If I were allowed to keep just one of my lenses, it would have to be my macro lens. It’s a Nikon Nikkor 105mm f/2.8 Micro, and probably my oldest; so old that it has no new-fangled features like vibration reduction.

The reason I love it is that it allows me to see things in a completely different way. As an adult you probably wouldn’t choose to lie flat on frosty ground to look at a crocus. Acquire a macro lens and it’s worth it – just to see each delicate crystal of ice on the petals. It’s a whole new world of beauty!

Top 7 Macro flower photography tips

1. Use a tripod

I always use a tripod if possible, as it helps with very precise focusing. It also means that you can really fine-tune your composition. For very low-growing flowers, the use of a tripod can be awkward. So, I usually lie flat on the ground and brace myself on my elbows.

Snowdrop group shot for macro flower photography – Credit: Sue Bishop

2. Group shot

It’s always lovely to photograph one flower with others of the same type in the background, using a wide aperture to throw them out of focus. The flowers in the background support the main subject in terms of colour and shape but are soft enough not to distract from the main flower.

3. What are the best lighting conditions for macro flower photography?

Very often the best light for photographing flowers is bright and overcast. Because the light is diffused by a high white cloud, it doesn’t create any shadows. If you photograph on a sunny day, using a reflector will help to boost the light on the shadowed side of the flower.

Creative cropping of a tulip – Credit: Sue Bishop

4. Creative cropping

It’s also fun to photograph just part of a flower, cropping right into it so that the petal edges are cut off. Make sure though that your crop is definite enough to appear obviously intentional – inaccuracy, cropping off a couple of petal tips could look like a mistake.

Shooting in close proximity to your subject will reduce the depth of field significantly. Credit: Sue Bishop

5. Focus manually

When you are working on close-ups, your depth of field will be very shallow, especially at your widest aperture. So it’s important to decide exactly which part of the flower you want to be sharp. To achieve this, manual focus is best, and live view can help you check that you’ve perfected the shot.

Cherry blossom. Credit: Sue Bishop

6. Consider your backdrop

If you fill the frame with a flower, concerns of background disappear with it. Otherwise, ensure that a background to your image isn’t distracting. Avoid bright colours, especially if the subject is a paler colour. If the background is messy, use a wide aperture to throw it out of focus.

Filling up the frame with an anemone. Credit: Sue Bishop

7. Viewpoint

Think about your point of view. It’s often good to get down to a flower’s level and approach it from the side, rather than looking down on it from above. Look through the viewfinder as you move around – every tiny change in your angle to the flower will affect the image radically, so it pays to be observant as you do so.

Kit list for macro flower photography

Close-up lens

A macro lens can be handy for flower photography, like the Laowa 65mm f/2.8 2x Ultra Macro pictured here, but you can also get fantastic results with a close-up lens.

Do you need a macro lens for flower photography? Not necessarily. Without a macro, a close-up lens is an alternative. This is a secondary lens to screw onto the front of another like a filter, and reduces the minimum focusing distance. With a close-up lens, you can move the camera lens closer to the subject and gain a macro lens magnification effect. It is also inexpensive and a great way to get started with macro photography without breaking the bank.

To invest in a macro lens, we’ve shared the best value macro lenses, plus the best macro lenses for Mirrorless and DSLR, and the best second-hand macro lenses.

Reflector

The smallest Manfrotto reflector (previously known as Lastolite) is big enough for flower photography, or I even use just a piece of white card. A diffuser can be useful if the light is really harsh.

Manfrotto (formerly Lastolite) Collapsible Reflector

Tripod

A tripod helps me to take time for my composition as well as focus precisely. I also use a cable release to avoid moving the camera when I press the shutter button.

See more accessories for close-up photography here.

Sue Bishop specialises in flower and landscape photography and is the author of three books. She has exhibited her work many times and sold her images worldwide. In 1994 she and Charlie Waite founded Light & Land. Visit www.suebishop.co.uk.

More reading:

• Beginners guide to macro photography
• 30 ways to photograph a bouquet of flowers
• Top 20 best close-up and macro photographs
• How to take great macro photos on a smartphone
• Top tips for insect photography
• How to get great autumn macro shots

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The post Top tips for close-up flower photography with a macro lens appeared first on Amateur Photographer.

For all the camera editing apps for phones that now exist, serious photographers still need look no further than Snapseed (for iOS and Android). Its huge variety of tools and tricks remains as apt and useful today as ever. If you’re investing in one of the best smart phones for photography, or shopping for a budget camera phone Snapseed is the editing app for you.

Far beyond one-click filters and fakery, it’s a serious photo editor with striking creative effects and powerful editing tools. These range from the familiar edits like crop and rotate to more in-depth techniques like curves adjustment. Snapseed is also very straightforward and well designed for touch control. Better still, Snapseed is free, with no strings.

Note that, although it’s a Google app, it integrates perfectly well with Apple Photos (simply launch Snapseed and choose the photo to edit from your Library). You can apply a single effect or many, and save your favourite looks as preset effects to be used over and again.

Where to start with Snapseed

A deeper dig into Snapseed reveals amazing editing potential. Let’s begin with curves editing before considering other smart editing features. Curves adjustments can be off-putting to some as they are typically found in more advanced desktop photo editing apps; yet is actually very simple to use. Give it a try and you will soon have a feel for it.  For more in-depth tips, see my book Smart Phone, Smart Photo Editing, available from all good bookstores.

Image: Jo Bradford

Snapseed curves: the basics

The Curves tool is used to adjust hue, brightness, contrast, highlights and shadows in your photos. Essentially, this is done by dragging blue dots, known as nodes, on a line: down to decrease, up to increase. This very precise way of editing enables much greater adjustment control than when using the contrast slider in the Tune image tool. Curves will be familiar to anyone used to editing photos on a computer, but for the sake of smartphone users still learning the jargon, we’ll start from the basics.

Opening the tool, rather than finding a curve as the name suggests, there is instead a straight diagonal line from bottom left to top right laid out in a square box. This line, often referred to as the contrast curve, represents the range of brightness and shadow in images. Below it is the histogram graph, which tells us how the light information is distributed in the photo.

The core elements are:

• The existing node at the bottom left of the line represents the black point.
• The existing node at the top right represents the white point.
• The bottom half of the line represents the shadows.
• The middle section of the line represents the midtones.
• The top half of the line represents the highlights.

Nodes can be added to curves adjustments to change the shape of the curve; and the contrast and brightness of the photo.

Image: Jo Bradford

Snapseed offers a selection of preset curves adjustments. Explore these to get an idea of what each does and when you might want to use it. Other nodes may be added by touching anywhere on the line to manipulate the presets further.

As well as the presets, curves can be adjusted manually by tapping the circular icon at the bottom left. This reveals the different curve adjustments options: RGB, Red, Green, Blue, Luminance. The RGB curve is the default selection. Raising or lowering this curve brightens or darkens all the colours in an image simultaneously. Choose to increase the lightness or darkness of each colour individually by using the Red, Green and Blue icon options:

• Raise the red curve above the diagonal median line to increase the red hues.
• Drag the red curve down below the diagonal median line to increase the cyan (blue/green) hues.
• Raise the green curve above the diagonal median to increase the green hues.
• Drag the green curve below the diagonal median line to increase the magenta (purple/pink) hues.
• Raise the blue curve above the diagonal median line to increase the blue hues.
• Drag the blue curve down below the diagonal median line to increase the yellow hues.
• Luminance affects the brightness of all the colours at the same time; RGB affects the black and white points individually for each of the colours. Raising the luminance curve increases the hues’ lightness.
• Dragging the luminance curve down increases the darkness of the hues.

In practice, you may not need of all of the above. Best to start by altering the Luminance curve alone and then experiment with the individual RGB channels as you gain experience, and use the list for reference.

Image: Jo Bradford

Snapseed Curves editing

1. Tap the eye icon on the bottom menu to hide the curve line and bottom menu ribbon, and see the effects on the image.
2. The curve is also known as an S curve, because when used correctly, the shape created looks like the letter S.
3. Avoid dragging the nodes to any extremes (such as straight lines, right angles, shelved or stepped patterns) and avoid touching the ceiling or floor of the curves box. To work best, a curve should be soft and rounded.

Snapseed: Vignettes

Vignettes darken the corners of an image to focus attention on the main subject. As with many effects in Snapseed it’s easy to ‘overcook’ this. You can reduce or increase the strength of the different vignette effects by sliding your finger up and down to access various options, and then left or right to change the strength.

Image: Jo Bradford (before edit)

If you want to try something different, then the Curves tool provides a more sophisticated method for creating a vignette than the Vignette tool itself. The latter is limited to a uniform circle whereas our Curves tool protects the highlights in the image and produces the light and dark areas in any bespoke shape.

Image: Jo Bradford (after edit)

In this picture of a jackdaw, I wanted to use a vignette effect to increase the focus on the bird. I created a new RGB curves layer and placed a node on the RGB line just below the first intersection but snuggled into the corner. By dragging this node down, I increased the shadows in the image. Then I placed a node in the top intersection to hold the highlights in place and protect them in the image.

Image: Jo Bradford

Finally, I masked in the layer in the edit stack, brushing the outside edge at 25. Then moving in towards the centre graduating the steps by 25 at a time, i.e. 50, 75, all the way to 100. This prevented it from being a hard effect and made it look more natural.

This very subtle change is all about creating mood and atmosphere using the lightest of touches.

Image: Jo Bradford. Masking in the layer in the edit stack

Vignettes are very effective for enhancing composition and mood, and you can start with the basic vignette tool and move on to more advanced curve and masking techniques.

Snapseed: Composite images

Another handy tool is Double Exposure. My book, Smart Phone Smart Photo Editing, includes two edits using it. One shows how to overlay two different images of the same subject to create an image that is more than the sum of its parts. The second shows how to create a stylised image that will make the most of your new curves skills. Be sure to choose two images that sit well together, however. Image preparation is essential to clean them up and expand the backgrounds so they can be resized to overlay each other.

Image: Jo Bradford

How to create a composite image in Snapseed

The original images I used here were in colour so the first job was to convert them, one at a time, to black & white (use the Saturation slider within the Tune image tool, but check highlights, shadows and contrast – again, see my book for more). Once the first image was b&w I opened the White Balance tool.

The Temperature and Tint were both turned up to +100 to make the image redder, before I opened a curves layer and activated the red curve. I dragged this up to make it redder still, then selected hard contrast from the Curves presets to make sure I had strong shadows to work with when the images were blended. Finally, using the Rotate tool I flipped the image to put the subject’s head on the left of the frame. Then I saved and exported it for later.

First image. Image: Jo Bradford

Now the second image. Once converted to black & white, I opened the curves layer again. This time I dragged the green curve up and the red down to remove the red and enhance the cyan which created the turquoise colour.

After using the Expand tool to increase the frame, and the Healing tool to remove background anomalies caused by doing that, I saved and exported this second image too. With the red image reopened I tapped the Double Exposure icon on the bottom screen menu to open the turquoise image, creating an instant overlay ready for further editing.

The Swatch icon in the Double Exposure tool opens the blend method which allows you to explore ways in which the two images are blended.

The Liquid Drop icon lets you raise or lower opacity so you can control the visibility of both images. You can also use your finger pinch to resize the second image, move it around the frame or change its orientation.

Image: Jo Bradford

Note that you can reposition only the second image. The first will be static; so make sure you open them in the right order for the image you want to create.

Create your own Looks: Styles in Snapseed

Snapseed’s preset Looks (iOS) or Styles (Android) are ‘ready-made’ combinations of various edit stages that you can use to quickly alter the style of photos. However, you can also create your own Looks/Styles, saving huge amounts of time. Especially if you’re editing multiple images from the same shoot and using the more sophisticated tools such as Curves. Creating your own Looks/Styles means you can rapidly apply the same edits to a whole set of images. This makes it easier to select the best of the bunch, and can also help establish your own style.

Image: Jo Bradford

Once you’ve finished editing a photo, select the Looks/Style menu. Swipe through the presets until you reach the Add (+) icon at the end. Tap on this, give your new Look/Style a new name and then select Save. It is as easy as that! Then, next time you open a new photo you can go straight to the Looks/Style menu and select your own one without having to do the work!

You can manage your Looks/Style by simply clicking on the three small dots that are bottom left after the +. You can view them all, rename them, or delete any that you no longer use.

Image: Jo Bradford

See more:

• How to edit black and white photos in Snapseed
• 10 ways smartphones can help your photography
• 11 best smartphone photography apps
• Best camera phones for photography
• Plus, read our smartphone reviews here

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Adobe offers three Lightroom and/or Photoshop plans

1. What’s in a name?

Long-term users and beginners alike may be confused about the Lightroom options. It now exists in two main forms: Classic and CC. Lightroom Classic (previously LR CC) is the same app many LR users have been enjoying for years. By contrast, the new Lightroom CC departs from the traditional method of storing photos on a local drive. Instead, original photos are uploaded to online cloud storage so they can be accessed, edited and synced across your desktop, tablet and phone.

2. Picking a plan

Adobe offers three Lightroom and/or Photoshop plans. At $9.99 a month, the Photography Plan gets you both versions of Lightroom – Classic vs CC – plus Photoshop CC. However, this only comes with 20GB of cloud storage, which is unlikely to be enough if you want to embrace the LR CC workflow fully. The second option, which is also $9.99 a month, gets you LR CC with a healthy 1TB cloud storage, but no Photoshop CC or LR Classic. Alternatively, you can get all three apps plus the 1TB cloud storage for $19.99 a month.

Lightroom CC develop

3. Important similarities

Both versions share a range of useful features. The Develop controls are mostly the same: there are near-identical tonal sliders, selective adjustments, tone curve, split toning, HSL controls, black & white tools, presets, profiles, spot removal and more. Both also let you organise photos with flags and stars. However, there are fundamental differences. The question is, which version is right for you?

4. Cloud or local storage?

Do you want to store all your photos on the cloud or locally on a hard drive? This decision goes to the heart of the Classic vs CC debate. The cloud offers ease of use across devices and is arguably safer than local storage (unless you’ve adopted a rigorous backup routine). But even with Adobe’s 1TB of cloud storage, space will be more limited on the cloud and uploading photos may take time.

5. Integration with mobile

Lightroom CC has been designed to work seamlessly across all your devices. All changes sync and update, so you can begin editing on your desktop, then switch to your tablet or phone – and everything is synced. For those who edit on the go, the seamless workflow offered by CC is the better option.

