters, you’ll

achieve more interesting

results by shining light

back towards the lens. By

shining light into the lens

you are in effect lighting

the object you are

holding. This will create

highlights and sparkles

that will appear as bokeh.

4Don’t be afraid to try

different objects to

shoot through. If you’re

using a shallow depth of

fi eld and lighting it

correctly, nearly anything

can work. Effective objects

are transparent in some

way and are faceted, such

as wine glasses. The

designs on glassware

create highlight interest in

the foreground of a shot.

5Think about what you

want to achieve. Are

you just trying to create

depth or are you trying to

lead your viewer’s eye

through an image by

hiding distractions?

Holding objects in front of

the lens can create

interest and mystery, but

just be careful they don’t

overpower the subject.

70

P O R T R A I T S

1 SET UP THE LIGHTINGI’ve used classic clamshell lighting here with one Bowens

beauty dish above and a small softbox fi ll-light below. You

will need to add some light that will not only help to add

shape to your model, but will also shine directly into the lens.

2 DIRECT LIGHTAs we are trying to create lens fl are, it is important that light

shines into the lens but is just out of shot. Here I have positioned

two gridded fl ash heads behind the model that are pointing

back towards the camera and lighting the model’s hair.

3 ADD COLOURTo introduce some interest and colour to the shot, I have

added coloured gels to the two backlights. I have used orange

and blue as they are complementary colours and work well

together in an image.

Distortion techniques are fun to play

with, but can be overpowering if not

used sparingly. To avoid this, use a lens

that displays optical imperfections or

quirks rather than some of the modern

expensive pin-sharp lenses. Some

purpose-built optics have distortion

built in, so every shot will have an

individual look. Many modern lenses

don’t have those quirks that can

enliven an image, but Lensbaby’s

recent Velvet 56mm has all the build

qualities and functionality of a modern

lens, as well as the ability to capture a

more nostalgic image. It has an artistic

feel, and with a sharp centre and softer

edges it is reminiscent of some vintage

lenses. At some of the wider apertures,

this lens creates a milky look that acts

like an inbuilt diffuser but without the

loss of contrast, so in the right lighting

you can create truly engaging images.

DIFFUSION FILTERSLens fi lters may be less popular these days, but

software alone can’t replace them. Screwing a fi lter

on the front of your lens is far quicker and easier than

trying to recreate the look in Photoshop. I often carry

several diffusion fi lters in my bag, and once these are

screwed onto my lens they scatter any light that

enters the lens into a soft diffuse glow. This effect can

be very useful in a studio if you want to add interest

to your background through the introduction of fl are.

By simply screwing a

diffusion fi lter to the front

of your lens, you can

scatter the light that enters

it to produce a lovely soft

glow around the subject

Using specialist lenses like the

Lensbaby Velvet can produce

images that don’t distract from

the subject, leaving you with a

very interesting yet clean and

uncluttered image

OPTICAL IMPERFECTIONS

GET THE LOOK

71

LENSBABY

Shooting through various transparent objects is a

great way to experiment with lens distortions, but

if you want to get more consistent results every

time you may want to invest in the right tool for

the job and get the lens itself to do the hard work

for you. Thankfully, specialist companies like

Lensbaby can fulfi l all your artistic desires when it

comes to lens distortions and there are a host of

specialist lenses for every occasion.

One of my favourites is the Lensbaby

Composer Pro Sweet 50 optic. I have used this

lens for many years to create dramatic portraits,

and with a little practice it can create some very

interesting results quickly and easily. The

Composer Pro works by splitting the lens barrel

on a ball joint, resulting in a tilted plane of

focus. This means that you can f

on a person’s face, and then tilt

the lens to throw the bottom half

of the image out of focus. It’s

great for leading the viewer’s

eye through an image.

5 SHOOT-THROUGHTo fi nish off the look, I have used

the Lensbaby Composer Pro Sweet

50. You can see how it blurs the

bottom of the image, drawing the

viewer’s attention right up to the

focused area of the model’s eyes.

4 DIFFUSIONNow the fun begins because all

I have done here is add a diffusion

fi lter to the lens of my camera. The

diffusion fi lter is scattering the

coloured light as it enters my lens,

giving this fantastic fl are effect.

The Lensbaby Composer Pro is used here

to draw the viewer’s eye up to the subject’s

face. By tilting the lens, you can throw the

bottom half of the image out of focus,

leaving the main subject unaffected

on a ball joint, resulting in a ti

focus. This means that you c

on a person’s face, and then t

the lens to throw the bottom

to draw the viewer’s eye up to the subjec

face. By tilting the lens, you can throw th

p o r t r a i t s

More accessible than ever, coloured

lighting can add drama to your

portraits, as Jake Hicks reveals

Back in fashion

Gels can really add

drama to your fash-lit

images

all images JaKe HiCKs

73

COLOURED LIGHTING has been part of our visual

storytelling process as far back as the 1600s, when

Shakespearean theatre lights were shone through red

wine to alter the colour and mood of a scene. When

colour fi lm became popular in the 1940s the process

was adopted by cinema, and cinematographers

would often use coloured lighting to tell a story and

create a mood. For example, they would add yellow

and orange gelatin sheets in front of lights to

simulate sunsets and sunrises. Although we no

longer use gelatin sheets the name ‘coloured gels’

stuck, and stills photographers use the technique to

add dramatic coloured effects to their work for a

more artistic look.

The use of coloured gels in photography reached

fever pitch in the 1980s, but as the colour

combinations became more and more garish and

visually offensive they eventually fell out of fashion.

It’s only recently that coloured gels have seen a

resurgence, with digital photography empowering

a new generation of photographers to experiment

with colour.

TECHNICAL OR ARTISTIC?Coloured lighting and the use of coloured gels fall

into two main categories – technical colour

correction and artistic effect. Technical colour

correction is used for matching a tungsten bulb

colour to the colour outside and is especially useful

on location shoots. For example, you could be trying

ALL

PIC

TU

RE

S ©

JA

KE

HIC

KS

Coloured gels deliver a

very cinematic quality

to your shots

74

P O R T R A I T S

Basic colour theory will help you

choose colours that complement

each other

Don’t underestimate the

power colour has on

viewers’ perception of a shot

to light a model with a standard house light and

daylight is coming in through a window in the

background of the shot. Without colour correcting

the warm tones of the tungsten bulb, the model will

look orange, so you’d need to add a colour

temperature blue (CTB) gel to your lamp to match

the colour of the background daylight.

These colour adjustments are often very similar to

white balancing on your camera and are only really

useful to know when you have more than one colour

temperature within the same shot. Although the

technical colour correction is useful, it’s not as fun as

using coloured gels for artistic effect, and this is what

we’ll explore in more detail here.

USING COLOUR WISELYUsing coloured gels in your photographs can be a

great way of making images stand out, but don’t

underestimate the power that colour has on viewers’

EASY SET-UP

This lighting technique is one of the

easiest ways to get great-looking colour

into your shots. Start by selecting your

preferred key light – I used a 21in silver beauty

dish here, but a small softbox will work equally

well. I then added a little fi ll light via a small

softbox on the fl oor below the model, but

a well-placed silver refl ector will do just as

well. I then added the colour via two hard

lights behind the model pointed back towards

the camera and aimed at the sides of the

model’s head. These two lights have grids on

them to control the spill of light and are angled

just far enough away from the lens to minimise

the introduction of fl are. The fi ll softbox is

metered one stop under the key light and the

two coloured gel lights are metered one stop

above the key light.

Two hard lights behind

the model add colour

A handy technique for

adding colour to your shots

75

TOP TIPS

1Be mindful of the mood

certain colours will

convey. Shooting with red

and green will often leave

an image looking like a

Christmas card; while

using red and blue can, at

times, make a photograph

look like a scene from

a police chase.

2When combining

colours, try to bear in

mind some basic colour

theory. Complementary

colours such as orange

and blue, and purple and

yellow will always work

well together. It’s also

vital to understand the

styling of the shot, and

base your colour theory

around the colours of a

model’s outfi t.

3If you plan on using

coloured gels on model

shoots, be aware of your

colours spilling onto the

model’s skin. This can

create unwanted effects

such as unfl attering shine,

and strange hues as it

mixes with skin tones.

4If you’re going to be

combining more than

one coloured gel in a shot,

place your lights so they

don’t contaminate each

other. When two colours

mix within an image they

can sometimes create

undesirable colours. To

avoid this to place your

subject between the two

colours, resulting in them

falling on either side, but

never actually meeting.

5Remember that under

or overexposingyour

coloured gels will create

different colours and this

is down to personal taste

rather than being right

and wrong. For example,

underexposing an orange

gel will give you a rich

golden brown, whereas

overexposing it will give

you a sunburst yellow.

Experiment and see what

variations you get from

over and underexposing.

