# Technique...



## mkabi (Oct 28, 2013)

I just learned the "Rule of Thirds," which I really didn't know about till 2 of my friends were arguing about it 2 days ago. So out of curiosity, I decided to check it out now. I was surprised, cause I was framing my pictures and videos like that unconsciously. 

I learned a lot of different types of techniques via youtube, especially with DigitalRev.
Long Exposure, Double Exposure, IR photography, Prism Photography, etc.

I'm sure given that many of the members here are professional photographers. I was hoping that you can share a technique or two with the forum? Unless you think that what you do is a trade secret.


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## jdramirez (Oct 28, 2013)

Some people will hate this... but if I am shooting a fast moving target, I will shoot in the center of the frame using the most sensitive AF points and snap away... and then I crop after the fact. Seriously... I don't need all 24 megapixels to make a great print... so I sacrifice a bunch to get the shot I want.


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## Don Haines (Oct 28, 2013)

jdramirez said:


> Some people will hate this... but if I am shooting a fast moving target, I will shoot in the center of the frame using the most sensitive AF points and snap away... and then I crop after the fact. Seriously... I don't need all 24 megapixels to make a great print... so I sacrifice a bunch to get the shot I want.



I do the same... It is a lot easier to work on composition and framing at home than out in the action...

Another rule of thumb is for shutter speed... go faster than 1/focal length. For a 200mm lens you need to be faster than 1/200 of a second....for 50mm, faster than 1/50th of a second.... and so on...

Another tip... lean on things..... rest your camera against a tree, on a railing, on a door... anything to help steady it for long focal length shots... if you are on a tripod set the shutter to delay mode to eliminate camera shake.... everything that works for the way you shoot is good.


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## jdramirez (Oct 28, 2013)

Don Haines said:


> jdramirez said:
> 
> 
> > Some people will hate this... but if I am shooting a fast moving target, I will shoot in the center of the frame using the most sensitive AF points and snap away... and then I crop after the fact. Seriously... I don't need all 24 megapixels to make a great print... so I sacrifice a bunch to get the shot I want.
> ...



To expand on yours... since you gave me a bit of inspiration... if you work in manual or aperture priority, think of the aperture and depth of field first. If you want a shallow depth of field, open up the aperture and vice versa. Think of that first before adjusting shutter speed and iso... but yes... get your shutter speed up to the 1/(focal length) at least. 

Know where your gear is the sharpest, but don't be bound by it. If your lens is sharpest at f/8, but you want a shallow depth of field, around f/2.8... then go to f/2.8. If everyone took shots at f/8, it would be really boring because most images would look like really sharp camera phone images with practically everything in focus. 

I am constantly leaning on things. Don't be afraid to use your own body as support. Put and elbow on the ground, or both elbows on your knees. That tends to be more stable. Also... press that view finder against your face. The red mark will go away... eventually.

I have a wired and a wireless shutter release... don't be afraid to get redundant accessories... because they have their place in your bag... and when you need to use a 2 body set up and one body is around yoru neck and the other is 100 feet across the stadium... you are going to be glad you had the wireless one.


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## Famateur (Oct 28, 2013)

mkabi said:


> I was hoping that you can share a technique or two with the forum...



You might check out Mike Browne's YouTube channel. His teaching style is easy to digest and his videos cover all the basics and then some. If you start with his older videos and work your way up to the newest, the videos will build on one another and make more sense as you gain knowledge.

Other channels you might check out include those from Adorama and B&H Photo. You'll find everything from 5-minute videos on a particular technique to 1 1/2 hour workshops that go into great detail.

I hope this is helpful...


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## mkabi (Oct 28, 2013)

Famateur said:


> mkabi said:
> 
> 
> > I was hoping that you can share a technique or two with the forum...
> ...



Will look them up....


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## mkabi (Oct 28, 2013)

jdramirez said:


> Don Haines said:
> 
> 
> > jdramirez said:
> ...



Speaking of which, I do a lot of video, and manual focusing is a big thing for me...
Bokeh and/or follow focus is cool and everything, but it requires a lot of time and concentration when using MF. My point is f/4 (or is it f/8?) and above, will make everything in focus if you're on the run.


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## Menace (Oct 28, 2013)

If you are addicted to bokeh - check out the "Brenizer Method".


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## paul13walnut5 (Oct 28, 2013)

mkabi said:


> Speaking of which, I do a lot of video, and manual focusing is a big thing for me...
> Bokeh and/or follow focus is cool and everything, but it requires a lot of time and concentration when using MF. My point is f/4 (or is it f/8?) and above, will make everything in focus if you're on the run.