Lightroom CC import

6. Import dialog

The Import dialog is one of the cherished features of LR Classic (when Adobe tried to ‘simplify’ it a couple of years ago the uproar caused an immediate U-turn). Among the comprehensive options, you can apply presets on import, convert to DNG, add keywords, create collections and much more. By contrast, other than an ‘Add to an album’ option the CC import dialog is completely bare.

Lightroom Classic import

7. Albums or Collections?

Experienced Lightroom Classic users will be aware of the power of Collections. They let you create groups and categories of images without shifting around files or making copies. LR CC doesn’t have Collections, but it does have Albums, which work in the same way. However LR Classic’s Collections are more advanced, with options to create Smart Collections based on parameters like camera data or star ratings.

Lightroom search

8. Clever searches

One of the stand-out features in LR CC that isn’t available in LR Classic is the Search bar – for searching your image library. The clever thing is that it can recognise subjects and types of scene – like the search for trees here – even if there are no keywords or tags attached to the images. Powered by machine learning, this is the future of image cataloguing – and great news for those tired of keywording.

9. Dual monitor support

Using dual monitors is essential to many photographers. It means we can place all our panels and tools on our secondary screen, leaving our main display free to display the image as large as possible. Unfortunately, it’s only an option with LR Classic – LR CC’s single window interface doesn’t work across dual monitor set-ups.

10. Slider locations

Many of the tools and settings found in LR Classic (and Photoshop’s Camera Raw plugin) are also present in LR CC, although in some cases they are grouped together differently. For example, the sliders found within the Classic Basic Panel are laid out in terms of Light, which includes Exposure, Shadows, Highlights, and then in terms of Color, which includes white balance and saturation.

LR Classic enables you to create virtual copies that won’t take up additional space on your hard drive

11. Workflow tricks

Lightroom edits images by changing their appearance within the program rather than altering the pixels in an open-edit-save workflow that Photoshop employs. As such, the approach brings several workflow benefits such as Virtual Copies, which let you make several versions of an image without creating memory-sapping copies on your drive. It’s another useful workflow feature that isn’t on offer in LR CC.

12. History panel

Found on the left side of LR Classic’s Develop Module, the History panel remembers every single edit you make to an image, so it’s useful if you need to retrace your steps or restore a previous version of your image. LR CC lacks this helpful feature.

13. How do they sync?

If you adopt the LR CC cloud-based workflow then your original photos are stored in the cloud and any edits are synced to your library instantly. LR Classic works differently – you can still edit synced photos on mobile devices using LR Mobile, but rather than the originals you work on Smart Previews, which are then synced back to your main image library the next time you open LR Classic on your desktop.

14. Syncing in LR Classic

With Classic, you have to manually choose which collections you’d like to sync by clicking the double arrow sync icon to the left of the collection within the Collections panel. When using LR CC all images are synced automatically across your devices for a seamless workflow. As such, LR CC’s synced workflow is much slicker.

Lightroom range masking

15. Range Masking

One of the best recent additions in LR Classic are the Range Mask controls. These let you create precise local adjustments by zeroing in on parts of an image based on their tonal or colour values, making it easy to isolate and adjust objects or areas of a photo in seconds. Unfortunately, the feature has yet to make it into LR CC.

16. Classic modules

The LR CC interface is akin to a mixture of LR Classic’s Library and Develop Modules (the two most-used modules), but none of the other modules get a look in. So if you like to geotag photos, create photobooks, slideshows and print, you still need to use Classic.

Lightroom face recognition

17. Face recognition

LR Classic can’t match CC’s intelligent search bar, but it does offer one clever library-searching benefit that CC lacks: facial recognition. This works by searching your image library for similar faces, letting you quickly group photos on the basis of who appears in them. Click the face icon in the Library Module to switch it on, then start naming faces to begin compiling.

18. HDRs and panoramas

Creating HDRs or panoramas in Lightroom Classic is quick and easy with the Merge controls found under the Photo menu. Simply choose a set of photos, start the command, work through the simple options, and at the end, Lightroom creates a detail-rich DNG file of the HDR or panoramic image. Unfortunately, both features are not on offer in Lightroom CC.

19. Export options

Like almost everything in LR CC, the Export options are very minimal: you can either save as a JPEG or as ‘original + settings’. There’s no option to export as a TIFF or PSD, but you’ll find these in LR Classic’s more advanced Export dialog. With Classic, you can also set up export presets.

Lightroom Classic vs Lightroom CC: verdict

For organising an image library, Lightroom Classic wins hands down. Besides the Albums feature, Lightroom CC offers minimal control and you can’t even rename your images; however CC does have it’s amazing Search bar. When it comes to editing images, both Classic and CC are equally good: Classic offers more advanced workflow options, but CC is slicker, and you can edit video. Of course, CC is designed for a different audience than those of us who’ve been using Lightroom for years. The features that aren’t there, aren’t there for a reason – things like Smart Collections, Import options, Range Masking, Soft Proofing, which are tools that the casual user doesn’t need.

As such, for professional and advanced photographers and those familiar with Lightroom already, Classic is still the best choice. For beginners, smartphone shooters, casual enthusiasts and anyone who wants to edit on-the-go, Lightroom CC is the friendlier, slicker option.

James Paterons is as skilled a photo editor as he is a photographer. His work has appeared in countless magazines and books, and in 2014, he was appointed editor of Practical Photoshop. His subjects range from portraits to landscapes, architecture and underwater scenes. For James, Photoshop is more than just a work tool. Visit www.patersonphotos.com.

Related reading:

• Best photo editing packaged – subscription free
• Best photo editing apps for your smartphone
• Adobe Photoshop Review

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The post Lightroom Classic vs Lightroom CC – which is best? appeared first on Amateur Photographer.

Smartphone photos inspiration: Books

Books on smartphone photography are (almost) ten a penny, but Jo Bradford is internationally recognised as an authority on the subject. Jo’s first book, Smart Phone, Smart Photography, was published in 2018, and since then she’s become a regular fixture on the camera club circuit, as well as running workshops for the RPS and appearing on the judging panels of several prestigious competitions.

‘Smart Phone, Smart Photography’ was the first book about smartphone photography to top the digital photography best-selling book lists on Waterstones and Amazon,’ Jo notes with justifiable pride. ‘When I wrote that book I was not convinced that anyone would buy a book about phone photography – but it remained a best seller for four years!’

Jo’s latest book, Smart Photos: 52 Ideas to Take Your Smartphone Photography to the Next Level, is full of intriguing and original ideas for smartphone photos beyond the obvious. From panning to pinhole, any remaining smartphone photography sceptics may just be converted. We caught up with Jo to get some expert advice for better smartphone photography, including handset choice, and editing.

‘Every year more people embrace smartphones, but the biggest change I’ve seen since my first book is the rise of algorithms and computational photography,’ Jo observes. ‘As well as powerful image processing, the latest iPhones and Android phones have very effective night modes, for example. The algorithms are using the image data in a much more intelligent way. The hardware is coming on in leaps and bounds, too, and we’re seeing a lot of handsets with three, even five, cameras on the back.’

A painterly scene was created by panning handheld with a slow shutter app on an iPhone 11 Pro Max. Widemouth Bay, Bude, Cornwall. Image: Jo Bradford

It starts with solving problems

Jo wrote the new book to show just how creative smartphones can be, pushing the boundaries of how they are mostly used – typically for selfies, street candids and conventional landscapes. ‘I still shoot with analogue and digital cameras, but I find myself reaching for my phone more and more in my professional work,’ she explains.

‘I wanted to show just how powerful smartphones can be when combined with creative thinking and a bit of know-how. So, I started to look at more complex images that people make with conventional cameras, such as image stacking and panning, and explore how you can do it on a phone. The fun is in the creativity – trying to do something different and problem-solving.’

People with very different skill levels can still get good images from smartphones, which is a big part of their appeal for Jo. ‘Most of the time even total beginners will get a shot with a phone, but beyond that, there are lots of ways to get more- sophisticated results – for instance, by using advanced apps, using the phone cameras in manual mode to control exposure, and so on.’

Are the best smartphone photos shot in RAW?

With algorithms now so advanced, often producing perfectly exposed images straight from the phone, is there still much point bypassing them and shooting in raw? ‘I do shoot in raw but save out the images as a TIFF rather than a JPEG,’ Jo explains. ‘The apps I use – Moment, Halide or Camera Pro – enable me to do this.

Everything I produce will either be printed or exhibited, which is why I prefer TIFF. As you say, when you shoot raw on your phone it enables lots of flexibility at the editing stage, but it does override the often excellent JPEG algorithms that makers have spent a lot of money developing.

Shot in a studio using an iPhone 11 Pro Max, with lighting provided by two torches covered in coloured cellophane recycled from sweet wrappers. Image: Jo Bradford

‘You can get great quality in your photos without needing to shoot raw, however. If you stack images when shooting in low light, using an app like Slow Shutter Cam, can be a great way to reduce noise. As the noise is randomly generated in each image, when the app stacks them, the noise is automatically removed.

You can end up being able to print really big – I go on stage at The Photography Show and invite people to come and ‘pixel peep’ at my prints. Even with photos taken on an older iPhone, there is hardly any image degradation. So don’t feel compelled to shoot raw, but it’s well worth trying – there’s a raw-editing tool in Snapseed too, which automatically opens when it recognises the file.’

Editing smartphone photos and Instagram

This writer is guilty of sticking with a very small toolbox of editing apps, mainly VSCO and Snapseed, and I’m not alone. Jo encourages people to be more adventurous. ‘Snapseed is amazing, I wrote a whole book about it, but there are lots of other, more specialised apps out there. Snapseed has a very basic retouching function, for example, so you can use TouchRetouch for better results – or you can try SKRWT for fine-tuning leaning-in lines and perspective.

I’m also a big fan of editing on my tablet, which gives you more room to edit. VSCO’s film simulations are great too, particularly with black & white; though you often have to dial the filter effects down a bit. Slow Shutter Cam for iPhone is also fantastic for long exposures and image stacking.’

Slow shutter apps, or Live mode, are great for capturing more of the light display at fireworks shows. Using this method you can capture the vertical light that precedes the main burst of colour, too. Shot on an iPhone 13 Pro Max. Image: Jo Bradford

Instagram is the default sharing platform for many smartphone photographers, and Jo has some interesting observations on how it tends to be used. ‘A lot of Instagram users become obsessed with gaining likes and followers, so you start to see a lot of similar kinds of pictures on there.

As creative photographers, we should be innovative and find our own voice, not just emulate other stuff on Instagram – the standard filters can render a lot of images to look alike, too. People want results quickly, however, and don’t always want to put in the time. This is what separates serious smartphone photographers from snappers and hobbyists.’

Read more on how to use social media as a photographer here.

Smartphone Photos – The optical issue

When it comes to future technological developments for smartphones, Jo is keen for more options to control depth of field optically, rather than digitally. ‘I’d really like to see a wider range of better-quality lenses for smartphones. It’ll be interesting to see where we are in five years – whether the makers are still trying to solve everything through algorithms, or go back to finding an optical solution.

Image stabilisation and low-light handling are getting better too (see the new Night mode on iPhones). Again though, it’s doing the same thing, shooting lots of photos in quick succession and putting them all together. It’s the optical side that still lets smartphones down.’

Though clip-on lenses seemed to be dying out, Jo reckons they are growing again in popularity, especially the better-quality ones. ‘I find the lenses from Moment in particular are great. They are not easy to get hold of in the UK and are relatively expensive, but they feature beautiful glass and very low aberration. With the Moments macro and wide angle lenses, you don’t get that overprocessed look you sometimes end up with when the algorithms try to emulate optical lens effects.’

Evangelist yes, zealot no

Jo gives lots of talks and lectures and enjoys challenging traditionalists who still don’t believe phones are up to the job of creative photography. ‘Yes, there are still areas that phones need to improve on, such as astrophotography and underwater shots. For the book, I got Rob Layton to share his techniques for underwater, for example, as he has more specialised knowledge, so I wanted to share his wisdom.

But a lot of anti-phone people end up being my biggest converts when they see what can be achieved. A lot of older photographers aren’t keen on lugging around heavy conventional cameras and lots of lenses, either, which is where phones really come in. It’s almost as if they want “permission” to use smartphones.’

To conclude, it shouldn’t be assumed that Jo is some kind of anti-camera zealot. ‘I love my conventional cameras – mirrorless, DSLRs, and my old film equipment. I’m a big fan of printing my own analogue/film photography in my colour darkroom, and I exhibit and sell analogue fine-art photography in galleries around the world.

As for lenses, for now, nothing beats a big, beautiful piece of hand-ground glass. I would hate to see phones cause the death of all this. For certain genres, such as street photography, I believe smartphones are the best choice, but for a portrait in a studio, you would still be better off with a “proper” camera and lighting rig. It’s about choosing the right tool for the job.’

Creative ideas for your smartphone photos

Fun with freelensing

Ferns photographed with the Samsung Galaxy S21’s camera’s telephoto lens selected. A small detachable smartphone macro lens was held in front of the camera to give a shallow depth of field, thereby creating a pleasing background blur. Image: Jo Bradford

‘I really enjoy freelensing, which is a great way to play with any of your old lenses – a standard 50mm prime lens, for example,’ says Jo. ‘You need a tripod to hold the phone while you experiment with the camera and lens combinations.’

How to do freelensing:

1. Select a phone camera lens – the standard and telephoto lenses on your smartphone work best for freelensing. You are simply handholding the lens near the camera, and trying to look through the extra lens.
2. Position your external lens in front of the phone camera and compose your image. Practise finding focus and lining the lens up so that you can’t see the black edges of the lens housing in your frame.
3. No tripod? Not a problem. You can also attach one end of the lens to the top of your smartphone with a piece of tape. This will hold it roughly in the right place so that you can move the lens up and down and left and right without losing it. Experiment with various different lens combinations until you get the results that you are happy with.

Rembrandt lighting

Shot in a studio with an iPhone 13 Pro Max and a Badger Beam light, with a barn-door light modifier from Interfit. Image: Jo Bradford

In this technique, named after the Dutch Old Master, a subject’s face is half-lit, with a triangle of light appearing on the shadowed side of the face. ‘It’s easy to achieve with your phone and a few household props,’ says Jo. ‘The base of the triangle should sit across the top of the eye, extending along the side of the nose on one side and the cheekbone on the other, with the point sitting roughly on the edge of the lip.’

