How to do Infrared Photography |  |
- How to do Infrared Photography
- Using HDR Photography for Panoramas & 360 Virtual Tours
- Exposure Stacking Tutorial in Adobe Photoshop
- How to Create Multiple Portrait Styles with One Speedlight
| How to do Infrared Photography Posted: 23 Jun 2013 05:45 PM PDT Infrared, or IR, is a form of light wave that is not visible to the human eye. In the electromagnetic spectrum, IR waves are grouped between visible light and radio waves. Being invisible, how is infrared used in photography? It is indeed utilized, not only by photographers, but by scientists and technicians as well. Infrared photography produces images that are not achieved by commonly-used films. Today, infrared digital photography enthusiasts like to refer to their hobby as taking pictures with invisible light. IR photography is unusual in the sense that it relies on the ability of the camera to record what is not visible to the eye by capturing infrared radiation instead of visible light. IR waves can penetrate certain kinds of haze or cloud cover so that pictures of objects, which are distant or are not visible to the normal camera, can be taken. Further, IR can also make visible the long-wavelength heat emitted by objects. This is why infrared digital photography is very important to astronomers and physicists.  “Chapelwick Chapel – IR” captured by Pieter Albertyn. (Click image to see more from Pieter Albertyn.) Infrared photography is not a new technique. It has been around for many years, but only very few photographers used it with film, because it was expensive and difficult. When digital cameras came along, IR photography became significantly cheaper and easier. Camera ModificationThe CCD and CMOS sensors of your digital camera have the ability to capture infrared light. However, the manufacturer puts a filter in front of the sensor to block out ultraviolet and infrared rays, because these can interfere with recording images. If you want to take IR photos, and have a camera that you will no longer use for capturing normal images, you can remove the blocking filter and let a wider range of light waves hit the sensor. Some photographers attempt this modification at home, but there are services that will do this conversion for a fee. Taking unfiltered shots requires certain adjustments to your camera, but these can be easily made with digicams since you can view images instantly and make any necessary adjustments as you go. For more info we have an article on getting started in infrared photography. IR FiltersAnother infrared digital photography method involves placing an IR filter in front of the lens without removing the sensor filter. While less intrusive, using an infrared filter may be less advantageous than using a converted camera. Because incoming light is filtered, capturing images takes longer. Further, an external filter hinders the photographer’s view, making it difficult to compose and focus. The video below is a tutorial for those interested in working with infrared filters (for those of you reading this by email, the video tutorial can be seen here): Infrared photographs appear very different from pictures taken with visible light. Clouds appear more interesting, because they reflect more IR rays than the sky. Leaves and plants appear very bright, so care must be taken not to overexpose them. Colors do not look the same as in the real world, and even similarly colored objects may look vastly different. Some photographers like using infrared in portraits because it causes the skin to look very smooth. With today’s advancements in technology, you can tweak your camera’s features and extend its capabilities. Why don’t you experiment and create amazing shots using infrared digital photography? About the Author: For Further Training on Infrared Photography:One of the best-selling photography eBooks on the market covers how to do many photography techniques that produce unusual, eye-catching results (including extensive chapters on various infrared photo methods). It can be found here: Trick Photography and Special Effects Go to full article: How to do Infrared Photography |
| Using HDR Photography for Panoramas & 360 Virtual Tours Posted: 23 Jun 2013 02:39 PM PDT What is HDR?High dynamic range (or HDR) photography is a technique that allows a photographer to take the same image at different exposures and then blend them together to produce one image that features the best exposed parts from each of the images. For a virtual tour this is particularly useful, as most virtual tours rely on a 360 degree perspective. Often you will be shooting both away from and into a light source. Usually this would mean that you would have to compromise between the two and potentially have dark patches that are underexposed on one side and light patches that are overexposed on the other. Using HDR you can shoot at three or more exposure levels–low, medium, and high–and then blend them together to create the perfect panorama.  “La caverne aux livres” captured by Alexandre Duret-Lutz on Flickr. What are the disadvantages?Although this technique is very useful it does have its disadvantages. First, processing time: using HDR imagery effectively triples the number of images you are dealing with. Unless you are using top end equipment (i5+ processors), this is going to greatly increase time spent during post-processing. Second, ghosting: HDR images are 3 or more images taken one after the other. If you have movement in your images (for example, trees moving in the wind or someone slipping on a humorously placed banana), when you start piecing your images together, the differences in the images can cause a grey ghosting effect that can ruin your scene. Finally, you will have to work with software that supports HDR imagery. Most top end software will work, but this is still a consideration, especially if you are used to software that is not compatible with HDR. So should I use HDR to create my 360 virtual tours or not?If you are considering using HDR, my advice is that you should first invest in a tripod and panohead. The ghosting caused by holding your camera by hand will cause you no end of trouble during post processing, and it can even make your scene un-stitchable.  “View from the observation deck” captured by Heiwa4126 on Flickr. If you are looking to sell the 360 virtual tours you produce, HDR is now an industry standard and an essential tool for creating professional, vibrant, and well-lit panoramas. Exposure BracketingTechnically, all you need to take HDR images is a camera that lets you manually change the exposure. You can then set the camera in a fixed position on a tripod and take several images at different exposures that you will use to create one HDR image. However, this process is time consuming, especially for a 360 virtual tour where you will need to take several images for each scene to stitch together later. When your virtual tour contains more than ten scenes, this can become a massive time sink. If you are serious about virtual tours, I highly recommend investing in a high-end DSLR camera that features exposure bracketing. Exposure bracketing is a feature on a camera that allows you to set the exposures at three or more levels (usually low, middle, and high). Once you press the shutter button, the camera takes the differently exposed images in quick succession. This has the added benefit of reducing ghosting due to the greatly shortened time between taking the images. Taking HDR ImagesTo take HDR images for your virtual tour you need to have the camera set to manual exposure and manual white balance. Once I have my camera and tripod in place, I set my exposures by pointing the camera at the most over-exposed part of the panorama (the sun if outdoors, otherwise the brightest light source). I then adjust the exposure until the image is just on the dark side of clear. Once I have the base level set to my satisfaction I adjust exposure bracketing to at least +2 and -2 (some cameras are unable to stretch this far–you might have to take two bracketed images). You can test it by taking a sample picture; if the camera takes three images for each press of the shutter button, then exposure bracketing is set and you are ready. Now just take the images you would normally take for a panorama and, depending on how many you usually take (I vary between 6 and 12), you should now have a set of three exposures for each image–one light, one normal, and one dark. For extra stability, set your camera to a two second shutter delay; this will combat camera shake.  “Double-decker train” captured by heiwa4126 on Flickr. Post ProcessingNow that you have your HDR panoramic images for your virtual tour, you are ready to stitch them together. This can be done in a number of ways. You can use your RAW images to create HDR images before stitching, you can stitch your images together using software that accommodates HDR and allow it to fuse your HDR images for you, or you can create separate panoramas at each exposure level and fuse them together afterward. Each of these methods has its merits, and I highly recommend experimenting with each to find which one suits you best. Whichever way you choose, there is software out there to make your life a lot easier. Technically you can use high-end stitching software such as PTGui or Panoweaver to stitch the images, adjust the exposure, and output an HDR image. However, I have found that the HDR fusing mechanisms within stitching software are not as good as dedicated HDR software. My personal HDR magic formula is to use PTGui to stitch the images together then output three separate panoramas at different exposures. I then use dedicated HDR software to fuse the images together into one beautifully exposed panorama ready for use in my virtual tour. There is a lot of software on the market, but for sheer professionalism of results, I have to recommend Photomatix Pro. Good luck and happy shooting. About the Author: HDR Software Coupon for PictureCorrect Readers:Photomatix is the software of choice for most professional HDR photographers. Photomatix was nice enough to provide a discount to PictureCorrect readers on any version of their software. For 15% off, remember to use the photomatix coupon code picturecorrect at checkout. The software can be acquired Here on the Photomatix Site For Further Training on HDR Photography:If you are interested in furthering your skills in HDR photography, this course can definitely help. Trey Ratcliff, arguably the most popular and successful HDR photographer ever, has released an extensive HDR Photography training course which has received very good reviews. If you are unfamiliar with his work, Trey created the first HDR photo to ever be hung in the Smithsonian Museum and he has been featured on ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, NPR, and the BBC. For 15% off, remember to use the discount code picturecorrect at checkout. HDR Photography Training Go to full article: Using HDR Photography for Panoramas & 360 Virtual Tours |
| Exposure Stacking Tutorial in Adobe Photoshop Posted: 23 Jun 2013 12:45 PM PDT Exposure stacking is the process of taking multiple photos with different types of lighting and exposure settings, then blending them together into one photograph. This technique is used frequently in night photography, when a photographer wants to capture an object in the foreground while also capturing the night sky. Because the lighting of the foreground object obscures visibility of the sky, many different photos must be taken with various lighting and exposure settings to achieve this effect. In the following video, Russell Brown explains the process of exposure stacking in Adobe Photoshop CS6 (for those of you reading this by email, the video can be seen here): Russell captured each photo using a Canon 5D Mark II, an interval exposure unit, a strobe light and a tripod. Each photograph was taken in the exact same position. He first took three photographs of the foreground, lighting it in different areas each time. Next, he took four photos of the night sky with four minute exposures each. Once blended in post production, these photos show the movement of the stars over a span of sixteen minutes.
