Inspirational Photography #1

Copyright © 2017 by Nikonians EMEA Ltd. All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher, except as permitted by international copyright law. For permissions contact: publishing@nikonians.org

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Cover photograph Neatly Stacked Copyright © by Paul Ekman. Images included in this book are copyright by the individual photographers.

First Edition

ISBN: 978-3-947439-00-3

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Preface

Introduction

To be wasting fewer shots & making the most of the opportunities that meet me - Late Bob Tomerlin, Moderator Emeritus

In this compact book, seven ambitious, talented amateur photographers share their photographs and personal stories, hopefully as an inspiration for you to further explore your own photography.

Their work, background, shooting style and post-processing is just as diverse as the topic of photography itself, covering sports, landscape, equine (horses), birds, insects and flora. 

This is the first of a new six-part series of books, where our community reaches out to help and hopefully inspire a larger audience of photographers, no matter your skill level, what kind of camera brand or model you might use. 

We have also included five, short bonus chapters containing popular how-to’s, to further help you improve your photography:

"Basics of flash brackets and diffusers”, "A brief introduction to digital infrared photography”, "Speeding up your workflow in Adobe Lightroom”, "Better B&W images in Adobe Lightroom” and "Landscape photography on a budget”.

Most images included are clickable, leading to a larger online version. If you are reading this in your favorite eBook reader, make sure you set the font size and background color according to your personal preferences.

We do hope you enjoy the stories of these photographers, their photographs and how-to’s and that the often hard-earned knowledge they share, might turn out to be helpful in your personal, photographic journey. Any feedback that you care to share with us is most welcome at bo-jrp-feedback@nikonians.org

The upcoming book, #2, will take us further down the road towards excellence, extending on the photography fields and topics we cover. Make sure you’re subscribed to our weekly newsletter to be informed when it is out: https://newsletter.nikonians.org/?p=subscribe&id=2

If you are interested in our community or need further reading material, please look at the last part of the book, simply titled "Community" for more links to relevant information.

Enjoy YOUR photography!

Bo and Ramón

Acknowledgements

This book would not exist without the community of dedicated, hard working, positive minded, sharing and loving people from all places and all walks of life.

Big thanks go out to Marsha Edmunds for working with the other photographers presented in this book. Marsha is one of the power souls in the community and one of the volunteers on the forum moderation team.

The photographers included in the inspirational section (part 1) are Dianne Clark, Monte Comeau, Linwood Ferguson, Laura Knight, Donna Knodle, Mark Kraus and Peter Wallin.

The bonus chapters in part two were written by Josh Larkin, Wayne Lorimer, Russ MacDonald, Rick Walker and Dan Wiedbrauk.

Thanks to all of you mentioned, including team members, fans and supporters, yes all of you photographers not mentioned, making our community the thriving waterhole and friendly place for knowledge-thirsty photographers it has been since its start in April 2000.

Part 1 - Seven photographers share their work

Monte Comeau (BCRose)

What better place for a wildlife photographer than a locale that has a beautiful backdrop and a great variety of birds to find and photograph. That is where Monte calls home in Kootenay country of South East British Columbia, nestled in the Canadian Rockies. This is a wilderness area with great rivers, jagged peaks, pristine lakes and amazing wildlife habitat.

Northern Flicker
Added a full stop of exposure compensation to brighten the very dark image. Rainy day. Shot from a kayak on Erie Lake, near Salmo, BC. Nikon D4 and Nikon 200-400mm lens at f/4, 1/1600s, ISO 1600.

Monte sees himself as an amateur wild bird photographer, however his images are stellar, showcasing birds and the environment. He shoots Nikon D810 and D500 bodies pairing them with a 500mm f/4, 70-200mm f/2.8, and a 300mm f/2.8. In 2015 he won First Prize in a wildlife contest of 4,000 images with Nature Canada and has accolades from winning other nationwide contests.

Great Blue Heron
Came around a corner and spooked this Great Blue Heron hiding in the tall grass. I was able to get a few quick frames as it lifted off with a decent composition. Shot from a kayak on Erie Lake, near Salmo, BC. Nikon D500 and Nikon 500mm lens at f/4, 1/1600s, ISO 400. 

The attraction to the community started when he first got interested in wild bird photography and was in search of information that could help him with his equipment. He counts it a blessing to have found it, stating that he has ”always been able to find answers to many questions in the forums” and continues to find them a great resource.  "It has also become a great way to relax and enjoy what others are doing and saying in the photography world”, he adds.

Common Loon & Chick
Shot from a Kayak at Lac Le Jeune, BC. Nikon D4 with 600mm lens at f/4, 1/1600s, ISO 1600. 

Monte credits learning from the members in different fields of photography that "it is always about the light. Camera bodies and great lenses can help" he says, but in the end the quality of the image is always dependent on great light.

Common Loon shedding water
Shot from a Kayak at Lac Le Jeune, BC. Nikon D4 with 600mm lens at f/4, 1/1600s, ISO 1600.

When asked to share what method or piece of equipment that has been valuable in capturing images, Monte introduced the importance of point of view. "I think the low point of view I achieve in many of my images is something that sets me apart from others. Using long telephotos and shooting 90% of my photos from a kayak give me an extremely low point of view.”

Monte shooting his D500 and 500mm f/4 from his kayak.

Additional questions revealed Monte handholds his camera in the kayak always shooting with a 1/1600s. shutter speed for that reason. He keeps his camera between his legs. Monte states if he does tip he would be out a fair amount of money, but the perspectives and point of view are worth it for him.

Osprey in Flight
Shot at Hugh Kennlyside Dam near Castlegar, BC. Nikon D4 and Nikon 200-400 f/4 at 400mm, 1/1600s, ISO 100.

He has had many memorable experiences being out with his camera: "Waiting in the predawn light of a small marshy lake as the sun rises and the birds begin to awaken is my definition of paradise. I am fortunate to be able to experience this many times a year in my adventures in trying to get the ultimate image.”

Osprey in Action
Shot from a kayak on Erie Lake, near Salmo, BC. Nikon D810 and 500mm lens at f/4, 1/1600s, ISO 64.

Landscape photography is an area Monte will choose to explore in the future. "I love viewing the great landscape images in the community and will one day dedicate myself to learning this craft.  But I am not ready yet to apply myself.”

Trumpeter Swans in Flight
Shot from a kayak on Erie Lake, near Salmo, BC. Nikon D810 and 200-400mm, lens at 200mm f/4, 1/1600s, ISO 800.

When asked if there were anything he would like to share, he says "I am an ethical photographer and have strong feelings about how many of the images of birds we see today in magazines and websites that are shot in conditions that are closer to a studio setting than in the wild.  Baiting birds in close, audio calls, flash set-ups and fake backdrops just to get the ”perfect shot” are very disingenuous and every image that is shot in this manner should be classified this way.”

These are strong feelings from a man who makes great effort to shoot with respect to reality.

Linwood Ferguson (Ferguson)

Linwood comes from an Information Technology background, living in the year round heaven for bird oriented wildlife in Cape Coral, Florida, which contributed to his life as a photographer. "When I arrived, it was both engaging and challenging to learn the birds and to find the swamps and beaches with the best opportunities. I have also tried my hands at some street photography, concerts, and even at a 'Zombiecon' or two.”

Nature photography did not maintain a tight hold on Linwood and he branched out starting to shoot sports, "Never a sports fan myself, I quickly discovered that sports photography was a field to me both more challenging than wildlife, and with more variation.”

Beach Volleyball. FGCU (Florida Gulf Coast University) vs Mercer
Nikon D5, 70-200mm f/2.8 at 105mm, f/2.8, 1/6400s, ISO 220.

"Between professional and college sports, I’ve found there is always something to shoot. Competition against different teams, in different venues, with yearly changes in players provides variety. I’ve also encountered the constant challenge from conditions, whether limited light in arenas, Florida’s weather, night games or shooting from a limited number of available shooting positions. With such experiences under my belt, it’s simply not possible to be done learning to shoot sports.”

Lee County Posse Cracker Day Rodeo
Nikon D4, 200-400mm f/4 at 200mm, f/4, 1/2000s, ISO 900.

In discussing how he found the community, he reflected on his background and how he, "stumbled across it as a technical information source. Being brand specific, it eliminated a lot of the cross-brand noise that many forums had, and I found over time that forum moderation kept the trolls and other nasty Internet denizens to a minimum. The environment attracted serious photographers who had seriously good information to share.”

Diving. FGCU vs UNF (University of Florida)
Nikon D4, 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6 at 90mm, f/4.5, 1/2500s, ISO 320.

"There are two areas where the community excels. The first one is when new hardware or software is launched. I appreciate that the members love to share their initial experiences, good and bad, and that allows fellow members to avoid mistakes and related cost.”

Soccer. FGCU vs NYCFC (New York City Football Club
Nikon D4, 400mm f/2.8 at f/2.8, 1/1000s, ISO 320.

"The second area benefiting me is genre-specific advice. As a sports photographer, I value having a separate forum to find out how other Nikon-shooting sports photographers do things, whether equipment specific or just specific to sport. Specialty knowledge is hard to find locally".

Tennis. FGCU vs Albany
Nikon D4, 400mm f/2.8 at f/2.8, 1/2000s, ISO 200.

