Photographic Blog

Friday, 4 August 2017

25 Fantastic HDR Photos Taken to the Extreme

HDR means High Dynamic Range and in photography it means, combining together different exposures of the same shot to create a photograph that is striking and unusual. Shots are taken in RAW mode, and combined together in post processing. You can view a tutorial on how to do these shots for yourself here.

Some people love this style and some people hate it, personally I love it – it gives shots a crazy feel, like they are from a computer game. In this post I will roundup 25 of my favourites, kindly made available under creative commons license by the Photographers.

Missing in Action

Missing in Action by Christolakis

I’ve reached the end of the world

I’ve reached the end of the world by Stuck in Customs

The Bamboo Forest

The Bamboo Forest by Stuck in Customs

Park – Parque del Campo Grande, Valladolid (Spain) HDR

Park – Parque del Campo Grande, Valladolid (Spain) HDR by marcp_dmoz

Cathedral of Santa Eulalia

Cathedral of Santa Eulalia by marcp_dmoz

Chocolate, Mercado de la Boquería, Barcelona (Spain), HDR

Chocolate, Mercado de la Boquería, Barcelona (Spain), HDR by marcp_dmoz

The Baha’i Temple at Blue Hour

The Baha’i Temple at Blue Hour by kern.justin

symphony

symphony by paul (dex)

casa loma

casa loma by paul (dex)

Shopping in Wonderland

Shopping in Wonderland by …-Wink-…

Plaça Catalunya – Barcelona HDR

Plaça Catalunya – Barcelona HDR by MorBCN

Nice Sundown in New York

Nice Sundown in New York by Sprengben

Hannover Rathaus

Hannover Rathaus by Sprengben

Rocketship Park

Rocketship Park by Neil Armstrong2

Waikiki Beach

Waikiki Beach by /\ltus

Real Madrid CF Stadium

Real Madrid CF Stadium by marcp_dmoz

Bristol City Centre at Night

Bristol City Centre at Night by L.A. SCOWEN.

Nikon D700 HDR

Nikon D700 HDR by marcp_dmoz

the winds of skagit.

the winds of skagit. by heanster

New York New York in Las Vegas

New York New York in Las Vegas by Werner Kunz

Kerk Onze-Lieve-Vrouwenbasiliek in Maastricht

Kerk Onze-Lieve-Vrouwenbasiliek in Maastricht by Werner Kunz

Trees sky – Piani di Bobbio

Trees sky – Piani di Bobbio by Andrea Costa Photography

The Magic of Disney

The Magic of Disney by Stuck in Customs

Stuck in Customs in Space

Stuck in Customs in Space by Stuck in Customs

The Hole

The Hole by Caese

The post 25 Fantastic HDR Photos Taken to the Extreme appeared first on Photographic Blog.

source http://photographicblog.com/25-fantastic-hdr-photos-taken-to-the-extreme/

Thursday, 3 August 2017

Moving Beyond Automatic Mode on your Digital Camera

Do you keep yours on auto?

When using your digital camera, do you always keep it in auto mode? find all the settings and modes confusing? well, you’re not alone, many people do. But you’re missing out on the creative, fun part of photography, you’re also preventing your camera from reaching its full potential by not using all the features it has to offer, such as aperture priority, shutter priority, changing ISO settings and bracketting to name but a few; you’re also missing out on getting better pictures.

Try a different one

Of course, when using auto mode on digital cameras these days the results will be pretty good most of the time, but not all the time.

There will be a time when you want to take a photograph of someone where the background is cluttered and will want to make the background out of focus to hide the clutter, but didn’t know how to use ‘aperture priority’ mode, or maybe you wanted to shoot someones silhouette against a sunset, but didn’t know how to use the exposure compensation setting. So perhaps it’s time to switch off auto-mode for a while and try a different one.

Where to start

dslr-camera-lens-macro-close-up-picjumbo-com

Most digital cameras have basic modes such as, portrait, landscape, sports and others, and creative modes too, which will include; aperture priority, shutter priority, manual and program. Although these modes will vary from camera to camera, you’ll find nearly all dslr’s and some compacts will have these modes and more. So, you could start by using the basic modes first; to wean you off the auto mode habit.

What’s your focal length?

One thing to remember is that the focal length on your camera lens will make a difference to the pictures you take in any mode, (have a look at my other post- Beginners guide to depth of field).

Basic modes

Try using portrait mode next time you want to photograph someone standing relatively close; there’s less contrast and less sharpening in that mode, and so making the image softer and more flattering.When taking pictures of a landscape, instead of using auto, try using Landscape mode, it has more saturation and sharpness to give more vivid colours.

Aperture priority

After using the basic modes, why not try out the creative modes? you could start by using ‘aperture priority; if you want to take a picture where everything near and far is in focus; just move the dial round until you find a high f/stop number (small aperture), as high as the available light will allow and the camera will choose the right shutter speed, (you’ll probably need a tripod if your shutter speed goes too low)

Shutter priority

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If you want to take a picture of something fast moving, or when you want to freeze the action, then use shutter priority mode; just move the dial round to get the right shutter speed and the camera will select the appropriate aperture; you’ll need to check your cameras manual to find out which mode is which (eg Canons shutter priority mode is: TV, which stands for time value).

Program mode

This mode will allow you to select the basic exposure settings, but you can still override the cameras choices to fine-tune your image.