When combining

colours, bear in

mind some basic

colour theory

76

P O R T R A I T S

Under or overexposing

your lights will create

different colours

When using more than

one light, try to avoid the

two light sources

contaminating your shot

Light is bounced off white

boards for a subtle look

GET THE LOOK There are times where you will want to

introduce coloured gels in a more subtle

way. One way of doing this is by diffusing

or softening the coloured light before it hits

the model. In this example I’ve used a

beauty dish and two different coloured gels

to achieve the desired result.

1 ADD MAIN LIGHTThe fi rst thing you need to do is to set up your standard

portrait lighting by placing a beauty dish just above the

model’s head angled down at 45°. You could use a small

softbox but make sure it’s as close as possible to avoid too

much spill of light. The next step is to soften the shadows.

perception of a shot. Think about what you’d like to

convey with the colours you’re using, as certain

colours will always affect us in certain ways.

For example, we all know red is a very powerful

colour but depending on the context it can convey

very different messages. If you use a lot of red

lighting in a boudoir shoot it will convey ideas of

love and lust, but red lighting used in conjunction

with a boxer will portray power and anger. As a rule,

reds tend to evoke more energy and passion whereas

cooler colours such as blues evoke calmer and more

centred feelings. As a result you’ll often see it used in

corporate photography shots.

As your confi dence builds in using gels, it is then

possible to combine multiple colours, but you still

need to be careful about the message you’re

portraying. There are a couple of colour

combinations that you need to be wary of and treat

with extra care.

COLOUR COMBINATIONSWhen colours like red and green are combined you

need to be extremely careful that the images don’t

look like a Christmas card. Together these two

colours have now become synonymous with the

season and as a result it’s very diffi cult to tell a

different story.

Another colour combination that we have been

programmed to recognise is red and blue. This

colour pairing is frequently used in fi lms to

signify emergencies because they represent the

colours of sirens, and you need to be especially

careful when using them.

COLOUR THEORYSo now that we’ve taken note of some of the

colours we should be wary of, let’s take a look at

some good colour combinations we can start

playing with. As a standard guide I would always say

that complementary colours work well together.

Complementary colours are the colours opposite

one another on the colour wheel.

One colour pairing that never fails to impress is

orange and blue, a combination of colours that is

always pleasing to the eye. Just as red and green

symbolise Christmas, orange and blue symbolise the

warmth of a sunset or a beach, and the purity of the

sky or the sea. This colour combination can be

found all around us – from logos and design to fi lms

and paintings.

77

2 LIFT SHADOWSYou can do this by placing a small softbox at the model’s

feet angled upwards and meter it at a stop below your key

light. It’s possible to try this set-up with a refl ector rather

than a softbox, but just be aware that it will never be as

powerful, so the resulting image will have more contrast

due to the darker shadows.

3 ADD FIRST COLOURI have added blue to the left camera, and as I am going for

a far softer colour palette I want to avoid using hard lights.

You need to diffuse the coloured gel by aiming the gelled

light away from the model and bouncing it off a large white

board, but a similar result can be achieved with a thick

white cotton sheet.

4 SECOND COLOURFinally the second colour is brought in on the right-hand

side – set up in exactly the same way by bouncing an

orange gel off a large white board. It is also useful to

note that these two colours were chosen because the

orange and blue go really well with the pinks and violets

of the model’s outfi t.

78

A R C H I T E C T U R E

Step classCraig Roberts discovers the

charms of staircases,

an often overlooked

photographic opportunity

KIT

LIS

T FISHEYE LENSA fi sheye lens will not

only offer an extreme

angle of view, but

also distort the

natural pattern

formed by the

staircase, adding a

unique interpretation

to your image.

TILTING LCD SCREENIf your camera has one, use the tilting LCD screen

to compose your images. You could also shoot via

Wi-Fi from your

smartphone if

your camera has

this option. Both

are great ways to

shoot looking

straight up.

WIDEANGLE LENSA 20-28mm focal-length

range will enable you to

get good views of most

staircases, but shooting

with an extreme

wideangle will allow you

to get much more

dramatic views and

include the whole shape.

to compose your i

WIDEANGLEA 20-28mm focal-lengt

wideangle will allow yo

include the whole shap

Unusual staircases can be found outside the

city too, such as in this lighthouse

ALL IMAGES CRAIG ROBERTS

79

STAIRCASES HAVE BEEN AROUND for centuries,

and many are designed as part of a building’s

internal beauty rather than just a means of

emergency escape if the lifts fail. Square or spiral,

metal or wooden, their designs are often unique and,

fortunately, many lend themselves to abstract

studies. Stay alert to opportunities: they can be all

too easy to miss if you take the lazy route to an

upper fl oor. However, if you seek them out when

visiting a town, city or other location, they make a

welcome addition to a portfolio of images, as this

article will reveal.

DESIGNPhotography is about composition, and

composition is about shape, design and, in many

cases, patterns. Fortunately, staircases have all these

in abundance. The natural design of staircases

makes them very photogenic and pleasing to the eye,

especially the way they lead from one fl oor to

another, changing direction and overlapping each

level. This shaping acts as a natural pattern for the

eye to follow around the frame and you can use this

as the basis of your composition, or alternatively,

shoot in more abstract form. This also applies to

spiral staircases, but there are still images to be

captured in the less-dramatic, straight-up design

too, and it’s this contrast in design that makes them

so interesting and unique.

EXPOSURE AND WHITE BALANCEShooting indoors brings

with it two key problems

– artifi cial light and

low-light conditions.

Tungsten bulbs are

bright enough to

illuminate the interior

for your eyes, but less

effective for your camera.

They also cause some

odd colour shifts that,

again, only your camera

records, as your brain

can neutralise this back

to a standard white light.

Thankfully, digital

cameras have a built-in

correcting system and

this is where the white

balance feature comes in.

You can tailor the

white balance to suit the

light source, and

CRAIG

ROBERTS

Craig Roberts has been a

professional photographer

for more than 20 years and

specialises in travel and

landscapes. He’s written

technique articles for every

major photo magazine and

offers online photography

courses and tuition from

his website. www.

craigrobertsphotography.

co.uk

BEANBAGA small beanbag is a useful accessory to place on a

banister for support, especially in locations where a

tripod isn’t convenient or allowed.

WRIST OR NECK STRAPWhen leaning over the top banister of a tall fl ight of

stairs with your camera, the last thing you want to do

is drop it. Use a

strap to avoid

an expensive

and possibly

dangerous

accident.

80

a r c h i t e c t u r e

tungsten is just one of the preset choices available.

This usually corrects the colour cast with a press of a

button, but sometimes it is nice to have a slight glow

of colour shift, which adds to the look and feel of the

staircase. This can be tailored in-camera if shooting

JPEGs using the custom white balance, but a much

easier way to do this is to shoot in raw and adjust

this on the computer. You can then dial this in to

suit the picture and fne-tune it for the perfect result.

You may fnd an

interesting staircase in an

otherwise ordinary

location, such as your

local shopping centre

GettinG permissionMany staircases will be in a public place, so shooting them shouldn’t be a

problem. if they are photogenic enough, you won’t be the only person

who will have taken pictures of them. however, some hotels and private

buildings feature great staircases too, so it’s worth asking at reception, or

even the security personnel, if you can take a few pictures. they may say

no, but in many cases you’ll probably fnd they will allow you a few

minutes to take photos – if you avoid getting in anyone’s way. So have

your camera set up ready to make the most of your available time and

make a quick route from top to bottom, capturing the best views.

Correcting it entirely can leave the image looking

cold and sterile, so tweaking the white balance to

allow some of the warmth created from tungsten

lighting to stay in the picture is the best option.

With white balance taken care of, you then need

to consider your ISO setting to allow image capture

without any annoying camera shake. Light levels

inside buildings are often low, so you may need ISO

800, or even ISO 1600, to get a high enough shutter

Switch to a standard lens and

you can start creating more

abstract views using the

shape and design of the stairs

81

You can almost guarantee

spectacular results with spiral

staircases. Shoot from below with

your wideangle lens and allow the

spiral effect to create the image

speed, while still maintaining a good aperture

selection for suffi cient depth of fi eld.

Switch on the image-stabilising system (either on

the camera or the lens itself) to help you with

camera shake and then use banisters or walls around

the staircase to brace yourself for a slow shutter

speed. Good handholding technique comes into its

own here, so tuck in your elbows, hold your breath

and press the shutter button nice and slowly, rather

than stabbing at it, to guarantee sharp images.

A tripod probably won’t be allowed or even be an

option on a staircase, so get your camera set up and

the technique perfected for blur-free handheld shots.

