Digital Camera World » Inspire

Behind The Image: David Clapp on his secret passion for infrared

jmeyer — Sun, 31 Mar 2013 13:00:22 +0000

Leading professional travel and landscape photographer David Clapp is currently in India, shooting an infrared-converted Canon EOS 5D. In his latest guest blog post he explains how he captured this moment using this wonderful photographic format.

See more of David’s images by liking David’s Facebook page, or you can check out his blog.

Namaste – Greetings from India. I have to say it is so good to be back, photographing in this beautiful country, my second extensive trip in the last 14months.

I am travelling for the next 17 days, west into Rajasthan. The trip began jet-lagged this morning in New Delhi / Old Delhi, and as usual we are not too far off the tourist track….

Earning a living is always at the forefront of all my experiences, so I continue to look for a combination of ‘originality within familiarity’, my quote of the day.

This is the remarkable tomb of Humayun, built by his rather loving wife to celebrate his departure from this world to the next. It’s easy to see how this building influenced the Taj Mahal, but rather than being made entirely out of marble, it is constructed from red sandstone.

This image is one of my ‘infrared specials’, something that will run at the forefront of my photography here in India and on my return to the UK in springtime. Its become a huge passion as perhaps you will know, remaining in the bag at all times.

This was photographed using an architectural lens, the Canon 24mm TSE Mark II, attached to my seven-year-old Canon EOS 5D(IR) – which is still going strong but will soon to be replaced with a Canon EOS 6D(IR) on my return.

To capture this shot I waited for just the right moment as this gardener approached and carefully rounded the bend in the path, the magic to enrich this simple and peaceful scene.

Photo Anatomy: how legendary landscape photographer Joe Cornish sees an image

jmeyer — Sun, 24 Mar 2013 02:00:51 +0000

In our new Sunday series on Digital Camera World, we select pictures by famous photographers and explain point by point what makes them work.

In our latest instalment we look closely at an amazing landscape shot by Joe Cornish, who tells us how he composed and shot this stunning scene in the glorious peaks of England’s Lake District.

Dramatic location
Joe shot the landscape between the summits of Red Pike and High Stile. “It was one hell of a climb, carrying a large-format digital view camera outfit and a serious tripod!” he says.

Solid support
The exposure settings were 1/4 sec at f/11, ISO35, so rock-solid camera support was essential. He used a Gitzo 4 series Systematic CF tripod and a Really Right Stuff BH-55 head.

Balancing the image
The weather was bright and clear. “It was too harsh for photos until the last hour of daylight,” says Joe. “I needed a Lee ND 1.2 grad filter to balance the light.”

Camera and lens
To shoot this image Joe used a Linhof Techno view camera with an 80-megapixel Phase One IQ180 MF digital camera back and a Rodenstock Digaron-W 40mm f/4 lens.

Careful composition
The photograph is a journey from rocky foreground to horizon and sky via hills and lakes in the middle distance. Each of the elements is precisely positioned within the frame.

We Say
“When you are photographing large-scale landscapes, it’s important to shoot from a position that allows the inclusion  of foreground elements. In Joe’s image, the rocks act as a compositional device to frame and give depth  to the landscape, but they also help the viewer to connect emotionally with the scene.”
Chris Rutter, Technique editor

12 most popular photos on Photography Week (and the stories behind them)

jmeyer — Sat, 23 Mar 2013 01:00:50 +0000

Many of us had different reasons for becoming photographers, but ultimately we all want the same thing: to take amazing pictures.

Our friends at the weekly iPad magazine Photography Week do an incredible job of finding the best photographers across a wide range of genres.

Their popular Photo of the Day feature is part of what makes their thriving Facebook community such an inspiring place to be.

Over the following pages we’ve selected the 12 most popular photos from Photography Week’s Facebook page – and in some cases the photographers have told us the story behind the image.

Click here to visit Photography Week’s Facebook page

Live in the UK? Click here for a free trial of Photography Week

Live anywhere else in the world? Click here for your free trial of Photography Week

Above All by Michal Karcz

“This picture contains three shots mixed together in Photoshop. This is I what do with my pictures, to create a fantasy version of the Earth.

