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.

Tesni Ward on photographing birds with the OM-1

Tesni Ward using the OM System OM-1

Using the OM System OM-1 which is almost always fitted with the M. Zuiko Digital ED 150-400mm f/4.5 PRO zoom, Tesni likes that you can customise the camera for your own shooting needs. With the OM-1 (now with firmware v1.5), Tesni has noticed faster, and more responsive autofocus (AF), as well as notably improved bird tracking, which finds and locks on to the bird’s eye.

Tesni also found the blackout-free shooting, at up to 50fps with C-AF, extremely useful for tracking moving subjects. This shooting rate is with full-size Raws too. The viewfinder is also significantly improved, giving a great view, and the improved weather sealing is of particular benefit when shooting in extreme conditions. The camera is also easy to use when wearing gloves.

Tesni has spent a lot of time watching and studying birds, and says the best way to see them is in the real world, so you can see and hear them, and learn their behaviour. This will help you know when something (like flight, flapping, etc) is coming so you’re ready to take the shot.

Top settings to use when shooting wildlife with the OM-1:

• Set up a custom mode for specific shooting scenarios e.g. birds
• Customise buttons to give quicker access to the AF modes needed
• Customise the burst rate to suit you, and make sure you know your camera before shooting
• Ensure the shutter speed is right for the type of shooting, and use burst mode so you’re ready to shoot whatever happens
• Blackout-free 50fps C-AF is amazing for tracking animals in the frame
• Olympus / OMDS cameras are very customisable, which is great, but can be confusing if you don’t know the camera, and it’s worth working out before shooting

OM System OM-1, 150-450mm at 207mm (TC off), 1/800s, ISO 3200, f/6.3. Image credit: Tesni Ward

Top tips for shooting birds and wildlife:

• Look for background colour, and avoid distractions such as brightly lit tree trunks and reeds
• Be prepared for bad weather, look for areas where you can get better colour adding interest into the background
• Watch the weather, as blue skies and bright sun can be too harsh and make photography difficult
• Knowing your subject helps, so you can prepare for when they are about to fly, flap, or duck under water
• You can always crop in post but can’t un-crop if you’ve used too much zoom

OM System OM-1, 150-450mm at 400mm (TC off), 1/1250s, ISO 500, f/4.5. Image credit: Tesni Ward

Join Tesni Ward on an AP Zoom Tours event

Tesni Ward is running a number of different photo holiday tours with Amateur Photographer and Zoom Photo Tours, and you can get great advice from Tesni, as well as the opportunity to shoot several different birds and wildlife.

Joshua Waller photographing wildlife with the OM System OM-1

The vari-angle touch-screen makes it easier to shoot at low-angles

Using the OM System OM-1 for bird photography was particularly easy, once the camera’s Bird Detection AF was correctly setup. This was activated using the camera’s menu, but quicker access to this setting is possible by customising the camera’s function buttons.

The camera can shoot at extremely rapid speeds, and in some cases may be too quick, for example, I personally don’t need to shoot hundreds of Raw files at 120fps, so opted for a slower continuous shooting speed. If you do want to shoot at 120fps, then Pro Capture can help here as it can shoot images before you’ve even pressed the shutter release button. To fine-tune drive settings, in the menu, go to the green Camera 1 icon and scroll to page 7 entitled Drive Mode. Under ‘Sequential Shooting Settings’ you can configure frame rates in the various drive modes as well as limit the number of frames you get in a burst.

Shooting so many frames so quickly means you need to load up with the fastest SD cards you can afford to keep buffering to a minimum. The current fastest SD cards have quoted write speeds of around 250MB/s although in practice you might not get such performance. However, even with fast cards you need to manage your buffer, so don’t overshoot or you might miss a great image because your long sequence of shots is still writing to card.

The camera has an AI (Artificial Intelligence) autofocus system that can detect different subjects including airplanes, animals, motor vehicles, trains as well as birds. There’s also face and eye detection. This combined with the Quad-pixel AF system, with 1053 AF points covering the sensor, makes for an extremely fast AF system, that can work at speeds up to 50fps in SH2 mode with continuous AF tracking – with specific Olympus PRO lenses.

AF settings for subject detection on the OM-1

How to customise and setup Bird Detection AF on the OM-1

• In the Menus – you can find the settings in the AF section, or you can also add “Subject Detection” to the MyMenu section for quicker access
• You can setup a custom button so that you can quickly change the subject detection, by pressing the button and scrolling through the options using a command wheel
• Check your continuous shooting mode, you’ll need SH2 which enables continuous AF and metering, and not SH1 (super high-speed) – SH1 sets AF to fixed / single-AF, rather than continuous. SH2 gives up to 50fps with specific PRO lenses.
• Check your AF setting is set to C-AF + Tracking
• You’ll be able to see the tracking appear in real-time on the screen when the camera detects the subject

OM System OM-1, 40-150mm f/2.8 with 1.4x TC, 210mm, 1/500s, ISO1250, f/4 – Click to view full-size JPEG photo. Image credit: Joshua Waller

Shooting wildlife with the camera, and in this case, birds, was particularly impressive, as the camera’s bird detection AF system is extremely rapid, and reliable, locking onto the bird’s eye, even when the bird was dark in colour. The camera also gave sharp detailed images, even when shooting wide-open at f/4 with the 40-150mm f/2.8 PRO lens and 1.4X Tele Converter.

Jessica Miller photographing wildlife with the OM System OM-1

Jessica Miller using the OM System OM-1

I bought my DSLR as a final year university student just getting into photography. I’ve had plenty of time to get to know my camera well, so it’s quite daunting to use a different system, especially a mirrorless system. However, when the opportunity to try out the OM System OM-1 came about, I was excited to try a new system to me.

OM System ’Olympus’ OM-1 IP53 weather-sealing coming in handy

On the day I took my DSLR camera along to the shoot with Tesni – I certainly noticed the difference when I switched between the two. Firstly, the size and weight. Being able to hold and grip the camera comfortably is quite an important factor for me, and I also like to carry my camera around wherever I am.

The OM-1 body is much more compact than the DSLR, so overall was easier to handle. My camera with an 18-135mm lens attached together weighs over 1.1kg (the body alone is just under 700g). Whereas the OM System OM-1 body on its own weighs 599g – with the 40-150mm f/2.8 lens and 1.4x TC we were using, weighs around 1010g.

Although there isn’t much difference between the numbers here, adding an equivalent lens on the DSLR would it a hefty camera to carry around. Having less weight on your shoulders certainly feels more appealing.

OM System OM-1, 40-150mm f2.8 with 1.4x TC, 90mm, 1/640s, ISO640, f/4 – Click to view full-size JPEG photo. Image credit: Jessica Miller

Another factor I would be looking for in a new camera would be how easy it is to learn and use. On this workshop we set up the Bird Detection AF mode – which was an easy process, and the menu itself was very user-friendly and well designed. The Bird Detection AF mode was particularly helpful in our situation and quick to operate and focus, ensuring we got sharp shots whether the bird was stood still or in flight.

OM System OM-1, 40-150mm f/2.8 with 1.4x TC, 110mm, 1/500s, ISO1250, f/4 – Click to view full-size JPEG photo. Image credit: Jessica Miller

I had a go at using my DSLR for photographing the same birds, and the camera felt slow and clunky after using the OM-1. Overall, I was very impressed with the system and the versatility this camera could have across different genres.

More links:

Read our full OM System ‘Olympus’ OM-1 review

How to edit your wildlife photos (Tesni Ward)

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What is boudoir photography?

Unlike the cheesy glamour photos that once dominated lads’ mags (and AP), boudoir photography is more romantic and is aimed mainly at a female audience. The vast majority of boudoir shoots are commissioned by the subjects, often as part of a bridal photography package, a landmark birthday, or as a gift for a partner. Many women choose a boudoir shoot as a confidence boost after having children, getting divorced or losing weight.

Boudoir photography is generally shot in a bedroom setting – hence the name – and is sensual and sexy without being explicit. The subject’s modesty is generally covered by lingerie or bedding, and artful posing.

Most successful boudoir photographers are women, for obvious reasons, so male photographers hoping to succeed in this genre should consider a female assistant to help out with lighting, hair and make-up, posing and costume changes, but most importantly for the subject’s reassurance.

Boudoir vs Glamour Photography

Boudoir is about photographing women in a natural setting, whilst artistically capturing their natural beauty. On the other hand, glamour photography is normally associated with specific body types, high-end makeovers, magazines and heavily retouched photos. Ultimately, good boudoir photography should bring out the beauty of the subject no matter their body type.

Getting Started with Boudoir Photography

We teamed up with Brighton-based photographer Emma Joanne for a boudoir shoot at the Hotel Pelirocco, to learn how to succeed in this challenging genre.

Boudoir Photography – Look for interesting locations

Photographer: Emma Joanne. Model: Angel White. Hair and make-up: Stacie Smith.

‘When I’m choosing locations I tend to go for themed hotels where the decor is different in each room, and where you can style the client to complement the theme. This offers a much greater variety of pictures and fires my imagination,’ says Emma.

‘One of the things I like about Hotel Pelirocco is that the rooms are like sets. There are lots of props and details to play with, like ornate dressing tables. I find that with anyone, whether they’re a seasoned model or not, if you give them something to do it looks far more natural and takes away the whole idea that they’re being photographed.’

Before you even so much as remove the lens cap, the model will need make-up and hair done, ideally by a professional, so that she looks her best. For this shoot Emma brought along Stacie Smith, who she has worked with before. Our model, Angel, will be familiar to regular readers – she has been on our cover before.

Meanwhile, you first need to clear the set.

Photographer: Emma Joanne. Model: Angel White. Hair and make-up: Stacie Smith. Use a cushion to hide a tummy.

‘Go around the room and remove anything incongruous that you will curse about later if you see it in the background,’ says Emma. ‘This includes kettles and cups, luggage stands, and even the TV – if it is on a stand and can be moved safely.’

The model should have brought along a selection of lingerie in different colours and styles. If you haven’t already worked out in advance which colours complement the décor of your room, now is the time.

Boudoir Photography – Lighting the set

Photographer: Emma Joanne. Model: Angel White. Hair and make-up: Stacie Smith. A Rotolight AEOS was used as the key light here, with a NEO 2 LED as a hand held hair light from behind.

Next you need to light the set. Our hotel rooms have large picture windows that fill the rooms with daylight, but in many cases will be behind the model. While this creates a nice rim light you’ll need strong frontal lighting to balance with the light behind. For this shoot Emma used Rotolight AEOS and NEO 2 LED lights, which she prefers over flash heads.

‘You need to work quickly with boudoir,’ explains Emma. ‘You can’t keep the model waiting while you fiddle with the lights or you’ll lose the energy of the shoot. With these continuous lights you can see how the light is falling, and balance it with the ambient light by eye. You can even change the colour balance. They have a flash mode as well if I ever need the extra power.’

During the shoot

Photographer: Emma Joanne. Model: Angel White. Hair and make-up: Stacie Smith.  The AEOS was used as a front fill and the output was matched to the brightness of the light outside.

When your subject is ready to start the shoot, ease in slowly. You should have a list of at least a few poses you want to try first.

‘Professional models will help suggest poses,’ says Emma. ‘but with ladies who haven’t done this before you’ll need to direct them. You must make them feel comfortable, offer lots of encouragement and help them to enjoy the session.

Watch for reflections of the lights in mirrors and pictures, and if shooting with a wide-angle keep the model in the middle of the frame to avoid distorting them.

Take plenty of breaks and once you feel you have exhausted one part of the room move on to another. ‘If you’re going to be selling images to your clients you want them to have as much variety as possible,’ advises Emma. In our first room alone Emma used the dressing table, the bed, the chaise longue and a screen as props.

Emma has a final piece of advice for anyone interested in trying this genre of photography: ‘One thing about boudoir is that there is a lot of expectation, and depending how good your pictures are you can either boost someone’s confidence entirely, or do the complete opposite and destroy it.’

Hair and make-up: Stacie Smith.