COMPOSITIONAs you frame up your shots you need to be looking

out for the patterns and shapes inherent in staircase

design. The best approach is to head to the top fl oor

and start shooting from there fi rst, looking down

from the top of the staircase. This often gives the

best view, with the full shape revealed all the way to

the ground fl oor. Then, with that view in the bag,

FIVE TOP

STAIRCASES

The internet is a fantastic

tool for fi nding new and

unusual-looking

staircases around the

country. You only have to

search a photo library or

photo-sharing website

such as Flickr and you’ll

fi nd a plethora of

different-shaped

staircases that fellow

photographers have

captured. It’s also an idea

to keep an eye out when

on your travels for

interesting staircases. In

the meantime, here are

a few top locations to get

you started.

● The Queen’s House,

Greenwich, London SE10

● City Hall, London SE1

● De La Warr Pavilion,

Bexhill, East Sussex

● Museum of Liverpool,

Liverpool L3

● Baltic Centre,

Gateshead,

Tyne and Wear

start making your way down the staircase and

capture the other views you’ll see on the way. Look

out for lights, chandeliers or side windows, which

will add to the overall pattern and complement the

shape of the stairs.

Look at the steps themselves. See how the light

catches them and the shapes they make on their

own. You may need a slightly longer focal length to

capture these in more abstract form and these can

provide secondary, closer views of the same staircase.

Work your way down to the ground fl oor, shooting

as you go – but of course, not shooting as you walk

– and avoid getting in the way of other people using

the staircase. Once you reach the bottom, look up.

This will give you quite a different view of the entire

staircase. Watch for roof lights, which may affect

your exposure, and you might need to overexpose

your images by one or two stops to allow for any

brighter areas fooling your camera’s internal

metering. Check the results on your camera’s LCD

screen and use the histogram to determine any

exposure adjustment required.

© R

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10Top photographers Antonio Olmos, Jerry Webb

and Rupert Vandervell share their insights on how

to get the best from shooting on the street

commandments of street photography

s T R e e T

83

2 WEAR COMFORTABLE CLOTHINGFirst, you need a good pair of shoes. If you’re serious

about street photography you’ll be on your feet all

day, searching for that elusive image. Many of my

favourite shots have come after hours of walking.

People with bad shoes tend to give up much sooner

than those wearing comfortable shoes. Cheap shoes

lead to blisters – I guarantee you Henri Cartier-

Bresson had good shoes. Also, wear comfortable

clothes that refl ects the weather you are working in.

Don’t carry too much gear, either – try to work with

one camera and a couple of lenses. If you are not

weighed down by kit, you will have a productive day.

You should also drink lots of water and take breaks,

but when you take those breaks get a table on the

pavement or sit near a window. You never know

what will walk by while you are sipping your latte.

1 MOST OF YOUR PHOTOGRAPHS WILL SUCKI always say that taking photographs is like taking

notes – you take a lot of them in the hope you will

make one that’s amazing. A lot of people new to

photography are disappointed by how many bad

pictures they take. Well here is a little secret: all of us,

even pros, take lots of bad images. Like a writer with

piles of notes, the photographer must learn to edit his

or her work and sift through a stack of pictures to

look for that one strong image. I go out into the

streets hoping to make one good photograph. Most

of my images are a disappointment. Sometimes I try

things and they just don’t work.

Photography for me is about learning to live with

constant disappointment. If photography was easy,

every image we take would be brilliant. Photography

is hard because that great image is very diffi cult to

get. When you do street photography you are

working in an environment that you have no control

over. People will get in your way, the image will be

gone before you raise your camera to your eye, the

light will change or you will get the focus wrong. A

million things will not work when trying to take an

image. A great image from street photography

comes from perseverance, patience and complete

focus on the task at hand.

The best shots are

taken when you are

right in the middle

of the action

A great image

comes from

perseverance,

patience and

complete focus

© A

NTO

NIO

OLM

OS WWW.ANTONIOOLMOS.COM

© A

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NIO

OLM

OS

© A

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I go out into the streets hoping

to make one good photograph

84

s t r e e t

Groups create natural foregrounds that allow

you to lead the eye into the photo

© J

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B www.jerrywebbphotography.com

4 You have to like human beingsIf you don’t like people and think most of them are

complete idiots, then I suggest you steer well clear

of street photography. I fnd human beings endlessly

interesting. I love the way they move, I love their

faces, I love the way they dress, I love how they

interact with the urban environment – in fact, I love

everything about them. It’s a joy taking their

pictures, and I truly believe people can see that

about me. they also read my body language and get

a sense that I am no threat to them.

If you walk around taking photos in the street,

constantly worried about getting mugged or

questioned about what you are doing, you are going

to give others the sense that you are not comfortable.

3 use short lensesIn my opinion, truly great street photography is shot

on 50mm, 35mm, 28mm or 24mm lenses. the 35mm

is my favourite, whether it’s ftted to my Leica, sony

or my Canon. In fact, I wish I had a zoom that went

from 35mm to 50mm and nothing more.

Zooms are usually not good for street

photography. You need to think and see like the lens

on your camera. If you shoot with just one lens you

will learn how the image will look. short fxed-focal

lenses also force you to get close to the subject. And

that immediacy is what makes great street images.

You feel like the photographer is in the midst of the

action. Zooms make you lazy. You stand around and

zoom in on the world instead of getting in the thick

of it. Zooms are also heavier and bigger than your

average fxed-focal-length wideangle or normal lens.

they make your camera stand out, so you’re more

likely to be noticed when you’re trying to be

discreet. Zooms are heavier and your neck and

shoulders will suffer, while prime lenses are lighter

and smaller, which is essential in street photography.

© J

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© A

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© A

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85

6 CHOOSING YOUR ENVIRONMENTBeing a street photographer or just taking candid

pictures can be stressful at times and diffi cult to

conceal, so the environment you choose to work in

plays a major part, whatever your level of experience

and however good your technique.

Selecting where you photograph is absolutely key.

Location can not only dictate the style of pictures

and how you go about creating them, but it also

affects how you and those you are photographing

are feeling. Choosing your local area gives you the

benefi t of local knowledge, a feel for where to look

for pictures and an understanding of the people, plus

maybe added confi dence. Investigating nww

locations can inspire fresh ideas, but returning to the

same location and using your experience and

knowledge of the location can pay dividends.

As a rule, the busier the environment the better.

Public or sporting events, or tourist areas, are ideal

for people photography and particularly suited to

the novice or those lacking confi dence. You will

usually fi nd a greater acceptance and a relaxed

attitude to photographers, and often such places are

full of other people taking pictures. This makes it so

much easier to blend in and provide you with a more

relaxed photography experience.

One of my most successful (and lazy) techniques

is to fi nd a seat in a busy street or shopping area and

just sit there with a camera. I wait for groups of

people, movement, unusual dress or just interesting

interaction, often buying myself an ice cream or a

drink. Looking relaxed while taking photographs in

public helps to avoid attention. Nervous

photographers are always more visible. If you fi nd a

good location, be patient and take plenty of shots.

5 WORKING WITH DIFFERENT PLANESMany great street images have both foreground and

background interest – one can feed off the other.

Success in achieving this requires patience and sharp

intuition, but it can give a powerful dynamic. If the

foreground relates to the background this can help

to create a good narrative, or perhaps a great

juxtaposition. Either way, leading the viewer’s eye

around the photo adds depth and interest.

Although snatching images on the street that

work like this involves good instinct and luck, you

can improve your ‘luck’ with some foresight and

planning. On a simple level, fi nd an interesting

background – this can be a poster, a shop front, bold

typography or a group of people – and just wait for

something to happen. Experience will tell you what

works best. Having something in mind often helps,

but also try keeping your options open for some-

thing more spontaneous. Occasionally you fi nd an

accidental, but witty, connection between the

foreground and background during processing.

Sometimes there needs to be no connection; simply

having movement or interaction on two planes (or

even three) of the picture can make a striking image.

Close proximity to crowds or being in a group

creates natural foreground and background interest

if you are using a wide lens. This has a deeper depth

of fi eld, making focusing easier.

Don’t be afraid to

shoot into the light

Simply having movement or interaction on two planes (or even three) can

help to create a striking photograph

© J

ER

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WEB

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JER

RY

WEB

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86

s t r e e t

9 Use a small camera and take only the essentialsWhen I go out to shoot, I want to feel like I’m one of the crowd, and blend in and

remain anonymous. the last thing I want to do is to draw attention to myself. For

street photography, carrying too much gear around with you is a mistake. It’s

tiring and restricts your movements. A smaller camera is easier to conceal and

you won’t be advertising what you’re up to. Between shots you can hide it under

your jacket or behind you as you move into position – sometimes it’s all about

stealth. I remember seeing Joel Meyerowitz shooting on the streets of New York.

He moved like a cat. You wouldn’t know what he was up to until it was too late

and he’d got the picture. there are so many great small and lightweight cameras

around. I use an Olympus OM-D e-M5 with a 20mm lens. It’s fast, small and very

light. I prefer to use my feet to do the framing and get myself into the right

position for the shot. street shooting is about being in the right place. If you are

more mobile, you’ll give yourself a better chance.

