Shooting with RAW Settings in Photography |  |
- Shooting with RAW Settings in Photography
- Tips for Holding a Camera
- Boxing Photography Setup and Direction Techniques
| Shooting with RAW Settings in Photography Posted: 02 Nov 2013 09:07 PM PDT Many cameras now offer the option to save captured photos in the RAW file format. RAW capture brings with it an extra processing step. This step requires converting the RAW image data to a format that is more easily edited with programs such as Photoshop and Photoshop Elements. What you need to explore is the impact that shooting RAW has on digital-only camera characteristics. First, look at the RAW format a little more closely.  Photo captured by Tareq AlObaid (Click Image to See More From Tareq AlObaid) What exactly is in a RAW file?It is helpful to think of a RAW file as having three distinct part: Camera data, usually called the EXIF or metadata, including things such as camera model, shutter speed and aperture details, most of which cannot be changed. Image data which, though recorded by the camera, can be changed in a RAW editing program such as Adobe Camera RAW (ACR) and the settings chosen here directly affect how the picture is processed. Changeable options include color depth, white balance, saturation, distribution of image tones (contrast), noise reduction and application of sharpness. The image itself. This is the data drawn directly from the sensor in your camera in a non-interpolated form. For most RAWenabled cameras, this data is supplied with 12 or 16 bits per channel color depth. This provides more colors and tones to play with when editing and enhancing than found in standard 8 bits per channel camera file. How does this impact on my day-to-day shooting?Most experienced photographers pride themselves on their ability to control all the functions of their cameras. Often their dexterity extends way beyond the traditional controls such as aperture, shutter speed and focus to ‘digital-only’ features, such as white balance, contrast, sharpness, noise reduction and saturation. For the best imaging results, they regularly manipulate these features to match the camera settings with the scene’s characteristics.  “Hole in the Wall” captured by Alan Nixon (Click Image to See More From Alan Nixon) For instance, a landscape photographer may add contrast, boost saturation and manually adjust the white balance setting of his or her camera when confronted with a misty valley shot early in the morning. In contrast, an avid travel photographer may choose to reduce contrast and saturation and switch to a daylight white balance setting when photographing the floating markets in Thailand on a bright summer’s day. It has long been known that such customization is essential if you want to make the best images possible. However, you must be capturing in a JPEG or TIFF format. As we have already seen, settings such as these, though fixed in capture formats such as TIFF and JPEG, are fully adjustable when shooting RAW. What does this mean in our day-to-day photography?All is not lost if after documenting some interiors you accidentally forget to switch the white balance setting from tungsten back to daylight before commencing to photograph outside. The white balance setting used at the time of capture is recorded with the RAW file but is only applied when the picture is processed. This means that when you open the images in a RAW converter, the picture is previewed using the capture setting (tungsten), but you can easily select a different option to process the file. In this example it would mean switching the setting from tungsten back to daylight in the white balance menu of the conversion software. All this happens with no resultant loss in quality. Hooray! The same condition exists for other digital controls such as contrast, saturation and, with some cameras, sharpness and noise reduction. As before, the settings made at the time of shooting will be used as a basis for initial RAW previews but these are not fixed and can be adjusted during processing. This leads some people to believe that there is no longer any need to pay attention to these shooting factors and so consequently they leave their cameras permanently set to ‘auto everything’ (auto contrast, auto white balance, standard saturation), preferring to fix any problems back at the desktop.  Photo captured by Terrence Credlin (Click Image to See More From Terrence Credlin) Photographers continue to control their cameras on a shot-by-shot basis. Many photographers believe that an image captured with the right settings to start with will save processing time later. Both approaches are valid. Which method suits you will largely get down to a personal preference. It will also boil down to a rechoice of whether you would prefer to spend your time manipulating your camera or computer. About the Author Go to full article: Shooting with RAW Settings in Photography |
| Posted: 02 Nov 2013 07:08 PM PDT Depending on the type of camera you have, there are some basic techniques required to ensure that you have a stable platform on which to start taking your photos. If you have a compact camera and are using an LCD as a viewfinder, you may find it hard to believe, but holding your camera still will be more difficult than using a bridge camera or a DSLR. This is due to the fact that compact cameras are so small and light.  “Untitled” captured by Sj Gaffud (Click image to more from Gaffud.) Compact Cameras
 “Little Photographer II” captured by Roberta Ruschi (Click image to see more from Ruschi.) DSLRs
Both these positions may feel slightly awkward to start with, but persevere and keep practicing. The results will be well worth it. After a while it will become natural. Get to Know Your CameraNow that you know how to best hold your camera, read your user manual and make yourself familiar with all its features. Play around with it and try every feature there is, so you become aware of the capabilities of your camera. Don’t be afraid to be adventurous. Modern cameras have so many amazing features. Get to know them and get your money’s worth. Practice, practice, practice. Take as many photos as you can. Look at them and see what’s wrong. Learn how to improve. Work with your camera. I guarantee it is capable of so much more than you realize. One last thing–and probably the most important–HAVE FUN! Enjoy the experience. This is not a chore, it’s an opportunity for you to capture some amazing images and memories that you can keep forever. About the Author: Go to full article: Tips for Holding a Camera |
| Boxing Photography Setup and Direction Techniques Posted: 02 Nov 2013 05:04 PM PDT Los Angeles photographer Mark Singerman excels at capturing environmental portraits of both celebrities and everyday people. His use of contextual backdrops and his ease in working with his subjects give his photographs a meaningful sense of place and personality. Watch Singerman at work, as he skillfully directs, lights, and photographs professional boxer Fernando Guerrero at Westside Boxing: Armed with a Nikon D7000, Speedlights, and wireless triggers, Singerman was able to get a wide variety of shots by moving all around the scene and placing lights in a number of different positions. In addition to a shoot-through umbrella, he used a Paul C. Buff soft box, which he sometimes aimed directly at Guerrero and other times bounced off the ceiling. He also cleverly used the boxing facility’s mirrors to help with reflecting the light back onto his subject.
Mastering the technical side of photography is crucial for producing the kinds of shots that Singerman regularly delivers. But his ease at working with his clients is just as essential. During the shoot featured in the video, he directed the model by asking him to try out different moves and demonstrated the poses he’s after. As you look behind the scenes, you can sense the comfort with which the photographer and boxer worked together. And he also made the shoot more enjoyable by adding in extra effects. Singerman brought a dry ice fog machine to this shoot, which accentuated the final photos of this champion boxer and made the shoot fun.
Combining technical skills with people skills allows Mark Singerman to work with his models confidently. This short look at a boxing photography shoot gives us a little taste of what it takes to create great environmental portraits of anyone. Go to full article: Boxing Photography Setup and Direction Techniques |
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