Questions regarding technique, as opposed to style, hardware, or software.
8
votes
6answers
364 views
Method to photograph a wide/long wall from a near distance and create a panoramic view of it
Imagine you have a wide wall, say: about 50m wide and 2m high, like the ones in a long corridor. You want to create an image that covers the whole wall in a way that you can see in some detail what's ...
8
votes
2answers
991 views
Creating silhouettes in a studio environment
The trick to creating silhouettes in the field, as far as I know, is to use spot-metering and to expose for the background. However, this is a bit more difficult in a studio environment. What is the ...
8
votes
5answers
585 views
Fireworks, getting rid of the smoke
Is there any way I can get rid of the smoke (or reduce it to a minimum) when photographing fireworks?
Like a minimum distance from the event, position from the wind and surrounding lights?
Exposure ...
8
votes
2answers
357 views
Using lens flare for good
I usually try to avoid lens flare, usually by avoiding shooting directly into bright lights (or using other techniques to minimize it).
However, sometimes I find a situation where lens flare actually ...
8
votes
3answers
2k views
How can I create a grayscale with color highlighting effect in Lightroom?
Highlighting certain area with color, leaving the rest grayscaled — what is the name of this effect in photography?
What is the most precise way to achieve this effect in Lightroom?
8
votes
2answers
1k views
What settings will be good for taking photos of falling leaves?
I've been trying to take good photos of falling leaves but haven't had much success. Has anyone got any tips for me (exposure etc), or do I really need some specialist equipment? (I am using a Canon ...
8
votes
1answer
291 views
Tips for using the Lensbaby 3G?
I just picked one up as a much less expensive option than a tilt/shift lens for the Pentax mount (they're hard to find and crazy expensive for the K-mount). I have done some experimental shots with ...
7
votes
5answers
673 views
How to avoid dark window when shooting from inside
I am shooting a window with heavy sun light on it. When I get far enough from the window, the yellow curtain does not become too dark and is somehow visible (the second image). But as I get closer to ...
7
votes
5answers
729 views
How to take nice shots of glass-facaded buildings?
I need to take photos of some buildings which have glass facades as a building shell.
They have around 10 floors.
What lens, composition, lighting, time of day are appropriate for this kind of ...
7
votes
4answers
490 views
Is there a typical settings order before shooting?
Suppose we have time to shoot with an DSLR. Before actually shooting, some settings have to be adjusted to get a picture. Suppose we have a brand new DSLR in hand and every setting has to be defined.
...
7
votes
3answers
651 views
Is Center-weighted metering a type of spot-metering?
Does center-weighted metering use the same camera/lens adjustments as spot metering with the exception of the focus which is in the center? Or is there a technical difference in the way ...
7
votes
4answers
955 views
How to take sharp photos while using maximum optical zoom?
When I shoot with high zoom (above 3X on my point-and-shoot camera), the sharpness of the picture seems to come down. Is it a feature of all cameras or is it due to higher sensitivity to camera shakes ...
7
votes
3answers
290 views
What tips can you offer to take pictures of dogs?
Okay, so a friend of mine asked about photographing his dogs, and I realized that I really don't have much of a clue what are the best ways to photograph pets. I can take a few stabs at it, but I ...
7
votes
4answers
205 views
When experimenting just isn't enough?
As a fairly new photographer who is interested in learning more about the advanced settings on my Canon 7D, and less about Green / CA modes, can you share the areas of photography which forced you to ...
7
votes
4answers
592 views
How can I make this image appear OK on an average monitor?
I have taken a portrait picture which has to look good. It does look good on the Dell 2410 I use for editing. On the garden variety Fujitsu I use as a secondary monitor, it is terrible. In the face, ...
7
votes
1answer
294 views
How to take pictures of reflective spherical objects?
I've always wondered looking at photographs of shiny Christmas ornaments...how were those photos taken without reflecting the photographer or the camera setup?
These days, I can imagine that digital ...
7
votes
1answer
643 views
What technique and settings should I use to capture meteor showers?
