Overexposed?? - No Problem!

. . . . as long as you're shooting in RAW, that is!

"Raw" is the generic name for a camera manufacturer's native file format, and it includes a wealth of information - everything your camera saw at the time of image capture.  (learn more abut RAW format here)

Unlike a JPEG, a RAW image doesn't have any picture formatting or style settings baked in and is capable of being edited without a reduction of quality every-time you edit and save.  Shoot JPEG's and you loose the flexibility to turn the overexposed image above into a usable image like the one below.

Exposure Correct Image

Now the picture above isn't perfect, but it was certainly saved from the trash can!  Notice the highlights and detail that have been recovered in the Swans - this is what RAW - and understanding exposure adjustments in your image editing software - allow you to accomplish.

Well heck, so why wouldn't someone shoot RAW?

As usual, there are a few downsides:

• RAW files are BIG!  In megabytes that is.
• If shooting in continuos (rapid fire) mode, you can't shoot as many back to back RAW images as you can with JPEG's without the camera stopping to empty it's buffer.
• RAW files, straight out the camera are . . . well . . . RAW!   They can tend to be flat as no processing was done, so you will have to either directly edit or apply camera styles before use.

Once I saw the flexibility of RAW, I never turned back to camera generated JPEG's.  Look at that great image of those swans, it would have been ruined without RAW - what a difference!  Speaking of these

"before and after images"

- the next series of posts will take you step-by-step and show you how to get these basic results, in under two minutes!  So check back over the week.

Stay in Focus,

Mark

Qwik-Tip: Starburst Effects

This week's Qwik-Tip focuses on specularity (or the starburst effect) in photographs.  This tip can work with just about any light source (direct or reflected) to get that wonderful effect you see in the opening image.

Qwik Tip List:

• Shoot on Aperture Priority - or manual mode
  • Select a very small aperture (20 or greater)
  • Use a tripod.
    • With such a small aperture, you'll be using a relatively slow shutter speed.
    • When shooting sunlight, try and "pinch" the sun between two items
      • Use branches, in between leaves - anything that constricts the light flow will help clean-up the effect on an object as bright as the sun.

Some Lenses will work better than others.  The number of blades in the shutter will have an impact as well - the more the better.  It's not really something you can always choose - just something to consider!

Stay in Focus!

Mark

Action Can Really Be Boring!

That's right, boring!  You can literally spend hours of waiting for a quick 5 minutes of pure action.  Patience is a virtue in nature photography.

On a typical eagle outing on the Mississippi River, it's not uncommon to stand for 2 hours or more with literally no action except for the occasional eagle coming and going.  Then, seemingly out of no where, a silent command must go out to all eagles - it's time to fish!!  For the next 5 to 10 minutes you'll have all sorts of action everywhere, you won't know where to swing your camera next.  This is the way it goes for me with most nature photography.

There are really two main things to keep in mind:

• • Do Your Homework. All the patience in the world won't do you any good if you're not in the right place.  Here are a few homework tips:
    • In the post Always Look Close To Home, I discuss how to find great opportunities right in your own area.
    • Investigate sun rise and sun set times in your area - also the exact position on the horizon the sun sets for that particular time of year.
    • Scout the areas for the animal activity you're looking for.  If in a local, state or national park - the rangers or workers are invaluable information sources on what's going on, strike up a conversation!
    • Spend time in the area.  Get out an take a walk, see a sunset or just hang out.  The more you are familiar with an area, the more you will notice.
    • Be Patient.Your research and scouting done, now you're on site - waiting for the perfect picture.  Here are a few things to keep in mind:
      • It depends on what and where you're shooting, but you'll generally need to keep still.  (Duh!)  Unless you're really good, the birds and animals will know you're there - but will tend to ignore you or become used to your presence (to a point).  Hopping around, popping the top on a soda can or anything similar will greatly reduce your chances.
      • It will be common to have an entire trip that doesn't yield any results - this is standard fare and where the patience really comes in.  If you've done your homework and know you're in a good spot, then give it time.  The critters don't always run on a perfect schedule.

It's also useful to keep in mind that you're out in the field, probably in a beautiful place, enjoying the country-side.  Enjoy that for what it is, some of the best trips I've had resulted in not a single image - but a very peaceful and relaxing outing filled with fresh air!

See the light,

Mark

Don't Sharpen That Image!

Sharpening is a normal part of the editing process, but keep your eye out for the right image to "mix it up" a bit.

We all know the best process to follow - always sharpen last . . . right?  That's the way I do it (usually selective sharpening in Nik Define) - that is, until I stopped "always sharpening".  Depending on the subject, maybe sharpening would ruin a budding image.  Consider the mood and feeling of each shot to determine how best to complete it - let it "talk to you".

• In the opening image, I purposely softened the shot, along with "richening" up and warming the tones in Nik Color Efex Pro 4.
• The second image is a sharpened version with a little more contrast in the tones.  It's not a bad image (at least I don't think so) - it's just different.  Given the warm glow of the cloudy sunrise - I just liked the moody (unsharpened version) better.

Just something to think about!

Stay in Focus!

Mark

Don't Ignore the Mundane

There is beauty and great images to be found in everything - don't overlook the obvious just because "it's always there".

We can't all live where the fantastic shots are everyday occurrences - but we certainly can get creative with what we do have to work with.  Find what is regular and common in your particular area (for me it's gulls, Canada Geese and squirrels) and work on different concepts and techniques.  Work on identifying and photographing your common subjects on the "perfect" background.  Spend some time with these commoners and look for interesting behavior or quirky composition.

It'll help put the fun back in your photography - and that's the primary idea anyway, right?  Good photography is what you're able to find interesting in a subject - not the interesting stuff that just lays around for everyone to capture.

Who knows, the local squirrel may even give you the "thumbs up" for not overlooking him!

Stay in focus,

Mark

Always Focus on the Eyes!

​Look closer, may not be as good as you think!

At first glance, the image above can look pretty good – but take a closer look at the face, it’s out of focus.  So, did I not achieve a good focus lock on the image?  Not exactly.

Take a look at the annotated close-up below.  I had a great focus lock – but I slipped the focus from the owl’s face to his mid-section.  Yes, it can be hard, especially with a bird in flight – but this demonstrates how important it is to keep your focal point on the head/eyes.  The closer the bird and longer the lens means it’s even more critical as your depth of field becomes smaller yet.

Sure, you can try shooting at a higher f/stop, but that will have less impact the closer your subject is.  Get the focus on the eyes, and the focus that drops off behind the head will not matter so much.  Capture the eyes, and you've captured the image.​

Stay in focus,

Mark