No it wont.

If you have an UWA lens set to hyperfocal distance & f8 with no very close subjects then yeah, possibly everything will appear acceptably sharp. But your video will be a collection of wide angle shots.

If you use a longer focal length then f8 won't get you all that far in terms of safe focus zone.

If you shoot in low light, then f8 won't get you a lot of EV.

Back to square one I'm afraid.


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## mkabi (Oct 31, 2013)

paul13walnut5 said:


> mkabi said:
> 
> 
> > Speaking of which, I do a lot of video, and manual focusing is a big thing for me...
> ...



Fair enough, yes... most would be a collection of wide angle shots. And, bare in mind that every lens has a minimum distance before it becomes blurry as you get closer.

But then again, this is if you're in a hurry and no one is willing to wait for focusing and you can only get whatever they allow you to shoot. For example, a friend of mine asked me to do a behind the scenes of their photoshoot. I had a maximum of 30 min. and all the footage I can get within that 30 min., I had the 24-70mm at whatever distance at f/8 and above...


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## mkabi (Oct 31, 2013)

Just so that I am clear. Technique supersedes technology in this case... you can have whatever body (brand is not an issue), whatever lens, whatever light... and even if you know this technique... its about how creative you get with it.

For example...

Long Exposure
Cool Long Exposure Photography Ideas

IR photography
How to do Digital Infrared Photography

Double Exposure
How to do cool Double Exposure Portraits

Flash Photography?
How to: Flash Photography - Bikini Powder Girl

Light Painting Photography
How to do Light Painting

Sorry, I'm not a digitalrev fanboy or employee.... I just saw these over other people providing similar videos on youtube.


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## Actionpix (Oct 31, 2013)

When doing action photography try 10/focal length as shutter speed. The trick is taking minimum 3 shots in burst. When you are tracking a movement mostly up and down movement is not wanted. Up and down means up and down. With no movement in the up turn and no movement in the down turn. Every movement has two stop points. Taking 3 pictures creates a good change of hitting a stop point. Having one good shot is luck. Taking 3 shots is math. (But this realy is a secret.)


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## mackguyver (Oct 31, 2013)

I like to point people to http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/ to learn their way around most of the concepts of photography.

The hardest thing but most valuable thing to learn is using focal length for perspective instead of just framing. It's not a natural concept, but one you realize how to use it, it adds a whole new dimension to your photography. It's simple in theory - wide angles make everything look further apart and telephotos compress. Unfortunately it's hard to actually visualize it. The thing that helps most is looking at a subject and deciding how big or small you want objects in the background to be. For example, if you are shooting a building with a fountain and want the fountain to be big with the building off in the distance, use a wide angle (like a 24mm) lens and get close to the fountain. On the other hand, if you want the building to look bigger (maybe towering over the fountain), then you'd step back and switch to a telephoto lens (like a 200m) to achieve that effect. A normal lens (like a 50mm) would balance the two.

In the example, the first example would emphasize the fountain - which would be great if it was a beautiful fountain. If the fountain was boring and the building beautiful, you'd want to emphasize the building, and finally, if they are both great, you'd use a normal lens.

Being able to use focal length perspective to emphasize subject is one of the most important skills you can have for commercial work.


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## AcutancePhotography (Oct 31, 2013)

Actionpix said:


> When doing action photography try 10/focal length as shutter speed.



I think you got that backwards. 

If the FL is 100mm, the "traditional" rule is 1/f for shutter speed. In this case it would be 1/100 

Using your formula of 10/f with the same lens it would be 10/100 or 1/10th second. Unless you are going for a lot of blur, I don't think that is good for action shots.

Perhaps you meant 1/10f. In the example of a 100mm lens that would result in a 1/1000th second which may be too fast for action shots where freezing is not desired.


Being a shaky guy, I tend to shoot hand held at 1/2f as my slowest shutter speed.


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## mkabi (Oct 31, 2013)

AcutancePhotography said:


> Actionpix said:
> 
> 
> > When doing action photography try 10/focal length as shutter speed.
> ...



I think he wants the blur???
Its more artistic, if you can keep the subject sharp but all other actions like the swing of a kick during a game of soccer to be left blurry? You can do this in post too... 

Some times you just have to experiment and see what comes out of it.


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## Grumbaki (Nov 1, 2013)

A technique advice would actually to get a compass in you eye.