I'm just starting out with astrophotography and have read that this years most spectacular meteor shower display (at least where I live in Canberra, Australia) will be the Eta Aquarids Meteor Shower:
...
7
votes
1answer
1k views
How do you trap focus on DSLRs without native support for it?
I came across the term trap focus on the autofocus page of wikipedia, and it seems to be a very handy feature that triggers the shutter release when a subject moves into the focal plane. This feature ...
6
votes
6answers
1k views
How do I get such clear and detailed pictures like Aurelie Curie?
Often times I'm looking around and I find images that just seem to have this great balance and exposure to them that gives them such a stunning look.
I always wonder why I can never get similar ...
6
votes
2answers
1k views
How can I create a photo with vintage look, focused on the lips?
I would really like to be able to take a photo like the one found here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/33008672@N06/5750321813/sizes/z/in/photostream/
Can somebody please help me how I should shoot ...
6
votes
2answers
632 views
How can I get more of this macro photo in focus?
I want to make a full focus on the body, for example:
I need to have a clear focus on the each balls in the photo. I used just single point focus.
In this picture I used:
shutter speed: 8
...
6
votes
3answers
421 views
Do still photographers use follow focus, as filmmakers do?
Is a follow focus system beneficial to photographers in low light or other situations? Almost all professional filmmakers use a similar system to manually focus lenses, but I am not aware of ...
6
votes
4answers
555 views
Should I prefer raising ISO or lowering the shutter speed in a low light condition?
Example:
1. A "still" object/scene.
2. Night time.
3. The only light source you have is: a tubelight on a wall.
Provided, you want sharpness all around so you won't maximize the aperture.
Flash ...
6
votes
3answers
342 views
What can I do to maximize dynamic range while shooting?
There are several ways to increase dynamic range in post-processing, but what should I do while shooting to maximize the dynamic range of a picture? I know that shooting in Raw and trying to use all ...
6
votes
5answers
586 views
How can I hold my face in the same place for a month long daily self-portrait?
I want to take a self-portrait every day over a period of a month. I want to turn these photos into an animation, so it is important that the face is in the exact same position on each shot (the ...
6
votes
5answers
1k views
How do I achieve a yellowish retro picture color?
I have always seen advertisements / pictures with colour based such as this...
Full Gallery
a bit yellowish / retro feeling....
How can I achieve such a picture? Is it a "camera setting" or do I ...
6
votes
3answers
366 views
Is it possible to take silhouette photos with Nikon CoolPix S70?
Is it possible to take silhouette photos like this using my Nikon CoolPix S 70? if so please let me know how? I tried but getting blurry images :(
6
votes
2answers
266 views
What do I need to make a photo in French Noir?
What do I need to make a photo in French Noir style?
Maybe I am not naming the style correctly, but the examples should give an idea of what I mean.
Can somebody explain what technique and ...
6
votes
4answers
6k views
How do I know I have the correct exposure when shooting in manual mode?
I have a Canon XTI which I've been using for a few years now. Most of the time I'm been shooting in one of the "semi-manual" modes like aperture priority or shutter priority, but now I'd like to try ...
6
votes
1answer
171 views
Resource for guidance on achieving specific styles and 'looks' independent of software
Lately I've found that I can usually capture the image the way I envision it as far as exposure and composition but I begin to flail around in getting it from RAW file or negative/transparency to ...
5
votes
8answers
642 views
What macro techniques offer an alternative to expensive optics?
I was wondering what are the alternative macro techniques people use instead of buying expensive macro optics. I know about single lens reverse macro technique; what other alternative techniques allow ...
5
votes
3answers
969 views
How do I get crisp indoor or low light images from my point and shoot?
I have a digital camera Canon PowerShot. I notice when I try to take any pictures other than a non-zoom, outdoor picture in good lighting the picture comes out blurry and grainy. I have tried a ...
5
votes
2answers
542 views
How does Christy Lee Rogers take these photographs?
Christy Lee Rogers is an artist/photographer. I find her work surreal. Below are couple of photographs she took "straight out the camera".
Any idea how these photographs might be taken ?
Another ...
