48hr

Landscapes
Plan, shoot, edit:
How to make the
most of your
weekend
Helping you to be a better photographer

AUTUMN 2015

209

Inspirational
photo ideas
Get great shots whatever your subject
Packed with must-try techniques
Expert tips and advice

Lightroom
masterclass
Discover the power of Lightroom
in our comprehensive guide

PORTRAITS

Use gel lighting and

creative distortion for
unique results

PLUS

WILDLIFE

Find out the secrets

to capturing Little
Owls and Swallows

TRAVEL

Indispensible advice
from globetrotting
photographers

Best of British Infrared landscapes Shooting stairs

creatively The 10 commandments of street
Perfect weddings Foxes Creative Photoshop

LANDSCAPE

How early morning

light can transform
your garden photos

I currently work
as a touring technician
and spend a lot of time
traveling around the
world with various acts.
OCAs structure
allows me to study
anywhere, which for
me is fantastic. Once
on the course I received
an incredible level of
support from my OCA
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 Henderson
Photography student

Live | Learn | Create

Contemporary courses you can study
from home

Open College of the Arts

0800 731 2116
oca.ac.uk

Welcome

JEREMY WALKER

WELCOME TO PHOTO TECHNIQUE , a magazine created by photographers for

photographers who want to rene their skills, be inspired by stunning
images and take better images.
In this issue weve managed to cram a whole load of features in for you. If
youre stuck for inspiration, then weve got stacks of expert advice on what
you should be shooting now. And once youre back home, why not take the
time to get to grips with Photoshop Lightroom? Adobes powerful imaging
software will transform your workow and weve got a comprehensive guide
starting on page 89.
Thats not forgetting a host of other exciting techniques you can try,
including how to maximise shooting over a weekend, travel tips,
tips
capturing weddings creatively, using gels for unique portraits and
an
shooting on the street. Enjoy the issue.

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: phototechnique@timeinc.com
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
What Digital Camera is a trademark of Time Inc. (UK) Ltd
2015 Time Inc. (UK) Ltd ISSN No. 1366-5324
Photo Technique is a Focus Network title, published by Time Inc. (UK) Ltd,
Blue Fin Building, 110 Southwark Street, London SE1 0SU

EDITOR PHIL HALL

c o n t e n t s

Contents
Camera skills

Master 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

landsCapes

shoot 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

nature

Refne 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

travel

essential advice when youre on the move

56 10 travel commandments expert tips for
achieving memorable images on the road

p8 26 things to shoot now

portraits

Achieve 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

street

Must-have advice for the city streets

82 10 street commandments Insight on
how to get the best results when shooting
on the street

p40 into the light

image editing

Inspiration, advice and help

89 Master Lightroom In our comprehensive
guide to Adobe Photoshop Lightroom
104 Creative Photoshop Use the displace
flter to create refections

p56 travel commandments

P72 GEL LIGHTING

P28 48HR LANDSCAPES

P46 FOX HUNT P82 STREET COMMANDMENTS

5

i n s p i r e

ToTal Solar EclipSE

rEmy 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 rebeccas frst attempt at
shooting a solar eclipse, and to do so theyd prepared for over a year.
To see all of this years winning entries and to fnd out about
how to enter next years competition, visit www.rmg.co.uk

C A M E R A

S K I L L S

26

things to
shoot now
Our experts give you their top tips
and must-try techniques to put into
practice over the coming months

1 SHOOT POPPY FIELDS

MARK BAUER

Poppies ower annually, usually in

summer, but rarely in the same place
two years running, so you need to put
in some effort to 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 youre
lucky, there may be some mist in the
8

background to add atmosphere.

A wideangle lens can emphasise the
size of the eld and allow you to get
close to individual owers. A small
aperture and focusing a third of the
way into the scene will maximise depth
of eld. Alternatively, the perspective
compression of a telephoto lens can
create the impression of a thick carpet
of owers. A long lens and narrow
depth of 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

3 MISTY MORNINGS JEREMY WALKER

Twilight lasts longer

in the summer and it
pays to make full use
of the suns afterglow

2 DONT GO
BEFORE THE GLOW
MARK BAUER

JEREMY WALKER

MARK BAUER

Summers long days mean very

early starts and late 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 its 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 reections 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, youll

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, youll often either need
to use graduated 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 reections and look
for interesting shapes for
foreground interest, or those that
can be silhouetted against a
colourful sky.

Misty 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. Sometimes mist will hang around, but it can disappear
quickly, so have alternate locations in mind.

Backlit mist can add

drama to your shots, so its
well worth getting up early for
JEREMY WALKER

4 HARVEST
JEREMY WALKER

MARK BAUER

machinery adds a splash of

colour. Get up high and look
down, or go for the worms-eye
Golden elds being harvested,
view looking up through the
round bales of straw and fruit
crops or fruit trees. Try using
trees weighed down harvest
long lenses into the light with
time offers great image
tractors and combines silhouopportunities. Get permission
from the landowner if you want etted in their own dust.
Wideangle lenses will work well
to venture onto a farm. They
close-in on fruit crops and
can be dangerous places and,
even when on a public footpath, orchards. If you have no access
dont forget that farmers will be to the countryside, look out for
local allotments, but again get
concentrating on their job, not
looking out for photographers. permission. Even an apple tree
Harvesting allows for images in your garden or a bramble can
with a strong sense of shape and be a good subject given the right
design. Bold lines dominate the light. The harvest wont last
long, so take advantage of it.
elds and orchards, and
9

c a m e r a

s k i l l s

5 Lavender
adam Burton

While 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

adam burton

Circular bales are a challenge and

shooting too wide can
be a problem. It may be better
to ft a mid-range lens

10

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, youll 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.
Its 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.

Lavender is best shot with a

mid-range zoom to maximise the
plants colour and to enhance any
receding lines

6 BaLes
adam Burton

Rolling 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.

 ADAM BURTON

7 SHOOT INFRARED
JUSTIN MINNS

Summer 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 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
cameras sensor. In digital
photography this is done either
by using a lens 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
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.

JUSTIN MINNS

Heather doesnt photograph

well in harsh sunlight. The colours show
up much better when the sun is hidden
behind cloud or near the horizon
Infrared photography is at its
most effective on bright
sunny days

COLIN ROBERTS

8 HEATHER-CLAD
MOORS
COLIN ROBERTS

grasses, so it pays to exploit the

after-effect of rain if possible.
Some tracts of moorland
Moorlands can be bleak places, have a variety of subjects to use
as focal points. Try using
especially in winter. But it is
bracken ferns as foreground
transformed during summer
interest they spring up
when the heathers come into
randomly across the moor and
bloom. Heather doesnt
their pale green fronds make
photograph well in harsh
for an eye-catching contrast
sunlight, so avoid shooting
when the sun is high in the sky. with the heather. Silver birch
and Scots pine are also
The pinky-mauve hues show
up much better when the sun is common, and these shapely
trees can be used to break the
near the horizon, or hidden
monotony of the horizon.
behind cloud, as these
Watch out as well for isolated
conditions keep contrast to a
moorland pools even very
minimum, and allow colour
small ones can be made to ll
and detail to be more clearly
the foreground if you use a
seen. Moisture also helps
wideangle lens to exaggerate
enrich the scene, bringing out
the perspective.
the orange tones of moorland
11

s k i l l s

9 PhotograPh
PeoPle doing
their hobby
adam duckworth

When 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 theyve spent the winter
restoring, everyone loves a great
picture showing them enjoying
their chosen interest.
Its a prime opportunity to
capture a portrait that shows
more than just what a person
looks like. Its a chance to show
what theyre interested in.
Ask around your friends and
family and chances are youll
discover someone with a
fascinating pastime. If that fails,
look around for events in your

adam duckworth

c a m e r a

Capture your
sitter in his natural
environment with the
tools of his trade

local area where youll 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 wouldnt
want to shoot a surfer in a city
centre, but thats exactly where
youd want to photograph a
death-defying parkour runner.

If theres 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
its 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
theres nothing creeping into
the shot. Make sure the pose,
location, kit and clothing suit
the subject and youve thought
about composition and
lighting. And have fun!

10 Shoot a film Portrait

matt oSborne

Dust 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-contrast images and a blue flter can accentuate
freckles. Brighter days also provide enough
light to shoot with slow speed, ultra-fnegrain flms like Ilfords Pan F Plus ISO 50
black & white flm. Finally, if youve 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.
12

Film is an entirely different

proposition to digital. As
versatile as digital is, the
detail of flm can be stunning

Shooting in bright conditions

doesnt necessarily go hand-inhand with the wide and fast
apertures we often desire for a
shallow-depth-of-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
lters come into play. Thanks to
their ability to limit the amount
of light passing through the lens,
youll 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 lter for the
light levels youre working with.

