ABOUTTHEAUTHORS

Rod andRobinDeutschmannhave been teachingpeople to be artistswiththeircamerasforyears.Theirgrittyandhonestapproachhasgarneredthema large and faithful following of Southern California photographers. Theytout theuseofmanualcontroloverallelseandofferauniqueandexcitingview of photography that centersmore on the shooter and his vision thanjusthisgear.

Copyright©2013byRodandRobinDeutschmann.Allrightsreserved.Allphotographsbytheauthors.

Publishedby:AmherstMedia,Inc.P.O.Box586Buffalo,N.Y.14226Fax:716-874-4508www.AmherstMedia.com

Publisher:CraigAlesseSeniorEditor/ProductionManager:MichellePerkinsAssistantEditor:BarbaraA.Lynch-JohntEditorialassistancefrom:SallyJarzab,JohnS.Loder,andCareyA.MillerBusinessManager:AdamRichardsMarketing,Sales,andPromotionManager:KateNeaverthWarehouseandFulfillmentManager:RogerSingoISBN-13:978-1-60895-556-5LibraryofCongressControlNumber:2012936514PrintedinTheUnitedStatesofAmerica.10987654321

Nopartofthispublicationmaybereproduced,stored,ortransmittedinanyformorbyanymeans,electronic,mechanical,photocopied,recordedorotherwise,withoutpriorwrittenconsentfromthepublisher.

NoticeofDisclaimer:Theinformationcontainedinthisbookisbasedontheauthors’experienceandopinions.Theauthorsandpublisherwillnotbeheldliablefortheuseormisuseoftheinformationinthisbook.

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TABLEOFCONTENTS

INTRODUCTIONAmazingPhotographersMakeItLookEasyAClearVisionIT’SABOUTVISION

WHATISAVAILABLELIGHT?

It’sQuiteSimple,ReallyWHOKNEW?TravelLightly

THEQUALITIESOFLIGHT

TheDirectionofLightHardorSoftLight?TheColorofLightTHEDIGITALADVANTAGE

MANUALMODEISAMUST

TakeChargeAutoorManualFocus?AFocusedExercise

EXPOSURE

STILLLIFESToMeterorNottoMeter?ADifferentApproachIndividualResultsMayVary

APERTURE

OpenUporStopDown?DepthofFieldOTHERFACTORSAFFECTINGDEPTHOFFIELD

THEDEPTH-OF-FlELDPREVIEWBUTTON

PRESTO!PlaywithReciprocity

SHUTTERSPEED

SafetyZonesGETITINGEAR

ISOExposureStrategyGettingtheJobDoneADDINGLIGHT

THE”PERFECT”EXPOSURE

AnExerciseVisionIstheKeyBEANARTIST

THELCD:INSTANTPREVIEW

ThePowerofObservationEXPOSUREISCRITICAL

MESSAGE-BUILDING

StartwithanIdeaChooseYourPositionSelectaLensFREEYOURMINDSettheApertureChoosetheShutterSpeedComposition

NOEDITINGREQUIRED

UsingYourIn-CameraCreativeOptions

WHITEBALANCE

CONTRAST

DIALING-INAFEELING

SATURATION

SuperchargedSaturation

WHATDOYOUSEE?

MAXIMIZINGMOOD

MAXIMIZINGMOOD,IIDon’tBeShyTRUEARTISTRY

ABLACKBACKGROUND

AMoodyBlackBackground

LENSSELECTION

AboutFocalLengthsCHOOSINGALENS

PLAYINGWITHAVAILABLELIGHT

IntheCompanyofFriends

LOOKCLOSELY

StartwiththeEndinMind

POLARIZERS

TheBasicsPUSHINGTHELIMITS

POLARIZERS,PARTII

CIRCULARORLINEAR?

SIMPLEINSURANCE

DON’TBELIEVETHEHYPE

POLARIZERONLY

UNCOVERTHEMAGIC

TheUnveiling

REFLECTORS

GETSKILLED

MOREABOUTREFLECTORS

ChallengesandPerksReflectorandPolarizer

TAKINGRISKS

WhoseGearIsIt,Anyway?

“GRADS”

HowGradsWork

STACKINGYOURGRADS

TheWowFactorHANDHOLDING

THE“BEST”LIGHT

THEPOWEROFFLASH

AnEver-AvailableSourceTheBenefitsofFlashHowtoUseaFlashWhatFlashtoBuy

FLASHEXERCISE

LIGHTCOLOR

THEFLASHSTICK

NIGHTPHOTOGRAPHY

HOLDSTEADY!

CHIAROSCURO

BLACK&WHITEIMAGES

In-CameraFiltersTHEPURSUITOFEXCELLENCE

MOREBLACK&WHITE

IN-CAMERAINFRARED

INFRAREDFILTERS

“COOKING”TIME

CONCLUSION

Index

TINTRODUCTION

he digital camera offers amazing advantages to the artist-in-training, thephotographerwhousesallavailablelight.Thebiggestistheopportunityto

see hismistakeswhen hemakes them. This “instant experience” is somethingnew to photography. It’s changing everything we know about capturing light,about taking pictures and creating real art with a camera.With this book,weoffer a glimpse of what’s possible incamera, a new and vivacious way ofapproaching photography that centers on vision and exploration rather thanafter-the-fact corrections.Wewant to give you hope, to offer inspiration, andshowyouaclearandunclutteredpathtofollow.

Thetopimageillustrateshowtheartistvisualizedthescene,whilethebottomphotoshowshowitactuallyappeared.Sinceatrueartistseesbeyondrealityandknowswhathisgeariscapableof,hecaneasilycreatesomethingspectacularsimplybyadjustinga fewincamerasettingsandturninghispolarizer.Believe itornot,hecandoallofthiswithouttheneedtoedithisimagesafterthefact.Imagine,takingaphotoincamerathatdoesn’tneedtobecorrected—whatistheworldcomingto?

AMAZINGPHOTOGRAPHERSMAKEITLOOKEASYThey raise their camera and capture the spectacular. It’s as if they’re not eventhinkingabout it, yet they are. Sowell-trained, theymake the creationprocesslooklikepoint-and-shootmagic,but it’snot.Meaningfulphotographyrequiresthoughtfulness, attention to detail, and sometimes an eye for the absurd. It’sabout the beauty of nature and the strength of independent resolve, aboutindividualexpressionandlightning-fastdecisions.Itisasmuchabouttheartistandhisloveforlifeasitisabouthisequipmentandexperiencelevel.

ACLEARVISIONExperiencedphotographerswilltellyouthatgreatphotographsdon’tnecessarilycome from great cameras; they come from a clear vision. The brand name ofyourgeardoesn’tmatterwhen takingaphoto(justas longas itworks). Ifyouusewhatyouhavecreativelyandwithpurpose,thenanytool(despiteitscostorage)will get you to your goal. That’s not just insight, it’s the truth. Themostimportant part, of course, is knowingwhat youwant to accomplishwhen youbegin.Ifyou’vegotavision,ifyouknowwhatyouwanttobuild,thenthetoolswillmakesense.Think,build,create,andsmile.Knowwhatitisyouwanttosayandmakeyourcamerasayit.That’sallanartisthastodo.

IT’SABOUTVISIONTheartofphotographyisallaboutlight—andthereisnonegreaterthantheonethatshinesfromapassionateandartisticheart.

Onesimple,unmodified flashaimedhighandto the leftofoursubjectcreated theperfect,mostnatural-lookinglight.Yes,aflashisavailablelight.That’swhywecarryonewithus.

WHATISAVAILABLELIGHT?

IT’SQUITESIMPLE,REALLY

Available light is what you hold in your heart. It springs asmuch from yourimaginationandvisionasitdoesthesunoraflash.Ifyoucanimagineit,createit,ormanipulateit,it’savailable.Availablelightisnotnaturallight,it’sanythinganartistcanusetosethisvisionfree.Itcanbeaflash,directsunlight,reflectedlight,window light, illumination froma flashlight, a strobe,or even light fromyourcar’sheadlight.Ifanartistcanseeit,seizeuponitspower,andvisualizeallhispossibilities,it’savailable—andit’sprobablygoingtobeused.

WHOKNEW?Availablelightoffersanunbelievablenumberofartisticoptions.Youcanuseanylightyouencountertocreateamazingimageslikethisone.Allyouneedis a mastery of your camera’s controls and a desire to create somethingdifferentfromtherestofthepack.

Shouldnaturallightfail,youcouldalwaysaddlightwithaflash(asthereisnolightmoreavailablethantheoneyoucarrywithyou).

Ifacertainsectionofyourphotoseemsabittoobrightyoucouldgo“oldschool”andstriptheexcesslightwithaproperlyplacedgraduatedneutraldensityfilter(seepage66).

Ifyoutrulywanttogaincontrolofyourenvironment,thenyoucouldusetwolight-stand-mountedflashesfortheultimateinavailablelight,outdoordaylightportraiture.

Available light is just that—any light that’s available. As a manual shooter, you can capitalize onilluminationoptionsfewotherscansee(orevencontemplate).Youcan,forexample,simplyaddasmuchofitasyoulike—aswedidintheimageabove.Nightphotographyisnothingmorethanignoringwhatyousee

andallowingthecameratocollectthelightthat’sneededtoilluminateyourmessagewell.

TRAVELLIGHTLYWhenyou’refocusedontakingadvantageofanyandallavailablelight,theworldisyourplayground.Ifthenaturallightisnotspectacular,thenyou’lljustmakeitamazing. By the careful manipulation of your camera’s controls and with theadditionofaflash(shouldyouneedit),apolarizer(shouldyouhaveone),oragraduatedneutraldensityfilter(shouldyouwantit),you’llbeabletoproduceanincredibleimagenomatterwhatsurroundsyou.Ourgoalinwritingthisbookistooffertheinsightrequiredtogetasclosetoperfectionin-cameraaspossible,tolimittheamountofpostproductionworkneeded,andtohelpyoustartthinkingandactingasarealartistwithacamera.

ATHEQUALITIESOFLIGHT

llavailablelightcanbedescribedusingthefollowingcharacteristics,eachofwhichwillshapeyourfinalimage.

THEDIRECTIONOFLIGHTLightinitsmostnaturalstatecreatesshadows.Theseusuallygodiagonallyfromthe top leftorright, thendown.Weareused to theseshadows falling thiswayandexpectitinanimage.Itgivesusasenseofdepth.Ifyou’reusingnaturallightas your light source, then you shouldn’t have a problem with direction sincewhen coming from the sun it’s always, well, natural. Available light from acamera-mounted flash—evenwhenhighlymodified—eliminates shadows.Thisissomethingthatshouldbeavoidedatallcosts.Ifyouhaven’tlearnedtouseanoff-cameraflashyet,nowisthetime.Ifyoudoknowhowtoaddavailablelightwithanoff-cameraflash,thinkabouttheendresultwhenbuildingthatmessage.Picture thebestpossible shadows,placeyour flashaccordingly, andmake suretheyhappen.

HARDORSOFTLIGHT?The idea of hard and soft light is an ages-oldmisnomer. Light can neither behard nor soft, it simply illuminates. Some believe it’s hard, however, when anexcessamountofglareproducedby this lightcreatesshinyspots.Natural lightphotographers unaware of what causes it (or how to get rid of it), as well asinexperiencedflashphotographers,ofteninadvertentlyuseorcreatethistypeof“hard” light.Asmost know, this can’t easily be fixed inpostproduction. Somephotographers avoid midday shooting because of this, and some flashphotographersstripthepoweroftheirflashwithunnecessarymodificationtools.Luckily,though,thereisasimpleandinexpensivetoolthatfixes“hard”light.It’scalledapolarizer(page50),anditssolejobistostripglare.Flashphotographerscan use this tool to “soften” their light, or they could take a wildly differentapproachand literallychange theangle they light their subject from.Bouncingtheflash(forinstance)offofwallsandceilingsscattersthelightsource,stripping

theglare(hardlight)fromtheimage.

The available light producedwith a flashmounted to a cameraproduces shadows that appearunnatural(unlessyouareacoalminerandareusedtowearingahelmet-mounted light).Thisstraight-ondirectionalsocreatesaconsiderableamountofglare,whichisoftenreferredtoashard/harshlight.

Shouldyouaimyourflashatawallandbouncethelightontoyoursubject,youcreatemorenatural-lookingshadowsandeliminatethemajorityoftheglareproducedfromtheflash.Thewallisactuallynowyourlightsource,scatteringsomeofthemostbeautifullightyoucanimagineallacrossyoursubject.

Thewhitebalancesettingyouchoosecanhaveabigimpactonyourimage.Thetopimage,shotat2500K,appearsquiteblue.Themiddleimage,shotat5200K,offersamiddle-groundalternative.Averyhighsettingof10,000Kgaveusaveryredversion.Nomatterwhatanyonetellsyou,noneoftheimagesare“correct”or“wrong.”Thelookoftheimageyoucreateisentirelyuptoyou.

THECOLOROFLIGHTAll light has a color temperature, measured in Kelvin degrees. Each sourcecreatesacolortintthatoureyesneutralize,butfilmanddigitalcaptureit,asis.Midday light, forexample, is roughly5400Kandcreatesacoolbluecolorcast.Candlelight isabout1930Kandproducesawarmerreddishcolorcast.Wecanuseourcamera’swhitebalancesettingtoneutralizeourimagetones,orwecanplay with our options for creative effect. We’ll return to a discussion of thecreativeuseofthecamera’swhitebalancesettingslaterinthisbook.

THEDIGITALADVANTAGEThedigitalcameraofferstheopportunitytoseetheimageimmediatelyafterit’scaptured.Wecannowidentifymistakeswhenwemakethem,learnfromourexperience,andfixtheproblemonthespot.Thisinstantexperiencehaschangedeverythingweknowaboutcapturinglightandputtheresponsibilityforourmessagesbackinourhands.

MANUALMODEISAMUST

TAKECHARGE

Automaticshootingmodesaredesignedtoproduceaverageimages.Inordertotakeadvantageofeveryavailablelightingscenarioyouencounter,youmustbeinfull manual control of your camera and other tools. That may seem like adaunting task, but it’s not as tough as you might think. All it takes is anunderstandingofsomesimpleconceptsandalotofexplorationandpractice.