11 tips for successful Boudoir Photography

1 – Location

Hotels are great locations to shoot boudoir, but look for somewhere that gives you more creative options than just white walls and linen.

2 – De-clutter

The first thing to do before you introduce the model is de-clutter the room. Hide the kettle and cups, and avoid the TV in shot.

3 – Clothing

Make sure the model has a collection of different lingerie in a variety of styles/colours so that you can pick outfits to complement the room décor.

4 – Hair/make-up

Good make-up is vital for successful boudoir photography. If possible hire a professional, or ask a friend who is skilled in this area.

5 – Props

Use props such as a phone, hairbrush or lipstick. Giving them something to do helps provide a distraction for your model and helps them forget they’re being photographed.

6 – Lighting

I prefer constant LED lights, like the Rotolight, because I can adjust the brightness by eye and see exactly where the shadows fall before pressing the shutter. It means I can work more quickly and not keep the model waiting.

For further inspiration read our guide on how the direction of lighting affects your portraits.

Photographer: Emma Joanne. Model: Angel White. Hair and make-up: Stacie Smith. Using props gives the model something to do and can enhance the style.

7 – Start off slow

If you’re working with someone inexperienced start them off in a dressing gown – something sexy but not too exposed to start with. You can reveal more as their confidence grows.

8 – Communicate

Offer lots of encouragement and praise during the shoot to boost their confidence, as it can be intimidating.

9 – Be open

Although you should come to the shoot with some ideas already, don’t rigidly work to a checklist. Keep your mind open to your environment and let that give you ideas you may not have thought of.

10 – Inspiration

Look at existing boudoir photography online for ideas. Save images that inspire you to a Pinterest board, or make an album on your phone so you can refer to it during the shoot if you get stuck for ideas.

11 – Primes

I always favour prime lenses, such as my 50mm f/1.4 or 85mm f/1.4 as the shallow depth of field they offer gives a much more creative look. Have a look at our guide to the best 50mm prime lenses.

Photographer: Emma Joanne. Model: Angel White. Hair and make-up: Stacie Smith.

Top Boudoir Photography Posing Tips

Have an assistant

It’s useful to have someone on hand to look out for unflattering creases, hairs out of place and other things you may not spot. They can also help adjust, move or hold the lighting. If you’re a male photographer the assistant should be female – perhaps the make-up artist, so they can also apply touch ups if needed

Photographer: Emma Joanne. Model: Angel White. Hair and make-up: Stacie Smith. Shoot full length shots from low down to elongate the legs.

Standing poses

You always want a bend on the leg nearest the camera as it creates a nice curve and elongates the leg. The weight should be on the back leg, because if you put your weight on the inside leg it will thicken that hip and we want to make it look as slender as possible. Turn the bent knee away from the camera. Shoot from low down with a wide-angle lens to make the legs look longer. If you shoot from head height they’ll look stumpy.

Bend it

In boudoir the model should overemphasise every pose, so remind her regularly to keep her chin up, shoulders back and tummy in, because it pushes out the bust and creates a more sexy and elegant pose. Basically whatever can bend needs to bend – you don’t want to see any limbs looking lifeless.

Photographer: Emma Joanne. Model: Angel White. Hair and make-up: Stacie Smith.

Seated models

With any model, whatever their size, when you’re seating them it’s best to ask them to put just the edge of their bum on the seat, and edge as far forward as possible with their weight on just their rear buttock, rather than having them rest their entire weight on both buttocks, which is going to look very unflattering.

Lying on the bed

When shooting on a bed the model is going to be lying flat – either on her front or her back – which means that her body is going to relax into the bed. You need to watch for any creases going on, which you can iron out with a change of position. With bigger ladies this will take more work to conceal.

Photographer: Emma Joanne. Model: Angel White. Hair and make-up: Stacie Smith.

Concealment

If your model has a part of their body that they are self-conscious about (such as their legs or tummy) try getting them to hold a carefully placed cushion, pillow, towel or bed-sheet in front of them to conceal it. Alternatively shoot from an angle that doesn’t show that part of her body.

‘When working with your model, suggestive posing and eye contact are sexy, so try different looks with this in mind,’ says Emma, Nikon D600, 1/250sec at f/2.8, ISO 200. Photographer: Emma Joanne. Model: Angel White. Hair and make-up: Stacie Smith.

How to choose the best camera and lens for boudoir photography

As a general rule of thumb what works for portrait photography will be suitable for boudoir too. Most photographers use a full-frame camera but don’t dismiss MFT or crop sensor, as with a good lens they would be more than adequate to capture excellent images.

Read more about the best cameras for portraits and the best lenses for portraits to find the best kit for your boudoir photography.

Emma’s favourite kit for boudoir photography:

• Nikon D700 | 50mm f/1.4 | 85mm f/1.8 | 24-70mm f/2.8 – www.nikon.co.uk
• Rotolight AEOS | Rotolight NEO 2 lights – www.rotolight.com

See our latest Rotolight reviews:

• Rotolight NEO 3 and AEOS 2 Review
• Rotolight AEOS 2 PRO Hands-On Review
• Rotolight NEO 3 PRO Hands-on Review

Watch our behind the scenes video on this boudoir shoot:

Photographer: Emma Joanne.

With thanks to…

Photographer: Emma Joanne – www.shotgunweddings.co
Model: Angel White – www.angelwhite.net
Hair and make-up: Stacie Smith – www.stacie-laura-smith.uk
and the Hotel Pelirocco, Brighton UK – www.hotelpelirocco.co.uk

All photos © Emma Joanne

Further reading:

• Maternity photography – your complete guide
• Lighting tips for maternity photography
• The do’s and don’ts of working with models
• Complete guide to portrait photography
• How to shoot like a fashion photographer

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The post Boudoir photography – the complete guide appeared first on Amateur Photographer.

We cover how to master night photography: from night landscapes and city scenes, to the Milky Way, stars, and solar and lunar eclipses.

Night photography: Preparing to photograph at night

Whatever camera you’re shooting with, whether a DSLR, mirrorless camera, compact camera, or a smartphone, we outline what you need to know when photographing the night sky.

Checklist: What camera equipment do I need for night photography?

Cameras vs Smartphones: Smartphones like the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, the iPhone 15 Pro Max, and the Google Pixel 8 Pro have made enormous strides when it comes to camera technology, with dedicated night modes. However, a DSLR or a mirrorless camera is more capable when it comes to night photography thanks to having a larger sensor, a bigger range of lens choices, plus more advanced controls.

If you don’t own a camera or one of the latest smartphones, there’s no need to be discouraged. Smartphones can still photograph the night sky, though the results may not be as good. A larger camera is preferable, but there are ways to optimise your photos at night and darker conditions with a smartphone. We cover these here in due course.

• Lenses: The word ‘photography’ literally means to draw with light. So, what do you do when you have so little of it? You let it all in. This means using the fastest, widest lens you can, with a large aperture, and a wide-angle view to capture the whole scene. You’ll find our recommendations for the best lenses for astrophotography. Alternatively, with a tripod and a little patience, you can use long exposures to capture a cityscape with a regular kit lens.
• Tripods: Whether shooting with a camera or a phone, keeping your camera stable is key. In addition, a tripod coupled with a remote shutter-release cable (or remote release app) is a helpful addition when shooting long exposures. This will reduce the risk of any camera shake or vibration. Find the best tripods available.

With a tripod, you can photograph even the darkest scene. Photo credit: Sergio Capuzzimati via Unsplash.

• A flashlight: Unless you’re a photography ninja who can comfortably set up their camera in the dark, a torch, or red-light headtorch, will come in handy.
• Spare batteries (or charger): It’s always good practice to take a few spare batteries with you, particularly if using a camera and shooting long exposures (as you probably will when shooting the night sky), as this will drain your battery life. If it is cold out, remember to keep them in your pocket as exposure to the cold will drain them quicker. If you’re using a smartphone be sure to bring a spare charger.
• Spare memory cards: Photographing at night and in low-light takes planning and, like any other type of photography, some flexibility too. Shooting in raw allows for this flexibility. The downside is raw files take up more space than JPEGs and if you’re looking to shoot both raw and JPEG, extra space is going to be a welcome addition.
• Fingerless gloves: You’ll be outdoors a lot, and stationary for spells. When it’s cold, a pair of gloves is a must.
• Timer: A shutter release cable will help minimise any potential camera shake. For those without this, or when shooting on a smartphone, in place of a shutter release cable, you can use the in-built self timer. The short delay will give time for any movement from pressing the shutter release to die down. For those who use a camera with Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, see if you can use your smartphone as a remote release, as a lot of them come with the option to connect your camera to your phone and use the remote control function.

How to choose the best camera and lenses for night photography

The OM System OM-1 has Starry Sky AF, which uses an algorithm to scan the scene for small points of light (the stars) to acquire focus. It’s night sky focusing made easy. Photo credit: Joshua Waller

• A full-frame camera, will generally perform better in low light than APS-C and Micro Four Thirds cameras. However, some models include features that are specifically designed for night photography, such as the Olympus OM-1.
• If you’re looking to photograph the moon and stars, it is worth noting that many professional astrophotographers prefer manual focus with live magnification over autofocus. Some cameras come with Starry Sky AF, such as the Olympus OM-1 and OM-5, which makes focusing on those white stars in the sky easier. Read more on the best cameras for astrophotography.
• A fast aperture, wide-angle lens is the way to go in order to maximise image brightness plus shoot at a relatively high ISO and ideally in RAW format. For additional suggestions, check out our guide to the best lenses for astrophotography.
• Prime (non zoom) lenses almost always have a wider maximum aperture than zoom lenses, which is great not just for astrophotography, but for any city scenes and streets at night. A ‘fast’ lens will also be a great bonus for indoor shots in restaurants and bars or cathedrals or monuments.
• Ideally, your camera will also be weather-sealed and easy to use in the dark.

How to use long exposures at night

With long exposures at night, traffic disappears into trails of light. Photo by Mark Denton on Unsplash

The classic method for night photography is to put the camera on a tripod and use a longer exposure, often many seconds, and sometimes even minutes. Light levels are much lower than in the daytime, so the camera needs to keep the shutter open and the sensor exposed to the light for much longer. With a tripod, you don’t have to worry about any camera shake or movement during the exposure. This means you can use a low ISO setting for the highest image quality.

Here’s a quick step-by-step guide to long exposure night photography:

1. Put the camera or phone on a tripod
2. Set the ISO (sensitivity) to the camera’s lowest setting, usually ISO 100 or ISO 200
3. Let the camera’s exposure meter work out the exposure as usual, though sometimes you may need to add 1-2EV of exposure compensation to capture the full brightness of neon lights and city streets at night
4. Use the camera’s self-timer to start the exposure – this gives time for any movement from you pressing the shutter button to die down
5. Wait while the camera completes the exposure!

Sometimes the camera will be ‘busy’ after a long exposure. That’s because long exposures can cause extra sensor noise, so cameras take a ‘dark frame’ straight afterwards so that any noise can be detected and removed. This takes about as long as the original exposure, so don’t worry, your camera has not gone wrong.

Long exposures can produce some very interesting effects. The lights from moving traffic will turn into streaks or ‘rivers of light’, and passers-by will blur or even disappear from the scene entirely. If there is light in the sky, you’ll see clouds blurring into soft streaks too.

Taking photos of cities, buildings and architecture at night is a great way to explore your local area, and add colour to your images, as the night scene will be full of colour from artificial lights, or from traffic and cars in the scene.

Get better night shots of cities

Handheld photography at night

You don’t always need a tripod at night. Handheld photography is often easier than you’d think. With a higher ISO you can get shutter speeds short enough to prevent camera shake and freeze moving subjects like passerby. Venice at night. Fujifilm X-T20, ISO 1000, Fujinon XF23mm F2, 1/60 sec f/2. Photo: Rod Lawton

You can’t always use a tripod in a city at night. Sometimes it’s too busy, sometimes there’s no time and sometimes you won’t have one with you. With modern camera sensors, image stabilization and clever computational technology in many smartphones, it’s possible to capture street scenes at night with the camera handheld.