Some of the useful information he received from other members being sports photographers range from "be in the right place at the right time, with the right equipment, and being prepared to look for the right direction.” to the philosophical, but important advice, "You are there to document the game, not watch it – don’t become a fan.” to the quite specific help, such as for Volleyball to, "Move the focus point down, and focus on the legs under the net instead of trying to focus through it.”

Baseball. Twins vs Blue Jays
Nikon D5, 400mm f/2.8 at f/2.8, 1/3200s, ISO 200.

"Sometimes I received advice that I found harder to accept, such as 'You can’t shoot night soccer without horribly expensive glass.' or 'You will spend a lot of money on a tripod, or you will end up replacing it in a few years'. By listening and following these two difficult, but correct pieces of advice, I have been saved from spending a lot of money by avoiding dead-end paths."

Basketball. FGCU vs UNF
Nikon D4, 85mm f/1.4 at f/2, 1/1000s, ISO 1250.

Linwood values the critiques he receives from fellow photographers commenting that a newspaper or other consumer of images will just simply not use photos, rarely giving any feedback.

Basketball. FGCU over Stetson ASun Final

Nikon D4, 24-70mm f/2.8 at f/5.6, 1/320s, ISO 2500.

Sharing his passion for memorable experiences Linwood says, "Shooting from the sidelines in sports means, no matter how much you try to be objective and not get engaged, you get caught up in the excitement of tournament wins, or the depression of a season ending loss.  For example, when the FGCU (Florida Gulf Coast University) Men’s team recently won their conference championship and set out for the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) March Madness, within seconds the floor was filled with celebrating fans, with reactions from cheer to tears.

Being in the middle of that is one of the most challenging shooting environments – catching the emotion of the moment, keeping your eyes on all sides looking for that game-winning star in a special moment with friends or family. A couple hundred shots over the first two minutes – hoping a few are in focus and framed.  Camera held way over the head trying to get the middle of huddles. In one case I recall catching the normally reserved University President doing a happy dance with a star player, surrounded by cheering fans – invisible to the sidelines, you had to be in the mix to see it. You certainly don’t get that kind of excitement and enthusiasm shooting birds!”

It is not surprising that Linwood reports that he will continue shooting stills for sports for the foreseeable future.

Baseball. Miracle vs Bradenton
Nikon D4, 400mm f/2.8 at f/2.8, 1/1000s, ISO 3200.

As a parting comment Linwood makes an interesting observation, "As people become more experienced in a particular area of photography, it becomes harder and harder to find local colleagues to share the experience, and the Internet provides a worldwide pool of those with similar specialized interests.

This community is a water cooler where you can talk shop, share knowledge, and keep the learning going.”

Dianne Clark (Dianne340)

Dianne comes from the Land of Oz, scenic Melbourne in Australia. With the variety of city parks, gardens and unique laneways plus her regular travel to the countryside of Victoria and coastal New South Wales, she has found many fascinating photo opportunities.

An Australian Icon
Nikon D750, 70–300mm Nikkor at 300 mm, f/5.6, 1/640s, ISO 1600. Hand held. Aperture mode.

"Australia presents unique challenges for photography, as the native vegetation is often stark and sparse. These challenges, however, present opportunities for more sculptural landscape photographs. Melbourne still adheres to its British 'heritage' and does have picturesque English style gardens providing a wealth of shooting opportunities.”

As with most photographers, Dianne’s interest has evolved over time, "I long had a dream of photography as a medium to express my artistic imagination. I dreamed and researched and then in December 2015, I made my first purchase on an impulse. I arrived home with a D750 and 3 lenses, laid them out on a table and wondered where on earth to start.

I started with landscape photography, parks and gardens around Melbourne, and then ventured into the countryside of Victoria. I spent endless time analyzing my photos, researching further and reading tutorials.

Melbourne is riddled with tiny laneways, which once served the purpose of removal of night soil when Melbourne was a brash, young city in the 1950’s. Now it is a tourist spot with its attractive, quirky and often interesting graffiti.

Melbourne’s Laneway Culture - Graffiti Laneway
Nikon D750, 16-35mm Nikkor at 35mm, f/14, 1/8s, ISO 100. Hand held. Manual mode.

Eventually I discovered, that the real art of photography is not so much the technical, as the ability to immerse oneself in the surrounding beauty, to see it with the artist’s eye and to capture the sheer joy of the experience.

This led me on to bird photography, which has become a passion and my friends say an obsession. Though I still challenge myself to continue with landscape, cityscape and what I would term 'Art photography'. I also love to photograph water; the sea, still pools and reflections.”

Kookaburra Waiting

A symbol of the Australian bush. This fellow was watching below and pounced as the worm surfaced. Nikon D750, Tamron 150-600mm at 600mm, f/6.3, 1/160s, ISO 1600. Tripod mounted. Aperture mode. 

"Very soon after I purchased my camera I found the community, and it has become my greatest source of both knowledge and inspiration and I visit it almost daily. I read the published articles, follow blogs, and sometimes participate in the forums.

I study many of the photographs that are posted, referring to the equipment used and the settings, always seeking to reach the level of some of the wonderful photographs taken by members, both new and experienced. I can honestly say it has been my greatest source of learning and inspiration.

Pelican and Pacific Gull.
The joy of bird photography, is that one special shot: two birds landing in sequence. Nikon D750, Tamron 150-600mm at 600mm, f/6.3, 1/1600s, ISO 800. Tripod mounted. Aperture mode.

However, the single most inspirational article was Richard Dubiel’s "Bird Photography in the City.” I read it just as I was developing my passion for birding. I sought advice and received wonderful feedback on the best birding lens to buy (within my budget). After that, I set out with Google maps in hand and I have now discovered the most amazing parks and waterways right on my doorstep.

The joy has been not only the thousands of bird shots I have taken, but also the amazing hidden places I have found. Thank you Richard, I am eternally grateful.”

Eastern Great Egret Flying
Nikon D750, Tamron 150-600mm at 600mm, f/6.3, 1/800s, ISO 800. Tripod mounted. Aperture mode. 

"I have discovered that my best approach before shooting is to plan, to think about what I intend to photograph for the day. To take time to prepare and set up my equipment, to think about the technique I will apply, before I leave home and then immerse myself joyfully in what I am doing. I am sure the sheer joy of 'being in the moment’ with my camera yields the best photographs.”

The Rainforest Floor - Fairies live here
Taken for my grandchildren. Nikon D750, 16-35mm Nikkor at 35mm, f/14, 1/8s, ISO 100. Hand held. Manual mode.

"There have been so many memorable moments with photography, from sitting in the bush for hours on end just waiting for the shyest of the birds to emerge, to make friends with the camera while standing on a rocky beach with the waves pounding around me, waiting to capture a moonrise.”

Late Evening Light on Water
Nikon D750, 16-35mm Nikkor at 16mm, f/22, 1/13s, ISO 100. Hand held. Manual mode.

Dianne’s future plans include gaining knowledge in all aspects of photography, to learn more in the area of post-processing, and to continue her journey with photography for many years.

Nikonian at Work. Self Portrait.
Taken in the National Gallery of Victoria against an installation of glass and mirrors. Nikon D750 with 70-300mm Nikkor at 70mm f/5.6, 1/5s, ISO 100. Hand held.

"Perhaps the greatest benefit of photography for me is the challenges it brings to my life; of reading and learning, of going out most days and exploring places and opportunities, just even the joyfulness of feeling a sense of 'belonging' to the community. 

Living alone and in my 70s, I see too many friends age simply because they have too little to do. I hear the word 'bored' and I am appalled. Photography is such a great source of living in the now and finding joy in each moment, whether taking or processing photographs, learning techniques, striving for improvement, or taking on the next challenge of Photoshop, which will improve my technology skills.”

Peter Wallin (pipsqueak)

Peter is one of our newer members and it has been fascinating to see his postings, and see the evolution of his style and capability.

"I have learned by trial and error - what works in the field and what does not. There are so many situations that occur and the only way to be prepared is to be out there as often as I can and learn from my experiences.

Mandarin duck

Learning from others is a big bonus. The community is a constant source of information and inspiration for me and some members have given me solid advice. Many small things have allowed me to put the pieces together of what used to be a big puzzle, to create a larger picture in establishing my knowledge of photography.”

Receiving advice on camera settings, shooting techniques, and honest opinions of my work have all been very helpful. I really like it when people are honest and do not sugar-coat things.”

Blind worm 

Peter found the community shortly after purchasing his camera when doing a search "to find a community where I could grow as a photographer.” He states that he found it to be a big, friendly community with a lot of helpful people, so he decided to signup and after a few days upgraded from the free membership to one of the paid ones.

Great Crested Grebe

Peter lives in one of the oldest cities in Sweden and Northern Europe - Västerås. It is situated inland from the coast, located in an area with expansive lakes, dense forests, farmland and woodlands. Peter, a chef by occupation, wanders the countryside with his D610, a camera he acquired the same month he joined as a member. Talking to him was a nice opportunity to spend time with a new member and to try to see things from his perspective.

The natural world is what captures Peter’s interest, but he also enjoys capturing images of sports and people. "I love to do portraits of people, but I find humans to be more afraid of the camera than animals.” Peter adds.

Skipper

Manual mode is Peter’s usual choice for shooting and he has found Auto ISO to be very useful for birds in flight. Shooting in Aperture Mode with Auto ISO is also a setup he has thinks is effective. In addition, when in this mode he does not accidentally change the shutter speed while he is carrying his camera. 