Next to your imagination and experience, your tools are pretty importantwhencreatingyourphotograph.It’sbesttoknowyourequipmentinsideandoutso,when problems arise (trust us—theywill!), youwill understand all of youroptions.Ifyoudon’ttakethetimetolearnhowtouseyourequipment,you’llfallshortofyourgoals.

As you’ll soon see, everypieceof themechanical puzzleprovides youwithcreativeoptions.Themoreexperienceyougain, themoreyoucan seeand themorelightyoucanplaywith.Feelfreeto“liberate”afewvisualizationtechniquesfromus.Gorightaheadandusetheideasweshow—andthentakeacreativeleapofyourown.That’swhatthisbookisallabout.

AUTOORMANUALFOCUS?Whenyoufocusyourcamera’slens,youarenotsimplyfocusingonasubject—rather, you are moving a contractible and expandable plane of focus (calleddepthoffield)eitherclosertoorfartherfromthecamera.Asamanualshooter,fullyawareofthisfactandofthephysicssurroundingit,youcancreatethemostspectacular images in-camera, achieving a level of sharpness and focusunparalleled in theworldofphotography today.As amatter of fact, amanualshooterwhoknowswhathe’sdoingcan’tpossiblygetablurryphoto—unlesshewantsone.

This is how the scene appeared. If you look closely, you’ll see an amazing opportunity to “play” withavailablelight.

Ifyoucropintotheareaofextremecontrast,you’llnoticesomethinginteresting:thebirdismuchbrighterthanitssurroundings.

Whenweaddressfocusingwithourstudents,Istandinfrontofonestudentandaskhimtoautofocusonme.Thisisneveraproblem.ThenIaskmywifetostand a few feet behindme and I ask the student to focus on both of us. I’mtypicallymetwithaquizzicallookandsilence.

Fromthere,weteachourstudentshowtotakemanualcontroloverfocusingandusedepthoffield(seepage19)tosuittheirartisticintent.

AFOCUSEDEXERCISE

1. Sitatabenchortable.

2. Findasmall,yettallobject(waterbottlesworkgreat)andplacetheobjectonthetableafootorsofromyou.

3. Manually focus on the top of the object. Note that the object appearssharplyinfocus,butthebackgroundissomewhatblurry.

4. Without touching the lens or adjusting the focus ring, raise the cameraupward while still looking through the viewfinder. Continue raising thecamerauntiltheobjectisnolongervisible.Itappearsnowthatnothingisinfocus,but that’snot true.Theplace inwhichyouplacedyour focuspoint(thedistancetotheobject)isstillinfocus.

5. Hold your camera to your eyewithonehand andmove yourotherhandtoward the focus area. Place one finger in the focus area. Now, simplyimagineyourfingerwasabeebuzzingaroundaflower.Withafast-enoughshutterspeedandsufficientdepthoffield,youwouldbeabletotakeaphotoofabeeinflight—withoutevertryingtofocusonthebeeitself.

If you were to simply choose an aperture, shutter speed, and ISO setting that was not “normal” andilluminate the bird in amoody (darker) fashion, then the surrounding shadows would also have to getdarker.Couplethiswithyourabilitytoadjustyourcontrastsettingin-camera(page34)andvoila—instantawesomeness! Keep in mind, of course, that this image in no way resembles how the scene actuallyappeared.Thephotographerisusingtheavailablelight,notjusttryingtocapturethenaturallight.

AEXPOSURE

llimagesaremadewithlight,andalllight—nomatteritsqualities—canbeused tomakedramatic images.We’ll showyouhowit’sdoneaswemove

throughthisbook.One of the most important elements of any photograph, no matter the

subject,isexposure—theleveloflightintheimage.Thereare threecontrols thatdetermine theamountof light that is allowed

into the lens to strike the image sensor andmake the exposure—the aperture,shutter speed, and ISO setting. (We’ll discuss these controls and their creativeusesinthefollowingsections.)So,howshouldthesecontrolsbeadjusted?Whichexposurevaluesshouldbeused?Theanswertobothquestionsdependsonyourartisticintent.

STILLLIFESStill lifesaregreatfirstsubjectsforphotographerswhoarejuststartingout.Inanimateobjectsnevercomplain!

Considerphotographingflowers,sticks,bugs,andtwigs.Takeyourtimeandexamineandexplorethesubjectsandyourimageoptions.Thinkabouthow the subjectsmake you feel.Make camera adjustments until you havesomethingyoureallylike—notsomethingthatappearsasyouthinksomeoneelsemightexpectitto.

TOMETERORNOTTOMETER?Your camera comes with an ages-old photographic tool—a light meter. Themeterisdesignedtohelpyouachieveaverageor“normal”exposures.Whilethisatfirstsoundsacceptable,thinkhardabouttheresultsyou’llbegetting.Doyoureally want the lighting in your images to be described as “average?” Are youreallylookingfor“normal”exposures,orwouldyourathershootforsomethingextraordinary?

Thecamera’slightmeterisatool,designedtogiveyouaverageillumination.It’sperfectforthoselookingforacceptanceratherthanindependence.Wewantyou to be better than average, to shoot for something more interesting than“normal.”Ifyouwanttotrulyexpressyourself,werecommendignoringthistoolanditssuggestions.Thelightmetercannothelpyouachieveamazingimages,itsimplylocksyouintoaboxofmediocrity.

ADIFFERENTAPPROACHWith digital photography, we can shun the camera’s built-in light meter andinsteaduseexperiencetogaugeandcontrol theamountof light inour images.ArmedwithanLCDscreen,wecantakelotsofimages,reviewthemonthespot,andlearnhowtobecomeourownlightmeter.Sure, inthebeginningyou’llbe“off,”andyourguessesastowhichaperture,shutterspeed,andISOsettingsto

usewillprobablybeatrocious.But,withtimeandexperience,itwillgeteasier.Ourgoalasartistsisnottomakeeveryoneelsehappy.Rather,wewanttoput

the best light into ourmessage, to visualize something amazing and capture itwithourcameras.

INDIVIDUALRESULTSMAYVARYIn our basic outdoor course, we often ask our students to take photos of us,choosingtheamountoflightcapturedbyadjustingtheirshutterspeedonly.(Wefindthatlimitingthenumberofoptionshelpskeepastudentinfocus.)Eachhasthe same aperture and ISO dialed in, yetwhen askedwhat shutter speed theythoughtwasperfect, everyoneoffers a differentnumber.We then ask them tolookateachother’sphotos.Asyoumightexpect,theyarewildlydifferent.Somearebrightandcheerful,somearedarkandbrooding,somearecroppedtightly,andothersarebroadinscope.Thisisabigmomentforthemanualartist.Autoanythingwouldneverallowthistohappen.

Individualityisraretodayinphotography,yetwiththisonesimpleexercise,eachstudentbreaksfromthemold.Hesees,quitegraphically,justhowdifferenthe is fromtherestof theworld.Forcomparison’s sake,weask the students totake thesamephoto inauto,allowing thecamera tochoose thesettings.Alloftheresultingimagesarestrikinglysimilar.Theindividualitythatartistslongforislost,asisanyhopeofbeingagreatmanualphotographer.

Youhavetobreakfromthemold.Youneedtoleaveautobehind,stopusingthecamera’slightmeter(asitsonlyjobistogetyouanaverageimage)andstartpracticing inearnest.Tocreatemood,youneed to recognize thepotential andmakeithappeninyourcamera.

Lightmeters—whetherbuilt-inorhandheld—haveacommongoal:tohelpyourecordanaverageimage—onethatrendersthesceneasit lookstothehumaneye.Tocreateanartist’sview,imageswithmoodandfeeling, you’ll need to learn to trust your vision, hone your intent, and create photos that are in noway“normal.”

Note:Shouldyouusethecamera’smeterdespiteourwarning,pleasedonotbe a slave to the feature.Youdonot have to keep the tool happy, youdonotalways need to achieve what the camera believes perfect exposure to be.Remember, you are an artist, and the camera is a tool. You make the finaldecision in your images. If you do not like the way something looks, if yourpicturesdon’tmatchyourvision,thenchangeasetting,despitewhatyourmetersuggests.Perfectexposureisanindividualchoice.

APERTURE

OPENUPORSTOPDOWN?

Theapertureisanopeninginthelensthatallowslighttostriketheimagesensortocreateanimage.Thewidertheopening,themorelightisallowedtoaffecttheexposure. Every aperture is designated by an f/number. The smaller thef/number(e.g.,f/2.8),thelargertheopening(thisallowsmorelighttoenterthecamera). The bigger the f/number (e.g., f/22), the smaller the opening (thisallowslesslighttoenterthecamera).

DEPTHOFFIELDTheaperturealsoofferscontroloverblur.Whenyouuseawide-openaperture(e.g., f/2.8), you get a shallow depth of field. In otherwords, very little of thesceneinfrontofandbehindyourfocuspointwillappearinsharpfocus.Whenyouchooseasmallaperture(e.g.,f/22),thedepthoffieldismuchwider.Inotherwords,thefocusfallsoffmuchmoreslowly.Youcanseeawidebandoffocusinfrontofandbehindthesubject.

Depthoffieldisimportanttothecreativephotographer.Oncetheartistwithacameradecidesonhisaperturesetting,hedoesnotwaiver. Itremains lockedin.Theconsequencesofachangeofapertureshouldbeintolerable.

Largerapertures(smallerf/numbers)offerlessdepthoffield.

Smallerapertures(largerf/numbers)offergreaterdepthoffield.

OTHERFACTORSAFFECTINGDEPTHOFFIELDDepthof field is controlledby the aperture, the focal length, and the focusdistance.Larger apertures, longer focal lengths, and shorter focusdistancesall give you less depth of field. This means that the closer you are to thesubject,themoreyouzoomin,andthebiggertheaperture,themoreyoucanblur the foreground andbackground.Conversely, the farther away you arefromthesubjectyou’refocusingon,thelessyouzoomin,andthesmallertheapertureyouchoose,themorethingswillbeinfocusthroughoutyourimage.Withallthreefactorsworkingtogether,anartistcannotfailtogetthelookheisafter.

TTHEDEPTH-OF-FIELDPREVIEWBUTTON

he depth-of-field-preview button is the key to creating blur-free, super-sharp images each time you raise your camera.Using itwell, though,will

takepractice.Hereisagreatexerciseyoucandooutside,onabrightday,togetafeelfor

whatthedepth-of-fieldpreviewoffers.(Note:Youwillalsowanttodothisonatable,whilesittinginachair.)

Grabyourcamera,yourfavoritelens,andthreewaterbottles.

Placeonebottleseveral inches fromyourcamera, theseconda fewinchesbehindthefirstandtotheleft,andthethirdafewinchesbehindandtotheleft of the second. You’ll want to see all three water bottles through theviewfinder.

Dialinanapertureoff/8.DonotworryaboutshutterspeedorISOsettings,asyouwon’tbetakingaphotoyet.

Sitseveralinchesfromthefirstwaterbottleandfocusonitscap.Lookcloseat second and third water bottle through the viewfinder, paying closeattentiontotheamountofbluroneach.

Locate the depth-of-field preview button on your camera. This is usuallyfound on the bottom-left or right side. If in doubt, check your cameramanual.Keep inmindsomeentry-leveldigitalSLRsdon’thaveone. (Feelfreetowriteanangrylettertothemanufacturer.)

Depress and hold the depth-of-field preview button. Yes, the scene getsdarker. This is because you shrank the aperture—it’s also why things areabouttogetseriouslymoreinfocus.

Lineupthreewaterbottlesandtakeaseriesofimages,asdescribedabove,tolearnabouttheimpactofyourapertureselectionontheartisticimpactofyourimages.

Thisseriesofimagesshowshowchangingtheaperturecontrolsnotonlytheamountoflightthatisusedtomaketheexposure,butalsotheamountofblurinyourimage.

Lookpastthedarknessatthebluronthesecondandthirdbottles.Thereisconsiderably lessblur.Youhavegaineddepthof field; the focalplanehasbecomewider.

Let up on the button and the scene appears brighter. If you look closely,you’llseetheblurhasreturned.

Bydisengagingthecamera’sautomatedaperturesystem,yougetapreviewofthedepthoffield.Thisisapreviewofthedepthoffieldonly.It’snotcalledadepth-of-field-and-exposurepreviewbutton.HowbrighttheimagewillbestilldependsontheshutterspeedchosenandtheISOdialed-in.

Let’stryanotherexercise:

Setyourexposuretof/16,ISO400,and1/250second.

Moveinclosetothefirstwaterbottle,focusingonthecap.

Depress the depth-of-field preview button and ignore the apparentdarkness,lookinginsteadattheincreaseddepthoffield.

Takethephotoandexamineit.Iftheimageistoodark,decreasetheshutterspeeduntil it is litperfectly.Iftheimageistoobright,increasetheshutterspeed.Keepchangingtheshutterspeed,holdingthecameraverystillwhentakingthephotountilyouhaveaperfectlylitimage.

PRESTO!Whenactivated,thedepthoffieldpreviewbuttondisengagesyourcamera’sautomatedaperturesystem,whichinturnshrinksthehole tothef/numberyouhaveset.Withoutactivatingthisamazingoption,youwillnotbeabletogaugethedepthoffieldintheimagebeforeyoutakethepicture,slowingtheimage-makingprocessandincreasingyourchancesofblurrypictures.

PLAYWITHRECIPROCITY

Open the aperture to the largest-possible setting (smallest f/number),countinghowmanyclicksittakesyoutogetthere.

Moveinandtakethesamephotoofthewaterbottles.

Yes, it’s too bright! Of course it is, you opened the aperture up aconsiderableamount.

Now,increasetheshutterspeedtheexactsamenumberofclicksandretakethephoto.

See,that’sbetter.

Sure, reciprocity worked (as it doesn’t have a choice), but what’s moreimportant is that now you have two images of the same items in yourcamerathatshowthepowerofchangingtheaperture.

TSHUTTERSPEED

he camera’s shutter sits in front of its image sensor and behind the lens’saperture. It is made of two metal (or plastic) blades, sometimes called

“curtains.”Whentheshutterbuttonisdepressed,thefirstbladeopens,exposingtheimagesensortolight.Whentheamountoftimedesignatedbyyourselectedshutterspeedhaspassed,thesecondshuttercloses.