For this, use the camera’s Auto ISO setting. This will increase the noise levels in your photos, but modern cameras can produce great results even at high ISO settings. Better still, cameras with in-body stabilization (IBIS) may enable you to capture sharp handheld exposures as long as a second. It depends on the camera, and you may need to take a couple of shots to get a good one, but it’s well worth a go.

Handheld IS shot, low-light, Olympus OM-1, 1/15s, f/2.8, ISO1000, -0.7EV, 22mm (12-40mm F2.8 PRO II). Photo: Joshua Waller

Today’s smartphones often have ‘night’ modes that ‘build’ an image from a series of separate exposures taken in quick succession. On most iPhones, for example, you simply need to keep the camera roughly still for around three seconds. The image quality that results can be quite impressive, letting you shoot in light so dim that you might hesitate to use a proper camera.

We’ve got a guide on how to photograph cities at night, plus a guide on how to take cinematic photos of cities.

How to photograph the night sky

Clouds don’t always need to spell the end of your night shoot. They can be used for dramatic effect. Photo credit: Ganapathy Kumar via Unsplash.

The main things to consider when planning a night shoot

• Finding a good location: Clear skies are critical to clearer shots and checking the weather forecast is a must. Light pollution is to be avoided, particularly from artificial light sources like street lights. National Parks are good spots for night sky photography as they are often away from cities and towns. It is also a good idea to avoid a full moon, that is unless you’re photographing the moon, of course. As it is a light source, it will compete with the other light sources in the sky like the stars or the Milky Way.
• Pencil in a date for shooting: The moon, stars and the sky stop for no one. This is why to get your optimal shot of say, the full moon, it is a good idea to keep up with the moon cycle in advance to pencil in a date in your diary for your shoot.
• Composition: The sky is not the limit. Playing around with letting other interesting objects into your frame is a good way to add some more detail to your image, particularly if you’re shooting on a smartphone that doesn’t quite pick up all the fine details. You might even want to arrive at your location earlier to think of ways to compose your shots.

Be creative when taking your night photos, use your surroundings. Photo credit: Yash Raut via Unsplash.

What camera settings should I use for night photography?

• You’ll need to be aware of the holy trinity of settings: Namely ISO, aperture, and shutter speed settings.
• To reduce noise, use the lowest ISO speed possible on your camera, so that any stars don’t get “eaten” or removed with noise. Check what the best “Base ISO” speed is on your camera, as some of the “LOW” or “L” ISO speeds have lower dynamic ranges.
• If you want as much as possible in focus set your aperture to f/10 – f/16 on a full-frame camera, f/8 – f/14 on an APS-C camera, and f/5.6 – f/8 on a Micro Four Thirds camera. However, be aware that this will result in very slow shutter speeds. For those that have a bright, and high-quality lens, you can use it at brighter apertures, such as f/1.4, f/1.8, to f/2.8.
• You will need to experiment with the shutter speed to find out what exposure works best for the scene. The longer the exposure, the more likely you’ll get star trails (as shown above), but to avoid these you’ll need a shorter shutter speed (and may need a higher ISO speed).

Using Starry Sky AF mode on the OM System OM-5 to get a night shot of our view of Lion’s Head from our terrace in Camps Bay. OM-5, 12-45mm, 30secs f/4, ISO 400. Image credit: Nigel Atherton

How do I focus on distant stars?

Set your camera to Manual mode, turn off autofocus and set it to infinity. Use the rear screen to check focus using a magnified view (and live view mode when using a DSLR). If you have a modern Olympus/OM System camera, then you can use the Starry Sky AF setting, and this will set the focus point to the right distance for stars.

What happened to the stars in my photo?

If you’re using a camera in JPEG mode, then you may find you lose stars, as noise reduction, when applied too heavily to an image can end up removing stars from the image. For this reason it’s recommended that you shoot raw images, then you have precise control over how much noise reduction is applied to the image.

For Sony cameras, it’s also recommended that you switch to uncompressed raw, to be sure to avoid the issue of the “Sony Star Eater”. However, it can also vary from camera to camera, and with longer exposures becoming an issue (for example, over 4 seconds, or when using Bulb mode). See Mark Shelley’s site for full details.

What settings do I need for night photography with a smartphone?

For smartphones, tap your screen to lock your focus and set the exposure manually if your phone has manual control – often found as the “Pro” or “Expert” mode. Alternatively, look for a dedicated night mode – most newer smartphones feature this. Google Pixel owners will be able to use the Astrophotography mode when the phone is used on a tripod or stable surface, and the phone will automatically use a longer exposure when it detects a solid support. For more tips on how to use manual focus, click here. If you need a phone support, have a look at our guide to the best phone tripods.

This Milky Way is already breathtaking, but you can add a dash of uniqueness to your image by having elements like buildings, mountains, people, or reflective lakes in your frame. Photo credit: John Fowler via Unsplash.

Can you take pictures of the night sky with a smartphone?

Thanks to rapid advancements in smartphones, you can also take photographs at night and low-light with a smartphone. Our tips above also apply to their use.

You’ll normally need to use a phone tripod or steady surface in order to keep the camera still and steady as possible. A word of warning to smartphone photographers: Do not give in to the temptation to zoom excessively. Just because you can doesn’t mean you should. Your photos will not be as clear, as often smartphones will simply use digital zoom in low-light conditions. The main camera often features a larger sensor, meaning better low-light performance.

Check to see if your smartphone has a manual mode or a dedicated Night mode. If you’re using a Google Pixel phone, then using it on a tripod or stable surface will enable the Astrophotography mode.

Many of the latest smartphones have very good night photography capabilities and many of the principles for shooting the night sky with a camera apply. Photo credit: Joey Huang via Unsplash.

Tips on how to photograph…

If you’re looking for something more specific, say, you really want to photograph the moon or star trails, have a look at our guides below.

How to photograph the Milky Way and other stars

Like with the moon, it’s all about timing with the Milky Way. It’s a good idea to do some research on the Milky Way’s pattern. The Sky Guide app is a superb resource for this. It allows you to check out where the Milky Way is to frame your shot. Given that the Milky Way’s vibrant colours tend to be what catches the eye, shooting in raw is essential. This way you can go back and make adjustments to your image, taking control of how much noise reduction is applied to get your image just right.

For photographing the stars, first of all, look for a dark location: avoid cities as light pollution will conceal otherwise visible stars. The moon acts as a huge light source too, so try to time your shoot for when the nights are darker. Read our guide on how to photograph the stars, for more information and detailed advice.

For a complete guide to shooting the Milky Way and stars, have a look at this article on how to photograph the Milky Way and stars.

How to photograph the Moon

Are you a beginner Astro photographer? Consider starting with the moon. It is considered an excellent starting point because of its brightness.

The 40MP sensor gives a lot of scope for cropping. Fujifilm X-T5, XF 70-300mm F4-5.6 R LM OIS WR at 300mm, 1/1250sec at f/5.6, ISO 200. 2.2MP crop to 1900mm equivalent. Image credit: Andy Westlake

When photographing the moon, the main thing you want to account for is the Earth’s rotation. The moon moves across the sky, and if your shutter speed is too slow, then it will blur as the earth rotates. To learn more, read our guide on how to photograph the moon.

Star Trails

There are a number of ways to photograph star trails. One way is to take a number of photos quickly one after the other and stack them (you’ll need a tripod and stacking software for this one). Another way is to create a time-lapse – using your camera’s time-lapse settings.

The settings that your camera possesses, and the length of exposure you can capture will influence your approach to capturing star trails. Check your slowest shutter speed by having a look at a review of your camera. Those with Live Composite (such as an Olympus / OM System or Panasonic), allow you to watch the exposure on-screen as it happens.

Fireworks

Guy Fawkes night, New Year’s Eve, Chinese New Year, and other special events offer many opportunities for celebratory fireworks shows around the world. Check out our essential tips for photographing fireworks to help.

Image credit: Andy Westlake

Landscapes at night

While the night sky can play havoc with your camera settings, it also provides a real opportunity to produce some great (and spooky!) landscape shots. Things to consider are: the weather, location and light pollution. See our guide to night landscape photography.

Don’t be afraid of using high ISO speeds

Particularly with newer cameras, you don’t need to worry as much about using higher ISO speeds. Noise reduction has improved dramatically over the last 5 years, and even with high levels of noise in images, photo editing software (and AI) has given massive improvements in noise processing.

Being able to shoot at very wide apertures helps with night-time shooting, but a high ISO speed was also needed. 1/80s, f/1.8, ISO5000, Fujifilm 56mm f1.2 lens. Photo: Amy Davies.

Using a higher ISO speed may be needed in situations where you need to keep the shutter speed as fast as possible. See our guide to shooting images in low light: Don’t be be afraid of high ISO.

Article: Isabella Ruffatti, and AP Staff. Featured image credit: Kobu Agency via Unsplash.

Read more on night photography:

• Art Wolfe on his approach to night photography
• Spooky shots: Guide to night landscape photography
• Liam Wong shares new book of cinematic cities at night
• Samsung ‘fake’ moon photos: Has AI photography gone too far?

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

The post Night photography: how to take great photos at night appeared first on Amateur Photographer.

James Abbott’s tips for using filters for long-exposure landscapes

Every landscape photographer strives to put their stamp on the locations they shoot, and while most are best shot at a specific time of day to take advantage of the best light possible, one way of finding your unique voice is to take control of exposure times using ND filters.

Lower-strength ND filters can be as simple to use as attaching them to your lens and shooting normally, while the more extreme filters ranging from 6-stops and above require a little more care and attention to ensure correct exposures. In this long-exposure masterclass, we’re going to take a closer look at long-exposure landscapes and how to successfully shoot them using ND filters to achieve a range of effects.

This image taken at Wastwater in the Lake District was shot using a 6-stop ND to smooth the choppy water and help to capture a reflection of the sky

Filter densities explained

Different filter manufacturers use several methods of displaying ND filter densities and these include how many stops of light the filter reduces, which is the easiest, optical density, and ND factor. Once you buy into a filter system, it pays to familiarise yourself with the method used so you can quickly identify filters.

Sony A7R III, 16-35mm, 1/10sec at f/13, ISO 100, Polariser

Sony A7R III, 16-35mm, 0.8sec at f/13, ISO 100, 3-stop ND filter

Sony A7R III, 16-35mm, 5sec at f/13, ISO 100, 6-stop ND filter

Sony A7R III, 16-35mm, 64sec at f/13, ISO 100, 10-stop ND filter

ND filters compared

ND filters come in a range of light-reducing densities, and with screw-in filters you can get variable ND filters with strengths ranging from around 1.5 stops to 8 stops. For ultimate flexibility and control, the four filters that you need to control overall exposure are a polarising filter, a 3-stop ND, a 6-stop ND and a 10-stop ND.

You can buy other densities, but with these four filters you’re covered for practically every eventuality. The four images here were shot in bright conditions so exposure times show a clearer progression of blur as filter strength is increased.

Polarising filter 1/10 sec: Polarisers are often used in combination with ND filters as they remove surface reflections from water and can deepen blue skies, but, with the ability to reduce exposure by up to 1.5 stops, can also be used as a weak ND filter.

3-stop ND 0.8 sec: The humble 3-stop ND filter is arguably the most versatile of all ND filters since it’s ideal for shooting in low light conditions and around golden hour when you wish to achieve a longer exposure but not one that’s several minutes long.

6-stop ND 5 seconds: 6-stop ND filters require exposure to be calculated, either by counting stops or using an exposure calculator app. This filter is best used when a 3-stop ND doesn’t extend exposure time enough, but a 10-stop filter makes exposure times unnecessarily long.

10-stop ND 1 minute: 10-stop NDs were the first ‘extreme’ ND filter to be released and provide the ability to shoot extremely long exposures in low light conditions, or even exposures that are 30 seconds or longer in bright and sunny conditions.