Manual mode

Use this mode when you want full control over the shutter speed and aperture to get creative effects. I’ve always used manual mode, it allows me to get more creative over what I photograph,along with aperture priority mode. So,the next time you want to take a photograph, try turning that dial away from auto and try something different, you might even like it.

The post Moving Beyond Automatic Mode on your Digital Camera appeared first on Photographic Blog.

source http://photographicblog.com/moving-beyond-automatic-mode-on-your-digital-camera/

Wednesday, 2 August 2017

25 Exciting and Creative Photos of Street Art & Graffiti

Love it or hate it, you can’t deny that some street art takes talent and a gift for art. Personally, if done well, I love it – in this post I’m going to take a look at some great photos that people have captured of street art. Thanks to the following Photographers who allowed us to share their Photos under a Creative Commons License.

Everybody wants to ride!

Everybody wants to ride! by eva101

Dome

Dome by funkandjazz

Mural

Mural by funkandjazz

Type

Type by delete08

The Mac, Reyes

The Mac, Reyes by funkandjazz

Graffiti @ Reesink (HDR)

Graffiti @ Reesink (HDR) by Harm Rhebergen

RICK ROSS

RICK ROSS by ALL CHROME

5 Pointz

5 Pointz by otherthings

The Best I Ever Had

The Best I Ever Had by Thomas Hawk

Tunnel of Light

Tunnel of Light by irene gr

Swarm

Swarm by Today is a good day

Child with toy hand grenade street art

Child with toy hand grenade street art by Max Eremine

New York Graffiti

New York Graffiti by Stuck in Customs

Unexpected meeting

Unexpected meeting by greekadman

YOLKS ON YOU

YOLKS ON YOU by ALL CHROME

Amazing Graffiti by Banksy

Amazing Graffiti by Banksy by cannonsnapper

RSN

RSN by funkandjazz

Hicup, Deko, Kady

Hicup, Deko, Kady by funkandjazz

Twist

Twist by sabeth718

Untitled

Untitled by Astragony

Swampy, Swornes

Swampy, Swornes by Rebirth Cycle

Innocente

Innocente by Funky64

Graffiti in abandoned hotel

Graffiti in abandoned hotel by Graffiti Land

Streets of Manila

Streets of Manila by wili_hybrid

Kittenzilla

Kittenzilla by Justin.Beck

The post 25 Exciting and Creative Photos of Street Art & Graffiti appeared first on Photographic Blog.

source http://photographicblog.com/25-exciting-and-creative-photos-of-street-art-graffiti/

Tuesday, 1 August 2017

Tips for Photographing Landscapes

A few basic rules

When I first started in photography and started taking pictures of landscapes (and just about everything else), I thought ‘why can’t I get my photos to look like the ones in the magazines’? I thought my photos looked good, but, when I compared them to other photos I realized that they lacked something.

Suitable lens

Well, apart from the fact they were taken by professionals in exotic locations, with equipment I could only dream of owning, they were also taken with a lens that was suitable for that purpose ( more often a wide angle lens) and they were taken by someone who new about the rules and general guides you should use when photographing landscapes. So now, after putting into practice the things I’d learned over the years; here’s a general guide to photographing landscapes.

Dawn and dusk

So what’s a good time of day to shoot a nice landscape?, the best times, so the professionals will tell you , is around dawn and dusk; when the light is softer and warmer; at these times of the day, you may also have the advantage of getting a sunrise or sunset into the picture.

Depth of field

You will need to set your camera to create a good depth of field so that you get everything in the scene in sharp focus by using a high f/stop number (such as f/18-f/22).

As you’ll be using a high f/stop; the size of the aperture will be smaller and therefore, will be letting in less light, which means you’ll need a slower shutter speed, this could make the images blurry so, to avoid this you will need to use a tripod; you don’t need to pay a lot of money for a tripod; as long as it supports your camera and lens comfortably.

Cable release

If you really want to get a sharp landscape image, then use a cable release ( if your camera supports one); just by pressing the shutter button can cause minute vibrations (more so with a telephoto lens) that can cause a blurry image.

Some compacts and bridge cameras allow you to attach a cable release directly to the shutter button, while the remote cable release is used more and more by DSLR users.

Rule of thirds

One of the first things a photographer learns is the ‘rule of thirds’; it’s a guide that is used to help with composition for a balanced photograph.It works like this: when looking through your viewfinder (or LCD screen) draw four imaginary lines; two horizontally, one a third from the bottom and one third from the top, and then another two vertically one third from the left and then one third from the right; where they cross is where you would put your point(s) of interest.

Of course, this is more of a guide than a rule, but it can help someone who’s new to photography to get a more balanced picture.

Horizon

Another tip that you’ll hear a lot and that is keep your horizon straight. Although it may seem obvious, it’s amazing how many people (more so when they’re new to photography) overlook this most basic tip and spoil an otherwise good photograph when it could be easily rectified with a little more thought. Although the most basic image editing software can sort the problem; it’s good practice to get it right when you’re taking the picture.

Foreground interest

Try putting something in the foreground of your picture; something that will lead the eye into the photograph to create more interest, also, have a focal point, what made you want to shoot the scene in the first place? what caught your eye?. It’s much more pleasing to the viewer of your photographs when there’s a focal point.