Photography Histogram Explained |  |
- Photography Histogram Explained
- A Commercial Fine Art Photographer Shares His Story (Video)
- Using Off-Camera Flash with Mirrorless Cameras (Video)
| Photography Histogram Explained Posted: 14 Sep 2013 11:48 PM PDT Today’s DSLR photo tip, the photo histogram explained, involves using the (gulp) histogram. This is another of those features found on most of the higher end cameras that you probably aren’t using. But you should! What is the histogram?The photo histogram is that graph that looks like a mountain range with spikes shooting up at seemingly random places. The scary thing is that when you see it, it looks really technical. Most of us immediately try for the land speed record in turning it off.  “Correct Histogram” captured by Bruce It really isn’t that hard or confusing. Plus, it can go a long way to getting better exposure on our images. All the histogram does is graphically display the tonal ranges in your photo from the darkest black areas to the lightest white areas. The left side is for black, the right side is for white. Why should we use the histogram?Why not just look at our LCD and make adjustments from there? Glad you asked… I’ve written other articles (discussing picture controls) where I’ve said that the LCD is not accurate. What you are seeing on the LCD screen is not necessarily what is going to show up on your computer. It is really easy to do a whole series of photos and get home only to discover that your masterpiece is under- or overexposed and not at all what you were expecting. Sometimes exposure can be fixed (after hours and hours in Photoshop); sometimes it can’t. If the shadow or highlight details weren’t captured, they just aren’t there to be “fixed”. Rule of thumb: Use your LCD to check for composition. Use your histogram to check for exposure. The initial step to understanding how to use a histogram is to drag out your camera’s manual and figure out how to turn it on in playback mode so that you can see both the histogram and the picture. Reading your manual could easily be the most complex part of the operation. This is another of those times when reading the manual (ten minutes of sheer boredom) can dramatically improve your photography–forever. Once you’ve learned how to turn on your histogram, take a few shots of something.
Spikes at either end of the spectrum, touching the edges of the histogram, tend to indicate a photo that is over- or underexposed, and you will want to make adjustments–but not always. Caution: the temptation at this point is to automatically set every photo so that the histogram spikes are in the middle. This would NOT be correct. Each photo has its own right or wrong settings, determined by the subject matter and your artistic vision:
Experiment with this for a few minutes, and you will quickly understand how histograms work.  “Out and About Again” captured by Carl Jones Then, when you are shooting, you will instantly see where your photos can be improved and make the adjustments to your settings before it’s too late. Remember, in Photoshop you can adjust the lightness and darkness of a photo, but you can’t add detail that was never captured. Today’s challenge is to take this DSLR photo tip–the photo histogram explained–and practice with using your camera’s histogram. It will make a good weekend project for you, and if you want to start winning photo contests, it is worth the effort to get comfortable with using histograms. About the Author: Go to full article: Photography Histogram Explained |
| A Commercial Fine Art Photographer Shares His Story (Video) Posted: 14 Sep 2013 07:12 PM PDT The road to a career in photography seems to be different for everyone. Some photographers see their endpoint from the beginning, while others seem to fall into their work without any preconceived notions about where it will take them. Commercial fine art photographer David LaChapelle discovered photography in high school and never stopped creating his unique images. Take a look inside this brilliant photographer’s mind and his studio as he shares the story behind his success: LaChapelle says that photography, for him, was never intended to be a source of fame or fortune. He simply wanted to create beauty and honesty. At the age of 18, his love of nightclubs brought him to New York City, where he’s spent much of his teen years when not in school. Soon after, he had his first photography show in a friend’s loft. These first images were black and white and exhibited his experimentation with bleaching on prints, metaphysical themes, and nude figuratives. He had his second show soon after, and then began taking assignments.
Those first assignments were exciting. He was meeting interesting people and being published in magazines. He took the first published photograph of the Beastie Boys and the last portrait of Andy Warhol before the artist’s death.  Andy Warhol, Last Sitting, November David LaChapelle’s more current work is a feast for the eyes. He photographs celebrities on highly saturated, surreal sets that he builds and reuses in his Los Angeles studio. He strives for his photos to have the same impact on his audiences as music has on listeners. He wants to engage and connect with his viewers through his art so that it stays with them.
LaChapelle says his career has been an unplanned journey. The key to his success was to be true to himself by producing images that he found beautiful.
Go to full article: A Commercial Fine Art Photographer Shares His Story (Video) |
| Using Off-Camera Flash with Mirrorless Cameras (Video) Posted: 14 Sep 2013 12:50 PM PDT If you’re looking for a great off-camera flash tutorial, look no further. Whether you use a mirrorless camera or not, photographer Joe Brady will give you a run down on everything strobe related: single flash, multiple flash, light meters, camera settings for flash, high-key lighting, low-key lighting, you name it. Not only does Brady concisely explain everything while using a model and strobes to give you a clear visual, but between each of his mini-tutorial shoots he also does a Q&A session. This helps answer a lot of questions about the gear, settings, and reasons for the techniques: Lighting Tools That Can Add to Your Images:
 Brady explains how to create high-key lighting Background is another important element to keep in mind when shooting with strobes. Some factors that you should consider when choosing a background is the texture, color, whether you’ll be lighting the background, and how well your subject will be separated from the background. Go to full article: Using Off-Camera Flash with Mirrorless Cameras (Video) |
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