How to use extreme NDs

Learn how to correctly calculate exposure when using high-density ND filters that throw the standard rules of exposure out of the window

Extreme NDs, Big Stoppers and Little Stoppers are all names you’re likely to have heard of, and in a nutshell, these simply refer to ND filters that reduce light entering lenses by more than 4 stops. ND filters in this category can’t be used like lower-strength NDs where you simply attach them to the lens and shoot as normal; these filters require you to calculate exposure based on what the ‘standard’ exposure should be, then shoot in Bulb mode and manually time exposures if they’re longer than 30 seconds.

A 10-stop ND filter transformed what would have been a ¼sec exposure into an exposure that was over 4 minutes in duration to smooth the water and blur the clouds in the scene

Unfortunately, most cameras have a maximum shutter speed/exposure time of 30 seconds, which is often too short when using extreme NDs. Owners of higher-end Fujifilm cameras such as the X-T4, GFX100S and X100V can set exposure times up to 60 minutes in duration so you don’t have to shoot in Blub mode.

For everyone else though, Bulb mode is the key to long-exposure success. On a technical level, a long exposure is essentially any shutter speed that’s too slow for the camera to be handheld without causing camera shake. However, in terms of aesthetics in landscape photography, it’s often not until shutter speeds are around one second that photographers consider exposures to be long exposures.

Exposures up to 30 seconds using extreme NDs can be dealt with by the camera, but beyond this we have to manually time exposures and hold the shutter open in Blub mode, so let’s take a look at how it’s done.

How to calculate correct exposure times

1. Attach ND grads: Securely attach your camera to your tripod to ensure that it can’t move during the exposure and compose the shot. At this stage, attach a filter holder and any ND grads required to maintain sky detail. Manually focus 1/3 of the distance into the scene beyond the foreground for a large depth of field and to lock focus.

2. Identify ‘normal’ exposure: Select aperture priority mode at f/11 with ISO 100 and apply any exposure compensation as required for a correct exposure. The shutter speed here was coming in at 1/4sec, but if it was much slower than this it would have been beneficial to increase ISO to 200 to halve the exposure time.

3. Use a calculator app: Use a free exposure calculator such as the LEE Stopper app or NiSi Filters app. Both allow you to select which filter density you’re using, and you simply need to input the standard exposure time for the app to then give you the exact exposure time required. Both apps feature a timer.

4. Shoot the long exposure: Set the camera to manual mode and if the exposure is longer than 30 seconds, rotate the thumbwheel until Bulb is shown. Make sure aperture and ISO are the same as in step two, and you’ll need to use a shutter remote to release the shutter at the same time as starting the app timer.

5. Reattach filters and shoot: Attach your chosen ND filter and then the graduated ND if you used one. Release the shutter with the remote, at the same time as the app timer, and make sure it locks to hold the shutter open – depending on model. Press the shutter button to end the bulb exposure when the timer ends.

Approaches to long-exposure

All landscapes have moving elements, whether that’s grass, water or clouds etc. Many even have a combination of some or all of these factors, so there’s always a huge amount of potential for creative long exposures. The most dramatic, and often interesting, movement can be found in water and clouds, and exposure time itself can produce drastically different results depending on what you’re aiming for.

Midday long exposure 10-stop ND filters allow you to capture long exposures in even the brightest conditions. This 62-second exposure was taken around midday and was used to smooth the water and blur the clouds

Scenes with clouds in the sky look great when you use a long exposure to capture them streaking towards the camera, and depending on how fast the clouds are moving the exposure required could be anywhere from 30 seconds to several minutes. Whereas with water, exposures between 1 and 3 seconds provide the most texture and definition in the water, while exposures of 30 seconds and above create a silky water effect in waterfalls and the completely smooth water in lakes and the sea.

The latter is a popular approach when it comes to shooting minimalist images of a tree, for instance, surrounded by silky-smooth water.

Low-light long exposure. Not all long exposures require the use of filters; this image was taken before sunrise and the exposure time was 10 seconds. If you don’t have ND filters, aim to shoot before sunrise and after sunset for naturally long exposure times

Getting the look

One thing that will always make long exposures effective is a static visual element within the scene that remains pin-sharp. Not only does this contrast and accentuate the movement in the scene, it also acts as a visual anchor that avoids images becoming a pure blur and ultimately abstract.

Cloudscape This simple, almost abstract, image is all about the colourful sky. By using a 6-stop ND, it was possible to achieve a 25-second exposure to blur the clouds and water

Personal preference will often dictate which exposure time you opt for, but light levels can also be a factor; it’s easier to extend exposure time than reduce it, which is why it’s essential to carry several ND filters with you when shooting landscapes. For instance, when shooting waterfalls, you’ll often be in dark locations so a 3-stop ND filter may allow you to achieve exposure times of 1-15 seconds while shooting in the morning.

However, shooting in the afternoon might require a 6-stop or 10-stop ND to be used to achieve an exposure long enough to blur clouds.

Waterfall To achieve a 13-second exposure to blur the water in this stream, a 3-stop ND filter was perfect. Using a stronger density would create a longer exposure, but for no additional visual benefit

Fake the effect in Photoshop

You can fake the look of ND filters by shooting five to ten exposures of a subject with the camera on a tripod. You then need to sync the raw files in Lightroom before opening all the exposures as Layers in Photoshop. Next, go to Edit>Auto-Align Layers and leave the Projection set to Auto and hit OK.

On the Layers panel left mouse click on the top Layer, hold down Shift and click on the bottom Layer so all are selected, then right mouse click on the Layers and select Convert to Smart Object. Once the Smart Object has processed, go to Layers>Smart Objects>Stack Mode>Median. Once the mode has been applied the image will look like a long exposure.

Finally, flatten the image and crop the edges to remove space left after the image alignment.

James’ Kit list

Tripod
A tripod is essential for long-exposure photography because the camera must be kept completely still during exposures to avoid camera shake in areas of the scene that should be sharp.

Shutter remote
Using a shutter remote allows you to fire the shutter without touching the camera and causing camera shake. They’re also necessary for shooting in Bulb mode to manually hold the shutter open.

Exposure calculator apps
The LEE Stopper and NiSi Filters apps allow you to dial in the standard exposure and will calculate the exposure required for a variety of ND filters including 6, 10 and 15-stop NDs.

Filter holder
If you plan to combine ND filters with graduated ND filters to maintain sky detail, you’ll need a filter holder where 100mm filters slot in place and can be stacked according to requirements.

Variable ND filter
Variable ND filters are a budget option providing a variable density ranging from roughly 1.5 stops to 8 stops, which is controlled by rotating the front part of the filter.

James Abbott
James is a freelance photographer and photography journalist specialising in creating shooting and editing techniques that help photographers improve their skills. His first book, The Digital Darkroom: The Definitive Guide to Photo Editing in Adobe Photoshop and Affinity Photo, is on sale now. www.jamesaphoto.co.uk.

Guy Edwardes’ tips for creative long exposures in landscape photography

I think it’s important to start by stressing that I never use long exposures just for the sake of it! I always consider whether a long exposure is appropriate, as well as how long it should be. There are certainly times when a longer exposure can be beneficial, but also times when it could be detrimental. My incentive for using longer exposures is to help inject life and a sense of movement into otherwise still images of the landscape. The exact length of exposure required for this will vary and may depend upon several factors.

I always work in manual exposure mode when shooting long exposures. This allows me to choose the perfect aperture, ISO and exposure time, and to then use neutral density filters to control the brightness of my image. I also use manual focus, as stronger neutral density filters can cause the autofocus to hunt. In this article I will run through the three main reasons why I might consider the use of a long exposure in my own landscape photography.

Start Point Lighthouse at sunrise, South Hams, Devon, Canon EOS R5, 11-24mm, 60sec at f/16, ISO 100, Image: Guy Edwardes

Canon EOS R5 · f/16 · 1/0s · 11mm · ISO100

Capturing cloud movement

Long exposures can add a dramatic effect to a landscape scene, especially when clouds are moving quickly and in the right direction! The best effect will be achieved when using a very wide-angle lens and when clouds are either moving towards the direction you’re photographing, or directly away from it. You may need to experiment a bit to find out exactly how long your exposure will need to be, as this will depend upon how quickly the clouds are moving. It could be anything from a few seconds to several minutes, and you would control this using neutral density filters. Whenever you shoot long exposures it’s worth taking several frames to choose from later, as the effect will be slightly different in each one.

Canary Island Pine Forest with clouds moving over the Atlantic during a long exposure, Teide National Park, Tenerife, Canary Islands. Image: Guy Edwardes

Canon EOS R5 · f/16 · 1/5s · 120mm · ISO100

Creative control of water movement

For me the most effective use of long exposure times is to control the way moving water is recorded in my landscape images. In coastal locations I may be looking to smooth out the texture and contrast of ripples and waves to help emphasise features such as boulders, piers, sea stacks and rock arches. In poor light I often use very long exposure times, often of several minutes, to create minimalist seascapes by smoothing out the water to an almost glass-like state. A longer exposure time can also be used to create separation between the flowing water in a river and static rocks within the river and along the riverbank by reducing contrast and texture in the water. Using a fast shutter speed to capture landscape images that include moving water can result in a ‘frozen in time’ look that seems unnatural to my eye. To overcome this, I will decide upon an appropriate exposure time that I feel suitably captures the flowing nature of the river at the time.

Dail Beag beach, Isle of Lewis, Outer Hebrides, Canon EOS R5, 11-24mm, 2sec at f/14, ISO 100. Image: Guy Edwardes

Canon EOS R5 · f/14 · 1/1s · 11mm · ISO100

Working with the conditions

In windy weather when vegetation is blowing around, I often choose to work with the conditions, rather than fighting against them. The latter usually results in compromises to image quality from using high ISO settings and wider lens apertures to achieve a shutter speed fast enough to freeze wind movement.

Therefore, try sticking to a low ISO setting, along with the aperture you require for sufficient depth of field, and simply allow the vegetation to blur during the resulting long exposure. This approach can help to capture a more atmospheric result, indicative of the weather conditions at the time. It should be obvious that you deliberately intended to blur the vegetation, so a neutral density filter may be required to set a long enough exposure time, although in overcast light a polarising filter is normally sufficient.

Beech trees at Kingston Lacy, Dorset, Canon EOS 5D Mark IV, 100-400mm, 3.2sec at f/16, ISO 400, Variable ND filter, Image: Guy Edwardes

Canon EOS 5D Mark IV · f/32 · 1/0s · 286mm · ISO400

Problems to overcome

Always take the time to use neutral density filters to achieve your long exposure, rather than expanded low ISO settings or a very small lens aperture, both of which are detrimental to image quality. Remember to turn off in-camera and lens stabilisation when shooting long exposures, otherwise the stabiliser can blur the whole image. Long exposures cause the camera sensor to get hot, which in turn can lead to ‘hot pixels’ showing up in your image. For this reason, it’s best to turn your camera off whenever you’re not taking pictures to allow the sensor to cool. Some camera bodies include the menu function ‘pixel mapping’ to remove hot pixels – it is worth running this before taking any long exposures.

Sligachan, Isle of Skye, Scotland, Canon EOS R5, 11-24mm, 1 sec at f/16, ISO 100, 3-stop ND filter,      Image: Guy Edwardes

Canon EOS R5 · f/16 · 1/2000s · 19mm · ISO100

Another option is to use in-camera long exposure noise reduction, but this takes time and is therefore impractical when shooting very long exposures. Perhaps the best solution is to shoot a final long-exposure image with your lens cap on. This black frame will still show the hot pixels and can be used to perform a dark frame subtraction in Photoshop. Place the dark image as a new layer on top of the image you’re working on and change the blending mode to subtract. Most hot pixels will vanish, and the remainder can be removed using the spot healing tool.

There is certainly a degree of trial and error in long-exposure landscape photography, but as a creative technique it may help to elevate your landscape shots to the next level.

