Do you want to take perfectly illuminated portraits of outdoor subjects in bright sunlight? How about in situations where they’re standing in front of a bright background? Do you hate dark shadowed “raccoon eyes?” The answer to make your outdoor portraits pop, is to expose for the sky. Use this tip to make the shot every time!

Using a SLR 35mm autofocus camera and flash, you can create flattering and dramatic outdoor portraits with ease.

Technique:

With the flash turned off and your camera set in manual mode, use the camera’s internal exposure metering system. Looking through the viewfinder, press the shutter button halfway to illuminate the internal panel. The exposure meter is generally in the center on the bottom as you look through the viewfinder. (-2…1…0…1…+2)

To make the adjustments, start by selecting either your f stop or shutter speed. Aim the camera towards the brightest part of the picture, in this case the sky. Using the meter as a guide, adjust your shutter speed and f stop until reading is centered at 0. With the exposure set, turn on your camera’s flash, stand within a normal flash exposure range (6 – 10 ft.), focus on your subject and shoot.

Your flash will fill in and illuminate your subject nicely. If you desire more or less exposure on your subject, step forward or backwards accordingly. Some flash units can also be adjusted manually to allow shorter or longer bursts. This is also an option.

Very important, — always pay attention to the changing light. The sun going behind a cloud while you are shooting can affect the results of your image. The sky is no longer as bright as when the full sun was exposed so you will need to check your exposure meter again for the change in light.

Last, but certainly not least, be kind to your subject, don’t have them facing so they are looking directly into the bright sunlight. They will appreciate it and it will help to avoid squinty, closed looking eyes.

Examples

The image examples below were shot using a Canon 5D Mark II and Speedlight 580 EXII mounted on camera. The lens – 28-135 3.5-5.6 IS.

Photograph 1, was shot using the camera’s internal exposure meter as a guide. ISO was set at 100, f/13 the aperture with a focal length of 135mm. The meter centered at 0 at 1/125 of a second for the shutter speed. Here’s the result:

Photograph 2, shows the camera aimed toward the bright sky behind my subject, adjusting the shutter speed and f stop until the camera’s internal meter was perfectly centered at 0 . This recorded at 1/400 sec, f/13, ISO 100, 135mm. Here’s the result:

Photograph 3, the exposure meter was set for the sky, flash turned on, aim, focus and fire. Here’s the result:

Sum it up: 1/400 sec, f/13, ISO 100, 135mm with on camera flash. Pretty Blue sky, white billowy clouds, nicely illuminated subject…that’s a wrap!

I was a little weary to get it since my Nikon camera is only 6 megapixels. I remember having talked to a salesperson at a local Ritz and him telling me that a fisheye lens will not do well with a low-megapixel camera like the D40 or D50 since it tends to squeeze and distort the image. He said they were better suited to film cameras back in the day. Plus at just under $600 it felt like I was taking a risk getting a lens that might not produce good images.

Well I’m glad I didn’t listen to him and ended up getting the lens anyway. I got the The Nikon AF Nikkor 10.5 mm 1:2.8 G ED for my D50 from Amazon and I can say that it’s been a really, really fun lens. I’ve taken thousands of shots with it and it always adds a cool perspective to my series.

Sometimes I almost feel like I’m cheating – it’s just too easy to take a really cool picture that stands out from the rest. You can check out some of my favorites here:

The lens is really good for taking photos of small spaces such as cramped rooms and anywhere where your field of view is really constricted – think a bathroom on a real estate shoot. Conversely, it’s also awesome for wide open spaces where the perspective will add even more of a sense of grand scale.

Pros?

(The pros definitely outweigh the cons if you ask me, but I’ll try)

Instant fun!

Gives you cool perspectives that no other lens can

Small so it takes up little room in your camera bag

Takes shots

Cons?

In some shots you may have some serious chromatic abberation at the fringes. Errrr, I think that’s right anyway – basically you might have some messed up color and distortion near the edges of the photo. I’m not a huge purist as long as the pic looks cool, so this part doesn’t bother me like it might some people.

