Photography Article Blue Hour Photography|Photography Artist Statement

The Blue Hour is an terrific time for photography, but it is frequently less famous than its flashy, warm precursor, the Golden Hour. The Blue Hour is that magical time of night time when the sky turns a deep, darkish blue that is captured beautifully through camera sensors. It has amazing capability for growing stand-out photographs, particularly of subjects like lit towns, sparkling carnival lighting fixtures, and mild paintings. This put up will provide an explanation for the basics of the Blue Hour and the way nice to capture outstanding Blue Hour photographs.

Blue hour is also the weekly topic for theBoost Your Photography: 52 Weeks Challenge. Consider joining the BYP 52 Weeks Google+ Community to share your weekly photograph and see what others are capturing.

When Is the Blue Hour?

The Blue Hour is not always an hour, and it is not always blue. But, it is generally the time just following the sunset and Golden Hour or just before the sunrise and Golden Hour, and it most often lasts between an hour and only a half an hour. You can guesstimate the Blue Hour by adding about 15 minutes onto the sunset time (or subtracting 15 minutes from sunrise), or you can visit the Blue Hour Site, which has a handy Blue Hour calculator and will provide estimated starting and ending times for the Blue Hour. (There is also a link to a Flickr group with a lot of inspirational Blue Hour photographs.)

Shooting During the Blue Hour

Many of the same tips for Better Sunrises and Sunsets are also applicable to shooting during the Blue Hour, especially knowing when and where to shoot, creating foreground interest, and nailing the exposure. Think about bringing and using a tripod when shooting during the Blue Hour, as the fading light will have you wanting longer shutter speeds (read more about How to Maximize Your Tripod or a review of the GorillaPod line of travel tripods).

If you shoot in JPEG, you may want to adjust your white stability to "tungsten" whilst shooting all through the Blue Hour, specifically if you are capturing a metropolis or different vibrant lighting fixtures at night time. Tungsten will deepen and intensify the blue elements, regularly making for a extra dramatic shot. If you shoot in RAW, you've got the capacity to pick Tungsten later in publish-processing.

Keep a watch for your LCD and histogram whilst shooting during the Blue Hour, as the mild may be changing swiftly. (See Demystifying the Histogram for extra info on the usage of your histogram.) One super method is to shoot bracketed pictures using exposure reimbursement, that's to be had on maximum DSLR cameras. This allows you to shoot a series of images at various publicity values, inclusive of -1, zero, and 1, which is a great c language to use.

Comparing the 3 pix above on the right, you may see how the underexposed shot (-1) brings out a deeper blue coloration inside the sky while compared to the typically exposed (0) and overexposed ( 1) pix. This series changed into taken very early on the begin of the Blue Hour, which is why the blue shade isn't always as said.

The left-hand collection of 3 exposures become taken 15 mins later, whilst the Blue Hour turned into in full swing. The deep blue skies are a good deal extra apparent across all three exposures. If you want the deeper, darker colour, you might still choose the underexposed version, however you might additionally discover your self interested in the cheerier lighter blues of the usually uncovered or overexposed variations too. This is the gain of capturing bracketed photographs: you can select your favorites after the event, and you may always exchange your mind. As the Blue Hour rolls to an cease and the sky becomes black, you might discover that simplest the overexposed version keeps any of the blue colour.

Ideas for Blue Hour Subjects

Cityscapes. Cities are an ideal subject for Blur Hour photography. The bright lights and moving traffic create a great contrast to the changing blues of the night or early morning sky. In the photograph above, the frozen ice and water on the lake echo the brilliant blues of the sky. (The purples towards the bottom are from the light reflecting off the ice.)

Lights and Light Painting. Playing with lights is a particularly fun way to use the Blue Hour. You can use a flashlight to "paint" color or brightness onto a subject, or you can write, paint, draw or swirl with lights to create intricate patterns and designs. All of them are complemented by the blue tones of the Blue Hour. Read Light Painting: How to Spin an Orb for more specifics.

