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john-rowell · 8 years ago

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Protecting your images online?

This is a subject that can make any photographer paranoid. There are many horror stories of people stealing another photographers work that they had put up on the internet, and if like me, you don't particularly like people screwing around with your work, we want to protect it. So how can you protect your photographs online?

There are three lines of defence:

Stop people getting your images

Prevent them from using them

Protect yourself

Stop people getting them

Well, you know what, you can't. If you put them up on the web, they can be taken. Sure there are ways to deter the average Joe from grabbing them (like disabling right click on your website, making a mosaic of an image so that they would have to reconstruct it afterwards, using CSS blank-overlays etc...), but all of those can be circumnavigated, a simple print screen will do that! So if there are images you absolutely don't want anyone to steal, the only thing you can do is DON'T PUT THEM ON THE INTERNET!

However, we do want to share our work, to gain clients, get feedback, generate attention, and to this end we usually use social media, as it is one of the most interactive methods of sharing. Social media is also the easiest place to 'borrow' images. So what should you do?

This is what I think is the best solution:

Don't put anything online that you don't want taken! Everything is vulnerable to one degree or another, so if there is an image you don't want anyone to use or take, don't put it up, that is the only way to be 99.9% secure (the 0.1% is because if it is in digital format, your computer and backups could be stolen). I have had friends who took amazing images that sat hidden, offline, until the right moment.

Link to your own website and don't put the image itself on Social Media. If the image is on your own website you do have some additional control of them like no right-click, CSS blank cover, mosaics... These are not very effective as all have get-a-rounds but will make it harder for the average person.

Other than those two things, there is little you can do to stop people from taking your images. However, just because they can take them does not mean they can do much with them...

Prevent people from using them

Great, so we have established that anyone can, if they want, take any image we put up on the web. But that does not mean the image will be of great use to them. This next suggestion is probably the best functional protection you have; upload at a 'lower' resolution.

For example, I upload images at 1000 pixels along the long edge IF i put them on social media. This is large enough to be enjoyed on a screen, but little else. Sure it can be taken, but other than looking at them on a website, there is little else that can be done of real value.

For social media upload images at 1000px on the longest edge, sRGB colour space (smallest and WEB appropriate, not best for printing), 70% image quality. This is more then enough to be enjoyed, but not so much that it could be used for much else!

I do upload at a higher resolution here on my site, because I want my images to shine, but still not full resolution!

Protect yourself - This is probably the most important

First thing I am going to say here is that I am NOT a legal expert, what I present here is from my research and my understanding of it. It may not apply to every country in the same way, so for your piece of mind, check out the rules for your own country!

In short this is our only real protection! Copyright is a law that protects ORIGINAL works of authorship. That means that as soon as you take a photo, it is AUTOMATICALLY covered by Copyright law (here is the US articles). It is yours! Having Copyright on your image (which you do) allows you to do 4 main things:

Reproduce the image

Display the image publicly

Make derivatives of the image

Distribute the image (sell, rent, lend, give)

So as long as your are the copyright owner (you can give it away and sell it or course) than you are the only person with the right to do the above.

It is not easy to prove infractions

But just because an image is automatically copyrighted, does not mean it is easy to prove infractions, so to that end I recommend you do the following 4 things in order to protect yourself:

I) State you have copyright for all works within on your website!

This is not concrete but is the first line of protection. If you know that this was the original and only source of the image, it reminds people that you have the copyright.

II) Put your copyright information into the image metadata.

Metadata is embedded text information in an image, and there is a section for copyright, so, put your name in it!!! This can be done in the import and/or export settings of your image processing software.

III) Watermarks

This was an interesting one for me, as I hated watermarks, especially the ones that go right across an image and basically ruin the image. In my opinion there was not point in those kind of marks, sure they will make it very difficult to use that image, but it ruins to an extent that defeats sharing it in the first place. I never saw the point in watermarks because the neat ones in unobtrusive places can be easily removed by cropping or healing in post. But after researching for this article, I have decided that I will start to incorporate them in my images (again). They do have a specific values!

They act as a business card. People will see the image and know it is yours!

IF someone takes your image and removes the watermark, this may make them liable to "statutory damages"!

In short, having the watermark means the person will have to remove it to use the image, and in doing so, they are intentionally ignoring your ownership.

IV) Keep RAW files

This is the final back-up and one you should do anyway. If there is every a dispute over ownership of an image the RAW files are another bit of evidence showing it is yours. All of the other sections can be removed, or ignored, but you having the RAW file is a strong argument. This is another reason why you should not share RAW files.