8 shoot at nightI love to shoot at night, especially in winter when

good daylight is scarce and it starts to get dark

around 5pm. If I’m shooting for a specifc project, I

will have in mind a place that I hope will provide the

right kind of scene and then work in and around it.

the great thing about night photography is that

the light is always the same and it doesn’t matter

what the weather’s doing. In fact, if it’s wet you’ll

have more to play with in terms of atmosphere.

Places look very different under streetlamps and an

area you might not have considered for street work

may suddenly become a good hunting ground.

I treat night shoots the same as day shoots. I try to

choose areas with at least one main streetlamp,

which will hopefully defne the area where I want to

work. then I fnd the best viewpoint to balance the

scene regarding light, shadow and subject.

Additional lighting can come from car lights,

refections and shop windows. I’m never too set on

getting a technically perfect shot at night. What I am

looking for is the right atmosphere. You will be using

a higher IsO and an amount of grain is inevitable,

but this often adds more authenticity. I’m fascinated

by the flm noir look – fgures in hats and overcoats

emerging from deep shadows always inspire me.

A smaller camera is much easier

to conceal and you won’t be

advertising what you’re up to

If it’s wet you’ll have

much more to play with

in terms of atmosphere

© R

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7 Proximity Good street work requires a reasonable wideangle lens, which often demands

that you are fairly close. the closer you are, the more involved with the subject

you are and the more involved the viewer will feel when looking at your shots.

I use a 12-24mm lens, around the 12mm mark, meaning I tend to work pretty

close. experience tells me what will appear on the image without making myself

conspicuous by looking through the viewfnder. Adjusting the camera settings

makes you conspicuous too, so set them before you begin taking photographs.

talking with your subject can give you time to think about what you want and

the opportunity to direct. some of my best pictures are of people who have

consented to be photographed, but they are taken just before they think the

session has started or just after they think it has fnished. I then capture totally

natural moments – often from positions too close for true candid photography. © J

ER

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© R

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www.rupertvandervell.co.uk

87

10 BE PATIENTYou may fi nd a place

that you think will be the

perfect setting for a

shot, but something isn’t

quite as you want it. The

light may not be right or

perhaps people haven’t

yet walked into the

frame. Some

photographers are too

ready to move on if they

don’t immediately see

something to their liking.

It’s not just about

looking at what’s in front

of you, as you have to

look right into a scene to

see its potential. A slight

movement to the left or

right, or moving in a

little bit closer, can

reveal a whole new

dimension to a shot.

I will always stay with

an area if I think it might

yield something. I get

more excited by the

minute at the prospect

of capturing just what I

have in mind. I love

watching how the light

plays with a scene. I’ve

learned to be very

patient and I won’t leave

until I think I’ve got the

best I can. The light can

change very quickly

depending on the time

of year, and I have

watched shadows sliding

into new positions to

create a completely

different feel.

When shooting

people, I try to

anticipate their

movements and how

they might feature. You

need to be ready and

poised for that crucial

moment when they hit

the right spot.

If you’re lucky and

you’ve combined the

perfect light with

everything else, then

you’ll feel happy that

you waited around to

get it. Good shots come

to those who wait.

When shooting people,

I try to anticipate their

movements

You have to look right

into a scene to see its

potential

Light changes very

quickly depending on

the time of year, and

shadows slide into

new positions©

RU

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© R

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© R

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89

L I G H T R O O M

Back to basicsIf you haven’t used Adobe Lightroom before, or

need a refresher, it’s important to understand the

software and exactly what it can do

WITH SUCH A HUGE ARRAY of screens and tools,

Adobe Lightroom can at fi rst seem pretty daunting.

However, initial impressions can be deceptive,

because with a basic understanding of what the

software can do and how it works, you’ll fi nd

Lightroom is extremely user friendly. Later in this

magazine we’ll look at the various elements of the

software, but fi rst it’s important to cover some

basics. If you aren’t familiar with Lightroom this

should prove useful, and even if you’ve been using it

for a while, a refresher course won’t do any harm.

IMAGE MANAGEMENTAt its core, Adobe Lightroom has three main

functions. First, it’s an image library tool, a place

where you can go to manage all your photographs.

Second, it’s a place to edit those images. Third, it’s a

place to export those edited images so they can be

seen elsewhere. Lightroom works by creating a

catalogue of images. As you take images, you save

them to your hard disk drive, as usual, but then

import them to the Lightroom Catalog. The Catalog

is just that – a catalogue. It isn’t a folder with all your

images, but merely a list and preview of them, along

with all the shooting information saved to one big

database fi le – an ‘.lrcat’ (Lightroom Catalog) fi le to

be precise. Every time Lightroom loads, it loads your

Catalog fi le so you can see all your images in one

place and begin working on them. Obviously, it can

be a lot of work if you have tens of thousands of

images to work with, so Lightroom will let you

organise the images in a number of ways.

Images can be keyworded, making it easy to search

for photographs based on a certain subject or theme.

They can also be rated out of fi ve, making it quick to

fi nd all your best shots, and they can be tagged with

a colour – for instance, any image that you’ve edited

and are happy with can be tagged green. Shooting

information metadata contained within an image

fi le can also be searched for. And of course, you can

combine all these different search parameters.

So, for example, if I wanted to fi nd all my

best-edited images of sunsets, I could do a keyword

search for sunset, with the fi ve-star rating and green

colour activated. Only the best sunset images will

then show, rather than having to scroll through

many hundreds of others. Once I have these images

selected, I can even save them as a Collection called

‘Best Sunsets’. This doesn’t create a new folder on my

computer called ‘Best Sunsets’. It just means that if I

click on the collection in Lightroom, it will gather a

preview of all these images in one place for me. This

makes it easy to work on image projects without

having to move original copies of your digital image

L I G H T R O O M

fi les around your hard disk. This is a basic example,

and is barely touching the surface of what

Lightroom is capable of, but it gives you an idea of

how, with a properly managed library, powerful

Lightroom can be.

What is key to understanding this software, and

what can be diffi cult at fi rst to grasp, is that

Lightroom never edits or moves any original images

on your hard disk (unless you specifi cally tell it to,

and even then it gives you a warning). All it does is

record the location of your images on your

computer and links to them, which allows you to

work with them.

NON-DESTRUCTIVE EDITINGOnce again, it’s worth emphasising that Lightroom

doesn’t edit your image fi les. As a general rule, changes

are saved within the Lightroom Catalog, which is why

it is such an important fi le. If the Catalog fi le is deleted

or becomes corrupted you will lose a lot of your work

in Lightroom, which is why it regularly asks if you wish

to create a back-up of the fi le.

But even if the fi le is deleted, all your original

images will still be on your hard disk drive in the

same location they have always been. This is because

Lightroom is what is known as a non-destructive

editor. Rather than amending an image fi le, it saves

your edits as a list of changes in the main Catalog fi le.

EDITING RAW FILESLightroom is primarily designed to work with raw

fi les, although it can also be used with JPEG, TIFF

and Photoshop – in fact, most image fi les. Regardless

of which fi le type you work with, remember that

you are working non-destructively.

The easiest way to think of working non-

destructively is to imagine the raw fi le as a digital

negative. When you begin editing and working on a

photograph in a darkroom you are making

adjustments to how that negative is going to be

printed. The exposure, colour and contrast are all

adjusted to your taste and then a print is created

from that negative. With the fi nal print made you

still have the original negative, and your list of

exposure, colour and contrast settings, so at any

When you’re dealing with vast

numbers of images, it’s important

to have them properly organised.

Lightroom can help with this, but

the best starting point is to make

sure you have a good folder

structure on your computer. This

will make it easier to import

images to Lightroom, and more

importantly, make it easier for you

to manage a vast number of

images.

There are many ways to organise

your fi les and folders on a

computer, but here is our preferred

method, which assumes that you

are saving all your images onto a

separate drive. Start with parent

folders, which are sub-divided by

year, and then into subjects. For

example, Hard disk>Places>2015>

Malta. This system also makes it

easier to back up images to

another hard disk, as you can

CREATE FOLDERS SO YOU CAN FIND AND IMPORT YOUR PHOTOS EASILY

Images with GPS information can

be seen on the Map Module screen

90

3Import to Lightroom 4

Catalog image2

Save image to hard drive

Original image1

WORKFLOW

It’s important to have a good folder structure rather than simply having all your images spread over

various hard disks and folders. Keep the folders well structured, as shown in this diagram, and it will be

much easier to fi nd and edit your images

People

Hard disk

EventsPlaces

2013 2013 2013

Malta Kevin Event 5Spain Sam Event 2Iceland John Event1France Paul Event 4Germany Steve Event 6USA Sally Event 3

2014 2014 20142015 2015 2015

point you can go back and make another copy, or

continue to refi ne the image.