After importing each photo into a single Photoshop document as layers, you can then select all layers and change the blend mode to “Lighten.” This blend mode takes the lighting of each photo and merges it together. You can then change the visibility of each layer to experiment with how the photograph changes, or you can use a layer mask and hide parts of each layer until you have the desired effect. This technique isn’t for night photography alone; it can also be used to introduce multiple forms of lighting into any type of photograph. Go to full article: Exposure Stacking Tutorial in Adobe Photoshop |
| How to Create Multiple Portrait Styles with One Speedlight Posted: 23 Jun 2013 11:03 AM PDT Not all photographers have used artificial lighting before. In fact, some people only even rent lighting equipment when certain events or situations call for it, otherwise they just make do with natural light. For one, it's expensive. The other reason? They don't know how to use it. Learning how to use lighting equipment properly takes time. Formal lessons are offered on the different lighting techniques, tools and setups involved in creating a well-lit picture. However, all that knowledge would be more helpful to those who already have most, if not all, the tools and equipment mentioned in tutorials (for those of you reading this by email, the masterclass can be seen here): So what if you only have one speedlight at hand? Bob Harrington teaches you how to use it in several ways. Simple Bounce Flash
 1/125 @ f/5.6, ISO 500, WB Daylight, Small Rogue Flashbender This technique entails mounting your speedlight on a lightstand and simply bouncing the light off the walls. It works well in enclosed spaces and with low-hanging ceilings. This is great for indoor events such as birthday parties, weddings, cotillions, and etc. Reflective Umbrella
 1/125 @ f/5.6, ISO 200, WB Daylight, Photoflex 45" Umbrella One of the most important tools in your lighting kit is a reflective umbrella, preferably a convertible one. This can work well both indoors and outdoor, especially if your reflective umbrella is made of sturdy material, like carbon fiber. That way, it won't break in case it falls during a shoot. Reflective Umbrella with Reflector
 1/125 @ f/5.6, ISO 200, WB Daylight, California Sunbounce Micro Mini with Grip Head The Sunbounce is a little pricey but well worth the money. You can change up the look by moving the Sunbounce around or by flipping it over to the more reflective side. The white side is softer and less contrasty, while the silver is a little harsher. Sidelight Reflective Umbrella
 1/125 @ f/5.6, ISO 200, WB Daylight, Photoflex 45" Umbrella By simply moving the light and turning your model towards the light, both the model and a little bit of the background are lit up. Crunched Umbrella
 1/125 @ f/5.6, ISO 200, WB Daylight, Photoflex 45" Umbrella Using the same umbrella, collapse it over the light. This compresses the light, creating a very dramatic lighting effect. Shoot Through Umbrella with Reflector
 1/125 @ f/5.6, ISO 200, WB Daylight, California Sunbounce Micro Mini with Grip Head Position the reflector at an angle, slightly lowered. This fill light will reflect light onto the bottom of the chin and under the eyes, wrapping the subject in light. Shoot Through Umbrella Through an Umbrella  1/125 @ f/5.6, ISO 200, WB Daylight, Bare Head Flash This creates nice, soft lighting with a drop shadow. This technique is popular for magazine covers and editorials because the light fill in all of the pores, reducing the need for skin correction in post, except for a few minor tweaks. Flat lighting makes post-processing easier. Over and Under Beauty Over and Under  1/250 @ f/7.1, ISO 200, WB Daylight, Photoflex shoot through umbrella, California Sunbounce Micro Mini with Grip Head This is another simple setup that you can execute even without the help of assistants. Bounce into Reflector
 1/250 @ f/5.6, ISO 200, WB Daylight, Bare head flash, California Sunbounce Micro Mini with Grip Head For outdoor photoshoots, expect a lot of light to spill. This creates a soft, diffused light that is similar to if you had a wall to bounce the light off of. Direct Flash
 1/125 @ f/5.6, ISO 200, WB Daylight, Bare head flash You'll see this technique a lot on magazine covers and editorial shoots as well. This creates a very hard drop shadow. The effect created is different from if the flash were to be mounted on your camera's hotshoe. For more techniques, view the video in its entirety. Go to full article: How to Create Multiple Portrait Styles with One Speedlight |
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