When asked if there was anything he would like to share with others, he responds, "Don’t be afraid to shoot things you wouldn’t normally choose. You may discover a new interest in the field of photography”.

He adds that one of the biggest changes he has made since starting is to shoot only in RAW as it gives him so much more freedom in post-processing. RAW appeals to him, as there are many ways in which an image can be developed and that the quality of the image is so much greater. 

Wagtail 

He sounds a bit daunted when describing how he was first setting out to learn post-processing, but says he has benefited from beginner tutorials on YouTube in addition to the input from helpful members in the community.

Peter enjoys exploring the woods and fields, which can sometimes lead to surprising close encounters with wildlife. On one occasion, while walking through a dense wood, coming around a large rock, Peter recounts encountering a male roe deer. He quickly squatted down, confirmed his camera settings, arose and took four shots before the buck ran away.

Roe Deer

On another occasion, he found a beaver down at the docks, which turned out to be a very special moment seeing a wild creature so close to the noise and commotion of the city. 

While out in a farmer’s field one day, Peter observed a fox hunting something smaller. He raised his camera, following the fox and then hit the shutter release button just as the fox jumped to land on a rodent. Though Peter tried to fire-away, nothing happened due to a low battery that ruined the rare opportunity. Now he carries a spare battery in his backpack and a second firmly positioned in the cameras battery grip. 

Gosling

Peter prepares for excursions by packing a large backpack containing his three favorite lenses, all Sigma’s; a 150-600mm, a 105mm f/2.8 Macro and a 24-70mm f/2.8. In addition to this, he takes with him a monopod, some snack and water bottles. The fields of photography that appeal to Peter in the near future are landscape, portrait and macro photography.

Donna Knodle (dgknodle)

We have been invited on a virtual visit to the home of Donna Knodle, out in the countryside of South East Michigan. "I can wander around in our woods or through our overgrown field to find interesting flora and fauna begging to have their picture taken, or not”, Donna says. ”Our home is surrounded by five acres plus of mainly large oak trees. In the wilder areas of it, I can walk around, find a spot and just wait for the right moment. There are lots of white-tailed deer trails, small birds, pheasants, rabbits and other critters that also love this type of cover.”

Spotted Spreadwing Damselfly
It’s hard to get all parts of these little jewels in focus. Nikon D700, 105mm f/2.8 Nikkor at f/13, 1/640s, ISO 800.

Donna literally caters to the bird visitors. "There are six pedestal birdbaths and five ground-level birdbaths in our yard.  My husband Jeff makes the squirrel and raccoon barriers on the feeding stations.”

Baltimore Oriole
The males get all of the press, but the females are also quite good looking. Nikon D500, 200-500mm, f/5.6 at 500mm, f/7.1, 1/640s, ISO 1600.

”It is a great advantage of doing a shoot at home. I can easily change my camera or lens depending on what I find and I carry one camera and keep another camera/lens on my deck table, where I can quickly grab it.” Donna also has a unique way to get around, "When I’m out in the field, I drive one of our tractors with a carrier on the back to hold my tripod and another camera/lens.  It never fails that I’m looking for dragonflies and then a beautiful bird lands near to me.”

Hummer
Nikon D500, 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR. Hand held.

Though Donna enjoys the wonderful raptor and waterfowl images in the community, those images are not possible to achieve in her immediate area and she rather focuses on practicing Birds in Flight shots with smaller birds in her yard.  Not an easy feat when they move so quickly.

Tundra Swan
One of the spring migrants at Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge. Shot from the dikes. Nikon D810, Tamron 150-600mm f/5.0-6.3 at f/6.3, 1/800s, ISO 180.

Parks and reserves, such as the Ottawa Wildlife Refuge and Magee Marsh, provide her with even more shooting opportunities. "I get lots of walking while seeing the wildlife in their natural settings. Being outside and enjoying the wildlife is so calming and enjoyable.”

Swallowtail Butterfly Caterpillar on Queen Anne's Lace
I try to have milkweed plants available for these beautiful butterflies. Even their caterpillar stage is captivating. Nikon D700, 150mm f/2.8 Micro-Nikkor at f/10, 1/400s, ISO 200.

"I prefer wildlife, floral and macro photography the most. Both big and small creatures really interest me and there are some really cool bugs out there, it’s just a little harder to find them.”

She also mentions enjoying some landscape work in Northern Michigan, but seems to prefer the challenge of wildlife.

Spicebush Swallowtail Butterfly
We get a lot of butterflies, because I plant my flowerbeds to attract them. Nikon D800, 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6 at 400mm, f/6.3, 1/640s, ISO 400.

With the decision to get back into photography after retirement, Donna found the community. "After 38 years of working full time, I wanted to spend some time doing things that brought me pleasure. Working in the corporate world can drain you a lot and photography is one of those things that gave me a new outlook. Fly fishing with my husband is another one of those special things.”

Multi-Gerbera Daisy
Shot set up with the sun coming through behind me with one of my black polar fleece vests behind the flower for background. Nikon D810, 105mm f/2.8 at f/18, 1s, ISO 100, tripod mounted.

Donna has found members being very helpful and has appreciated the freely offered advice on their photographs. She finds that seeing the photos of others, "and how they use their cameras, is such a help in learning how to use your camera to get a certain type of shot. I have gained so much knowledge and truly appreciate it.”

”One of the wonderful things about the community, is the ability to see nature shots from around the world. Everyone has their own spot of photography paradise. There are so many great photographers here and it's a joy to see their work. Many of the varieties are new to me and their captures just blow me away.  I hope to get there some day, but until then, I will just enjoy what I do and hope others will enjoy my efforts as well.”

White-tailed Deer Fawn
A doe and two fawns came through the woods and into the yard. Nikon D700, 300mm f/4.0 at f/5.6, 1/400s, ISO 450.

Tractor Shot
This was a quick shot by my husband. The deer sometimes bed down in the pines behind me. Nikon D500 with 17-55mm f/2.8G IF ED AF-S Nikkor.

"I think one of the things that people who are interested in photography have to remember, is to look for what makes you happy when you are taking pictures. I happen to love where we live and can spend hours wandering around here or at one of the local parks.

If it’s a real pain to get certain types of shots, what’s the point? I want to be relaxed and enjoy the outdoors with my camera. I see it and I shoot it. I’m always looking around to see what I can find and then try to get a good shot. Yes, I am very happy when it all comes together.”

Mark Kraus (pipco)

”I am a Nature Photographer living in Cincinnati, Ohio with a passion for photographing wildlife indigenous to the Southern Ohio area. I have always loved doing things outdoors and have been an avid hunter and fisherman.  Now, I have the chance to bring many of those acquired skills to my photography, where I like to show views of wildlife that many might not have seen before. Good portions of my photos are taken at local parks around the greater Cincinnati area.

Undercover Frog
Winning image, Nikonians Wildlife Monthly Contest June 2016. Cincinnati Nature Center. Nikon D200, 70-300mm Nikkor at f/11, 1/60s, ISO 200.

I have been photographing on and off for about 30 years. About ten years ago, I made photography a serious hobby, almost an addiction. I changed completely to digital six years ago and have never looked back since.

New Baby Gorilla
Winning image, Nikonians Wildlife Monthly Contest March 2016. Cincinnati Zoo. Nikon D300s, 300mm f/4 Nikkor at f/6.3, 1/60s, ISO 400.

I am also a member of two local photography clubs: Photography Club Of Greater Cincinnati (PCGC) and the old Cincinnati Color Side Club & Tri-State Photographic Society. The clubs have helped me develop my skills as a photographer. Being a member of a club is a great way to learn and see what works for other photographers and to get new ideas. And, of course the Nikonians Community is a great resource.”

Dinnertime Bluebirds
Winning image, Nikonians Wildlife Monthly Contest May 2015. East Fork State Park. Nikon D200, 300mm f/4 w/Nikon 1.4TC at f/11, 1/180s, ISO 280.

”I have always loved Macro Photography. When I was starting out years ago, I couldn’t get enough of John Shaw books. I think his book 'Closeups in Nature’ is what started my addiction. I also like photographing any type of wildlife, especially birds and small animals. If it gets me outdoors or in the woods, I will find something to photograph. And even if I don’t get a shot, it will still be a great day.”

Wet Fly
Winner Annual Best of Nikonians 2015 Macro. Armleder Park, Cincinnati, Ohio. Nikon D300s, Sigma 180mm macro at f/16, 1/10s, ISO 400, tripod.

”I found the community in the spring of 2006 when I was looking for information on buying my first digital SLR, a Nikon D200. I like the real user feedback on equipment and all the willingness of folks to help with questions. I have bought and sold equipment in the community and everyone I have dealt with in the Equipment for Sale forum has been great to deal with.”

Orchid
Krohn Conservatory Eden Park, Cincinnati, Ohio. Nikon D200, Sigma 180mm macro, tripod. Several images stacked with Helicon Focus.

"I am always checking the Equipment for Sale forums. Whenever I am looking for a new piece of photo equipment to add to my bag, I check the forums for reviews on that specific equipment. I enjoy looking and posting images on the monthly Wildlife and Macro forums, two areas with a lot of great images and photographers.”

Ruby Throated Hummingbird
French Park, Cincinnati, Ohio. Nikon D7200, 300mm f/4 Nikkor, w/Nikon1.4 TC at f/8, 1/250, ISO 400.