Benijo Beach and Roques de Anaga, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Canon EOS R5, 11-24mm, 1sec at f/11, ISO 250. Image: Guy Edwardes

Canon EOS R5 · f/11 · 1/1s · 13mm · ISO250

How to shoot moving water with long exposures in high-contrast lighting

1. High-contrast scenes require exposure bracketing and blending if you don’t use graduated ND filters. However this can cause problems when shooting long exposures with moving water, as the water effect will vary in each bracketed frame. I overcome this by using a variable neutral density filter (VND).

2. Choose the ideal camera settings for your shot. This would normally be a low ISO to minimise noise and a middle aperture for the best image quality. You can also set what you consider the perfect exposure time for the effect you’re trying to capture.

3. Turn the VND filter until the scene appears dark enough to capture plenty of detail in the brightest highlights. This can be judged by using the live histogram on your rear LCD screen. Note that if you have the sun in the frame this first image will be very dark indeed! Take the first image.

4. Without changing any camera settings, carefully turn the VND filter until 1-2 stops brighter. Take a second image. Repeat this process until you’ve captured a final image with plenty of detail in the darkest shadow areas. The number of images required will depend upon the contrast in the scene.

5. The water movement in each frame will be similar, as the exposure time remained the same. Therefore, the resulting set of images can be blended, in Adobe Lightroom (Merge to HDR) into a single DNG RAW file with expanded dynamic range. This can then be processed as normal, but with the increased capacity to recover highlight and shadow areas. If using an exposure time of only a few seconds, it may be necessary to refine the end result by blending the best single exposure for the water with the HDR file using layers and masks in Photoshop.

Why it Works

For this shot of Porth Nanven in Cornwall I used a very long exposure time of five minutes. This was achieved using a 15-stop neutral density filter. It is a single exposure at f/11 and ISO 100 to maximise image quality. I chose to use such a long exposure for two reasons. Firstly, as the clouds were moving directly towards me and I was using a 16mm wideangle lens, I knew that a long exposure would transform the clouds into streaks that would help to draw the viewer’s eye into the centre of my composition. Secondly, I wanted the nice smooth boulders to form a prominent and important element in the foreground. The water flowing around the boulders during the long exposure has helped to isolate individual boulders, as well as simplifying the overall composition by smoothing out the texture and contrast in the waves and ripples that would otherwise have made the image very busy.

Sunset from Porth Nanven, Cot Valley, St Just, Cornwall, Canon EOS 5DS R, 16-35mm, 339sec at f/11, ISO 100, Image: Guy Edwardes

Canon EOS 5DS R · f/11 · 1/0s · 16mm · ISO100

Guy’s Kit list

Wide-angle lens
Although lenses from wide-angle to telephoto can all be used successfully for shooting long exposures, ultra- wide-angles tend to produce the most dramatic effects if you’re trying to capture water or cloud movement. My Canon EF 11-24mm f/4L is my most-used lens when shooting long- exposure landscapes.

Tripod
A sturdy tripod and head are essential for long- exposure landscape photography. Spiked tripod feet and a weighted bungee cord can help improve stability, especially in windy conditions. I use a Sachtler Flowtech 75 video tripod and Really Right Stuff BH55LR ballhead.

Neutral density filters
I recommend having a minimum of 3-stop, 6-stop and 10-stop ND filters available. Even 15-stops can be useful in very bright conditions. I use a set of Breakthrough drop-in ND filters and variable ND filter via my Canon EF-RF drop-in filter adapter.

Remote release
For exposure times longer than 30 seconds you may need a remote release to use the bulb setting on your camera. However, many modern cameras allow bulb to function through the use of touch shutter, or the setting of longer exposure times directly.

Cauldron Force, West Burton, Yorkshire Dales National Park, North Yorkshire, Canon EOS 5DS R, 16-35mm, 10sec at f/22, ISO 250, Image: Guy Edwardes

Canon EOS 5DS R · f/22 · 1/0s · 29mm · ISO250

Guy Edwardes

Based in his home county of Dorset, Guy has been a professional landscape and nature photographer for almost 30 years. He is represented by major picture libraries, and he runs a series of photographic workshops and tours around the world. See his latest work and available workshops at www.guyedwardes.com.

Further reading:

• The top three filters you need for superb landscape shots
• Lee filters Super Stopper targets long-exposure photography
• Guide to fine art landscape photography
• Guide to Moonlight Landscape Photography

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Using LUTs, or Look Up Tables, saves so much time when compared to colour grading manually – which requires a steep learning curve and plenty of practice. Be sure to check out our guides to the best cameras for video and vlogging and the best video-editing software while you’re here.

LUTs can transform the look of your footage

LUTs for video – the background

Video capture with DSLRs and Mirrorless cameras has been available for some time. Arguably, the Canon EOS 5D MKII, released in 2008, became the DSLR of choice for videographers. Back then, the ability to capture FHD (1920 x 1080p) at 30fps was a game-changer, but video functionality has come a long way since.

In recent years, many photographers have branched out into video thanks to the ability to capture up to 4K (3840x2160p) video at up to 60fps or higher. Thanks to modern cameras offering professional-level video specs, anyone can capture and create high-quality footage. LUTs are one tool that can help you to give your videos a professional-looking colour grading effect.

Check out these YouTube guides to see how LUTs can transform your video

But what exactly are LUTs for video?

If you’ve thought about shooting video with a DSLR or mirrorless camera, you’ve probably seen the term “LUT”. These Lookup Tables are essentially presets for video, used to apply colour space conversions alongside colour and tone effects to video footage, instantly. LUTs are mathematical formulas that tell the software how the input values of brightness, contrast, saturation and colours should be converted.

Of the various types of LUTs available, the most common – and those that will be relevant to most readers – are 3D LUTs that have a .cube file extension. 3D LUTs can convert RGB values alongside tonal information in a three-dimensional grid which essentially means that they can hold much more adjustment information than a 1D LUT, for example.

LUTs are incredibly useful for the sheer amount of time they save in achieving specific effects – including converting footage from one colour space to another and/or applying a specific look or effect to video. This could be mimicking a traditional film stock or applying a colour grading effect. Colour grading is an art form in itself, and LUTs make it possible to achieve cinematic colour effects quickly without the skills of a colour grading expert.

An example of a conversion LUT download page from Fujifilm

Where to find LUTs

Correction/conversion LUTs can often be found on the website of the manufacturer of the camera you’re using. These make flat Log/Cinelike footage look normal by converting it to a specific colour space, typically Rec. 709. Stylistic LUTs are used to apply colour and tonal effects to video. It’s even possible to find LUTs that mimic the colour grading of famous movies.

Stylistic LUTs can be purchased online and there are also hundreds, if not thousands of free LUTs available. Many filmmakers and colourists create paid-for and free LUTs. A quick internet search will reveal the options.

You can even load LUTs into photo-editing software including Photoshop and Affinity Photo, so you can enjoy their effects in both photos and videos. You can also create LUTs in video and photo editing software to save effects and apply them to other photos and videos in that software you use.

Flat versus Standard colour profiles

To capture the optimum video footage, with most scope for making adjustments and applying LUTs, you’ll need to shoot in flat Log or Cinelike colour profiles – provided your camera offers this function. These profiles offer greater latitude for making adjustments, kind of like a raw file in photography. File sizes are typically larger than video shot in Standard/Normal profiles though, and require more processing work at the editing stage – but don’t let that put you off.

Flat Profile, D-Log

Log profiles are available on many cameras with each manufacturer having its own version eg. S-Log for Sony, F-Log for Fujifilm and D-Log for DJI etc. Some cameras and drones may alternatively have a Cinelike flat profile, so look out for these options within the video section of your camera’s menu. Log and Cinelike profiles appear flat and washed out with lifted shadows and retained highlights, to utilise the dynamic range of the camera sensor and retain as much detail as possible.

A normal colour profile

This footage needs to be converted to Rec. 709, which is a colour space, and then corrected in video-editing software so it looks normal rather than washed out; with adjustments made to brightness, contrast and white balance before stylistic LUTs or manual colour grading are applied. The first step can be achieved with a conversion LUT from the camera manufacturer or a third party if available, or by setting up input and output colour spaces for transforming/converting colour in the video editing software.

Converting from F-Log to Rec. 709 using Color Space Transform in Davinci Resolve

Standard colour profiles

If you’re not comfortable shooting with a flat Log/Cinelike, or your camera doesn’t offer these profiles, many cameras have a ‘Neutral’ or similarly named Picture Style that can be selected. These afford the flattest video possible as a starting point for making creative adjustments. Alternatively, you can select any of the Picture Styles available for a straight-out-of-camera look.

Fujifilm Provia Picture Style

There is a downside to this approach compared to shooting with a flat Log or Raw video format. A Picture Style/standard colour profile is the video equivalent of shooting JPEGs, while Log and Raw formats are more closely aligned with shooting photos in raw – with much more control over processing. You can colour grade video shot in one of the Standard profiles, but this approach is much more limited than footage shot in a flat profile.

Fujifilm’s Eterna Cinema simulation, the flattest Fujifilm standard profile

With Standard colour profiles, it’s best to get factors such as exposure and white balance correct at the point of shooting. You can correct these in video editing software, but just like JPEGs there’s much less latitude for making adjustments so there’s only so far you can push adjustments before image degradation becomes a problem.

Fujifilm camera owners have a slight advantage in this area because they can select any one of the Film Simulations to be applied to video. More advanced users can also choose to capture in the flat F-Log colour profile, but the ability to apply Film Simulations is an easy way to achieve traditional film effects. Users of other camera systems can take advantage of Picture Styles with the ability to make adjustments to their parameters such as Sharpness, Contrast and Saturation etc.

How to apply LUTs and colour grade with the free DaVinci Resolve software

Applying LUTs in DaVinci Resolve

Applying LUTs is incredibly simple but it differs slightly depending on the video-editing software you’re using. In some software it may be as simple as using a dropdown menu, in others, LUTs can be applied to Layers and in others it will be to a Node. The software used here is DaVinci Resolve, which uses Nodes – these are essentially the same as Layers, but look more complicated.

Before applying a stylistic LUT to Log footage, it’s important to either apply a conversion LUT to convert the video to the Rec. 709 colour space or do this manually setting the Input and Output Color Space and Gamma. Once this has been done, the footage will immediately look punchier, but you also need to make additional adjustments to white balance, exposure and contrast to create a colour-corrected and neutral starting point before applying a stylistic LUT or manual colour grading.

Manually colour grading is a rewarding process, and even if you plan to apply a stylistic LUT to add a colour effect to your footage, this tutorial will help you to get there because other important steps need to be followed beforehand. We’ll be using DaVinci Resolve for the tutorial, but the process is similar to other video-editing software. Plus, there is a free version of DaVinci Resolve available’ despite missing features when compared to the full Studio version of the software, it remains a fantastic option for video editing and colour grading.

1. Apply the conversion LUT

If you have a conversion LUT to convert your Log/Cinelike footage to Rec. 709 from the camera manufacturer’s website you’ll need to install it and then apply it to the footage. Alternatively, set the Input and Output Color Space and Gamma manually. This will immediately improve the look of the footage and make it appear normal, but this is just a starting point for making further colour and tonal adjustments.

2. Colour correct footage

On another Node or Layer, make white balance and colour correction adjustments to neutralise the footage in terms of colour balance. Here, the white balance controls were used alongside a slight boost in saturation. If you’re unable to colour correct the footage with just the white balance controls, you can use the Shadow, Midtones and Highlights colour wheels for precise control of colour balance.

3. Make tonal adjustments

Create a new Node or Layer and make adjustments to brightness, contrast and shadow and highlight recovery if necessary. For this footage, curves were used to increase brightness and to adjust the white and black points to control contrast. At this stage, you may find that you need to go back to the previous Node/Layer to make fine-tuned adjustments to the colour balance. Once happy, create a new Node/Layer for the next step.

4. Apply stylistic LUT or colour grade
This is the point where you can either apply a stylistic LUT to the new Node/Layer and use Key Output Gain/Opacity to control the strength of the effect. Alternatively, you can apply a manual colour grade. The most basic tools for doing this are the colour wheels and These allow you to target colours to the Shadows, Midtones and Highlights. There’s much more control available, but these will get you started at a beginner level.

