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Filed under Digital Cameras by on Mar 5th, 2010. Comment. 
If you want to have a little fun with your digital camera next time you go out with it, have a go at experimenting with the zoom effect.
In essence the zoom effect is a picture which look like the subject is either moving towards or away from you with motion lines.
There are a number of ways to get this effect, some are done while shooting the image and some afterward through zoom blur post production techniques. I’m not going to talk about post production techniques here but will instead focus upon what to do to achieve the zoom effect while taking the shot in camera.
Ultimately, what you need to do to get this effect is set your shutter speed to be a longer exposure and then while taking the shot (between when the shutter opens and closes) you will need to use your zoom lens to either zoom in or out from your subject.
That is the basics of it but in reality getting a good zoom effect takes a lot of practice and experimentation and/or a bit of luck.
Here are a few tips to help you improve your results:
- Keep the Camera Still – as you will be using a slow shutter speed any movement of the camera will significantly impact your shot. Ultimately you want to capture a zooming movement in these shots so any side to size or up and down shake will impact the smoothness of the lines in your image. Of course camera shake can also add interesting effects to the shot but it can also make the shot too blurry. To eliminate camera shake use a tripod or set your camera on a still surface.
- Lower Light Situations might help – one of the problems with using longer shutter speeds is that you let more light into your camera. You can help your camera cope with this extra light by using a larger aperture (the larger the number the smaller the hole that lets light in) but in bright situations you still might not be able to use long shutter speeds without over exposing your image. As a result it can be easier to get well exposed zoom effect shots in lower light situations.
- Lights are Fun – taking the last point into consideration one of the most popular subjects for the zoom effect is lights whether they be city lights, Christmas lights, neon signs etc. They are often a good place to practice the technique and can produce pretty spectacular effects.
- Move the Camera Manually if you don’t have a zoom lens or your camera won’t let you zoom while the shutter is open (as happens on some point and shoot cameras) the other way to get this effect is to manually move your camera towards or away from your subject. Of course this introduces other camera shake (see above) but it is possible to get a nice shot if you’re good (or lucky).
- When choosing a shutter speed – there is no one shutter speed that will work for all situations. Factors to consider will include the levels of light, the speed at which you’ll zoom etc. I generally would shoot at up to a second (or even a little longer) which is usually enough to zoom a lens from one end to another. The key is to experiment with different shutter speeds to see what works best.
- Work on Smooth Zooming – to get nice smooth motion lines in your photo you’ll need to work at a ’smooth zoom’. ie you don’t want to zoom at one speed early on and then speed up and then slow down (see next point for the exception). This will make your lines a little jerky. Getting a nice smooth zoom technique takes practice.
- Pause mid-zoom - another technique to experiment is to pause your zooming either at the start, end or during the procedure (while the shutter is still open). This will mean that what your camera sees at the point when you pause your zoom will be stronger and hopefully clearer in your shot.
- Fire your Flash – another element that you can add to this technique is light. You can do this with virtually any light but the most common one is obviously the flash. Fire it during your long exposure and you’ll freeze part of the image while still getting movement behind and around it. Some cameras will allow you to do this using ‘night mode’.
- Reverse the Zoom – zooming in on a subject can give a different result than zooming out, especially if your subject is moving and depending upon whether you pause at the beginning and or end of the zoom. Experiment with both.
- Partial Zoom – some zoom lenses have very wide focal lengths. I have a friend with a 28-200 zoom and he finds that using the zoom effect can be too much if he starts at one end and goes right to the other. For starters he can’t maintain a smooth zoom over that focal length but also it’s just too much motion for one image. Instead it can be more effective to only zoom part of your focal length range. If you have a 28 200mm try zooming from 28-100mm or from 80-200mm or even smaller ranges.
Most of all have fun with the zoom effect and experiment.
You’ll only really work out what works with your camera and photographic situation when you give it a go and tweak your approach as you go.
Post from: Digital Photography School – Photography Tips.
Filed under Digital Cameras by on Nov 23rd, 2009. Comment.