”The biggest help in wildlife photography is using digital cameras itself. Coming from shooting slides, I would limit myself to two rolls of film per day because of cost. Now you can work a subject all you want and never have to worry about cost limitations. I do think coming from being a slide shooter has made me a better photographer, because you had to get it right and didn’t have the luxury of experimentation.”

Yellow Throat Warbler
French Park, Cincinnati, Ohio. Nikon D300s, 300mm f/4, w/ Nikon 1.4TC at f/8, 1/400, ISO 400 on tripod.

"When I do a presentation at photo clubs, many think that my wildlife photos are good because of equipment used. I admit that good equipment can play a part, but most of the images I review and which could be improved, are not the fault of equipment.

I think the best advice I could give someone new to wildlife photography, is to get out and shoot and most of all, work your subject. I will ask the photographers, 'How many images did you take of your subject?' Often the answer is four or five images.

My reply to that is: When you have the opportunity, work your subject. Be aware of backgrounds, angle of light, distracting objects, shoot low and eye level, composition and shoot for sharp eyes. It may take a lot more than four or five shots.”

Sandhill Cranes
Ewing Bottoms in Indiana. Nikon D7200, Sigma 150-600mm Sport at f/10, 1/2000s, ISO 800, tripod.

Black Swallowtail Caterpillar
Ault Park, Cincinnati, Ohio. Nikon D300s, Nikon 300mm f4, f9, 1/200, ISO 400, tripod.

"There have been many memorable experiences associated with photography, but two always come my to mind: The first one is that I have made some great lasting friendships while doing wildlife photography. The second experience was some years ago, where I had been photographing ruby-throat hummingbirds at a local park almost every night for a few weeks and putting out a feeder in a secluded field.

With much coaxing I got them to land on my finger to feed them and the first time one landed, that moment I will never forget!”

Laura Knight (aus1952)

Living in two great countries, Laura Knight draws her inspiration for photography from both: "I am the product of Italian parents who immigrated to Australia in the early 1950’s.

Following a long professional and business career, spanning Australia, Europe and the US, I have been able to pursue a long held passion for photography, which has increased over the years. I am largely self-taught and am constantly reminded of how much I have yet to learn; it is very much a journey of continual practice.”

Equine Pursuit
Nikon D700, 12-24mm DX Nikkor at f/5, 1/320s, ISO 2000.

"My pursuit of photography has become a way of life based on self-imposed education and observation. For me it is a journey to which there is no end, it is merely a transition from one phase to another.  I adhere to Pablo Picasso’s philosophy of, '…always doing that which I cannot do, in order that I may learn how to do it’.”

Spring Bloom
Nikon D700 70-300mm at f/8, 1/25s, ISO 200.

"I have lived in the USA since 1980 and currently divide my time between the US and Australia. I believe photographic opportunities exist anywhere you are; you just have to be creative and use imagination, not limiting yourself with needing to travel to exotic locations to capture amazing imagery.”

Resting At Anchor
Nikon D700, 12-24mm DX at f/22, 1/20s, ISO 200.

Laura has delved into photography in perhaps a different way by sharing her interests as she describes, "I am drawn to the world of nature, more flora than fauna; however, I do believe that everything before us has the potential for a grand photographic image, thus what I end up capturing reflects selectivity regarding subject matter married with the necessary photographic skills.

Having said that, I do have a fondness for the floral artistry that can be created using the Lensbaby optics and have done much in that area, to the point where I wrote my first eBook on using such optics for flower photography; 'The Magic of Blur’.

I enjoyed the process of combining writing with photography immensely, so much so that after a trip to Tasmania I decided to write a second eBook on 'Traveling with Purpose’.”

Seal Rocks, Newport
Nikon D800, 16-35mm at f/16, 1/4s, ISO 100.

I also enjoy capturing long exposure imagery and close up expressions of children and people. Therefore, as the photographer Rick Sammon might say, 'I specialize in not specializing’.”

Floral Butterfly
Nikon D800, 70-300mm at f/5.6, 1/200s, ISO 100.

"I came across the community years ago when I was researching Nikon cameras and lenses. I joined in 2007; however, I was not a very active member at that time as I was still fully engaged in my professional career. I returned to it for the purpose of learning more, interacting with others on all manner of issues, from composition to post-processing.”

Nature’s Habitat
Nikon D700, 24-70mm at f/16, 17s, ISO 200.

"The many and varied views that are presented in the community, causes one to think about one’s own approach to a subject matter. I enjoy the opportunity to read, comment and provide constructive feedback on images as I feel at this stage of my photographic journey that I have something to contribute.”

Morning Gallop
Nikon D800, 70-200mm at f/8, 1/800s, ISO 200.

She shares a few comments with respect to inspiring the development of photography technique, "Practice every day, be creative and review all the images you take that you don’t like and analyze why you don’t like them. I don’t believe it is ever about equipment, yes equipment helps, but technique and imagination are more important, and most importantly create what resonates with you. If no one else likes it, too bad.”

Pending Motherhood
Nikon D800, 70-200mm at f/8, 1/100s, ISO 400.

First Among Many
Nikon D800, 105mm Micro-Nikkor at f/5.6, 1/160s, ISO 200.

In reflecting on experiences while out shooting Laura recounts, "For me all photographic experiences are memorable, that is what photography for me is; creating memories, so that when you look back on the images of the past, you can enjoy the past as well as the present.

I did have an unfortunate experience with equipment when I was shooting flowers at a local garden and my camera, which was mounted on a tripod (a D300 at the time), accidentally fell into the mud. That was an ordeal I never want to repeat. However, Nikon equipment is sturdy and the camera and lens were just fine after a good clean.”

Part 2 - How-to's and guides

Basics of flash brackets and diffusers

[picture] | By Russ MacDonald (Arkayem). He is from Georgia, USA

I am often asked about diffusers and brackets. Photographers mostly want to know what they do and "which ones are best". Well, both the bracket and the diffuser were introduced into photography to solve the resulting problems of using a small flash unit.

The problems of a small flash, when used pointed directly at the subject, are that it makes harsh, flat light that often causes ”red-eye”, and, when turned to the vertical, casts a harsh shadow to the side of the subject.

Harsh light

In general, harsh light comes from a physically small ”apparent” source and an infinitely small source is called a ”point” source, because the light comes from a single point.

I use the word ”apparent”, because both the size of the source and its distance from the subject cause the apparent size to change from the perspective of the subject.

For example, one of the harshest light sources is also one of the largest - the sun. It is huge - over 695,700 km in radius (432,288 miles), but at a distance of 149,600,000 km (92,900,000 miles), it is so far away that it acts as a point source to a subject here on earth. In other words, its apparent size is very tiny. This type of light casts very harsh shadows and makes facial features appear dull and lifeless.

The solution to harsh light is diffusion. Diffusion is the process of scattering the light from a point source in such a way that it acts like a much bigger source. Under harsh sunlight, a translucent diffuser is recommended between the sunlight and the subject.

Think of the sun on an overcast day. The light still comes from the sun (effectively a point source), but the clouds scatter the light as it falls on earth so that it becomes some of the softest light you can find. In effect, the clouds have changed the apparent size of the sun from a point source to a source the size of the entire sky.

You can make extremely good portraits on an overcast day outdoors, where the facial features have nice texture and seem to come alive.

The output surface of the shoe-mounted flash unit is also very small (about 20cmˆ2 or 3 square inches) and is in effect a point source beyond a distance of ca. 30cm (a foot). Consequently, it produces extremely harsh light that is not suitable for portraits without modification (without diffusion).

Now, some people think that simply placing a diffuser in front of the flash unit will make it soft, but this is not the case, because that does nothing to increase the apparent size of the flash.

There are two ways to create diffusion when using a small flash unit:

1) Utilize a physically large ”retransmission” system, or

2) Let the flash bounce-off larger surfaces.

You can also use a combination of these two.

Using a ”Lightsphere"

A ”retransmission” system is usually made from a large piece of translucent material, lit by the flash it then retransmits the light evenly across its surface. The Gary Fong Lightsphere is such a system. It looks like a large plastic bowl (see image at the end) that is mounted on the flash unit. You then point the unit straight up and when it fires the whole translucent bowl lights up, giving you a lit cross section area of about 100cmˆ2 (16 square inches).

However, in this case, more important than having about five times larger area than that of the flash itself, what makes this setup very effective, is that it will be using all walls, the ceiling and most surfaces in the room or studio to bounce off the light. This softens the light so that portraits made within about 1.5m (five feet) are noticeably softer than those made with bare flash.

Harsh light from direct flash.

Soft light from a flash unit using a large diffuser.

Another, even better ”retransmission” system is a soft box. If you get one that is 90 x 120cm (36 x 48 inches), that's a surface of over 1mˆ2 (1,728 square inches). Even when not bouncing the light from all walls and ceiling, it usually creates a light just as soft as the light on an overcast day.

The problem with a soft box is portability, so we end up with the question; how big is too big to carry around?

As you probably know, the Nikon Speedlight SB-800 flash and newer models come with a small snap-on diffuser. If you lose it, you can buy an after-market snap-on diffuser from companies like Sto-Fen with their Omni-Bounce series. Just looking at this snap-on diffuser, you can see that it is physically very small and the question is; does it work?