However...

The law, like life, is never that simple. There are also some situations that allows people to use your copyrighted image without notifying you OR breaking the law. These situations are under the definition of "Fair use" which includes their use for education, research, personal or when it benefits the public good in some way! These do sound a bit scary, but after thinking about it, I was surprisingly OK with them... If one of my images is used for education or research, then I am OK with it. Same for if someone has one of my images as their computer desktop (it has happened a lot), I hope they find it inspirational. The one that I am least comfortable with is for 'public good', but I guess what determines public good is for the courts to decide! This is where having your images only in low resolution will limiting what people can do is so important!

What to do if you they steal it

This is a very personal section, so I will just give you my opinion.

Knowing what we know above, if someone takes your image to use for education, research, personal or the 'great good of humanity', I would probably ask them to credit me. I would hope that they would do that. But other than that, there is very little / nothing I can do legally speaking (this will probably depend on every countries laws too).

However, if someone is clearly using my images ONLINE for personal gain, I would take the following actions:

Take screen shots of any unauthorised use first and foremost. This is your proof of wrong-doing

Contact them directly seeking for them to remove immediately

Report the unauthorised use to their ISP/social media provider etc. This could lead to them being removed from the platform

Name and shame them online - I would want to ruin the reputation that they built off of my work

Realistically, there is little I could conceive to gain through legal action.

But If I found someone selling my work, or making a clear profit from it, then I would seek legal council.

This is where having your images only in low resolution will limiting what people can do is so important!

The bottom line

I upload images to your site and link them to social media as a preference.

Only upload images at a web viewable resolution. That is large enough to be enjoyed but too small to be used for anything significant. - 1000x pixels for social media. Since there are situations where people can use your images legally, this will limit what use they can have.

Make sure you have you display your ownership via copyright information in the metadata of your image and watermarking them (discretely).

Never upload anything you don't want anyone to take, because at the end of the day, nothing on the internet is safe.

Let me know what you think in the comments. How do you protect your images? Do you see a need to? Have you ever encountered anyone using your images without your consent?

#BT

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john-rowell · 8 years ago

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On the road - Puglia

Not all images work in black and white, but this is one example when converting to B&W is a good option; high-contrast and high-ISO. I am writing a post on this subject, but since I just took this image I thought I would share it! :)

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john-rowell · 8 years ago

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Challenges every nature photographer has to overcome

Adding the unpredictability and uncontrollably of nature to the technical and artistic complexity of photography leads to a wealth of challenges. Here are a few I have had to face!

Finding subjects

Great, we want to take amazing photos of amazing animals... but where are they? You can spend a lot of time just trying to find the subject you want to photograph, let alone shooting them! The key to this is research, if there is a particular species you want to photograph, research it and it's behavior, it is the best chance you have for being in the right place at the right time, and snapping a few frames!

Being patient

So you think you know where the subject is? Now you need to wait, and wait, and wait for them to hopefully show up! Even if the subject makes an appearance, we have to patient for the right light, setting, pose etc... Learn to enjoy nature in general, so even when you are waiting, you are enjoying! Also, take pictures of the scene around you, and look closely as sometimes other subjects may catch your attention.

A good shot in bad light

Even if you find your subject, the chances of perfect lighting are slim... I mean seriously, it is like we need all the planets to align to get the perfect lighting. So learn how to take a good image in bad light. Think creatively and don't be restricted by your preconceived idea of what you want... how can you make lemonade out of the these lemons!

The weather

Hot or cold, wet or dry, being in nature means being in varied weather conditions... Dress appropriately, always take water and snacks with you and protect your gear. :)

Gear Envy

You are very happy with your kit and images, then some dude arrives with a lens so big you could take a close-up of a mosquito testicle on Mars... you can't help but be envious, and you previously great kit now seems inadequate. But we all need to remember, cameras and lenses are tools, every tool has a job, strength and weakness too. But the biggest component of how well a tool performs is how it is wielded. The best camera and lens in the world is useless without someone to use them.

Can't get close enough

We can't always get as close to our subject as we would like, and sometimes even the longest lens is just not enough. So in these situations, take a step back and see what image you can take.... think of these times as a creative opertunity to break out away from your plans and play the cards you are dealt... maybe you'll still win! :)

A perfectionist

Being a perfectionist is a double-edged sword. It can push you to better and better things, but it can also fog your mind, making you think you are not good enough. This can lead you to not enjoying your images. Enjoy your work, see how you can improve it, but don't get too competitive with yourself or others.

