Photoshop is great for enhancing and adding effects to your images, but nothing beats capturing it all in-camera in the first place. With that in mind, here’s our A-Z of 26 fantastic digital camera effects and tricks you can try today.

A is for Abstract

What is it?
Arguably, all creative photography is about making the world look more abstract. Shooting in black and white, for instance, can be seen as a way of capturing a more abstract reality (as can many of the other camera effects in our A to Z). One of the simplest ways of finding abstracts, however, is to simply zoom in to include just a small part of the scene in front of you. The viewer sees familiar subjects in a fresh way, being forced to look closely to work out what he or she is looking at.

Special camera kit:
None

Shooting tips:
Look for patterns and bright colours, and then crop in close so these are shown in isolation.

B is for Bulb

What is it?
The B (or bulb) setting on your camera can only be accessed in Manual (M) exposure mode. It allows you to set super-long exposures lasting minutes – or even hours. The shutter stays open for as long as you keep the shutter release button pressed down. As such long exposures require a tripod, you need to use a remote cable release with a lockable switch to avoid jogging the tripod during the long exposure (find out how to Get the perfect exposure for light trails).

Special camera kit:
Cable release or remote (such as Canon’s RS-60 or Nikon’s MC-DC2)

Shooting tips:
For an interesting effect, shoot using the Bulb setting from the dashboard of a moving car to create an abstract pattern of lights. Use shutter speeds of around a minute at f/11, ISO100. Let someone else drive!

C is for Contre-jour

What is it?
Contre-jour is French for ‘against daylight’, and is used to refer to images taken directly into the main source of light. If you expose for the bright background the subject will invariably be ‘underexposed’, and may even be completely silhouetted, as in our example. If you expose for the subject, the background will be overexposed, and may produce a rim-light around the subject, which can be effective when shooting portraits (see R is for Rim light).

Special camera kit:
None

Shooting tips:
When shooting at sunrise and sunset, keep an eye out for shapes that might make for an interesting silhouette. Silhouettes make for very graphic images, emphasising line and shape at the expense of texture and detail.

D is for Dutch tilt

What is it?
Dutch tilt is simply changing the angle at which a photograph is taken. Tilting your camera is an effective way of making images look more dramatic: in motor sports, the track appears steeper and more exciting; in portraiture, a jaunty angle can create tension and help bring straightforward portraits to life (see more in our 10 rules of photo composition (and why they work).

Special camera kit:
None

Shooting tips:
Think about how much to tilt your camera, considering what elements to leave in and leave out. When there are horizontal lines in your shots, try angling your digital camera so they run diagonally to or from one of the corners.

E is for Edgerton

What is it?
Harold Edgerton is the pioneer of electronic flash and high-speed photography. Thanks to his work, it’s possible to freeze subjects using a burst of flash. A flashgun controls the amount of light it emits by how long it lasts. Its minimum setting, lasting about 1/50,000 sec, will allow you to capture water droplets and milk splashes with relative ease; the difficulty is in the timing. The same technique can freeze a speeding bullet – but the advantage of household liquids is that you can keep taking pictures until you get the shot you want, without the need for a specialist triggering system (make your own Amazing water drop photography).

Special camera kit:
Hotshoe flashgun with off-camera sync cable. Lots of spare batteries…

Shooting tips:
Set up the scene so that the drips are constant, with the exposure and focus set manually. This helps increase your hit rate – but expect lots of misses.

When taking a light reading you want to find a midtone somewhere in the scene, or even just out of the frame. This could be light-coloured foliage, or even a Caucasian face. However, sometimes there won’t be anything around that’s the right tone for you to take a light reading. In these instances, using grey card can help you achieve perfect tones.

The traditional method of using grey card has stood the test of time. Hold your grey card in front of a subject and take a light reading from it. Sounds simple enough, right? Only there’s a little more finesse to using grey card. Below is our step-by-step guide to taking a light reading with grey card.

How to take a light reading using grey card

Step 1: Do your whites look grey?
Shoot a white subject against a white background, and your camera’s metering system will invariably give you an image that looks too dark.

Step 2: Get out the grey card
To solve this, you need to put a grey card (or something similar) where the subject is, so that it fills as much of the frame as possible.