How to get the Rembrandt look:

1. Set up your backdrop. It needs to be non-distracting and absorb rather than reflect light. Use a dark grey studio backdrop roll or a large piece of dark fabric or board. For a textured, classical look, paint the board in a dark shade or hue with visible brushstrokes.
2. In a darkened room, place the light high on one side of the subject’s face and bring the light forward until the triangle appears. Adjust the light until the triangle is in the right position on the subject’s face.
3. Use the telephoto lens on your camera. Drag the exposure down to darken the image, creating a silhouette. You’ll find the exposure function on your smartphone when you tap to focus.

Top tips for making your smartphone photos stand out

Jo’s advice for smartphone photography:

Handset choice

iPhone back camera lens

‘My favourite handset is still the iPhone – I use the iPhone 13 Pro Max. Huawei phones are great for zooming and there are some really good Android phones, but iPhone images don’t look so overprocessed by the algorithms.’

The power of touch

‘When doing talks I ask how many people touch the screen to focus or set exposure, and few do. This is really important as you are taking creative control. You need to get beyond the point-and-shoot mentality with smartphones.’

After party

Image: Jo Bradford

‘Image capture is just one element. How will you craft the image afterwards? I stack photos, print them, make collages, throw paint at them, and experiment with household props. Don’t be afraid to play with your smartphone photos.’

Make the grade

Image: Jo Bradford

‘It’s actually really easy to do your own colour grading, which really makes your images stand out. I’ve shown people how to get the Edward Weston look, for example, rather than just relying on the standard Instagram filters and getting the same old look.’

Third-party lighting

Interfit Badger beam

‘Interfit’s Badger Beam, a versatile LED video and photo light (priced at $219/£199), is a good entry-level lighting set-up – it also has some great accessories such as colour gels. I also experiment with making my own coloured lights using sweet wrappers and a small torch.’

Instagram

Image: Jo Bradford

‘Don’t just ape what’s trending on Instagram – think about developing your own photographic style.’

More tips from Callum McInerney-Riley:

Use the grid for composition

Without a viewfinder, it can be difficult to compose your shots and get everything evenly within the frame. Turning on gridlines in your camera app settings can help you with composition and ensure you don’t have to crop too much in post-production.

Use your main camera and try manual camera mode

Many of the latest smartphones have an array of cameras with different uses. While the telephoto lens might get you closer to the action, it usually relies on an inferior sensor or lens to your main camera. Stick to the main unit for the best results.

Many smartphones allow you to shoot with manual controls. Often, it’s called something like ‘Pro’ mode when you launch your smartphone’s default camera app. If you don’t have this, you can always use a third-party app such as Adobe Lightroom Mobile or ProShot, which is available on both IOS and Android. Using manual mode will give you more control in comparison to the automatic modes.

I always try and work a bit of colour science into my edits. This orange and blue edit works so well together and brings back great memories of Ibiza. Image: Callum McInerney-Riley

Use spot metering

For speed, use spot metering, touching the interesting area you want to expose for – tapping areas of bright sky or shadowy foreground elements will ensure your exposure is good. You can adjust the rest of the image in post-production but you can’t get back picture information in a blown-out sky.

Edit creatively

Your style is subjective and you can do what you like with the image once you have captured it. However, adjusting highlights, shadows, exposure and manipulating colours, sharpening, contrast and tonality will all make your image pop. Be playful with editing and find a look you really like.

There are a variety of apps available but generally, I prefer Adobe Lightroom Mobile. I like the way it syncs to Lightroom CC on my laptop and I can view my images on a big screen and tweak them before I share them. Snapseed and Adobe Photoshop mobile are also fantastic and will work just as well. Editing will allow you to make the most of golden sunlight, bring out detail in the skies, enhance the colours and be creative. For more options, take a look at our list of the best photo editing apps for your phone.

Using the Xperia 5 II’s Pro Camera App, I was able to shoot with a slow shutter speed and keep the ISO low. That’s given me maximum dynamic range and a good-quality raw file for editing this final image. Image: Callum McInerney-Riley

Look for light

You can have the most technical know-how and the best kit in the world… but if your scene is boring and the light is ‘bad,’ your image will be uninspiring. First light or even before is great for travel photography as places are usually less crowded and the light is usually good.

For more insight read our complete guide to outdoor light in photography and tips on how to get great shots in strong summer light.

The late evening has great potential too. Find good light, take great images – it’s a very basic tenet of photography but without it, your shots are going to be dull.

The best apps for smartphone photography

Jo has tried a very wide choice of apps, but these are her current favourites for shooting and editing, covering iPhone, iPad and Android platforms.

Best apps for shooting smartphone photos:

• Pro Camera by Cocologics (iOS): Very reliable and offers manual functions. Price $12.99/£12.99
• Halide Mark II – Pro Camera (iOS): An App Store Editor’s Choice, this is an award-winning powerful camera app that costs $2.99 monthly, $11.99 yearly or $59.99 as a one-time purchase.
• Slow Shutter Cam (iOS): My go-to app for making long exposures and light trails. I also like using the clever stacking function to deal with low-light shooting and related noise issues. It costs $2.79.
• FOCOS (iOS and Android): A clever app for shooting and editing that lets you mimic a wide array of lens effects and depth of field. Experiment with the aperture shapes over light to create beautiful bokeh. Monthly subscription $3.99, yearly $7.99, lifetime unlimited access $12.99
• Pro Camera by Moment (iOS and Android): Another app for manual controls and long exposures, with quick access to the settings and many features of a DSLR. Priced at $6.99, pro bundle $4.99, slow shutter $3.99

Best apps for editing smartphone photos:

• Snapseed (iOS and Android): A great all-rounder for basic editing, with advanced features like double exposures. Free.
• SKRWT (iOS and Android): A great app for adjusting issues with lens distortions and converging verticals, enabling you to edit with more precision. Cost £1.99.
• TouchRetouch (iOS and Android): A superb app for removing unwanted bits in your photos, leaving you with a cleaner look! £1.25 a month, £14.99.
• LD Photo Editor (iOS and Android): Enhance your photos with beautiful light and elegant overlays.
• VSCO (iOS and Android): This is an editing app and photo-sharing platform, which combines beautiful presets and premium-quality filters such as classic film styles. Annually $29.99.
• Affinity Photo (iPad): This feels like a fully fledged desktop editing tool, but with the freedom to go anywhere. One-off purchase price is £19.99.

See more smartphone photography apps here.

Take a look at our best budget phones for photography guide for more budget-friendly phone options.

Your guides:

Jo Bradford

Jo is a widely published photographer who runs workshops and courses on photography and editing. She also lectures at Falmouth University. See www.greenislandstudios.co.uk and Instagram: @greenislandstudios

Smart Photos – book by Jo Bradford

Smart Photos: 52 Ideas to Take Your Smartphone Photography to the Next Level is published by White Lion. It’s available from a wide range of booksellers – visit www.quarto.com

Callum McInerney-Riley

A keen photographer for over 15 years, Callum McInerney-Riley is a former Technical Writer on Amateur Photographer. He now runs a company that creates photography and video content for a host of large brands. See his website here.

Found this article helpful? Why not also check out our street, portrait, black & white, and macro smartphone photography guides?

Want the chance to be featured here on our website and across our social media? All you have to do is share your photographs taken on a smartphone on social media tagging #APSmartphonePicoftheWeek. You can also send in photographs to ap.ed@kelsey.co.uk with “Smartphone Pic of the Week” in the subject line.

Related articles:

• Smartphone vs Digital Camera – which one is better?
• How to take great macro photos on a smartphone 
• Best camera phone tripods and mounts
• How to edit photos with Snapseed

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What is Street Photography?

Street photography can involve random, spontaneous, chance events in public places. It can involve people and how they behave, becoming a document recording life in a specific time, period and place. However, street photography doesn’t need people. You could take an aesthetic approach to looking at buildings, architecture, colours, lights and shapes.

Piccadilly Circus and Regent Street in London, England, UK, Credit: Alexander Spatari, Getty Images

Pioneered by people like Paul Martin, there are a number of other famous photographers who are known for street photography including Henri Cartier-Bresson, Walker Evans, Garry Winogrand, and Tony Ray-Jones. Have a look through some of their photographs for inspiration, and notice how fashions have changed over the years.

Which camera should I take to the street?

The camera – It’s up to you and will depend on your personal sensibilities about your presence in public. Some recommend a small camera and minimal amounts of kit, for obvious reasons. Other street photographers have used larger DSLRs like the Nikon D5, and even cameras with a flashgun – hardly subtle! Bruce Gilden is famous for using flash in his street photography. If you don’t already have a camera, and think Street Photography is going to be your primary interest, then have a look at our guide to the best cameras for street photography.

You can use whatever camera you have with you, be that a smartphone, a real camera (more fun), and use autofocus (assuming the camera has it). You may prefer to use a camera with an optical or electronic viewfinder, such as a Digital SLR or Mirrorless camera, or you may prefer to “shoot from the hip” and use a camera with a tilting screen, so you can shoot from down low or high up.

Damien Demolder shows you how to set up your camera for street photography in this guide.

How should I prepare for Street Photography?

Perhaps it goes without saying, but ensure your camera battery is charged, and your memory card has plenty of space. Also make sure your mobile phone has enough charge in case you need it.

The main thing is to be familiar with your camera and to use the camera you have. If you have a choice between different models, use that which brings you the most joy, or you’re most comfortable using in public spaces. Wear comfortable, practical clothes and footwear, as you’ll most likely cover some ground.

Photo taken in London, United Kingdom, Credit: Daniel Gotz EyeEm, Getty Images

Make sure you’re familiar with the environment you’re photographing, it may make sense to walk around the area with your camera in your pocket the first time you go somewhere to spot good places to shoot, as well as assess the area for safety. Don’t worry about the weather: shooting in the rain, dawn, dusk, at night, present whole new worlds of atmosphere for image capture.

Ethical street photography

No matter your subject – people or places, before heading out to photograph on the streets, be sure that you are mindful of street photography law and understand how to be an ethical street photographer.

Four “Simple” Steps for Street Photography

1. Look
2. Wait
3. Snap
4. Edit

The bike handlebars make for an interesting frame in this photo. Credit: Bonfanti Diego, Getty Images

1 – Look

It’s no good approaching street photography by staring at your phone. Put it away! Hold onto your camera, ready to shoot when needed. Be in the moment, observe people and watch events as they unfold. Interesting sights that could combine to make an interesting photo will emerge. You could look for juxtaposition, between the subject, such as a person and the surroundings, this could be matching, or contrasting colours. Be on the lookout for interesting people, streets, art, and buildings, or anything else that can make for an interesting composition or framing device.

Waiting is important in Street Photography. Protests can make for a great subject for street photography. Credit: FilippoBacci, Getty Images

2 – Wait

Patience is key. Be ready for something to happen at any time and expect the unexpected. Often, you’ll need to wait for something to happen. More than this, the shot is in the eye of the beholder: wait in a spot and tune your attention to the optical quality of what is unfolding before you. Light, colour, shapes, contrasts, mood, energy. A unique and stunning shot could be had in the blink of an eye – don’t miss it.

At times you will move to another location, or frame the scene differently by moving your camera for something interesting to appear. Wait for a change in the light to alter the tone of the scene. You can revisit locations at different times of the day for this. Depending on your style, you can avoid or wait for the rush hours to capture the movement energy of cars and people en masse to your composition.

Capture the moment in Street Photography – Credit: Tara Moore, Getty Images

3 – Snap

Take the photo and use a quick enough shutter speed (1/200s), use a bright enough aperture (f/2.8 or similar), use whatever ISO speed is needed to keep your shutter speed quick enough. Noise doesn’t matter in street photography. Being ready in the moment to capture it is what you are there for. In any case, you can always convert the photo to black and white if noise is excessive.

For more inspiration read about black and white street photography here.

Couple on the tube, edited and converted to monochrome. Photo: Joshua Waller

4 – Edit (this is optional)

You can present your images just as they are, especially if you just want a record of people and places, or carry out ‘reportage’ photography. To get the most from them though, you’ll want to edit your photos; be it for contrast, to boost colours, crop images, or convert them into black and white (monochrome). Find out how to make your street photos stand out.

Photo: Matthew Henry / Unsplash

What makes good street photography?

Good street photography showcases given moments of time out on the street, in its surroundings. Street photos show defined subjects and tell their story. Stay aware of the environment and evolving situations. This includes looking at colours, shapes, lights, shadows and how they change, but also observing people and how they move, the shapes they embody.

Some of the best street photography is unplanned and candid. Don’t envisage a particular shot and wait for it to appear – alas, life does not indulge such fantasies! Tune in to what is, follow it for a while and shoot reality just when it catches your own unique and splendid eye.

Practice makes perfect…

Don’t be discouraged. This takes a lot of practice. In the urban environment, a striking photo can come out of nowhere, yet at others only ordinary, or worse images result. This is often the case for everybody; don’t worry about it. Understandably, we don’t see the average and worse photos taken by professional and established photographers. Rest assured that they have hundreds, if not thousands of sub-standard photographs not for public viewing. The one viral or award winning image that sets them apart is all it takes. These could never be shot without the majority in between that are duffers.

Street photography, Credit: SolStock, Getty Images

If at first, you don’t succeed, try again later or another day. Know well the environment that you are entering. When interacting with other people, remember that a smile goes a long way.

Shoot all walks of life, all types of people, warts and all. You’re capturing reality and presenting a view of the world as you see it. Taking photos of a community and life around you is a great way to have fun with photography.

For those who have never engaged in urban photography before, it may prove to be a very novel and stimulating personal experience indeed. Watching, holding one’s attention and attuning the eye to the scene before you, without regard for time but with a camera at the ready, is like being what they call in sport “in the zone”. Call it what you will, but it is in these conditions – completely absorbed in what we’re striving for – that people surpass what they think they are capable of. Just ask an angler, a golfer, a photographer…

Street photography and the law – make sure you read our guide to street photography and the law, as well as our guide on how to be street smart when out taking street photographs.

More inspirational tips and ideas to inspire your street photography

Street photography is such a popular form of photography, that Amateur Photographer has covered it numerous times, so you’ll find lots of street photography articles on this website, but here are some of our favourites that we think you should have a look at for some more inspiration! Simply click the titles below.