Post-processing

Especially when shooting in bad conditions, learning to post-process is a necessity if you want to make the best of your images. Yes it is another technical aspect of photography you need to learn, but it is vital, espcially if you are trying to deal with high-ISO situations

Finding A good angle

Trying to get the best angle for shooting wildlife can be tough, but it is possible. Plan ahead and pre-visualize the subjects movements or behavior and get in the right position ahead of time. Try to always get a close to eye level as possible.

Constantly changing lighting conditions

Unlike studio photography, we do not have any control over the lighting conditions when a wild subject decides to show up, and often the lighting conditions are constantly changing. Shade, direct light, cloud, sunset, sunrise... we have to deal with all and more in one outing. So you need to stay on-top of your camera settings, so that you can be ready for a spontaneous cameo from your subject. Read this for more advice... :)

The time commitment

It takes time to get good, a lot of it. This is a commitment you need to work into your lives and balence with other aspects of it. I once heard someone say "behind every wildlife photographer is a very patient and loving spouse".

Motivation when you are not in the action

Not all of us can spend our lives in the wilderness, and have to face the reality of modern life. I stay motivated by looking at images online, planning future trips and blogging! :) You also have all your images that you need to sort and process. Take a trip down memory lane by looking at all your old photos, you might rediscover some great works you had previously dismissed!

The bottom line

Nature and wildlife photography is tough, but for me, ultimately rewarding... all the time, effort and challanges makes those great images all the sweater. My adivce is enjoy the journy, becuse it is a long one!

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john-rowell · 8 years ago

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The myth of the long lens

The myth of the long lens!

Super telephoto-lenses are synonymous with sports and wildlife photography, and for very good reason. When you can't be right there in the thick of the action, they allow you to get optically closer. But a super-telephoto lens is the be all and end all, and are often misunderstood or not utilised to the best. Here are some of the misconceptions I have encountered around super-telephoto lenses.

For me a super-telephoto lens is 300mm or more, and a telephoto lens one that has a reach of up to 100-299mm

I) There can be only one!

A common misconception in wildlife photography is the need for a super-telephoto lens in the first place. This is not true. Sure, they allow you take a very specific genre of wildlife images, but there is a plethora of other images you can take without using a super-telephoto. Some of the most compelling images are taken at wide angle and/or from unique perspectives.

An example; the 2017 Natural History Museum Wildlife Photographers of the Year has just been announced (You can check it out here). Out of all the winning entries (adult category) only 1 used a super-telephoto lens, the canon 200-400mm, and that was using it at 200mm!

II) Longer is not always better!

The most important attribute of a lens is how well it can resolve an image, and not how long it is. Just because you have a 600mm lens does not mean it is better than a 400mm lens, it just means it is longer. There are many elements (pun intended) that make a good lens, and focal length is just one aspect. Resolving power, clarity, sharpness, distortion etc... play their part too. Personally, I would prefer to have a short lens with less reach but better image quality than the reverse. As I mentioned in part 1 a long lens is not essential, but a sharp lens is always better!

An example; A friend of mine wanted advance on buying a long lens. I recommended the Canon 100-400L, which when paired with his 7DII would yield excellent results (640mm equivalent). A few months later he bought a Sigma 150-600 lens, another good lens, and asked me why I had not recommended this lens to him since it was cheaper and longer! 1 month after that, he answered his own question. Despite 600mm being 50% longer than the 400mm, the image quality of the 400mm was more than 50% better. The result was he liked the image from the 100-400mm significantly more.

III) The myth of miles!

Super-telephoto lenses are not specifically designed for taking pictures of something a long way away, but they are for taking closer images of subjects at a medium distance. OK, yes you can take pictures of subjects further away, but that is not where the strengths of these lenses are. The best results from a long lens come from taking images of subjects at a medium distance and fill more of the frame with them. Images taken at a long distance, no matter the lens, has to tackle with air contamination, heat haze and light diffraction, all of which are rarely conducive to producing the best quality of images.

IV) Not a one trick pony!

The quintessential telephoto wildlife shot is a frame-filling portrait with a blurred background. These are great images, and we all want them, but that is not all a telephoto lens can do, a close-focus for near-macro images, landscapes, changes for composition, astro-photography, compressing the image (bringing distant elements close together).

The bottom line

Super-telephoto lenses have their place, but they are not essential to wildlife photography and should not stop you from going out there and taking fantastic images.