Fairs, Festivals, and Carnivals. Anywhere with bright carnival rides is a great location for Blue Hour photography. After the sun sets and the blue hues come out, you can capture incredible long exposure shots using your camera, tripod, and remote shutter release. Vary your shutter speed, angle, and timing to create a wide variety of photographs. The photographs above show the difference between shooting during the Blue Hour and shooting after. The second shot was taken about a half-an-hour after the first. The blue color really adds to the brightness and drama compared to the black.

Sparklers, Fireworks, and Steel Wool. You can also create amazing Blue Hour photographs with sparklers, fireworks, or steel wool. Again, the bright lights look even more amazing against a blue backdrop. Sadly, not all communities schedule the timing of their fireworks displays around the precise Blue Hour (how thoughtless!), but you can choose the time if you are using sparklers or steel wool. Read more about Spinning Fire and Steel Wool Photography and/or Quick Tips for Better Fireworks Photographs for more details.

Summary

The Blue Hour is a fascinating photographic time of night (or morning) and one worth exploring. Think about the kinds of subjects that might work well for a Blue Hour shot and get out there and make it happen! Share your photographs in the comments below, or consider joining the BYP 52 Weeks Google+ Community to share your weekly photograph and see what others are capturing.

Photography Article How to Photograph "Ghosts" in a Single Exposure|Photography Artist Statement

The climate is getting cooler, the leaves have become yellower, and the conversations at college revolve around Halloween and costumes. Why not have some a laugh with a Halloween-stimulated picture shoot this yr and learn how to image ghosts? (Even better, this approach calls for no Photoshop or post-processing understand how.)

Techniques for Photographing Ghosts

In order to properly photograph ghosts, it helps to be prepared. For the best results, you will need your camera, a sturdy tripod, and a remote shutter release. An atmospheric location is an additional benefit, but you can be creative about where you want your ghost to appear.

The trick to growing a ghostly photograph is using a protracted shutter velocity. (This is one purpose why most ghosts extra regularly appear at night time.) A few to several seconds ought to be enough. Night or early nighttime lighting works thoroughly, however dim interior mild can also work.

Begin via taking pictures in shutter precedence mode (Tv for Canon or S for Nikon). Dial in a shutter pace of some seconds and take a practice publicity. Most in all likelihood, your digital camera will capture a photo this is some distance brighter than the gloomy appearance you will need. In that case, you could both switch into manual mode and dial in the identical shutter speed with a narrower aperture, or you can use exposure compensation and select a terrible fee (like -2 or -three) to get a darker ordinary image.

Once you have got installed the right temper together with your history, you're prepared to locate your ghosts. The trick for capturing a ghost in a single publicity is only having your ghost seen inside the frame for less than half of of the overall length of the exposure (shutter velocity). It is commonly lots less difficult first of all your ghost in the photograph and feature them disguise halfway through.

This ghost photograph turned into captured at ISO a hundred, f/four, and a shutter pace of 20 seconds. My ghost took his role within the photo, and I used the far off shutter launch to cause the digital camera. He stood as nonetheless as viable while counting to ten after which ducked down and stepped fast out of the field of view. (In darkened situations like these, a shifting situation will no longer be seen, so the digicam only recorded his shadow when he became status nonetheless.) The most effective lighting on this scene got here from the glowing cabin, so the ghost is recorded without definition as best a silhouette.

This ghostly attempt was a little less a success, due to the fact the details within the porch crush the fingers of the left-hand ghost, which might be accomplishing out for the proper-hand ghost. Experiment!

Defined Ghosts and Moving Ghosts

If you want more visibility with your ghost, then you will need to find a setting where some light is falling on your ghostly subject.

This ghostly shot was done in mid-afternoon with the aid of a circular polarizer and a narrow aperture. The circular polarizer blocks an additional stop or two of light, requiring an even longer shutter speed. With the overhead shade and polarizer, I was able to get a shutter speed of 8 seconds at f/22 and ISO 100. (You could also use a neutral density filter to get a longer shutter speed. Read more in Introduction to Filters.) For this ghostly selfie, I had the camera on a tripod with a 10-second countdown timer. After triggering the shutter, I raced to my location and froze. Once I heard the camera shutter I mentally counted to three and then rushed out of the frame for the rest of the exposure. (I also covered up my legs with my black jacket, which made my feet disappear entirely from the image.)