How to colour grade Normal/Standard footage in Photoshop

The original in Photoshop

The transition from stills photography to video can be daunting because there are many new skills to learn, and one of the most significant of these is learning how to use video editing software. There is no substitute for using dedicated video editing software, but when you’re getting started Photoshop can be an easy entry point to video editing for some photographers.

The downside is that what you can achieve is limited, and Photoshop can’t handle Log footage – video can only be imported when shot in Standard/Normal profiles. The advantage of using Photoshop, in the early days at least, is that you can work in a familiar software interface while taking advantage of Adjustment Layers to adjust brightness and contrast, apply colour effects and even colour grade your footage.

Colour graded in Photoshop

Colour-grading step by step

1. Apply Adjustment Layers
Open your video clip in Photoshop and Timeline Tab Group will open automatically if it’s not already visible. Controls are limited, but there’s just enough available to edit basic videos and use Adjustment Layers to apply colour and tone adjustments and effects. In this footage, two Color Lookup Adjustment Layers were used: Sienna Blue at 100% Opacity and Gold-Blue at 50% Opacity alongside a Curves adjustment.

2. Export and Render
Once you’ve applied LUTs or adjustment Layers in Photoshop and edited your footage, you can export the video. To do this go to File>Export>Render Video. The options available are self-explanatory, but you can set the Format which is set to H.264 by default, Size to adjust resolution if required, Frame Rate to maintain or adjust the output frame rate and Preset to take control of quality settings.

Top takeaway tip – reduce the opacity of stylistic LUTs for a better result

When using stylistic LUTs you’ll usually find that their strength is too high, so you’ll need to reduce their opacity to arrive at a more favourable result. Some LUTs may look best at 50%, while others need to be as low as 10%. Personal taste and experimentation will always play a role in how strong an effect needs to be, but with stylistic LUTs, less is often more.

Further reading
Best video-editing software including free tools
Best cameras for video, vlogging and videography
Best lenses for video
Best accessories for video
Best-value audio accessories for video

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The post How to use LUTs for colour grading video appeared first on Amateur Photographer.

The street photographer’s duty is to elevate the world into something aesthetic, to deliver a narrative that presents it in an interesting way – but can it be done ethically, so as not to compromise those being photographed, and bring disrepute on the genre? 

Some legal guidance for the UK can be found in our piece on street photography and the law .

Canvey Island, Essex. Photo: Danny Jackson

NIKON D7200 · f/22 · 1/200s · 20mm · ISO800

Is it ever okay to photograph children, the vulnerable and homeless?

Polly Rusyn (PR): “Children are the best subjects for street photography. They’re awesome, animated, doing something, uninhibited. If we stop photographing children then people in a hundred years’ time, if this planet is still here, will look back and their only reference of kids is in Tik Tok videos with bunny rabbit filters. You look back at the classic photos of Vivian Maier and Henri Cartier-Bresson, kids, kids, kids, everywhere and it’s just wonderful to see what play looked like. I feel it’s an injustice to the future to not photograph children.”

Danny Jackson (DJ): “You can name all the greats and there’s pictures of children because you’re photographing humanity and what’s humanity without children?

“It’s your moral standpoint, it’s why you’re taking pictures of them. It’s no good just taking the picture of someone laying on the street because really it’s almost like you’re in their home. They live on the street so they’ve got no way of stopping you, just like someone that lives in their house.

“If you came into someone’s bedroom and took their picture, that’s wrong. In a way that’s the same for the homeless but on the other hand if they’re interacting with someone and if they’re doing something interesting on the streets, then I think that’s fair game.”

Mike Chudley (MC): “Taking photos of homeless people for example is a bit of a line, but in the right context that could be an incredible photo. If you see something worth taking a photo of, I feel like you should take the photo then consider what to do with it after.”

Josh Edgoose (JE): “I would never show a picture of someone eating. Just a personal rule. I would never take a photo or show a photo of a homeless person unless it was of a wider scene, adding context, having more of a message or something behind it.”

London. Photo: Danny Jackson

NIKON D7200 · f/4 · 1/60s · 35mm · ISO4500

How close is too close?

One of the most contentious discussions in street photography is the jab and dash and flash approach. How close should you physically get when taking someone’s photograph and when does it cross the line into harassment? The discussion inevitably revolves around Bruce Gilden. I’ve not been able to confirm, nor any of the photographers I spoke with could recall, an incident where a street photographer has caused harm to a citizen, yet.

PR: “I do wonder if that happens, especially if it’s extreme like Gilden, somebody could have a weak heart and if somebody jumps out at you and is taking pictures, you could literally kill somebody.”

DJ: “The only thing I’d probably say I’m a little bit against is really getting in someone’s face as if it’s the shock value. I like Gilden’s work, I think it’s brilliant but it’s not something I would do. I couldn’t just go up to someone and put it right in their face and take it and then walk off.

“The famous photo Gilden took of the two old ladies, it’s a funny photo but I think at night in New York flashing people in the face, ethically for me, especially women, could scare people and that’s the only thing that puts me off that idea.”

Stephen McLaren (SM): “There are people who shoot indiscriminately believing, it’s my rights and I’ll do what I want, bugger you mate, it’s public – well that’s just a specific person, in my book. People who think that putting a lens in front of someone indiscriminately is the way to make an artistic contribution to the world I think are largely misguided and don’t have many good photographs. That said, I’m open to all kinds of photography. I’m glad Gilden’s in the world shooting photographs. Would I do some of the stuff he does? No, I wouldn’t.”

London, Trafalgar Square 2022 Photo: Stephen Leslie

QSS-31

How far is too far in street photography? – Conversely, is using a long lens unethical, depriving the person you’re photographing the opportunity to respond and interact?

MC: “Most people will start street photography and pick a 50mm, 85mm, 110mm lens and shoot from two streets away. You’d get a good-quality photo but it’s not a quality documentation of what’s happening because it’s probably going to be an isolated portrait of someone. For me that isn’t as fun as a 35mm or 28mm context-wide lens storytelling photo. There’s going to be more context to the storytelling.

“The quality of the street photo is harder to achieve if you go wide so a great street photo at 28mm is hard to do, you’ve got layers, you’ve got different things spaced throughout the frame, it’s going to be tricky to get a really quality photo. Whereas if you pick an 85mm up I think it’s quite easy to stick that at f1.8 and get a nice picture. If you want to develop and improve your street photography, going for a 28mm or 35mm will teach you a lot more.”

DJ: “I do use a long lens when there’s a big event with lots going on and sometimes I’ll see something and I’ll know there’s no chance of me getting to that situation without just getting the lens out. It’s there. I tend to use 28mm and 50mm mostly now though.”

JE: “I mainly use 35mm or 28mm. I’ve been trying 50mm a bit recently because I’ve been pushing around a pram. 85mm makes me feel motion sick.”

London, Photo: Mike Chudley

LEICA Q2 · f/4 · 1/500s · 28mm · ISO400

De-escalation – if you dip into social media you’d be forgiven for thinking street photographers are in daily danger from upset citizens. These moments are rare for most, but what do you do if you have a face-off?

DJ: “Most of the time I try to explain what I’m doing but you’ll quickly know if that’s going to work or not. And if it doesn’t work I’ll say I’ll take the picture away, I’ll delete it in front of you. I can always find that deleted photograph if I wanted to! It’s so rare that you get a great photograph, one that you’re really pleased with. It’s unlikely to be anything special anyway. Most of the time I get caught I’m very good at disguising it. I bring the camera to my face, I’ll take the picture and if someone makes eye contact, I’ll then take another picture and I’ll bring it down and I’ll be looking above them and it works so often.”

PR: “The worst I’ve ever had is two finger wags and somebody recently in Seville asking did you take my picture? When I associate a photograph with a negative emotion I don’t want it any more.”

JE: “The only issue I’ve had was years ago when I was a bit less confident. People pick up on that if you’re being a bit sneaky, if you have that vibe where you’re doing something you shouldn’t be doing. In the last couple of years, if people ask, did I take their photo? I say yeah I did, you do look amazing; if they ask to take it off the camera, yeah sure that’s fine, have a lovely day.”

Istanbul, Turkey. Photo: Mike Chudley

LEICA Q2 · f/5.6 · 1/500s · 28mm · ISO1600

What exactly is a public space? The beach, Lido, pub, playground, church and arcade – are they legitimate locations?

MC: “I would think if it’s run by a private business that is not public; but if it’s where there are crowds of people and anyone can walk anywhere then I feel free range for my photography. If I’m entering a space which is operated or managed by a company or people where there might be security or shop owners, if there’s anything that requires some sort of entry with people then I’ll probably just check what I’m doing. It’s hard to say because every place is so different but if people are walking freely I’m going to take photos freely.”

SM: “I would consider the underground a public place. The number of photography books that are set there, most of them are great. It tells you so much more about urban humanity than probably any other space I think.”

Stephen Leslie (SL): “If I’m walking down the street and I see something happening in front of me in public, then I usually consider that to be fair game and I take the photograph. I would never take a photograph of someone doing something that is terrible to a child, if a man and a woman are having a stand-up fight I very much doubt I would take that photograph because that’s like a private moment but if it’s two strangers having a fight I might take that photograph because it’s happening in public. If we didn’t take those sorts of photographs, I think street photography history would be poorer for it.”

Valencia, Spain. Photo: Polly Rusyn

X100V · f/9 · 1/1000s · 23mm · ISO640

Should the person you are photographing retain anonymity in street photos?

SL: “I did a YouTube video about the prevalence of silhouettes in street photography. I hate silhouettes, I think they’re awful, an absolute menace, they’re everywhere. The reason that they’re everywhere is people are afraid of showing what people look like and a silhouette is a very good way of doing street photography without betraying or intruding on other people’s identity.”

PR: “I’ve noticed the majority of my work maintains people’s anonymity! I’m working on a book to showcase creative ways to shoot anonymous subjects in street photography to try to prove the point that you don’t actually need to show faces.”

From the book 10 Miles West. Photo: Josh Edgoose

When not to take a photo in street photography

MC: “Sometimes I’ll see a scene and think, you know what, I’m going to keep my camera down because I don’t want to take that photo. That comes down to the situation, maybe I’m not feeling as confident for that moment or it’s the first moment of the day and I’m thinking I’m not ready for that yet. The individual in that moment is a big part to play rather than the outcome of the photograph.”

DJ: “I’m of the view that really you should think about ethics afterwards, when you’re editing and seeing how the story is unfolding because sometimes you could take a picture and it might mean something to you because you were in the moment, you know exactly what’s going on but when you view the picture afterwards you can see how someone else might view it and it might not work. That story you created might not come through in the right way. So I think take those pictures of drunks at night, being sick, whatever, they could be really good but also they might just end up on your hard drive forever.”

SL: “You also have to occasionally show the bad side of life. Terrible things do go on and street photography has to be allowed to show the full gamut of life if it’s to be true to life. Otherwise what you end up with is a very saccharine, vanilla, self-policed version of street photography that ultimately is just going to be bland and I don’t think that that’s something to be encouraged.

“I took a photograph once of a person that had fallen asleep in public and they had their hand down the back of their own trousers. l put this up and I had a few people say you shouldn’t do this, this is terrible. I didn’t think it was that bad, you couldn’t see the bloke’s face. I think that’s an example of how people nowadays are a little bit more sensitive to some images.”

London. Photo: Mike Chudley

X100V · f/5.6 · 1/640s · 23mm · ISO160

Are there ethical differences for rural and urban photography?

SM: “When I’m out in the countryside I’m a tourist because I’m not there very often. I’m there to enjoy all that it has to offer – trees, nature, animals or people. If someone says what are you doing I’ll say I’m a tourist, literally enjoying what’s in front of me and it’s a different part of the world to the one I know. I don’t discriminate there, it can be harder of course. You also get it in suburban areas. The onus is on the photographer to be kind and considerate.”