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john-rowell · 8 years ago

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2017 NHM Wildlife photographer of the year

This years winners of the coveted NHM Wildlife Photographer of the Year awards have been announced and do not disappoint! If you are looking for inspiration, I suggest you check it out here!

What I find most revealing is when you look at the lenses used to take these images. In the adult category, all but 1 of the images were taken with either Ultra-wide, wide or normal focal lengths, and the 1 image that used a super-telephoto lens (Canon 200-400mm), used it at the widest end!

The current trend is to get close and wide!

Out of all the images, the seahorse taken by Justin Hoffman was the one I found the most compelling. It is a beautiful yet ugly image in one, that tells a strong, clear message. Click the image for more details.

If you really like the image and want to support Justin, you can buy prints of it from his website.

Which was your favourite and why? Leave a comment and let me know!

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john-rowell · 8 years ago

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Salon de la Photo 2017

Salon de la Photo, Paris; 09 to 13/10/2017

Every year, there is a big Photography expo in Paris called "Salon de la photo". It is a goo doppertunity to try out lenses, look at technology and make see some great expositions. If you are interested in going, here are a couple of links for free entry ( Prices are normally 12€! ! :) They are in limited supply, so act now, and if you are not successful, try the other links!

Via Focus-numerique.com

Via DUNOD.com

Via Phototrend.fr

Via Nikonpassion.com

Via apprendre-la-photographie.net

Via competencephoto.com

I'll be going, so say hi if you see me! :)

There are a few links online, so let me know if you find more in the comments bellow!

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john-rowell · 8 years ago

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World Animal Day

Today is world animal day, a day designated to coagulating world efforts towards improving animal welfare through awarness!

Animal welfare, both captive and wild, is a continual issue as many of our fellow humans fail to recognise the fact that we share this planet with OTHER FORMS OF LIFE.

For more information on what you can do to improve animal welfare, click on the link below.

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john-rowell · 8 years ago

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How to take sharper photos!

How to take sharper Photos

We are always trying to get razor sharp images but sometimes it is difficult, especially if you don't know what your are doing wrong... There are many factors that could make an image sharp, more than I originally anticipated. Here are 20 tips that will help you get the sharpest image possible! To make things easier I have broken it down into 5 categories:

The Basics

Focusing system

Stabilization

Technique

Your gear

The Basics

The primary reason for not sharp images is not knowing how your camera work, so this first section is going to go over each of the core elements of taking an image and seeing how they affect the sharpness of your image.

1) Shutter speed

This is usually the prime reason for blurry images. The shutter speed as double impact on the image being blurry.

The first relates to the subject. When your shutter speed is slow, than you will get motion blur. If the subject is moving quickly then you you need a fast shutter speed to "freeze" the action and make a sharp subject (if that is what you are going for). Motion blur can create a great dimension to your image, but is not always desired. As a general rule of thumb, you will need ~1/1000.

The second is to do with you, and is called camera shake. If your shutter speed is slow, any movements YOU make, no matter how small, will blur the whole image. This is very evident the longer (or more telephoto) your lens is. The longer the lens the more camera shake you get. In order to avoid camera shake, a general rule of thumb is don't use a shutter speed lower than 1/focal length of the lens you are using. For example, if you are using a 300mm lens you should not use a shutter speed lower than 1/300, otherwise you risk camera shake. This is obviously not applicable for everyone, depending on your abilities, but is a good starting point to gage it for yourself.

If you have any questions about shutter speeds, read this!

2) Aperture

Often images are called blurry when in fact they are not, they have just not focused accurately. This is a problem with low f/number lenses as depth of field is so low, it is easy to miss the target. If this is happening to you one option is to use a narrower aperture (higher f/ number), this will give you a deeper depth of field and means more of your subject will be in focus. However, remember, by increasing the f/number, you're letting in less light and will need to reduce the shutter speed or increase the ISO accordingly! It is all a balance.

Different apertures will give different sharpness. Lenses are rarely sharpest wide open, and to get the sharpest image you can from a lens you will need to stop it down a bit. For example, if you have a 50mm f/1.8, it will be sharpest around f/2.8 to f/4. However, the sharpness will get worse again after the optimal aperture so higher is not always best. This is different for every lens, so you will just have to test it for yourself. :)

Rule of thumb : 2 stops slower is generally sharpest.

3) Keep your ISO low

The higher the ISO the lower the image quality is, sharpness included. So you always want to keep your ISO as low as possible. For more information on choosing your ISO, I suggest you read this post I did:

Focusing system

Another prominent reason for not sharp images is due to focusing, that is how the lens projects the light onto your cameras sensor. I regularly see great images ruined because of incorrect focusing, mainly due to the the focus not being where it should and thus making the subject not sharp! In this section I will go over ways to make sure your focus is spot-on!