The traditional darkroom is a good analogy of

how Lightroom operates. You open your original

raw fi le – your digital negative – make a series of

adjustments, then when you are happy, you can

export (save) the image to another fi le, which is in

effect like making your darkroom print. At any time

you can go back to Lightroom and open that image

and the Lightroom Catalog will automatically have

the list of exposure, colour and contrast adjustments

made to the original fi le.

You can then tweak these adjustments further or,

if you wish, you can revert to the original fi le, which

is still sitting – exactly as it always has been – on

your hard drive.

Obviously, Lightroom enables you to alter a lot

more than just exposure, colour and contrast. In

91

5Edit image 6

Export as an edited copy

effect, it is exactly the same as editing a raw fi le in

Adobe Camera Raw, since virtually all the basic

image-editing controls are the same.

However, Lightroom is much more sophisticated

than Camera Raw, thanks to the easy-to-use import

and export options on offer.

EXPORTING IMAGESOnce your image is looking just as you want, it’s

time to export it. As you aren’t ever editing the

original fi le you cannot simply hit ‘Save’. Saving may

seem more convenient, but remember the point of

Lightroom is to leave these original fi les untouched

– you cannot simply write over them. Instead, you

export the image to a different fi le. Again, there are a

number of different fi le types you can save your

image to when exporting. In addition, you can even

constrain the size if you need to create smaller

versions for internet use.

We’ll talk about exporting later, on pages 102-103,

but basically the edited image is saved as a new fi le,

in the location of your choice on your computer.

MODULESWhile the management and editing of images is the

primary function of Lightroom, its capabilities don’t

stop there. The latest version of the software is split

into seven modules, each representing part of a

workfl ow. The Library Module is where you

organise your images, while the Develop module is

where the image editing takes place. There is also a

Map module, which lets you see exactly where your

GPS-tagged images have been taken or you can

assign a location to a shot. The Book module lets

you design books of your images, and even upload

your book designs to Blurb for printing into an

awesome photo book.

Alternatively, books can be saved as PDF fi les for

you to take to an independent printer. The

Slideshow module lets you create slideshows of your

images, including selecting music, while the Print

module allows your images to be printed. Again,

there are various layouts for prints, including the

creation of contact sheets. Finally, the Web module

allows basic web galleries to be created, with the fi les

available for you to upload to your own web space.

Even within these modules there are many more

features, such as the option to export your images to

Facebook, Flickr, Alamy and many other services, or

to export images with a watermark embedded. And

there is now the option to have Lightroom on your

mobile, which allows you to carry around selected

Collections of your work in your pocket, and to save

the images taken with your smartphone directly to

the Lightroom Catalog on your computer.

simply copy a whole folder to the

back-up drive.

Within each fi nal folder – Malta,

for example, in the diagram (above)

– would be sub-folders for fi nished

fi les and fi les saved for web use. So,

for example, Hard disk>Places>

2015>Malta>Finished>Web.

l i g h t r o o m

Import modulethis is where you build your lightroom Catalog. it looks fairly straightforward, but dig deeper

and there are lots of features that can save you time and ensure you work more effciently

Build Smart PreviewSMany photographers save all their images to

external hard disk drives. Previously, Lightroom

required that the disk drive be connected to allow

you to work on an image – which, when working on

a laptop, isn’t always possible. Smart Previews get

around this by creating a Smart Preview of the

image in your Catalog – basically a very compressed

build previews

there are a few different Build Preview options and each has its

pros and cons. Depending on which you pick, it can affect the size

of your lightroom Catalog fle, the time it takes to import, the

quality of the Preview and the time it takes to view an image at 100%.

Using minimal Preview creates the thumbnails you see when the images

are tiled on screen. this means that images are imported quickly, but you

may lose time once you start working on them as the larger previews will

still have to be created. Embedded & Sidecar use the JPEg preview image

embedded in the raw fle. this is the same as the image you see on the rear

of your camera and, again, can save time when importing. however, as with

minimal, it can slow you down when you work on images.

Standard generates a preview that is the standard full-screen size, but if

you want to zoom in on the image you’ll still need a 1:1 preview. generating

the 1:1 preview as you import can add a lot of time to the import process. it

also means your Catalog fle can get very large, very quickly. however, it

does mean that as you jump from editing image to image, there should be

no real lag and, as no preview has to be generated,

you can begin working immediately. We

recommend setting the 1:1 preview on import.

You can instruct Lightroom to

disregard duplicate fles when

importing

DNG fle. This means that you can edit the image

even if the original isn’t available to Lightroom, as

it’s on an unconnected drive. If you have images you

may wish to edit on the go, then it’s worth creating a

Smart Preview. However, it’s probably best to do this

ad hoc, as setting this on Import can create a huge

Catalog fle and take up signifcant hard disk space.

make a Second coPy toThis is a great time-saving feature. As you

import the images, regardless of whether you have

selected Copy, Add or Move, Lightroom will make a

second copy in the location of your choice. This is

great for ensuring you have a back-up version.

PreSetSAgain, selecting a Preset can save time by

allowing all the import settings to be decided with

a simple click. For example, if you’re working on a

particular project, you may want a copy of the images

made to a location, a certain effect applied and a

specifc list of keywords added. Save these settings as

a Preset and the next time you import images for this

project you can select the relevant Preset.

coPy aS dnGWhen importing, the Copy, Move and Add

options are fairly straightforward. Copy is usually

used when transferring images from a memory card

– copying them to a new location on a hard drive

while importing. Move, somewhat obviously, moves

images from one location to another during the

import, and is useful when organising an archive of

existing images. Finally, Add keeps the image fles in

an existing location and imports them to the Catalog.

Add is generally best used when you have already

copied images from a memory card to hard disk.

However, Copy as DNG can be more confusing.

Transferring your raw images from proprietary raw

fles to DNG can certainly have its advantages. DNG

fles are generally smaller, so they tend to take up less

space, and Lightroom can also load these images

faster. However, it can also make the import process

signifcantly slower. There is much debate among

photographers about whether to use Copy as DNG,

but we don’t feel the advantages of choosing this

option outweigh its drawbacks.

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APPLY DURING IMPORTAnother way to save time is to apply your favoured settings to images

as they are being imported. For example, if you tend to process all your

documentary images in black & white, you can apply your own black & white

Preset to all your images when importing. Remember, Lightroom is non-

destructive, so applying a style at import doesn’t mean you’re stuck with it

because you can always adjust the raw processing as usual.

Also useful is the ability to add basic keywords at this early stage. Add

the location, theme, subject or any other important keywords now and it

can help you fi nd images later – saving much of your time in the process.

More complex keywords, if required, can then be added to the individual

photographs in the Library module later.

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EXPERT TIP

As you import photographs into Light-

room, those who subscribe to the

Creative Cloud and are using the Light-

room CC version can choose to automati-

cally add fi les to a collection as they are

imported. At the same time, the collection

you set as the target can be enabled to

sync with Lightroom Mobile. This means that as you import fi les

into the main Lightroom Catalog these will be automatically

synced with your Lightroom Mobile account on any compatible

device. When shooting tethered, you can also choose to sync to

a collection that will synchronise with a Lightroom Mobile

account and be updated as soon as you shoot each new shot.

You can add keywords as fi les are imported

Your Catalog, which

stores all your edits in

Lightroom, remains

intact when you use

the Creative Cloud

version of Lightroom

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l i g h t r o o m

Library moduleWith the potential to have tens of thousands of pictures in your Catalog, the library

module is key to keeping your images in order

If entering a competition, it

can be useful to add your

contact information to the

image metadata

Library FiLterThe Library Filter is an incredibly helpful

tool for fnding specifc images in your Catalog. It

allows you to apply its settings across your entire

Catalog, or set them to only work on a specifc

folder. Our suggestion is to use the different

attributes and metadata to flter the images. Colour

coding can also be useful – for example, you can tag

images that need editing as red, images that are

fnished as green and images where editing is in

progress as blue. Filtering for all the blue images will

CataLogThe Catalog is where all your images in

Lightroom are stored, but you can have more than

one. While most people have just one Catalog fle,

you may want to have two. In this way, you can

ensure that you fnd your images with ease by

having a range of Catalogs for, say, personal images

and work images. You’ll just need to remember to

load the correct Catalog when you start Lightroom.

This can be done by selecting File>Open Catalog.

Keep in mind that the Catalog fle also allows you to

quickly access the last images you imported, and it is

also where you can access the Quick Collection – a

temporary method of grouping your photographs.

PubLish serviCesIf you keep an active presence or portfolio

on a photo-sharing site, then Publish Services can

save you a lot of time. By entering your login details

and preferences you can export images to sites like

Flickr, Behance, 500px and Facebook simply by

selecting images in the library and clicking on the

service. Publish Services uses the standard Export

module, so you’re able to constrain the size of the

image and even add a watermark automatically – a

great timesaver when you’re dealing with a lot of

photos. Many online websites and services support

Lightroom’s Publish Services tool; you’ll fnd these

by clicking the ‘Find More Services Online’ button.