MostdigitalSLRscanshootatshutterspeedsfrom30secondsto1/4000or1/8000second.Artiststakeadvantageofalltheseoptions,changingtheirshutterspeedforveryspecificreasons.Withfastshuttersspeeds,theycanfreezeactionandcreatemood.Withslowershutterspeeds,theycanrecordmotionblurandilluminateeventhedarkestarea,nomatterthetimeofday(ornight).

SAFETYZONESIfsomethingmovesduringanexposure,thereisachancethatitwillbeblurryinyour picture.Oneway to avoidmotion blur is to shoot using a shutter speedthat’sfastenoughtofreezemotion.Wecallthistheshutterspeedsafetyzone.

Theshutterspeedsafetyzonedependsupontheangleofviewofthelensinuse,whichinturndependsonthefocallengthofthelens.Shorterlensesofferawider angle of view thando longer lenses. Let’s take a look at how thismightaffectyourpicture-taking.

Thinkaboutadogwalking.Ifyouareusingashortlens,thedogwillcoverasmallareaoftheframe—arelativelysmallportionofthewideangleofview.(Seeillustrationonthefacingpage.)Thankstotheshortfocallengthlens,itwilltakehim a bit of time tomake it from one side of the frame to the other.With alongerlensonthecamera,theangleofviewwouldbemuchmorenarrow.Thedogwould takeupmuchmoreof the frame, and itwouldnot takehimmuchtimeatall tomake it fromonesideof theviewfinder to theother.Hence,youwould need amuch faster shutter to freeze the dog in this example than youwouldinthepreviousone.

Withafastshutterspeed,anythingispossible.Hereashutterspeedof1/2500frozeawaveofwater.

Theminimumshutterspeedneededtofreezemotionvariesdependingonthefocallengthofthelensinuse.Thehowsandwhysofthematterareaddressedbelow.

Asyoucansee,lenseswithdifferinganglesofviewrequiredifferentshutterspeedstofreezethesameaction.Longerfocallengthlensesrequirefastershutterspeeds,whileshorteronescangetbywithslowerones.Theshutterspeedsafetyzone gives you aminimum shutter speed to shoot at with any given angle ofview. Ifyou follow thisguideandusepropercamerahandling techniques,youwillincreaseyourchancesofin-focusimagesdramatically.

Todeterminethesafetyzoneforyourlens,lookonthebarrelofyourlensfor

its focal length. Double the length, then select the shutter speed that is thereciprocalof thatnumber.Forexample, ifyouareshootingwitha50mmlens,yourshutterspeedshouldbe1/100secondorhighertoensureblur-freeimages.Ifyouusealongerfocallength(smallerangleofview)thenyou’llneedtotriplethe focal length to find yourminimum shutter speed. For instance, if you areshootingwith a 100mm lens, thedouble-your-focal length ruledoesnot applysince your subject fills more of the frame. You’ll need to use 1/300 as a baseshutterspeed(thisistripleyour100mmfocallength).Ifyou’reshootingwithalong 200mm lens, you’ll need a minimum of 1/600 if you plan on gettinganythinginfocus.Payattentiontoyourshuttersafetyzone—itwillmakeallthedifferenceintheworld.

Note:Thisisasafety“zone”—itcan’tguaranteesuccess,itjustgetsyouclose.If you take a photo and your subject is still blurry because ofmotion, simplyincrease theshutterspeed(adjustingtheISOinareciprocalmanner)untilyoueliminatetheblur.Therewillalwaysbeashutterspeedthatcanfreezeanytype(orspeed)ofaction—it’sjustthatyoumayhavetoworkalittletofindit.

GETITINGEARAnartist chooseshis shutter speed to illuminatehismessage, createmood,andcontrolmotionblur.Takeafewmomentsandexploretheshutterspeedcontrolonyourcamera.Adjustthesettingsandgetafeelforthemovement.Don’t take anyphotos yet, simply familiarize yourselfwith the control andyouroptions.

ISO

EXPOSURESTRATEGY

Themechanicsofcreatingadramatic, in-focus imageisprettystraightforward.Chooseanapertureforyourdepthoffield,pickashutterspeedthatbothfreezesandilluminatesyoursubjectwell,andchangeyourISOonlyifyouhaveto.TheISO option in your camera changes the illumination level of your imagemathematically.Itaddsnoreallighttoyourpicture;rather,itsimplyperformsabitofmathmagic and takes a “guess” atwhat it should look like if thereweremore(orless)lightavailable.HigherISOsettingsgiveyouanimagethatappearsbrighter,whilelowersettingsmakeitappeardarker.Thispoweroverlightcomesat a cost. The higher settings you use, the less contrast, saturation, and clarityyourimagewillpossess.However,thisdoesnotmeanthatyoushouldavoidthehighersettings;itsimplymeansyoushouldusethemonlywhenyouhaveto.Thetruth is that having this feature, and being able to quickly adjust the apparentamount of illumination your image receives, is simply fantastic, offering youoptionsandstrategiesthatwillchangeyourshootinghabitsforever!

Everythinginthesceneisinclearfocusbecauseoftheaperture(f/14).Ipicked1/1000secondfortheshutterspeedbecause I knew itwould freeze this fast action. Finally, I chose an ISO setting that illuminatesmymessagewell(ISO640).Itookatestshottoconfirmeverythingwasfine,thenwaitedfortheridetostartandformyfamilytospinaround.AtnotimedidIneedtotrytofocusonamovingsubject;Isimplyaimedmycameraatthesubjectsandshot,allowingthesettingsIselectedtodoallthework.

ChangingyourISOletsyouquicklymanipulatethelightin-cameraandtakeblur-freeimagesevenindarklocations.HighISOsettingsresultinnoiseandlessoverallquality—butatleasttheimagewillbeinfocus!

Myfamilykeepsmeonmytoes,soIkeepmycamerasettingsreadyforanything.Iusuallykeepf/16dialed-in(foradeepdepthoffieldsothatIneednotfocus).Aminimumshutterspeedof1/250secondwillusuallyfreezeanythingmoving,whenusingmy28mmlens.IsetmyISOtowhateverisneededfortheimagetobelitwell.Icansimplyraisemycameraandshoot!

GETTINGTHEJOBDONEAsanartist,wechooseanaperturewithintent,ashutterspeedwithpurpose,andanISOsettingforareason.Thissimpleproceduremakesblurryimagesathingof thepast.Thinkofwhat the apertureoffers—achoiceofdepthof field.Thismeansthatyoucouldgeteverythinginasceneinfocusorjustonething,playingwiththeamountofblurinyourimageslikeatoy.

ADDINGLIGHTIfthe lightingconditionscall foraslowershutterspeedorahighISOsettingbutmakingoneofthesechangeswilladverselyimpactyourartisticvision,youmaywanttoconsideraddingflashtosupplementtheambientlightsoyoucanachievethe“right”exposure.Seepages70–77formoredetails.

THE“PERFECT”EXPOSURE

ANEXERCISE

Thequest for available light is an internal one.Youhave to recognize the factthatonlyyouwilleverknowwhatlevelofexposure(illumination)isperfectforyourownveryindividualmessage.Youhavetoseeallofyouroptionsbeforeyouknowwhat’spossible,solet’splay:

Setyourcameratomanual.

Settheaperturetof/5.6.

SettheISOto200.

Dialinashutterspeedof1/4000.

Takeaphotoofaflower.Theimagewillbedark.

Selectaslowershutterspeedandtakeanother image.Donot lookatyourcamera’slightmeter.Itsjobistogiveyouaverageimages.Thisisnotwhatyouwanttocreate.

Selectaslowershutterspeedandtakeanotherimage.Repeattheabovestepuntilthelightingintheimagesuitsyourtastesperfectly.(Tip:Ifyougotoofarandyourimageappearstoobright,chooseafastershutterspeed.)

Findfourmoreflowersandrepeattheprocess.

Reviewyourpictures.Pickyourfavoriteimages,thenreturntoflowersandshootthesamepicturesagaininauto.You’llseeadifference.

Isolatethemoodpotential,framingthedesiredgraphicelements,thenbeginstrippingexcessambientlightusingafastershutterspeed.Eachadjustmenttotheshutterspeedchangestheamountoflightintheimage.Notethattherewasplentyoflightonoursubjectswitheveryshutterspeedchoice.Goonandmakesomeboldshutterspeedchoices.You’llbesurprisedathowthecamerarewardsyourbravery.

It’s your image.Only you knowwhen it’s perfect,when it truly reflects how you feel orwhat youwant.

Thinkaboutwhatanimagewouldlooklikeifitweredarkerorbrighter.Iftheimageistoodark,addlight.Ifthecontrastorsaturationisn’tright,changeit.Ifyourcolorsappearodd,fixthem.Dowhateveryoucantocreatethemostspectacularimagein-camera.

VISIONISTHEKEYDepending on the exposure settings you choose, you can make the cameracaptureapurewhiteorpureblackimage.Youhaveagreatdealofcontroloverexposure.

As an artist, youneed to ignorewhatothers thinkphotography shouldbe.Youmustgrowanddevelop real skillwithyour camera.Youmustbecomeanartist,notjustanotherphotographer.

BEANARTISTVisionisthekeytomasteringphotography,notgearorafter-the-factmanipulation.Totrulyspeakwithyour camera, youneed tohave something to say, the tenacity tomake it happen, and the courage toshowittoothers.Simplytakinganaveragephotowhileinautoand“fixing”itlaterinthecomputerisnotart—it’sacop-out.

THELCD:INSTANTPREVIEW

THEPOWEROFOBSERVATION

It seems thatmost photographers believe you should shoot an image inRAWandbringitintoPhotoshoptofinesseit,butwedon’tagree.Weknowthatyoucan shoot what you visualize in-camera, with no postproduction refinementsnecessary.WeaskourstudentstoshootinJPEGformatandrevieweveryimagetheyshooton theLCDscreen.Wewant themto focusonbuilding their skills,notjusttheirportfolios—totakebadphotosandtrytofixtheminthefield.Wewantthemtolearntomasterallofthecontrolsattheirfingertips.Wethinkit’sessentialthattheylearntoseeandusethelightthatsurroundsthem.At some point, every photographer has to take responsibility for his or herphotographs.Forourstudents,thismomentcomesduringtheirveryfirstclass.We ask them to ignore their camera’s internal lightmeter and concentrate onselecting exposure settings that allow them toproduce images they like, ratherthanblindlyselectingtheoptionsthecamera’smeterrecommends.“Youhaveamonitor,souseit.Youcantell ifyourimageistoodarkortoolightwhenyoulookatyourLCD.Ifyoudon’tliketheimageyoushot,thenfixit,”wesay.Wewantourstudentstotakealeapoffaith.

Onlytime,patience,andperseverancewillmakeyouagreatphotographer.Never listentothosewhosayonecameraorlensisbetterthananother.Everyonecancreatemagicwiththeircamera,nomatterthemakeormodelaslongastheyareinmanualcontrolandstartwithasolidvision.

LookatyourLCDwhenyoumakeashot.Ifsomethinglookswrong,fixitrightthenandthere.Don’trelyonpostproductionediting.

”Is itwhatyouenvisioned?Does it reflecthowyou feel?”weaskour students. “If theanswer is yes, it isperfect,”wetellthem.Whenyou’regettingstarted,spendsometimetakingphotographsandstudyingthemonyourLCDscreen.Thinkaboutthelightingintheimage.Isittoyourliking?Ifnot,fixit.Don’tstopuntilyourshotlooksjustasyouwanted.

Webelievethatthequestionposedtousshouldn’tbe“Doyoulikeit?”We’dratherhear“HowdoIget thismore in focus?”“HowdoIaddmore light?”or“HowdoIchangemydepthof field?”Thosearequestions thataphotographyinstructor can answer, that’s the physics stuff, the mechanics. Only the artistknowsiftheirmessage,theirimage,isasuccess.

EXPOSUREISCRITICALExposurecanmakeorbreakanimage.No,itdoesn’thavetobe“normal”(infact,wepreferexposuresthathelptocreateanimagethatisadeparturefromreality),butitmustsuityourintentions.Theexposuremaybebrighter—hey!

cheerful is a mood too—or darker than what the camera’s internal metermightdeem“correct,”butifyou’rehappywithit,it’sperfect.

WMESSAGE-BUILDING

hilephotographyisanartform,thereisalsoacertainsenseofstructureto it—apath one follows to create spectacular images. It’s the same for

any artist. A painter opens his paint box, applies paint to a palette, chooses abrush,mixesthecolors,andbeginscreating.Photographersalsousetheir toolsinacertainorder.

STARTWITHANIDEADecidewhatitisyouwanttosay—oratleasthaveabasicidea.Thinkabouthowthescenefeelstoyouandhowyouwantittoappear.Withthatfeelinginmind,dialinthein-cameraartisticoptions—thecontrast,saturation,andwhitebalance(see pages 33–37) you need to express that feeling. (We realize that mostphotographersdothisafter the fact,usingPhotoshoporanother image-editingprogram, but we feel you are more in touch with how you feel while you’recreating a shot than you are days later when you open the image on yourcomputer.)

CHOOSEYOURPOSITIONYournexttaskistochoosethebestcamerapositionforthedesiredperspective.Line up each of the graphic elements in the scene from the front to the back.Moveclosertothesubjectorfartherfromittochangetherelationshipbetweenthegraphicelementsinyourviewfinderuntilyouachievethepresentationyou’reafter.

SELECTALENSOnceyou’vechosenashootingposition,selectthelensorfocallengththatoffersthecropfactoryouneed.Eliminateanydistractingelements fromtheframeaspossible.

FREEYOURMINDWhen seeking to maximize their creative expression, most people look totheir gear. They spend a lot of money on cameras, lenses, flashes, andaccessories inhopeofattaininggreaterartistic expression.The truthof thematter is that creativity isn’t found in a camera bag—nomatter how wellequippeditmaybe.Trueartistrycomesfromexperienceandconfidence.Toachieveit,youmustlearnwhattoexpectfromyourequipmentandthelightitself.Youmusthaveforesight.Youmustlearnhowtovisualizeyourresultsand use every option at your disposal to sculpt your subject and scene toachieveimagesthattrulyspeaktoyou.