12 USING NATURAL
SHADOWS
DAVE KAI-PIPER

ALL IMAGES THIS PAGE DAVE KAI-PIPER

11 USE FILTERS
DAVE KAI-PIPER

Bright conditions call

for a neutral-density lter
so you can open up the
lens without overexposing
the shot

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
sitters 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.

13 AVOID SHOOTING
IN THE MIDDAY SUN
DAVE KAI-PIPER

Opportunities for sunset

silhouettes are rare: plan
ahead to get your shot

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, 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
youll 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.

14 SHOOT SILHOUETTES
DAVE KAI-PIPER

Using 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 are, place your model directly
in the path of the sun, creating a shadow for you to
stand in, and shoot.
13

C A M E R A

S K I L L S

Equally appealing against a blue or

white background, terns are one of the
UKs most striking wildlife subjects to
photograph

ANDREW MASON

15 TERNS
ANDREW MASON

14

Walk along the boardwalk in

summer on the island of Inner
Farne, off the Northumberland
coast, and youre 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 UKs 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
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
Islands, Norfolk, Orkney Islands and
Shetland Islands) make for great
environmental images.

A bright ash of blue and

orange ying low and fast over
the water, a short, sharp whistle
and the kingsher is gone. As
well as brief glimpses in ight,
kingshers can also be seen on
riverside perches from where
they dive for 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 kingshers 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 kingshers can only
be photographed at a distance,
requiring the use of extreme
focal lengths and/or cropping.
A far better option is to nd

ROBERT CANIS

Keep downwind from a rabbit, lie very still

under some netting and you could be
rewarded with a close encounter

a quiet stretch of water that has

resident kingshers and (with
the landowners permission) set
up perches to attract the birds.
By using a portable hide a
bag hide will work or a screen/
blind, the kingshers can be
photographed much closer.
Avoid nest sites, as a licence is
required to photograph them.
When photographing,
consider varying the perches
an old shing rod makes for a
great substitute branch, as do
No Fishing signs. As well as
trying portraits with a
kingsher 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 kingsher diving
for sh. To capture such a shot
thats well-composed, in ideal
light and in focus is incredibly
difcult, but very rewarding.

Due to kingshers brightness,

backgrounds need to be clean.
As for capturing a diving shot,
youll need perseverance!

17 RABBITS
ROBERT CANIS

clothing. The more you can

conceal yourself, the better.
Rabbits always look good
Hares are great characters, have a
bathed in warm, evening
fascinating history, are far less
numerous than rabbits and, as a sunlight. Try to arrive a couple of
hours before sunset, check the
whole, are very difcult to get
wind direction and settle
good images of, making them
yourself ten metres or so away
more desirable.
Rabbits, on the other hand, are (depending on your lens).
If youre lying down, support
found almost everywhere
your camera on a beanbag and
throughout Britain and they
throw some scrim netting over
have a xed abode, so are far
more accessible and, to top it off, your camera. A cushion to
you dont need lots of eldcraft! support your chest will also
Rabbits have an acute sense of make the wait more comfortable.
Lying as still as possible is vital.
smell, so try to position yourself
downwind. Look for somewhere Being inconspicuous also means
there is a chance of observing
to break up your outline, too,
and, potentially, photographing
such as patches of nettles, long
grass or a hedge. I prefer to shoot other kinds of wildlife, so keep
at ground level as you get a more your eyes peeled. Over the years,
in the course of photographing
intimate perspective, but failing
this, sit with your back against a rabbits, Ive had some amazing
close encounters with foxes,
tree. Also, you should avoid
wearing noisy, brightly coloured buzzards, hares and owls.
15

ANDREW MASON

16 KINGFISHERS
ANDREW MASON

S k i l l S

Recently, the barn owl was beaten into

second place by the robin in the quest
to determine Britains 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 theres an area where theyre
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 cameras 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.

oscar dewhurst

When barn owls are feeding

chicks, action-packed hunting
shots can be taken in daylight
if you know where to look

19 heDgehogs
DaviD tipling

water dish and supplementary food in

your garden or local wood, you may be
able to attract hedgehogs to a chosen
Being nocturnal does not mean
spot. This is by far the best and most
hedgehogs are hard to locate if you
have a decent population living in your productive method for photography.
Try any meat-based dog or cat food, or
area. They can be very noisy as they
dried mealworms and peanuts used for
snuffe around looking for food, or
bird feeders, but avoid putting out
chase or interact with one another.
milk on saucers, as hedgehogs cannot
However, getting into a good
tolerate lactose.
photographic position with a
If fnding a wild animal proves too
hedgehog is easier said than done, and
as its likely to be dark, a fash or some challenging, try contacting your local
hedgehog rescue centre they may
other form of lighting is essential.
well be able to offer you some
Sun-baked earth means their
opportunities to photograph animals
favoured food, such as earthworms,
slugs and other small invertebrates, can being nursed back to health or ones
ready for release.
prove hard to fnd. By providing a
16

With depth of feld being so minuscule and the lens

so close to the subject, a steady hand
(and Photoshop) is required

mat perry

18 Barn owls
oscar Dewhurst

20 close-up insects Mat perry

You dont need expensive macro lenses to shoot

stunning close-up images. If youve 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 theyre
at their most docile. Sometimes an insect will
happily sit there and pose while you snap away, but
the majority of times they wont.
david tipling

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c a m e r a

s k i l l s

21 CyCling events
Phil hall

23 airshows
geoffrey lee

PHIL HALL

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,

botH PIctures mAtt HArt

We may not have the Tour de

France whistling through the UK
this year, but youll 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 youll be able
to shoot riders coming towards
you and theres 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. Theres
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.

Position yourself on a
bend to shoot riders as
they slow down

22 Candid
street shots
Matt 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
18

Dont 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

the interesting characters.

I like to position myself in
the roads leading to and from
the events, as I can fnd more
intriguing scenes. Its 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.

ALL THREE PICTURES GEOFFREY LEE

depending on the lighting

conditions.
To get the most dramatic
photos with sharp aircraft
against a blurred
background, its 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 nal
results look and if its damp
the air pressure drops, so
when you get fast, high,
G-turning aircraft it causes
a condensation cloud to

Its best to use larger

apertures with a lower
shutter speed for jet aircraft

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.

24 CRICKET
MICHAEL TOPHAM
Theres no better place to watch
a game than from the stands,
and a cricket ground such as
Lords always offers great
potential to capture
a series of interesting shots of
the crowd and the action.

If you were unsuccessful in

this years 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 youre new to
cricket photography youll 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.
Youll 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 ll the frame with

the batsman or bowler.

When youre ready to take on
the next challenge, youll 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
xture list.

BOTH PICTURES MICHAEL TOPHAM

Get right to the heart of the action

with a long telephoto zoom

Individual team members

may be interested in
buying one of your prints
19

c a m e r a

s k i l l s

25 Balloon
Festivals
Craig roBerts

An 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 its 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 arent 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 youre 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 its like a press scrum with
dozens of photographers
jostling for top spot to frame
the balloons with the bridge,
but its certainly worth it.

craig roberts

The Clifton Suspension

Bridge is a good spot to
capture the balloons
during the festa

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
its likely that youll need to be accredited
in order to take a camera into the event,
but at the smaller festivals this shouldnt
be an issue. However, its still worth
checking in advance as to what you are
20

and arent 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

callum mcinerney-riley

26 MusiC Festivals
CalluM MCinerney-riley

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b e s t

o f

b r i t i s h

Overall Winner

DaviD YeO

this quintessentially british caravan in Davids 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

Best of
British
We take a look at some of the best entries from the
inaugural British Life Photography Awards

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
weve 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
well be talking to in a future issue.

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 didnt
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 ash.
ELLA TURVILLE

DAVID YEO

23

b e s t

o f

b r i t i s h

RuRal life

Roy Riley Commended

theres 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, its the setting winter sun
that really makes it so captivating.

StReet life

simon peacock

Perhaps 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.

24

roy riley

Simon PeaCoCk
Commended

 JOHN STURROCK

HISTORIC BRITAIN

JOHN STURROCK COMMENDED

While 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.
ROY RILEY

MIKE REGO

WORK IN THE COUNTRY

ROY RILEY COMMENDED

RURAL LIFE

PORTRAITURE

This image taken in Dartmoor, Devon,

called Tom Hunt Feeding his Sheep,
shows the farmer out with his ock,
says Mike. With the sun shining
directly up the valley, I positioned
myself to capture both Toms Land
Rover and the sheep, balancing the
contrast in the foreground with the
high contrast of the sky.