It’s a fixed lens so there’s no zoom – you’ll have to move the camera back and forth to adjust what actually fills the frame. The nice thing is that small lateral or up and down movements make a hige difference. Ok, so this part is not really much a con, but I’m trying to come up with a balanced review.

Since there’s so much stuff in the shot, keep in mind that your camera’s built in flash will probably not illuminate all of it, especially in the bottom of the shot (since the lens itself will block light). Here’s an example of what I’m talking about (see the dark area in the bottom of the shot). You’ll either have to not use flash, deal with it, or get an external flash unit.

At $500+ dollars it’s not the cheapest lens, but definitely one of the most fun ones that will let you take some very cool and unusual shots.

If you’re thinking about getting one for yourself or a present – check out the latest prices for the 10.5mm Fisheye lens on Amazon. If you buy through the link above it will help support this site and encourage more posts like this (and make my day).

Happy shooting!

Are you old enough to remember the television show, Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood? The opening scene was a model mock-up of the perfect little neighborhood. That is a fine example of tilt shift photography images, and perhaps nostalgia has something to do with why these types of photos are adored. They’re colorful, cute, and they tend to make this big world around us feel a bit cozier.

There are several methods to achieving this look in a photo. One is to purchase a lens. Lensbaby came out with a series of lenses in 2004, fairly inexpensive and compatible with all of the big name slr’s camera companies. A Nikon or Canon tilt shift can run you up to a couple of thousand dollars.

 photo credit: VinothChandar

Another technique is to use Photoshop. Okay, so it’s not a look that you get sooc (straight out of the camera), but it can be decently achieved when using the right photo and Photoshop tools. Due to the nature of the shot needing to look like a model, an aerial view of something would help give it the right effect. So, photos from high places, such as a tall building, a rooftop, ferris wheel, helicopter, or a bridge would lend itself to a workable photo. It would also help to have clusters of the same subject type, such as people on a boardwalk, running a race or in a parade. Another idea that works well is to photograph large motor vehicles like busses, trucks, trains, airplanes or boats. A few simple steps in Photoshop, like pumping up the hue and blurring part of the image will give you a cute little tilt shift photo!

By blurring a large portion of the photo and leaving just a small slice, about 1/3-1/4 of the photo in focus, you create a shallow depth of field. There is also a site called tiltshiftmaker.com that will help you transform your sooc images into tilt shift works of art.

Tilt-shift photography images are fun and are becoming pretty popular. I personally feel a bit like a kid in a toyshop when I view these photos because they look like a fun toy to play with. Tilt shifts are fun shots that would look great in a kids’ room. As kids’ room décor is becoming a bit more sophisticated, this still gives a child-like feel, but has a mature look to it as well. I also think they’d be a great addition to an office, as they are fun and can attract positive energy to the place you probably need to seek a little joy when you look up from your desk.

These shots can also make a great 365 project or 52-week project for photographers, because we love to challenge ourselves and look for inspiration. By purchasing a special lens, using your Photoshop techniques, or scanning for tilt shift software on the internet, the project is all about having fun and learning something new.

1. Injuries
2. What you’re eating
3. Unextraordinary photos of your dog (or cat or baby)
4. Clouds
5. You kissing your significant (or insignificant as the case may be) other

Send this to your friends who need an intervention.

A crystal ball inverts the scenery so everything inside looks upside down and captures a really wide angle. It’s sort of a poor man’s fisheye lens, but more flexible in what you can do with it.

You can get a crystal or glass ball or sphere by robbing a sorcerer, borrowing it from that crazy tarot card lady around the corner, or buying one off eBay (which is what I did since I don’t live near Hogwarts Academy.) It cost me less than $50 including shipping.

A lot of the shots looks great if you rotate the image 180 degrees (flip it upside down in your image editing program) so what’s reflected inside the crystal ball looks right side up and the background ends up blurry (out of focus) and upside down.

Play with the placement of the ball closer and farther away from the camera lens and be sure to focus on the image inside the ball – dslr’s are a lot better at this on manual mode since autofocus will often not focus properly. Turn off the flash, and be aware of any glare that’s coming from your side of the ball.