Step 3: Lock on the target
The next step is to press the AEL (or *) button on the back of your camera so that you can take an exposure reading from the grey card.

Step 4: Back to the main feature
Now you need to remove the grey card, recompose the scene and take the picture of your white object – the whites should now look bright and clean!

Step 5: If you grey card isn’t big enough
If you are unable to fill the frame with the grey card, you may need to change your camera’s metering mode, which is located in the shooting menu.

Step 6: Spot treatment
Using spot metering means that the grey card need only occupy the very central part of the frame when you use the exposure lock.

Congratulations on getting a new camera! It’s only natural that you can’t wait to start using it, but it’s worth spending a few minutes configuring it correctly first. Not only will this save you time and effort in the long run, but it’s a good way of familiarising yourself with your camera’s layout, features and functions. With the help of our quick-start camera set-up guide, it will only take a few minutes…

Select high-quality pictures

When it comes to file format, shoot in raw rather than JPEG. The extra data that’s captured in the uncompressed raw format gives you more flexibility to adjust your shots post-shoot if necessary (see page 7 for more on the raw file format). Try to keep the ISO as low as possible, ideally between ISO100 and 400, because digital ‘noise’ can be a problem at high ISO settings. As for white balance, set it to auto for now – as you progress you’ll become more confident at knowing when to switch to a specific setting, such as Cloudy.

Choose the right exposure mode

SLRs offer a range of exposure modes, from fully automatic – like a point-and-shoot camera – to fully manual. In between these two extremes are the two popular ‘semi auto’ modes – aperture priority and shutter priority – which provide lots of creative control. In aperture priority mode, you set an aperture and the camera automatically works out what shutter speed you need for a correct exposure, while in shutter priority mode, you set the shutter speed and the camera works out the correct aperture. Simple!

Choose the right metering mode

Metering options depend on the camera, but the three most common are multi-zone (also known as evaluative or matrix), centre-weighted, and spot. Multi-zone mode takes a reading from the entire scene and then sets the exposure accordingly. It’s pretty accurate, and is suitable for most conditions. Centre-weighted mode takes a reading that concentrates on the central 60% of the frame, making it ideal for portraits, and spot mode takes a reading from a tiny area and is therefore potentially the most accurate.

Set the aperture and shutter speed

Aperture and shutter speed affect not just the amount of light you let into the lens, but also the way images look. The aperture is used to determine the depth of field, which is the amount of the scene that’s in focus. If you want a blurred background, you need a wide aperture, such as f/2.8; and if you want everything in focus from front to back, you need a narrow aperture, such as f/22. The shutter speed controls whether a moving subject is frozen or blurred; the slower the shutter speed, the more motion blur there will be.

Set the focus and drive modes

To ensure your shots are razor-sharp, SLRs offer a number of focus modes. The two main settings are single-shot, mainly for stationary subjects, and continuous or servo, for moving subjects. Most SLRs feature multiple focus points that can be selected manually. The drive modes enable you to select whether a single shot is captured each time you press the shutter release, whether a sequence of shots are taken in rapid succession, or whether the shutter is fired after a delay of two or ten seconds.

Take a test shot

Now you’ve set up your SLR, it’s time to ensure you’re using its LCD properly. By this we mean using the zoom buttons to zoom in on parts of the image on the rear screen, so you can check for sharpness or excessive noise. And you should also try to get into the habit of checking your image’s exposure by calling up the histogram, or tone chart. A histogram bunched up at the left can indicate under-exposure; a histogram at the right suggests over-exposure. If you’re unsure, adjust your settings and try taking another test shot.

Back to: Get to know your camera – introduction

Forward to: Explore your SLR

Canon, Nikon, Sony and other camera manufacturers are increasingly putting high-def video recording tools at the top of their digital SLR feature sets – and with good reason. The large sensors. awesome low-light performance and massive lens ranges offered by current DSLRs makes them appealing to a whole new breed of filmmakers, as well as photographers. If you’re a newcomer to ‘HDSLRs’, then this is for you: a guide that cuts through the jargon and explains how to get started with high-definition movie-making…

DSLR HD video: what do I need to know?