The image is called Big Dave, World

Champion Wargamer. Dave paints
the gures that make up his armies,
says Jon. This is considered as much a
part of the hobby as 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 nished.

JON BROOK
COMMENDED

JON BROOK

MIKE REGO
COMMENDED

Roy found this extraordinary scene in Bodmin in

Cornwall. Youd be forgiven for having no idea what
it is youre 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 its not often you see a polar
bear facing off against a lion and an elephant calf.

25

b e s t

o f

b r i t i s h

heather buckley

RuRal life

HeatHeR Buckley

brighton-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. Whats particularly striking is the use of a
wideangle lens and a low shooting angle. its a
technique that exaggerates the perspective and
works in harmony with the vibrant pastel colours
that are so dominant throughout the scene.

chaitanya deshpande

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.

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

stReet life

chaitanya deshpande

this shot, called Merry

Christmas, was taken in
east London, at the
height of the preChristmas festivities,
says Chaitanya. santas
were everywhere, but
this young woman didnt
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.

26

ian wade

cHaitanya
DesHpanDe

URBAN LIFE

IAN WADE

Ian 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.

l a n d s c a p e s

Maximise
your weekend
plan, shoot, edit and share a landscape portfolio in a weekend.
Phil Hall shows you how to make the most of your time
all Images PHIl Hall

I dont know about you , but I fnd photography

to be incredibly frustrating at times. Although when
I say that, Im not really talking about it in the sense
of taking pictures. Theres no doubt it can be
challenging when out in the feld and things arent
going quite as youd hoped whether those things
are in or out of your control. No, what Im talking
about is the frustration that manifests when you
havent been out taking photographs for a while.
You can read about photography, look at others
images for inspiration, or drool over expensive kit
but theres 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
28

family life make this an impractical aspiration so its

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 youre lucky,
its 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), youll be surprised by the
number of images you can capture in a weekend,
while still having time to edit and share them before
youre back at work on Monday, frustration having
subsided for now, at least.
With this in mind, lets look at how you can
maximise your time so you can plan, shoot, edit and
share your images in a single weekend.

Early starts at the weekend

can be tiring, but the rewards
are worth it

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 youll have a clear
weekend, start planning. The biggest decision is
whether youll remain relatively local to your area or
will be travelling further aeld.
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 youve 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 aeld. 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 LIST

Images dont have to be

bursting with light and
colour, as this low-key
shot illustrates

Once youve decided whether to stay put or travel,

its time to line-up a shooting list of where youd like
to take pictures. In this instance, Id planned to
shoot from Saturday morning until the evening,
with another early start on the Sunday in order to
nish at lunch and allow time for editing. Flickr is a
good place to begin pinpointing locations youd like
to visit. Start by making a list of potential spots,
before nalising a running order of where to shoot.
Its 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 Photographers 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 youre visiting.

Check the position

of the sun before
setting out
29

L A N D S C A P E S

TOP TIPS
1

If you can, shoot with a

friend. It will make the
day even more enjoyable,
and it means you wont
be tempted to ignore
the early alarm call if
someone else is relying on
you to get up.

Make sure you eat when

you can. Long days
shooting mean youll need
to keep your energy levels
up have breakfast before
you start, pack snacks and
enjoy a good lunch.

Remember 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 its safe
to do so) and shoot.

Dont get downhearted

if things arent 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.

Enjoy yourself
its the weekend and
youre out shooting rather
than stuck at home.
Regardless of the weather
or any other
uncontrollable factors,
make the most of it.

This misty-morning
shot wasnt planned.
In fact, it was spotted
as I was driving to my
next location

SHOOTING
With your planning done, cameras charged, and kit
cleaned and checked, its time to set your alarm
clock in anticipation of the early start needed for
your 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 youre over the initial shock of such an early

morning (especially on the weekend), theres
nothing like the sense of excitement and
anticipation as you head out towards your rst
shooting location. However, dont feel too deated if
things dont 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

SHOOTING
A PANORAMA
While theres no substitute for a dedicated
nodal slide, its 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.

30

Position the camera in portrait format and make sure your

camera is dead level using your tripod heads spirit level. Once
thats done, check that the camera sweeps through the vista
without dipping down or rising at your end point.

Shoot in raw and set the exposure manually to avoid any

discrepancies. Also, set and lock-off your focusing so it
doesnt shift as you move from left to right across the scene.
Start shooting, making sure theres at least a third of an overlap
between each frame.

Shooting early
morning light
means ND grads
are a must to help
balance the scene

LIST
LIS
STT
KKIT
KIITT LIST
LI
TORCH
TTORC
TO
TOR
ORCH
RCH
CHH
Whether 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 its dark.

COMFY SHOES
Youre going to be
spending a lot of time on
your feet, so comfortable
and durable shoes are a
necessity. Youll probably
also want to pack a pair of
wellies if youre working
near water.

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 wasnt as dramatic as Id wanted. This resulted
in formulating a quick Plan B and wandering
further along the river walk so the Tide Mill wasnt
as prominent in the scene, while several other

FILTERS

Even if conditions arent perfect,

make an effort to get out and shoot

It goes without saying

that youre going to need
lters. A couple of
graduated neutral density
lters are a good bet,
while something like a Lee
Big Stopper to shoot long
exposures is also handy

LENSES
A wideangle zoom like a
16-35mm is ideal,
although a standard zoom
will still do a decent job.
Dont forget to pack a
telephoto too
something like a
70-200mm for a slightly
different view.
31

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 wasnt
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 couldnt 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.

Opting for a wide aperture

has resulted in a slightly more
abstract image

Details
Landscapes dont 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 didnt 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).

Shooting a
long expoSure

Compose 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.

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. Lets look at how to set up and
shoot with a 10-stop neutral density flter.
32

With 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
youve got a smartphone,
then look at the Triggertrap
app and mobile kit.

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 youve been).

Otherwise, its 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.

1 GENERAL ADJUSTMENTS

2 LENS CORRECTION

3 CREATING A PANORAMA

4 ADD A SPLIT-TONE EFFECT

Spend 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.

Youve learned how to shoot one (see page 30), but heres what to
do once youve 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 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.

Even the best optics can benet from a little ne-tuning, so

whether youre using Lightrooms Lens Correction tab or the
similarly named tab in Photoshop Adobe Camera Raw (ACR),
ensure you tick the Enable Prole 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.

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.

SHARING
Once Ive nished editing my images, I nd its 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 youve settled on a couple of favourites, make sure you share them.
Image-specic social sites like Flickr and 500px are great places to start, but dont
forget Twitter, Instagram and Facebook to reach a broader and more-varied audience.

33

L A N D S C A P E S

STANDING OUT FROM THE CROWD is not an easy

proposition for todays 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
Ive 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
youre not testing yourself artistically then youre
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 Ive 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.

Form,
texture
and tone
Discover how to create unique
stand-out imagery with infrared, as
expert Russ Barnes explains
ALL IMAGES RUSS BARNES

UNIQUE VISION

34

A lavender eld in the

Cotswolds takes on a
completely different
look and feel

REMOTE RELEASE

KIT LIST

Infrared 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 nal frame. There arent that many
photographers who seem to pursue it, so its an
opportunity to draw some interest and, with
practice, create stand-out imagery. Its not infrared
for the sake of infrared, though, as Im 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 its 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 cant 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

Youll probably want to

use a remote timer sswitch t
vibrations and enable easy
avoid vibrat
long-exposur
long
progr
pro
ches
Thir
are ccheap to
obtain on the
obtai
internet.
inter

RED
INFRARED
FILTER
If y
an in

tarting out,
w-on
on
o go..
o pick a

chosen lens, but the

Ho
2 does
the job nic .

RUSS
BARNES
C

TIBLE LENSES
SES

Its best to check your lenses against

st 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.

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

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
lters to create contrast-rich
landscapes from ordinary
scenes.
www.russbarnes.co.uk

35

L A N D S C A P E S

Shooting under the midday

sun produces much more
pleasing tones than normal

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 EFFORT

The technical side of infrared does contain an
amount of complexity, but anything worth doing
isnt 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 les is essential, while some understanding of
setting a manual white balance is required (if using
an infrared screw-on 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 doesnt necessarily
36

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

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 lter.

ACCESSIBLE
However, the whole infrared technique is very
accessible. My rst purchase that propelled me into
infrared was a second-hand Hoya R72 (720nm)
screw-on 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 dened
exposure table to work off as infrared is a much
more random world than that. This lter gets a top
recommendation from me if youre starting out.
Second-hand bargains are hard to nd, but its a lot
cheaper than buying a fully converted camera with

its sensor adapted that allows you to take normal

exposures with more light entering the lens.
Its 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 lter to getting a Nikon D7000 converted
and then a year ago went all in and converted my
Nikon D800 with a 720nm lter.
Theres no going back on a sensor-level 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 youre
ready to make that nal commitment.