Weekly Assignment
We wanted people to look at the less looked at things around them with our assignment on Architectural Detail. We got to see some very interesting parts of buildings that we wouldn’t normally see. Our winner this week was kurtwall’s Stucco and Beam. This shot really captured the idea of the assignment with looking at the details and showing how the details don’t have to be grandiose in order to catch our eye. The stucco gave the image a nice texture and the wood added to the warmth. Our first runner up was Boscopix’s BMW World. This picture of two lights on a corner showcased how the shadows and lines created an interesting detail. The photo had very nice contrast and the simplicity really showed off the detail well. And last but not least was crockny’s Horse on Horse. This shot was really well considered and well executed. The architectural detail was captured well by showing the horse in the window in the foreground and the out of focus carrousel horse in the background, further accentuating the horse concept.
This week our assignment focuses on The Economy. We know that times are tough everywhere, so why not use this as an opportunity to challenge yourself to show the concept of a troubled economy through your photography. As always, a quick reminder of the rules if you want to enter the contest to have your photo featured on the blog. Your photo must have been taken between 28 October – 11 November 2009. You must include the words “Assignment: The Economy” and the date that the photo was taken. Finally, your EXIF should be intact and it’s useful if you can include some of the main points (e.g. camera, lens, shutter speed, aperture, ISO). Next week’s assignment will be “Sound”.
Hot Threads
- Basic Texture Tutorial: If you’ve ever wondered about how people get those great textures on their images, one of our forum admins has offered a great tutorial for how to get started using textures on your photographs.
- Composition vs “Croposition”: As the number of megapixels on cameras increases you have more and more leniency to crop and still get a good size picture. So do you rely on getting good composition the first time around? Or do you rely on croposition and crop to get the composition you want after the fact?
- How to remember everything you learn about photography: As you learn any new topic you learn lots of new information. But how do you retain all of this information? One forum member has offered a suggestion for how you can learn to keep all of this information in your head. Come read about it over on the forum and offer some of your own advice.
- Are kit lenses rubbish?: Many cameras come with lenses when you buy them. These lenses are often referred to as the “kit lenses”. These lenses are typically lower cost lenses, but does that mean that they’re all rubbish? Pop on over to this thread to learn about how to get the best from your kit lens and learn some ways to tell if you need new glass or if you just need to learn how to get better results from what you have.
- What would you do?: Every week we run a post-processing challenge on the forums where you get the chance to edit someone else’s photo. Whether you’re a beginner or a post-processing pro, you’re welcome to participate in our “What Would You Do” weekly challenge.
Post from: Digital Photography School – Photography Tips.
This Week in the Digital Photography School Forums (1-7 Nov ‘09)
Filed under Digital Cameras by on Nov 7th, 2009. Comment.
One subject that presents photographers with wonderful opportunities but also a lot of challenges is the spider’s web. There’s something about their delicate nature (while also being incredibly strong for their size), flexibility and beauty that draws me to them every time.
But how do you photograph spider’s webs? Here are 11 tips to keep in mind:
Shoot on a still day
Spider’s webs are incredibly light and if there’s even a hint of breath in the air they’re likely to move as you photograph them. This has the potential to not only cause blur in your shot – but also movement will shake off any moisture on them and potentially could even break them. Generally the stillest part of the day is early morning (which is also a great time for finding dew covered webs).
Be an environmentally friendly photographer
We’ve covered this topic numerous times here at DPS but it’s worth remphasising. Remember that where there’s a web there’s a little (or not so little) creature that made it.
Find a dark background
The backgrounds of all shots are important as they either add to or distract from the shot. WIth spider’s webs it is particularly important to have a plain and preferably dark background. This will enable the web itself to stand out and be the feature of the shot.
Narrow your Depth of Field
To isolate the web further from your plain and dark background choose a large aperture (small ‘f/number’) to give you a shallow depth of field. This will throw your background out of focus.
Shoot from head on
Photographing webs from all angles can leave you with interesting results – however getting directly in front of the web and shooting from straight on will enable you to keep the full web in focus as the distance from your lens to all parts of the web will be similar – negating any narrow depth of field you might have. Of course you might also like some shallow depth of field shots (large apertures for these) from different angles to see what effect you can get.