4) Manual FOCUS (MF)

The main advantage of DSLRs is the ability to view your shots immediately on the LCD at the back... This revolutionized photography for the masses. It also has another great use, manual focus. You can use your cameras live-view feature and zoom in (10x for me) to get a very precise view, allowing you to manually focus with precision.

5) The right Focusing Mode

MF is the best way to guarantee correct focus, but it has a major drawback; it is horribly slooooooooow. So most of the time, we use the cameras auto-focus instead, but it is important to use the correct focusing mode.

Cameras also tend to have another mode, that is an "intelligent" blend of the two. Avoid it, as it guesses what you are trying to do, and sometimes will guess wrong.

There are basically two types of Focusing mode on a modern DSLR; a mode that focuses once when taking the image (OneShot/AF-S), and one that focusing continually (IServo/AF-C). Each has its place, and if not used correctly, does not work well.

For example, OneShot focusing on canon, will focus and then take the image. If you use this on a static subject, it works great and is very accurate, but if you use it on a moving subject (particularly one moving closer or away from you), by the time it takes the picture, the subject has moved position and it will miss the focus. Like everything there are pros and cons, but the bottom line is this:

Still/static subject - use OneShot/AF-S

Moving subject use IServo/AF-C.

A note on IServo : Some cameras have settings for finer control of IServo, if your camera can do this, you should look into this so you can get the best out of your camera!

6) Use Single Auto-focus (AF) point

Modern cameras are packed with AF points, but just because you have 64+ of them does not mean you should use them all at the same time. By changing your camera setting to use only 1 of your AF points, it will allow you to focus more precisely on what you want sharp.

The exception for this point is birds in flight... using just 1 AF point makes it very hard indeed.

7) The correct AF point

Following on from using a single AF point comes using the best AF point! Usually this is the one closest to the subject. It is important to place it over the EYE of the subject (if it has eyes, if not, well, the main point of interest). So select an AF point that gives you the composition you want, or as close possible. On another note, YOUR centre AF is usually the best one, so in low light conditions use that to focus, it will be the most accurate.

If you have not got a focus point where you exactly want it (a common problem), then use the closest AF point, focus, recompose the shot how you want it, and then press the shutter.

If you've not read it already, I recommend you read a post I did on how the AF system works, and why it fails in low light situations and on dark subjects.

8) Back button focus (BBF)

This is a little bit more advanced, but then again, if you can notice you're images are not as sharp as others, and want to improve, it is relevant to you! :) The default setting puts the focus button and shutter button together, meaning, when you "click" the camera will focus before taking the picture. This makes sense for beginners, but it limits your photography options. By separating the focus from the shutter, you have several advantages:

Don't have to switch between focus modes

If you have your AF mode set to continuous focus, back-button is a huge advantage. press it once and you get one-shot focus, hold it down and you have continuous focus. This can not be done when the focus is initiated by half-pressing the shutter button! No need to switch AF modes (as much).

Can manual focus at any time

Normally, to manual focus, you have to turn AF off on your lens (assuming it has it) and then you can manual focus. with BBF, you just don't focus and you can manual focus whenever you want, no need to change settings! (assuming your lens has full-time MF).

Easier to focus and recompose

If your AF point is not exactly where you want it, or if you are shooting in low light and using only your center point, you need to focus and recompose. In the standard situation, this involved awkwardly half-pressing the image and recomposing (which can only be done in one-shot by the way). I found that this lead to accidental shots, and many missed focuses as it is not a comfortable situation. With BBF, you press to focus, then move and press the shutter when-ever you want! :)

The Cons!

Like everything in life there are some down-sides... but for this situation, in my opinion, there are few. The main one being you will probably screw up some shots while getting use to the new settings, but this is minimal and I find people get used to it very quickly! The only other down-side I can think of, is if you give your camera to someone else to take a pic of your good self, their images won't focus, as the average Joe does not know BBF! :)

Stabilization

I've already mentioned camera shake in the very section of this post, and this whole section is linked to that... It is important to hold your camera still (relative to your subject) in order to get a sharp image.

9) OS/IS/VR/VC

If your lens has it, use image stabilization (or whatever your lens calls it). This is a clever bit of mechanics that reduces camera shake, allowing you to take stable images at up to 1/4 the normal shutter speed (1/25 instead of 1/100 for example). This will not, however, help with motion blur in your subject, so it only really helps with stationary or slow moving subjects!