Tips from three professional street photographers:

Paola’s aim is to record fleeting moments that capture the environment and atmosphere. Sony A7R III, 55mm, 1/160sec at f/1.8, ISO 100

Black and white street photography tips from Brian Lloyd Duckett and Edmond Terakopian:

Photo: Brian Lloyd Duckett, Black and White Street Photography

Alan Schaller shares how to create your own recognisable style:

Photo: Alan Schaller

10 commandments of street photography:

People often read my body language and get a sense that I am no threat to them, Antonio Olmos

David Gibson on great street photography:

Shin Noguichi has used matching colours, Tokyo 2016

Heather Buckley on challenging the rules of street photography:

Acrobats, Street Photography, Brighton-based Heather Buckley

The 12 best cities for street photography around the world

Jessica Knowlden/Unsplash

Analogue Street Photography Tips – Street photographers share their street-shooting secrets

Image credit: Simon Murphy

Terms to learn:

• Shooting from the hip – In photographic circles this refers to holding a camera at waist level, or the same level as your hip, and by using a tilting screen you can see what you are taking a photograph of.
• Pop – Making an image “pop” means making the photo stand out, making it more striking or dynamic. This could be by increasing contrast, saturation, and colour, but there are other ways that images can stand out.

The AP Improve Your Photography Series – in partnership with MPB – is designed to take your knowledge of photography to the next level, introduce different shooting skills and styles, and teach you how to grow as a photographer, so you can enjoy producing amazing photography (and video), whether that’s making money or simply mastering your art form. You’ll find further articles in this series.

• Part 1: Beginners guide to different camera types.
• Part 2: Beginners guide to different lens types.
• Part 3: Beginners guide to using a camera taking photos.
• Part 4: Beginners guide to Exposure, aperture, shutter, ISO, and metering.
• Part 5: Understanding white balance settings and colour
• Part 6: 10 essential cameras accessories for beginners
• Part 7: Beginners guide to the Art of photography and composition
• Part 8: Beginners guide to Photoshop Elements and editing photos
• Part 9: Beginners guide to Portrait Photography
• Part 10: Beginners guide to Macro Photography

Find the latest Improve Your Photography articles here.

If you’re looking for a great lens for street photography, have a look at the best lenses for street photography, or have a look at the best cameras for street photography. 

Why not try using smartphones for street photography?

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The post Complete guide to street photography appeared first on Amateur Photographer.

Simply put, still life is about photographing inanimate subjects, and puts the photographer in control of every aspect of the image, from composition to lighting. It’s all about mastering the art of composition and light to make an ordinary subject appear more interesting.

From a beginner’s perspective, it means you can really take your time with composition and experiment with different lighting techniques. For the more experienced photographer, still life gives the opportunity to push the boundaries of creativity and originality.

Which subjects lend themselves to still-life photography?

Still-life photograph: Food makes an excellent still-life subject. The red tomatoes in this shot add vibrancy to the image. Shot details: f/2.8, 1/320sec, ISO 400 © Claire Gillo

For type of subject, a great place to start is with food, because it varies in shape, texture, colour and size. For inspiration, study the classics such as Edward Weston’s pepper and cabbage leaf from the 1920s, or still-life images by Edward Steichen from the same era. Fruit and vegetables shot against a dark backdrop are a great place to begin.

Plants and organic matter such as shells and bones are also incredibly popular with still-life photographers as their shape and form are a subject in their own right. Again, for historical inspiration, Imogen Cunningham’s botanical studies are a good place to begin, as is Edward Weston’s Shell.

Man-made objects such as toys, clothing, and vintage objects like cameras or shoes also make great subjects. In the end, still-life photography can be anything you want it to be – there are no strict rules. For example, some still-life photographers may choose to bring in a hand to the corner of the frame (this works well in food photography) or create a wisp of steam or smoke above the subject.

If you’re interested in food still-lifes, check out the Pink Lady® Food Photographer of the Year 2023 for inspiration. ©David Gilliver/Pink Lady® Food Photographer of the Year 2023

How do I photograph a still-life photography setup?

The minimum you need to shoot a still-life setup is a camera, lens, tripod, and subject. Although some lenses lend themselves to the genre more than others – such as a 50mm or 85mm – there aren’t any rules when it comes to lens choice. Your subject and composition will determine what focal length you use.

A tripod is an essential kit for still-life photography as you need to take your time when composing. Also, if you are shooting with natural light, the chances are you’ll have a slow shutter speed, so a tripod will be necessary for this, too.

When it comes to composing your shot, think about where and how your subject sits in the frame and whether you are to introduce other items. In some circumstances, additional props and accessories can make the shot, and at other times less is more. In dressing your shots and balancing your composition, you want to try to lead the eye through the frame. Whether you do this through the use of negative space or objects is entirely up to you and something that can take practice.

Sometimes I place props in the corner of the frame or along an edge to hold the eye in. When it comes to composing still-life scenes the rule of thirds is useful to start with; however, as we all know, rules are made to be broken and sometimes a symmetrical composition can be equally effective. You need to experiment with this and this is why it is useful to have your camera set up on a tripod.

Still-life photography ©Claire Gillo

Learn how to set up a still life studio, and how to take product shots for eBay.

What is the best lighting for still-life photography?

Lighting is another consideration when setting up your still-life photoshoot. If you are new to photography, we suggest keeping it simple and using natural light.

A large window and a reflector or tinfoil wrapped around a piece of card (to bounce light back into the shadows) are all you need to create an effective setup. For those who have more experience, you may want to bring in external speedlight/s or studio light/s depending on the effect you seek.

Continuous lighting makes shooting still-life setups much easier and can be one way to improve your still life photography. ©James Paterson

Finally, for your still-life setup, you also need to think about the background. Are you going to shoot your subject in its setting? Or are you going to drop a background in behind/underneath your subject and what will that do for the image? Are you going to shoot indoors or outdoors and what does this add or take away from your shot?

Where and how you place your still-life subject is what makes or breaks the image. For example, a piece of plastic washed up on the beach photographed on the sand might not look as interesting as if you took that same piece of plastic and photographed it against a black background with studio lights. Textured or plain backgrounds of all different colours and appearances can work effectively if used in the right way.

Plant and plates. This still-life image of a plant has been taken in its place setting. Image stylist Laura Woussen (www.laurawoussen.co.uk). Shot details: f/5.6, 1/100sec, ISO 200 ©Claire Gillo

What camera settings do I need for still-life photography?

To take great still-life setups, the most important setting on your camera is the aperture. This controls the depth of field and determines how much of the subject is sharp and how much is soft. It is something that you will need to experiment with, depending on your setup.

Also, keep in mind, the closer you are shooting, the shallower the depth of field. For example, in a landscape setting if your focus point is set at infinity and the aperture is set to f/11, the whole scene is likely to be sharp from front to back (if you have a foreground object this may blur depending on how close to the camera it is, but you get the gist!).

However, with still life, when you shoot close up, even with an aperture set at f/11 it is likely that your subject will have some blur (how much is determined by a number of factors such as how far you are from your subject and your lens choice). If you want the whole of your subject to be sharp, you will need to explore a technique called focus stacking, which is where you shoot your subject at different focal points and then edit the images together.

Flowers such as the daffodils pictured here make an excellent subject matter for still-life photography. Shot details: f/2.8, 1/1000sec, ISO 400 ©Claire Gillo

Top tips for still-life photography

1. Low-key lighting

Still-life, low-key photography ©Claire Gillo

One technique that lends itself particularly well to still-life is low-key lighting. Low-key lighting often only uses a single light source, and as the name suggests this isn’t a powerful burst of light over your subject, but rather a subtle and soft wash of illumination that falls across it. Natural light or reflected light can work well for low-key lighting. A dark background will also help you create a more atmospheric result.

2. High-key lighting

High-key lighting ©Claire Gillo

If you want a light and bright image, try using high-key lighting. You can use natural light or artificial light to achieve this look. The trick with high-key lighting is you want to create minimal shadows and use a large, wide light source. This effect works particularly well when shot from a bird’s-eye view, as in the example here.

3. Backlighting

Backlighting dried-out hydrangea. Photo Claire Gillo.

NIKON D850 · f/11 · 1/200s · 50mm · ISO100

Backlighting is when you light your subject from behind. The idea is to create a fringe or outline around the edge of your subject to highlight its shape and form. In the case here, it’s a dried-out hydrangea. To take this image I used a single flashgun and placed it behind my subject. This creates a silhouette effect. If you want your subject to be lit as well, use another light at the front.

4. Play with the shadows

Still-life photograph: Shadows ©Claire Gillo

For intentionally harsh shadows, create a hard lighting effect. Flash is the easiest way to create this effect as you have full control over its intensity and direction. In this example, the light was placed to the side of the skull.

5. Background choice

Choice of background matters ©Claire Gillo

Your still-life’s background drastically alters the overall impact on your image. In this example, a vinyl backdrop creates the perfect setting to show off this vase and flowers. Even the wooden table effect underneath is a vinyl sheet.

6. Bokeh backgrounds

Using bokeh to create a beautiful background ©Claire Gillo

An easy way to create a twinkling and atmospheric background is to use fairy lights. To create this effect, I simply lit the main subject in the foreground using natural light and then bunched some fairy lights in the background around a metre away. By opening up the aperture on my camera, the lights in the background transformed into the perfect twinkling circles.

Still-life photography kit list

1. Lens

For still-life photography, your lens choice will be determined by your subject. One of my favourites in my kit bag is my Sigma 50mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art, which produces excellent results. For most of my still-life images, I work between 50mm and 100mm.

2. Tripod

A tripod is an essential part of my kit for my still-life shoots. Whether I shoot with natural or flash, I always use a tripod. Not only can I keep tweaking the composition of my frame when my camera is on a tripod, I can also adjust the light and camera settings until everything is perfect. In my kit bag I have the Manfrotto 190go! with the XPRO Geared three-way pan/tilt tripod head. The tripod comes with an interchangeable centre column, and the three-way tripod head can be finely adjusted.

3. Lights

In my kit bag, I have three Nissin Di700A flashlights and three PixaPro LUMI 400 II 400Ws Studio Flash lights and accessories. The subject determines what setup I use. For any close-up work, my Nissin Speedlites are more than powerful enough to get great results.

4. Backdrops

From twinkling fairy lights in the background to textured or plain pieces of card, I have a wide selection of backgrounds that I use for my still-life setups. Some of my favourite textured backdrops have been bought from Black Velvet Styling.

Backlighting can be achieved using artificial or natural light like in this example here. Shot details: f/4, 1/2000sec, ISO 100

Related reading:

• Macro still life photography masterclass
• Still life photography with continuous lighting
• More still life photography tips
• How to shoot floral still lifes

Read more articles by Claire Gillo:

• Best cameras for portraits and portrait photography
• Best full frame mirrorless cameras
• How to make money from photography and sell your photographs
• Fine Art Photography Guide: how to do it

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The post Still-life photography – How to take perfect still-life photos appeared first on Amateur Photographer.

What is landscape photography? 

Landscape photography is the art of capturing the natural scenery or landscape. Typically it depicts a wider, open space rather than small details. It can include people, animals or man-made structures, but the main focus of the image is always the great outdoors. It can be your way of showing how you see the world around you and capture the beauty of the environment.

Beautiful landscape at sunset, Londrangar, Snaefellsnes Peninsula, Iceland, Credit: Arctic Images, Getty Images

What kit do I need for landscape photography?

• A camera plus a lens that has a wide-angle view of 28mm or wider is a great place to start, but some will want an even wider view, so a 24mm or wider lens would be a good choice, particularly for capturing vast scenes and big open spaces. Find the best camera for landscapes, plus the best wide-angle lenses.
• A tripod will help, especially if you want to capture scenes with water, which are smoothed by longer exposures; or when you want to use a lower ISO speed for maximum image quality. Shutter speed is a lesser concern when your camera is stable and steady on a tripod.
• Filters – use a polariser if you want deeper blues and fewer reflections from leaves and water. Graduated filters are great for darkening the bright skies but leaving the rest of your image unaltered. If you want even longer exposures, then an ND filter will be needed.
• Clothing – weather appropriate apparel is just as essential as your camera, as you may spend hours walking around to find the best viewpoint or waiting for the light to hit your scene just the right way.

Camera settings for landscape photography

Landscape photography is all about light, location and composition. Where you place objects or how you frame the scene before you are key components, but also what camera settings you use, play an important part in getting a sharp, detailed shot.

Remember the elements that make up your exposure: aperture, shutter speed, and ISO speed, as there are some recommendations here that will help when shooting landscape photography. For a refresher, have a look at our guide to exposure.

Here are the 4 main camera settings to pay attention to in landscape photography:

• Aperture
• ISO speed
• Shutter speed
• Focus

Close-up of the lens, showing aperture blades. Credit: Dimitri Otis, Getty Images

Aperture and depth-of-field

Depth-of-field – to ensure a lot of the scene is in focus, with as much of it as possible sharp and in detail, you want to use a smaller aperture. Closing the lens aperture down to f/8 – f/16 will help you get more of the scene in focus from the front of the image (things close to you) to the back of the image (things furthest away). This is known as pan-focus (Canon), where everything in the image is in focus.

But beware of diffraction – if you stop the aperture down too far, such as f/18-f/22 or more you will suffer from diffraction, and get softer images. When diffraction becomes an issue depends on your camera sensor size – see our macro photography guide if you missed our definition of diffraction.

Side note: Diffraction tends to kick in at f/11 on Micro Four Thirds, f/16 on APS-C, and f/22 on Full-frame cameras.

ISO speed

As we’ve said previously, the lowest ISO speed available will give the best results (with the most detail, and lowest noise). However, be aware that the camera you use may have a different low ISO speed to another camera.

On most, the lowest ISO speed is ISO100, but on some the lowest is ISO200. If you are tempted to use a “LOW” or (L) ISO speed on your camera, be aware that this is often an “extended” ISO speed, and results in reduced dynamic range.

So check what your actual low ISO speed is on your camera, if you’re not sure where to find this information, have a look at our review of your camera as it will say what the standard ISO range is, and what the extended ISO range is. Normally you want to avoid using the extended ISO range.

On many Olympus and Panasonic cameras, the low ISO speed is ISO200, and ISO100 is extended, which is shown as “Low” or L.100. You’ll also need to check on Fujifilm cameras, as some of these have the lowest (native, non-extended) ISO speed as ISO160.

