Chapter 10. Advanced Techniques
Impress Your Family and Friends
We’ve covered a lot of ground in the previous chapters, especially on the general photographic concepts that apply to most, if not all, shooting situations. There are, however, some specific tools and techniques that will give you an added advantage in obtaining a great shot.
Poring Over the Picture
If you have already read the other chapters then you are aware of the golden hours and why they produce great photos. So what if you don’t have the opportunity to shoot at sunrise or sunset? What if the only time you have is during the harsh hours of mid-day? Simple, you just make the best of it and try to use what you have to your advantage. That’s what I did for this image taken at about one in the afternoon. The sun was very bright and almost directly overhead, so I decided to make it part of my composition.
Poring Over the Picture
I really love the experience of shooting in a zoo. It gives me a chance to photograph animals that I would probably never get to see otherwise. The challenge for me, though, is to get my shot without making it evident that I was in a zoo. It requires some patience, along with some special shooting techniques to pull it off well.
Spot Meter for More Exposure Control
Generally speaking, Matrix metering mode provides accurate metering information for the majority of your photography. It does an excellent job of evaluating the scene and then relaying the proper exposure information to you. The only problem with this mode is that, like any metering mode on the camera, it doesn’t know what it is looking at. There will be specific circumstances where you want to get an accurate reading from just a portion of a scene and discount all of the remaining area in the viewfinder. To give you greater control of the metering operation, you can switch the camera to Spot metering mode. This allows you to take a meter reading from a very small circle (usually about 1 to 10 degrees) while ignoring the rest of the viewfinder area. You need to check in your camera manual to see how your Spot meter function works, but usually the meter will be using the center focus point to gather exposure information.
So when would you need to use this? Think of a person standing in front of a very light wall. In Matrix metering mode, the camera would see the entire scene and try to adjust the exposure information so that the background is exposed to render a darker wall in your image. This means that the scene would actually be underexposed and your subject would then appear too dark (Figure 10.1). To correct this, you can place the camera in Spot metering mode and take a meter reading right off of—and only off of—your subject, ignoring the white wall altogether. (As discussed in Chapter 6, you could also use Center-weighted metering mode to take a reading off of a larger portion of your subject.) The Spot metering will read the light levels from a very small circle, placing all of the exposure information right on your point of interest (Figure 10.2).
Figure 10.1. A white wall can throw off your exposure by one or two stops. Using the Spot meter can help you zero in on great exposures.
Figure 10.2. By switching to Spot metering I was able to get a more accurate exposure for the darker window frame.
Other situations that would benefit from Spot metering include:
• Snow or beach environments where the overall brightness level of the scene could fool the meter
• Strongly backlit subjects that are leaving the subject underexposed
• Cases where the overall feel of a photo is too light or too dark
Some camera models allow you to use whatever the current focus point is so that you can move the Spot metering to somewhere in the frame other than the middle.
When using Spot metering mode, remember that the meter believes it is looking at a middle gray value, so you might need to incorporate some exposure compensation of your own to the reading that you are getting from your subject. This will come from experience as you use the meter.
Metering for Sunrise or Sunset
Capturing a beautiful sunrise or sunset is all about the sky. If there is too much foreground in the viewfinder, the camera’s meter will deliver an exposure setting that is accurate for the darker foreground areas but leaves the sky looking overexposed, undersaturated, and generally just not very interesting (Figure 10.3). To gain more emphasis on the colorful sky, point your camera at the brightest part of it and take your meter reading there. Use the Exposure Lock feature to meter for the brightest part of the sky and then recompose. The result will be an exposure setting that underexposes the foreground but provides a darker, more dramatic sky (Figure 10.4).
Figure 10.3. By metering all the information in the frame, you get bright skies and more detail in the ground.
Figure 10.4. By taking the meter reading from the brightest part of the sky, you will get darker, more colorful sunsets.
Using Exposure Lock
- Point your camera towards a bright portion of the sky.
- Press and hold your Exposure Lock button with your thumb to activate the meter and lock the exposure.
- While holding the button, recompose your photo and then take the shot with the shutter release button. As long as you keep the Exposure Lock button pressed, your exposure will not change.
Check your owner’s manual for more information about using the Exposure Lock button.
Manual Mode
Probably one of the most advanced and yet most basic skills to master is shooting in Manual mode. With the power and utility of most of the automatic modes, Manual mode almost never sees the light of day. I have to admit that I don’t select it for use very often, but there are times when no other mode will do. One of the situations that works well with Manual is studio work with external flashes. I know that when I work with studio lights, my exposure will not change, so I use Manual to eliminate any automatic changes that might happen from shooting in Program, Shutter Priority, or Aperture Priority mode.
