This is a quick guide on when to use UV, ND and CPO filters
Regardless of which filter you use, a filter protects the glass on your lens against scratching so is a valuable piece of insurance.
I’m regularly asked about what are the rules around batteries when travelling. Make sure your batteries make it through check-in. Basically, if you are flying with spare batteries, they need to be carried on. Don’t lose your expensive batteries! You can bring spare lithium batteries in your carry-on bag, but not in your checked-in luggage.
BUT, if the battery is in an electronic device, the device can be checked in as long as it’s turned off, although never put your camera and lenses in your checked in luggage as it most likely will be damaged UNLESS you’ve got a speciality camera equipment case, and make sure you put it through the fragile bag drop.
Read the full aviation security article here
If you’ve been on any of my workshops, you’ll recall me working with you, coaching you to take time to get the image “right” in-camera, let me explain why:
Apart from choosing which lens to use, then there are your settings – ISO, shutter speed and aperture to capture the image to your liking, what I’m also wanting you to look at are:
When we come to the important part of processing your images, I’m not wanting you to crop your image to correct leading lines and not to remove a distracting object from the side (rather user Photoshop), nor levelling the horizon.
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Take your tripod
You’ll need to keep your camera perfectly still so it’s best to use a tripod and make sure that you set up your tripod on stable ground, and shield it from any wind. You can of course put your camera on a table.
What lens?
That really depends on what you are thinking your image should look like.
What aperture?
If you have no foreground subjects you can get away with pretty much any aperture, from wide options like f/2.8 to narrow options like f/16.
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When you’re out on the street with your camera, many people are looking at you wondering what you are photographing. Here’s are just a few of my tips to help you reduce your nerves so you don’t freeze so you can create beautiful street shots.
Good street photography can look deceptively easy and if you’ve been on one of my street photography workshops you will have practiced these tips.
Fear stops many would-be street photographers, but with the right approach, overcoming your nervousness is possible.
I’ve been leading street photography workshops across New Zealand & Australia and photographing on the streets for years and I’m sharing my techniques to work past your street photography fears allowing you to enjoy taking great street images without feeling paralysed by anxiety.
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For photography, HDR describes a type of photo that captures a dynamic range that can’t be achieved in a single photograph. HDR stands for “high dynamic range” and it’s a clever way to work around difficult lighting situations.
It’s quite rare to have perfect lighting when shooting landscapes. Often, the sun is shining bright creating contrasting dark shadows and bright highlights.
Cameras these days often have very good dynamic range (meaning they can capture darker darks and lighter lights in a single photo) but sometimes this isn’t quite enough, especially when you can easily create your own HDR image.
This is a manual way to increase your dynamic range by taking multiple photos at different exposures and then merging them together. The simplest method is to take one photo exposed for highlights, one photo exposed for mid-tones and a third photo exposed for shadows.
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Here’s my latest article on everything you could ever want to know about street photography.
Street photography is about candidly photographing life and human nature. It is a way for us to show our surroundings and how as photographers we relate to it through various images. Within street photography there any many sub-genres: candid, reflections, panning and intentional camera movement (ICM), just to name a few.
I’m soon heading off to Antarctica and been thinking about how I need to change the ways in which I capture my images, camera gear, camera accessories to pack, and even how I look differently at what to capture. If you’re heading to somewhere packed full of snow soon here’s my tips:
Keep your equipment safe – The cold temperatures of winter can be harsh on your equipment. Since snow can easily wet your gear, consider buying a waterproof bag to keep everything safe and dry.
You can never have enough batteries – Cold temperatures significantly chew through your camera’s batteries faster when you’re outside for long periods of time. Bring at least two spare batteries and recommend that you store them close to your body in an insulated pocket to keep them warm.
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The reciprocal rule, simply is about how to make sure when hand holding your camera, that your images are sharp. It’s quite simple your shutter speed should be at least “1” over your lens focal length. In other words, to keep your shots sharp, you should use a shutter speed that is the reciprocal of your lens, otherwise, you’re at risk of blur due to camera shake.
As an example, using a 50mm lens, you’ll need a shutter speed of at least 1/50s. And if you use a 200mm lens, you’ll need a shutter speed of at least 1/200s.
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