A slower shutter speed has helped smooth the waterfall in this scene, Gljufrabui waterfall, Iceland. Credit: (C) Marco Bottigelli, Getty Images

Shutter speed

With a tripod, you can use slower shutter speeds, and by using the self-timer you don’t need to worry about camera shake when pressing the shutter release button, alternatively you can connect your camera to your smartphone and use it as a remote control. Another thing to be aware of is your camera strap – if this is big, then this could cause the camera to move if it’s windy.

If you use slower shutter speeds, you can favourably blur the water, but any movement (in trees or scenery) will become blurred, too. To get really slow shutter speeds on brighter days, then you’ll need to use an ND filter.

Portugal, Azores archipelago, Flores island, hike to Poço da Ribeira do Ferreiro waterfalls (or Poço da Alagoinha or Lagoa das Patas) – This image shows the location in focus from the front to the back. Credit: Francesco Riccardo Locomino, Getty Images

Focus and front-to-back focus

To keep things simple, by using one focus point, you can control and know where you are focusing in your image. You will want to focus so that you can get as much as possible from the front of the image to the back of the image in focus. Newer cameras often include “focus peaking” a useful tool that shows which elements of your scene are in focus by highlighting the edges with a bright colour. Don’t worry too much if you don’t achieve perfection but try and focus on the main area of interest in the frame.

What makes for good landscape photography?

Light and location play a massive part in landscape photography, but are not the only aspects to think about when shooting landscapes. Breaking down what you include in your image can take your landscape photography from average to spectacular.

Here are 6 main things to consider when composing your shot:

1. Light (and weather)
2. Location
3. Points-of-interest
4. Leading lines
5. Level (Horizon)
6. Composition

Stob Ban in Glen Nevis taken from Sgurr a’Mhaim with mid-Autumn sun illuminating the glen below with layers of Glencoe mountains in the background. Credit: Scott Robertson, Getty Images

Light, weather

Shooting in the “golden hour” (the hour before sunset or dusk, and the first hour after sunrise, dawn) will give you a warm golden looking landscape, on the other hand “blue hour” after the sun has set or before the sun has risen, will give you images with a blue tone. Just before or just after sunrise or sunset is also a great time to shoot, as the sky changes different colours. For more examples have a look at our guide to outdoor light with David Noton.

Weather can dramatically change the light in the scene, as well as the look of a landscape image, so don’t be afraid of shooting when there is mist, fog, or even during or after a rain shower. A break in the clouds can turn a dull image into a striking image as can be seen in the example above. If your camera and lens are not weather-sealed, make sure you have a waterproof backpack or plastic bag to offer some protection for your kit in the worst of the weather.

…and Location

Shoot somewhere dull, and even with the best lighting possible, the best camera possible, and the best settings, you’ll still most likely end up with a dull photo. Landscape photography tends to include travel, and finding the most pleasant-looking locations and landscapes is part of the exciting appeal of landscape photography, whether that’s near you, or further away.

Check out some recommendations for the best landscape photography locations in the UK here.

Brecon Beacons national park, Wales, Credit: WLDavies, Getty Images

Points-of-interest

To include people or not? By including people you can give a sense of scale, as well as potentially date the photograph to a certain period – depending on how visible the subject’s clothing/style/fashion is. The same goes for any other man-made objects included, such as buildings or vehicles. By including a subject or a person in the shot you add an additional element and give a sense of balance to the image.

Neist Point Lighthouse, Isle of Skye, Glendale – June 9, 2019: The last sunbeam at Neist Point Lighthouse. Credit: Juan Maria Coy Vergara, Getty Images – Following the coastline your eye ends on the lighthouse.

Leading lines

If you think of the elements in an image as guiding the viewer through the frame, you can look for leading lines in your scene, such as a road leading towards an impressive mountain range, a river leading to a waterfall, or even the formation of rocks and land leading you through the image.

Lavender field in Valensole, Haute Provence, France. Credit: Matteo Colombo, Getty Images

On the level?

Watch for the horizon and keep the camera level – use the camera’s built-in axis or dual-axis level if it has this, or look for the spirit level built into your tripod. If you don’t have these features, then you could pick up a simple spirit-level hot-shoe attachment for not much money.

Alternatively, you can switch on an on-screen grid display if your camera has this feature. If you don’t manage to get it perfect in-camera, then you can always edit the image later to straighten up the image. Some modern cameras have a built-in horizon correction feature, so check your manual to see if yours has this.

Composition

All of these factors play a part in how you compose and frame your image, and how you place the elements in front of you into the photograph. If you’re just starting out in landscape photography, then using the “Rule of thirds” is a great place to start, but don’t be afraid to experiment with different framing. See our guide to the art of photography and composition for more ideas.

Other things to think about: You don’t always have to shoot vast landscapes. Instead you could zoom in to look at the finer detail, and this is where a macro or telephoto zoom lens could come in useful. If there is water in the scene, then look for reflections.

Aerial landscape photography: If you have access to a drone, then shooting from a high-angle can give a totally different look to your images. See our guide to aerial landscape photography for more information.

Intimate landscapes: Landscape photography doesn’t have to just be wide-angle, sweeping vistas. Try honing in on a smaller part of a scene for a more interesting alternative. See this guide to Intimate landscape photography.

Square landscapes: Landscape photos also do not have to be taken in landscape orientation. Changing to portrait or even square format can make an interesting composition. Transform your landscapes with square format here.

Editing Landscape images

It’s likely that you’ll need to (or want to) edit your photos to ensure you’re showing the landscape how you want to show it. Slight tweaks to contrast, saturation, and exposure to improve dynamic range in the image can make your images look better. You can also correct the image if it’s not entirely level.

Dynamic range – ensuring correct exposure, and correcting when the image is over-exposed. See our guide to dynamic range by James Paterson.

Expanding dynamic range – If you shoot using raw you have the ability to correct any errors in exposure or white balance. There is also the ability to expand the dynamic range in the image, which means you can recover shadows and dark areas in the image as well as recover highlights in the brighter areas.

Another option is to use exposure bracketing to help with this, but make sure you use a tripod so your images line up. Have a look at our guide to maximising dynamic range. Shooting raw also gives you the ability to tweak the sharpness and noise levels to get the very best out of the photo.

Landscape Photography Competitions

You can enter competitions to win prizes and recognition, as well as learn from others. Look out for landscape photography competitions such as the famous Landscape Photographer of the Year, and the landscape photography round of the Amateur Photographer of the Year Competition (APOY). Other general photography competitions feature Landscape categories, so have a look at our complete guide to the best photography competitions to enter.

More Landscape Photography Inspiration…

You’ll find a range of landscape photography articles here, and you can learn from professional photographers. We have articles from famous landscape photographers including Ansel Adams, William Garnett, Michael Kenna, Colin Prior, with AP contributors including Jeremy Walker, David Clapp, Verity Milligan, Rachael Talibart and Lizzie Shepherd to name a few. If you want to learn from the greats, make sure you have a look at their work.

For even more inspiration have a look at some of the landscape photography books available. You’ll find AP’s own book on “Landscapes” is a great resource for learning even more.

Bookazine – Improve Your Photography – Landscapes

Landscape photography holidays – try out your skills

Improve your landscape photography skills on one of our upcoming AP Photography Holidays! Experience the very best of what the UK and the rest of the world offer – from coastal landscapes to grand mountainscapes – with guidance from some of the best photographers in the world. See more Photography Holidays here.

Frequently asked questions (for reference)

What is RAW?

What is a raw image? Cameras will by default save images as JPEG files, which are processed by the camera to produce the best-looking image, but this results in less control to edit and adjust the image. Shooting in the raw file format, you are getting the “raw” (uncooked, unprocessed) image from the camera, and therefore can edit it to your own personal tastes, as well as recover shadow or highlight detail that might have otherwise been lost if you’d only taken a JPEG image.

What is exposure bracketing?

Exposure bracketing is when you take several different images, but at different exposures. Most mirrorless and DSLR cameras have this feature, and it lets you take the same shot at different exposures, so for example, you could take one at -1EV, one at the normal exposure, and one at +1EV, allowing you to capture the darker and brighter parts of the image with more detail. You can then combine these images later in a photo editing package for an extended dynamic range. However, to get the best results your camera needs to stay in the same position for every shot, which is why a tripod is extremely useful for this.

What is dynamic range?

Dynamic range in an image is the record of light levels from dark to light. The greater the dynamic range in an image, the more the camera has been able to capture the tones from dark black to bright white. In landscape photography, this becomes particularly important as there is often a big difference in light levels between the brightest area of the image (often the sun), and the darkest areas of the image.

AP Improve Your Photography Series

The AP Improve Your Photography Series – in partnership with MPB – This series is designed to take you from the beginnings of photography, introduce different shooting skills and styles, and teach you how to grow as a photographer, so you can enjoy producing amazing photography (and video), to take you to the next level, whether that’s making money or simply mastering your art form. Whether you’re a beginner or a professional, make sure you check out all the articles in this series.

• Part 1: Beginners guide to different camera types.
• Part 2: Beginners guide to different lens types.
• Part 3: Beginners guide to using a camera taking photos.
• Part 4: Beginners guide to Exposure, aperture, shutter, ISO, and metering.
• Part 5: How to get perfect colours – white balance explained
• Part 6: 10 essential cameras accessories for beginners
• Part 7: Beginners guide to the Art of photography and composition
• Part 8: Beginners guide to Photoshop Elements and editing photos
• Part 9: Complete guide to Portrait Photography
• Part 10: Complete guide to Macro Photography
• Part 11: Complete guide to Street Photography

Find the latest Improve Your Photography articles here.

Lead image credit: Stob Ban in Glen Nevis taken from Sgurr a’Mhaim with mid Autumn sun illuminating the glen below with layers of Glencoe mountains in the background. Scott Robertson, Getty Images

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The post Complete Guide to Landscape Photography appeared first on Amateur Photographer.

Follow this guide and capture outstanding wildlife photographs.

Wildlife photography starts with research

The key to becoming a better wildlife photographer is to first know your subject. Learn about their habitat, diet, and behaviour, when they’re on the move etc. Is the animal dangerous, timid, or aggressive, are they found in packs or alone? Not only will this ensure you are fully prepared when out in the field, but you also will become better at anticipating their movements, keeping safe and, ultimately, taking great photographs.

It’s a good idea to seek out other wildlife photographers to learn from the best. Photographers like Mattias Klum, Will Burrard Lucas, Frans Lanting and Amy Gulick, to name just a few, will fill you with inspiration.

Have a look at the Wildlife Photographer of the Year past and present winners too as there are many wonderful images there. There is a vast array of articles on wildlife and nature photography in the Wildlife Photography section of this website, and if you know what type(s) of animal you want to photograph, then you should be able to find a specific guide to photographing them: be they birds, nocturnal animals, or Rhinos in Africa.

What kit do I need for wildlife photography?

If you are new to photography then you may think you need lots of fancy and expensive long lenses to shoot wildlife. This really is not the case. All you need to get going is a camera and lens.

We’ve spoken to many wildlife photographers who started out with kit they already had. For example, wildlife photographer Sam Hobson made his name using a wide-angle lens (not your typical go-to lens for wildlife). His wide-angle award winning Bristol city fox images are incredible and well worth checking out.

If you do want to invest in a more traditional long-zoom wildlife lens the Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 Contemporary DG OS HSM is a great budget option. One of these second-hand can be picked up for around $800 / £600. There’s also a range of other lenses that are well suited to wildlife use, or for a simpler option, an ultra-zoom camera could be a good option. For more options check out our guide to the best budget telephoto lenses for wildlife and best lenses for wildlife photography.

An extender can help you get that extra bit of reach, as long as your lens is compatible.

For those with a smaller budget, an extender is worth considering. This piece of kit fits in between your lens and camera body so make sure you purchase one that is compatible with your camera system, and existing lens.

An extender’s job is to increase the focal length of a lens. For example, a 2x extender on a 200mm lens will convert the lens to 400mm. An x1.4 extender on a 200mm lens will increase the lens to 280mm. It’s worth noting that the extender will decrease your widest aperture setting. For example, if your lens can open up to f/2.8 with an x1.4 extender aperture setting will become f/4. With a x2 extender, you will lose 2 aperture stops so your widest setting will become f/5.6.

Extenders vary in price, and we’d recommend hunting around on the second-hand market to save money.

Which camera is best for wildlife photography for beginners?

The same applies: All you need is a camera and lens. You can check out our picks of the best cameras for wildlife photography, which have everything from budget-friendly models for beginners to the absolute best professional cameras on the market.

Watch and observe wildlife

It’s better to resist the temptation to start snapping as soon as you spot an animal. Stand back, observe and assess the subject and environment first. Watch how the animal behaves. Are they okay with your presence? Where is the light coming from? Where is the best background? Is their behaviour predictable? Are you in the best position?

Sometimes by slowing down and shooting less, we can achieve more. Be prepared to return to the same location and have perseverance to get a good shot. Don’t feel disheartened if you don’t achieve what you want right away – Rome wasn’t built in a day!

You also need to know when to stop. The welfare of the animal needs to be put above your needs to get a great shot. For example, mothers with newborns will feel very threatened if you are too close, and avoid clambering around on rocks when birds are nesting. This is why you need to research thoroughly as there is no excuse for ignorance. Leave each environment you’ve been in with no trace.

Read this guide to being an ethical wildlife photographer.

Atlantic puffin (Fratercula arctica) at clifftop edge, Hermaness National Nature Reserve, Unst, Shetland Islands, Scotland.

Wildlife camera setup and settings

What settings should I use for wildlife photography?

There is no right or wrong shooting mode for photographing wildlife. Each photographer will have their own approach – ensuring that the camera is setup and ready to go is the main thing. We want to be ready to capture action as it happens.

As a good starting point, I find it easiest to shoot in Shutter priority mode. In this mode you can fully control the shutter speed and leave the camera to work out the best aperture and ISO speed setting. Although your camera calculates these settings, you need to be aware of what your aperture and ISO speed settings are reading.

• Put your camera into Shutter priority (S or Tv)
• Check the light – increase your ISO setting if need be.
• Open the aperture wider if you need more light.

Using shutter priority will be of particular benefit for fast-moving subjects, and using a fast shutter speed such as 1/500s is a good starting point (more on this below). If you know your subject is slow moving, then you might want to use aperture priority so that you can more easily control the amount in focus in the shot.

If you don’t yet have a grasp on what shutter speed, aperture and ISO are, we suggest you spend some time getting to know these settings on your camera and to experiment with seeing the different effects they can achieve. For a refresher, have a look at our guide to exposure, aperture, ISO, shutter speeds and more.