SETTHEAPERTUREThinkaboutthedepthoffieldyouwantforyourimage.Whichoftheelementsinyoursceneshouldbeinsharpfocus,andwhichshouldbeblurry?Dialintheaperturethatwillhelpyoucreateyourintendedmessage.

CHOOSETHESHUTTERSPEEDSelectashutterspeedthatbestilluminatesyourmessage.Thisisthetrickypart.Ifaslowshutterspeedisrequired,youcouldsimplydial it in.However,as theshutterspeedslows,youruntheriskofablurryphoto.Ifneedbe,considerusinga higher ISO setting (beware of digital noise and a decrease in contrast andsaturation).Alternatively,youmaywanttoconsideraddinglightwithaflash.

COMPOSITIONLastly, you’ll want to check your composition, noting whether you are usingisolation,rhythm,orbalancetosetyourmessagefree,thenstrategizeastowhatcanbedonetomakeitbetter.Whilecompositionanddesignareintegralpartsofphotography, we believe that learning the art should be done in stages. Forinstance, if you haven’tmastered the basicmechanics yet, you should stick tothatforawhile.Whatgoodisawonderfullycomposedimageifit’stotallyoutoffocusornotlitwell,right?Ifyoudoknoweverythingthereistoknowabouttheart of goingmanual, then you should be working on composition in earnest,learning to create drama with the placement of graphic elements, of tellingstoriesandsharingideas.Thenoncecompositionismastered,it’sontodesign:composition andmechanics for a reason. In design, you use human biases toachieve a specific goal, to influence decisions or incite an emotion. Take yourtime through the learning stages. Photography is an amazing art form, and itdeservesyourrespect.

Thereisaveryspecificprocessrequiredtocreategreatimages.Youmustmaketheefforttolearneachstage,masteryourtools,andvisualizeallofthepossibilities.

NOEDITINGREQUIRED

USINGYOURIN-CAMERACREATIVEOPTIONS

Digitalcamerasofferawonderfulassortmentofoptionsthatallowyoutoadjustcontrast, saturation, white balance, tint, hue, brightness, and even sharpness.These settings canbe adjusted so you can capture a subject or scenebasedonhowitmakesyoufeel,ratherthanthewayitappearstothecasualonlooker.

Whilemanypeopleprefertoadjusttheseimagequalitiesinpostproduction,we believe that you’remore in touchwith how you feel at themomentwheninspirationstrikes.Weaskourstudentstodialinthesefeelings,toadjustthosesettingsbasedontheirvision, theiremotions,andtheir intent—thereal reasonthey raised their camera. Let’s take a closer look at each of these powerfuloptions.

This photo showshow theworld appears to thehuman eye.Whatmost are unaware of is the strikinglybeautifulcolorsthatarehiddenundertheglarethatnaturallysurroundsus.Tocreateastrikingimage,wesimplyneedtoeliminatetheglareofnaturallightwithapolarizer(page50)andtakeaphotooftheavailablelightthatliesunderneath.

Thesceneasitappearedtothenakedeyewasflatandboring,butwithafewsimplechangestotheinternalcontrastandsaturationsettings(page34and36)wewereabletocreatesomethingmuchmoredramatic.

The tonal differences between the photographers on the ground and the bright skyweremassive in thisimage.Insteadoflosingthesky,however,wesimplyemployedagraduatedneutraldensityfilter(page66)infrontofthelens.Theresult?Instantawesomeness,withnoneedtocorrectathinglater.

AWHITEBALANCE

swementionedonpage10,alllighthasacolor.Daylighttendstobemoreblue,andthelightemittedbyhouseholdbulbstendstoberedderincolor.

Photographersseekingtoproduceanaveragepicturewillusethewhitebalancefeaturetoneutralizethecolorcastthatagivensourceproducestoensurethatthetones in the image appear normal to the naked eye. An artist with a camera,however,willusethewhitebalanceoptionsavailabletohimtocreatemood.

Thecolorof lightthatyourcameracanrecordtypicallyrangesfrom2500Kto10,000K.Ifyourcamera’swhitebalance featureallowsyoutodial inacolortemperaturevalue,rockon!Ifnot,consultyourmanualtodeterminewhatwhitebalancepresetsareoffered.Typically,thehouse-with-shadeiconoffersthemostredandthetungstenorlightbulbsettingwilladdthemostblue.Letyourfeelingsguideyourdecision.

Try the various presets.What you’ll notice is that each setting adds eithermore red or more blue to your image. We equate the redder settings withwarmthoraggressionandthebluersettingswithacooler,morepeacefulfeeling.

Theseimagesshowthedrasticdifferenceinwhitebalanceoptionsyourcameraaffords.Theleftimagewasmade with a low Kelvin (K) temperature (2,500K), while the right image wasmade with a high Kelvintemperature(10,000K).Neitherisrightorwrong,theyaresimplychoicesamanualshooterhasin-camera.It’s important to know these options in advance, as often their effects provide the reason for taking thepicture.

Forthiscomplexnighttimeflashimage,aknowledgeofwhitebalanceoptionswasessential.Toachievethecity’snaturalcolor,averylowwhitebalancetemperaturesettingwasused.This,inturn,renderedourflash-lit subject very blue. An amber gel filter was placed on the flash to color balance our in-camera whitebalancechoice.

CCONTRAST

ontrast refers to the degree of difference between the lightest anddarkesttones in an image. You do have an alternative if you’re not in complete

control of your lighting: you can choose a high contrast setting in-camera tocreateamoreaggressive,dramaticmessageoralowsettingtodotheopposite.

Inhigh-contrastimages,theblacksaredeeperandshadowdetailislost.Theedges in photographs that are made with a high contrast setting may appearsharper, and your images may seem in better focus. When you select a lowcontrastsetting,theresultingphotowillshowpreservedshadowdetail,andtheimagewill feel softer. If you pay attention to how you feel about your subjectmatter,youshouldfinditeasytodialinasuitablecontrastsetting.

Thetopphotoshowshowthedayappearedtotheeye;thebottomphotoshowstheresultofchoosingahighcontrastsettingandfaster(thannormal)shutterspeed.

Contrastandsaturation(the lattertopic iscoveredonpages36and37)arethe meat and potatoes of the message-building process. These are thephotographic elements people notice first, before they even recognize yoursubject.Theseelements speak toyourviewer. Ifyouwantyour image to standout,you’llneedtolearnhowtoexerciseyouroptions.

DIALING-INAFEELINGPhotography is all about expression. Your images should reflect yourindividuality.

Weaskourstudentstothinkaboutwhytheyraisedtheircamera.Weretheydrawntothegraphicelementsinascene,orwastheresomethingelse,somethingabitmoreprimal?Cantheycategorizethatfeeling,zero-inonan

emotion?How strongor softwas that feeling?Weask them to isolate thatemotionandpullitfromtheircamera.Ahighcontrastsetting,forexample,creates amoredramatic, intense look than a low contrast setting.You canuseintenseeffectstoshowyourstrongreactiontoasubject.

Withahighcontrastsetting,theblacksofthisimagewereallowedtodeepen.

TSATURATION

hequalitiesofavailablelightvarywidely.Sometimesthelightisdiffusedandsoft,andthecolors in thescenearesofterandmoremuted in turn.Other

times,thelightisharderandthecolorsinthescenearemoreintense.Youdon’thavetosettle forrecordingan image“as is.”Youcanflexyourcreativemuscleandampupthecolorstocreateafeelingthatsuitsyourcreativevision.

SUPERCHARGEDSATURATIONSaturation refers to the richnessof the colors that arepresent in the image. Inimageswithlowsaturation,thecolorsarepaleandmorepastel.Thephotographsmayseemplacidorsedate,andtheimagesmayhaveamorepassivefeel.Whenyouuseyour in-cameracontrast setting toampup the saturation, the color inyourimagesismuchmorevibrantandintense.Imagesmadethiswaycommandtheviewer’sattention.Theyhaveapalpableenergy.

Needlesstosay,bymanipulatingthesaturationsetting,youcancontrolthewaythatyourimageaffectstheviewer.

WHATDOYOUSEE?Mostphotographersseeandphotographjustonething—theirsubject.Theyfail to see what surrounds the subject, let alone the wondrous options ofavailable light. Artists do things differently. They feel and visualizeeverything—not just thesubjects,but lighting,color,contrast,composition,and more. They visualize what would happen if they could change theseimage elements, rearrange them, manipulate them, and then they simplyshootwhateverfeelsright.

Thinkaboutwhatwillhappenifyoumakecoloraprioritybeforeyoushoot,settingupyourshotsbecauseoftheintensityyouforesee.Thephotosyouseeherewereshotaggressively,withthesaturationatitshighestsetting.Ifyourimagescontaincolorandthat’swhatyouwantyourviewerstosee,thenhitithard.Seewhatyourowncameraaffords.Youmaybeshockedatwhatcancomeoutofyourmachine.

TMAXIMIZINGMOOD

ake some time to play with your camera’s white balance, contrast, andsaturationsettings.Whenyouknowwhatyourcameraiscapableof,you’ll

beabletocreateimagesthatgofarbeyondsimpledocumentationofasubjectorscene.

Thissimpleexercisewillhelpyoulearnhowtocreateimageswithmood.

Setyourcameratof/5.6andISO200.

Headoutdoorsandchooseasubject.

Focusonthesubjectandchoosetheshutterspeedthatbestilluminatesyourmessage.

Adjustthein-cameracontrastandsaturationsettingstotheir lowest levelsandtakeaphoto.

Examinetheimage.

Adjustthecontrastandsaturationsettingstotheirhighestlevelsandtakeaphoto.

Examinethephotoandcompareittothepreviousone.

Adjust thewhite balance to its lowestKelvin (K) setting. (If you’re usingpresets,trythetungstenorlightbulbsetting.)

Examinetheimage.

Adjustthecontrastandsaturationsettingstotheirlowestlevelsandtakeaphoto.

Examinetheimageandcompareittothepreviousimage.

Adjustthewhitebalancetoitshighestsettingandtakeanimage.(Ifyou’reusingpresets,trytheshadeoption.)

Examinetheimageandcompareittotheothers.

Adjustthecontrastandsaturationtothehighestsetting.

Takethephoto,examine,andcompare.

Thisishowthesceneappeared.Contrastandsaturationsettingsweresetto“normal.”Theimagewasshotinautomode.

This image illustrates a more aggressive approach. The contrast and saturation were pushed to theirmaximumsettings.Thewhitebalanceremainedconstantat5200K.Theshotwasmadeinmanualmode.

Thephotographerchoseamuchfastershutterspeed,makinglightanimportantingredient.

MAXIMIZINGMOOD,II

DON’TBESHY

Whenyoubeginseeingandusingalloftheavailablelightthatsurroundsyou,anew world of artistic options will present itself. You’ll find that subjects thatwouldn’t catch the average photographer’s eye are ripewith creative potential.Flex your imagination, make some aggressive adjustments to your incameracolor, contrast, and saturation settings. Make informed exposure choices andcreatephotosthataremoodyandspectacular.

Thisiswhattheeyesees.

Thisishowtheimagelookswiththecontrastandsaturationlevelsincreased.

This ishowthephoto lookswhena faster shutter speed isused tohelpestablishmood.Yeah, this is funstuff!

Thisiswhattheonlookerseesandwhatthecamerarecordswheninautomode.

This is the setup required to achieve our vision of the scene. You’ll noticewe’ve added two unmodifiedflashesonlightstands.Thisextralightallowsustosetincrediblyaggressivesettingsincamera,yetstillhaveenoughlighttomakeourmodelshine.Apolarizer(page50)wasusedtostriptheglarecomingfromthemainflash.

Remember,yourflash(orflashes)arepowerfultools,andifyoukeeptheminyourcamerabag,you’llhaveavailablelightatanygivenmoment.

TRUEARTISTRYThe artist with a camera is capable of doing far more than simplydocumenting theworld aroundhim.He takes advantage of the light that’savailable to him and pushes himself and his vision beyond what averagepeoplecan(orarewilling to)see.His imagesareunique,bold,brazen,andamazing.

ABLACKBACKGROUND

AMOODYBLACKBACKGROUND

A photographer shooting subjects rarely sees something as simple as moodunlessit’srightinfrontofhim.Mood,asyouprobablyknow,happenswhenthelightinanimageplaysakeyroleinyourimage.Let’screatesomemood!

Setyourcameratomanual.

Settheaperturetof/5.6andtheISOto200.

Choose an object from inside your home that is at least one foot tall,lightweight,andcanbemovedeasily.

Take your subject outside on a bright, sunny day and place it in thebrightest lightyoucan find.Besure that there isnothingbutadeep,darkshadowbehindthesubject.

Crop tight into the scenewithyour lens, ensuring that thereareonly twotones available through the viewfinder, the bright subject and the darkbackground.

Setyourshutterspeedto1/4000.

Slowlybeginaddingmorelightbydecreasingtheshutterspeed.

Checktheimagesoftenandstopwhenyouseeyourbrightsubjectpopfromthe scene. Look closely at the background and you’ll see it’s black. Nowthat’samoodyimage!

Lookatthesceneagain.Youcanseethebackgroundelementsandthedetailtheycontain,butyourcamerarendereditpureblack.Youstrippedrealityfromyourimage.Youcreatedamoodyimageusingtheavailablelightthatsurroundedyou.

Placeanobjectinthebrightlight.Makesurethatthereisaveryheavyshadowbehindit.Takeaphotoofitinmanual,choosinganaperture,ISO,andshutterspeedthatilluminatesthesceneasitappearstothenakedeye.

Get closer to your subject and frame the scene to include only your brightly lit subject and the shadow.Increaseyourshutterspeedslightlyandtakeanotherphoto.You’llseethatmoodisbeginningtoshowitshead.

Keepincreasingtheshutterspeeduntilthebackgroundispitchblack.

Congratulations!Youjustcreatedyourfirstmoodyimage.

ALENSSELECTION

lens is an optical device that transmits or refracts light, converging (ordiverging)thebeam.