FOCUSING
Youll need to take extra care with focusing if
youre using an infrared lter, as lenses are
designed to focus on visible not infrared
light. To compensate for this, its 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 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 eld
is sufcient to be maintained throughout the scene.

37

L A N D S C A P E S

STEP BY STEP

Use the bright, blue-sky

days of summer to your
advantage

Shooting infrared really shouldnt

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 nal frame to say. A lot of infrared
images I see are tonally 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 its about
showing your subject in the most
captivating way. Here Ill go through
the processes needed to get from a
somewhat pink raw le to a nice
contrasty monochromatic image.

1 TAKING THE SHOT

Dont be alarmed if youre using a lter like the Hoya

R72 this is what your le is going to look like. Use a
tripod, a low ISO sensitivity, focus via live view and
2500K white balance. Its trial and error on the exposure
time. Check your histogram to ensure you dont blow
your highlights.

2 OPEN THE RAW FILE

Opening the raw le in the Adobe Camera Raw interface

in Photoshop gives us our 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.

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.

4 COLOUR CHANNEL CHANGES 5 FALSE-COLOUR INFRARED 6 FINAL FRAME

Now 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 thats starting to look more usable.

38

At this point your 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.

This is the end result, and one Im particularly happy

with. Taken on Exmoor with the Nikon D800, I love
the ne details on show here. I used the bright light
in the middle of a summers day and still got an
abundance of tone, texture and dynamic contrast
thanks to my positioning.

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L A N D S C A P E S

Into
the
light

The use of creative early morning

light can transform your garden
pictures. Clive Nichols explains how
to do it

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 dont know what they are missing.
My dedication to getting the best possible garden
shots means that Im 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

40

WIDEANGLE
LENS

KIT LIST

There are plenty of advantages to shooting in the

early morning. If its a sunny day, you have the
pleasure of shooting with rich, warm, early morning
sunlight. Early morning mist can really add to a
shots 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 youre likely to be the only person in the garden
at the time, so you wont 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 thats a wider garden scene,
individual plants or combinations of plants. Subjects

For 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 HOOD

If you are shooting

towards the sun,
attaching a hood to your
lens will signicantly
reduce or eliminate are.
By cutting out extraneous
light, it will also help
you get an accurate
exposure reading.

CLIVE
NICHOLS
SHUTTER
RELEASE

Again, if you are using

long exposures, a shutter
release (combined with the
cameras mirror lock-up
facility) will avoid any tiny
movements of the camera
that would reduce the
sharpness of your images.

REFLECTOR

If youre photographing
backlit owers or plants, it
can sometimes be useful
to knock some light back
on the front of the subject
and ll in shadows. I use
Lastolite reectors, about a
metre across.

During the past 25 years,

Clive Nichols has established
a reputation as one of the
worlds 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

41

l a n d s c a p e s

A fantastic display of
late-summer colour
captured at dawn at
Waterperry Gardens in
Oxfordshire

Try using a shallow

depth of feld to isolate
some subjects and throw
others in the background
out of focus

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 Pitfalls
Shooting 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 are 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 are 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 owers 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 youre shooting individual
plants and want a striking backlighting effect, try
42

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 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 Ive 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.

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 its a technique
works well with a range of garden subjects.

PreParation
To make sure that youre going to get a good dose of
sunlight for backlighting, its 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 wont 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 wont wait for you.

Use an app to fnd out

which way the sun will
fall on a particular garden
at a specifc time

ideas to try
If you pick a good garden thats well planted, well structured and has plenty
of variety, youre 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 doesnt materialise.

sUbject
movement

Using water

Water 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.
44

Another approach when the

early morning light isnt so good
and theres wind blowing the
foliage around is to use a small
aperture and a long shutter
speed. Here Ive used the
conditions to my advantage by
using an exposure of 2secs at f/32
and recorded the movement as an
impressionistic blur.

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 inuencing the cameras
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 youre happy. You dont 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.

HIGHLIGHTING
FEATURES

The 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 owers in
the foreground stand out
more than they would
later in the day, contrasting
with the shadow areas.

MIST

If you get to a location early and the

sun isnt 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.

BORDERS

Borders 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,
Ive retained detail in the shadow areas, which gives
a rich variation in tones.

45

N AT U R E

Foxes have adapted

incredibly well to
living in the city

Fox hunt
Whether youre in the city or the countryside,
Luke Massey explains that foxes make fantastic
subjects to photograph and are often approachable

ALL IMAGES LUKE MASSEY

FOXES ARE A TRUE Marmite animal you either

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

KIT LIST

WIDEANGLE LENS

Using 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.

46

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
pack
dont forget to pa
a wide and
smaller zoom. A
70-200mm will
be perfect.

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 cant say Ive felt that Ive 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 its 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 youll nd them
pretty much everywhere. Whether youre in the

HIDE

Im not just talking about

a gloried 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.

If youre lucky
enough to nd a
den, you may see
some cubs

LUKE
MASSEY
REFERENCE
BOOK

The 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 nd out loads about
these fantastic creatures.

DOG TREATS

Some people disagree with

giving food to foxes, which
is ne. I use dog treats,
but make sure theyre not
visible in your shots and
dont let the foxes gorge
on them. Use the treats to
gain their interest and
then stop feeding them.

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.

47

N AT U R E

Youll nd foxes absolutely

anywhere. You never know,
there may be one
living along your road

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

searching youll 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 JUNGLE

Lets start in the city. Foxes can den absolutely
anywhere. Ive 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 youre struggling to nd a fox, try to think like
one. One of the rst places I try is near train
stations, where theres a plentiful supply of food and
a good amount of cover. Embankments provide
perfect homes for foxes, and with the constant ow
of people theres 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 theyre happy for someone else to enjoy. Urban
foxes are an easy target and more often than not are
tolerant of humans.
48

GO WIDE
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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. Dont blast away a few clicks is enough.

Camera traps let you

get unique shots

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n at u r e

Out in the sticks

Foxes can make great

photographic subjects
Fox cubs can be hard to
fnd, as the vixen will
keep them well hidden

50

LUKes top tips

Rural foxes are a whole different ball game.

Historically, theyve 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 youre 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 shell be
hard to fnd. Once her cubs are a little older she
hasnt got much control and thatll help you. Cubs
are noisy; they like playing and when mum is not
around theyll happily frolic around near the den.
This is what you want to photograph and is the
occasion when youre 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 shell most
likely move the cubs and youll be back to square
one. Its best to keep a reasonable distance and dont
be too intrusive.

in the hide

A 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. Dont get too close and make sure you
place yourself with the wind blowing towards you, away from
the den site.

BehaviOur

Foxes 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.

WHY IT
WORKS
Portraits of animals look
excellent, and in their
natural habitat, even
better. Id been trying to
get this shot for a while,
but sometimes Id 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 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 dont want animals
becoming completely
tolerant, as some peple
might take advantage.
Luckily, these foxes
seemed to know who I
was. They wouldnt
approach other people
and at the slightest fast
movement they would
jump back into the
owerbeds to safety.
Gaining a creatures
trust is a privilege and
its nice to know they
dont think were all bad.

TIME OF DAY

Try shooting with ash

under mixed lighting

ONE THAT DIDNT WORK

The bonus of using 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 doesnt move and the lights dont
affect it too much. A minute later the fox had
moved (see right), and the combination of ash

Early 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 youre incredibly lucky you might even get
the vixen suckling her cubs this is the golden snitch of
fox cub photography.

SIGNS

The double exposure

didnt quite work here
and street lights created a double exposure that
resulted in ghosting. Sometimes youll get a cool
effect, but on this occasion it ruined the shot.

Foxes arent 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 ies and bits of dead animal, youll probably
have found a den. Dont get too close, though, as youre
unlikely to see cubs if you do.

LIGHT ISSUES

Foxes can hang out in gloomy areas and theyre mainly

nocturnal. This isnt 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.

51

N AT U R E

Little owls

These pint-sized owls are full of character, making them one of the most
enjoyable owl species to photograph, as Richard Peters reveals
Little owls can be found
across England and Wales

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 birds
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.

HABITAT
These 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.

Little owls can be seen during the day, but may

be hard to spot due to their small size

A little owl catching the rst rays

of sun shining through an oak
trees branches

BEST TIME TO SHOOT

ALL PICTURES RICHARD PETERS

Little 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 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.