Shooting high-definition video 
with a DSLR is a relatively new concept. Some people love it, not just because it adds another string to your camera’s bow, but because the video that some of these new cameras can produce is of broadcast quality. In fact, DSLRs – or HDSLRs – are being used more and more by professional film and television makers because the bodies, lenses and add-ons are much cheaper than traditional broadcast video equipment. In particular, DSLRs provide a far greater range of affordable lens options compared with the top-end movie cameras.

Sounds good. So who are the people who aren’t convinced about HD video on DSLRs?

Traditional photographers have been rather suspicious about it. Video has been a gizmo on pocket cameras and mobile phones for some time – and some people think it’s out of place on a serious stills camera. They think they’re paying for a feature they won’t use.

Do they have a point?

Put it this way: having HD video facilities on a top-end DSLR may make it cheaper because it increases the number of people who might buy it. Furthermore, it became a relatively easy feature to include once manufacturers started adding live view to their cameras – a feature that few stills photographers who’ve used it would want to do without.

What’s the connection 
between HD video and live view?

DSLRs have a mirror and prism system that enables you to see the scene through the lens. When you take a picture, the mirror rises, the viewfinder goes dark and the image is captured by the sensor. Live view feeds the picture from the sensor directly to the LCD – the mirror is kept raised, and the viewfinder can no longer be used. HD video recording is simply saving the live view feed to the memory card instead of just displaying it.

What level of video quality can be expected from a DSLR?

The best DSLRs can record full HD – which has a resolution of 1920×1080 pixels – at 24 to 30fps. This is the same resolution as video on a Blu-ray disc. Some SLRs are capable only of the lower resolution of 720p HD, which has a resolution of 1280×720 pixels. This is still twice the resolution of the DVD format, however. Lower resolutions, such as VGA which is 640×480 pixels, are often provided as an option for longer clips or for web use.

But surely my DSLR has more pixels available than this?

True, but only for stills. The amount of data that would need to be recorded every second would make higher resolutions impractical. Besides, there would be no televisions capable of playing such footage – the best ones are capable of displaying only 1080p full HD video.

What sort of file formats do these DSLRs record video in?

If you think the choice between RAW and JPEG for stills is complicated, you’ll be baffled by the formats used by modern video devices. There are two parts to a video format. First, there’s the container – the way that data is packaged as it’s recorded. And then there’s the codec – the algorithm used for coding and decoding the data. 
It isn’t necessary to worry about this too much because the container and codec are decided by the camera you use – and videos can be translated from one format to another at the editing and output stage. Nikon and Olympus DSLRs use the AVI format, Canon DSLRs use a variation of MOV, and Panasonic and Sony work with a new format called AVCHD.

Can I still record if I use specialist lenses – like a macro or super-telephoto?

Absolutely! One of the main reasons that serious moviemakers are currently swapping their standard camcorders for DSLRs is the huge choice of lenses that you can get for them. Most video cameras have a built-in superzoom, with an often-substantial zoom ratio. However, they don’t offer a decent wide-angle view. Ultra-wide lenses and even fisheyes are widely available for most DSLRs. And you can use other lenses too – such as macro and ultra-telephoto settings.

Just as important to the moviemaker are the wide-apertured lenses that can be bought (or hired) for DSLRs. The narrow depth of field that you can get using even a low-cost 50mm f/1.8 prime lens is almost impossible to achieve on affordably priced camcorder gear. And such ‘fast’ lenses are available in practically every focal length – from the wide-apertured wide-angles used by professional documentary photographers to the ‘long-tom’ telephotos used by pro sports shooters.

Can I still use autofocus on my DSLR while shooting video?

Shooting video requires a DSLR’s reflex mirror to be fixed in the ‘up’ position as long as you continue to shoot, so that light entering through the lens reaches the image sensor continuously. You can still see what you’re shooting using the LCD on the back of the camera, but the viewfinder goes completely dark. The focusing systems used by SLRs also use the mirror, so different focusing methods are needed to ensure you have sharp footage. Autofocus systems can’t be guaranteed to work with all subjects, and it’s often best to set up the focus manually before you start recording,  and then ensure the subject doesn’t move out of the plane of focus.