Sumatran Tiger looks up at the treetops. Experiment with how you like to shoot with your camera. We recommend you trying aperture priority as a starting point. Justin Lo, Getty Images

Make sure it’s sharp

There are three main things to consider for achieving sharp wildlife shots, the shutter speed, aperture setting, and focus:

Use a fast shutter speed:

Make sure the shutter speed is reading at least 1/500sec if the animal you are photographing is moving or for very fast movements 1/1000sec. If it is stationary then you’ll be fine with a setting of 1/200sec or above (depending on the lens you’re using).

To capture and freeze the fast movement of a Hummingbird you may need to use a shutter speed of 1/2000sec

Aperture setting

How much of the animal do you want sharp? For example, if you are close and focus on the eye at f/2.8, the eye will be sharp but the face will blur. This can look great if that’s what you desire, but for other features like the nose to be sharp then you’ll need to close the aperture down. In this example, the Rhesus Macaque monkey in the foreground is in focus and the one behind is soft, as the image was taken at f/2.8 (on a full-frame camera).

In this image, the aperture has kept the foreground Rhesus Macaque monkey sharp and blurred the other in the background. Image credit: Claire Gillo.

Focus

You want to be spot-on with focus. Our preferred method is to use the single-point AF setting on our camera and set the focus to continuous AF tracking. That way if your subject is moving (even little movements) you’ll have more chance of keeping it sharp. Trying to predict where your subject will move into the frame helps with this aspect and again this is where your research will help.

The latest mirrorless cameras from Canon, Nikon, Sony, Olympus and Fujifilm offer subject detection AF for a variety of wildlife, depending on the camera model chosen, and subjects include birds (Olympus and Fujifilm), pets (cats and dogs), along with other animals. AND the system is designed to detect and focus on the subject’s eyes! This can help you greatly in this genre of photography!

Track your subject and predict where they will enter the frame to achieve sharp shots. Image credit: Jeremy Woodhouse, Getty Images

Motion and when not to be sharp

There are some circumstances in wildlife photography when a slow shutter speed is more appropriate than a fast one. For example, capturing the motion of flocks of birds flying across the sky, or panning with a moving animal to blur the background and give the feeling of motion. You can experiment with this technique to produce something different from the norm.

With the right subject slowing down the shutter speed setting can get you some great results. Image credit: John Fan Photography, Getty Images

Push the ISO

Any photographer will tell you that they love a low ISO setting as they then don’t have to deal with noise. However, when it comes to shooting moving subjects like wildlife you have to be prepared to push the ISO up and embrace the grain. It’s more important to have your subject sharp and a little grainy than completely unusable. If your image has too much noise, then you can always process the raw files, and reduce it further.

Technical perfection should not be the main aim of wildlife photography. Many great images of animals have been captured which are slightly blurred. The quality of a shot should be assessed on other factors, too – if it tells a story, is unusual or dramatic, then you’ll be inclined to overlook minor flaws.

It is more important to capture your wildlife shot than to worry about grain, consider using a higher ISO setting and embrace the noise. Image credit: Claire Gillo

The background is essential!

The background setting of your wildlife image is undoubtedly just as important as the main subject, whatever your approach, as it can completely change the look of an image. To shoot a strong animal portrait then look for a plain background to frame your subject against. In some circumstances (certainly not all) you may even be able to drop in a plain background behind the subject(s).

The background is just as important as your subject. Plain backdrops create the ideal setting. Image credit: Lillian King, Getty Images

For example, if you set up a bird feeder in the garden you could do so in front of a studio backdrop and choose whatever colour you want behind. Although there is much we can’t control in wildlife photography, sometimes we can create better conditions for ourselves to enhance our luck.

In a wide-angle wildlife image, the setting is vital as well. You want to use the scene to tell the story. Experiment with different camera angles – often coming down low gives an alternative take on a scene that we are not used to seeing.

Keep wildlife photography local

We recommend looking to see what’s on your doorstep and keeping your wildlife photography as local as possible – even in the city there are many wild animals around, including birds, squirrels, pigeons, foxes and more. Another advantage to shooting locally is you can keep returning to the same spot day after day or night after night, and eventually capture that amazing shot you set out to achieve.

Don’t travel to the other side of the world to find rare and exotic species to photograph. Concentrate what’s on your doorstep and tell the story there. Copyright: Claire Gillo

Stay in one spot

It may seem tempting to run after your subject. However, you’ll probably have more success by staying in one spot, camera ready. This is especially true for shooting small and fast animals. They get spooked easily and run away, or you end up with blurry shots of them on the move.

A great setting for wildlife photography is in the garden (or local park). Ten minutes sitting still in a backyard can reveal how much wildlife we have all around us. Observing first, watching for behavioural patterns, are preparation for getting great shots.

The garden is an excellent location for all kinds of wildlife. Image credit: Claire Gillo

Wildlife photography holidays

Test and improve your wildlife photography skills on one of our Wildlife photography holidays. Led by experts, we have a range of photo trips coming up in the UK and around the world. See all upcoming trips here.

Article: Claire Gillo and AP Staff, Lead image: James Warwick, Getty Images

The AP Improve Your Photography Series – in partnership with MPB – is designed to take your knowledge of photography to the next level, introduce different shooting skills and styles, and teach you how to grow as a photographer, so you can enjoy producing amazing photography (and video), whether that’s making money or simply mastering your art form. You’ll find further articles in this series.

Here are some more essential guides to have a look at:

• Part 1: Beginners guide to different camera types.
• Part 2: Beginners guide to different lens types.
• Part 3: Beginners guide to using a camera taking photos.
• Part 4: Beginners guide to Exposure, aperture, shutter, ISO, and metering.
• Part 5: Understanding white balance settings and colour
• Part 6: 10 essential cameras accessories for beginners
• Part 7: Guide to the Art of photography and composition
• Part 8: Beginners guide to Photoshop Elements and editing photos
• Part 9: Complete guide to Portrait Photography
• Part 10: Complete guide to Macro Photography
• Part 11: Complete guide to Street Photography
• Part 12: Guide to Landscape Photography
• Part 13: How to shoot Action and Sports Photography

Find the latest Improve Your Photography articles here.

Further reading:

• Wildlife conservation photography: Tom Svensson reveals all
• How to be an ethical wildlife photographer
• How to capture fast-moving birds (and animals)
• How to photograph butterflies
• How to photograph animals
• How to photograph pets

Follow AP on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and TikTok.

The post Complete guide to wildlife photography appeared first on Amateur Photographer.

Pretty much every digital camera that is released nowadays will offer some video capability as well as photography. If you have a camera and a lens, you can start recording footage today, and while it won’t look or sound much like the polished content you tend to see from big YouTube channels, it will at least be something. While we’ll get into the nitty-gritty of how to go about shooting video in a moment, the first and best tip we can give you is to simply start making stuff. The bar to entry has never been lower when it comes to video, and spending an afternoon shooting test footage to figure out how your camera works will cost you nothing but time.

Whether you’re using a DSLR, a smartphone, a mirrorless camera or a compact, you’ll likely have the bones of what you need to start shooting great YouTube videos. So, let’s dive in and take a closer look at how to make a Youtube video with your camera. If you’re still looking for the right kit, don’t forget to check our our guides to the best cameras for video and the best lenses for video. Or, if you’re sticking with the smartphone, we have a dedicated explainer on how to record the best videos on an iPhone.

How to make a video with your camera:

As we said up top, the first step to take is to simply get to know your camera! The majority of cameras now feature a dedicated video mode on the main mode dial on the camera, though some give a switch between stills and video operation. When you activate the dedicated video mode, the screen will present corresponding options, with the aspect ratio and scene correctly framed.

Once in video mode, you’ll look at the options available, and make choices about resolution, frame rates, and more. We go through these in detail below…

Video Resolution

Defined as the level of detail and clarity in a video image, video resolution is the first key setting. It is typically expressed as a combination of two numbers – the horizontal pixel x the vertical pixel count (1920×1080) or 4K (3840×2160).

Most common video resolutions include:

• SD (Standard Definition): 720×480 pixels for NTSC or 720×576 pixels for PAL
• HD (High Definition): 1280×720 pixels (720p)
• Full HD: 1920×1080 pixels (1080p) (16:9)
• 4K UHD (Ultra High Definition): 3840×2160 pixels (2160p) (16:9)
• 4K CINE / DCI: 4120×2160 pixels (17:9)
• 5.7K: 5744×3024 (17:9)
• 6K: 6144×3456
• 8K: 7680×4320

Cameras from the past few years are capable of at least 4k video. This is the video menu from the Nikon Z8. Image credit: Will Cheung

Most cameras offer at least Full HD recording (1920×1080 pixels) and with an aspect ratio of 16:9. This gives good enough quality for the majority of recordings and productions on YouTube. Even some of the biggest YouTube stars stick with Full HD resolution – MrBeast, we’re looking at you.

Luckily YouTube doesn’t really mind too much about whether you record in Full HD or 4K video resolution, but cares more about the content and presentation of your video – more on this later!

A note on video recording and resolution – after you’ve recorded your footage, you’ll need to edit your videos. If you have an “average” PC or laptop, then editing 4K or higher resolution can be a very slow process. Indeed, depending on how old your computer is, footage shot at these resolutions may be even be next to impossible to edit, with the software stuttering and freezing every time you try to work with your clips.

If you’re just starting out, and don’t have a high-spec computer, then it is worth starting with Full HD video while you get to grips with everything. This will speed up your workflow, and still provide you with a great-looking end result. Once you’re more confident, and providing you have a system that can handle it, working with higher resolution video recorded at 4K (and above) can be useful if you want to crop into the footage and reframe the shot while maintaining Full HD quality, giving yourself more options in the edit.

Nb. Check your camera make and model, and check online reviews to see what video features your camera has.

Here we’re looking at the Canon EOS R7 video screen, with on-screen audio levels displayed.

Frame Rates – What frame rate should I use?

Understanding frame rates is crucial for capturing, editing, and delivering video content effectively. In the past, when you’ve seen a camera’s video resolution spec listed, you’ve likely seen it as something like 4K 30p or Full HD 60p. In those cases, “30p” and “60p” refer to the frame rate, meaning 30 and 60 frames per second, respectively.

The most common standard frame rates for video are:

• 24 fps This frame rate is often used in film production and provides a cinematic look.
• 25 fps Commonly used in PAL broadcast systems.
• 30 fps Commonly used in NTSC broadcast systems and digital video.
• 60 fps Frequently used in video games, sports broadcasting, and high-motion content.
• 120 fps and higher Used in high-speed recording and slow-motion playback.

You’ll need to decide what frame rate to use, depending on what kind of video you are recording. For most videos, 25fps (frame per second) is a perfect choice. Almost all cameras will offer 25fps video, whilst others will offer this, as well as 24fps, or faster speed such as 50/60fps. To slow down your footage, using a faster frame rate like 50/60fps can be useful, as you’ll be able to playback the footage at half the speed. For this though, the higher the frame rate you can use, the better, so don’t be afraid to push it higher to 120fps and beyond if that’s something your camera offers. Often higher frame rates will only be available at lower resolutions, so bear that in mind too.

How to make a video – Stabilisation is key!

One of the keys to recording decent footage is its stability. Worse than that, unstable footage looks awful and is a turn-off. If your camera doesn’t have a very good in-body image stabilisation (IBIS) system, then we’d recommend the use of a tripod, monopod, or a gimbal so that you can record smooth and steady footage.

With a tripod shaky footage is avoided, and you have a grounding for a professional look. It’ll also make it easier to move the camera position when needed, especially if you have an easy to use tripod head. Look out for a video head if you’re going to be buying a new tripod and/or head. Among the many brands to consider include 3Legged Thing, Benro, Gitzo, Manfrotto and Vanguard. Check out out ultimate guide to tripods for a rundown of key things to consider, and some suggestions of the best models on the market right now.

Of course, the drawback with a tripod is that the camera has to remain still. If you want to introduce motion into your footage but keep that smooth stability, a handheld gimbal is a great option for stable video shooting. The Zhiyun WEEBILL 3, shown below works really well and is good value at $299 / £295. We have more options listed in our guide to the best accessories for video.

The Zhiyun WEEBILL 3 gimbal in use

Maintain your focus

Along with stable footage, ensuring your video is correctly focused (and the main subject is in focus, and stays in focus) is another key factor in making good quality footage.

Some cameras have very good autofocus (AF) systems that work well while recording video. Specs are different for every camera, but the best thing to do is to simply test out filming different subjects, stationary and moving, and seeing how well your camera copes. Does it quickly lock focus on the subject you want it to find? Is it able to maintain that focus when the subject moves?

If your camera isn’t the best when it comes to video autofocusing,  then you might want to consider fixing focus on your subject when you start recording, which will keep them sharp as long as your subject doesn’t move. It can also be worth checking your camera’s autofocus settings, as you may be able to activate different modes to improve video autofocus in different situations.

Alternatively, use manual focus and adjust when needed. Some cameras let you fix focus, and then adjust while recording, using the touchscreen – just be careful if using this feature that the camera doesn’t pick up the noise of you touching the screen.

Digital cameras have advanced AF systems and more recent models have face-, eye- or subject-settings, perfect for making videos. Image credit: Will Cheung

Many cameras have face, eye and subject-detect autofocus functionality. The effectiveness of such features vary but they are generally very accurate and tenacious, capable of keeping track of the subject as it moves around in the frame. If that subject is you and you are working within a few metres of the camera, eye-detect AF can do a great job and the latest systems can acquire focus remarkably quickly.

Forward-facing monitor

The Nikon Z30 is a vlogging camera with a flip-out screen. Photo credit: Tim Coleman.

If you are filming yourself, a camera with a forward facing monitor will be hugely helpful – we’d go so far as to say essential. Being able to constantly monitor your framing, focus and exposure while you’re shooting is a must; you don’t want to have to redo a huge chunk of footage because you didn’t notice until too late that the camera was focusing on the background. Vlogging cameras like the Nikon Z30 and the Sony ZV-E10 all have forward-facing monitors.

If you have a camera that doesn’t offer a front-facing screen, you can always invest in an optional monitor that is plugged into the camera’s HDMI output. This can be positioned to face forward so you know you are in shot – and in focus.

Exposure in video

There are other settings that can affect how your video looks, including the aperture, the ISO speed used (lower is generally better), and the shutter speed. Almost everything you learnt in our guide to exposure regarding aperture, ISO speed and shutter speeds applies to video recording. We’ve gone through shutter speed below, as this is something to be aware of.