Your camera lens is specifically designed to focus light on your camera’ssensor.Thesizeofthesensorandthefocallengthofthelensdeterminewhatwillshow up in your image. Longer focal lengths and smaller sensors offer a verycropped-inviewoftheworld,whileshorterfocallengthsandlargersensorsgiveusawiderfieldofview.

Moreexpensivelensesoffermoreexoticoptions,butdon’tbefooled.Lensescan’tcomposeordesign.Theysimplyfocuslightandofferaspecificangleofview.Tocreateanamazingclose-upimageyoudonotneedaspecial lens.Youmayalreadyownazoomlens.Simplyplace the focuspointat itsminimumsettingandmoveyourbodyforwarduntilyoursubjectcomesintofocus.

Onceyoursubjectisinfocus,simplyensureclaritywithyourdepthoffieldpreviewbuttonand,ifneedbe,adjustyouraperture.ThenpickashutterspeedthatfreezesthecreatureandanISOthatlightsyourmessagewell.

Foranartistwhowishestotrulyspeakwithhiscamera,aninterchangeablelenssystemiscrucial.It’stheveryreasonweuseanSLR.Whenpurchasingalenswe look not just at its zoom range, but also its physical weight and length,minimumfocusdistance,maximumandminimumaperturesand,ofcourse,thecost.(Holdoffonanynewlenspurchasesuntilyoutrulyunderstandwhatyouneedandwhatyoudon’t.Please,don’tbetaken.)

ABOUTFOCALLENGTHSWhen creating an image, an artist will choose his focal length early in theprocess.Thefocallengthofyourlensisameasurement.It’sthephysicaldistanceyourlensneedstogetinfinityinfocus.Thefocallengthdeterminesyourangleofview (i.e.,whatwill showup in your viewfinder andwhatwon’t). Look at thebarrel of your lens to find your current focal length. It is measured inmillimeters.Ifyouownazoomlens,you’llseeseveralfocallengthoptions.

When zooming, you are simply gliding between these focal lengths, slowlychanging the area of the scene that your lens sees. (Note: Many digital SLRsemployviewfindersthatdonotshowyouexactlywhatyou’llget inyouractualpicture.Checkyourcamera’sspecificationstoseeifthisisanissueyouneedto

worryabout.)Shorter focal length lenses(e.g.,18mm,28mm,35mm)offerwideanglesof

view,whilelongerfocallengthlenses(e.g.,70mm,105mm,200mm)offertighteranglesofview.Theselongerlensescangiveustheillusionof“beingcloser”toasubject though the viewfinder but the truth is thatwe are simply looking at amuch smaller space, a “cropped-in” view of the world in front of us. To “getcloser” toa subjectyouhave tophysicallyget closer.That’swhatyour legsarefor.

Thisscenedoesn’tlooklikeitholdsmuchpotential,butweknowwecanmakeitsing.

Choosingalensthatallowedforatightcrophelpedtoisolatethesesubjects.Weusedourcreativecontrolstoreallypumpupthedramaforanimagethatdoesn’tresemblethesceneasitappearedtothenakedeye.

CHOOSINGALENS

Havinga larger(full-frame)sensororanexpensive lensdoesnotmakeyoubetteratphotography,itsimplyoffersyouotheroptions.Truequalitycomesfromtheheartofyourmessage,nottheexpenseofyourgear.Don’tbuythehype.

PLAYINGWITHAVAILABLELIGHT

INTHECOMPANYOFFRIENDS

Foranewphotographer,itcanbetough.Ifyou’veneverplayedwiththecameralikethis,ifyou’veneveradjustedanaperture,theshutterspeed,ortheISO,itcanall seem maddening. Often, it’s wise to share the experience with other like-mindedindividuals.Searchoutphotogroupsthatfocusonmanualcontrolandpure expression. Steer clear of those that tout after-the-fact editing or put theemphasisongear,ratherthantheartist.It’simportanttostayfocusedonacleargoalandtosurroundyourselfwithsupportingandnurturingfriends.Withthatsaid, plan on spending time getting to know available light. Practice what weofferhere.Learntocreateamoodyimage,toadjustallyourin-camerasettings,andtofinallyfocusonusingaflash(ortwo).Alllightisavailable,andwiththerightsurroundings,gear,andsupport,itcanilluminateapathwaytowardartisticfreedom.

Here, two flashes, a long lens, a large aperture, aggressive in-camera settings, and the proper turn of apolarizerunitedtocreateastunningoutdoorportraitthatrequiresnopost-processing.

If youknowhow to eliminate glarewith yourpolarizer (page 50), youwill find very littleneed for flashmodifierssuchassoftboxes,umbrellas,andbouncers.

Themanualapproachissweepingthroughdigitalphotography.Checkoutlocalresourcesandjoinaclubtoday.

Withnoflashmodification,aninexpensivelens,andtwolow-costflashes,astunningportraitcanbecreatedanywhere,anytime!

LOOKCLOSELY

STARTWITHTHEENDINMIND

Whenyouprevisualizetheresultofmakingavarietyofcreativechoices,aworldof striking imageoptionsbecomesavailable toyou.Mostpeoplewould let thisscenepassthemby,neverseeingtheamazingpotentialascenewith“nosubject”mightoffer.Wetooknoticeandtookcharge.

Here is how the scene appeared. Few photographers would bother shooting this, as there really is no“subject.” For an artist though, theworldoffersnothingbutpossibilities.Did you see the very small redflowercaughtinthespiderweb?Wedid.

Alongerfocallengthlensallowstheartisttocropintighteronhissubject.Wezoomedinonthedramaofthiscolorfulpetalcaughtintheweb.

Anaggressiveapproachwiththecontrastandsaturationemphasizedthecoloranddetailthatwaslosttothenakedeye.Italsobroughtthestoryandfeelinghome.

Afastershutterspeedwaschosentoeliminateexcessambientlightandcreatesomemood.

Weimprovedthecompositiontoproduceanevenmorestrikingimage.

Wewalked a bit closer to the subject and refocused to capture evenmore beautiful options.Remember,mostphotographerswouldhaveletthisopportunityslipby.

TPOLARIZERS

he polarizer is themost important filter that a photographer can employ.Mastering its use is essential.Without a polarizer, itwill be impossible to

capture spectacular color and be a real artistwith your camera.Yeah, it’s thatimportant.thepolarizer,youarealigningtinymoleculesinthefiltertomatchupwith certain incoming rays of light. The filter strips the glare from an image,allowingthetruecolorsinascenetoberecorded,unobscured.

THEBASICSA polarizer is a filter that screws onto your lens. One end locks tight intoposition,whiletheothercanberotatedinacircularmotion.Byturning

Apolarizerisdark(you’llloseroughly2stopsofexposure).Thismeansyoucanuseitasaneutraldensityfilter,cuttingexcessambientlightwhenneeded.(We’lltakeacloserlookatneutraldensityfiltersonpages66–69.)

Thisshotwasmadeusingthedesiredcontrast,saturation,andwhitebalanceoptions,andtheexposurelevelisjustwhatwewanted.Obviously,ourresultswouldbeimprovedifweremovedtheglare.

Apolarizer is oftenused todarken ablue sky.As you can seehere, though, that’snot all it does.Whenrotatedcorrectly,thepolarizerstripsglaretorevealmoreintensecolorandgreaterdetail.

PUSHINGTHELIMITS

Theavailablelighttechniquesyou’velearnedsofar(exposureindependence,creatingmood, anddialing-in a feeling)only allowedus to takebaby stepstowardwhatispossible.Usingapolarizer,wecantakelonger,moreassuredstridestowardourpotential.

Polarizerscomeinmanydifferentsizes.Simply identify thesizeneededforyourlensesandscrewthemintoplace.

PPOLARIZERS,PARTII

olarizerstypicallyhaveasmalldotorgroovethatshouldbepointedatyourlightsource tostripglare fromthe image.Youmustalsobeata90degree

anglefromthelightsourcecausingtheglaretogetresults.It’sthatsimple.Thebestpartofusingthefilteristhatyou’llknowwhenit’sworking.Whenyoulookthroughyourviewfinder, you’ll see anamazingworldof color in frontof you.Anyglarethatispresentinthesceneisstrippedimmediately.

Thisisthewaytheworldappearedtothenakedeye.

Thisishowthingslookwhenyouuseapolarizercorrectly.Notethatwetookanaggressivestancewiththecontrast,saturation,andexposuresettings.

Ifyou’reata90degreeanglefromthelightsourcethat’screatingtheglare(inthiscase,thesun),youwillbeable to strip glare no matter where you point your camera or turn your filter. The illustration is a bitmisleading,asmostofusdon’tliveontheequator.Unlessyou’reonvacationinaSouthPacificisland,thesunwillneverbedirectlyaboveyourhead.You’llneedtolookfortheproperangle,andyou’llhavetorotatethefilter.

Toeliminateglare,pointyourcameraatthepolarizedlight(glare)asitmovesaroundyou.Asyoucanseeinthisillustration,thepositionwillvarydependingonthetimeofday.

Amanual approachoffers anartistmanyoptions, the firstofwhich is exposure.Here, thephotographerchosetouseanexposurethatshowstheimagejustasitappearedtothenakedeye.

Thewhite balance, contrast, and saturation settingswere all adjusted to taste, giving the photographer amoreeye-popping,aggressiveimage.

Usingapolarizertooktheimagetoanotherlevel.

TCIRCULARORLINEAR?

here are two types of polarizers available: circular and linear. We oftenrecommend a linear polarizer to ourmanual students, even though their

camera’s instructionmanual “forbids” it.Asmanual shooters fully responsibleforthefocusandexposureofyour image,a linearpolarizerwillwork just fine.Autoshooters,ontheotherhand,arebetteroffstickingwiththecircularoption,asthecamera’slightmeterandautofocussystemcanbethrownoffwhenalinearpolarizerisattachedtothelens.Therearetwodistinctadvantageswhenbuyinglinear polarizers over circular ones: (1) They are often less expensive; and (2)Youcancrosstwolinearpolarizerstostripexcessambientlight,creatingausablevariable neutral density filter. This often does not work with two circularpolarizers.Crossingthoseusuallycreatesanunsightlycolorshift.

Whenlightbouncesoffofwater,weseeglare.Wateristransparent,yettheglarepreventsusfromseeingbelowthesurface.Thewaterappearsbluebecauseitreflectsthecolorofthesky(thisreflectionisalsoglare).Ifwestriptheglarewithapolarizer,withoutchanginganyexposuresettings,wecanseewhat’sbelowthewater.

Here is the same subject, shot with a linear polarizer on the lens. Since the water was deep, we see thedarknessofwhatwasthere.Lookcloselyattheboatandyou’llseethatthelightinghasn’tchanged.Sure,theboat isabitricher incolor,contrast,andsaturation,but itsexposure level isunchangedsincewewereinmanual controlof the camera. If the imagewas shot inauto—withorwithout thepolarizer—itwouldn’tlookanythinglikethis.Inauto,ifthecamerawaspresentedwithascenelikethis,itwouldselectaslowershutterspeed,largeraperture,orhigherISOtoaddatonoflightandmakeitseem“normal.”Itmightevenpop a flash on the scene, since it appears to be shot at night. Any of these changes would have beendisastrous.

Ifthecamerawasinautowhenthispicturewastaken,itsinternallightmeterwouldhavedeterminedthatthe exposure levelwas incorrect.The sky is toodark. Itwouldhave added light tomake the sky appear“normal.”Thisisnotwhatanartistwants.Ifthephotographwascapturedinautomode,we’dnothavetheaggressive contrast, saturation, and white balance effects you see here. The image made in auto wouldappearflatandboring.Inmanual,itrocks!

SIMPLEINSURANCEBesides cutting glare, the polarizer acts as a lens guard, protecting it fromcollisionsanddrops.Thefiltertakesthehitsoyourlensdoesn’thaveto.

ADON’TBELIEVETHEHYPE

word to thewise: it’s easy to overspend on photography equipment.Oursuggestion is never to buy anything unless you know why you need it.

Recommendationsandreviewsarefine,butyouneedtoreallyunderstandwhatyou’regettinginto,oryourignorancewillcostyou.Slicksalesmenwillinsistthatyou need themost expensive polarizer made. They’re wrong. If a polarizer isdoing its job, then you’ll get amazing results, no matter how much it costs.They’lltellyouanamebrandisessential.They’rewrong.Wordsonthesideofatoolhavenoeffectonthetoolitself.Theywilltellyouthatyouneeda“digital”polarizer. They’re wrong. Since a polarizer strips glare before it gets to yourcamera’ssensor,whatsensedoesthatmake?They’llsaythatyouneedtheextra-expensive polarizerwith the “special” coating. They’rewrong. If it strips glarelikeit’ssupposedto,thereisnothingleftforittodo.Becarefulwhenpurchasingthis simple filter.You’ll seeahugepricedifference.Shopwisely.Besmart.Tryoneoftheinexpensivebrands.Ifitworkswonderfullyforyou,thenyouhitthejackpot.Forover25years,we’vebeenusing the same (nondigital) inexpensivepolarizers,andweloveourimages.Ouradviceisthis:justbuyapolarizer.Ifyouwant tooverspend,pleasedo. If youwant to go cheap, do that.Whatever youdecide,doitquickly—aworldofamazingcolorawaits.

Thisishowtheworldappears,litjustasitwas.Thisscenethoughisfullofglare.Thepolarizerstripsthisglare,allowingustoseewhat’sunderneath.

All settings in-camera remained the same. The shutter speed was not adjusted, the aperture and ISOremainedconstant.Theimagedidnotgetdarker,itgotricher.Theonlyphysicaladjustmentmadewastheturnofapolarizer(whichwasonthelensinbothimages).

POLARIZERONLYYou’ll want to remove any other filters from the lens before attaching thepolarizer (this includes theUV or skylight filter you’ve been using as lensprotection). The extra width produced by two filtersmay cause unwantedvignetting.

Itwon’ttakelonguntilyoustartrecognizingglare—andwanttofixit.Hereitblanketedtherocksandtheswimmer.

Oneturnofthepolarizerandtheentireworldofavailablelight(andcolor,detail,andmeaning)comeintofocus.

Beingable to ridyourselfofglare—especiallyonwater—willallow theartist inyou tocreate someratheroutstandingimages.