KeywordingIt can be time consuming, but correctly

Keywording your images can save you a lot of time

in the future and mean you can quickly fnd and

curate the images in your Catalog. You can create

your own list of keywords by looking at each image

and adding relevant words. After a while Lightroom

will suggest other keywords based on ones you’ve

previously added. To speed things up even more,

you can download lists of keywords and load them

into Lightroom. Visit www.lightroom-keyword-list-

project.blogspot.gr to download lists, including bird

species and foundation words. You can also add

keywords to batches of images by selecting the

images in the library window and then clicking ‘Sync

Metadata’. Make sure that the Keyword box is ticked

and the keywords have been added.

expert tip

the Quick Develop panel can be a great way

to make the most of your time when editing.

it is used to apply some of the essential

Develop panel adjustments to a single image

or multiple images, allowing basic

adjustments to be made without you having

to switch back and forth from the library

module to the Develop module.

the simple button controls can be used to

apply quick adjustments to images when

reviewing a large number of pictures from a

shoot. these button adjustments are applied relative to the current

settings. this means that if you make a selection of images and click on an

Exposure button to make the photos lighter, it applies a lightening

adjustment that is relative to the current Exposure setting, rather than

applying the same exposure setting to all the selected photos.

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Metadatametadata is more than just a list

of the settings used to take the

image. For example, you can add

your contact details to an image, as well as

copyright information. this can be useful

when sending photos to people, particularly

if they’re being published or entered in a

competition. if your image has gPS data

contained within it, lightroom will also

automatically add the name of where it was

taken. it’s certainly worth spending some time looking through the

metadata tab to fnd out how to make it work best for you.

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drives – and an image can also appear in more than

one Collection. Even more useful are Smart

Collections. These Collections are created depending

on certain variables. For example, you could create a

Collection called Best Landscapes 2014, where

images have the keyword ‘landscape’, are rated fi ve

stars and were taken in 2014. Any images that fi t

these criteria will automatically be placed in this

Collection. There are many different ways search

rules can be applied, so the possibilities for creating

Smart Collections are almost endless. Smart Collections can help

organise your Library

then allow you to quickly see fi les you’ve already

started to work on.

SMART COLLECTIONSCollections are just that, collections

of images you’ve fi led together. Remember that

creating a Collection won’t move any images on

your hard drive and the images will only appear as a

Collection when in Lightroom. The images that

form Collections can be from different folders on

your computer – they could even be on different

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Split toning

Split Toning is mostly

associated with black &

white images, and in this

case it’s often used to replicate the

look of certain toners or types of

paper. However, it can be used on

colour images. If you plan to use it on

colour, bear in mind that it tends to

work best when applying a very

subtle tone to just the Highlights or

Shadows – perhaps by using an

orange or blue hue to make them feel

warmer or colder. If you up the Split

Toning effect you may fnd that the

image takes on the vintage flm and

print looks that are currently popular

on smartphone apps like Instagram.

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l I g H T r o o m

Develop moduleThe Develop module is where raw images are transformed into fnished masterpieces.

We look at the key features and offer essential tips

HistogramThe Histogram is fairly self-explanatory. As

well as showing the tonal range, it also shows the

range of each different colour, which is helpful in

that it allows you to make a quick visual assessment

of the colour balance, or to see if any particular

colours are blown out.

Clicking on the arrows at the top left and top right

of the Histogram show the areas that are in total

shadow or completely blown out. By default, these

are shown in blue and red. This makes it easy when

setting the Black and White points. Generally, you’ll

always want some black in an image, and just a few

specks that are completely white. While there are

sliders for the various Black, White, Highlight and

Shadow adjustments in the Basic tab, you can also

adjust these by clicking, holding and sliding the

respective area on the Histogram.

One fnal Histogram tip: if you click on ‘Original

Photo’ you’ll have the option to create a Smart

Preview of the image. This allows you to edit the

image, even if the hard disk drive it’s on isn’t attached.

ExposurE, Contrast, HigHligHt, sHadow, wHitE

and blaCkIt’s best to alter the Exposure, Contrast, Highlight,

Shadow, White and Black controls simultaneously.

First, think of the Exposure control as a midtone

adjustment. When adjusting this, don’t worry too

much about whether it makes the highlights or

shadows too dark. Second, adjust the White and

Black points. As discussed in the Histogram, make

sure you have some black and, usually, some white

in the image, but avoid large black or white areas. To

check this, use the Histogram clipping arrows, or

hold down Alt when making any adjustments.

With the Exposure and Whites and Blacks set, it’s

time to adjust the overall look of the image. Move

the Shadows and Highlights controls to reveal or

hide more detail, then tweak the Contrast to select

the look of your image. Once the contrast is set, you

may need to refne the Shadows and Highlights.

Clarity, VibranCE and saturation

These three sliders are surprisingly straightforward.

Clarity adjusts the local contrast and lowering it can

soften the fne details in an image, which helps to

reduce noise and pixelation. Increasing the Clarity

increases local contrast, which can add a perception

of sharpness to an image.

Saturation increases the saturation of all the

different colours equally, but Vibrance will only

increase the saturation of more muted colours, so it

doesn’t push up colours that are already nearly

completely saturated. As a result, Vibrance is better for

skin tones and also for more realistic colours in

landscape images.

Split toning can also be

used on colour images

with dramatic effect

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TONE CURVEIf you have used the sliders in

the Basic panel correctly, then you

shouldn’t need to do much, if

anything, with the Tone Curve.

However, much like the Curve

adjustment found in many editing

software packages, it can help in

tweaking the brightness of the image

in specifi c areas.

HUE, SATURATION, LUMINANCEIf you want to tweak specifi c colours, then

the HSL panel is the best place to do so. Each colour

channel has a slider where the Hue, Saturation and

Luminance (brightness) of the colour can be

adjusted. For specifi c adjustments use the Color

Picker, top left of the panel. Click on a colour in the

image and then push up or down to increase or

decrease the Hue, Saturation or Luminance. This is

handy if, for example, you want to adjust a blue sky.

With the Luminance Color Picker selected, click on

the sky and pull down to darken. Then select the

Saturation Color Picker and push up to increase the

saturation. This can help to create a polarised effect.

Alternatively, use it to make grass greener or duller,

or to increase the saturation of the iris in a portrait.

BLACK & WHITEThe Black & White panel has a Color Picker

and you use this on a particular spot on your image

to increase or decrease the selected colour. Increasing

or decreasing a colour adjusts its brightness within

the image and moves its appearance closer to white

or dark grey/black. It’s like using the colour channels

in Photoshop, or using black & white fi lters.

Adjust the grey tone by altering

the colours

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EXPERT TIP

Clicking on the graph button in the bottom-right corner of the

Tone Curve panel switches you from the Parametric to the

Point Curve editing mode, where you can also choose to edit

the individual red, green and blue colour channels, just like you

can using the Curves adjustment in Photoshop. These extra

colour controls can be used to apply strong colour

adjustments to any image.

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L I G H T R O O M

DETAILThe key to successful noise reduction and

sharpening is to keep the image looking natural and

realistic. Over-sharpened photos with heavy noise

reduction can be spotted a mile away, so err on the

side of caution when applying these effects.

Sharpening has four sliders. The fi rst is

the Amount, which is the strength of the sharpening.

How much you set this to will depend on the image

and your taste, but between 15 and 40 is a good

working range. The Radius slider determines the

area around an edge pixel that is to be sharpened.

Again, use restraint and aim to work in a range of

about 0.5-2.0. The Detail slider controls the fi ner

edges that are in the image, so this can usually be set

quite high. Finally, the Masking slider acts as a

threshold, allowing you to control where the

sharpening should take place. Slide it to the right

and you reduce the areas of the photograph that

sharpening will occur, by ignoring less important

edges and only sharpening the more obvious ones.

If you have lots of fi ne detail you’ll want to set the

mask low on these areas. If you have very smooth

areas with already hard edges that will respond well

to sharpening, use a higher amount of Masking.

Using the Alt key shows a live preview of the mask.

If you hold it down while using the Masking slider,

you can see which areas are being sharpened.

LENS CORRECTIONSIn its current version, and a number of

versions before that, Lightroom offers the option of

automatic lens corrections. If Lightroom knows the

lens an image was taken with, and has a profi le for it,

Lens Corrections can be automatically enabled. It

can be a good idea to apply this setting when you’re

importing an image. To enable the lens correction,

select Profi le, and then Enable Profi le Corrections.

The lens used should be detected from the metadata,

and any vignetting or curvilinear distortion will be

corrected. You can tweak these further using the

sliders just below the Lens Profi le details.

Chromatic aberrations can be removed with just a

click in the tick box under the Color Panel, while

purple fringing can also be removed. One trick here

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is to use the Color Picker tool on an area of purple

fringing. Using the Amount slider will target this

colour specifi cally when it’s next to any areas of high

contrast, and it’s a very effective tool.