It is obviously not much larger than the light surface of the bare flash unit itself, so it cannot increase the apparent size of the flash directly. However, think of this small diffuser attached to the flash and the flash pointed straight up. Then, when it flashes, the light scatters to the sides, up, back, and everywhere but down. This means some of it goes directly to the subject, but most of it goes towards walls and ceiling where it can bounce, sending some of the bounced light back at the subject.

The key is that the bounced light hits the subject at a different angle than the direct light. This different angle is what makes the apparent size of the flash much larger. So, there is still a small portion of harsh light, which goes directly towards the subject, while the rest is soft, bounces off walls and ceilings. The small amount of harsh, direct light is what makes the ”catch-light” reflection in the eye of the subject and is usually not objectionable.

Now, outdoors, all the light that scatters from a diffuser is lost forever and never makes it back to the subject. This leaves the subject lit entirely by direct light from the flash unit, which is still harsh because the apparent size of the flash is still small. So, outdoors, the only thing that happens if you use a diffuser, is that your flash batteries run down quicker, because the flash unit has to flash at a much higher power to lit up the subject than normal.

The bottom line is that outdoors, never use a small diffuser; just use the flash unit directly. You might though want to try with larger diffusers.

Shadows and red-eye control

Flash shadows are always objectionable and you should always strive to eliminate them.

Red-eye is also extremely objectionable. It is caused by the flash reflecting off the retina of the eye and back into the picture. Red-eye is best addressed while taking the picture, but can also be somewhat corrected during post-processing. I will discuss how to avoid causing it in the first place.

The solution to the red-eye and shadow problem is to raise the flash higher above the camera while keeping it directly above the lens axis. This can be achieved with either a flash bracket or a flash diffuser that sits high above the flash.

The flash bracket attaches to the tripod mounting-hole on the bottom of the camera and the flash mounts on its top directly above the lens. It raises the flash unit quite a few centimeters (several inches) higher than when the unit is in the hot shoe. Added to this is a cable that connects the hot shoe on the bracket to the hot shoe on the camera, so that the camera thinks the flash unit is still in the hot shoe.

The main reason for raising the flash unit higher above the camera is to force any flash shadow down behind the subject where it can't be seen.

Another benefit of raising the flash higher above the camera is that you achieve an angle of direct light that causes the red-eye reflection to fall below the camera lens. This simple step eliminates most of all of the red-eye problems. It is important to note, however, that the farther you are from the subject, the higher the flash needs to be raised to avoid the red-eye effect. For instance, if you are using a telephoto lens, and you zoom tightly onto a person's face from maybe 10 or 15m (30 or 40 feet) away, you risk red-eye.

The solution to the red-eye problem is to use a flash bracket, although with a DSLR, the flash is already much higher above the camera than with a point-and-shoot, so red-eye problems are somewhat less prone to happen in that case.

There is another very important feature of a flash bracket - it fixes the dreaded ”side shadow”.

When you turn the camera to portrait orientation (vertical) and the flash unit is mounted in the hot shoe, you cast a shadow to the right of the subject on a wall. This shadow is looking very unprofessional and you really should try to avoid it. With a flash bracket, either the camera or the flash rotates, making it possible to keep the flash unit remaining directly above the camera. By locating the flash unit above the camera, the shadow will now fall behind the subject and out of sight.

This is a relative disadvantage when not using a flash bracket for vertical compositions, since you get a side shadow if the subject is too close to a wall. In this case, I simply shoot horizontal and crop to vertical later in post-processing.

Another important consideration with a flash bracket is the direction you rotate the camera when going vertical. Most professional photographers rotate the camera counterclockwise leaving the alternate shutter release button on top and useable. For inexplicable reasons, some flash brackets force you to rotate the camera clockwise, so you have to be careful when buying.

Camera setup with a flash bracket, flash unit and a large diffuser.

Like many photographers, both professionals and advanced amateurs, I use a flash bracket with my gear. They are often relatively inexpensive, not very obtrusive, and work well. One such manufacturer is Custom Brackets, producing folding brackets for easier packing and models with an integrated "Arca-Swiss" type of clamp for fast mounting.

A brief introduction to digital infrared photography

[picture] | By Dan Wiedbrauk (domer2760). He is from Ann Arbor, USA

More and more photographers are now converting their older cameras to Infrared, finding out that this option is always much better than throwing it away, or selling it for nothing, while at the same time discovering a new world through infrared (IR) photography.

IR photography is a small, but growing photographic niche that allows photographers of all abilities and budgets to expand their skills, to augment their artistic vision, and to create unexpected and exciting images that cannot be captured in other ways.

For the landscape photographer, IR photographs capture surreal images hallmarked by white foliage and dark skies – images that are at once familiar and unfamiliar. With a few manipulations, the sky can be blue and the foliage can be golden, lavender, or red. Black and white IR landscapes are striking, even when the trees are bare.

Backyard

Nikon D90 IR-converted (850nm Deep Infrared conversion). 20mm f/2.8 AF-D Nikkor, f/5.6, 1/200s, +1 EV, ISO 200.

Architectural photographers are employing IR methods because the black and white images are contrasty and they often resemble high quality architectural drawings. Because IR light is reflected differently than full spectrum light, IR photos often reveal architectural details that are masked in visible light photography.

Cemetery

Nikon D90 IR-converted (590nm SuperColor). 20mm f/2.8 AF-D Nikkor, f/10, 1/400s, +1 EV, ISO 200.

A growing number of wedding photographers are offering their clients dreamy high key and IR fantasy photos as a value-added service.  Fine art photographers use infrared photography to produce unique low key studies of shape and light. Portrait photographers use IR to create flattering high-key images and some creepy images featuring dark eyes and porcelain skin. Even macro photographers are employing IR methods to capture eye-catching images of flowers, technology, and insects.

The reason for the growing appeal of IR photography is the widespread availability of IR-capable digital cameras. IR film was touchy, relatively expensive, and often difficult to use. The IR learning curve was steep in the film era because it could take days to realize you messed up the shot.

With digital cameras, the "shoot, evaluate, adjust” cycle can be performed immediately after the image is captured. Immediate feedback allows photographers to acquire knowledge and experience more quickly than they ever could when shooting IR film. In addition, it’s cheaper to climb the learning curve with digital photography, simply because there is no film to purchase and develop.

How do I get started?

Like any form of photography or art, your reaction to IR photography is a matter of personal taste. Some people love it; some can’t stand the "look” of an IR photograph. I strongly urge every wannabe IR photographer to examine a wide variety of infrared photographs before they start spending money on new equipment.

Looking at a variety of IR images is not only enjoyable, but it can shorten the learning curve by allowing the neophyte to concentrate on an IR style or look they find most appealing. To get you started with IR photography, I have included some links at the end.

Daisy – Infrared macro

Nikon D90 IR-converted (720nm filter), 105mm f/2.8G VR Nikkor, f/3.0, 1/2000s, ISO 200, handheld.

The next major thing you will need is a RAW processing program and some photo manipulation skills. If your usual photographic style is to shoot JPGs and you are driven to "get it perfect in the camera”, you may become frustrated by the IR photography experience. With very few exceptions, most IR photographs have to be manipulated after capture. One major reason for image manipulation is white balance.

Only a few, older Nikon cameras are capable of accepting a custom white balance that works for IR photos. Therefore, Nikon camera users must shoot RAW images and set the white balance with external software. In addition, most IR photos are dull and flat right out of the camera and adjustments are needed to make them presentable.  The blue and green sky effects are created in post-processing. That said, LifePixel now has a hybrid filter that gives blue skies right out of the camera.

For those who are primarily interested in gear, this is where the good stuff starts. There are two primary methods for creating IR photographs either attaching an external IR cut filter to your camera lens or putting the cut filter inside the camera. An external filter allows the photographer to use their camera for normal photography when the filter is removed. IR conversion voids the camera’s warranty and after conversion, the camera becomes a dedicated IR camera.

External IR filters are usually a good place to start for most new IR photographers because filters are less expensive than a camera conversion. External filters also have some challenges. The first challenge is that the filter is opaque to visible light and once the filter is attached, the photographer can’t compose or focus accurately through the viewfinder.  Most filter users shoot in manual mode, set their composition and focus, and then attach the filter.

The second challenge is that the filter reduces the amount of light striking the sensor by five to seven stops. This means that longer exposures are necessary to get a good exposure.  You can compensate for longer exposures by increasing the ISO, but that will eventually produce more sensor noise. Another major complication is that longer exposures contribute to motion blur.

Photographers who use external filters will need a sturdy tripod to produce the best results. The last major challenge is setting the white balance and color rendering. Despite these challenges, many wonderful IR photographs have been created using external filters. External IR filters work especially well for studio work, for creating silky flowing water effects, architecture photography, and for landscape shots on a calm day.

The standard IR filter is the Wratten #89B filter which blocks 50% of the incoming light with a wavelength shorter than 720nm. Also known as the Hoya IR72 or the Heliopan RG720, this filter produces excellent IR photographs. Stronger filters, including the Wratten #87 (Hoya IR80 or Heliopan RC800), are also available. They will eliminate 50% of the light with wavelengths shorter than 800nm, but the price is generally higher.

Exposure times will vary depending upon the type of filter, the sensitivity of the camera sensor, the strength of the IR blocking filter in the camera, and of course, the amount of IR light.  That said, exposure times usually range from 10 seconds to 120 seconds for photos taken on a sunny day.