Why do I need to record audio with an external mic when my camera can record all the sound?

Most cameras have a single built-in microphone that only records a monaural (non-stereo) track. The fact that they record in mono, rather than stereo, isn’t the real issue. Many professional add-on microphones are non-stereo affairs, because this is perfectly adequate for recording ambient sound and speech. However, the fact that the microphone is built in is a disadvantage. The proximity of the audio pick-up to camera and the user means that it can record the sound of your breathing, the autofocus motor (if used), and every slight touch of the camera that you make. Sound does not travel as well as light, and it is therefore important to get the microphone as close to the sound source as possible.

Any good DSLR should provide a stereo microphone socket, which enables you to connect a wired or wireless microphone. Many professionals, however, prefer to use a separate audio recording device instead. The video and audio are then combined during the editing process. Popular add-on microphones include the Sennheisser MKE400 and the Rode VideoMic

Can I record everything in Auto mode or should I adjust exposure manually, as with still images?

The amount of control you have over the exposure when shooting video varies from camera to camera. Some enable you to change the ISO, shutter speed, aperture and so on, in much the same way as you can when shooting stills. Realistically, however, you’ll have a narrower range of options.

A video is a succession of stills. You’re typically shooting 25 pictures every second – so this means that shutter speeds of 1/8 sec aren’t feasible. But fast shutter speeds aren’t always viable either, because this will create a flick-book effect on video of any moving subject. Keep shutter speeds to below 1/100 sec (unless you’re looking for super-sharp freeze-frame effects).

It’s because of this shutter speed limitation that your camera’s ISO control is often your most potent exposure weapon, allowing you to use the aperture that you really want. As people are attracted to D-SLRs for the wide aperture, narrow depth of field effects, one of the most useful accessories you can own is an ND (neutral density) filter. This cuts down the amount of light reaching the sensor, so you can use the widest apertures even in the brightest of light.

How long do memory cards 
last while recording?

The maximum length of a clip is limited to less than 30 minutes. But the way memory cards are formatted means clips can’t exceed 4GB in size, which will limit them to around 12 minutes. This should be long enough for film-making projects, where each shot is usually a few seconds or minutes long. It isn’t sufficient, though, for recording a play or a football match.

Should I use a tripod when shooting video?

We’ve all seen and suffered handheld home videos taken on a camcorder – and remember how sick they can make you feel! A tripod, therefore, is almost always essential for good quality footage.

This is particularly the case because (unlike camcorders) most DSLRs are not particularly well designed for moviemaking – you need to use Live View, forcing you to use the rear LCD as the viewfinder. You can see the screen at the back more clearly if you haven’t got to support the weight of the camera. A monopod is obviously a lot better than nothing.

When you really do need to shoot untethered to the ground, you’ll also find some interesting ‘rigs’ being sold that are designed to address the ergonomic issues of shooting video with your DSLR. Check out the Red Rock range at www. redrockmicro.com, the Zacuto rigs at www.zacuto.com and the range of supports at www.cameragrip.co.uk to see the shoulder-mounted systems that are becoming popular with pros.

What’s the simplest video editing program? And will it work with my camera?

There’s a huge range of video-editing software available, from free downloads to pricey professional packages. Most work in a very similar way, however, enabling you to import clips and arrange your different video shots and audio tracks on a ‘timeline’ – a kind of visual spreadsheet that allows you to cut and paste your movie together. Not all packages will work with all types of raw video footage. However, it’s almost always possible to convert your footage into a format that will work with a particular program using an additional piece of software.

A good all-round choice for those starting out is Adobe’s Premiere Elements – the video-editing equivalent of Photoshop Elements. This has more than enough power and tools for all but the most professional user.

READ MORE

10 essential tips for editing DSLR video

If smears appear on your shots, you don’t have to be Hercule Poirot to ?work out that your camera lens needs a good clean. Cleaning your photographic equipment is essential, especially when it comes to lenses. A lens is the one piece of gear that can cost you more than your camera, so it’s worth keeping it well-maintained so that it continues to create fine images for a lifetime.

