March 2010 | iPhoto | Digital Definition for Photographers

DIY Large-Scale Wooly Willy Table

On Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Our son is enamored with his Magna-Doodle right now so he would probably flip if he saw this homemade Wooly Willy table. All his little friends would just be clamoring for playdates if we made one ourselves not to mention the draw it would be for cocktail party fun for adults.

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Nissin PS 300 Power Pack for flashes

On Wednesday, March 31, 2010

PS 300 Power Pack is the codename of the latest electronic flash developed by Kenro.

The good thing about using the Nissin PS 300 Power Pack is that the flash recycle time is reduced by a quarter oof the normal time. This units is powered by a NiMH battery of 7.2V which provides close to 300 flashes per charge.

Paul Kench of Kenro, comments:

It enables photographers to shoot rapidly with their flash without worrying about long recycle times, meaning they?re more likely to get their desired image, especially in demanding presentation photography situations.

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Full story at http://www.image-acquire.com/nissin-ps-300-power-pack-for-flashes/

Kata Pro-Light Beetle 282 backpack

On Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Kata has recently presented a new backpack for all the photo enthusiasts which will most likely please them not only in style but also in functionality.

As you can see on the image, the Kata Pro-Light Beetle 282 backpack is pretty stylish and spacious, it can hold up to 3 DLRS cameras, a few lenses, a couple of accessories, and even a 17-inch laptop. There are different configurations of the bag but in “empty mode” it should weight close between 2Kg to 3Kg. According to Kata this backpack was made in regulation with the latest carry-on baggage for flights.

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Full story at http://www.image-acquire.com/kata-pro-light-beetle-282-backpack/

An Introduction to Smoke Photography

On Wednesday, March 31, 2010

In this post Amar Ramesh introduces us to the mystical world of smoke photography.

After I got hooked to smoke photography, the one question that has been constantly running through my mind these past few months has been ‘What else can I do with smoke?’. Smoke, otherwise an unwanted by-product of combustion, is actually a great subject for photography.

The fact that the subject is not totally under your control is what makes smoke photography such a challenging job but at the same time, the challenges posed have only fueled my creativity. Finding subjects that fit the smoke pattern or trying to come up with a smoke pattern that matches the subject that you already have is a fascinating challenge.

This limitation to create a combination improves the creativity to a larger extent. You can almost call it ‘the art of seeing hidden images’.�

On a very high level the idea behind these pictures is very simple. It is made of two pictures.

First, a picture of the smoke. Depending on the shape and form of the smoke, find an object that would fit the shape and form of the smoke.

Now merge these two pictures in photoshop. I’ll not go in detail on how to shoot the objects here as there are hundreds of tutorials out there online. From a small box setup to a studio setup there are so many ways to do that. You can select what fits your style.

Below I’m going to concentrate on the taking of smoke pictures.�

Smoke Photography: Setup

The setup for smoke photography is relatively simple. Here’s what you need:

a power controllable flash (in my case, it was an 580 EX II)

a DSLR with any good lens, though a macro lens would make things a lot easier.

Although you can get smoke from various sources, I feel incense sticks fit our needs best because they not only give out smoke with a good form and texture, they are also harmless.

A tripod is required if you are not comfortable at setting the focus and changing the composition. I always focus on the edge of the incense stick and recompose my frame for the smoke.

A table lamp pointed on the smoke helps in focussing.

A black cloth for the backdrop. Two small black sheets that can form a rectangular snoot and last but not least, a wireless trigger.�

Smoke Photography: Procedure

Start by fixing the black back drop to the wall. Place the incense stick a foot away from the back drop. Do not light it yet.

Now position the table lamp such that it points at the tip of the incense stick. It can be placed either to the left or right side (at either the 3′o clock or the 9′o clock angle) of the incense stick.

Now place the strobe on the opposite side (of the table map) at half a foot distance from the incense stick. Adjust the flash to 1/16th of the power and depending on the output image, you can reduce or increase it.

Now you can place the black cards on either side of the strobe so that light from the strobe does not spill out to the back drop.

Now light the incense stick and start the smoke. If possible place the entire setup in a place where you have good ventilation so that your room is not smoked out.

Switch on the table lamp.

Set your camera to manual focus and start the aperture at f8.0 and shutter speed at 1/200th of a second (below your sync speed).

Shoot in RAW format. Start clicking and get some great smoke pictures.

Gently blow the smoke to get different forms and shapes. Once you are done with this, you can let your imagination run wild by placing 2 or 3 incense sticks that in turn should produce smoke of completely different shapes.

Once you are done with shooting the smoke pictures, it is time to proceed to the post-processing part of this fun exercise.

Smoke Photography: Post Processing

Open the picture in adobe RAW. You increase the black a little bit if you feel there is some spill light in the picture. Adjust contrast and exposure until you are satisfied.

Open the image in photoshop and make a duplicate layer. Select paintbrush and set your foreground to black and paint out the unwanted smoke in the picture.

That’s it. You have a smoke picture. If you want to color it try Hue & Saturation adjustment layer.

Also try to play with colorize option under the same adjustment layer.

If you want to make the background white, Go to Image > Adjustments > Inverse. This will make the background white.

Again like any other photography, you can always break the rules and still come up with extraordinary pictures. Play around until you are satisfied.

I hope this post has been helpful and good luck with your smoke photography.

Amar Ramesh is an emerging photographer from Redmond WA, USA. Photography, to him is a passion with infinite opportunities and he loves to share the lessons and tips that he learned with others. Portfolio | Twitter | Facebook Fan Page | Flickr

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An Introduction to Smoke Photography

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2 Must Have E-Books to Inspire You

On Wednesday, March 31, 2010

At dPS we’re committed to helping our readers learn about different aspects of their craft. We do this primarily through the creation of tutorials here on our blog and via the occasional production of dPS e-books that explore topics on a deeper level than we can in a single blog post.

We’re not the only ones with this goal and love to promote others with a similar vision.

Recently we’ve been impressed by two new e-books that we think will help many of our readers. I particularly like both because they are not just about the technicalities of photography but hit the heart with their approach – inspirational stuff.

The Magic of Black & White Photography (Part 1)

This newest addition to David DuChemin’s Craft and Vision range of e-books is by Andrew S. Gibson.

As the title suggests, it is an exploration of the topic of black and white photography.

It is the first part in a two part series of e-books – this one looks at topics such as ‘what makes a great black and white photograph’, ‘what to look for when learning to ’see’ in monochrome, ‘elements of a black and white image’ and ‘potential subjects for black and white photographs’.

This is a 58 page pdf e-book and it is selling for the amazing price of just $5 USD.

Grab a copy of this black and white photography resource here.

Taj Mahal – a Photographer’s Approach

This short e-book (it’s only an 18 page pdf – but they’re good) covers photographer Bruce Percy’s approach to photographing the Taj Mahal in India.

It is not a technical book but rather is (as Bruce says) ‘an essay on attitude’ that I think would be applicable to photographers tackling all kinds of subjects.

Chapters cover a range of topics including work on ‘Simplification’ (remove, reduce, isolate), ‘Suggestion’ (make of a scene what you will), ‘Connection’ (emotional intelligence), ‘Reportage’ (story over aesthetics) and ‘Interpretation’ (visualisation and response).

There are plenty of beautiful images and I was left at the end rather inspired but also with a bigger desire than ever to visit India.

Taj Mahal – a Photographers Approach is �8 (approximately $11.90 USD).

Note: Bruce has another e-book on the way called ‘Simplifying Composition’ that looks fantastic.

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2 Must Have E-Books to Inspire You