The last option for IR photography is to have a DSLR converted for exclusive IR use. This is more costly, but it produces the best results and offers the most photographic flexibility.  This option involves camera disassembly and removal of the IR blocking filter that sits in front of your DSLR’s sensor. The IR blocking filter is replaced it with a filter that blocks visible and ultraviolet light.

What are the benefits to this approach? The major advantage is that you can use your DSLR just as you do today. Exposure values and shutter speeds are similar to the values used for visible light images and you won’t have to waste time pre-focusing and attaching the filter before shooting. And with a converted camera, you can shoot moving objects.  As an added bonus, the conversion process removes the anti-aliasing filter that sits in front of the sensor. This can give your images a little boost in sharpness.

HOYA IR R72 Screw-on filter

Notice that the filter is opaque to visible light.

The disadvantages of using a dedicated IR camera are increased cost, the inability to use the converted camera for anything other than IR photography, and voiding your DSLR’s warranty. I got around my warrantee phobia by converting an older D90 that was sitting, mostly unused, in the closet.

Once you decide to convert a DLSR, you will likely experience a bout of ”analysis paralysis” trying to decide which filter to have installed. This is where the "Infrared and Ultraviolet Forum” is invaluable. There, you can ask a group of experienced IR photographers, which choice they made and why. It’s a great resource.

What about lenses?

Here’s a conundrum that may set your "Nikon Acquisition Syndrome" (NAS) into a tailspin - some of Nikon’s very best lenses can be total duds for infrared photography. The major problem is hot spots. A hot spot is an area in an image (usually in the center) that appears to be lighter or brighter than the rest of the image. Hotspots may produce color shifts in the image that are difficult to remove in post-processing.

There are several reasons why hot spots occur, but the most common culprit is the black coating on the inside of the lens barrel. This coating is designed to absorb stray light and keep it from bouncing around within the lens. Lenses are designed for visible light photography and the coatings are well tested for that use. However some coatings don’t work well for IR light and the reflected light can produce a hot spot. Certain lens coatings can contribute to hot spots in the much same manner.

Lake Avalon, near Hillman, Michigan

Nikon D90 IR-converted (720nm Standard conversion) 20mm f/2.8 AF-D Nikkor, f/8, 1/4s, +2 EV, ISO 200.

To confound the hot spot issue, there appear to be camera-related conditions (e.g., reflective micro-lenses or sensor elements) that conspire with lens designs to create hot spots when the aperture gets smaller. Camera specific contributions may be one reason why some lenses have different hotspot reports in different lens databases.

In general, the community’s IR lens database provides an excellent initial resource for determining if your Nikon lens has hotspot issues. Websites such as Kolari Vision, Nasim Mansurov’s Photography Life, and Bjørn Rørslett’s Nærfoto provide even more IR lens compatibility information for Nikon lenses and lenses manufactured by other companies. Some of the more popular "good performer” lenses include the Nikkor 18-55mm, the 18-200mm, and the 16-85mm VR lenses.

Watchers in the woods

Nikon D90 IR-converted (720nm Standard conversion) 18-200mm VRII Nikkor, f/11, 1/30s, +0.33 EV, ISO 640.

Another lens challenge is focus shift.  Light bends when it passes through a lens and the amount of displacement depends upon the wavelength of light. Ultraviolet light bends the least, while infrared light bends the most. Modern lens designs compensate for light bending and they are able to perfectly focus the middle of the spectrum on the sensor surface. Unfortunately, this means that the infrared light is back-focusing when the viewfinder says the image is in focus.

Focus shift is especially problematic when wide angle lenses are used. Wide angle lenses are the most ”bendy” lenses in your kit. They generate much more focus shift than long focal length lenses. From a practical standpoint, this means that you have to focus on objects in front of your subject in order to get a well-focused IR image.

Older lens designs with a distance scale often have a dot or bar indicating the infrared focus point for images that would normally be captured with infinity focus. 

When reputable IR conversion services alter a camera, they will adjust the focus calibration to compensate for focus shift. This calibration is done at a single focal length and the farther you go from that calibration point, the more focus error you will accumulate.

Live View can compensate for this type of error, because the focus engine uses the sensor image rather than the visible light image to control the focus. Stopping down can also compensate for some of the accumulated error by increasing the depth of field (DOF). For most lenses, the best focus compensation is probably achieved at an aperture of f/8 to f/11.

Summary

The ability to photograph an unseen world existing just beyond our normal perceptions seems like something right out of the Twilight Zone. However, IR photography is not an imaginary process. It’s available now and it offers exciting vistas for photographers who want to flex their creative muscles.

Speeding up your workflow in Adobe Lightroom

[picture] | By Rick Walker (walkerr). He is from Colorado Springs, USA

Do you repeatedly make the same adjustments to almost all the images you import into Adobe Lightroom or work with in Adobe Photoshop Camera Raw?

Do you find yourself wishing that your images started-off in a better-looking state when you first looked at them in these products?

Those are common situations or desires for photographers, and there are a couple of ways to accomplish that. One is creating a preset that you can use when importing into Lightroom or while you are in Adobe Bridge (the browser packaged with Photoshop that works with Camera Raw).

What is sometimes better and simpler is to alter the defaults for specific model of camera. We will discuss how to do that, and the good news is that it is remarkably easy to do.

Prior to creating new defaults for your camera(s), it is first worthwhile to consider what operations you either usually do or would like to do to your image.

The default settings can encompass most anything you can do in those programs – exposure sliders, sharpening, noise reduction, color profiles, lens corrections – you name it. What you do not want to do is to incorporate adjustments that are extremely image specific. Those are typically things such as all the exposure controls, black and white treatments, local adjustments etc.

My personal preference, and what I have done for many years now, is to include or enable the following adjustments.

I am showing Lightroom panels, but the Camera Raw ones are very similar.

I enable lens corrections, including distortion, light falloff correction and the removal of chromatic aberrations (nasty looking color fringes with some lenses).

While I can always turn this off later, I enable these 99% of the time, making this a good candidate for a camera default. Here’s what that panel looks like in Lightroom:

Lens Corrections Lightroom Panel.

My preference these days is to use the Camera Standard color profile found under the Camera Calibration area of the Develop Module, or the equivalent tab in Camera Raw.

You can see that panel in Lightroom here on this image:

Camera Calibration Lightroom Panel.

I like a bit more capture-sharpening than the initial default settings provided by Adobe, so I change that as well. I also prefer using settings that bring out the finer details; my default choices align with that as well.

Here on this image is that panel with my sharpening preferences for the Nikon D750.

Note: my values for other cameras will vary, usually just in the strength of the ”Amount" slider.

Sharpening.

Note: not all of these parameters are available within the version of Camera Raw packages with Adobe Photoshop Elements. You can still create new defaults, but since that program lacks most of these controls, this article is not as appropriate for Elements users.

That is about it for changes that I want made to every single image when they are imported. The next step is to have those changes reflected in the defaults for the programs so that they are automatically there when you first look at images.

Here is how you do it:

For an image already in Lightroom or one that you’re looking at it Camera Raw, adjust the sliders or settings of an unaltered image to the ones you’d like incorporated into all images and then either select Develop>Set Default Settings and follow the prompts for Lightroom:

Lightroom defaults.

For Camera Raw, you select the little icon at the top right of the development settings panel and then select Save New Camera Raw Defaults

Camera Raw defaults.

That is all there is to it! If you have both Lightroom and Photoshop installed on your computer, you only need to do it in one program. The other will automatically update to the same settings, which is great.

Note: you can get fancier with your defaults, and even make them specific to a certain camera’s serial number or specific to the ISO you are shooting at. I choose not to do that normally as it complicates a number of things, and every camera body you use will need to be "tuned”. Again, I do not recommend it for most people.

I hope this tip speeds up your photographic work for you and gets you results closer to your personal preferences. Happy shooting!

Better B&W images in Adobe Lightroom

[picture] | By Josh Larkin. He is from East Calais, USA.

Who doesn't love black and white photographs? Sure, modern cameras can capture millions of colors in vivid detail, and for some images that's exactly what we want. But at times, I find that a particular image is made stronger by going black and white, and sometimes, a photograph works well in both color and black and white.

Either way, if you're going black and white with any photograph, the end result can be made stronger by doing things yourself and not just letting your software decide how to create the tones and contrast that ultimately make for a powerful black and white image.

Editorial note: The Nikonians Post-Processing forums contain lots of useful information. It is the place to ask questions on anything regarding your own workflow and to receive tips & tricks.

For this tutorial, I'll be working in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom CC 2015.2 Although some of the controls will be different in older versions of Lightroom, I assure you that you'll be able to reproduce these steps as all of the tools and panels are available in your version, though the sliders might be slightly different or appear in a different place on your screen.

Finalized self-portrait.

Step one: Deciding which images to go black and white with

The first choice you make in the process is, of course, the most critical. As much as we may love black and white images, some photographs just may not work in shades of gray. This is also somewhat a decision of personal taste and preference. This being the case, I won't spend too much time here discussing which images should or shouldn't go black and white.

However, if you're interested in learning more about the details and what to look for when deciding, I'd suggest reading the forums in the community, specifically the post-processing ones.

For our purposes, though, and since Lightroom makes it very easy to get a solid idea of what will make a strong black and white image without wasting disk space, I prefer to let Lightroom’s system of collections and my eye help me decide.

As you can see, I have a number of images in a collection called "Picks", which are located in a collection set called B&W (this screenshot is from an older version of Lightroom, version 3).