“This picture contains photo of a mountain path in West Tatra Mountains and includes the clouds structures, and the main, high peak is Ama Dablam shot in Himalayas.” – Michal Karcz

View more of Michal’s photography on his website

Photo Anatomy: how Tim Flach made this amazing animal portrait

jmeyer — Sun, 17 Mar 2013 02:00:14 +0000

In a new series to run every Sunday on Digital Camera World, we’re going to select pictures by famous photographers and explain point by point what makes them work.

In our first instalment we look closely at an amazing animal portrait by Tim Flach, from his project More Than Human. Here’s how he achieved this dramatic image.

Image copyright Tim Flach

Proximity
Tim was around 6ft away from this adult leopard panther when he photographed it at the Institute  of Greatly Endangered and Rare Species in South Carolina, USA.

Light on dark
“I used a key light on the left, and an edge light on the right, to give form to the animal’s shape,” says Tim. “I positioned the lights  to give some catch to the eyes.”

Tight crop
Tim used a Canon EOS 5D Mark II with a 100mm macro lens. He cropped in tightly on the animal’s head, using the black background to emphasise the texture of its fur.

Visualisation
“We put some milk on the animal’s paw to get the licking action,” Tim says. “I had to visualise what I wanted beforehand as there was little chance to change the set-up.”

Freezing movement
Tim used a flash duration of 1/3000 sec. “I used a fast flash speed to freeze the movement of the tongue and allow us to explore its textures,” he says.

Behind The Image: David Clapp on finding images in the harshest of conditions

jmeyer — Sat, 16 Mar 2013 02:00:30 +0000

Sometimes amazing photos are made when all you can think about is getting somewhere warm! In his latest guest blog post, professional photographer David Clapp explains how forces of nature combined to give him an unconventional photo composition.

Find David on Facebook, or check out his blog to see more of his amazing pictures.

I took this image late last week when the workshop I was running was hit by all manner of weather.

From blue skies and virgin snow came blizzards and impending doom, all thanks to the start of a ‘polar low’, the arctic equivalent to a tropical storm, but slightly colder.

This is the Lofoten Islands again, at Haukland, a wonderful spot. The smooth sandy beach is just the right angle for the receding waves to leave these wonderful lines, this time caught coming towards the camera rather than pulling backwards.

I was using my Canon EOS-1DS Mark III in full effect, with a 17-40mm f/4 L and a polariser. Each shot was around 1.5secs, so you can see that the waves were somewhat leisurely.

Anticipating the surges, meant many deleted images, but this one stood out from the crowd in a big way.

It’s the unusual dynamics that make this, with the force seeming to come from the middle of the image, rather than the usual linear diagonal sweep.

The following day, whilst attempting to get back to Sweden, we were stuck in a super-blizzard, which closed roads and caused all sorts of calamity, but this is what happens even towards the end of the winter out here. It’s an amazing place

Behind the Image: David Clapp on luck and light painting the aurora borealis

jmeyer — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 12:30:17 +0000

Sometimes a spectacular image happens when you least expect it, allowing you to see a familiar photo location with fresh eyes. Professional photographer David Clapp explains how one of his most popular photos to date materialised out of thin air.

Find David on Facebook, or check out his blog to see more of his amazing pictures.

Sometimes an image comes together and completely surprises you. Sometimes the unexpected arrives, unannounced and understated, as conditions and moments collide to create something that far exceed what it initially appears to be.

The correct term for this is holistic, ‘greater than the sum of its parts’. Two guitars, a lead singer and a drum kit don’t make the Red Hot Chilli Peppers, for instance – there’s something far more magical and unexplainable going on that just cant be defined.

Rather than concoct a building and descriptive narrative about the minutes that led to this moment, I’m going to play this another way. It was in fact nothing that marvellous at all.

I’m used to fighting for my images, but I have to say that only some are the crescendo of planning and decision making, leading to air-punching elation. Despite all the drama, this was quite the opposite, like the quiet patient fisherman, fishing the rivers of possibility.

I was actually running a workshop at the time when I took this image. Standing on the banks of the waterfalls opposite Kirkjufell in Iceland, there’s no originality here. This is far from an original composition.

Low bands of green, far from the enigmatic aurora I was waiting for, were wafting over the sky. As soon as the aurora started to build, it would fade back to where it came. I have had my senses rescaled by displays under the Norwegian sky, but this was far to become one of those.

Instead I just stood and waited, ate a Mars Bar, chatted and, slowly, as this band of aurora started to build, something special seemed to happen. I had been playing around with light painting, eliminating the foreground and then gently, as this soft green arc enveloped the distant mountain, it all came together without me knowing, slipping in the back door.