Since you probably aren’t too concerned with studio strobes at this point, I will concentrate on one of the ways in which you will want to use Manual mode for your photography: long nighttime exposures.
Bulb photography
If you want to work with long shutter speeds that don’t quite fit into one of the selectable shutter speeds, you can select Bulb. This setting is only available in Manual mode, and its sole purpose is to open the shutter at your command and then close it again when you decide. I can think of three scenarios where this would come in handy: shooting fireworks, shooting lightning, and painting with light.
If you are photographing fireworks, you could certainly use one of the longer shutter speeds available in Shutter Priority mode, since they are available for exposure times up to 30 seconds. That is fine, but sometimes you don’t need 30 seconds’ worth of exposure and sometimes you need more.
If you open the shutter and then see a great burst of fireworks, you might decide that that is all you want for that particular frame, so you click the button to end the exposure (Figure 10.5). Set the camera to 30 seconds and you might get too many bursts, but if you shorten it to 10 seconds you might not get the one you want.
Figure 10.5. A great use for the Bulb setting is for capturing fireworks.
The same can be said for photographing a lightning storm. I have a friend who loves electrical storms, and he has some amazing shots that he captured using the Bulb setting. Lightning can be very tricky to capture, and using the Bulb setting to open and then close the shutter at will allows for more creativity, as well as more opportunity to get the shot.
Painting with light is a process where you set your camera to Bulb, open the shutter, and then use a light source to “paint” your subject with light. This can be done with a handheld flash or even a flashlight.
When you’re using the Bulb setting, the shutter will only stay open for the duration that you are holding down the shutter button. You should also be using a sturdy tripod or shooting surface to eliminate any self-induced vibration while using the Bulb setting.
I want to point out that using your finger on the shutter button for a bulb exposure will definitely increase the chances of getting some camera shake in your images. To get the most benefit from the Bulb setting, I suggest using a cable release or wireless remote. You’ll also want to turn on the Noise Reduction, as covered in Chapter 8.
Avoiding Lens Flare
Lens flare is one of the problems you will encounter when shooting in the bright sun. Lens flare will show itself as bright circles on the image (Figure 10.6). Often you will see multiple circles in a line leading from a very bright light source such as the sun. The flare is a result of the sun bouncing off the multiple pieces of optical glass in the lens and then being reflected back onto the sensor. You can avoid the problem using one of these methods:
• Try to shoot with the sun coming from over your shoulder, not in front of you or in your scene.
• Use a lens shade to block the unwanted light from striking the lens. You don’t have to have the sun in your viewfinder for lens flare to be an issue. All it has to do is strike the front glass of the lens to make it happen.
• If you don’t have a lens shade, just try using your hand or some other element to block the light.
Figure 10.6. Although the sun is not visible in the frame, there is still visible lens flare being created in the image.
Using the Sun Creatively
Have you ever seen photographs where the sun is peeking through a small hole and it creates a very cool starburst effect (Figure 10.7)? There is actually a little trick to pulling it off and it’s fairly easy once you know how. The real key is to be shooting at f/22 (or whatever your smallest aperture is). Then you need to have just a small bit of the sunlight in your frame, either peeking over an edge, or through a small hole. The other thing you need to do is make sure that you are properly exposing for the rest of your scene, not the bright bit of sunlight that you are allowing in. With a little practice, you can really make some very cool shots.
Figure 10.7. By letting the sun peek into my shot and using f/22, I was able to capture this cool starburst.
Macro Photography
Put simply, macro photography is close-up photography. Depending on the lens or lenses that you got with your camera, you may have the perfect tool for macro work. Some lenses are made to shoot in a macro mode, but you don’t have to feel left out if you don’t have one of those. Check the spec sheet that came with your lens to see what the minimum focusing distance is for your lens.
If you have a zoom, you should work with the lens at its longest focal length. Also, work with a tripod because handholding will make focusing difficult. The easiest way to make sure that your focus is precisely where you want it to be is to use Manual focus mode.
Since I am recommending a tripod for your macro work, I will also recommend using Aperture Priority mode so that you can achieve differing levels of depth of field. Long lenses at close range can make for some very shallow depth of field, so you will need to work with apertures that are probably much smaller than you might normally use. If you are shooting outside, try shading the subject from direct sunlight by using some sort of diffusion material, such as a white sheet or a diffusion panel. By diffusing the light, you will see much greater detail because you will have a lower contrast ratio (softer shadows), and detail is often what macro photography is all about (Figure 10.8).
Figure 10.8. This hungry guy was captured using a long focal length combined with a close-up filter.