Moving ghosts are a piece of a tribulation-and-blunders effort. Your ghost will need to transport slowly sufficient that the digicam can capture their motion but but quickly sufficient to have moved an awesome distance during the time the picture is being taken.

This unique ghost shot, under, befell as a piece of a fluke. The local pictures group had organized a at the back of-the-scene images excursion of our neighborhood acting arts middle. We were a massive institution of approximately 40 photographers, so it became inevitable that other photographers could grow to be in your very last images.

This image changed into taken at ISO 100, f/3.Five, and four seconds. It become a part of a sequence of bracketed pictures I was taking of the interior of the live performance corridor. (This shot changed into taken at -2 exposure repayment.) My ghost became a fellow photographer in a white hooded sweatshirt who changed into shifting at a totally even pace up the staircase. He took place to pause simply earlier than the quit of the picture, which makes his head and frame a chunk extra visible in courting to his ghostly flowing motion.

To recreate a shot like this one, you will need to set-up and determine your settings beforehand, like with the photographs above. Then, have your ghost start transferring slowly earlier than you cause the shot. (If your ghost waits until you start taking pictures to move, then that status position will be recorded extra strongly than the later movement.) Have your ghost take slow however planned steps, in order to help create greater of an influence than steady motion. (Steady movement will create an undifferentiated blur, while begin-forestall steps will create a greater herky-jerky ghost like the one above.)

Experiment! This form of ghost requires a bit of trial-and-blunders, but the consequences are constantly interesting and a chunk unpredictable. If you want your ghost to pause and freeze near the quit of your publicity, you would possibly want to recollect shooting in Bulb mode. That way, you easy keep down the trigger to begin the publicity, and the photograph ends while you lift up on the button. So, you can have your ghost start transferring, keep down the button to start the photograph, ask your ghost to maintain still after a time, depend an extra 2d or so, and release.

Ghosts Everywhere

Have fun with it! Think about interesting or unusual costumes for your ghostly character. Get a few more friends in on the act and capture a whole group of ghosts doing something spooky or unusual.

Share your a hit ghost pictures with us within the comments under!

Boost Your Photography: Learn Your DSLR is now to be had from Amazon. Get the maximum from your digital camera with realistic recommendation approximately the technical and creative elements of DSLR images as a way to have you ever taking stunning photographs right away.

This post is likewise linked up at Social Media Sunday, hosted through the IBA.

Photography Article Spooky Levitation How To with Photoshop|Photography Artist Statement

Just in time for Halloween, any other fun spook-inspired shot: levitation! Unlike photographing ghosts in a unmarried publicity, the version of levitation does require a little post-processing and Photoshop magic. This put up will lay out all you need to know to seize and put up-technique an ideal levitation shot.

Levitation Set-Up

The basics of this style of levitation shot are three-fold: a location with a spooky vibe, a willing subject with a flowy outfit, and a pair of chairs or flat table to create the levitation. For equipment, you will need your camera, a tripod, and a remote shutter release. The tripod and shutter release will help keep your camera stable and allow you to take the exact same composition across your different setup shots.

I endorse beginning along with your levitated-difficulty shot first. Choose your composition and set up the chairs or table that you will use to create the levitation effect. You will need to use the identical settings for every of your set-up pictures. If you are not cushty with shooting in guide mode, then start with a take a look at shot in another mode. Once you are glad with the result, you can then dial in the ones identical settings in manual mode.

Now, you're ready to levitate! Position your subject on the close to edge of the desk or chairs. This is in which the flowy outfit is available in available. The more of the outfit that flows down over the desk/chairs, the simpler it will be to create a more sensible floating appearance. Ask your challenge to attempt arching his/her returned as nicely. You need to avoid creating an obvious instantly line from the desk/chairs. I endorse taking pictures a chain of photographs with distinct poses so that you can later pick your favorite.

Once you observed you have got the shot proper, you want to go away your digicam and settings exactly as they're. Remove the table or chairs and take any other photograph of the empty model of the composition. If you need to feature candles or other props within the very last image, set them up and take but some other photo with the ones elements in the composition. Now you're geared up to manner!

Levitation Post-Processing

Choose your favorite levitation shot, as well as one of the empty background and one of any foreground props. If you shot in RAW and want to do any RAW adjustments, such as setting the white balance, make sure that you make the same adjustments to all three images.