When shooting moving images you might want to pan with your subject. For this kind of motion there is often a specific IS mode on your camera so that the IS does not interfere with your lens panning.

10) Hold your camera properly

Holding your camera correctly is important to get the best stability, reduce camera shake and get sharp images... It is also important for you, especially when you are using big heavy lenses, and avoiding injuring yourself! That is why I took the advice of chiropractor come photographer Shelly Lake in a previous post!

11) Squeeze the trigger, don't click it!

Clicking the shutter moves the camera, introducing camera shake, so squeeze it slowly, don't click it harshly! Mastering this will allow you to reduce your shutter speed if needed/appropriate.

12) Continuous shooting

Following on from above, I suggest using continuous shooting mode on your camera. Hold down and fire off more than 1 shot. This is particularly useful when at a less than ideal shutter speed, as the movement of pressing the shutter causes camera shake, and this way the 2nd, 3rd, 4th pics are more likely to be sharper...

13) Tripod

For situation where you need or can use a slow shutter speed (stars, landscapes etc...), a tripod is a requirement. A Tripod is not really applicable for fast moving subjects (other than to rest your tired arms) since to get the subject sharp, you would need a shutter-speed so high that stabilization is less of an issue. However, it will allow you to use ANY shutter speed you need or want without introducing camera shake as long as you consider the following:

It is a good quality tripod, you want a good solid base for your camera that can easily hold the weight of your camera and lens.

Remember to turn the stabilization off on your lens when you mount your camera on a tripod. It can actually introduce camera shake in this situation, by trying to correct shakes that are not there!

Use a remote/shutter release, because even on a tripod you can still get camera shake from pressing the shutter button. If you don't have a remote, put the camera on a self-timer, so it has time to 'stabilize' before taking the picture.

Sometimes even the 'slap' of a DSLR mirror is enough to add blur to your image. So use mirror lock-up or shoot in live-view to avoid this.

The heavier your tripod is, the more stable it is from the wind... so add your bag to it!

If you don't have a tripod, use a wall, bean bag, towel or anything that will hold your camera still.

Techniques

These are some other tips, and to be honest I couldn't think of a good name for them, so I just called it techniques. :)

14) Find Good lighting

The better the light, the more options we have for getting the sharpest images. So try finding better light. this could me moving your safari jeep to a better vantage point or putting the subject in a different location. Good lighting makes photography easy, and will let you get the best image possible. Trying to get a sharp image in sub-optimal conditions is a lot harder, so make it easy on yourself.

In this case it was of my wife using an iPhone6... not known for their low-light prowess, so we moved so we could use the light from a restaurant window to increase the image quality and sharpness in turn.

More light generally means more options.

15) Use a flash

Using a flash is another technique that will help you get sharper images, particularly with portraits. It will all you to control the light on your subject and let you use camera settings (shutter speed, aperture, ISO) that will give you sharper images!

16) Don't be afraid of high ISO

Good lighting is will make a lot of difference to your images but we are not always in control of it. In situations like in wildlife photography, where we still need a high shutter speed, the only option is to increase the ISO. Noise and image quality in high ISO images can be dealt with (at least a little) in post-processing, motion blur/camera shake can not. So, I'd rather have a higher ISO image that captures the action, than a low ISO blurry mess! :) Like all settings in your camera, we are balancing the positive and negative aspects to get the best result we can. For more information on how to take better images at high ISO check this out!

17) Get closer

The closer you are to your subject, the sharper the image will be. There are are a couple of reasons for this:

The less air between you and the subject, the less the air is reducing your image quality (including sharpness). This may not sound significant, but when you are taking pictures of distant objects on a hot day, all that haze kills your image sharpness

The details are bigger, so the image looks sharper

The closer you are, the less camera shake effects the image (the same applies with wide angle lenses)

Your gear

A camera and lens for a photographer is like a saucepan and cooker for a chef. A chef can cook a fantastic meal with anything, and having the best saucepans and cookers does not make someone a Michelin starred chef. However, better pans and cookers does make it easier to make a delicious meal when you know what you are doing! Along this philosophy, I would recommend mastering everything above before considering this last section.

18) Lens

If you are doing everything correctly above, and your images are still not as sharp as you want, you might want to look into upgrading your lens! Lenses have the biggest impact on image quality and retain their value... You can use the same lens on several subsequent camera bodies.

Better lenses are sharper and often provide better stabilization. But, with great quility comes great prices, they are also very expensive!