Not litterally but I strongly advocate learning to
- read/evaluate the distance between you and subjects
- know what distance you need for full body, torso, shoulder and head portrait
- know the DoF at the widest aperture for those situations

This is mainly for prime work but my output and keeper rate improved greatly with that.

Also I was a strong Av advocate but forcing myself to go full M (not focus, I'm not masochistic) improved creativity in the shoots but voluntarly over/under exposing some shoots or some boring part of the frame.

Next for me to learn is BBF.


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## Valvebounce (Nov 1, 2013)

Hi Grumbaki
Not hard to learn back button focus, it has been said before, just set up the cfn then stick with it for a week, after that you will probably know if you get on with it or not. I found it was best to use single shot with beep on until you program the brain to BBF no beep you forgot to focus. Also be aware that you can trip the shutter whilst OOF with BBF. 

Cheers Graham.



Grumbaki said:


> A technique advice would actually to get a compass in you eye.
> 
> Not litterally but I strongly advocate learning to
> - read/evaluate the distance between you and subjects
> ...


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## Marsu42 (Nov 1, 2013)

mkabi said:


> I just learned the "Rule of Thirds," which I really didn't know about till 2 of my friends were arguing about it 2 days ago. So out of curiosity, I decided to check it out now. I was surprised, cause I was framing my pictures and videos like that unconsciously.



Rule of thirds can indeed result in pleasing composition - often I also find myself framing for this or the golden ratio.

However, afaik there is _absolutely no evidence_ that you *need* to use any rules, or 2:3 framing for that matter. That's because if you think the other way around - "what makes great pictures great pictures?" - they all follow *some* composition rule, but simply because there are so many "rules" that are supposed to result in a good picture. The rules are nice to know and try if you're clueless about some scene, but I wouldn't let myself get too distracted with them or you'll simply produce boring stock shots.


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## J.R. (Nov 1, 2013)

I know I am going to sound like a pedant but there are too many people with poor posture while taking photos. 

I see this all the time while attending photowalks. People tend to shoot like overgrown bats with elbows away from their bodies. Bad posture results in too many OOF shots that people can possibly imagine. 

My system is simple, elbows tucked in, balance body against anything that is available (if possible) and don't breathe while taking a shot.


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## J.R. (Nov 1, 2013)

Marsu42 said:


> Rule of thirds can indeed result in pleasing composition - often I also find myself framing for this or the golden ratio.



I find that I usually try to frame for the rule of the thirds but when I'm lazy in composition, I find myself *cropping *for the rule of the thirds  

There is no problem breaking this rule but it should be done only if there is good reason to do so.


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## Valvebounce (Nov 1, 2013)

J.R. said:


> I know I am going to sound like a pedant but there are too many people with poor posture while taking photos.
> 
> I see this all the time while attending photowalks. People tend to shoot like overgrown bats with elbows away from their bodies. Bad posture results in too many OOF shots that people can possibly imagine.
> 
> My system is simple, elbows tucked in, balance body against anything that is available (if possible) and don't breathe while taking a shot.



Hi J.R. 
I'll give you a +1 on that, I love the people that zoom in or out by leaning rather than take a step. Sometimes they lean so far that you can see the muscle tremors from the strain as wall as the bad posture sway. Must be a miracle if they get in focus pics. 

Cheers Graham.


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## docholliday (Nov 1, 2013)

Valvebounce said:


> J.R. said:
> 
> 
> > I know I am going to sound like a pedant but there are too many people with poor posture while taking photos.
> ...



Actually, slowly and smoothly exhaling while firing the shutter gets less motion than holding the breath. 2 second handheld shots on my Hasselblad doing this!


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## J.R. (Nov 1, 2013)

docholliday said:


> Valvebounce said:
> 
> 
> > J.R. said:
> ...



Not when you have tucked in your elbows into your beer belly... No sir. 

That reminds me, I need to get back in shape.  :-[


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## unfocused (Nov 1, 2013)

Now that you've learned about the "rule" of thirds. Do your best to forget it!

Unfortunately, a great quote by Edward Weston has often been bastardized to emphasize the importance of "good" composition. But, doing so requires that the quote be misquoted, taken out of context and used to justify the very thing Weston opposed.

Here's what you may have read: "Composition is the strongest way of seeing."