UNCOVERTHEMAGIC

THEUNVEILING

Sometimesputtingapolarizeronyourcamera’s lenscanrevealelementsofthescenethatarenotvisibletothenakedeyeortheunaidedlens.Thinkaboutthecreative license you’ll enjoy when you strip the glare that available light canproduceinascene—especiallywhenitcomestowater.Apolarizercanstriptheglare, allowing you to seewhat lies beneath—whether that is color, shapes, orpatterns. There is no amount of after-the-fact editing that can do that. It isimpossibletofixglareinyourcomputer.

Besure tocarryapolarizerwithyousoyoucan trulyharness theavailablelight,uncoveringlayersofascenethattheaverageonlookercannotsee.Coupledwiththein-cameraartisticadjustmentsyou’velearnedsofar,yourimageshavenochoicebuttobericher,moreinfocus,andrequirelesspostproductionworkthaneverbefore.

As thesebefore-and-after images show,using apolarizing filter canmake all thedifference.Without thefilter, we’d never have seen the rocks under the water’s surface or the intense colors in the scene. Theavailablelightjustproducedtoomuchglare.

Here,westrippedtheglarefromthescenewithapolarizer,madeafewaggressiveinternalcamerasettings,andchoseanexposurethatspoketoourvisionandwhatwefelt,notjustwhatwesaw.Whatwesawwasducksandglare.Thefishwereobscureduntilweputthepolarizerinplacetoremovetheglare.

TREFLECTORS

herecomesapointineveryartist’slifewhenhisvisionexceedsthenaturallightthatsurroundshim.Hestartsthinkingaboutthelighthe’sbeenplaying

with,themoodhe’sbeencreating.Herealizesthathe’sjustbeenhunting.Sure,he’smakingthingshappen,butthekeyelementsareoutofhiscontrol.Thelighthetrulyneedsismissing.Whatherequiresisatoolthatcanhelphimaddlighttoaveryspecificarea—onethatdoesn’tsplashitaroundeverywhere.Heneedsareflector.

Areflectorisanythingthatreflectslight.Yourshirtcanbeareflector—socanthe side of a building, a table top, or even a piece of paper or cardboard. Ofcourse,abasic42-inchstore-boughtreflectorisapopularchoicetoo.Spendonebeautiful Saturday in your city’s public park and you’ll probably spot aphotographerortwoshootingportraitswiththem.

Reflectorsareintendedtoreflectlightintotheshadowareasofyoursubject.Photographers use them primarily for outdoor portraiture though they aresometimesusedinthestudioaswell.

Besidessimplymakingsomethingbrighter,areflectorallowsyoutobuildyourowndynamicmessage.Youdo not have to settle, hunt, or hope. You simply add light where it is needed. If you want somethingbrighter,thenanglethereflectorandaddlight.Ofcourse,you’llneedsomeonetoholdthereflectorandbeattheperfectangleforthatreflectiontooccur.Granted,it’snottheeasiesttooltouse(andsometimesnotthemostflattering),butitisatoolnonetheless,anditcanaddalotoflight.

Beforebuyingareflector,exploreallyouroptions.Thinkabouthowyou’llbeusingit.Ifyoudon’thaveanassistant,thenareflectorthatsitsonthegroundmaybetheoptionforyou.

A reflector can also enlarge a smaller light source (such as a flash) quiteefficiently. Artists can easily incorporate them into their message-buildingprocess.

Store-boughtreflectorsarefairlyinexpensive.Pricesrangefrom$30to$100forsomeofthe“professional”models.Therearemanysizesandvariouscolorsavailable,andmostofthesetoolsarereversible.Somereflectorsevencomewithzippered slipcovers offering other colors or reflective material. They tend tocomewith theirowncarryingcaseand fold toabouta thirdof thedisc’sopensize.

GETSKILLEDSpend some quality time with your reflector and learn how to use it. It’ssomethingyouhavetoexperiencefirsthand.Joinacluborphotogroupthatshootsportraits,andundoubtedly,atsomepoint,areflectorwillbebroughtin.Besuretospendplentyoftimewranglingthelightyourself.Youneedtounderstand how difficult it can be to hold the disc. This will give you theinsightneededwhenteachingothershowtoholditforyou.

MOREABOUTREFLECTORS

CHALLENGESANDPERKS

Whenworkingwithareflector,you’llfaceafewchallenges.You’llneeda“lightwrangler”toholdandmaneuverthereflector.Sure,anunassistedphotographercan use a pivoting arm and stand to hold the disc. Becausemodelsmove, thewindblows, andcloudshide light, though,usinga reflectormeansmoving thereflector; just an inch to the right or left or 6 degrees lower can make thedifference between an awesome image and one where the light doesn’t work.Therefore,havingalightwranglerisbest.

Another downside to using a reflector is that it’s not a simple matter totransportit.It’snotthesmallesttool,anditwon’tfitinanycamerabag.

On the plus side, a reflector provides creative power. It allows you to addlight, topush itwhereyouwant it,brightenyoursubjects,and illuminateyourmessage.Thebestpartis,youcanseethesechangesrightinfrontofyou.Ifwhatyou see isn’t right, you can sculpt, modify, and challenge the very essence ofwhat’sinfrontofyou.

REFLECTORANDPOLARIZERHavingextralightalwayshelps,especiallywhenyou’recreatingsomethingabitoutsideofthebox.

If you can add light to anythingwhatsoever,whynot beginwith an imagethat is just a bit darker thannormal?Dial-in a deeper anddarker backgroundthanyouhaveeverallowedyourself.Rightwhenyouthinktheimageistoodark,toss that light in with a reflector. Give up reality and focus in on your newpossibilities.

Evenwhenareflectorisusedtoaddlight,glaremuststillbeeliminatedwithapolarizer.Hereasimplegoldposterboardwasusedtoaddthedesiredamountoflight.

Thisisthebestpossiblecolorandilluminationifnopolarizerisused.

Withasimpleturnofthepolarizer(andanaggressivein-camerasaturationandcontrastsettingemployed)wecantrulycreatemagicinourcamerawithouttheneedforafter-the-factediting.

TAKINGRISKS

WHOSEGEARISIT,ANYWAY?

Anartist chases adream, evenwhen it takeshimandhis equipment toplacesothers fear to tread. We often build images around and in the water. Somephotographersmayseethisasfoolish,weseeitasatypicalSaturdayatthebeach.Surewecouldgetwet,surewecouldaccidentallydropaflashorcameraintothewater,ruininganotherwiseperfectday.Butit’sourgear,it’sourphotos,it’sourday.Howyouchosetospendyourtime,howyouchoosetocreateanimageisupto you. Don’t let the naysayers scare you from taking chances. Sometimes itsthoseverychancesthatseparatethegreatphotographersfromtheordinaryones.

Withapassive(auto)approach,thecolors,contrast,andsaturationappeardull.

Withmoreaggressivewhitebalance,contrast,andsaturationsettingsandtheproperturnofapolarizer,wewereabletoachievethedynamitecoloryousee—withouttheneedto“fix”theimageafterthefact.

Visualize the fantasticandchase it,nomatterwhere it lies.Takeprecautionsshouldyouenter thewater,andbereadyforthelossshoulditoccur.Remember,youcanalwayspurchaseinsuranceforyourcameragearshouldyoufindthisapproachinteresting.

Yes, it’s possible thatwe could ruin our flash or camera, but sometimes you have to chase your dream,ignoretherantsofthosewhosayitshouldn’tbedone,andsimplymakesomemagichappen.

I“GRADS”

magine being able to selectivelymake portions of theworld in front of youdarkerorbrighter,takingchargeofasceneandforcingittoappearasyoulike.

Burning anddodging isnothingnew tophotography. In thedarkroom, itwasaccomplishedundertheenlarger.Ifwewantedtostriplight,wesimplydidn’tletit hit the paper, often blocking it with our hands. If we wanted somethingbrighter,wehideverythingelsefromtheprojector’slight,burninginthedetail.In the computer today, we use layers, blending modes, and masking toaccomplishthesamething.Ofcourse,wecangoevenmoreold-schoolanduseaclassic tool thatseemstailor-madefor the in-cameradigitalartist—agraduatedneutraldensityfilter.

Graduatedneutraldensityfilterscanbeusedtodarkeneventhebrightestskies.

Amanualartistcanusetwoorthreefiltersatatimetoeffectivelyburn-and-dodgehis images in-camera,eliminatingtheneedforpostproductionfixes.

Held far from the camera, youcan see the effect a gradoffers. If somethingappears toobright,hold thedarkerportionofthefilteroverthearea.

Withgrads,everythingchanges.Thetopphotoshowshowtheworldappeared.Withtwograds,wemadethescenelookaswewantedit.Todothisyourself,dial-intheappropriateaperture,shutterspeed,andISO,exposingforthebrightestsectionofyourvision,thenplacethegradsoverthepartsofthesceneyouwanttodarken,makingsurethatbothfilterstouchthecamera.You’llbeabletoseethechange(alittle)throughtheviewfinder.Takethephoto,adjustyoursettingsasnecessary,andreshoot.Youwillbeshockedatwhatyoucancreatein-camera!

HOWGRADSWORKAgraduatedneutraldensityfilterisusuallyasquare-ishpieceofplasticorglassthatgraduallygoesfromcleartodark.Youcaneitherholdtheminfrontofyourlensoryoucanbuyaspeciallydesignedholder.Graduatedneutraldensityfilters

are used to remove excess light from an image. Place the dark end over theportionofthescenethatappearstoobright inyourimageandlight isstrippedfromthatlocationwhileleavingtheothersectionsoftheimageunaffected.Youwill alsohave a choiceofdifferentdensities (howdark the filter is). If youarenewtotheideaof“grads,”werecommendgoingwiththedarkestonepossible.Thiswayyou’llbesuretoseetheresultsimmediately.Eventuallythough,you’llwantthemall.

ASTACKINGYOURGRADS

syouknow,agraduatedneutraldensityfilterispartiallydark.Holdseveraltogether,anditgetsevendarker.Spreadthemapart,andyougetaclearline

ofexposure,withdarknessoneitherside.

THEWOWFACTORTocreateimagesthatsing,you’llhavetobeontopofyourgameasfarasdialing-inafeeling,choosingyourexposurelevels,andusingfast-enoughshutterspeedstofreezeanytypeofaction.You’llalsoneedtouseyourpolarizertostripglareanduseoneormoregradstotakecompletecontroloversculptingtheavailablelight. You’ll need to picture themost spectacular and outrageous lighting youcan. Think about where you are, what’s possible. Ask yourself, What wouldhappeniftherewereasinglebeamoflightshootingdownonasubjectorarea?Whatifyoucouldmakejustthetopandbottomofanimagedarkbutleavethemiddlealone,andwhatifyoucouldmovethatbrightareaaround,illuminatingrandom items or huge expanses at will?What would it look like if the thinghidinginthedeepshadowswaslitperfectly,buttheskybehinditwasverydark(even though it’s superduper bright in reality)? This is what the graduatedneutraldensity filter is for.Sure itcan“save”asunset,butcomeon—that’s forthe photographers.We’re artists, let’s push some boundaries and create somenewtechniques.Let’sexploretheworldandseetherealavailablelightinfrontofus.Let’susethesegraduatedneutraldensityfilterstoreallylettheartistout.Let’sbecreativeandstartmakingsomeamazingimages.

Here,westrippedtheglarefromthewaterwithourpolarizer.Weaddedanexcessiveamountoflightwithourshutterspeedtopulltheamazingbrightbluefromthewater.Thatshutterspeedpushedeverythingelseintheimagewellbeyondanormalexposure.Onegraduatedneutraldensityfiltercouldn’tsavethisimage,buttwodid.

Stackinggradsisagreatwaytocutanoverabundanceoflight.

Withapolarizer, twoverydensegraduatedneutraldensityfilters,andsomethoughtfulexposuresettings,wemademagic.

Hereisanotherexampleofanextremeapproach.I’vepositionedmyselfquitelowandamusingtwoveryheavygrads.

Youcan’tbeatthecombinationofgrads,aggressivein-cameracreativesettings,andapolarizer.

HANDHOLDINGWhenyou’reusingmorethanonegraduatedneutraldensityfiltertodarkenyourimage,skipthefilterholder.Simplyholdyourfiltersinyourhandandbringthemclosetothelens.

MTHE“BEST”LIGHT

ostphotographershuntforgreatpictures.Theylookforlightandsearchforthemoodtheywant.Theytakepicturesofthingsandplacesonlywhen

thelightingconditionsseemperfect.Some professionals talk about the best time of day to take pictures. They

insistthatearlymorningorearlyeveninglightisperfect.That’sfine—butifwewerelimitedtoshootingatonlythosetimesofday,we’dshootfarfeweramazingimages.

Uponcloserinspection,therewerebeautifulcolors,texture,andrhythmpresent.Ichoseasmallaperture,afastshutterspeed,andaggressivewhitebalance,contrast,andsaturationsettings.ThenImodifiedtheflashtoincreaseitscoverageareaandchoseapowersettingthatreallylitupmyworld.

The truth is, as artists, we don’t have to wait around for the light to be“right.” We’ve proven that we can use found light to create some prettyspectacularimages—photographsthatarefullofcolorandcontrast—nomatter

thetimeofdayorqualitiesofthelightthatsurroundsus.Creativityisn’tdictatedbylunarphasesorwhattheweatherortimepermits.

Ifthelightaroundyouisinsufficient,thenaddaflashtosupplementit.Let’stakealookathowit’sdone.

Thisishowthecameracapturedthesceneinauto.

Uponcloserinspection,therewerebeautifulcolors,texture,andrhythmpresent.Ichoseasmallaperture,afastshutterspeed,andaggressivewhitebalance,contrast,andsaturationsettings.ThenImodifiedtheflashtoincreaseitscoverageareaandchoseapowersettingthatreallylitupmyworld.

THEPOWEROFFLASH

ANEVER-AVAILABLESOURCE

Aflashisthemostavailablelightsourceontheplanetsinceit’stheonlyoneyoucancarryinyourpocket.Itcanshineafocusedbeam,illuminatethemostdaringmessage, and keep art alive in photography today. The ability to change theworldreallyisinyourhandswhenyouhaveaflash.