5
votes
8answers
2k views
What is a good, *free* online “cross processing” program?
I am currently using Photoshop Elements 9 and the functions such as Lomo Effect and Color Curves do not enable me to produce images with colour such as this example on Flickr and this one
It is ...
5
votes
3answers
306 views
What are the best tips for photographing children?
I have two children (ages 2-4) who are just getting old enough to know when to make the worst possible face or simply run away when I bring out the camera.
Does anyone have any tips on how to get ...
5
votes
3answers
219 views
Taking sports and action shots with regular lenses
I do not shoot action or sports photos. I was asked to shoot a friend's soccer game. I am not looking for perfect magazine quality images; however, I'd like to maximize the quality of my shots with ...
5
votes
3answers
178 views
Incorporating haze into landscapes
When shooting landscapes in Western India, I often have a serious problem with haze. The air can often be dusty outside cities and polluted inside. Shooting in the golden hour doesn't always help ...
5
votes
2answers
382 views
Can one make good photographs with artistic sense but little real technical skill? [closed]
I used to practice photography, but I quit for a while after getting burned out, because I was not able to catch exactly what I was seeing at the moment — never same light, never same colors. I know ...
5
votes
5answers
468 views
Is there an online Encyclopedia of Photographic Methods/Techniques, better than that in Wikipedia? [closed]
Looking for a listing photographic methods/techniques just like this one on Wikipedia, but possibly better, any suggestions?
5
votes
2answers
138 views
How much of a good fashion or surreal photo is post-production?
I tend to like photos that look dramatic or otherworldly (particularly when capturing things that may actually be fairly mundane). Aside from obvious things like air-brushing or photo-manipulations ...
5
votes
1answer
481 views
How to achieve shallower DOF using multiple exposures?
For static or semi-static scenes, there are many ways to "simulate" certain features actually not feasible on single photo using the technology the photographer has. For example,
wider field of view ...
5
votes
3answers
598 views
Is there a photoshop plugin or any other piece of software that can do super resolution?
I want to combine multiple photographs of the same lanscape to increase the resolution of the final image. More details on the method here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super-resolution
What software ...
5
votes
1answer
386 views
What is the logic behind “Brother Backlit Sky” in the book Understanding Exposure?
I don't know if this question is too specific, but after reading Understanding Exposure, I can't understand very well the reasons and logic behind Brother Backlit Sky and their brothers. Although I ...
5
votes
3answers
185 views
What should I do to prepare for a glass factory visit?
I will soon have the opportunity to visit a glass factory. Since I will likely not go there for a long time, I'd like to make sure I get the most out of my shots.
I hope to take pictures like this ...
4
votes
6answers
1k views
How do I avoid so much noise in this HDR image?
I rarely attempt HDR shots at night, and maybe that is my flaw with this shot, but I was wondering why this image produces so much noise after HDR conversion.
Of course after Photomatix I was going ...
4
votes
3answers
1k views
How do I make a package look “heroic and important” in a advertising shoot?
I've been given the following assignment, and unsure what to do with it.
An advertising agency has hired you to photograph individual "pack shots" of a range of packet soups. The soups come in ...
4
votes
3answers
306 views
How do I avoid dust entering my camera when changing lenses?
Akin to Should I be worried about getting dust inside my SLR? and What should I do to avoid switching lenses?, I have a certain paranoia of dust/debris entering my camera when changing lenses.
Are ...
4
votes
4answers
963 views
Is it possible to add haze to a portrait shot?
Haze is found in many shots ranging from portraits, to vintage, to fashion... I have only seen expensive actions packages for Photoshop so far that offer the ability to do it in post, and everyone ...
4
votes
2answers
192 views
If your theme is to capture the colors of the fall, what would you advise a photographer to have in mind?
If your theme is to capture the colors of the fall, what would you advise a photographer to have in mind? And to make it more specific, the photographer asking for your advice is ...
4
votes
3answers
2k views
What's the best way to take a picture of an LCD or CRT screen?
I have seen many bad pictures of LCD and CRT screens. How do I get a good picture of an LCD or CRT screen?