ABOUT THE LITTLE OWL

KIT LIST
IST

BINOCULARS
Binoculars will give you a
much-needed advantage
as the owls have a
tendency to ssee you
and hid

52

TELEPHOTO LENS

Given their size, and the occasional

difculty in getting close, a focal length of
400mm and above is often needed to
ensure minimal disturbance

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.

SHOOTING
ADVICE
WATCH QUIETLY

Successfully 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.

DISTANCE

All animals have a circle of

fear and little owls are no
different. Aside from
taking 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 its
always important to
ensure you do not cause
any stress or disturbance.
Always back away if they
seem to be upset by your
presence.

PERCHES

Three owlets
peering out of the
nest, awaiting food

Little 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
nd a nice broken branch
or old post nearby,
standing it upright will
often result in the owl
checking it out.

53

N AT U R E

Swallows
The 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.

Swallows
can
be found
across most
of Britain

KIT LIST

Youll nd swallows in areas where there is a ready

and accessible supply of their main diet, small
insects. A good place to 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 ight back to Africa.
Try to pre-focus on a point, to have
any hope of a sharp ight shot

FLASHGUN

Swallow nests are rarely

sited in well-lit corners
of buildings and so
a ashgun will almost
certainly be required.

54

HABITAT

TELEPHOTO LENS

A lens of at least 400mm is recommended.

Shorter lenses with the use of a remote
trigger may be useful for photographing
nesting swallows

SHOOTING
ADVICE
IN FLIGHT

Swallows tend to y low

to the ground with an
easy free-owing ight.
With their size and speed,
it does make them quite a
challenge for ight shots
against an open sky, but
when ying against the
landscape theyll really
test your panning skills
and your cameras
autofocus capability, so be
prepared to practise.

PRE-FOCUS

BEST TIME TO SHOOT

Shoot from a parked car

to avoid disturbing them

Swallows can be photographed any time from spring

to autumn. I 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 y south for the winter, 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.

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 ying low around
livestock, picking off ies.
Population: Increasing slowly
since the late 1990s, estimated
to be around 860,000.

On cool days when ies

are in short supply, youll
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 ight shot, I try to
pre-focus and then track
the out-of-focus bird as
best I can in my
viewnder, before ring
off a burst of shots when
the swallow begins to
come into focus. I have
successfully photographed
swallows plucking ies
off the surface of a pool
close to my home by using
this method.

NESTLINGS

Adults will hover in front of their

young in order to feed

During the breeding

season 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 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.

55

t r av e l

10

commandments of
travel photography

three top travel photographers, including

the current travel Photographer of the
Year, share their expert tips for achieving
memorable images on the road

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
wont 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. Its fne
being experimental and creative with your
photography, but as a professional, you need to be
able to repeat it. So I decide whats 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 wasnt sure where they would come into the frame.
56

Youll get much more

from your photography
if you know your kit

Make the
Most of
situations

Sometimes when youre

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 its
going to be good. this
can often be an
unexpected event
weather or peoplerelated 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

Learn to use daylight as a

creative tool for your images

DAYLIGHT AS A CREATIVE
TOOL TO CONVEY EMOTION
3USE

ALL PICTURES THESE PAGES PHILIP LEE HARVEY WWW.PHILIPLEEHARVEY.COM

Too many travel photographers dont 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 subjects face wont work.
If you can backlight the subject or use are from the
sun, you are using daylight to add a third dimension
to your image. The 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 at
grey light here in the UK.
I also prefer to use ambient light and never use
ash even ll ash unless I am shooting at night,
as I dont like the way it looks, but I do use white and
silver reectors 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 sacricing
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
57

T R av e l

Dont shoot and run share your images as much as you can

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
somebodys wallet. Instant prints provide a wonderful
way to break the ice, and rather than simply taking
photos, allow you to share the results.

Instant prints can be

treasured for years to come

58

all pictures these pages gaViN gOugh www.GAVINGOUGH.cOm

Share the reSultS

Work the scene

to ensure youve looked
at every perspective

Once you fnd

your spot, make
the most of
your location

DONT SHOOT
AND RUN

Once youve done the hard

work of nding a suitable
location, waiting for the
light, selecting an
appropriate lens and
choosing the perfect
perspective, dont waste
it by shooting a frame or
two and then moving on.
Make the most of the
opportunity. Check your
exposures, ne-tune your
composition, tweak the
perspective and try different
apertures until youre
condent that youve made
the image that you really
want. With landscapes and
cityscapes, youll usually
have as much time as you
need. With people, take the
opportunity to share the
images by showing them
previews from your
cameras LCD screen. It will
help to make them feel
involved in the process,
creating a more
collaborative experience,
and youll also get the
opportunity to catch their
reaction when they see their
own image. People tend to
pose when theyre rst
photographed, which can
lead to stiff, awkward
expressions. Allow people
the time to relax and enjoy
the process and youll create
more memorable travel
portraits.

TEA FIRST,
PHOTOGRAPHY SECOND

The best travel photography communicates a sense

of place and shares something about the experience
of being in a specic 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 theyre much more inclined to work on
creating a memorable portrait with me.

Make time to
explore your
location without
your camera by
your side

59

t r av e l

Consider how contrast

will play out in your
image and how it affects
composition

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 viewers eye away
from the man.

all pictures these pages larry louie www.larrylouie.com

Get down low to

avoid distracting
backgrounds

Think about the

perspective youre going
to be shooting as it can
be vital to the shot

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 Djenn,
Mali, photographing the
Great Mosque (see left),
I was in awe of the
enormity of the building.

60

Remember to tell a story

with your images

STRIKE A VISUAL BALANCE

OF LIGHT AND SHADOW

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

I spent several hours

walking around it,
guring how I could best
photograph this beautiful
structure. I 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 suns
rays. He provided a great
sense of scale and
perspective. With the
higher viewpoint,
dramatic early morning
light and the gure in the
foreground, I created a
more memorable photo.

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 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.

THE
HUMAN CONNECTION
10CAPTURE

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 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.

While colour may be

your rst instinct, mono
can be just as powerful
for travel photography

61

P O R T R A I T S

A ashgun was red

remotely from behind the
couple for this striking result

Creative coupling
One of the UKs most successful wedding photographers,
Ross Harvey, reveals how to capture the magic of the day
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
photographers 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 ow from one to another, keeping the
62

KIT LIST

ALL IMAGES ROSS HARVEY

viewer 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. Its a
highly underestimated and crucial skill. The worlds
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 specic balance of advanced composition and
intelligent use of light. Here are some tips and tricks
to help you accomplish such imagery.

STANDARD ZOOM

Primes make you think more about whats in the fram

frame,
shots.
but I use a 24-70mm f/2.8 for any off-camera ashh sho
shot

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

A CREATIVE STORY

A 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 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.

FRAMING

Its 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.

FAST PRIME
PRIMES

Ive got a range of prime

primes
and do 95% of my work on
either the 35mm f/1.8G oor
f/1.4G. The f/1.4G is my
thanks
professional choice thank
to the better contrast and
colour reproduction.

FLASHGUNS
LASHGUNS
Myy preference is for
natural
atural light, but I use
Nikon
ikon SB-910s for
dance-oor shots and
off-camera images.

TRIGGERS
RIGGERS

Radio-based
adio-based Phottix
Odin
din triggers offer full
TTL
TL ash, as well as
the
he ability to remotely
control
ontrol power and
zoom
oom settings.

63

P O R T R A I T S

THE CAMERA

Ive 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 its been
my main camera for several
years and Ive 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 nd a
replacement, which I did in
the D750. Its basically a
mini D3S. Nothing on the
market can match its
combination of price, size,
weight and performance. It
is an absolute gem.

64

RAPPORT

Being personable is not just benecial for portraits; its

invaluable all day. Take time to get to know the people
youre shooting, be a friendly face in the crowd, one that
people feel happy to speak to. Youll nd that theyll be
themselves around you and sometimes youll be witness
to wonderful moments that are absolutely invaluable to
friends and family.

PORTRAITS

If 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 dont need to be models and strike awkward poses, and
remind them that they just need to be themselves and enjoy each others company.

DIFFERENT LIGHT,
DIFFERENT OPTIONS

To develop the notion of using light creatively, imagine a sunny day at noon.
This time of day is often considered harsh and unattering. 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.

GEOMETRY

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

form. Perspective, leading lines, reection 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. Dont
be afraid to crop slightly to achieve the perfect symmetry in postprocessing. Its incredibly hard to perfect it in camera.

FINALLY...

Always shoot for the couple. Give

them everything you have. Dont
ever do it for the money if you
do, your lack of compassion will
come through. Its a social
occasion and you need great social
skills. If youre 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.