Added bonus: when you’re walking around with a crystal ball in your hand (like I just did in Miami Beach), people will think you’re a sorcerer. Especially if you’re wearing a cape or laughing maniacally. If you can get past the initial fear, people might even pay you $5 to tell them about their future. And afterwards, you can take a picture of them upside down. Everyone wins.

Photomatix Pro is by far my favorite program for creating and tone mapping HDR photos. It’s easy to use and gives you simple controls for getting the awesome color effects you see in all those great HDR’s, without having to open up Photoshop and knowing how to tone map by hand.

I recently got the people at HDRsoft to create a Photomatix coupon code for our readers (anyone can use it) for 15% off any of the HDR software programs:

HOTSHOTPHOTO

This coupon code will work for any of these products:

• Photomatix Pro (standalone + Lightroom plug-in)
• Photomatix Pro Plus Bundle (standalone + plug-ins)
• Photomatix Essentials / Light
• Photomatix Plug-In for Apple Aperture
• Photomatix Tone Mapping Plugin for Photoshop CS2/3/4/5

To get this discount applied to your order, follow these steps:

• Go to the Photomatix order page
• Click the buy button for the software version you need
• In the box where it says “Coupon Code” put in: HOTSHOTPHOTO
• Click the recalculate button
• It will show you the special discount applied with your new price
• Complete the rest of the order form

That should do it. To give you an example: the regular price of Photomatix Pro is $99 so with this coupon code you should be able to get it for $84.15.

Once you have Photomatix installed you can go through their short tutorial (which you can see once you launch the program). It’s pretty clear and easy to follow. Once you have a chance to experiment with your own HDR photos, you might want to join the Flickr HDR group. Hope to see you there.

Flash

Using the flash on your digital camera to introduce more light to the scene artificially is the most obvious way to solve the problem of low lighting. However, flash photography has many drawbacks.

When it comes to taking pictures of people or animals, using a flash can spoil your shot by distracting the subject or causing them to blink. There’s also the age-oldproblem of ‘red eye’, which although with a digital camera can be eliminated during processing using photographic software, can ruin an otherwise excellent portraitshot.

A flash can also lead to a shot that looks artificial as it will tend to illuminate closer objects while making backgrounds and other elements look dull. On top of this, many built-in flashes concentrate light onto the centre of the image, leading to ‘flash fall-off’ at the edges of the image and a lack of contrast around the edges of the picture.

With a standard point-and-shoot digital camera it can be difficult to take good photos using the built-in flash. But if you have a digital SLR camera you can use an adjustable external flash gun to bounce the light off walls, ceilings or other surfaces to create a more natural lighting effect. A handy tip is to cover the flash with tracing paper, which will also help to diffuse the light and give a more natural result.

Use a big lens

The amount of light entering the camera through the lens is also a crucial factor. If you’ve got a digital SLR camera you can improve image quality in low-light conditions by using a bigger lens. The size of the lens determines the maximum aperture opening (measured in f-stops), and consequently the amount of light that enters the camera.

When it comes to lenses, the lower the f-stop number the larger the aperture, so when purchasing a bigger lens for low light photography go for one with a low aperture number, such as f1.4.

Exmor Cmos sensor

night shots require steady hands

The key to getting a crisper image in low conditions is increasing the amount of light getting to the image sensor inside the camera. With a standard digital camera the sensitivity of the sensor is limited as a result of the network of tiny wires running across it. This means that the image has to be electronically boosted, inevitably resulting in digital ‘noise’ that spoils the overall quality of the picture.

The Sony Exmor Cmos sensor has solved this problem by placing these wires behind the sensor, allowing more light into the sensor naturally. This means that the image does not need to be artificially boosted to such a high degree, resulting in low light photos with significantly reduced picture noise, even on a point-and-shoot digital camera.

Play with the ISO settings

higher ISO means more noise

Finally, you can play around with the settings on your camera and see what works best with the light available. You can change how sensitive the camera’s sensor is to light by altering the ISO setting. A higher setting, such as 800 or even 1600, will pickup more light, but it will also increase the amount of image noise.