Shutter speed

As a general rule, ensure your shutter speed is twice the frame rate (fps), so if you’re recording at 25fps, the shutter speed should be 1/50 of a second. However, as with photography, the faster the shutter speed, the less light there is, so keep this in mind – particularly when recording video in low-light.

What shutter speed do I need for different frame rates?

• 24fps – the shutter speed should be 1/48s
• 25fps – the shutter speed should be 1/50s
• 50fps – the shutter speed should be 1/100s
• 60fps – the shutter speed should be 1/120s

Audio quality is important!

You’ve probably heard this before and it’s true – a good video is 50% visual and 50% audio. The audio quality can make or break your content. If you’re lucky, your camera will have a great set of built-in microphones that sound amazing. In most cases, however, it is advisable to use an external mic or audio recorder.

In fact, there have been videos published on YouTube, using low-quality cameras – but because the content was good, and the audio quality high, they attracted hundreds of thousands of views notwithstanding.

On-board microphones are generally limited when it comes to quality audio. Shooting outdoors, they are also susceptible to wind noise, while the whirrs and clicks of camera handling can also be picked up. Some of the latest vlogging-oriented cameras are better and can be fitted with a furry windshield, sometimes referred to as a ‘wind muff’ or a ‘dead cat’.

Cameras that can shoot video usually have a mini jack socket for plugging in an external microphone, which is definitely the best way to go, especially when shooting videos outdoors. Many will also allow you to connect a microphone wirelessly, commonly via a Bluetooth connection.

Tiny wireless microphones such as the Joby Wavo Air ($250 / £189) are perfect for location work. A set that includes one receiver and two transmitters means you’re prepared for interview situations too. Image credit: Will Cheung

There are different types of microphone that are suitable but a good practical option are the very small wireless microphones such as the Joby Wavo Air (shown above), Hollyland LARK M1 ($129 / £130) or the Rode Wireless GO II ($299 / £259). Really small, impressive working range, long run times and capable of crisp audio, these microphones are a good investment for YouTubers. Rode, and Joby, Hollyland, Rode and Sennhieser offer microphones for home studio and on-camera use.

Unlike when taking a photo – you can’t just use Photoshop to fix it later – and trying to fix audio problems later can be a real nightmare. For this reason, it’s also recommended that you use headphones (or earphones) to check the audio quality, and this is where a headphone socket on your camera is essential.

Headphone sockets are becoming a common sight on more recent digital cameras and if you’re a keen video shooter, it’s an important feature. Recommended headphones include the closed-back, over ear Rode NTH-100 at $149 / £99.

If you do need to fix audio problems later, than the latest video editing software has made some real progress recently in adding useful audio processing features, including voice processing. See our guide to the best video editing software.

The Rode VideoMic Go II hotshoe mic weighs just 89g and. comes complete with a shock-proof mount

If you want to master audio on your video, have a look at our guide to best value audio options for video. 

On the subject of audio, you might have the voice of angel, but a track of background music can enhance things immensely, adding atmosphere and mood to your masterpiece. Once you get a good following you may want to pay and subscribe to a music streaming service but to start, try royalty free music. Providers to check out include Artist, Free Stock Music.com and YouTube’s Audio Library.

Light it up

Clearly, it depends on the situation and if you are shooting outdoors, can usually rely on the stuff provided by the sun. Indoors and in low light, a continuous LED light can make a huge difference and you don’t have to spend a fortune to get a decent unit; and lights can be mains or battery-powered.

If you have the budget go for a LED light with colour temperature control. This means you can adjust the output to match the colour of the ambient lighting.

The Rotolight NEO 3 can be hot-shoe mounted and offers impressive output for its size. It’s also very versatile with colour control and doubles up as a flash unit with a compatible trigger. Image credit: Rotolight

Smaller lights can be mounted on the camera hot-shoe while bigger ones will need a lighting stand. This is more cost and of course extra kit to lug around, so it does depend on what you are shooting and the content of your footage. Many YouTubers use their home as their studio so at least you can control lighting and a couple of lights fitted with diffusers can give a flattering, consistent light.

Continuous lights from Aputure, Godox, Kenro, NanLite and Rotolight are among the many brands to consider.

How do I record entertaining videos?

That’s the million-dollar question, of course, and can be the difference between 20 views or 2000 views. But one thing we would say is that if you’re passionate about something, then this is a great start.  Record what you know, and be inspired by other people’s videos to see what works and what doesn’t work.

Start by thinking about your viewer. Most people are time-poor and many may have very short attention spans. Furthermore, with the huge quantity of fresh content uploaded onto sites such as YouTube every day, you need to work hard to engage viewers and hang on to them.

Professional movie makers have story boards and of course we’re not prescribing such professionalism – but put yourself in the position of your potential viewer and try to keep things moving by having a shooting plan for your videos. Keep content targeted and a mix of outdoor and indoor locations can work well too.

It is always a good idea to record more video footage than you need. By recording additional clips, known as B-Roll (What is B-roll footage? – Adobe) you can use these to cover up any mistakes made in key footage (known as A-Roll). But remember, you are not producing a full length feature film and the most effective YouTube videos last up to 20-25 minutes.

It is challenging to make watchable videos and have viewers coming back for more, but rule number one: don’t bore the viewer by spending too much on fluffy footage and keep content relevant. Image credit: Will Cheung

The opening segment of your videos needs to keep the viewer interested. So many YouTube photography videos go downhill rapidly after the first few seconds. Many have tedious, drawn out intros that waste much time scene-setting. This is a typical intro from a landscape YouTuber. It starts with footage of the photographer driving to the location, getting out of the car, putting on their boots, having a cuppa while moaning about the early start but looking forward to the fantastic light they are going to shoot. Then follows a painstakingly dull commentary on the contents of their camera bag – notably, their packed lunch – before describing what they are going to shoot. Next comes footage of the photographer walking from the parked car, before you see them arriving at a gate or stile, negotiating it and walking into the distance with a few close ups of their boots splashing through puddles. That’s repeated a few times before they finally arrive at the location, and the purpose of the video. What a yawn!

If you were bored reading that, then we have made our point. Yes, viewers can scroll through irrelevant stuff, but are likely to have moved on to videos with a more lively and targetted approach.

The maxim emerging from this is to keep intros short, snappy and engaging. A little scene setting is fine but don’t drag it out; and remember the purpose of the video.

Of course, as a photographer your viewers will be expecting to see some of your decent shots. Don’t keep your wonderful stills to the end of the video because they might have switched off by then, but use them throughout. It’ll keep the viewer engaged and because your pictures will be awesome (won’t they?) there’s something to keep your audience on the hook.

Editing video 

Once you’ve recorded your video, you’ll then have a number of video files (normally ending in .mp4, or .mov). Use the software on your computer to bring those video files together and edit them to create one video file, which you can then upload to YouTube, and others like Vimeo, TikTok, Instagram etc.

Making cuts in DaVinci Resolve 18

How do I edit videos for YouTube?

To edit footage, you’ll need to use some video editing software on your computer. These let you put several different video files (or clips) together, cut out any unwanted scenes or mistakes, as well as add different titles and effects to the video, as needed.

Here are some of the most popular video editing packages available:

• Davinci Resolve – FREE
• Adobe Premiere Elements – $99 / £86.56
• Adobe Premiere Pro – $20.99 / £26.49 per month
• Apple Mac: iMovie – FREE
• Windows: Photo – includes a FREE video editor

We’d recommend trying the free software that comes with your computer to begin with, as this can often do a reasonable job, and keeps things simple for beginners. Once you’ve got the hang of editing video files into one file, and find you want to do more with your video, then Davinci Resolve is an excellent choice, particularly as it’s free, and offers advanced controls.

See our complete guide to video editing software!

Think about creating a catchy title and amazing Thumbnail!

Titles: This is where you’re creativity can shine, and is essential to capture the clicks and views of YouTube viewers. Try working on making your title SHORT, snappy, and to the point. If it’s too long, people won’t be able to read the full title, and will not know what the video is about. You’ll also need to work on short, captivating text for your thumbnail. A good sell is to promise the viewer something. It might be on the lines of ‘Take your sharpest-ever shots’ or ‘Photoshop’s secret feature unveiled.’ Of course, you need to try to deliver whatever you promise.

YouTube Thumbnails need to be catchy and to the point

Thumbnails are probably one of the most important things on YouTube: They can either make or break your video, and are the first thing people see when looking at videos on YouTube. Many people don’t even read the title, but instead click the most interesting and captivating thumbnail available. This is where your many years of Photoshop skills will come in useful.

You’ll also need to be aware of thumbnails often showing much smaller on screen, depending on the device used.

How to upload your video to YouTube

Once you’ve completed your video, it’s time to share it! Go to YouTube.com, and look for the upload icon in the top-right of the screen:

Find the + upload video button on YouTube (top right)

Click Upload video, and you’ll be presented with the following screen, where you can drag and drop your video file. Once you’ve done this, YouTube will start uploading the video, and you can fill in the title, and upload your thumbnail. Once the upload is completed you can click the publish button and your video will be live on YouTube! (Once processed).

Drag your video file onto here to upload your video to YouTube

Whether you share your video with YouTube, Facebook, Vimeo, Instagram or TikTok, make sure you get the best results by sharing it with your friends, and ask anyone interested for feedback on what they thought. You’ll also be able to get feedback from people who watch the video from reading the comments.

Advanced editing: Using LUTs for colour-grading videos

Look Up Tables (LUTs) offer a flexible and efficient way to achieve consistent and stylized colour-grading results in editing. They are commonly used to enhance visual aesthetics, create specific moods, and achieve desired looks in various media production workflows. Using LUTs for your video editing will greatly improve the look and feel of your videos, taking them from basic to professional. You can read more on how to use LUTs effectively for your videography here.

Sony offers free LUTs on their website 

Have a look at our videography section for more great hints, tips, and how-to articles, plus have a look at our guide to vlogging. Find the best cameras for video, vlogging and YouTube.

Related reading

• Does sensor size matter for video?
• How to get better videos by shooting in Log

This article is part of the AP Improve Your Photography Series – in partnership with MPB. You’ll find a whole range of further articles in this series.

Lead Photo by Vanilla Bear Films on Unsplash.

Follow AP on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

The post How to make great videos for YouTube with your camera appeared first on Amateur Photographer.

Apparently, Leonardo da Vinci used to get up every morning and write a list of all the things he wanted to learn that day. You’ve got to admire his drive, and the fact that he died at the ripe old age of 67 (life expectancy was around 35 back then) seems to suggest that his thirst for knowledge might have played a part in keeping him alive. While I share none of da Vinci’s polymath brilliance, I do share his desire to learn something new every day. Imagine my delight, then, when I had the joy of spending more than 20 hours chatting to a group of brilliant scientists, naturalists, journalists, writers and photographers while judging Close-up Photographer of the Year 5 (2023)!

Thanks to these wonderful individuals I now know that tadpoles can eat birds, ants fire acid like water pistols and bees sometimes hold each other’s legs while they sleep. And then, of course, there is the knowledge gained from looking at the photographs and accompanying captions sent in. More than 11,000 creative and original pictures made by people whose passion and dedication to the craft of photography is abundantly clear. Personally, I think this is our best survey of close-up, macro and micro photography yet, and I’m so grateful to those who have provided the opportunity to see and learn from their work. I hope you feel the same.

This year there were 11 categories: Animals, Insects, Butterflies & Dragonflies, Invertebrate Portrait, Underwater, Plants, Fungi & Slime Moulds, Intimate Landscape, Human Made, Micro and Young CUPOTY. Csaba Daróczi took the overall title with his incredible image of a bird taken from inside a tree stump, while Carlos Pérez Naval was named Young Close-up Photographer of the Year 5 for his unusual picture of a Moorish gecko in a ‘petrified forest’.

To see the winners and Top 100 pictures from CUPOTY 5, visit www.cupoty.com. To stay up to date with all things CUPOTY sign up to the newsletter.

Close-up Photographer of the Year 5 Winners

Overall Close-up Photographer of the Year 5 Winner (and winner of the Animals) category

The Bird of the Forest by Csaba Daróczi

Camera: GoPro HERO11 Lens: 15mm ISO: 800 Aperture: f/2.5 Shutter speed: 1/5400sec Accessories: Remote control. Image: © Csaba Daróczi | cupoty.com

Category: Animals
Nationality: Hungarian
Occupation: Photographer
Further information: www.daroczicsaba.hu, Instagram: @daroczics

‘In the winter of 2023, I took a lot of photographs in a forest close to my home in Hungary. I found something new to photograph almost every week, and I spent several days exploring ideas and perfecting techniques. Staying curious and open-minded led me to this hollowed out tree stump, which measured around half a metre in diameter. I carefully positioned my GoPro 11 camera inside the trunk and took a few shots. I was amazed by the results. After a few days, however, I decided the composition might be improved if I included an animal in the frame. So, I returned to the spot and placed a sunflower near the hole, which the mice and birds soon found.’

Csaba’s top close-up photography tips:

1. The GoPro is great for experimental shots such as this one because it offers generous depth of field, even at such a wide aperture.
2. To make the most of opportunities as they arise, get to know your equipment – that way you can act quickly and intuitively.
3. When you closely observe the behaviour of animals you can use this knowledge to help improve your pictures.

Winner: Fungi & Slime Moulds

The Ice Crown by Barry Webb

Camera: Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mk II Lens: Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 60mm f/2.8 Macro ISO: 200 Aperture: f/4 Shutter speed: 1/2sec Accessories: Tripod, cable release, three extension tubes, Raynox 250 Post processing: 74 images stacked in Zerene Stacker. Basic adjustments in Lightroom and Photoshop. Topaz DeNoise. © Barry Webb | cupoty.com

Category: Fungi & Slime Moulds
Nationality: British
Occupation: Gardener/photographer
Further information: Website: www.barrywebbimages.co.uk, Instagram: @barrywebbimages

‘I found this one-millimetre-tall slime mould (Didymium squamulosum) in leaf litter carpeting a woodland floor in Buckinghamshire. It was a cold January day, and the frost had formed a crown shape on top of the fruiting body. I had to be very careful not to breathe on it. During a previous attempt with another slime mould, my breath had melted the ice when I inadvertently got too close.’