PROCESSING
I do three runs on my post-processing two in
Lightroom and one in Photoshop. The 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 nd
sharpening in Lightroom to be pretty feeble,
but at www.photographers-toolbox.com
theres a great plug-in for Lightroom called
Mogrify 2. It tends to be used for watermarking
images, but this is a little gem as its got an
unsharp mask lter just like Photoshop. I use
that over the sharpening tab in Lightroom, but
only minimally as its 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
ner details.

65

P O R T R A I T S

WE ARE BOMBARDED by thousands of images

every day. Many of these we instantly forget, but
some catch our eye and its 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. Its 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 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.

Creative
distortion

Get your portraits noticed with some clever in-camera

lens-distortion techniques that dont cost the earth, says Jake Hicks

ALL IMAGES JAKE HICKS

67

P O R T R A I T S

THE WORLD
AROUND YOU

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

Lets 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 reective like bare metal will
all create interesting results, so long as
you abide by one simple rule a shallow
depth of 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 viewers
attention will always go to your subject.

THE GLASS PRISM

CRYSTAL
CRYSTALS
RYSTALS
YSTALS

Crystals produce a slightly

slig
s
mo e
distorted look than a pri
holding a crystal, or s
ystals,
stals,
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 lm of lead,
which produces gorgeous rainbow
colours as you look through it.
68

This
his is one of the easiest lens-distortion
techniques
echniques to implement. Keep a glass
prism
rism in your camera bag and when
ouve
uve found the shot you want to take,
simply
ply 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 dont like the
image the prism is showing, you can
simply
imply rotate the prism until you nd a
look that you do like.

In this shot the prism is held over the

top half of the lens. The reection 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

TOP TIPS
1

If 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 eld. If you dont, both
your subject and your
distortion object will be in
focus, so the viewer wont
know what to look at.
It can be easier to to
throw foreground
objects out of focus with a
slightly longer lens. I
wouldnt 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 youre after.
Whether you are using
objects that you hold in
front of the camera, like
crystals and glassware, or
simply lens lters, youll
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.
Dont be afraid to try
different objects to
shoot through. If youre
using a shallow depth of
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.
Think about what you
want to achieve. Are
you just trying to create
depth or are you trying to
lead your viewers eye
through an image by
hiding distractions?
Holding objects in front of
the lens can create
interest and mystery, but
just be careful they dont
overpower the subject.

This shot was taken

through some net
curtains and available
glassware. A shallow
depth of eld ensures the
foreground elements are
completely out of focus

WINE GLASS
A humble wine glass or tumbler can
be held in front of the lens to refract
and distort the light. Try to 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

69

P O R T R A I T S

OPTICAL IMPERFECTIONS

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
dont have those quirks that can
enliven an image, but Lensbabys

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.

Using specialist lenses like the

Lensbaby Velvet can produce
images that dont distract from
the subject, leaving you with a
very interesting yet clean and
uncluttered image

By simply screwing a
diffusion lter to the front
of your lens, you can
scatter the light that enters
it to produce a lovely soft
glow around the subject

DIFFUSION FILTERS

Lens lters may be less popular these days, but

software alone cant replace them. Screwing a 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 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 are.

2 DIRECT LIGHT

As we are trying to create lens are, it is important that light

shines into the lens but is just out of shot. Here I have positioned
two gridded ash heads behind the model that are pointing
back towards the camera and lighting the models hair.

GET THE LOOK

1 SET UP THE LIGHTING

Ive used classic clamshell lighting here with one Bowens

beauty dish above and a small softbox 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.

70

3 ADD COLOUR

To 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.

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 full 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
tilted plane of
on a ball joint, resulting in a ti
can f
focus. This means that you c
on a persons face, and then ttilt
the lens to throw the bottom half
of the image out of focus. Its
great for leading the viewers
eye through an image.

The Lensbaby Composer Pro is used here

subjects
to draw the viewers eye up to the subjec
the
face. By tilting the lens, you can throw th
bottom half of the image out of focus,
leaving the main subject unaffected

4 DIFFUSION

Now the fun begins because all

I have done here is add a diffusion
lter to the lens of my camera. The
diffusion lter is scattering the
coloured light as it enters my lens,
giving this fantastic are effect.

5 SHOOTTHROUGH

To 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
viewers attention right up to the
focused area of the models eyes.

71

p o r t r a i t s

Gels can really add

drama to your fash-lit
images

Back in
fashion
More accessible than ever, coloured
lighting can add drama to your
portraits, as Jake Hicks reveals
all images JaKe HiCKs

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 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.
Its 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 PICTURES JAKE HICKS

Coloured gels deliver a

very cinematic quality
to your shots

73

P O R T R A I T S

EASY SET-UP

A handy technique for

adding colour to your shots

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 ll light via a small
softbox on the oor below the model, but
a well-placed silver reector 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
models 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 are. The ll softbox is
metered one stop under the key light and the
two coloured gel lights are metered one stop
above the key light.

Dont underestimate the

power colour has on
viewers perception of a shot

Basic colour theory will help you

choose colours that complement
each other

Two hard lights behind

the model add colour

74

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 youd 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, its not as fun as
using coloured gels for artistic effect, and this is what
well explore in more detail here.

USING COLOUR WISELY

Using coloured gels in your photographs can be a
great way of making images stand out, but dont
underestimate the power that colour has on viewers

TOP TIPS

When combining
colours, bear in
mind some basic
colour theory

Be 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.
When 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. Its also
vital to understand the
styling of the shot, and
base your colour theory
around the colours of a
models outt.
If you plan on using
coloured gels on model
shoots, be aware of your
colours spilling onto the
models skin. This can
create unwanted effects
such as unattering shine,
and strange hues as it
mixes with skin tones.
If youre going to be
combining more than
one coloured gel in a shot,
place your lights so they
dont 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.
Remember 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.

75

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

perception of a shot. Think about what youd like to

convey with the colours youre 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 youll often see it used in
corporate photography shots.
As your condence builds in using gels, it is then
possible to combine multiple colours, but you still
need to be careful about the message youre
portraying. There are a couple of colour
combinations that you need to be wary of and treat
with extra care.

COLOUR COMBINATIONS
When colours like red and green are combined you
need to be extremely careful that the images dont
look like a Christmas card. Together these two
colours have now become synonymous with the
season and as a result its very difcult 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 lms to
signify emergencies because they represent the
colours of sirens, and you need to be especially
careful when using them.

COLOUR THEORY
So now that weve taken note of some of the
colours we should be wary of, lets take a look at
76

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 lms
and paintings.

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 Ive used a
beauty dish and two different coloured gels
to achieve the desired result.

1 ADD MAIN LIGHT

Light is bounced off white

boards for a subtle look

The rst thing you need to do is to set up your standard

portrait lighting by placing a beauty dish just above the
models head angled down at 45. You could use a small
softbox but make sure its as close as possible to avoid too
much spill of light. The next step is to soften the shadows.

2 LIFT SHADOWS

You can do this by placing a small softbox at the models

feet angled upwards and meter it at a stop below your key
light. Its possible to try this set-up with a reector 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 COLOUR

I 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 COLOUR

Finally 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 models outt.

77

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

Step class
Craig Roberts discovers the
charms of staircases,
an often overlooked
photographic opportunity
ALL IMAGES CRAIG ROBERTS

Unusual staircases can be found outside the

city too, such as in this lighthouse

KIT LIST

WIDEANGLE LENS
A 20-28mm focal-lengt
focal-length
range will enable you to
get good views of most
staircases, but shooting
with an extreme
you
wideangle will allow yo
to get much more
dramatic views and
shape.
include the whole shap

78

FISHEYE LENS
A 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 SCREEN

If your camera has one, use the tilting LCD screen

to compose your iimages. 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.

STAIRCASES HAVE BEEN AROUND for centuries,

and many are designed as part of a buildings
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 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.

DESIGN
Photography 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 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 its this contrast in design that makes them
so interesting and unique.

EXPOSURE AND
WHITE BALANCE

CRAIG
ROBERTS
BEANBAG

A small beanbag is a useful accessory to place on a

banister for support, especially in locations where a
tripod isnt convenient or allowed.

WRIST OR NECK STRAP

When leaning over the top banister of a tall 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.

Craig Roberts has been a

professional photographer
for more than 20 years and
specialises in travel and
landscapes. Hes written
technique articles for every
major photo magazine and
offers online photography
courses and tuition from
his website. www.
craigrobertsphotography.
co.uk

Shooting indoors brings

with it two key problems
articial 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
79

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

Switch to a standard lens and

you can start creating more
abstract views using the
shape and design of the stairs

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 permission
Many staircases will be in a public place, so shooting them shouldnt be a
problem. if they are photogenic enough, you wont be the only person
who will have taken pictures of them. however, some hotels and private
buildings feature great staircases too, so its worth asking at reception, or
even the security personnel, if you can take a few pictures. they may say
no, but in many cases youll probably fnd they will allow you a few
minutes to take photos if you avoid getting in anyones 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.