I pressed play on the back screen to check my image composition and smiled. Something magical had happened without me knowing. The camera had revealed all manner of shadow detail that was otherwise unnoticed.

It was simply astounding, transfixing, as there glowing from the LCD displayed something very unexpected, a technological masterpiece, a gift you could say.

The image was taken on a Canon EOS-1DX using a 24mm f/1.4L, a camera that I was trialling over the winter months. What makes it so remarkable over other camera systems, is its ability to resolve shadow detail, literally in the pitch dark. All that research and development has worked in a different way for nocurtnals like me.

I have little use for 14 frames per second. What this camera does is something very different: it opens doors to a world unseen. Its massive dynamic range extending inconceivably into the higher ISOs. It has redefined what I am capable of, giving ideas room to ignite.

This harmony, this holistic combination, of photographer and technological achievement, is calling me on to greater endeavour.

13 best Android paid apps for photographers

jmeyer — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 01:00:25 +0000

Your mobile device is a great tool for photography. Whether you’ve got a mobile phone or a tablet, both can come in incredibly handy both for taking pictures or working with and sharing those you take on your “real” camera. We’ve already explored the best free Android photo apps for your mobile device. In this follow-up post we take a look at the best Android paid apps for photographers you’ll actually want to splash out on.

Best Android Paid Apps 01: Adobe Photoshop Touch

Price: £6.99

The free version of Adobe Photoshop for tablets (Adobe Photoshop Express) is a great tool, but it has its limitations.

The full version allows you much more of the control you’d expect from the desktop version, including Levels, Brightness and Contrast and the ability to reduce noise.

This is a great option if you often find yourself out on the road and want to edit your photos to a good standard. There’s also a bunch of digital filters for getting creative with your photos.

Read the Photoshop Touch review by our friends over at Practical Photoshop!

Download Adobe Photoshop Touch

Images from the 2012 National Geographic Photography Contest

samanthacliffe — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 13:13:53 +0000

National Geographic must have had a difficult decision on their hands as their 2012 Photography Contest saw 22,000 entries to the competition from over 150 countries, with all levels of photographic experience applying. But finally the winners have been named.

The three categories of the competition were: People, Places, and Nature, which awarded a winner for each category. In addition, there was a Grand Prize winner and a collection of Viewer’s Choice Winners.

Photographer Ashley Vincent/National Geographic

Grand Prize Winner Nature Winner

THE EXPLOSION!

Photo and caption by Ashely Vincent via National Geographic

The subject’s name is Busaba, a well cared for Indochinese Tigress whose home is at Khao Kheow Open Zoo, Thailand. I had taken many portraits of Busaba previously and it was becoming more and more difficult to come up with an image that appeared any different to the others. Which is why I took to observing her more carefully during my visits in the hope of capturing something of a behavioural shot. The opportunity finally presented itself while watching Busaba enjoying her private pool then shaking herself dry. In all humility I have to say that Mother Nature smiled favourably on me that day! – Ashley Vincent

Photo Location

Khao Kheow Open Zoo, Chonburi, Thailand

Photographer Michael Eastman/National Geographic

Honorable Mention – Nature

Photo and caption by Michael Eastman

With his exceptional hearing a red fox has targeted a mouse hidden under 2 feet of crusted snow. Springing high in the air he breaks through the crusted spring snow with his nose and his body is completely vertical as he grabs the mouse under the snow. – Michael Eastman

Photo Location

Squaw Creek, Park Country, Wyoming

Photographer Sanjeev Bhor/National Geographic

Viewers’ Choice Nature Winner

Photo and caption by Sanjeev Bhor

Everyday in mara starts with something new and different and day ends with memorable experiences with spectacular photographs . I was very lucky of sighting and photographing Malaika the name of female Cheetah and her cub . she is well known for its habit to jump on vehicles. She learned that from her mother Kike, and Kike from her mother Amber.Like her mother she is teaching lessons to her cub . Teaching lessons means addition of another moment for tourist . This is one of the tender moment between Malaika and her cub . I was very lucky to capture that moment. – Sanjeev Bhor