If you have the best possible lens and your images are still not sharp... It's you! :P

19) Camera

To a lesser extent than a lens, your camera can also improve the sharpness of your images. So for peak sharpness changing your camera can make a difference, but get the best lenses first!

Here are several key factors of your camera that make a difference to sharpness:

Sensor size - From my opinion the biggest difference comes with using a full-frame camera vs a crop-sensor camera. Full-frame gives you the best and sharpest images, if you know what you are doing of course!

The AF system - The best cameras have the best AF systems. They are faster at focusing your lens, can see better the in the dark and are more accurate. They can be optimized more and will might have more AF points spread more across the frame. All of these together might help you get sharper images.

ISO performance - Newer cameras have better high ISO performance... this will increase the quality of your images at higher ISO's. And of course you ability to have a usable image at a higher ISO will allow you to balance your shutter speed and aperture accordingly to get the best result.

Megapixels - The more megapixels you have the more detail in your image, and the sharper it can be. But be warned, this is only true if you have VERY GOOD LENSES.

20) Camera/lens pairing

Sometimes a lens is not perfectly aligned with the camera. The result of this is that the final image is slightly front-focussed (focusses slightly in-front of the subject) or back-focussed (focuses slightly behind the subject). This is only really noticeable when you have a narrow depth-of-field, and is rarely a problem. I have only ever experienced it once.

But don't fear, this focusing problem can be fixed in most high-end cameras using Auto-Focus Micro Adjustments (AFMA). AFMA allows you to readjust this setting to optimise your lens and camera pairing by telling the cameras AF system how to compensate for this error. This is not a quick and easy topic to go over, so i suggest you look up the specifics for your camera. Canon made a nice guide for this... you can check it out by clicking on the image below. :)

The bottom line:

There are a lot of factors that can contribute to an image being sharp or not. You will have to figure out which one will help you!

There is another factor to sharp images, and that is to process them correctly. I'm working on a post about that now. :)

Leave a comment if you found this useful or if you have any other nuggets of wisdom to share! :)

#BT #sharp

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john-rowell · 8 years ago

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Festival International Nature Namur

Two of my images (below) have been selected to be exposed at the upcoming Festival International Nature Namur as part of their photography competition. If you are planning on going, let me know, I'll be there at the weekend! :)

THE PROGRAM

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john-rowell · 8 years ago

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The Dark Tower

People crowd the streets and bridges to watch the amazing fireworks display next the iconic Eiffel tower in Paris, France on Bastille day.

I moved far from the event, and waited for the fireworks to finish, because as a resident in Paris, I see the tower lit-up every night, so seeing the dark tower has greater impact on me. The dark tower shrouded in the residual smoke and not yet brought back to life.

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john-rowell · 8 years ago

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The Vanishing Stripes

Back in 2015, I was contacted about using one of my images in a book... Fast forward 2 years and the book has finally been published! :)

Check out the rest of blurb....

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john-rowell · 8 years ago

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#WorldEnvironmentDay be #withNature

May is typically my month off... It's never planned that way, but for some reason, I end up being extremely busy in May, and not blog much... this year was no different. Howeever, now it is June, and blogging is back in swing again, and what a great way to start again, with #WorldEnvironmentDay.

World Environment Day

It is all about being with nature. This is our planet, our nature our environment. We share it with many other amazing and beautiful living creatures.... From tadpoles to tigers, mice to monkeys, grass to great oaks, you will find nature all around your everywhere. Enjoy it, save it.

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john-rowell · 8 years ago

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Malta and Gozo

Recently returned from a trip to Malta and Gozo. Here is a selection of my images! :)

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john-rowell · 8 years ago

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The final element : exposure compensation!

I have previously spoken about the corner-stones of photography; ISO, Aperture and Shutter speed. These three things are essential for you to understand so you can master photography, and take the images you want. Together, they are referred to as "the exposure triangle".

I have never liked the exposure triangle for one main reason. All three elements are combined to make an exposure, but it is all for nought if you don't know what the exposure should be! To me it is only one side of the equation, and without the other side, how can you balance it?

The problem

Cameras are dumb! They have no idea what you are shooting and what your creative direction is. When your camera analyses a scene it will empirically calculate the 'exposure' based on maths. It will see a scene and do one of two things.

If you are in ANY mode other than Manual (M) it will change the settings to produce an exposure that IT THINKS IS BEST!

If you are in M mode, it will tell you whether IT THINKS IT IS OVER- OR UNDER-EXPOSED! This is the little bar you see in your viewfinder or on the LCD.