80

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

FIVE TOP
STAIRCASES
The internet is a fantastic
tool for 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 youll
nd a plethora of
different-shaped
staircases that fellow
photographers have
captured. Its 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 Queens 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

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 sufcient depth of 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 wont 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.

COMPOSITION
As 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 oor
and start shooting from there 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 oor. Then, with that view in the bag,

start making your way down the staircase and

capture the other views youll 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 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 cameras internal
metering. Check the results on your cameras LCD
screen and use the histogram to determine any
exposure adjustment required.
81

s T R e e T

10

commandments
of street
photography

RUPERT VANDERVELL

Top photographers Antonio Olmos, Jerry Webb

and Rupert Vandervell share their insights on how
to get the best from shooting on the street

 ANTONIO OLMOS WWW.ANTONIOOLMOS.COM

1 MOST OF YOUR
PHOTOGRAPHS WILL SUCK

The best shots are

taken when you are
right in the middle
of the action

ANTONIO OLMOS

A great image
comes from
perseverance,
patience and
complete focus

I always say that taking photographs is like taking

notes you take a lot of them in the hope you will
make one thats 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 dont 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 difcult 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.

I go out into the streets hoping

to make one good photograph

ANTONIO OLMOS

2 WEAR COMFORTABLE CLOTHING

First, you need a good pair of shoes. If youre serious

about street photography youll 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 CartierBresson had good shoes. Also, wear comfortable
clothes that reects the weather you are working in.
Dont 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.
83

 ANTONIO OLMOS

s t r e e t

In my opinion, truly great street photography is shot

on 50mm, 35mm, 28mm or 24mm lenses. the 35mm
is my favourite, whether its 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 youre more
likely to be noticed when youre 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.

JERRY WEBB www.jerrywebbphotography.com

3 use short lenses

ANTONIO OLMOS

Groups create natural foregrounds that allow

you to lead the eye into the photo

If you dont 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. Its 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.
84

JERRY WEBB

4 You have to like human beings

6 CHOOSING YOUR ENVIRONMENT

Dont be afraid to
shoot into the light

Being a street photographer or just taking candid

pictures can be stressful at times and difcult 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
benet of local knowledge, a feel for where to look
for pictures and an understanding of the people, plus
maybe added condence. 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 condence. You will
usually 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 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 nd a
good location, be patient and take plenty of shots.

Simply having movement or interaction on two planes (or even three) can
help to create a striking photograph

JERRY WEBB

Many 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 viewers 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, 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 something more spontaneous. Occasionally you 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 eld, making focusing easier.

JERRY WEBB

5 WORKING WITH DIFFERENT PLANES

85

s t r e e t

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.

JERRY WEBB

7 Proximity

8 shoot at night

I love to shoot at night, especially in winter when

good daylight is scarce and it starts to get dark
around 5pm. If Im 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 doesnt matter
what the weathers doing. In fact, if its wet youll
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. Im 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. Im fascinated
by the flm noir look fgures in hats and overcoats
emerging from deep shadows always inspire me.

RUPERT VANDERVELL

If its wet youll have

much more to play with
in terms of atmosphere
A smaller camera is much easier
to conceal and you wont be
advertising what youre up to

RUPERT VANDERVELL www.rupertvandervell.co.uk

9 Use a small camera and take only the essentials

86

When I go out to shoot, I want to feel like Im 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. Its
tiring and restricts your movements. A smaller camera is easier to conceal and
you wont be advertising what youre up to. Between shots you can hide it under
your jacket or behind you as you move into position sometimes its all about
stealth. I remember seeing Joel Meyerowitz shooting on the streets of New York.
He moved like a cat. You wouldnt know what he was up to until it was too late
and hed 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. Its 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, youll give yourself a better chance.

10 BE PATIENT

RUPERT VANDERVELL

Light changes very

quickly depending on
the time of year, and
shadows slide into
new positions

You have to look right

into a scene to see its
potential

RUPERT VANDERVELL

When shooting people,

I try to anticipate their
movements

RUPERT VANDERVELL

You may nd a place

that you think will be the
perfect setting for a
shot, but something isnt
quite as you want it. The
light may not be right or
perhaps people havent
yet walked into the
frame. Some
photographers are too
ready to move on if they
dont immediately see
something to their liking.
Its not just about
looking at whats 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. Ive
learned to be very
patient and I wont leave
until I think Ive 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 youre lucky and
youve combined the
perfect light with
everything else, then
youll feel happy that
you waited around to
get it. Good shots come
to those who wait.

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L I G H T R O O M

Back to basics
If you havent used Adobe Lightroom before, or
need a refresher, its important to understand the
software and exactly what it can do
WITH SUCH A HUGE ARRAY of screens and tools,
Adobe Lightroom can at 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, youll nd
Lightroom is extremely user friendly. Later in this
magazine well look at the various elements of the
software, but rst its important to cover some
basics. If you arent familiar with Lightroom this
should prove useful, and even if youve been using it
for a while, a refresher course wont do any harm.

IMAGE MANAGEMENT
At its core, Adobe Lightroom has three main
functions. First, its an image library tool, a place
where you can go to manage all your photographs.
Second, its a place to edit those images. Third, its 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 isnt 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 le an .lrcat (Lightroom Catalog) le to

be precise. Every time Lightroom loads, it loads your
Catalog 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 ve, making it quick to
nd all your best shots, and they can be tagged with
a colour for instance, any image that youve edited
and are happy with can be tagged green. Shooting
information metadata contained within an image
le can also be searched for. And of course, you can
combine all these different search parameters.
So, for example, if I wanted to nd all my
best-edited images of sunsets, I could do a keyword
search for sunset, with the 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 doesnt 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
89

L I G H T R O O M

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 difcult at rst to grasp, is that
Lightroom never edits or moves any original images
on your hard disk (unless you specically 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 EDITING
Once again, its worth emphasising that Lightroom
doesnt edit your image les. As a general rule, changes
are saved within the Lightroom Catalog, which is why
it is such an important le. If the Catalog 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 le.
But even if the 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 le, it saves
your edits as a list of changes in the main Catalog le.

CREATE FOLDERS SO YOU

CAN FIND AND IMPORT
YOUR PHOTOS EASILY
When youre dealing with vast
numbers of images, its 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 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

adjusted to your taste and then a print is created

from that negative. With the nal print made you
still have the original negative, and your list of
exposure, colour and contrast settings, so at any

Images with GPS information can

be seen on the Map Module screen

EDITING RAW FILES

Lightroom is primarily designed to work with raw
les, although it can also be used with JPEG, TIFF
and Photoshop in fact, most image les. Regardless
of which le type you work with, remember that
you are working non-destructively.
The easiest way to think of working nondestructively is to imagine the raw 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

WORKFLOW

1
90

Original
image

Save image
to hard drive

Import to
Lightroom

Catalog
image

effect, it is exactly the same as editing a raw 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.

Hard disk

Places

People

Events

EXPORTING IMAGES
2013

2014

Iceland Spain USA

2015

France Malta Germany John

2013

2014

Sam Sally

2015

2013

Paul Kevin Steve

2014

2015

Event1 Event 2 Event 3 Event 4 Event 5 Event 6

Its 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 nd and edit your images
simply copy a whole folder to the
back-up drive.
Within each nal folder Malta,
for example, in the diagram (above)

would be sub-folders for nished

les and les saved for web use. So,
for example, Hard disk>Places>
2015>Malta>Finished>Web.

point you can go back and make another copy, or

continue to rene the image.
The traditional darkroom is a good analogy of
how Lightroom operates. You open your original
raw le your digital negative make a series of
adjustments, then when you are happy, you can
export (save) the image to another 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 le.
You can then tweak these adjustments further or,
if you wish, you can revert to the original 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

Edit
image

Export as an
edited copy

Once your image is looking just as you want, its

time to export it. As you arent ever editing the
original le you cannot simply hit Save. Saving may
seem more convenient, but remember the point of
Lightroom is to leave these original les untouched
you cannot simply write over them. Instead, you
export the image to a different le. Again, there are a
number of different 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.
Well talk about exporting later, on pages 102-103,
but basically the edited image is saved as a new le,
in the location of your choice on your computer.