Use Manual Focussing
Switching your camera to manual mode is something that most macro photographers find helpful because even the slightest changes in focussing can have a large impact. As webs are so fine even being slightly out of focus can ruin your shot.
Tripods Please
Keeping the web still by shooting on a still day is important – but so is keeping your camera still. The intricate details of a web on a contrasting background mean that camera movement will be very noticeable.
Dew on the Web
One of the classic photos of spider’s webs are those with dew or rain droplets on them. The great thing about moisture on a web is that it widens the web slightly and helps it to stand out more clearly. As already mentioned – the best time of day for dewy webs is mornings.
Fill Your Frame
Use your zoom to get in as close as you can to the spider’s web. If you’ve got a macro lens or macro mode switch to it to help you focus up nice and close. Another framing is to focus upon just a smaller part of the web and the patterns that you see there. In this way you can end up with some real detail and abstract composition.
Shoot from both sides
Sometimes a web can look quite dull and lifeless from one side while the other side has the light falling upon it in a way that just brings it to life! This will also help you to see the web with a different background.
Experiment with a Flash
I find that shooting with natural light is generally best – but sometimes adding some artificial light with a flash can light up the web nicely and get some good highlights.
Post from: Digital Photography School – Photography Tips.
How to Photograph a Spider’s Web
Filed under Digital Cameras, Other Photography Tips by on Oct 7th, 2009. Comment.
Weekly Assignment
This week’s assignment was Contrast. Contrast can be found in visual design in colour as well as black and white, and it can also be found in textures and subjects. Our winner this week was villafane928’s Cowboy shot. The black and white of this shot had excellent contrast. The deep blacks in the shirt and pants along with the dark hair really made the subject stand out. Our first runner up was another black and white shot. beverlykaytw’s Walking up the Hill had a nice balance between the land and the sky and also brought the dark and light together creating a sense of contrasting parts of the land and contrast in the black and white. Our final runner up was madfox1’s Pencil shot. With this shot there were several kinds of contrast. The red and green are contrasting colours on the colour wheel. Then the different black and white patterns provided contrast between each other. The overall shot really just caught our eyes.
We also started our Shadow assignment this week. When we take our shots we often want to eliminate shadows. But shadows can also be a powerful element in the composition of a photograph. There’s only one extra rule for this assignment: No pictures of your shadow on the ground (too easy!). In the mean time, our standard rules for the contest apply. You must take your photo between 16 – 30 September 2009. You must include the date the photo was taken and the words “Assignment: Shadows” in your post. And the EXIF should be intact and it’s useful if you can include some of the main points in your post (e.g. Camera, lens, ISO, aperture, white balance, etc). Next week’s assignment will be Collections.
Hot Threads
- Post your best beach photos: As summer comes to an end in the Northern hemisphere and prepares to start in the Southern hemisphere, there’s no better time than now to show off your best beach photos. Come over and join us in this Share Your Shots thread where you’re welcome to share your best beach photo.
- Wide angle lens tips: Wide angle lenses can produce some great shots, but they can also be challenging to use. If you’ve ever wondered how you can improve your wide angle shots or if you have some tips and suggestions for how people can improve, come share in this thread.
- Which settings affect RAW?: Everybody talks about how you can really push your post-processing when you shoot in RAW. But what are the settings that cannot be changed after the fact, and which ones are more flexible? If you’ve ever wondered just how important it is to get it right in the camera is, this is the thread to read.
- What can I do with old flashes?: What do you do with your old flashes once you no longer have the cameras or when they’ve been sitting around unused for a while. Don’t throw them out, these old flashes can still be useful. Have a look at this thread for some suggestions about how to breathe some new life into those old flashes.
- What would you do?: Each week we run a thread where you have the chance to edit another forum member’s photo. Whether you’re a post-processing pro or new to the world of image manipulation you’re more than welcome to show us what you would do.
Post from: Digital Photography School – Photography Tips.
This Week in the Digital Photography School Forums (20-26 Sep ‘09)
Filed under Digital Cameras, Photography Tips and Tutorials by on Sep 26th, 2009. Comment.