Get the best from your camera lenses by cleaning them regularly. You only need simple kit – a blower brush, a microfibre cloth and some lens-cleaning fluid – all of which you can pick up from your nearest camera store. There’s a full guide to lens cleaning kit at the bottom of this article.

Don’t forget that while the exposed glass elements are the most important parts of the lens when it comes to optical quality, it’s also worth giving the casing a good clean. Some lenses are weather-sealed, but avoid using your cloth dampened with water. If there’s dirt that’s hard to remove, be careful if you’re using liquid-based cleaners, as the electronics inside your lens are extremely sensitive.

Cleaning camera lenses: step-by-step guide

1 Remove the filter

A good way to protect the front element of your lens is to fit a protective camera lens filter. A standard UV filter such as the Hoya UV(0) is ideal. Before cleaning, remove any filter you’ve been using. If you haven’t removed the filter for a while you may find this difficult, in which case use a cloth to get a better grip.

UV filters are particularly useful when shooting near the sea, to protect the front element from salt and sand.

2 Blast away dust

Dust on the lens can be a real issue, so use a blower brush to remove any loose dust or grit around the front element. Repeat the process for the rear element. You’ll need to extend a zoom lens to either its narrowest or widest focal length to make the glass accessible. Sometimes, this is all that’s needed to give you cystal-clear optics. Still smudged? Jump to step 3…

Blast (or puff) away dust – and do the same around the edges of the lens barrel and lens hood.

3 Get rid of moisture with a microfibre cloth

As residue left by rain or general moisture may still remain, rub the front element in a circular motion with a microfibre cloth. Repeat with the rear element if required (although you should try and avoid touching the rear element as much as possible). Dry cleaning will shift most dirt, but oil and grease left by fingers can leave a thin film across the glass.

Don’t skimp on a microfibre cloth – they’re affordable and can be washed and reused.

4 Lens-cleaning fluid

To help remove greasy stains, use lens-cleaning fluid. Tip a small amount on to a microfibre cloth, then rub in a circular motion to remove the last of the dirt. Once dry, use a dry lens cloth to remove residual cleaning fluid. When you’ve finished, repeat the cleaning process for your filters, then reconnect your filters and lens caps (give then lens caps a quick blow first to remove any dust or particles that have collected in them).

Once you’ve used lens-cleaning fluid, polish the front element with a clean microfibre cloth again.

Camera lens cleaning kit

Equip yourself with the best lens cleaning kit and you’ll find that it’s worth its weight in gold (which, admittedy, isn’t much when you’re talking microfibre cloths). It’s a small investment to keep your expensive lenses delivering sharp results. All these items can be easily sourced in stores or online…

A: Lens-cleaning fluid

Make sure you use a commercially available lens cleaning fluid designed for coated lenses. These are usually alcohol based. Eclipse Cleaner is reputed to be the highest purity cleanser available.

B: Lens wipes

Lens tissues are an alternative to a microfibre cleaning cloth. They are also useful for wiping down lens contacts and other areas. They’re disposable and should only be used once. PEC PADs (around £9.99 for 100) are among the best on the market.

C Silica gel

Silica gel is a granular material that absorbs moisture, thus reducing condensation and the likelihood of fungus and mould forming inside a lens. Reusable silica gel is a worthy investment – keep some in your camera bag and recharge as necessary.

D Dust blower

A large dust blower is an effective way to clean dust particles from your lens and camera gear. It can also be used to blow dust out of the sensor chamber. The Giottos Rocket Air is one of the best.

E Soft brush

A fine brush with soft bristles, such as camel hair, is ideal for removing potentially abrasive dust particles prior to cleaning glass with a lens cloth. Look for a Pro Arte brush, available from art stores. Alternatively, consider a classic blower brush.

F Microfibre cloth

Microfibre cloths are ideal for use in conjunction with lens cleaning fluid. They’re soft and made of tiny fibres that suck up dirt and oil. As well as using them on lenses, they’re ideal for wiping down the screens and viewfinder of your camera.

G Lens-cleaning pen

This nifty little gadget has a retractable cleaning brush on one end and a soft cleaning pad on the other. The pad is impregnated with a cleaning fluid that effectively removes smudges and dirt. The original Lenspen is available now for around £9.