Now, open all three images in Photoshop and copy and paste them into a single file. Your empty background shot should be the bottom layer, then your foreground props, and finally your levitation subject. Check to make sure that all layers line up with each other, or move them around slightly as needed. Add a layer mask to the levitation subject layer and choose reveal all (Layer -> Layer Mask -> Reveal All).

Then you'll want to selectively do away with any visible signs and symptoms of the desk or chairs below your challenge. I propose starting with the Quick Selection tool. Then use the paint bucket tool to paint your selection black. You can also need to the touch-up the choice round the rims. Use a black paintbrush to cast off the chair or a white paintbrush to add lower back any components of the challenge that could have by accident been decided on. (In the example above, I would need to use white to color returned in my hand, as an instance.)

Now, repeat the equal method with the foreground props layer. You might also discover it less complicated to add a 'disguise all' layer mask and paint in any props or candles the use of a white brush. You can again try using the Quick Selection Tool to choose your props.

The final touch is to add a shadow, to add the feeling of height to your levitation. Make a duplicate copy of your empty background layer. Then adjust the exposure by creating an exposure adjustment layer (Layer -> New Adjustment Layer -> Exposure). Lower the exposure slightly, perhaps a quarter to a half stop. Then create a layer mask and choose hide all. Use a white brush with a medium opacity (30-50%) to paint in a shadowy shape. If the shadow looks too dark, you can adjust the opacity of the entire layer until it looks right. (I used 20%.) Subtle is better.

Time to Levitate

Give it a try - I look forward to seeing what you come up with! Try color, try black and white, and see what you like best. Share your shots in the comments below.

Boost Your Photography: Learn Your DSLR is now available from Amazon. Get the most out of your digicam with practical advice about the technical and creative aspects of DSLR pictures in order to have you taking beautiful pics right away.

Photography Article Crystal Ball Photography|Photography Artist Statement

A crystal ball is for greater than having your fortune informed - study on for a few a laugh and smooth images ideas using a crystal ball!

Where to Buy a Crystal Ball

Crystal balls (or meditation globes, as they are more commonly listed) are inexpensive and available from online retailers like Amazon. The one that I own, and that was used for all the photographs in this article, is the 80mm size and comes with its own tiny holder and case. (As currently listed, it retails for $16.)  At just over 3 inches in diameter, this one is a great size for holding in your hand.

Some people prefer larger sizes, which are a bit easier to photograph: the larger size better fills your image and reflects more of the scene. The 110mm size is the next size up. The downside to the larger crystal ball is its weight and portability. These are solid quartz crystal, which gives them surprising heft for their size. The110mm size is much more suitable for shooting it in a stand, rather than hand-holding.

The very last alternative is to go a piece smaller, with the 50mm (or 2 inch) size. The smaller length makes it a great deal extra transportable and less difficult to carry. It is harder to seize a body-filling photograph with the smaller crystal ball, until you are setting it in a stand and capturing with a zoom lens from further returned. I even have visible a few definitely specific photographs fascinated by several small crystal balls collectively.

Techniques for Photographing a Crystal Ball

The easiest manner to picture a crystal ball is to discover an area in which you may set the ball, leaving both your palms loose for photographing. This additionally gives you the gain of transferring in addition away and deciding on your composition. (I'll talk more about the way to correctly shoot whilst hand-conserving in a minute.)

Try to locate a place that is multiplied, relative to your challenge. A crystal ball flips and distorts the scene that is in the back of it. If you area the ball down at the floor, tons of your reflection will virtually be the floor. By getting the crystal ball up better, and via taking pictures from below it, you emphasize the sky and above-floor features of your situation.

As for settings, you normally need to crisply seize the situation as show in the crystal ball. I actually have found that a good mid-range aperture, within the f/8 to f/10 range, works well. In maximum occasions, if there is a little distance among the ball and your situation, this will also render the historical past out-of-focus. If you need the history extra in recognition and distinguishable, pick out a narrower aperture. (The trees, above, had been shot at f/eleven.)