SL: “I’m more at home in an urban environment because that’s what I’m used to. I don’t think I really change my behaviour when I go outside of that. I certainly don’t change my ethics, I would still photograph whatever.”

JE: “I will shy away from a photo if I’m on a country road and there’s just me and one other person. If you’re in Zone 1 in London the camera is practically invisible and it becomes more visible the further you go out.”

Purim, London. Photo: Polly Rusyn

X100V · f/16 · 1/1000s · 23mm · ISO1600

Is it ethical to disguise taking a photograph?

DJ: “If you shoot from the hip and you’ve got a lot of things going on around you, you’ll get those faces, the looks of the people will be completely natural. That’s what’s interesting about the photograph because you haven’t got a smile on their face, you haven’t got someone looking straight at your camera, you’re seeing what they’re seeing, what you would see when you’re walking around. These people are just trying to get a certain artistic look.”

PR: “You’re always going to get a small vocal group who get upset. There was a huge debacle around a photograph that was taken by Paul Kessel in New York on the metro of a young mother. It didn’t help that his description basically said he took pictures of her for 45 minutes [with the camera on his lap] but his intentions were not because she had a short skirt but because it was a beautiful scene and a stunning photograph. It looks like modern-day religious iconography. All the people who were getting upset about it who were not photographers. It was really excessive, and I felt sorry for him at the time.”

From the book 10 Miles West. Photo: Josh Edgoose

Should there be an official ‘go to’ resource of ethics?

MC: “There should definitely be a rough guide of do’s and don’ts and I think that is picked up organically by our experience. The ten or 11 street photographers that I bump into regularly in London, we kind of all go about it in the same way, give or take. We’re respectful, we’re never rude and that goes a long way, your body language goes a long way. We all get different types of photos. There’s a rough guide out there subconsciously among street photographers that have got experience.”

SL: “There isn’t a resource. Who is anyone to get on a soapbox and say this is what you should and shouldn’t do about it.”

Waiting for wife, Camden, London. Photo: Danny Jackson

NIKON D7200 · f/5 · 1/500s · 55mm · ISO200

Street photography ethics abroad

MC: “I do the same thing as I would normally but I’d be lying if I said there isn’t a little bit more hesitation because I don’t know my surroundings. I feel like there’s an inherent respect for the country I’m in and I have to be aware of that because it’s going to be a little bit different. I check the laws as well.”

SM: “If you’re in a rough part of Los Angeles you’ve got to be streetwise, you’ve got to know what might happen if something goes wrong as someone might have a gun, you’ve got to know the homeless person on the corner who is about to inject drugs is not a good person to photograph.”

Photo: Stephen Leslie

QSS

Should cultural sensitivities be taken into consideration?

PR: “I want to be respectful of who I photograph, I don’t want to disturb anybody that I photograph. I prefer to be stealthy so I don’t bruise the scene and certainly don’t bruise the person’s day and if a photograph is unkind, unflattering or potentially incriminating I won’t share it if it makes me feel uncomfortable. I want us to be ethical photographers to protect street photography as a genre.

“To not criminalise it, to keep it legal. I don’t look back at the past masters and think, you unethical b******s or judge what they were doing in any way, apart from Gilden, but now we live in very different times, we have to move differently in order to be able to continue doing what we love. If we piss too many people off, the wrong people or kill someone, we’re going to be done.”

SM: “We all have to justify our photographs at some point in one way or another, whether it’s online or in a gallery setting or a journalist interviewing us. If someone comes up and says; well why did you take that picture because it looks a bit dodgy, you really should have an answer ready for them and be able to explain yourself. If ultimately I’ve made a bad decision I’d be willing to delete it or withdraw it.”

SL: “If someone’s out in public, it’s 2023 for Christs sake, people know that people take photos, lots of people have the most enormous bloody cameras anyway, if you see someone raising their camera towards you and you don’t want to have your photo taken just look the other way, it’s very simple.”

Istanbul, Turkey. Photo: Mike Chudley

LEICA Q2 · f/1.7 · 1/800s · 28mm · ISO100

How to be an ethical street photographer: Conclusion

Morals are the principles on which one’s judgements of right and wrong are based. Ethics are principles of right conduct. You can photograph within the law but still be unethical; ethics are your own personal laws. Changes in law to prevent up-skirting and the creation of new offences by the government of recording images of women breastfeeding children without their consent haven’t been brought about by unethical street photographers. Street photographers practice their art in myriad ways. If you’re an adult amateur or professional street photographer, you should know what feels right to photograph, and how. 

The last word should be left to one of the best, Joel Meyerowitz, who writes in the book How I Make Photographs (Laurence King Publishing, 2020) “We must be humble enough to recognize that we’re all humans, and we come in every shape, size and colour. You’re not making fun of anybody; you’re telling it like it is. This is how the world looks, and these are the ways people interact.

“I believe everyone is fair game as long as you’re not trying to take advantage or being cruel. From a humanistic point of view, the sweetness of photography is its capacity to embrace everybody in every kind of situation and to make works that come from the heart.”

Stay up to date with the law around street photography.

Mike Chudley is a young street photographer with over 86K subscribers to his YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/c/mikechudley

Josh Edgoose is co-founder of Framelines magazine and has two books of his street photography published by Setanta Books, Brilliant Parade and 10 Miles West. www.setantabooks.com

Danny Jackson is one half of the multi-online platform @street_badass

Stephen Leslie is author of several street photography books and creator of the Show and Tell films YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/@stephenlesliephoto/videos

Stephen McLaren has edited various photography books including best-seller Street Photography Now. www.stephenmclaren.co.uk

Polly Rusyn has self-published several street photography books and is founder of the Department of Street Photography: dostreetphotography.com

APOY 2023 Round 7, Street, is now open click here to submit your images until the 21st August 2023.

Further Reading on Street Photography:

The best cameras for street photography

Best lens for street photography

How to be street smart as a photographer

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

The post How to be an ethical street photographer appeared first on Amateur Photographer.

All that’s needed is a little adjustment in mental approach to picture-taking, and perhaps learning a new editing trick or two to make the most of your vision. For those who still own a film camera, sticking with analogue techniques is an option. You could always pick up a pre-owned film camera or take the low-fi Lomography route. I have several toy cameras including pinhole models that see regular use and I scan the negatives to work on.

See our pick of the best cameras for black and white photography, which gives a selection for all budgets from more expensive Leica models to the very reasonably priced.

In very contrasty light an exposure bracket of several frames can be merged in software to produce a fully toned image. Nikon Z7, 35mm, 1/3200sec at f/4.5, ISO 400. Photo: Will Cheung

When I embarked on my photography journey, there was only film with the choice of colour print, colour slide or black & white. Going monochrome was the obvious route because as a schoolkid, it was the only affordable one. Not only that, but the pictures I saw in magazines and books that fired my imagination were in black & white.

I grew up loving and being inspired by the work of many legends of photography including Ansel Adams, Bill Brandt, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Duane Michals, Arnold Newman, Irving Penn and Sebastião Salgado, to name my magnificent seven.

Their work continues to inspire me and no doubt many others. If their names are unfamiliar to you, they’re well worth a look. If you are already a keen mono shooter, you will have your favourite workers. If you’re finding your way in the medium, however, and need inspiration, now’s the time to get on the internet or to a bookshop. Whether you’re fired up by the work of old masters or more contemporary visionaries, there’s a lot of wonderful imagery out there.

Which subjects work best in black and white?

My view is that black & white can be applied very successfully in almost any genre. This is not to say you should turn every image in your archive into shades of grey, or that these will be more successful than full-colour shots. Our message is rather that black & white is a much more versatile medium than you may think, and can be indulged to great effect in almost any medium.

It may seem paradoxical to say that the absence of colour can an extra dimension to your creative output. Monochrome images can evoke moods or impressions that colour photography simply cannot. Naturally, some subjects and scenes are better suited to colour, but here we consider some with great scope and potential for shooters to explore in black and white.

Mono excels in dull light when you might not even bother taking the camera out. Shoot anyway and go moody monochrome! Nikon D3s, 24-70mm, 1/30sec at f/5.6, ISO 800. Photo: Will Cheung

Some subjects are also inexorably linked to colour photography. Take nature as an example, where the goal is to portray reality in all its elements; colour an obvious one. But shooting in black & white offers a whole other world of views in the wild. For evidence that it can work exceptionally well, check out the remarkable output of Nick Brandt.

The dull morning light meant the original image looked dull. A mono conversion and a little work on the computer resulted in a character-packed portrait Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II, 500mm, 1/160sec at f/4, ISO 1600. Photo: Will Cheung

With mono, there are plenty of creative avenues to explore. With most of us now capturing digitally, shoot raw and the world is your oyster because you can take any route you want. That said, I have not totally bucked convention, and suggest six subjects that work exceptionally well in monochrome, and six that are less successful. Continue reading to discover more.

Just remember there is no right or wrong. Choosing to use monochrome is a creative decision. If the medium works for you and it suits the pictures you’re taking and your style, don’t worry about convention. Then work on developing a style that suits your evolving pictorial approach.

Six subjects that work well in black and white photography

Black and white is a powerful creative medium and is incredibly versatile. Next time you’re out shooting, select the mono picture mode and give it a go. Shoot raw + JPEG so you get a mono preview but still have the colour option. You can explore black & white right now on existing files in software. In Adobe Lightroom, a single click takes you from colour to mono so you get an idea of the potential, and if you like what you see, work on the conversion for the best result.

Black and White: Architecture

Interiors or exteriors, modern or classical, overall view or detail – whatever your taste, black & white is a good option. One advantage when tackling interiors in black & white is that you don’t have to worry about weird and not-so-wonderful colour casts created by artificial lighting. Church and cathedral interiors, for example, can have very warm lighting and the vivid orange cast is almost impossible to neutralise satisfactorily. No problem in black & white, though.

Where colour would distract, black and white add a powerful contrast to architectural photography. Photo: Will Cheung

Black and White: Close-ups

Close-up details, patterns and texture can look wonderful in black & white and even better when side-lit to add an extra splash of contrast – but not too much! Such images in full colour can look a tad too busy with different hues competing for attention or look unsettling with clashing colours. Of course, this can work in your favour, so be prepared to explore both options. In mono, try the halfway option and tone your shots in editing.

Black and white close-ups lend a timeless element to any subject. Photo: Will Cheung

Black and White: Portraits

Nothing beats black & white for character portraits, whether using natural light, LED lights or flash. Unless you are going for a beauty shot with diffused lighting, try Rembrandt or split lighting for contrast. Be brave and put away the reflector, to keep the shadows deep. In editing, use the highlight and shadow recovery sliders sparingly to keep the contrast high. Adding digital noise for a film-like grain effect can be very effective too. See more black & white portrait guidance here.

Black and white portrait photography. Photo: Will Cheung

Black and White: Night photography

Vibrant colour abounds at night with office lighting, street lamps and car trails. Again, shooting in colour is the obvious thing to do, yet monochrome can produce rewarding images too. Blackness and deep shadows inevitably dominate, and any highlights present in the scene are often intense and can burn out. But the high contrast, relative lack of delicate mid-tones and darkness can work very nicely in black & white. Shoot raw to give more flexibility when it comes to dealing with the highlights and pools of darkness.

Building lights in black and white. Photo: Will Cheung

Black and White: Scapes

Seascapes, landscapes and urbanscapes all suit the monochrome approach. Whether you envisage your final shot to be in colour or in mono, good light to bring out texture or add warmth is always a benefit. But when the lighting is flat and there’s lots of cloud cover, shooting in mono route can work really well. Make more of a cloudy sky by taking one correct exposure and then one under-exposed by one or two f-stops, so the sky shows greater detail. The two shots can be merged in editing.

See more advice for creating moody monochrome landscapes.