My naming convention for the set and collection is only for this tutorial; you may have a collection set named ”Bob and Ricky Wedding", with a collection named ”Picks" in it that includes only your chosen best shots. Naming doesn't matter much, use whatever you're comfortable with.

In the Picks collection, in the Library module with grid view on, I'll use Command A (PC: Ctrl A) to select all of the images, then Command N (PC: Ctrl N) to bring up the Create Collection dialogue box.

Create Collection dialogue box.

I name the new collection BW Conversion, choose my BW set from the dropdown, and check the "Include selected photos" and "Make new virtual copies" boxes. This creates a new collection with virtual copies of all photos in the set.

Inside the new set, I then select all of the photos and in the Quick Develop panel, in the right hand column of my screen, I expand the panel below the "Saved Preset" and choose the Treatment drop down menu, selecting "Black & White".

Quick Develop panel: I use the "Black & White" treatment on all selected images.

With all of the photographs now gray scale, I'll quickly go through using the flag tool (Keyboard shortcut P) to pick the images I think will be strengthened by black and white treatment.

Once I have my picks, I select all of the images again and in the Quick Develop panel I click the "Reset All" button to remove the gray scale processing. Note that because we're now working with virtual copies, any processing you may have applied to the images will be lost only in this collection. If you switch back to your original Picks collection, processing there will remain intact.

Back in the BW Conversion collection, I then filter the selection for any non-flagged photos, select them and remove them from the collection, leaving me with only those images I've decided will benefit from black and white processing.

Step Two: Converting by hand

Self-Portrait in Color.

We'll now be working on one image at a time. I've chosen to use a recent self-portrait taken under a bridge and lit with a single Nikon SB-600 Speedlight through a shoot-through umbrella at camera right. The image works fine in color, but in the previous step I decided that I could take this shot up a notch by going black and white.

To start, I quickly go through some routine processing chores I do for all portraits, i.e. cropping, adjusting white balance, removing blemishes (yep, I have blemishes, part of the reason I try to stay on the backside of the lens as much as possible!), etc. This step is critical to the final outcome because we want to be sure we're starting with an image that's at it's best right from the beginning. If you soften skin, brighten eyes or whatever in your typical workflow go ahead and have at it at this point. You can skip over any major adjustments to exposure, fill, and contrast, though, as we'll be tweaking those settings shortly.

With the color image where I want it, I then actually make the base conversion to black and white. Lightroom offers quite a few different ways to do this, and often one serves as a better starting point than the other. I’ll typically create a virtual copy of my image at this point, convert them both using two different methods, and choose whichever I like better to start with.

Using the Treatment method as a starting point by simply selecting "Black & White" treatment.

The first step is quite easy - simply choose Black & White from the Treatment menu in the Quick Develop Panel. 

Alternative: Desaturation method setting all color sliders to -100

The alternative to use the Black & White treatment is to switch to the Develop view, open the Basic panel, and choose Saturation and to drop down all of the colors to -100.

In the comparison photo below, you can see that the top image, which was converted using the treatment method, produces a slightly darker image with a more subtle gradation from darks to lights. The desaturation method produced an overall brighter image. In this case, I like the tones on the subjects' face in the first image a little better, so I'll delete the copy made with the desaturation method and work on the other.

Comparison images. Top converted with the ”treatment method", bottom one with the ”desaturation method".

Now here's where your creativity in the process comes into play. What we're trying to achieve here is an image that resonates with viewers and pops. Some folks believe that very little, if any, parts of an image should go entirely to black. I personally don't follow this rule because I think we often see pure black in life - shadow areas where the eye can't make out any detail. Furthermore, those deep, rich blacks will go a long way in adding contrast to the image, which is I believe a big part of what makes a strong black and white.

For this image, which came from the camera with a fair amount of true blacks already in it, I first moved the ”Blacks" slider in the Basic panel down to -8.

Basic panel. I spend a lot of time in this panel adjusting the output the way I want it.

Of course, doing this darkens the entire image slightly, so to counteract this I then adjust my ”Exposure" slider up to +0.35 for this shot. To bring a bit more detail back into some of the shadows, I bring my ”Shadows" slider up to +10. To bring the highlights down a bit and to smooth out the gray tones in the image, I bring down my ”Highlights" slider to -15. I increase contrast to 25 and then fine tune that contrast level with the white and black sliders. Increases of 15 and 8, respectively, ensure that there are true whites and blacks in the image. Next, I selectively go through areas where I want a bit more detail in the shadow and use the Adjustment brush on its "Dodge” setting to make minor alterations.

In this case I touched up the subjects' right ear and cheek area. Finally, I bump up the ”Clarity" slider to +20 to add a bit more contrast in the mid-tones. I spend considerable time in the Basic panel tweaking these controls and dodging and burning until I'm happy with the overall look of the image.

Compare the following photograph with those from the straight conversion and you'll notice that I've created strong blacks in the jacket and some of the shadows of the face and smoothed out the overall tonal range across the subjects' face, making an image that's already much less flat and much more dramatic than those produced only by making the straight conversion.

Self-portrait with basic adjustment.

We can still build some more contrast into this image though and improve its overall look and feel, so that's what we'll handle next.

The ”Contrast" slider in the Basic panel feels a little heavy handed to me for this, so instead I drop down to the Tone Curve panel and use the Point Curve drop down menu to choose "Strong Contrast". If you're working with a JPEG, you'll choose "Medium Contrast", as this file type will come into Lightroom with some contrast in place. For RAW files, the default is set to medium, so we'll switch it to strong.

In the Tone Curve panels Point Curve drop down menu; I select "Strong Contrast".

At this point, I've got a pretty solid black and white image. If it looks a little too dark or too light, I can alter this with slight changes to the ”Highlights" slider in the Basic panel.

Often, these steps will get you a solid black and white image without any further tweaking. However, it is possible to selectively enhance areas of the photo to add more punch, or to make further tonal corrections. In this case, I’m going to add a bit more contrast to the mid-tones on the subjects' face using the HSL panel's manual adjustment tool, which appears in the upper left-hand corner of the panel as a small dot.

Adjustment of B&W mix by using the small manual adjustment tool top left corner of the Black & White Mix.

Slider for orange becomes highlighted as I move the manual adjustment tool in the image over the subjects’ forehead.

After selecting the tool, I hover over the areas of the image I'd like to affect, and while doing so, the color slider that I'll be changing becomes highlighted in the HSL panel. Since I'm changing skin tones, this means the ”Orange", ”Red" and ”Yellow" sliders will be manipulated - notice in the image that the ”Orange" slider is highlighted since I'm hovering over the subjects' forehead.

In order to make the change, I simply click and hold on the image, then drag down to darken, or up to lighten the affected tones. I've also chosen to darken the background a bit more - when I hover over this area of the image, I see the sliders that will be manipulated will be the ”Blue", ”Aqua" and ”Green" sliders.

Tip: Although this is a very subtle change in this image, I typically see very dramatic results when I use this technique in landscapes with light skies and clouds. For images of that type, I target an area of blue sky and/or some of the lighter gray tones in the clouds.

With that, I've taken this image about as far as I can, but I'm happy with the result. The last step is simply to add a little sharpening and then export for my intended use.

The last thing I would like to point out is that throughout this process, from choosing the photo to making the adjustments, it's all up to personal choice how far you want to push things. You want it lighter, or you don't like so much detail being lost to blacks? No problem, just work with the "Black" slider and take it back a bit, while you might want to push the "Highlights" and "Whites" sliders a bit. 

Ultimately, it's up to you and what you think looks good for your photos!

I hope this has helped a bit and encourages you to move away from the black and white presets, or worse yet, just hitting the black and white treatment button and calling it a day!

Editorial note: Lightroom provides three sets of presets for B&W conversion: "B&W Filter Presets", "B&W Presets" and "B&W Toned Presets". Another article in the series will deal with these presets in detail and what they can be used for.

The main three preset groups in Lightroom. We will go into detail regarding these presets in an upcoming article.

Landscape photography on a budget

[picture] | By Wayne Lorimer (wjlorimer). He is from Greymouth, New Zealand

For anybody starting out in photography, landscapes are a popular subject choice. They don’t move very quickly, don’t complain if you take half an hour to get your camera settings locked down, and there are plenty of them around.

If pushed to categorize myself, I would say that I am a ”landscape photographer”, even though I also shoot weddings and portraits from time to time. I can, and do, shoot other genres, but deep down my passion is photographing nature. I could even argue that there are really only two genres in photography – landscapes and portraits. You are only ever taking one, or the other. I might even take that further and say that a landscape image is just a ”portrait” of nature. But I digress.

12 Mile Beach. Nikon D90 with Nikkor 18-105mm.

Landscapes are also popular, perhaps, because the beginning photographer sees them as being somewhat ”easier” than portraiture – for all of the reasons mentioned above. It can be very stressful to take someone’s portrait, even if that someone happens to be a very patient family member or friend. Even the most patient sitter will get bored if it’s taking a long time to set up the shot. And how do you pose them, interact with them, or get them to do what you want them to do? A landscape, on the other hand, has all day. It’s already posed for you. All you have to do is point and shoot – right?

Any photographer, beginner or otherwise, who takes this approach to shooting landscapes, will quickly realize that it’s not as easy as it seems. Yes, many of us are lucky to be surrounded by beautiful landscapes. And yes, many of them can be also quite easy to get to. But why then, do we often come away disappointed with our landscape images?