MODULES
While the management and editing of images is the
primary function of Lightroom, its capabilities dont
stop there. The latest version of the software is split
into seven modules, each representing part of a
workow. 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 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 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.
91

l i g h t r o o m

Import module
this 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 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 youll 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

Build Smart PreviewS

Many 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, isnt always possible. Smart Previews get
around this by creating a Smart Preview of the
image in your Catalog basically a very compressed

DNG fle. This means that you can edit the image
even if the original isnt available to Lightroom, as
its on an unconnected drive. If you have images you
may wish to edit on the go, then its worth creating a
Smart Preview. However, its 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 to

PreSetS

coPy aS dnG

This 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.

Again, selecting a Preset can save time by

allowing all the import settings to be decided with
a simple click. For example, if youre 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.

When 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 dont feel the advantages of choosing this
option outweigh its drawbacks.

5
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You can add keywords as les are imported

APPLY DURING IMPORT

Another 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 nondestructive, so applying a style at import doesnt mean youre 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 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.

EXPERT TIP
As you import photographs into Lightroom, those who subscribe to the
Creative Cloud and are using the Lightroom CC version can choose to automatically add 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 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.

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 module
With the potential to have tens of thousands of pictures in your Catalog, the library
module is key to keeping your images in order

CataLog

The 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. Youll 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 serviCes

If 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 youre able to constrain the size of the
image and even add a watermark automatically a
great timesaver when youre dealing with a lot of
photos. Many online websites and services support
Lightrooms Publish Services tool; youll fnd these
by clicking the Find More Services Online button.

Keywording

It 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 youve
previously added. To speed things up even more,
you can download lists of keywords and load them
into Lightroom. Visit www.lightroom-keyword-listproject.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.
94

Metadata
metadata 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 theyre 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. its certainly worth spending some time looking through the
metadata tab to fnd out how to make it work best for you.

If entering a competition, it
can be useful to add your
contact information to the
image metadata

Library FiLter

The 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

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.

1
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6
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then allow you to quickly see les youve already

started to work on.

SMART COLLECTIONS

Collections are just that, collections

of images youve led together. Remember that
creating a Collection wont 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

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 ve
stars and were taken in 2014. Any images that 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

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l I g H T r o o m

Develop module
The Develop module is where raw images are transformed into fnished masterpieces.
We look at the key features and offer essential tips

Histogram

The 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, youll
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 youll have the option to create a Smart
Preview of the image. This allows you to edit the
image, even if the hard disk drive its on isnt attached.

ExposurE, Contrast,
HigHligHt, sHadow, wHitE
and blaCk

Its 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, dont 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, its
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
96

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
doesnt 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

Before

Split Toning is mostly

associated with black &
white images, and in this
case its 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.

Split toning can also be

used on colour images
with dramatic effect

After

3
4

TONE CURVE

If you have used the sliders in

the Basic panel correctly, then you
shouldnt 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 specic areas.

6
Adjust the grey tone by altering
the colours

HUE, SATURATION, LUMINANCE

If you want to tweak specic 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 specic 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 & WHITE

The 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. Its like using the colour channels
in Photoshop, or using black & white lters.

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

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12

10

DETAIL

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

98

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 ne detail youll 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 CORRECTIONS

In 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 prole for it,
Lens Corrections can be automatically enabled. It
can be a good idea to apply this setting when youre
importing an image. To enable the lens correction,
select Prole, and then Enable Prole 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 Prole 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

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

fringing. Using the Amount slider will target this
colour specically when its next to any areas of high
contrast, and its 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 Prole 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 specic image. If you
want to have a go yourself, the various corrections
for perspective can be found in the Manual tab.

10

BRUSH EFFECTS TOOL

One 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 moir 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

EXPERT TIP
Whenever you use the Graduated lter or Radial
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
rene 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 rene the 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.

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, its worth starting lightly
and building up as you go, in order to control the
overall look. The great thing is that all youre doing
is choosing, and painting, one area to be affected. Iif
you feel youve 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, its worth going
at it carefully and using a feathered brush. Complex
masking, such as around a subjects hair, is still
much better done in Photoshop than Lightroom.

11

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 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.

12

PRESETS

If your image has a certain style, its 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

OTHER
OPTIONS
SYNC
If youre happy with the
effects youve 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 COPY
If 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 doesnt create another
le on your hard disk. This
is great if youd 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.

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Print module

Once youve edited your photos, you can do much more than simply export them as image les.
We offer advice on the key ways to publish your pictures

For photographers, Lightroom really can take care

of your entire workow, 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
youd 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
100

Print options in Lightroom

allow you to create a book,
slideshow or Web gallery

templates is the option to print contact sheets.

Simply select the photos you wish to add from the
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 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 PACKAGE

PAGE OPTIONS

OTHER
OPTIONS
SLIDESHOW

If 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 youve 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
youre happy with the layout, it can be saved as a
template for future use.

For a more personal nish to your

prints, its possible to customise the page by adding
personalised touches. The background colour can be
changed (although bear in mind that setting it to

EXPERT TIP
In 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.

Perceptual and Relative options help to print-match

the screen image as closely as possible

black, for example, will use a lot of black ink) or a

polished 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 youd 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 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 prole for
your printer and paper, and chose from Perceptual
or Relative rendering intent. Perceptual creates a
print closest to the perception of what youve
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.

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,
Lightrooms 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.

BOOKS
The 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 les. In the UK,
Adobe has partnered with
Blurb books, so you can
design a book with
Blurbs different size and
nishing options. It can
be uploaded to Blurb from
Lightroom, and youll
receive your book in the
post in about a week.

WEB
You 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
modied and text added.
When 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 images
Once your raw les are edited, you need to export them to render the nal version. But with
so many options, what should you do? We explain...

EXPORT TO

The rst decision to make is where youre

going to save your exported image. Images can be
exported to a specic folder, to the same folder as
the original raw le or you can choose the export
location later, as the 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 le-size settings for numerous projects youre
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 youre working on a 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 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 les in this folder. Its

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 SETTINGS

The 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 le type. Most of the time, les
will be exported as JPEGs and youll have the option
to choose the colour space, the quality and whether
to limit the nal 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 youre saving the image for
website use it may be worth limiting the le size.
However, if the image is going to be printed, the
JPEG quality setting should be set to 100, or the le
should be exported as an uncompressed TIFF le.

IMAGE SIZING

One 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 dont 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.

102

When you sync a collection with

Lightroom Mobile you can share it with
friends and colleagues via a web link

Plug-in Manager allows you to add

export options

Once youve
worked
out how to
export
your images,
its worth
saving it as
a Preset

6
2

Creating a text or graphic watermark is simple

POST-PROCESSING

If you plan to carry on working on your

image once youve exported it, youll nd options in
the Post-Processing tab for what to do after
exporting. If you plan to edit in Adobe Photoshop,
then theres already an option in the menu for this,
although you can also choose any other installed
application in which to open the image.

4
5

PRESETS
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 specic 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 specic 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. Its also worth noting
that there is a Dont Enlarge option. With this
option selected images will not be made any larger
than their original dimensions.

Most photographers will have certain

ways of working with their images
that they will use time and again. This
is why once youve worked out how youre
going to export your images its worth saving
it as a Preset. You may wish to have an option
that lets you export an image at a specic 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, youll
nd that its 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.

WATERMARKING

Although 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 youre putting your images
online. Within the Export panel of Adobe
Lightroom theres 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, theres the option
to add the watermark at a size proportional to the
exported image, so you dont need to have different
watermarks depending on the size of the image that
youre exporting.
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p h o t o s h o p

The original image of the

church of St Thomas a
Becket in Fairfeld, Kent,
before the food

Fairfeld
refections

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
Tucked away among the plethora of Photoshop
flters is Displace, which is perhaps one of the oldest
flters in the programmes 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.
Thats 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.

about the format of the image you pick portrait

format doesnt really work, because once the image
is fipped youll be left with a long, thin canvas.
As you can see from the shot weve used here, the
angle is low and, thanks to the uncluttered foreground, the join between the images is quite natural.
While this technique naturally lends itself to
landscape images, dont be afraid to experiment with
other subjects.
This Photoshop Displacement
Map recreates water

Things To consider
To 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 wont look out of place. You also need to think
104

Using the Displace Filter

gives the impression of
water fooding
the foreground

P h o t o s h o P

step by step

1 Displacement map

2 emboss

3 transForm

4 aDD Distance

5 blur anD save

6 select image

7 Flip

8 aDD ripples

9 Finishing touches

Go 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.

Return 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.

Go 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.

106

In 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.

Select the Layers palette and apply a Gaussian Blur of

1.5px before saving. Its important to save it as a
Photoshop PSD fle, ensuring Maximum Compatibility
is applied if youre unsure, go to File>Preferences>
File Handling. With the Displacement Map saved, we
can now look at applying this to an image.

Select 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.

Select 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.

Open 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.

To 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.