Customize Your White Balance
Previous chapters have addressed the issue of setting your white balance, but what if you are in a situation that doesn’t really fall neatly into one of the existing categories like Daylight or Tungsten? You might want to consider creating a custom white balance. This is especially helpful if you are working in a mixed lighting scenario where you have more than one kind of light source that is shining on your subject. A perfect example might be inside with fluorescent lighting fixtures overhead and daylight coming in through a window. To ensure that you are getting the best possible results in a situation like this, you can perform a quick white balance customization by using the Preset Manual option. Don’t worry, though; it’s easier than you might think. Typically, the only thing you will need is a white piece of paper (Figure 10.9).
Figure 10.9. Many cameras will allow you to create a custom white balance by photographing a white piece of paper.
You camera manual will guide you through the process of creating the custom or preset white balance. There are also devices available whose sole purpose is creating a custom balance. Typically, they look like a white filter that screws or snaps on to your lens. Much like photographing a white piece of paper, they allow your camera to analyze the color temperature of the light and then create a customized white balance setting. Most of them come with directions based on the type of camera you are using. Check out www.expoimaging.com for more info.
Shoot in Bursts for Steadier Images
If you ever watch a pro taking photos, you might wonder why they shoot so many photos of a non-action subject. It seems like the camera is always set to continuous burst mode, but why? The answer is that they are looking to capture the sharpest image possible. By shooting 3- or 4-shot bursts, they are giving themselves a chance to let the camera settle in their hands while firing, helping to get a more stable shot. The mere act of pressing the shutter release button can infuse a little camera shake, but when you hold it down, you are more likely to get a better image on the second or third frame. It’s not a huge difference, but it can save a slightly burry shot, especially if you are using a slightly longer shutter speed.
Shooting Through Obstructions
One of my favorite places to shoot is the zoo. I am fortunate enough to have a great zoo that is not too far from home so I try to get there at least once or twice a year. One of the things I try to do is to capture images of the animals in such a way that they don’t look like they are in a zoo. This can be difficult if there are things like wire mesh between you and the subject. There is a way, though, to get rid of the obstructions, or at least blur them to the point that you can’t tell they are there.
There are two things to do to make this little trick work. The first thing is to put your camera in Aperture Priority mode and set the aperture to the largest opening. The second thing you will need to do is to move as close as possible to the fence or whatever the obstruction is. If you look at Figure 10.10 you will see that the small aperture setting of f/18 has extended the depth of field to the point where the wire mesh is visible and creates a bit of a distraction.
Figure 10.10. The small aperture is extending the depth of field to the point that the wire mesh is visible in the image.
By doing nothing more than changing the aperture to f/5.6 (the maximum opening for the particular lens I was using), the mesh fence becomes so out of focus that you can’t even tell that it is there (Figure 10.11).
Figure 10.11. Using a large aperture combined with a long lens that is close to the fence can make the obstruction disappear.
Zoom During Exposure
Zoom lenses are great for giving you a lot of different shooting angles without having to change lenses. There’s also another benefit to using them that you just don’t have with a prime lens: zooming for effect. That’s right, you can actually zoom your lens during an exposure to create some very cool special effects. The key is that you need to be using a long enough exposure for the zoom to really make an impact (Figure 10.12). Also, it takes some practice and a little trial and error until you achieve just the look you want.
Figure 10.12. Zooming during exposure turned a boring scene into something much more interesting.
Another way to use this is with your flash. Try setting the flash to a rear or 2nd curtain sync mode, and then use a long shutter speed. When you press the shutter release, start zooming the lens as smoothly and quickly as possible. The flash will go off at the end of your exposure, leaving you with some really interesting results.
Chapter 10 Assignments
Many of the techniques covered in this chapter are specific to certain shooting situations that may not come about very often. This is even more reason to practice them so that when the situation does present itself you will be ready.
Adding some drama to the end of the day
Most sunset photos don’t reflect what the photographer saw because they didn’t meter correctly for them. The next time you see a colorful sunset, pull out your camera and take a meter reading from the sky and then one without and see what a difference it makes.
Making your exposure spot on
Using the Spot meter mode can give accurate results but only when pointed at something that has a middle tone. Try adding something gray to the scene and taking a reading off it. Now switch back to your regular metering mode and see if the exposure isn’t slightly different.
Using the Bulb setting to capture the moment
This is definitely one of those settings that you won’t use often, but it’s pretty handy when you need it. If you have the opportunity to shoot a fireworks display or a distant storm, try setting the camera to Bulb and then play with some long exposures to capture just the moments that you want.
Moving in for a close-up
Macro photography is best practiced on stationary subjects, which is why I like flowers. If you have a zoom lens, check the minimum focusing distance and then try to get right to that spot to squeeze the most from your subject. Try using a diffuse light source as well to minimize shadows.
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