Barry’s top close-up photography tips:

1. Be careful not to breathe on frosty or icy subjects!
2. Frosty mornings can create unique images, so wrap up warm and don’t be put off by inclement weather.
3. Always be on the lookout for the unusual. I use a loupe to fully explore the possibilities presented by tiny subjects such as this.

Winner: Insects

Wood Ants Firing Acid Secretion by René Krekels

Camera: Canon EOS R5 Lens: Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro IS USM ISO: 320 Aperture: f/9 Shutter speed: 1/125sec Accessories: Tripod and flashlights. © René Krekels | cupoty.com

Category: Insects
Nationality: Dutch
Occupation: Biologist
Further information: Website: www.renekrekels.nl, Facebook: rene.krekels

‘I had been studying the lifestyle of wood ants in the Netherlands for work when I noticed the defending ants of a very large ant’s nest seemed eager to scare me off by spraying acid towards me. Luckily it wasn’t that destructive, and it provided me with a great opportunity to photograph them defending the nest.’

René’s top close-up photography tips:

1. Know your subject and its ecology, so you can anticipate its behaviour.
2. Be sure that your trousers are not easy to climb up or you’ll get a tickling bite in your belly or arms from the ascending ants.
3. Come back during different seasons to see different behaviour.

Winner: Butterflies & Dragonflies

The Wedding Guest by Csaba Daróczi

Camera: Nikon Z6 Lens: Nikkor AF-S 24mm f/1.4G ED ISO: 3200 Aperture: f/1.4 Shutter speed: 1/320sec Accessories: None. © Csaba Daróczi | cupoty.com

Category: Fungi & Slime Moulds
Nationality: Hungarian
Occupation: Photographer
Further information: www.daroczicsaba.hu, Instagram: @daroczics

‘I was photographing a wedding in a forest clearing in the beautiful surroundings of Uzsa, Hungary. The hall lights attracted a lot of insects to rest on the windows. At one point, I saw some guests taking pictures with their phones next to one of the red lights. As I moved closer, I noticed an oak peacock moth (Antheraea yamamai) had taken up residence on the window. I waited until everyone had finished their pictures, and then it was my turn.’

Csaba’s top close-up photography tips:

1. Light can be used to attract animals, be ready to seize any opportunity.
2. Take advantage of good fortune – stay open-minded and ready for action.
3. Try and tell a story with your picture – understanding the behaviour of the butterfly certainly helped here.

Winner: Invertebrate Portrait

Jumping Stick by Tibor Molnar

Camera: Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mk II Lens: Olympus M.Zuiko 60mm f/2.8 Macro ISO: 100
Aperture: f/5.6 Shutter speed: 1/50sec Accessories: Godox V350o flash with Cygnustech diffuser Post processing: Seven frames stacked in Helicon Focus, Topaz DeNoise. © Tibor Molnar | cupoty.com

Category: Invertebrate Portrait
Nationality: American
Occupation: IT Manager
Further information: Instagram: @thetibormolnar

‘When we travelled to Ecuador, I knew there would be an opportunity to see jumping sticks in the Amazon region. When we found the first of several creatures, I was beyond excited. I had imagined this shot in my mind for a long time and it was incredible to actually have this opportunity to make it happen. The best way to describe these invertebrates is part walking stick part grasshopper! When they jump, they are not particularly graceful, and they tend to tumble around completely off-balance.’

Tibor’s top close-up photography tips:

1. Do your research ahead of time. If you know you will be visiting a particular area, learn what to expect there.
2. Using a flash and diffuser will help you to record all of the striking details.
3. Focus stacking will enable you to get more of the subject sharp.

Winner: Human Made

Asymmetrical Threads by Elizabeth Kazda

Camera: Nikon D850. Lens: Nikkor 24-85mm. ISO: 64. Aperture: f/4.5. Shutter speed: 1/5sec
Accessories: Tripod, remote shutter release, ring light, motorised rotating platform. © Elizabeth Kazda | cupoty.com

Category: Human Made
Nationality: American
Occupation: Artist
Further information: Website: elizabethkazda.myportfolio.com, Instagram: @elizabethkazda, Facebook: beth.kazda

‘I enjoy pushing the limits of my camera’s capabilities and experimenting with new techniques to capture ordinary objects. My collection of art supplies includes numerous spools of coloured thread from previous projects. I wanted to photograph this thread in a unique way and came up with the idea of wrapping coloured strands around an open picture frame. I placed the frame on a motorised rotating platform and set my camera to multiple-exposure mode. I captured 64 photos of the thread at 64 equidistant positions as I rotated the platform. Since I didn’t complete a 360° rotation, the design is asymmetrical. This is a meticulous process that requires patience. For this image, I used an in-camera multiple exposure of 64 frames to output a single Raw file.’

Elizabeth’s top close-up photography tips:

1. Photograph everyday objects in unexpected ways. Try varying the lighting to change the composition.
2. Experiment with the camera’s multiple exposure mode.
3. Learn to work in manual mode for the most creative options.

Winner: Micro

Beach Grass by Gerhard Vlcek

Camera: Nikon Z6 II Lens: Olympus SPlan Apo 10/0.40 microscope objective ISO: 100. Shutter speed: 1/3sec Accessories: Olympus BH-2 microscope
Post processing: Panorama of two pictures stitched together in Lightroom and cropped in the centre to reveal the interesting structures. Basic adjustments in Photoshop. © Gerhard Vlcek | cupoty.com

Category: Micro
Nationality: Austrian
Occupation: Senior project manager
Further information:  Website: www.foto-vision.at, Instagram: @gerhardvlcek, Facebook: FotoVisionat

‘This image shows a 30μm cross-section of beach grass (Ammophila arenaria) stained with Auramin O and Safranin and viewed under fluorescence blue excitation. The grass came from a friend’s garden in Vienna. For the best results I had to slice the sample as thinly as possible. First, I fixed some stems in warm liquid polyethylene glycol. As it cools down, it turns solid, and the embedded stems were placed in a microtome and sliced with a sharp blade. Staining and preparing the sample was very tricky. I had to use the tiniest brush to manipulate the less than 1mm parts in different staining and chemical solutions before positioning the stems on the slide. After that, taking the photograph was the easy part!’

Gerhard’s top close-up photography tips:

1. Find interesting plant structures and use a microtome (cutting tool) to prepare very thin cuts for a sample.
2. Use fluorescent dyes for staining.
3. The better the sample the less time you’ll have to spend in post-production.

Winner: Intimate Landscape

Undertow by Csaba Daróczi

Camera: Nikon Z6 Lens: Nikkor AF-S 16-35mm f/4 ED ISO: 1250 Aperture: f/9 Shutter speed: 1/320sec Accessories: None. © Csaba Daróczi | cupoty.com

Category: Intimate Landscape
Nationality: Hungarian
Occupation: Photographer
Further information: www.daroczicsaba.hu, Instagram: @daroczics

‘In the first days of May, I always return to a small canal near Izsák, Hungary, where the water violet (Hottonia palustris) blooms in huge numbers. Unfortunately, flowering was delayed this year and only the leaves were still underwater. I was about to go home when I saw a tree had fallen over the canal and under its reflection the plants were clearly visible. I found it a very exciting subject and played with it for a while.’

Csaba’s top close-up photography tips:

1. Often picture opportunities present themselves when you’re about to pack up and go home. Stay a little longer and see what arises.
2. Find a location with potential and visit it repeatedly in all weathers.
3. Play close attention to your surroundings – it takes good observational skills to spot a picture like this.

Winner: Plants

Reflexion by Ria Bloemendaal

Camera: Canon EOS 6D Mk II Lens: Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS II USM ISO: 100 Aperture: f/2.8 Shutter speed: 1/400sec Accessories: Tripod Post processing: Basic adjustments in Lightroom, cropped and flipped. © Ria Bloemendaal | cupoty.com

Category: Plants
Nationality: Dutch
Occupation: Retired remedial educationalist
Further information: Website: www.riabloemendaal.nl, Instagram: @riabloemendaal33, Facebook: riabloemendaal

‘I spotted this reflection in the water at Trompenburg Botanical Gardens & Arboretum in Rotterdam, and it instantly inspired me to make an ‘impressionist painting’. I’ve always felt connected to nature, and I use photography to show who I am, what I feel and how I see the world. When I make pictures, I often become completely focused on the subject and can enter a flow state that causes me to forget everything that’s happening around me.’

Ria’s top close-up photography tips:

1. Pay attention to reflections in the water – everything is constantly moving, and new compositions will present themselves every few seconds.
2. Attend workshops and read as much as you can about art and personal expression.
3. Explore your immediate environment before heading further afield – many interesting pictures can be made on your doorstep.

Winner: Underwater

Dreamtime by Simon Theuma

Camera: Nikon D850 Lens: Nikkor 85mm f/2.8G ISO: 64 Aperture: f/14 Shutter speed: 1/200sec
Accessories: Sea & Sea Housing, YS-250 Pro Strobes, INON UCL67 +15 Wet Dioptre (underwater close-up lens), snoot. © Simon Theuma | cupoty.com

Category: Underwater
Nationality: Australian
Occupation: Education trainer
Further information: Website: www.simontheuma.com.au, Instagram: @simontheumaphotography, Facebook: Simon Theuma

‘Like an intricate tapestry of the marine ecosystem, this image captures the relationship between a commensal shrimp and a mosaic sea star. Dreamtime Aboriginal art reminds us of the delicate balance that exists in the grand tapestry of our natural world – this ancient wisdom serves as an important reminder to preserve what we have. To capture this image, I needed to use a snooted strobe, which was set at an acute angle to the subject. This set up accentuated the depth and beautiful texture of the two organisms. Additionally, I enhanced magnification by using a +15 wet lens dioptre.’

Simon’s top close-up photography tips:

1. Start taking pictures from a distance so you don’t disturb the subject, then move gradually closer.
2. Use light creatively to enhance textures.
3. Mastering buoyancy skills is not only crucial for the safety of the diver but also plays a crucial role in preserving marine life and capturing sharp and clear images underwater.

Winner: Young Close-up Photographer of the Year 5

Small Wonders by Carlos Pérez Naval

Camera: Nikon D500 Lens: Nikkor 105mm ISO: 1250 Aperture: f/18 Shutter speed: 1/4sec Accessories: Tripod. © Carlos Pérez Naval | cupoty.com

Category: Young Close-up Photographer of the Year
Nationality: Spanish
Age: 17
Further information: Instagram: @cpereznaval

‘In the wall of some houses in Calamocha – the village in Spain where I live – it’s possible to find pyrolusites. These magnesium minerals create stunning formations, which look just like petrified trees, but they are so small that they’re tricky to spot. One day, I was lucky enough to find a Moorish gecko (Tarentola mauritanica) very close to the pyrolusite’s wall, so I tried to make the most of the encounter. I wanted to capture a gecko in the ‘petrified forest’ for a long time, but they only recently appeared in my village (probably carried in fruit baskets from hotter areas). Due to climate change they can now survive here.’

Carlos’ top close-up photography tips:

1. Beauty is all around us but sometimes we have to really pay attention to find it.
2. Be patient. You might have to wait a long time for a shot you’ve previsualised to come together.
3. Experiment with composition. Break some of the ‘rules’ of photography once in a while!

2nd Place: Fungi & Slime Moulds

Autumn Emergence by Jay Birmingham

Camera: Canon EOS R5 Lens: Sigma 180mm macro f/2.8 ISO: 500 Aperture: f/3.2 Shutter speed: 1/60sec Accessories: Beanbag and small light to fill the shadows at the front. Post processing: Focus stacked using Helicon Focus. Basic adjustments in Lightroom. © Jay Birmingham | cupoty.com

Category: Fungi & Slime Moulds
Nationality: British
Occupation: Teacher
Further information: Website: www.jaybirmingham.com, Instagram: @jaybirminghamphotography, Facebook: Jaybirminghamphotography, Twitter: @Jay_B_Photos

‘I came across some honey fungi in my local woodland, just as the sun was rising and lighting up the woods with golden hues. The bonus was the bracken behind, which gave the picture a wonderfully warm autumnal feel. I used a wide aperture to isolate the fungi and maximise the bokeh in the background.’

Jay’s top close-up photography tips:

1. Use a wide aperture and a long lens to capture some wonderful bokeh.
2. Focus stack to keep as much of the subject in focus as possible, whilst still being able to use a wide aperture.
3. Go out early or just before sunset. Although fungi will be there all day, the light at these times is at its best.

3rd Place: Animals

Natural Architecture by David Joseph

Camera: Olympus OM-D E-M5 II Lens: Olympus M.Zuiko 60mm f/2.8 macro ISO: 200 Aperture: f/11 Shutter speed: 1/1250sec © David Joseph | cupoty.com

Category: Animals
Nationality: Nigerian
Occupation: Student
Further information: Further information: Instagram: @abcdee_david

‘It was probably my first experience with a sac spider, photography wise. The spider had become alert, as my diffuser had touched some nearby grass. I was mad at myself for not taking the shot before the spider was aware of my presence. It was only my second month with a camera, so I was still learning. The few seconds I had with it (after it became alert) made my heart beat fast – I would have been so annoyed if I’d missed the shot.’

David’s top close-up photography tips:

1. Think first, shoot second. It’s important to pre-visualise the end result as you might not have long with the animal.
2. Approach slowly. Spiders are very alert, and you don’t want to disturb one and miss the picture.
3. You may only get one shot. Make it count; focus accurately.

Finalist: Animals

The Banquet by Juan Jesus Gonzalez Ahumada

Camera: Canon EOS R6 Lens: Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM ISO: 320 Aperture: f/5.6 Shutter speed: 1/80sec Accessories: Ring flash. © Juan Jesus Gonzalez Ahumada | cupoty.com

Category: Animals
Nationality: Spanish
Age: 17
Further information: Instagram: @jjgahumada

‘This image shows the harsh reality of nature, how the death of one can mean life for others. This young sparrow probably fell into the pond on its first flight and drowned, but its death will not be wasted as the tadpoles feed on this unusual offering that fell from the sky. I had to wait patiently for the bird to spin slowly into the right position and reveal its lifeless eye, which gives the picture drama and meaning. It was the middle of summer in Andalusia, and it was a battle to control the unforgiving and difficult light.’

Juan Jesus’s top close-up photography tips:

1. Never touch the water or you’ll frighten the wildlife and disrupt the scene.
2. Cultivate the mindset of always being ready for a photographic opportunity.
3. If you find something as unusual as this it’s easy to forget composition and fire away. Spend a few moments making sure the framing is right.

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