Photo Location

Masai mara National Reserve , Kenya

Photographer Micah Albert/National Geographic

People Winner

Photo and caption by Micah Albert

Kenya’s Dandora Municipal Dump Site is the only dumping location for waste in Nairobi, East Africa’s most populous city. Located just 8 km from the central business district, the 30-acre Dandora site literally spills into the households of nearly 1 million people living in nearby slums. Behind the statistics of children with respiratory ailments, toxic blood lead levels, skin disorders, and fatal diseases directly attributed to the waste are stories of communities that have grown to depend on the dump–from street children who live off the money they make selling food and other items they find in its piles to residents who are paid pennies a day by private cartels to sort and recycle waste. The country’s leadership has long shown alarming indifference to Dandora – ignoring environmental laws, UN-commissioned health studies, and calls for closure from human rights groups. – Micah Albert

Photo Location

Dandora, Kenya

Photographer Ulrich Lamber/National Geographic

Honorable Mention – People

Photo and caption by Ulrich Lambert

Stilt fishing is a typical fishing technique only seen in Sri Lanka. The fishermen sit on a cross bar called a petta tied to a vertical pole planted into the coral reef. This long exposure shot shows how unstable their position is.

Photo Location

Midigama, Sri Lanka

Photographer Nenad Saljic/National Geographic

Places Winner

Photo and caption by Nenad Saljic

The Matterhorn 4478 m at full moon.

Photo Location

Zermatt, Switzerland

2012′s most sensational images

samanthacliffe — Sat, 05 Jan 2013 05:00:15 +0000

If you’re looking for a fresh dose of photographic inspiration for the new year, issue 15 of Photography Week might just be the place to need to look.

Showcasing a selection of 52 of the year’s best images in association with The Royal Photographic Society, the magazine (designed for iPad) features inspirational work from talented photographers in eye-popping detail.

We’ve pulled together 25 of our favourite photographs from the issue here. If you want to see the full selection in all their glory, pick up the magazine!

See more by downloading Photography Week – you can still get five issues completely free!

9 creative photo ideas to try in January 2013

jmeyer — Tue, 01 Jan 2013 00:01:54 +0000

As part of our ongoing series to help you get more creative with your digital camera, each month we publish some fun, seasonal, creative photo ideas to help inspire your imagination. Along with some amazing images, we’ve also provided some quick photography tips by photographers who are experts in these fields.

To kick off 2013, we have some excellent new photo ideas for January that will have you playing with light, perspective – even your food!

This month our list covers fun projects like clever bokeh effects, seasonal flora and fauna, not to mention some still life photography we guarantee you haven’t tried before.

On each page you’ll find a stunning image and an explanation from the photographer on how it was made.

If you attempt any of these photo ideas, don’t forget to share them on our Facebook wall!

We’d love to see how you get on.

01 Shoot frozen water

As ice forms, cracks and refreezes on the surface of water, it can make for fantastic photographic studies of patterns and textures. You don’t have to travel far, or work with large expanses of ice either – this is something that can be done close to home, as nature and landscape photographer Mark Hamblin points out.

“I found these interesting ice patterns in a small puddle, and took this shot [shown above] with a Tamron 90mm macro lens,” he reveals. “This allowed me to achieve the close focus required to fill the whole frame.”

Of course, you don’t need a dedicated macro lens to get similar shots. Most standard lenses focus close enough to capture interesting shots, and you can always crop the image for a tighter composition later.

Whatever lens you choose, Mark says the principle remains the same: “Close-up shots require attention to detail in terms of focusing and photo composition in particular.

“I always use a tripod and make sure the back of the camera is parallel with the subject for maximum sharpness across the picture. It’s also very important to tweak the composition to eliminate any distractions around the  edge of the frame.”

Get started today…
* Use your camera’s on-screen level to ensure it’s parallel to the surface of the ice.
* Use small apertures to maximise depth of field, but avoid the smallest aperture on the lens, because this can lead to softer pictures.
* Try using your camera’s Tungsten white balance preset to give the shot a blue hue.
* If you’re heading further afield to find frozen water, never travel alone.

PAGE 1: Shoot frozen water
PAGE 2: Shoot outdoor portraits with flash
PAGE 3: Shoot still life photography with food from your fridge
PAGE 4: Shoot migrating swans
PAGE 5: Shoot frost-covered flowers
PAGE 6: Shoot seasonal bokeh
PAGE 7: Shoot woodland abstracts
PAGE 8: Shoot futuristic city photography
PAGE 9: Shoot light sculptures