H Skylight and UV filters

UV or skylight filters are ideal for protecting a lens’s front element, as they’re much cheaper to replace if they’re damaged. Both filters block UV light, reducing blue haze, but the skylight filter has a slightly warm tint.

Your camera histogram is a much more accurate way of judging whether a shot needs a bit more, or less, exposure. But it’s not just used for judging exposure: the shape and position of the histogram’s graph can also tell you about the contrast of the lighting in a scene. Below we’ve tackled some of the frequently asked questions about histograms to get you started using these helpful graphs to avoid poor exposures.

What is a histogram?

What is a histogram and why do I need to use one?

In short, the histogram is a type of graph that you can call up on your digital camera’s rear LCD in order to judge the tonal distribution of the images you take. The histogram offers a way of plotting the exposure of a digital image; by looking at the graph, you can see whether a shot is too bright or too dark.

The histogram’s horizontal axis shows pixel brightness, ranging from pure black on the left to pure white on the right, with the full range of mid-tones in between. Its vertical axis shows the number of pixels at a particular brightness level.

How do I view the camera histogram?

You usually look at the histogram after you have taken the picture, when reviewing the shot on screen. Look at your instruction manual to find out how you get this graph shown on the LCD (and to check your digital camera has this facility).

On Canon DSLRs, for instance, press the Play button, then use the Info or Disp button to call up this display option. On Nikon DSLRs you can use the up arrow on the joypad during playback to toggle through the display options.

What is a histogram showing me exactly?

The graph shows the brightness of all the pixels in the image. The brightness is plotted along the x-axis, or bottom line, and the number of pixels is plotted along the y-axis, or vertical line.

To keep things simple, the numbers and units are not shown on the graph. All you need to remember about your histogram is that the left-hand side shows the darkest tones, the right-hand side shows the brightest tones and the central part of the graph shows the midtones.

What shape should I aim for on my histogram?

The shape of the graph is highly dependent on what you are taking pictures of. If you are shooting snowy scenes, for example, the histogram should peak towards the right side of the graph because of all the bright tones.

For normal subjects, with an average distribution of different tones, the ideal graph rises gradually from the far left outside, peaks somewhere in the middle, then falls away gradually until it has fallen to zero at the far right-hand side, as you can see in the histogram inset below.

As evidenced in this shot of a red kite, the histogram should correspond with the tones of your scene; a dark scene should have a histogram with a bell shape on the left, a light scene should have a histogram with a bell shape on the right. For daylight scenes, try to expose the scene as far to the right of the graph as possible without clipping the highlights.

How can I tell if the exposure is wrong in my shot?

The telltale sign is if the graph is stacked up to the left or the right on your histogram. If there is a peak at the extreme left-hand side of the graph, this shows that there are lots of pixels that are recording as the darkest value black available. This suggests that your shot is probably under-exposed.

In this photo of a red kite in flight, too little light has reached the sensor, caused either by too fast a shutter speed or the aperture not being wide enough. This shot’s histogram is pushed all the way to the left, a situation known as ‘clipping’. If printed, the clipped areas will appear black, and all shadow detail will be lost.

Similarly, if the histogram looks as if it’s pushed hard to the right of the graph area, it’s likely that the shot is over-exposed.

This shot of the same red kite is overexposed, as too much light has reached the sensor. Notice how the histogram reveals that the tonal distribution is pushed all the way to the right, and that the highlights are ‘clipped’. In the printed shot, areas of the scene that should reveal detail will appear pure white, with no detail.

How do I change the shape of the graph?

The simplest way to do this is to take another picture of the same subject using a different amount of exposure. Take the shot with less light and the subsequent graph will have shifted to the left.

Shoot with more light, and the graph will move to the right. Use the +/- exposure compensation control to do this; a plus value moves the histogram to the right, a negative value shifts the graph left.

What if the histogram is stacked to the left and the right?

This shows you that the scene you are photographing has both very bright highlights and very dark shadows. It is a sign of a high-contrast scene where the camera is going to find it impossible to find an exposure that captures detail and tone in all parts of the scene.