A fairly recent addition to Lightroom is its ability

to auto correct and straighten any perspective

distortion. This is found under the Basic panel.

When used with a Profi le correction, curvilinear

distortion can be corrected, as well as any tilting

angles in the images. There are three options: Level,

Vertical and Full. Level straightens the horizontal

lines, Vertical corrects the vertical lines, while Full

corrects both of these at once. However, just how

well this works depends on the specifi c image. If you

want to have a go yourself, the various corrections

for perspective can be found in the Manual tab.

BRUSH EFFECTS TOOLOne of the biggest advancements in

Lightroom has been the introduction of localised

adjustment brushes. These allow many of the

Exposure, Colour and Contrast effects to be painted

onto certain parts of an image. It also allows some

basic, localised, sharpening, noise reduction,

de-fringing and moiré control.

To use the effects, simply select an appropriate

brush size and make sure the image is displayed on

screen at an appropriate size. While the Size control

is obvious, the Feather control affects how soft or

hard the edge of the brush is. The Flow control

determines the strength of the brush, and Density

regulates its maximum effect. So if Exposure is set to

+1EV and the Density is set to 50, the maximum

effect that can be built up by the brush is 0.5EV.

With any of these effects, it’s worth starting lightly

and building up as you go, in order to control the

overall look. The great thing is that all you’re doing

is choosing, and ‘painting’, one area to be affected. Iif

you feel you’ve overdone a particular brushed effect,

you can simply go in and alter the strength, rather

than having to delete it and start again.

Finally, the AutoMask setting detects edges and

makes it easier to mask certain areas. While this

setting can be very useful, it may create a halo effect

on edges if used too heavily. Instead, it’s worth going

at it carefully and using a feathered brush. Complex

masking, such as around a subject’s hair, is still

much better done in Photoshop than Lightroom.

GRADIENT AND RADIAL GRADIENT

Both these apply a graduated mask. This feathers

any of the effects from 100% to 0%. On landscape

images it can replicate a graduated fi lter, and as well

as changing the brightness, it can adjust white

balance, local contrast, etc. The Radial Gradient

creates a circular gradient – useful for applying an

off-centre vignette or to lighten part of an image.

PRESETS If your image has a certain style, it’s worth

saving as a Preset so the adjustments can be applied

to other images and even automatically as images

are imported. Exposure adjustments may not work

for other images, so it can be best to stick to colour

and effects adjustments when creating your Presets.

The Perspective Distortion control

can be too effective when set to

full. Use Auto instead

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OTHER OPTIONS

SYNCIf you’re happy with the

effects you’ve applied to

your image, you can save

time by syncing these

settings with those of

similar images. Simply

click and hold down Shift

to select a group of

images, then press Sync,

and a menu will appear

showing all the items you

can sync. Select your

settings, which will be

applied to all images in

the selection.

CREATE A VIRTUAL COPYIf you right-click on any

image, the menu

will give you the option to

Create a Virtual Copy. This

creates another version in

the Lightroom Catalog,

but doesn’t create another

fi le on your hard disk. This

is great if you’d like to

have a black & white as

well as a colour version of

the same image, without

taking up twice the space

on your disk drive.

EXPERT TIP

Whenever you use the Graduated fi lter or Radial

fi lter tools to add a localised adjustment, you

can use the Brush edit mode in Lightroom CC or

Lightroom 6 to edit the mask. The best method

is to enable the mask overlay, select Brush edit

mode and use the ‘add’ or ‘subtract’ brushes to

refi ne the mask. Such edits remain independent

of the gradated adjustment settings. This means

you can brush-edit the mask effect, but also

independently edit the gradated-effect settings

to refi ne the fi lter gradation settings or the area

covered. This is a great technique when you wish

to darken the sky but there are objects jutting

into the graduated area.

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L I G H T R O O M

For photographers, Lightroom really can take care

of your entire workfl ow, especially when it comes to

print. The Print module lets you specify the page

layout and print options for printing photos and

contact sheets on your printer. This makes it

easy to create a page layout, whether

you’d like to print hundreds of

images, a single print, a contact

sheet or everything in between.

Similarly, why not create a

book, slideshow or web

gallery? However you want to

present your images,

Lightroom can help.

TEMPLATE BROWSER

In practice, most photographers’ print

runs will consist of single images.

However, if you do wish to make a more

advanced type of print, there are many options in

the Template browser. One of the most useful

Print moduleOnce you’ve edited your photos, you can do much more than simply export them as image fi les.

We offer advice on the key ways to publish your pictures

Print options in Lightroom

allow you to create a book,

slideshow or Web gallery

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Perceptual and Relative options help to print-match

the screen image as closely as possible

templates is the option to print contact sheets.

Simply select the photos you wish to add from the

fi lmstrip bar, and then click on the contact sheet

template that suits the number of images. Using the

Layout and Page options you can then add details

such as the image fi le names, the date and time, or

even exposure data. Another useful trick is to

maximise the number of prints you have on a single

sheet of paper. You can use, or set up, templates for

different paper sizes – and then cram as many 6x4in

photos on a single sheet of A4 or A3 as you can.

CUSTOM PACKAGEIf none of the default templates suits your

needs, there is the option to create your own. Each

image is held within a Cell, and these can be selected

from the Cells panel. Once you’ve chosen your page

size, the Cells can be dragged onto the template and

moved around, with a grid background helping to

ensure that everything is neatly lined up. When

you’re happy with the layout, it can be saved as a

template for future use.

PAGE OPTIONSFor a more personal fi nish to your

prints, it’s possible to customise the page by adding

personalised touches. The background colour can be

changed (although bear in mind that setting it to black, for example, will use a lot of black ink) or a

polished fi nish created by setting a colour border.

The Identity Plate is another option that allows you

to add your name, or business name and promote

your brand. Depending on your preferences, the

Identity Plate size and opacity can be changed. If

you want to protect your images, the watermarking

tool is a good option. As you’d expect, this applies a

watermark to each image, and furthermore,

Lightroom allows you to customise the watermarks

or to save different watermarks for different projects.

COLOR MANAGEMENT Getting your fi nal print to match the image

on your screen is important, and thankfully Adobe

Lightroom has the same Color Management settings

as Adobe Photoshop. In the Color Management

setting you can select a colour printer profi le for

your printer and paper, and chose from Perceptual

or Relative rendering intent. Perceptual creates a

print closest to the perception of what you’ve

actually seen on screen, while Relative uses a colour

range in the print that is relative to the colours on

screen. The aim is, of course, to make the print

match the screen image as closely as possible, but

due to differences like the screen being backlit or the

range of the inks in use, there may be a noticeable

disparity between the Relative and Perceptual prints.

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EXPERT TIPIn the Print Job panel there is a Draft Mode

Printing option. When this is checked it

restricts you to managing all the print settings

via the system printer driver dialogue, but

allows you to make prints in draft mode

working from the available Library module

previews. The advantage of this is that you can

print contact sheets or smaller-sized prints

from a shoot really quickly, because Lightroom

only needs to read the (already available)

preview image

data, rather than

having to read

and render the

entire image data

for each image.

This can make

the print

data-generation

process about

100 times faster

compared to

normal printing.

OTHER OPTIONS

SLIDESHOW Creating a slideshow is

easy. You can choose your

background and add an

identity plate or

watermark, plus add text,

star ratings and even drop

shadows. Music can be

added from your own

collection, and you can

create intro and outro

titles. You can also add

cross-fade effects

between images. Also,

Lightroom’s new Pan and

Zoom options use a Ken

Burns-style effect and will

display a slightly enlarged

version of the image,

which the frame then

moves across. Used

sparingly this small use of

motion can really add

impact to your slideshow.

BOOKSThe Book Creation module

lets you choose from

different templates, and

there are various page

layouts. Text and borders

can be added, and the

books can be saved as PDF

or JPEG fi les. In the UK,

Adobe has partnered with

Blurb books, so you can

design a book with

Blurb’s different size and

fi nishing options. It can

be uploaded to Blurb from

Lightroom, and you’ll

receive your book in the

post in about a week.

WEBYou can create your own

custom Web galleries

without learning complex

code, as Lightroom takes

care of the work. Again,

select the images for your

gallery, then select from

one of the Preset Gallery

options. From here the

default settings can be

modifi ed and text added.

When fi nished, the gallery

is saved to a folder, with

the HTML-coded internet

pages and resized images.

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L I G H T R O O M

Exporting imagesOnce your raw fi les are edited, you need to export them to render the fi nal version. But with

so many options, what should you do? We explain...

EXPORT TO…The fi rst decision to make is where you’re

going to save your exported image. Images can be

exported to a specifi c folder, to the same folder as

the original raw fi le or you can choose the export

location later, as the fi nal stage in the process. The

‘Choose folder later…’ option is probably the best to

use in most instances, as it allows you to decide

where to save images on a case-by-case basis. This is

especially true if you plan to use a lot of Preset

export options. For example, you may require the

same fi le-size settings for numerous projects you’re

working on, but want the images to be saved to

different locations. You can apply your Preset export

settings to a batch of images at once, but rather than

the images being saved to a default location you can

choose a different location every time.