You can also use a lower shutter speed to keep the aperture open for longer and allow more light in, but to reduce motion blur you will need to use a tripod (this is especially true if you’re shooting HDR). This method is also not effective for capturing moving subjects. If you are not comfortable playing around with these settings on your camera, then it’s best to switch them to auto and take your chances.

Popular Digital Cameras at Amazon

photo credit: MiiiSH

Why wait until you reach your destination to start taking photos?  If you own a DSLR camera, Using the right tricks and techniques, you can capture some great shots from the moment the plane leaves the runway.
Find DSLR Cameras on Amazon

Top tricks:

One of the questions people ask me all the time is what digital camera they should get. Since new models come out all the time, it usually takes some time to research the best cameras at any point in time. So I decided to give you my personal recommendation for a compact digital camera in 2011 (point & shoot) by comparing available information and data from Amazon, Flickr, eBay, dpreview, CNet, and more:

Canon Powershot SD780 IS Digital Camera

Price: $279.00 (Click to check current price)

This camera is a new model from the popular Canon Powershot / Digital Elph line. It’s an Amazon Bestseller (4.5/5 star rating), is one of the highest rated point-and-shoot cameras on Zdnet, dpreview, and Cnet. I’ve loved the Elph series since a friend of mine bought one in 2002 – the picture quality has always been really superior.

• 12.1 Megapixels
• Image stabilization
• 3x Optical Zoom
• Face detection & red eye correction
• High quality lens & 2.5″ LCD screen
• More features and reviews

See sample pictures taken with the Canon Powershot SD850 IS.

So there you have it. My picks for the best point and shoot camera on the market today – just because I know it’svery well rated, I’ve had personal experience with it, and have seen the quality of the pictures taken with the Canon. If anyone asks me what camera to get, I’ll just point them to this page. Oh, and if it’s out of your price range and you don’t need it to be very compact or full-featured, you might want to check out the Amazon compact cameras line, which has some decent lower-priced options.

See the entire Amazon bestseller list or look at Trey’s SLR camera recommendations if you’re looking for something more sophisticated.

The following is a guest post by my sister Ineta McParland, who who inspires me with her ability to see beauty in the smallest of forms with her pictures of animals and nature in Sarasota, FL.

photo credit: aneye4wonder

We are visual creatures. We rely mainly on our vision to survive in this world. We see pictures everywhere. In fact, we are inundated with pictures: printed, on TV, real life – constantly moving and changing. Everybody makes pictures: from drawing and painting to making graphs, having images in our minds to taking photos. Art is everywhere.

Yet from all the images that we see everyday, sometimes one stops you in the tracks, makes you think and takes your breath away. It could be a painting, a drawing, a photograph, or some other creation. Not only does the beauty pull you towards it, it feels like you were there when the moment was captured. It evokes a certain emotion, as if you can feel it, you can hear it, touch it or taste it. It is not only visual delight, it is so much more. Or, sometimes you can not put your finger on it, but it somehow draws you in like a magnet. It might evoke a distant memory or a secret desire. It totally captivates you and you are left speechless. You become one with the artist at that moment.

Now if you are on the other side and you want to create something that extraordinary, how do you do it? Simple – follow your passion. What in life captivates you? What takes your breath away? What makes your heart beat faster? What interests you so much that you want to learn more? What puts a smile on your face? What makes time fly? Immerse yourself in that moment, feel every feeling, every sensation in your body, and create what you see, imagine, hear, feel, touch. Express yourself through drawing, painting, creating, dancing, music or taking pictures frame by frame until you catch that right moment, that feeling that is deep inside of you. When it comes from your heart, it shows, and others will notice it.

Now when you’re ready to create your masterpiece, you may ask “what equipment should I use?”

The answer may surprise you: It really does not matter. If you can afford state-of-the art latest things, great for you, if you know how to use it. However, what I truly believe is that if you create or capture something that comes from your heart, that passion will radiate to the viewer no matter what equipment you will use. The moment will capture their hearts, as they captured yours by creating it. The passion will show and it will shine through.