Sometimes, you can get round the problem by changing the lighting (so you are not shooting into the sun, for instance, or by coming back later in the day), or by using an ND grad filter to reduce the brightness of the sky. If you have to shoot, it is usually best to adjust the exposure so the graph moves to the left, because it is easier to rescue the shadows than the highlights at the editing stage.

Is the histogram always right?

It’s the picture that counts, not the histogram – so look at the image too. The graph itself is based on the tones that would be captured by a JPEG, so if you are shooting raw your image will capture more detail in the shadows and highlights than the graph actually shows.

Mountain biking is a seriously photogenic sport. The sweat, the mud, the speed… it’s a great way to hone your cycling photography skills and to try out creative camera techniques like zoom-bursts and slow-sync flash.

Best of all, unlike many sports, you can get in close with your camera. You don’t need big, heavy telephoto lenses – a camera kit lens can give you lots of creative options.

Whether you visit one of the UK’s growing list of purpose-built trail centres or simply turn up at a race venue, there’s no shortage of riders willing to show off their skills in front of the camera. Follow our mountain biking photography tips below to do them justice!

1. The right camera and lenses for mountain biking photography

The great thing about mountain biking from a photographer’s point of view is that, unlike a lot of sports, it’s possible to get up close to where all the action is happening. And with a choice of viewpoints, often right up to within inches of riders whizzing past, there’s no need for a bag of fancy lenses to get great shots.

All you need is your camera body and a standard zoom, covering wide angle to short telephoto. A lens in the 24-105mm range can be perfect for the job.

If you want to increase your options, adding an ultra-wide zoom is a good bet for dramatic angles and a rider’s eye-view of the action. Look at a lens in the 10-20mm or 12-24mm range.

The other piece of kit that should be in any cycling photographer’s bag is a flashgun.

A touch of fill-in flash is useful for blending sharpness and blur in slow shutter-speed shots, and essential if you find yourself deep in the woods where the only available light is likely to be too poor to allow you to freeze the action.

2. Use the best camera settings

Cross-country mountain biking is slower moving than many sports and riders generally follow the same path; so there’s often time to use Manual camera settings to ensure consistent results. Here, we give you a foolproof guide to the settings that will bag you the best shots every time.

Focus mode

A bike and rider shot is full of holes that can fool the camera into focusing on the background. So pre-focus on a spot where the action will happen and lock the lens by switching to manual focus.

White Balance

Use a preset White Balance to prevent changes in colour and lighting, which may affect the overall tone of your pictures. The Daylight option is best and will make batch processing of a sequence of shots easier.

Drive mode

It’s more effective to plan your photos and take a well-timed single shot instead of a sequence. However, keep the camera set to the fastest continuous frame rate so you don’t end up missing a great action moment.

Exposure mode

Shutter speed is the most important exposure variable in action photography, so stick with Shutter Priority (sometimes indicated by ‘Tv’ on the camera’s mode dial) if you want the camera to handle exposure for you, or go with Manual for more control.

3. Choose the right shutter speed

Selecting the right shutter speed is crucial with mountain bike photography. Although top pro riders move at speeds most of us would never reach on a bike, the speeds are much lower than motorsports. Don’t try to always freeze the action otherwise it can look as though the riders are standing still. Here are some suggested settings to use as a starting point, although the result will depend on the light level, the speed of the cyclist and your panning skills (see below).

1/250 sec:
at this shutter speed, there is likely to be some movement, but it may not be enough to make it look as though the rider’s going very fast.

1/60 sec:
at this setting, the background may start taking on a smooth blur, but there should still be plenty of detail in the bike and rider.

1/30 sec:
it will be hard to hold sharp details on the subject at this shutter speed. It’s useful for creative effects but too slow for general use.

4. Cycling photography technique: panning

To give your mountain biking photos that all-important sense of speed, you’ll need to practice your panning technique. The idea is that you move the camera to follow the rider, so that they remain in the same position in the frame as you take the picture.

They’ll then be rendered sharp, while the moving background becomes a blur. If the rider’s head is sharp, the rest of the shot can be a blurred mess and you’ll get away with it.

To keep a rider’s head sharp it’ll need to appear stationary during the pan. Think of your viewfinder focus points as imaginary gun-sights. Pick one that allows a suitable composition and follow the rider’s head with it. Switch off continuous focus and instead manually pre-focus on where the rider’s face will be.