THEBENEFITSOFFLASHAflashcanilluminateaveryindividualmessage,aridiculouslycoolpicturethatonlyexitsintheartist’smind.It letsyoustepfarfromwhatyouseeandallowsyoutocreatesomethingtrulyfantastic.

Touseitisasnap.Knowwhatyouwanttomakebrighter,pointyourflashatit, and fire. Please don’t make it any harder than that—you’re an artist, forgoodnesssake.

Withonewellplacedflash,youcancreatedramaticimages.Weplacedoursubjectwithherbacktothesuntousethenaturallightasbacklighting.

Weaddedanoff-cameraflashtolightoursubjectandcreaterealisticshadows.

Withalongerlenswekeptoursettingsthesameandzoomedinabittoblurthebackground,isolatingoursubject.

Ifyou’renewtoflashphotography,that’sagoodthing.Thedigitalrevolutionhaschangedmanythings,especiallyhowwelearntouseaflash.It’snowasnaptostartaddingyourownlightandcreatingyourownamazingimages(ifyou’reamanualshooter).There’snoneedtoworryabouttherightnumbersor“proper”settings.Youjustshootyourwaytoilluminationindependence.Practice,review,andcorrectionisessential.

HOWTOUSEAFLASH

Asanartist,youarenotguidedbythenormalorusualapproach.Youcanandshoulddothingsdifferently.Trythisapproach:

1. Dial in the most perfect background possible. The one that truly comesfromyourheart.

2. Deal with the consequences of the above decisions with your flash andnevercompromiseyourvision.

Seriously, it’s that easy formanual shooters. Dial-in a background using youraperture, shutter speed,contrast, saturation,andwhitebalance; recognizewhatneedstobebrighter(itwillbeobvioussinceyouhaveanLCDonyourcamera),thenjustpointyourflashatthedarkportionsofthesceneandfire.

Auto shooters havemade flash photography seem difficult. It’s not.Whenusingaflash,youarecreatingoneimagefromtwoexposuresoflight.Theflashisoneexposureandtheambientlightistheother.Astheartist,youareresponsiblefor both. The flash is controlled through both real and apparent outputadjustments.Theambient light is controlledby the shutter, aperture, and ISO.Youneedtoacceptresponsibilityforeverypieceofthegraphicpuzzleandlearnthemwelltosucceed.

When building your flash images, you can create a sense of depth by including shadowed foregroundgraphicelements—suchasthistree.

WHATFLASHTOBUYSince we recommend shooting with the flash off-camera, any flash will work.New,used,orborrowed,itmakesnodifference—youjustneedawaytoconnectit to your camera. A flash cord or inexpensive wireless triggering device isperfect.Neitherwill cost youmuch.CowboyStudiomanufacturesour favoritewireless setup, andyoucanalways find inexpensive (and long)knock-off flashcordsonlinefornexttonothing.

FLASHEXERCISE

Setthecameraandflashtomanual.

Settheaperturetof/11onthecamera.

Settheshutterspeedtoyourcamera’sflashsyncspeed(you’llwanttocheckyourmanualforthat,butit’susuallybetween1/160and1/250second).

SettheISOto200.

Askafamilymembertomodelforyou.Havethemsitjustafewfeetfromyou.Makesurethebackgroundbehindthemisveryfaraway.

Turnyourcameratoautofocus.

Takeapicture.

Theimageshouldbequitedark.

Connect the flash to your camerawith a sync cord orwireless triggeringdevice.Ifyouareconnectingyourflashtoyourcamera(notrecommended)makesure that the flashyouusemeets thecamera’svoltagerequirements.Thisisonlyanissuewhenusinganolderflashunitnotdesignedfordigitalequipment.

Settheflashpoweroutputtofull(1/1)anditszoomsetting(ifithasone)toitstightestcoveragearea.

Hold the flash as far to the left as youcan,making sure to aim it at yoursubject. (Don’t overlook this part, you would be surprised at how oftenpeopleforgetthis.)

Takeatestimage.

Yoursubjectshouldnowbelitbrightly.Ifnot,moveclosertoyoursubject,opentheapertureslightly(choosingasmallerf/number),orbumptheISOto400.

If your subject is too bright, adjust the power setting on the flash

accordingly.

Take several more test images, adjusting the power output until yoursubjectislitperfectly.

Westartournewstudentsoutwithasimpleflashexperiment.Weaskthemtoshootadarkpicturewithouttheirflash.Theychooseasmallaperture,lowISOsetting,andthensettheirshutterspeedtotheircamera’ssyncspeed.Oncethedarknesshasbeenestablished,wehavethemaddasubjectandlightherwithflash.Inthisscene,wewereusingacamerawithasyncspeedof1/250second.

Sinceweplacedoursubjectwellawayfromthebackground,weknowthattheflashonlyreachesher.Toaddlighttojustthebackground,wesimplyslowedtheshutterspeed.Sincetheshutterspeedhasnodirect(orindirect)effectonthelightcomingfromtheflash(aslongasyoustayatorbelowyourcamera’ssyncspeed),adjustingtheambient lightwiththiscontrolwillnotchangethe lightonthesubject. Inthis image,you’llnoticethatslightlymorelightwasaddedtothebackground.Theshutterspeedusedtocapturethisimagewas1/160second.

Inthisimage,morelightisseeninthebackground.Ourshutterspeedwasslowedto1/100second.

Thepointatwhichthephotographerstopsaddinglighttothebackgroundisapersonalchoice.Here,theshutterspeedwas1/60second.

Theshutterspeedwasreducedto1/40second.Theflashandambientlightnowappeareven.

Forcomparison’ssake,here’s the imagewiththeflashturnedoff.Whatadifference itwasmaking intheexposurelevelinthefinalportrait(left).

Thenextstepistoaddtheambientlightbackintotheequation.

Begin slowing the shutter speed, taking test images at each setting. Theshutter speed does not affect the flash’s output, but it will change theexposureofambientlight(yourbackground).

Continuechangingyour shutter speeduntil thebackground is lit thewayyoulike.

Voilà!You’redone.

LIGHTCOLORThelightproducedbyaflashisabout5200K.Ifyoudialintheflashpreset,you’llgettheneutralimagecolorsyouexpect.Ifyoubouncethelightoffonanadjacentwall,however,youmayintroduceanunexpectedcolorcast.

ITHEFLASHSTICK

f you are going to add lightwith a flash, youhadbest eliminate the glare itproduces.Asyouknow,theonlywaythatcanhappeniswithapolarizer,and

forapolarizertowork,theglareitstripsmustoriginateata90degreeanglefromyourlens.Todothat,theflashmustbepositionedfarfromthecamera.Aflashstickmakescreatingthatdistanceeasy.

Aflashstickissimplyanextensiontool.Itholdstheflashfarfromyourbody.Anything that can get the flash far from your body can be used. We useinexpensivelightstands.Weremovethelegsandre-purposethetool.

Ofcourse,you’llneedtofindawaytoattachyourflashtotheflashstick.Thismakesusingare-purposedlightstandanattractiveoption,asthere’sanadaptorbuilt in. You’ll also need a cord orwireless connection system.This shouldn’tbreakthebank.

Holdingtheflashstickwillatfirstbechallenging,butinthelongrunit’snomoredifficultthanholdingastickatyourside.

Besides the obvious help with glare, a flash stick also allows the artist tocreate reallycool shadowson their subjects,pushing themaroundandmakingthemappearmorenatural.

Theflashattachesdirectlytoyourflashsynccord,whichthenisattachedtoyourflashstick.Thegripyouseeinthisimageissimplerubbershelvinglinerweboughtatagrocerystore.

Theflashstickislightweightandeasilyconnectstoanycamerabag.

Creativityreignssupremewhenusingtheflashstick.Thisishowthesceneappearedtothenakedeye.Weknewitcouldlookmuchdifferent.

Werealizedrightawaythatglareneededtobeaddressed.Therewasatonofitonthestatue.

Aturnofthepolarizersolvedtheproblem.Next,weneededtothinkabouthowtobuildmoodbyadjustingthe internal camera settings (contrast, saturation, andwhitebalance).Wealsohad tochooseanapertureandshutterspeedthatallowedustoachievethelookwewereafter.

Withamagnificentbackgrounddialed-in,wechoseacameraanglethattookadvantageofthesurroundingcompositionalelements.

Finally,weaddedlightwhereitwasneededusingourflashstick.

NNIGHTPHOTOGRAPHY

ight photography is not difficult. Choose a long exposure, steady thecamera,andshoot,andthereyouhaveit—anightphotograph.Ifyouwant

the image to be beautiful, however, you may want to put more energy andthoughtintothecreationprocess.You’llalsowanttoadjustyourwhitebalance,contrast,andsaturationtotaste.Ifyouforgetanyofthese,itwillbeobvious.

HOLDSTEADY!Unwanted motion can render the lights in your nightscape as streaks orblurs.Becausenightshotsaredone in low light,you’llwant tomountyourcameraonatripodtoensuresharpfocus.

Theprocess isnotdifficult.Startbydialing-inyourbackground,making itasspectacularaspossible.Westeadiedthecamerawithatripod,shotwitha longexposure,adjustedthewhitebalancetoeliminatered,chose theperfect contrast and saturation settings, andmadea slight adjustment to theoverall tintof the

imagein-camera.

Inthefirstshottherewasn’tenoughambientlightonthesubject.Forthesecond,weaddedoff-cameraflashonthesubject.Toaddresstheambercolorcastinthefirsttwoimages,wenextmadeamajorwhitebalanceadjustment.Thisrenderedthebackground(andsubject)blue.Tocorrectthecolorcastonthesubject,weplacedanambergelontheflash.

CCHIAROSCURO

hiaroscuroisanItaliantermthatmeans“light-dark.”Inpaintings,itreferstothetechniqueofusingstrongtonalcontraststoseparateasubjectfromits

surroundings. In photography, this can be accomplished in a variety of ways.Oneapproachistodoitwithasingleoffcameraflash.

Thisishowthesceneappearedtothenakedeye.

Bycontinuallyadjustingourincamerasettings(alongwithourwhitebalance,contrast,andsaturation)wewereabletoconstructaverymoodybackground,eveniftherewasn’tonepresent.

Tothisdarkbackground,wesimplyaddedabitoflightfromanoffcameraflash.

Wewere shootingnear sunset (first image). Still, a changeof aperture, shutter speed, and ISOcanbringmosteverythingintodarkness(secondimage).Thisisthebaseexposuretowhichwewilladdflash.

Withonesimple,unmodifiedflashwecreatedonelook(top).Addingasecondflash(bottom)madethingsevenmorefun.Oursubjectseasilystandoutfromtheirbackground.

Bysimplyshrinkingtheaperture(largerf/number)weeasilyeliminatedanyshredofnaturallight,allowingthesoftglowofouroneflashtoengulfthemodel.

LBLACK&WHITEIMAGES

ongago,greatphotographersmadechoices.Theyknewthattheworlddidn’thavetoappearthewaytheysawit,andtheywenttogreat lengthstomake

sure it never did.Nowherewas that visionary approach better illustrated thanwhen the artist decided to shoot in black & white. Unknown to an adoringpublic,though,wasthefactthatthoseartistsshotinblack&whiteforareason.Itwasn’tjustaboutgettingridofcolor,itwasaboutusingwhatthatcolorofferedin theblack&whiteworld.Theyknew that they could change colors to tonesandmanipulatetheminwaysnotpossiblewhenshootingincolor.Black&whitewasanamazingoptionthen,justasitisnow.Black&whitemastersofthe1970sshot in black & white because of what the colors, rendered as tones, offered.Black&whitewasnotjustanafterthought.

THEPURSUITOFEXCELLENCEInexperiencedor ill-informedphotographers sometimes think thatblack&white photography is simply about stripping color from a photograph. It’snot. They will tell you that it’s best to shoot everything in color and thensimplyremoveitinthecomputerwhentheblack&whitemoodstrikesyou.Thisisludicrous.

The masters attacked their black & white image creation hard and withpurpose.Ifwe,asdigitalphotographers,don’tlearnhowcolortranslatestoblack&white, if we simply use Photoshop and plug-ins to convert color images toblack & white and take whatever we get, this fabulous art form will die. Youwon’tgettheamazingimagesofthepast,youwon’tgettheeye-poppingrealitythatlieshiddentomost—you’lljusthaveablack&whiteimagethatneedstobefixedlater.

IN-CAMERAFILTERSMostdSLRsofferseveralcoloredfiltersforusewhenshootinginmonochrome:

yellow, orange, red, and green. These filters block all but their namesakeelectromagneticwavelengths fromstrikingyour sensor.Thismeans that if youshoot in monochrome with the red filter applied, all other colors (blue andgreen)areignoredtoagreatextent.Withthatredfilterselected,anythingblueinthescene(liketheskyortheocean)willbeunderexposed.Usingaredfilter,withapolarizer,youcangetthoserich,AnselAdamstypeblack&whiteimagesin-camera.

Hereisourcolorexamplephotograph.Theprimecolorsareshownforreference.

Yourcameramayoffertheoptiontoaddacolortinttoyourblack&whiteimageorchangethecontrastorbrightnesslevel.Thewhitebalancecanalsobeadjusted,whichwillcreateyetanothereffect.Theseoptionsshouldbeexplored.Thereissomuchlighttoplaywithandlearnfrom.Inthebeginning,though,it’sbest to stick to just one option and learn it well, then open yourself up andexploreeverything.

We recommend turning your contrast setting to high, leaving the ISO setlow, setting the white balance to 4000K (for now), and playing with yourcamera’sblack&whitecoloredfilters.Onceyouunderstandwhattheseofferandcanvisualizewhatascenewouldlooklikewhenthesefiltersareapplied,you’rereadytomoveforeword.Don’trushtooquickly.Savoreverylessonlearned.Thisisclassicstuff;treatitwithrespect.