Crystal Ball Composition Suggestions

The advantage of hand-preserving the crystal ball at the same time as shooting is which you have instant flexibility to choose your situation and choose your courting to that subject. Moving the ball closer will emphasize the distortion and bending, even as moving the ball similarly away will render the difficulty in a extra sensible manner.

The maximum hard component of capturing at the same time as protecting the ball (apart from stabilizing your digicam at the same time as taking pictures with one hand) is maintaining in mind the minimum focusing distance. Every lens has a minimal distance at which it may discover cognizance. If your digital camera is too near your crystal ball, then it will likely be not able to focus everywhere in/at the ball. (I once in a while discover myself having to lean away barely whilst extending my hand out to its most so that you can get the digicam to focus.)

Look at your pix right-side up and the wrong way up before picking a favourite. Sometimes you may find it greater alluring to have the image within the ball "right-facet up," however different times you may opt to have the crystal ball image inverted, with the historical past proper-aspect up.

Try experimenting with subjects which have lots of traces. The crystal ball reasons exciting distortion outcomes that emerge as greater exaggerated the closer you have got the ball for your issue.

Cautions while Photographing a Crystal Ball

The main caution when photographing a crystal ball is to beware of direct daylight. Like any form of glass or lens, a crystal ball bends sunlight, and you may discover yourself by chance concentrating that sunlight - perhaps into your digital camera lens (no longer excellent) or onto yourself (ouch!).

I almost dropped my crystal ball even as hand-conserving it for a shot, due to the fact the solar become positioned right in which its light via the ball became focused on my finger!

The other element to hold in thoughts is truely to be prepared for the load of the ball. Even with my 80mm crystal ball, if I am sporting it around in my purse or camera bag for too long, the load can real begin to take a toll on my shoulder. Plan ahead, and also you should have no troubles.

Do you've got a favorite crystal ball shot? Share a link in the comments under!

Boost Your Photography: Learn Your DSLR is now to be had from Amazon. Get the maximum from your digital camera with sensible advice about the technical and creative aspects of DSLR photography so one can have you taking beautiful pix right away.

Photography Article Easy Setup for Formal Newborn Photography|Photography Artist Statement

Captured using setup and blanket shown underneath

There are two essential sorts of new child photography: posed, formal images, frequently shot against a backdrop and casual or life-style photographs of the new child and family, usually shot in their home using the house itself because the backdrop. This submit will awareness at the formal fashion of photographs, and a later publish will provide hints for lifestyle newborn images.

Set-Up for Newborn Photography

The key to formal new child snap shots is the usage of a backdrop. You can both purchase a backdrop stand or make one yourself out of PVC. You want some thing this is portable and smooth to assemble and disassemble as maximum newborn periods are finished inside the own family's domestic. (I use a backdrop stand made with the aid of Square Perfect that incorporates a sporting case and that I can set up or take down in underneath four minutes. See the stand I use right here.)

Where you installation in your shoot will depend upon the residence and specifically at the windows and function of the solar. Newborn images works first-class with natural light. You do not want to use your flash on an infant! Look for a room within the house with big home windows and adequate herbal light. Bedrooms work specifically properly, as you can use the bed for posing.

For this specific shoot, we have been the usage of the main circle of relatives room and the large, strong coffee desk as our base. You can see a big, fuzzy blanket pinned to the backdrop stand and draped over the espresso table. Though it is difficult to parent on this image, the backdrop is angled closer to the home windows, which wrap all of the manner at the back of wherein I am standing to take this picture.

The basket has a heavy cookbook inside the bottom for stability and then blankets rolled up internal for comfort - the roll at one give up makes a chunk of a pillow to raise the child's head. Pillows and extra blankets have been placed on top of the espresso desk and under the backdrop while photographing the child with out the basket.

The image above was taken all through this shoot the usage of the backdrop precisely as proven. For the formal family photographs, I switched to a black history, and the mother and father truely sat on the espresso desk. Always ensure that you have a backdrop that is huge sufficient for every person.

Want to learn extra about new child photography? Click right here to see the opposite posts in this series. What else do you want to recognize? Leave a question inside the comments under, and it may be featured in a future post!

Boost Your Photography: Learn Your DSLR is now available from Amazon. Get the most from your digicam with sensible recommendation approximately the technical and innovative elements of DSLR images on the way to have you taking beautiful photos right away.