If you’re working on a fi nal set of images, or perhaps

web versions of images, then another useful option

is to ‘Put in Subfolder’. This option can work very

well when combined with the ‘Export To: Same As

Original Photo’ option. So, for example, if I have all

my raw fi les from my trip to Malta in a folder called

‘Malta’, I can have a Preset that creates a sub-folder

in the Malta folder called ‘Web Images’. It will then

save lower-resolution JPEG fi les in this folder. It’s

especially clever, as this Preset will

also work with all my Lake District

images: in each case all the Preset is

doing is creating a new folder called

‘Web Images’ in a parent folder.

FILE SETTINGSThe options available in the

File Settings window depend on the

format that you wish to save the image as. Images

can be exported as JPEG, TIFF, PSD, DNG or as the

same as the original fi le type. Most of the time, fi les

will be exported as JPEGs and you’ll have the option

to choose the colour space, the quality and whether

to limit the fi nal fi le size. As with all the various

export options, the choices you make will depend

entirely on what you plan to do with the exported

image. Obviously, if you’re saving the image for

website use it may be worth limiting the fi le size.

However, if the image is going to be printed, the

JPEG quality setting should be set to 100, or the fi le

should be exported as an uncompressed TIFF fi le.

IMAGE SIZINGOne of the most useful tools within the

Export setting is the ability to alter the size of the

EXPERT TIP

Those who subscribe to the Adobe

Creative Cloud will be able to create

collections that synchronise with

Lightroom Mobile. When you do this,

there is a Make Public button in the

Toolbar. Clicking on this generates a web

link that can be shared with clients or

family, that will allow them to view your

images as a web gallery. Anyone with an

Adobe ID (they don’t have to be a

subscriber to the Cloud) can also interact

with a Lightroom web view gallery to

add likes and comments. The Lightroom

web view images are also dynamically

updated as you make any edit changes

to the master images in Lightroom. You

can invite clients to monitor the progress

of a shoot edit as they process the

master images in Lightroom.

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Plug-in Manager allows you to add

export options

‘Once you’ve worked out how to export your images, it’s worth saving it as a Preset’

When you sync a collection with

Lightroom Mobile you can share it with

friends and colleagues via a web link

103

Creating a text or graphic watermark is simple

image. This can be useful if you have to submit a

photograph for a competition, or to a stock library

that requires images of a specifi c size. It also allows

you to create smaller versions of your images for

internet use. There are numerous options under the

‘Resize to Fit’ drop-down menu, including the

ability to save an image at a set number of

megapixels, or to apply a specifi c dimension to the

longest or shortest edge of an image – which is

particularly useful if your images are a mix of

portrait and landscape format. It’s also worth noting

that there is a ‘Don’t Enlarge’ option. With this

option selected images will not be made any larger

than their original dimensions.

WATERMARKINGAlthough having a large watermark

on your images can be distracting, a small copyright

notice with your name and perhaps a website link

can be very useful if you’re putting your images

online. Within the Export panel of Adobe

Lightroom there’s the option to add a watermark,

and you can create your own using the built-in

watermark editor. This is extremely simple and basic

to use, and allows you to add a watermark in the

form of text or a graphic. Usefully, there’s the option

to add the watermark at a size proportional to the

exported image, so you don’t need to have different

watermarks depending on the size of the image that

you’re exporting.

POST-PROCESSING If you plan to carry on working on your

image once you’ve exported it, you’ll fi nd options in

the Post-Processing tab for what to do after

exporting. If you plan to edit in Adobe Photoshop,

then there’s already an option in the menu for this,

although you can also choose any other installed

application in which to open the image.

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PRESETS

Most photographers will have certain

ways of working with their images

that they will use time and again. This

is why once you’ve worked out how you’re

going to export your images it’s worth saving

it as a Preset. You may wish to have an option

that lets you export an image at a specifi c size

for your blog, or one that will allow you to

export an image that is perfect for a glossy A3

print. Once you have created the Preset, you’ll

fi nd that it’s available in the right-click menu in

Lightroom. All you have to do is right-click on

the image, select your chosen Preset export

and Lightroom will start rendering it.

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p h o t o s h o p

Using the Displace Filter

gives the impression of

water fooding

the foreground

The original image of the

church of St Thomas a

Becket in Fairfeld, Kent,

before the ‘food’

Tucked away among the plethora of Photoshop

flters is Displace, which is perhaps one of the oldest

flters in the programme’s arsenal. Designed to allow

you to place artwork realistically on an irregular

surface, it is perfectly suited for overlaying text onto a

brick wall, for example, and will ensure the text

follows the contours of the bricks. This displacement

mapping requires two elements – the image (or text)

you wish to distort and the picture you want the frst

image to overlay (the displacement map). It works by

interpreting the brightness value of greys in the map.

That’s one way of using the Displace flter, but it

can also be used to create a lifelike water refection.

This is achieved by making your own displacement

map, which can then be applied to a fipped image

so it appears as a refection.

Things To considerTo achieve a successful result, you have to consider

the image you use. Images from a higher viewpoint

tend to look a little awkward, while those shot from

a lower angle look more natural. As the image is

going to be fipped, you need to look for a point

where the two elements can be joined seamlessly so

it won’t look out of place. You also need to think

about the format of the image you pick – portrait

format doesn’t really work, because once the image

is fipped you’ll be left with a long, thin canvas.

As you can see from the shot we’ve used here, the

angle is low and, thanks to the uncluttered fore-

ground, the join between the images is quite natural.

While this technique naturally lends itself to

landscape images, don’t be afraid to experiment with

other subjects.

the Displace Filter is often overlooked, but it can be a great tool for

transforming irregular surfaces, as Phil Hall shows in this refection technique

Fairfeld refections

This Photoshop Displacement

Map recreates water

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P h o t o s h o P

1 Displacement mapGo to File>New and create a new document at

1,000x2,000 pixels, in RGB mode with white as the fll.

Once opened, go to Filter>Noise>Add Noise and in the

pop-up box set the amount to 400% and Distribution

as Gaussian, with Monochromatic ticked. Then go to

Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur and set the amount to 2.0px.

4 aDD DistanceReturn to the Channels panel, select Red, hit Q for Quick

Mask Mode and draw a Gradient (white to black) from

top to bottom before hitting Q again. Go to Edit> Fill and

select 50% Grey. Select the Green channel, hit Q and

draw another gradient – this time from the top down,

but only by 15-20%. Hit Q and fll with 50% grey.

7 FlipGo to Edit>Transform>Flip Vertical and then move

it into position. Crop the image if necessary before

holding down Ctrl and clicking on the fipped

thumbnail in the Layers palette to make a selection. Go

to Filter>Blur>Motion Blur and enter an angle of 90°

and a Distance of 65px to soften the image.

2 embossIn the Channels palette, select the Red channel, then

Filter>Stylize>Emboss. Set the angle to 180°, height at

1px and amount to 500%. Then select the Green

channel and Emboss again. This time set it to 90°,

with everything else the same as before. Select the

Blue channel and go to Edit>Fill and fll with black.

5 blur anD saveSelect the Layers palette and apply a Gaussian Blur of

1.5px before saving. It’s important to save it as a

Photoshop PSD fle, ensuring Maximum Compatibility

is applied – if you’re unsure, go to File>Preferences>

File Handling. With the Displacement Map saved, we

can now look at applying this to an image.

8 aDD ripplesSelect Layer 1, hit Ctrl and click on the thumbnail. Go

to Filter>Distort Displace. In the pop-up box, set the

Horizontal Scale to 50 and Vertical Scale to 125 (you

may need to experiment), select Stretch To Fit and Repeat

Edge Pixels, then hit OK. Find where your Displacement

Map is saved and watch the magic happen.

3 transFormSelect the RGB layer and then select the Layers palette.

Go to Edit>Transform>Perspective, pulling a bottom

corner outwards until the width is 600%. Hit return

and repeat. Resize the image by going to Edit>

Transform>Scale, setting the height to 50%, with the

white space cropped to leave a 1,000px square fle.

6 select imageOpen a suitable image to apply a refection to, and

extend the Canvas (Image>Canvas and in the pop-up

box, set the Anchor point in the top middle, setting the

Height at 200%). Then make a selection, paying

attention to the point you want the refection to begin.

Hit Ctrl+C and then Ctrl+V to paste into a new layer.

9 Finishing touchesTo fnish, go to Layer>New Layer, then select the

Gradient Tool from the Toolbox, picking ‘Foreground

to Transparent’ as the Gradient. Select a dark grey as

your foreground colour and then apply a gradient

from the bottom to the middle of the image. Change

the Blending Mode to Multiple and reduce the Opacity.

step by step

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