Theyellowfiltercreatesanimagethatappearsaswewouldexpect(especially ifyoudon’thaveanyotherreferencepoint).Itlooksblack&white.Theorangefilterproducesanimagewherethefirsttwocolorblocks(yellowandorange)seemrelativelyunchanged,butthelastthreecolorblocks(red,green,andblue)haveshifteddramatically.Theredfilterproducesastrikingeffectonthelastthreeprimecolorblocks.Greenandbluehavegonepureblack,whileredhasbecomequitebright.Yellowhaschangedonlyslightly,whiletheorangeblockappearstohavegottenmuchbrighter.Nowhowaboutsomefun?Thegreenfilteraffectsallthecolorsstrongly—exceptforyellow,whichseemsrelativelyunchanged.Theredandblueblocksarenowdark,whilethegreenblockappearstobethesametoneastheorangeblock.

PMOREBLACK&WHITE

racticereallydoesmakeperfect.Setasidesometimetoexploretheworldofincamera black & white photography. We suggest doing a few “YORG”

exercises.Takeaphotographincolor.Thenswitchtoyourmonochromesettingand choose your yellow filter.Take thephoto and examine the image.Choosetheorangefilter,takethephoto.Choosetheredfilter,thenthegreen.Doaseriesof exercises such as this so that you become familiar with the effects, alwaysshooting the scene in the same way, starting with color, then switching tomonochromeandapplying theyellow,orange, red, thengreen filter.Onceyouunderstand what each offers, multiply the possible available light effects bychanging the contrast setting, turning your polarizer, adjusting the brightnesslevel(shouldyouhaveit),andsoon.Pushthebuttonsofsocietyasmuchasyourcamera’s.Provetotheworldthatamazingblack&whiteimagescancomefromanycamera—itjusttakesadedicatedartisttomakeithappen.

HereweseeagroupofstudentsattemptingtheAnselAdamseffectincamera.

It’sallabouthavingavisionandchasingit.Youneedtothinkaboutwhatyouwant,understandyourgear,andmake ithappen.Aproperly turnedpolarizerandaredfilterappliedmadethismonochromecapturesing.

Herewe see the dramatic effect of incorporating a graduated neutral density filter in our black&whiteartistry.Man,Ilovethisstuff!

Here,wepaintedwithtwograds,creatingsomethingthatonlyanartistcansee.

TIN-CAMERAINFRARED

hereisalotofmisleadingandinaccurateinformationfloatingaroundaboutinfrared photography in the digital world. Everything from the defeatist

(andexpensive)“youcan’tdoitwithyourcameraunlessit’sconverted”rhetorictotheever-popular(andentirelywrong)“justshootincolorandconvertitlater”strategy. Infrared light is simply light that is not visible to the naked eye; thisdoes not mean that is not available. As manual shooters, we can createbreathtaking infrared photographs in-camera using this elusive light—it’s justthatyou’regoingtohavetobeonyourA-gametomakeitwork.Whatyouneed:

Adigitalcamerawithamonochromemode.

Yellow,orange,red,andgreenin-cameramonochromefilters.

Asetofinexpensiveinfraredfilters.

Awaytosupportthecamera(tripod,beanbag).

Yourcameraemploysaninternalfilterthatblocksinfraredlight.It’sputinplaceto help with the camera’s automatic functions and makes traditional infraredphotography nearly impossible in the camera—well, impossible for automaticshooters. To beat this filter at its own game takes a wildly aggressive, well-informed,andstrictlymanualapproach.Timeisyourally;colorisyourweapon.

WithjustafewsimplefiltersandtherightinternalcamerasettingsanydigitalSLRcancreatespectacular,never-before-seeninfraredimages—withouttheneedformanipulationinthecomputer.

Foliageisagreatelementininfraredimages.Ittakesonabeautiful,eerieglow.

Tocreate in-camera infrared images,wehavetouseanother infraredfilter.Thisonescrewsontothefrontofyourlensandisveryinexpensive.Thisfilteris

designedtoblockthevisibleportionof theelectromagneticspectrum,allowingonly specific wavelengths through. These filters are sold based on thisdesignation.A720nmfilter,forexample,allowselectromagneticradiationthatis720nanometers(orlonger)inlengthtopass.Thehumaneyeoddlyenoughcanseeupwardof720nm.Eventhougha720nminfraredappearsblack,ifyouwereholdituptoyoureyeandlookveryclosely,youwouldseetheworldshroudedinadark-redveil—hencetheterminfraredandnotinfraplumorinframauve.

Tocreatean infrared image in-camera,a fewsettingshave tobeemployed.You’llwant to shoot the image inmonochromewith the red filter.You’ll alsowanttouseaveryredwhitebalancesetting(10,000K,ifpossible)and,tokeeptotheclassiclookofinfraredphotographyaliveinyourimage,you’llwanttodialinthehighest-possiblecontrastandbrightnesssettingsyourcameraoffers.

Therestissimple.Screwonthefilter,focusthelens,and“cook”yourimage.Be aware that since you’re fighting the camera’s internal filter, you’ll need anextremelylongexposure.Dependingontheapertureused,thiscouldbeseveralminutes. We suggest using larger apertures to keep the exposure time to aminimum.Ofcourse,you’llneedatripodtodothiseffectively,andyou’llneedtounderstandhowtofocusintheinfraredworld.

WINFRAREDFILTERS

hengettingstarted,you’llwanttoworkinthebrightestdaylightpossible,with a 720nm filter on the lens. To begin, dial in aggressive in-camera

settings (see previous section). Set the camera on a tripod, choose a wideaperture and an ISO of 400. Take a guess at the shutter speed. Focus on thesubject, attach the filter on the lens, and take the shot. Review the image andadjusttheshutterspeeduntiltheimageislitperfectly.

This is your first infrared image.Youmay notice that it lacks the extremeinfrared“pop”you’reaccustomedtoseeinginaninfraredimage.Thisisbecausea720nmfilterallowsagoodamountofvisiblelighttostrikethesensoraswell.Thiskeepstheexposuretimeshorter,whichinturnhinderstheexposureofthelonger infraredwavelengths.Inotherwords,you’remissingthat“pop”becausevisiblelightisintheway.

Now, switch to a 760nm infrared filter. Take another photo at the samesettings.Thisimagewillbemuchdarker.Thisisbecausethevisiblespectrumisnowoutoftheequation.Youwillneedamuchlongerexposuretime.Slowtheshutter until you have a perfectly lit image.Don’t be surprised if your shutterspeedisdeepintofullseconds.

When you view your image, you’ll now see the “pop” you’ve been lookingfor.Ifyouwantamorepronouncedinfraredlook,switchfiltersagain.

Shotwitha950nminfraredfilter,thisdigitalinfraredimagelookslikeonecapturedinearliertimes,whentheprocesswasmuchmoredifficult!

Goingtothe860nmfilterrequiresalotmoreexposuretimeandadifferentapproach to focus.Youwillnot be able to focus beforehandwith any infraredfilterabove800nm.Thefocuspointforinfraredwavelengthsthislongisslightlyin front of its normal position. This means that if you want to focus onsomethingthatis3feetaway,youmayhavetomoveyourfocuspointto2feetwhenshootinginfrared.Needlesstosay,it’stoughtogetyourfocuswhenusingtheselongerwavelengths.Note:Manylensesmadeinthe‘70s,‘80sand‘90shadaninfraredfocusmarkonthebarrel.Checkyourlenscarefullytoseeifthismarkisthere.Ifnot,you’llneedtorelyontrialanderror.

Whenusingthelongerwavelength(850-960nm)filters,werecommendthatyoustartbychoosingasubjectorscenethatisclearlyfarinthedistance.Moveyour focus ringmanually to the infinity (sideways figure eight) setting on thedistancescale.Ifyourlenslacksadistancescale,simplymoveyourfocuspointtoitsmaximumrange.Takeyour first image,gaugeyour light,anddonotworryaboutfocusyet.Onceyouhavetheperfectexposure,inspecttheimage,lookingclosely at focus. If your scene is blurry, ever-so-slightly move the focus pointclosertothecamera,retakethephoto,andexamineitagain.If it isstillblurry,repeattheprocessuntilit’snot.

Keep inmind that this is time-consuming.Eachphotocould take25 to30

fullsecondsto“cook.”Youcan,ofcourse,raisetheISOtoitsmaximumsetting.Thiswillcutyourexposuretimedramatically.Then,onceyouhavetheimageinfocus,move theISObackdown,adjusting theshutterspeed tocompensate forthelossoflight.

“COOKING”TIMEIt takes a long time to “cook” an infrared image because you areoverpowering the camera’s tough infrared-blocking filters. The longer thewavelengthfilteryouuse, the longeryourexposuretimewillbe.It’sbesttopracticeyourapproachwiththevariousinfraredfiltersoverandoveragain.

Theimageshotincolor.

Theinfraredimage,madewiththeappropriateinternalcamerasettingsandan850nminfraredfilter.

The950nminfraredfilterisbyfarthemostchallengingofthefilters,butit’salsothemostrewarding.Thefocuspointisslightlyinfrontofregularlight,andyouwillneedtospendseveralminuteslettingthelightslowlysoakintothefilterforevery image.Your firstdozenor so imageswillbeverydark;youprobablywon’tevenseethesun.Butwithtime,experience,andtenacity,youwillprevail.Theimageswillberichandutterlyunlikeanythingyou’veevershotbefore.

ACONCLUSION

vailablelightisnotthesameasnaturallight.It’swhateverthephotographercan “see” and use. Sunlight, window light, and reflected light is available

light,asisinfraredandlightfromaflash.IfIknowhowtouseit,it’savailabletome. Experience is the key here, and goingmanual is the approach. If you arelockedintoauto,thenyoucan’tvisualizethefantastic,youwon’tbeabletoseealloftheavailablelightoptionsinfrontofyou,andyoucannevertrulygrowasanartistwithyourcamera.Thebestyoucoulddoisreacttotheordinary,takeaphoto of what you see, and “fix” it later in the computer. While this is theapproachmostchoosetotakewiththeircamera,it’snotaverycreativeone,andit’sholdingyouback!Anartistfullyawareofallhisavailablelightoptionstakesadifferentrouteandrarelyneeds to“fix”anything inpostproduction.Hestrivesfor perfection while in the field and never settles for second best. He thinksthroughhisproblems,visualizeshispossibilities,andgoesforit.Heisn’tblindedby theworld of natural light.He looks instead to the options afforded to himfrom his experience. He sees the scene not as others do, but uniquely. Hevisualizesallhispossibilitiesandseeseverybitofhisavailablelight.

This is how the scene andnatural light looked. If I knewnothingof themanual approach, I’d think themagicofgreatphotographywasinafter-the-factediting.

Thisphotorepresentstheavailablelightthatamanualartisthas.Wetookanaggressiveapproach,ignoredthecamera’slightmeter,choseasmallaperture,pickedashutterspeedfastenoughtofreezethescene(theweedswereblowinglikecrazy),sethighcontrastandsaturationsettingsin-camera,turnedthepolarizertogetridoftheglare,andusedastickedflashtocreatedramaticshadowsontheropes.Recognizingalloftheavailablelightoptionsaroundyouwillchangeyourvision,yourphotographs,andyourlifeforever.

INDEX

AAdobePhotoshop,26,28,82AnselAdams,83,84Aperture,13,15,16–19,23,29,73,87,88;seealsoDepthoffieldAngleofview,

20–21Assistants,62Autofocus,12–13,55Automaticmode,15,55,73,86,90

BBackgrounds,17,42,62,72,74,75,79,80,81Beanbags,86Bouncedflash,10,46,75Black&whiteimages,82–85Brightness,83,84,87

CCameraangle,77Cameraclubs,46,61Camerashake,78Chiaroscuro,80–81Colorcasts,11,32,75,79Colortemperature,11,28,32,38,64,75,77,79,83,87Composition,28,48Contrast,28,29,31,34,38,64,77,83,84,87Cropping,42,44,48,73

DDepthoffield,13,16–17,18–19,22,23,29,44previewbutton,18–19,44Detail,preserving,34

Dimensionality,73

EEquipment,73Exposure,13,15,19,20,22–23,24–25,27,28,29,52,54,73,77,83,87

FFilm,11Filters,8,10,31,32,41,46,50–59,64,66–69,76,77,82–89,90

in-camera,82–90infrared,86–89graduatedneutraldensity8,31,50,66–69,85monochrome,82–85polarizers,9,10,41,46,50–59,64,76,77,84,90

Flash,7,8,10,23,41,46,70–79,81,90stick,76–77,90synccord,72,74,76syncspeed,74wirelesstriggering,73,74,76zooming,74

Focallength,17,21,44Focusing,12–13,18,87;seealsoDepthoffieldFocuspoint,infinity,89

GGels,32,79Glare,10,11,50,53,54,58,68,76Graduatedneutraldensityfilters,8,31,50,66–69,85

HHardlight,10–11

IImagesensor,14,16,20,44,45In-camerafilters,82–90Infinityfocuspoint,89Infraredfilters,86–89

Infraredimages,86–89ISO,13,15,19,22–23,29,73,83,89

KKelvintemperature,11,32,38;seealsoColortemperatureorWhitebalanceLLCD,7,14–15,26–27Lenses,17,20–21,28,44–45,56,89

angleofview,20–21focallength,17,21,44infraredfocusmark,89infinityfocuspoint,89protecting,56zooming,44,46,48,72

Lightmeters,14,55Lightmodifiers,10,46,60–63,71Lightstands,8,41,76

MManualmode,15,55,73,90Meters,light,14,55Monochromefilters,82–85Monochromesetting,seeBlack&whiteimagesMood,27,34,40,42,50Motion,subject,20,21,22,68

NNaturallight,seeSunlightNightphotography,78–79

PPlug-ins,82Polarizers,9,10,41,46,50–59,64,76,77,84,90Postproduction,10,26,27,28,82,90

RReciprocity,19Reflectors,60–63

SSaturation,28,31,34,36–37,38,64,77Shadows,10,13,34,42,60,69,72,73,76,80–81,90Shutterspeed,13,15,19,20–21,24–25,29,73,74,75Softlight,10–11Sunlight,8,9,10,60,76,90Syncspeed,flash,74

TTint,79Tripods,78,86,87,88

UUnderexposure,83

VVignetting,56

WWater,removingreflectionsfrom;seePolarizerWhitebalance,11,28,32,38,64,75,77,79,83,87

presets,32,38,75Windowlight,8Wirelesstriggeringdevice,73,74,76

ZZooming,flash,74Zoomingin,44,46,48,72