Here is what Weston actually wrote:



> ...Now to consult rules of composition before making a picture is a little like consulting the law of gravitation before going for a walk. Such rules and laws are deduced from the accomplished fact; they are the products of reflection and after-examination, and are in no way a part of the creative impetus. When subject matter is forced to fit into preconceived patterns, there can be no freshness of vision. *Following rules of composition can only lead to a tedious repetition of pictorial cliches.*
> 
> Good composition is only the strongest way of seeing the subject. It cannot be taught because, like all creative effort, it is a matter of personal growth... [the photographer's] greatest asset is the directness of the process he employs. But this advantage can only be retained if he simplifies his equipment and technique to the minimum necessary, and keeps his approach free from all formula, art-dogma, rules, and taboos...


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## brad-man (Nov 1, 2013)

unfocused said:


> Now that you've learned about the "rule" of thirds. Do your best to forget it!
> 
> Unfortunately, a great quote by Edward Weston has often been bastardized to emphasize the importance of "good" composition. But, doing so requires that the quote be misquoted, taken out of context and used to justify the very thing Weston opposed.
> 
> ...



an·ar·chy \ˈa-nər-kē, -ˌnär-\
: a situation of confusion and wild behavior in which the people in a country, group, organization, etc., are not controlled by rules or laws...

Merriam Webster


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## David_in_Seattle (Nov 1, 2013)

Here are a few tips for beginners:
[list type=decimal]
[*]Don't be afraid of using a flash. Instead, get comfortable with using a flash on/off camera and learn how to shape light within a given scene. Remember when incorporating a flash you need to keep in mind that you are making adjustments for 2 separate exposures within the same shot. The first for the ambient light and the second for the amount of light you want to output from your flash(es).
[*]After you've become comfortable using a flash, explore the basic types of lighting for portraiture. Paramount, loop, split, rembrandt, and profile. This will provide enough knowledge and experience to help you customize your own setup to illustrate your vision.
[*]Every lens has a sweet spot. Gain an understanding of the specific limitations and advantages of every lens you use. This will help you understand what type of lens you should use given environmental conditions, distance to subject, desired depth of field, and creative vision.
[/list]


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## unfocused (Nov 1, 2013)

brad-man said:


> unfocused said:
> 
> 
> > Now that you've learned about the "rule" of thirds. Do your best to forget it!
> ...



Hurray for anarchy. It makes for much more interesting art.


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## mkabi (Nov 1, 2013)

David_in_Seattle said:


> Here are a few tips for beginners:
> [list type=decimal]
> [*]Don't be afraid of using a flash. Instead, get comfortable with using a flash on/off camera and learn how to shape light within a given scene. Remember when incorporating a flash you need to keep in mind that you are making adjustments for 2 separate exposures within the same shot. The first for the ambient light and the second for the amount of light you want to output from your flash(es).
> [*]After you've become comfortable using a flash, explore the basic types of lighting for portraiture. Paramount, loop, split, rembrandt, and profile. This will provide enough knowledge and experience to help you customize your own setup to illustrate your vision.
> ...



+1

Don't underestimate lighting. Position and type of lighting, continuous, spot or flash lighting make all the difference. Don't rely on your cameras ability to work under low light, a camera body is only 1/3rd of the technological aspect of taking the picture or video. The other 2/3rds are lens and lighting, people remember the lens, but forget lighting. Even if you get all 3 parts, it depends on how artistic you get with them.

Invest in lights, instead of bodies and you will see the difference. Learn 3 point lighting (master, key and back lighting). 

After you learn about lighting. Play around with lighting too... learn what works and what doesn't... you might like shadows in certain parts of your subject and/or other parts of the frame.


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## Waterdonkey (Nov 2, 2013)

Along these lines, rule of thirds and such, I once heard a thing where they, who ever "they" are, studied what our eye is attracted to and in what order. 
It went something like: Brightness, Color then Dark. 
So our eyes tend to took at the brightest thing/area then the most colorful thing/area then the darker thing/area. And if we can compose the shot around that we can keep the eye moving around the picture thus making a compelling photo. 
Like I said it went SOMETHING LIKE THAT. 

Is anyone familiar with this and am I even close in my recollection?


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## nightbreath (Nov 2, 2013)

Waterdonkey said:


> Along these lines, rule of thirds and such, I once heard a thing where they, who ever "they" are, studied what our eye is attracted to and in what order.
> It went something like: Brightness, Color then Dark...


From my point of view the most contrasty area on a scene attracts eyes. Here are sample pictures:




















mkabi said:


> I'm sure given that many of the members here are professional photographers. I was hoping that you can share a technique or two with the forum? Unless you think that what you do is a trade secret.


If you want to add some art to you photography, you should try multiple exposures and glass reflections:


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## Actionpix (Nov 3, 2013)

What I mean about shutterspeed. 400mm at 1/40 and what was told about zooming and DoF.


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