Why is it that they don’t convey the grandeur or the emotion that we felt when we were there taking the photograph? Why don’t my images look like the ones I see when I have a look through landscape forums or other photographers work? I guess it must be the gear I’m using? If I find out what they shoot with, and buy that, then it stands to reason that my landscape photos will look like theirs too – won’t they?

Hang on a minute. Not so fast. Before you go off and buy that $5000 camera body, or $2000 wide angle lens, let’s think about this. What I’m about to say may shock you, it may upset you (sorry about that), or it may even delight you. But, it’s the truth. And the truth is, a $2000 lens will not make you a better landscape photographer. And a $5000 camera will not make you a better photographer – period.

The photographers you admire may very well use the latest full frame bodies, and the most expensive ultra-wide lenses that money can buy. But, that’s not what makes them great photographers either. Trust me, you can take wonderful, amazing, stunning, incredible landscape pictures with an entry level or mid-range camera body and the humble kit lens. Seriously. When it comes to beautiful landscape images, it is most definitely not about the gear.

One Tree Bay, Inchbonnie. Nikon D70 with Nikkor 18-70mm.

Depth of field is your friend

Before I get too many death threats, let me try to explain what I mean. 99% of the world’s landscape images are based upon a large depth of field. That is to say, that we want to have as much of the subject in sharp focus as possible. Front to back sharpness will help to convey to the viewer the vastness and splendor of the view, and help to convey something of our own experience when taking the photo.

To achieve this in an image, we will shoot with the aperture 'stopped down’ to about f/11, and focus one third of the way into the frame. This should give the greatest depth of field possible, culminating in an overall sharp and detailed image.

The kit lens that came with your camera probably has an 18-55mm or 18-105mm zoom range, with a variable aperture of f/3.5 to f/5.6. Generally when shooting the landscape, you will be looking at a wide angle of view – around the 18mm end – with an aperture of somewhere between f/8 to f/16. I do understand that’s a generalization, but even if you decide to go tighter and shoot the landscape with a telephoto, your aperture will likely remain around f/8.

Stopped down at these mid-range apertures just happens to be where almost every lens achieves its sharpest results. I have tested an 18-55mm kit lens against a $1000 wide angle zoom at mid apertures for landscapes, and the kit lens results have been truly impressive. The differences in image quality between the two lenses at the mid to lower apertures were minuscule, and certainly didn’t justify the price difference.

Image problems such as chromatic aberration are less of an issue when the lens is stopped down to mid-range, and are also very easily handled in post-production nowadays. Believe me when I say that your kit lens really can produce comparable images for landscape work.

Te Kinga, Moana. Nikon D7100 with Nikkor 18-105mm.

The case for ”better” lenses

So is there a case to be made for using more expensive glass if you are a landscape photographer? Well, of course there is. Build quality for one. Often, if you are paying a lot for a lens, it will be because you want weather sealing and a more rugged build. Then without doubt you will be looking at a more expensive lens.

Also, if you want to go wider with your field of view, then you are going to have to pay more, often a lot more. The wider you go with a lens, the more engineering is required to manufacture a distortion-free image (unless of course you want the fish-eye effect). Hence, the more expensive they are to produce.

But once again, I would caution anyone to think very carefully about ditching his or her kit lens for landscapes in favor of a weather-sealed ultra-wide behemoth. Are you really going to go out shooting in the pouring rain? Do you persevere under adverse conditions, or do you put your gear away? To be honest with you, I try my very best not to expose my gear to the harsh elements, weather sealed or not.

I’ve never had a kit lens stop working just because I was caught in a sudden downpour for the time it takes to put the camera back in my bag. You, however, might be a lot more adventurous than me, or not.

Be careful, also, when considering upgrading to an ultra-wide angle lens. Wider may sound better, but in reality they can be very difficult to use effectively. The 18mm end of the standard kit lens will give an effective field of view similar to 27mm in full frame (35mm film) terms. I find that plenty wide enough for landscape work, although I do appreciate that this is subjective. Many prefer a 24mm field of view for that slightly wider feel. When you get into the 14-16mm ultra-wide end, however, composition can get extremely difficult very quickly.

Subjects in the middle and background of the scene can appear as insignificantly tiny dots when using an ultra-wide, while foreground elements can over-dominate and distort wildly. This is not really what most of us are after with our landscape images. If you have never used an ultra-wide before, it is definitely worth trying before buying to see if you like using one or not. As I said earlier, wider is not always better.

I’m not saying that a lens like the Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8 ED isn’t worth owning. Please don’t get me wrong. I’m sure it has faster focusing, a better build, better contrast, better color rendition and better handling than my 18-105mm kit lens. No doubt. But it also costs five times as much, without returning five times better image quality. Too many of us believe that if we only had "that” (i.e. more expensive) lens, then our images would be so much better. It’s just not true.

Full frame vs APSC bodies

The other ”upgrade” that many landscape photographers are keen to pursue is the jump from a cropped sensor to a full frame camera body. Again, it’s often rationalized along the ”my images will be better shot with a full frame camera” argument. But will they really?

Full frame sensors offer better low-light performance, and better dynamic range, if we are comparing the latest technology. This is true, but so what? If you are primarily a landscape photographer, then the camera should be set up on a tripod and set to the lowest ISO possible anyway. And as for dynamic range, it’s nothing that post-processing (image blending, HDR etc.) can’t deal with.

Totara Flat Sunset. Nikon D100 with Nikkor 28-105mm.

Once again, the argument could be made that full-frame cameras are ”pro” cameras, and therefore better built, weather-sealed etc. That also means, however, that they will probably be bigger and heavier to carry around, the files will be bigger to deal with, and the lenses will generally be more expensive (and heavier).

Image quality is also often said to be ”better” with a full frame camera, but better for what, exactly? If you are a fine art photographer who regularly prints 40x50" enlargements for exhibition, then yes, I get the ”full frame is better” argument. But, if like me, you hardly ever print your pictures (shame on us), and even then only ever to about 8x10", then I just don’t get the full frame is better argument.

The Internet is a fantastic ”leveler” in this respect. Practically anything looks great on a computer screen at 72dpi irrespective of which camera or lens it came from. So if you only shoot for the web, your blog, or a computer screen, then questions of APSC vs Full Frame sensors becomes irrelevant.

If you have a load of Nikkor prime glass that you want to shoot at its rated focal length, then sure, full-frame is the way to go. But for the rest of us, the desire to upgrade to full frame because it’s somehow ”better” than what we already own, needs to be seriously questioned.

The more important stuff

I’ve spent most of the article so far trying to convince you of things that you don’t need to take fantastic landscape photos. Is there anything you really do need?

Top of my gear list would be a tripod. A good, solid (i.e reasonably heavy and stable) tripod, since if you are shooting landscapes without a solid tripod, you are doing yourself and your images a disservice. From a purely practical point of view, if you are shooting in low-light conditions (forests, sunrise and sunset etc) with apertures of around f/11, at low ISO’s, then your shutter speed is going to be rather slow, often a second or longer. So a solid tripod is a must.

It’s also a must from a creative point of view. Using a tripod forces you to slow down with your photography and to carefully consider your composition. Landscape photography is the antithesis of ”spray and pray”. I would argue that if you come home from a landscape shoot with two thousand photos, then you’re doing something horribly wrong. Often, a landscape trip is about getting that one image. That’s right – one! Of course that doesn’t mean you only take just one photo. But it can often mean shooting only a dozen or so.

That’s because the most important aspect of great landscape photography – even more important than the gear – is light. More specifically, the quality of the light. You can stand in front of a beautiful coastal scene, with a wonderful composition of foreground, middle and background elements, full of sweeping curves and leading lines. But, if the light isn’t right, then you have no image, or at least not a very good one. More than anything else, it’s the quality of the light in a landscape that will determine its success or failure. This, more than any gear, is what separates the great landscape photographers from the average ones.

The great landscape photographers will chase the light. They will get up early, and go to bed late, in pursuit of the right light. They will stand on a cliff for hours, with their camera set up in the one spot, waiting for just the right light to make just the one image. And if they get that one shot, then they will consider it a successful day. It’s about planning to be in the right place at the right time. And then it’s about getting lucky when Mother Nature decides to turn up with glorious light.

Early Morning, Moana. Nikon D70 with Nikkor 18-70mm.

Know the gear you own

We all suffer from gear lust to a lesser or greater extent (me more than most). I’ve never been one to claim that gear doesn’t matter – of course it does. But maybe it doesn’t matter as much as we think, or are lead to believe it does? Give a novice photographer a D5 and they won’t instantly produce beautiful images. Give an experienced photographer a D3500 with kit lens and they will still be able to make stunning pictures. It’s about knowing your gear, using the right filters, choosing the right exposure, and – most importantly for landscape photography – being at the right place at the right time.

Use whatever you want to make the kind of image you want to make. Choose full frame cameras if they suit your needs. Get an ultra-wide if that’s what it takes to bring your vision to life. But don’t also fall into the trap of feeling somehow inferior if you’re not shooting on a full frame camera with a $2000 lens, because you certainly don’t need them to start creating stunning landscape images. Maybe that money would be better spent going on location to a place you’ve always wanted to shoot? Get yourself out into beautiful locations, with beautiful light. Use the gear you already own once you’re there, and amazing images will be yours for the taking. I promise.

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