1 Get comfortable

Plan where you want to take the shot and make sure you’re comfortably standing, kneeling or sitting with your body facing where the rider will be, your legs spaced apart for balance and the camera pre-focused.

2 Stay sharp

Using the focus points in your viewfinder as an imaginary gun sight, choose the one that’s closest to where you want the rider’s head to be in the composition and hold it over their head as they ride past.

3 Be gentle!

Squeeze the shutter gently while the rider’s head is still covered by your pre-selected focus point. Never jab or put pressure on the shutter as you’ll create vertical movement, spoiling the panning effect.

4 Follow through

Follow through with the focus point still over the rider’s head until well after the shot’s been taken. This is important because it ensures you’re fluidly moving the camera at the correct speed and direction.

Top panning tips

• You need a clear view of your subject – if you’re shooting a race, get there early so you can grab a prime spot.
• Choose a spot where your subject will be moving across your path so you can achieve a smooth pan.
• Although panning will play down cluttered backgrounds, try to avoid things like advertising hoardings that may still look distracting. Grass and tarmac are ideal.
• High vantage points can work well, allowing you to look down on your subject. Corners in tracks are also good panning spots as your subject won’t be moving so fast.
• Use your lens set to continuous AF mode if you don’t feel your manual focusing is good enough – and select the right AF sensor so the lens keeps focus on your subject rather than the background!

Common panning mistakes

It’s tricky to get panning right and easy to get it wrong. Successful panning is all about control and confidence. If you feel you can do it, you can, whereas if you’re unsure you’ll keep making mistakes – panning the camera too quickly, firing the shutter either too early or too late. You’re bound to make mistakes to begin with, but instead of breaking out in a sweat when you do, learn from the experience and try again – eventually you’ll nail it. Here are some common mistakes to avoid:

Problem:
The panning action was uneven so the subject is very blurred. This shot actually looks quite effective in its own right, but as an example of panning isn’t great.

Solution:
Match the speed of your camera movement to the speed of the bike.

Problem:
In this case the pan was all over the place – you can tell from the shape of the streaks in the cyclist and background that the camera was panned upwards as it travelled right to left.

Solution:
Keep the pan smooth and don’t jerk the camera as you press the shutter button and release it.

Problem:
Ooops! Panning doesn’t get much worse than this. The shutter speed was far too slow and the pan wasn’t even so the subject is a mere smudge. Must try harder!

Solution:
Pick a shutter speed fast enough to provide some detail.

Cats are very independent creatures and don’t take direction easily. They’re a challenge to photograph but make wonderful subject matter and are so rewarding to shoot. Even if you don’t have a pet cat, someone you know will and we recommend you hotfoot it round to their house to have a go yourself!

You‘ll need plenty of patience before you start shooting. Cats have personalities too and you need to work with them rather than end up becoming frustrated getting them to do something they don‘t want to do.

Before you shoot, take the collar off. They‘re a distraction and take the focus from the eyes. When it‘s time to shoot, choose a lens that covers the classic portrait focal length, between 50mm and 00mm. Use a centre-weighted metering mode and meter for the highlights, especially if the cat has white markings, as you don‘t want to overexpose patches of fur.

For tight face portraits, focus on the eyes and then recompose the shot. They‘re hard to see through the viewfinder, but try not to crop out the whiskers as they provide personality.

Clean background

Distracting background

White wall

Locations

Outside in the garden provides plenty of light and space for you to get some great shots. Tidy up any distracting clutter, such as garden hoses or furniture. Rocky loves sitting underneath his favourite deck chair, so after we packed it away we were free to shoot him out in the open.

Getting on their level is part and parcel of good technique for natural-looking portraits. Keep checking the background for anything distracting and adjust your composition to remove it. The simplest way to do this is shoot slightly from above eye level so the grass and cat‘s body becomes the background.

Shoot more upright compositions for head-on portraits and avoid chopping off paws, whiskers, etc, unless you‘re cropping in tight on the eyes and face. For wider pictures include some space in the frame and shoot with the cat‘s face on one third of the frame, or shoot their whole body from side-on.