The problem comes down to what your camera thinks is best, and it thinks 18% grey is best! Your camera will look at the scene and change the settings to get a nice average exposure in the midpoint of the histogram, also known as 18% grey. Or if you are in M mode, tell you what exposure you have relative to that average (what it calls 0). So, if this is a problem, why are cameras designed to do this? Well most of the time it works, well, but there are certain situations that it does not deal with well and you have to intervene.

Exposure Compensation (EC)

EC is a function in your camera that will allow you to adjust what is the correct exposure. It basically will tell the camera to make the image lighter or darker. It is only really relevant for NON MANUAL MODE, but the principles do also apply for when you use manual mode and you are fully deciding the exposure yourself. In order to fully use and understand EC I suggest reading my post on what is a stop of light. It is not essential, but will help you fully understand.

There are 5 situations where EC is very useful, if not required to get a good image.

I. When the scene is bright or dark

In light scenes like snow or on a beach, your camera will underexpose it. Basically it thinks "wow, there is a lot of light in this scene, i had better reduce it to get my lovely comfortable 18% average". The same is true in the reverse situations like night shots and indoor, your camera will try to over-expose the image. This is where EC comes in. In this situation I think of it as telling the camera how bright or dark the scene is. For example, when shooting at night, if I let the camera do what it wanted, it would make the image too bright. So I use EC to tell my camera, "hey this scene is actually 2 stops of light darker than you think". This way it will give me an image that is representative to what I see.

To help, here is a table of rough starting points for different scenes. This is only a starting point as to how much EC you need to apply in order to get closer to reality.

II. When your subject is brighter or darker than the scene

I'm sure you have (as have I) taken a picture of someone and gotten a silhouette of them against a nicely exposed sky. This is a prime example of your camera not knowing the scene and you need to use EC to get the correct exposure on your subject. This happens when your subject is only a smart part of the scene and is a lot lighter or darker than the rest of the scene.

III. To get the best Dynamic range

This is often just a minor adjustment, but I do use EC to make sure I have as much dynamic range as possible. Looking at the histogram, I adjust the exposure to minimize clipping and thus giving me more to work with in post-processing.

IV. Increase shutter-speed

I almost left this out, as it is a bit of a cheat and is no optimal, but EC is a dirty way to increase your shutter-speed when in Aperture Priority mode. I have found this method useful, as it is sometimes quicker to change the EC than to change all your settings. For example, if you had a shutter speed of 1/250, using EC to drop the exposure by 1-stop (- 1 EV), you would increase your shutter speed to 1/500. That - 1 EV can be recovered in post-processing if needed. This is not ideal, but a useful consideration. I also find that it is in dark situations when I am struggling to get the shutter speed, so it makes sense to under-expose anyway... So you are making the scene more representative and increasing your shutter speed too.

V. Creativity

Often, we want to under- or over-expose images in order to achieve our creative goals. EC does exactly this! It will allow you to alter the image away from the camera derived 'norm' to create the image you want. One of my favourite examples is back lighting. To get this effect you have underexpose the image globally so you keep the detail in the highlighted section. Sunsets also look better (in my opinion) slightly under-exposed.

How to use EC!

I'm not going to tell you how to use your camera, as you have manuals for that. So look up how you camera changes EC (or search youtube for exposure compensation and your camera model). Generally speaking you will press a button on your camera, and use a dial to change the value. But remember depending on the camera mode, EC will change your settings differently.

Use the histogram

The histogram on your camera is one of the most useful tools you have. Your LCD can lie to you, but your histogram can not. So use it. this will tell you where most things are in terms of brightness. Identify where on the histogram your subject is and then make sure that this portion is not clipped. Always check your histogram to make sure you have compensated appropriately.

Auto-Exposure Bracketing (AEB)

Exposure bracketing is a technique on your camera, that will take several pictures (usually 3, but can be more) + or - Ev from what your camera thinks is normal. If in doubt, this is a good way to make sure you get as close to perfect in your camera as you can. it will also allow you to stack images later or do a HDR if you need.

Learn from post-processing

Post-processing is not only an essential part of perfecting great images, but can also be used a a learning tool. If you find yourself changing the exposure, recovering the highlights or increasing the shadows of your image it could be because you did not nail the exposure. Learn from this, and you can get a better starting image next time you are in a similar situation.

The Bottom line

EC tells your camera how bright the scene is from the 'ideal'

Over-expose in bright conditions

Under-expose in dark conditions

Use the histogram to check you have compensated correctly!

#BT #b2b

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