With no colour to rely on, use light, texture and composition to add dimension to the image. Photo: Will Cheung

Black and White: Street photography

Shoot mono and explore your inner Cartier-Bresson. Few can get anywhere close to the work produced by the master of street photography but taking the mono option is at least a start and can add a unique mood to your shots. A popular form of street photography is using full sunlight, bold shapes and contrast.

This approach can be very powerful in monochrome, especially if you keep the contrast high and perhaps recover the highlights a little in editing. See our full guide to black and white street photography.

Street photography in black and white. Photo: Will Cheung

How do you take good black and white photos?

The first steps in black and white photography

Just set the digital camera to shoot monochrome. Digital cameras have picture modes and among the colour and subject settings, you’ll find monochrome as a menu option. With this mode selected, take a picture and the preview will be in mono regardless of the image format you have set.

If you usually shoot raw you’ll still get files with everything recorded by the sensor, so once opened in your usual editing software the image will be colour as norma,l and you’ll need to do some work to get mono shots. However, if you want mono shots straight out of camera, select JPEG image format and what you see previewed is what you get. In this case, however, you can’t decide to go colour later, so that is something to bear in mind.

Repeating patterns and texture suit the mono approach. Nikon D700, 90mm, 1/50sec at f/3.2, ISO 800. Photo: Will Cheung

The third way, and the best of both worlds, is to set the camera to monochrome picture mode and shoot both JPEGs and raws in-camera. The JPEGs mean you have mono shots for immediate use and also proof images that can help when you process the raws. Essentially, this option is win-win with the only downside being the memory needed for shooting and storing two files of every image. This is the method I use although I only archive a few JPEGs.

Add power to your street shots by removing the distraction of colour Fujifilm X-T2, 18mm, 1/680sec at f/5.6, ISO 400. Photo: Will Cheung

Whichever method you adopt, using monochrome picture mode means you see the shot in shades of grey, which is of great benefit to new and regular mono shooters. The thing about using the default monochrome picture mode is to treat it as a start.

There’s no problem with raw files because the hard work begins on the computer, but if you’re expecting to use the in-camera JPEGs then fine-tuning the mono settings is essential because the default settings often give anaemic results lacking in any depth and punch. For more information on how to setup your camera before you shoot, check out these 14 tips to setting up your camera.

Going for bold compositions works really well for impactful mono shots. Fujifilm X-T1,18-55mm, 1/60sec at f/9, ISO 200. Photo: Will Cheung

Going mono in camera

Digital cameras have mono picture modes so you can enjoy out-of-camera black & white JPEGs by doing nothing more than digging into the camera menu. One thing to consider: if you are shooting mono JPEGs only and later decide you would like the shot in colour, tough.

So, set the camera to shoot raws as well as mono JPEGs, so the colour option is available. Also, raws give superior results with much more control over contrast, exposure and tonality in post-processing. In-camera monochrome shots can look flat and rather dull at default settings, so you need to exploit the options your camera offers. The usual parameters that you can adjust are contrast, clarity and sharpness (and these apply only to JPEGs) although the nomenclature varies from brand to brand. Filters and even toning can be applied too.

JPEG taken on a Canon EOS R5 with the in-body filter set to no filter. Photo: Will Cheung

The two shots (above and below) were taken with and without the camera’s red filter setting. Fine-tune the parameters and make a note or save them as a preset for future use. This takes time and some fiddling with the settings, but the effort is worthwhile.

JPEG taken on a Canon EOS R5 with the in-body filter set to red filter. Photo: Will Cheung

What is the best way to use filters for black and white photography?

Another way to modify images during capture is to use filters. Black & white film photography and filters are joined at the hip. Most mono films are over-sensitive to blue light: a nicely lit scene on a sunny day will come out blank and lack detail in the sky space. A coloured filter to reduce the amount of blue light reaching the film will rectify this. A yellow filter has the weakest effect, orange is stronger and red is even more potent.

Generally, film photographers keep with yellow or orange for results that don’t look unnatural. It’s different with digital capture but filters still have their uses. Of course, use a coloured filter on a digital camera and the result will match the filter’s colour; and there’s no point having a single-coloured yellow, orange or red image. In digital cameras there are virtual filters that try to emulate the effect achieved with the filters on monochrome film. These are often in the same menu as the mono picture mode settings.

“Try” is the operative word; while they have an effect it is usually limited so don’t expect too much. The best thing is to utilise the various filters. If you prefer skies darker, dial in the orange or red filter and tweak the contrast and clarity settings, too. Fun with filters In-camera filters have no effect on raw. Regardless of the kind of image you’re shooting, get physical with actual filters to really produce files with more sky detail. Then work on them in editing.

See our guide to the best camera filters.

When there’s a good sky, shoot extreme long exposures for impact. Nikon D800, 24-120mm, 4 minutes at f/11, ISO 100. Photo: Will Cheung

ND (neutral density) graduated filter

This filter type helps control sky brightness giving a better tonal balance with the foreground, which is why it is a common accessory among scenic shooters. If you had to pick one to buy or use, the 0.6 (2 stop) soft grad is a good all-rounder. The ND grad is a good choice and not dependent on light direction which is not the case with the second option, the polariser. When it comes to skies, popular belief has it that the polariser has magical powers and can transform an insipid sky into something spectacular.

Well, it can do a brilliant job, but not all the time. On a sunny day, shooting towards or away from the sun a polariser has little effect on the clouds or sky and that’s because there is less polarised light in those regions to filter out. However, turn 90° to the sun and you can get fabulous skies with the assistance of a polariser. Next time you’re out there with the polariser, use the ‘rule of thumb’. Make a pretend gun with your hand, i.e. thumb up, forefinger out, the other fingers tucked out of the way.

You can cure overexposure by deploying a Neutral Density filter. Photo: Will Cheung

Point at the sun with the forefinger and then rotate your hand at the wrist. The areas where the thumb points (90° to the sun) is where the polariser has the strongest effect. There is lens choice to consider too. If you enjoy ultra-wide lenses such as a 20mm lens on 35mm format, use a polariser – applying the rule of thumb – and you’ll find the central area of blue sky looking lovely and rich while the edges of the frame look unaffected. Uneven polarisation does not look great and while you might be able to correct it in post, it’s best to avoid it in the first instance and use a less extreme focal length or take the filter off.

Just beware, though, because on very bright days, at higher altitudes or in sun-drenched countries, a polarised sky can be overpowering and look unnaturally dark. It is always best to rotate the polariser and shoot when the effect is optimum for the shot. On cloudy days, when there is not much-polarised light around, a polariser can still cut down glare and make greyness look slightly more intense. Generally, unless you’re using the polariser as an ND filter, it’s not worth fitting on a grey day.

What if I don’t have filters?

If you’re filter-less, another technique for more sky in the final result is to shoot a correctly exposed shot followed by an underexposed one (by -1 or -2 f-stops) so that the sky records with some detail. In editing software, the sky from the underexposed shot can then be used on the correctly exposed shot. Using a tripod is ideal if you want perfect registration but this technique works with shooting handheld too.

Engage the camera’s autoexposure bracketing mode to make this easier; many cameras have two-frame bracketing but use three frames if there’s no choice. The way forward You can take the first serious steps into monochrome image-making right now by turning on the computer – assuming you have editing software – and exploring your back catalogue. At this time of year when it’s cold out, this has an obvious appeal and seeing how colour pictures you’re familiar with look in mono is time well spent.

Two dials on top of the EOS R8 control exposure settings. Image credit: Andy Westlake

However, there is nothing better than actual experience so with your camera set up to shoot monochrome, you can start exploring the world in shades of grey and experimenting with exposure, picture settings and filters. Learning how to shoot without the realism of colour obscuring your creative vision might be alien initially. ‘Seeing’ or visualising images is not easy but as legendary landscape photographer Ansel Adams said, ‘Visualisation is the single most important factor in photography.’

However, you have one tool at your disposal that Adams didn’t have. If you want to see how a scene looks in monochrome, just take a shot and check over the preview. It might not be an accurate depiction of how the final edited picture will look – it rarely is, in my experience! – but it’ll certainly be a big clue and will reveal the tonal relationships between the main elements of the scene.

What’s more, there is no cost and you’re learning in real-time, so just shoot away even on scenes that may have no potential. With practice and experience, you’ll soon learn how scenes will look in monochrome without having to ‘proof’ them first.

Clean, simple compositions can add impact to your shots – whether in mono or colour. Nikon D810, 24-120mm, 1/125sec at f/5.6, ISO 100. Lit with flash. Photo: Will Cheung

What is the best light for black and white photography, and how to get the exposure right?

Colour and black & white images can succeed in all manner of lighting conditions, and it’s always a good thing when the sun’s shining and there are some photogenic clouds. In some ways there is more tolerance in black & white and the flattest lighting can give eye-catching pictures, especially with an injection of contrast. Also, if you are confronted by a detail-less sky, compose to crop it out, just as you would when shooting colour.

With black & white there’s no issue with the light’s colour. You get lovely, warmer or more red light at both ends of the days and it’s neutral and cool in between, which is why colour landscape photographers are busiest early and late on and relaxing in between. In black & white, you can shoot all day long and the higher contrast and harshness are powerful tools. Whether you’re taking the raw or JPEG road to monochrome, the exposure process is the same as for colour.

If a histogram shows peaking on either end of the graph, some pixels are clipped. Photo: Will Cheung

As always with JPEGs, you need to be more accurate because there is less data to work with and advanced editing is not an option. There’s no real need for special exposure techniques and certainly nothing like the Zone System which expert film users employed. Just get it right in-camera and learn how to read a histogram, the graphic that appears when you review an image in-camera.

There is no such thing as an average scene but if there were, the histogram will show some information in the shadows (left side of the histogram) and some in the highlights (right side) and there’ll be a big middle hump between the two extremes.

Unless the scene is very dark or very light, you don’t want a histogram too left or right-sided. With careful metering and using exposure compensation or exposure lock to deal with awkward lighting, try to keep the histogram mostly in the centre, and especially try to avoid overexposure. Read more on ISO, exposure and metering here.

A digital raw file has much more tolerance to underexposure compared with overexposure. Recover a grossly overexposed shot in editing and the highlights will come out veiled and slightly off-grey; it is not a good look.

There are issues with heavily underexposed shots too. While editing might give a decent tonal range the image might suffer from artefacts or digital noise, which looks like mottling and is also not a good look although it might be okay. Some photographers like to expose so that the histogram has a right-sided bias but without the graph bleeding off to the far right. The preview image might look bright but the aim here is to get more information into the shadows so when they are lifted in editing there is less digital noise in evidence.

An interesting play of light suits a contrasty, graphic approach. Fujifilm X-E3, 14mm, 1/320sec at f/8, ISO 800. Photo: Will Cheung

Editing black and white images

By now, you should have a good idea of how to shoot mono images successfully including camera set-up, file format choice, applying in-camera and lens filters and how to use the histogram. The next step – a big one – is turning on the computer and processing and fine-tuning your shots. The computer and editing software play the same role as film processing kit and the enlarger in the wet darkroom. It’s where the magic takes place. See our guide to the best programs for editing black and white images.

Out-of-camera mono JPEGs can look great and be perfectly usable but having the capability to edit the raws is the ultimate in flexibility and it’s where you make your black & whites truly sing. My workflow is based on Adobe Lightroom Classic supported by a few plug-ins. You can see how images look in black & white with a single click and check out any potential. If not, another click restores the colour preview.

Interior lighting can be tricky to get cast-free in colour. Changing to black & white gets around the issue and adds an extra dimension too
Fujifilm X-T1, 14mm, 1/15sec at f/7.1, ISO 1250. Photo: Will Cheung

How you progress the mono conversion depends on what software you have, and there are plenty of great options when it comes to working with raw files. Profiles, plug-ins, using masks and different conversion techniques in software are all fair game. If you’re already a keen mono worker you probably have a process that works for you. Mono newbies will be on a voyage of discovery and with most software and plug-ins available as limited-time, fully functional demo versions it’s time to trawl the world of apps.

There are packages from the likes of Adobe, Affinity, Capture One, DxO, Luminar and Topaz. Some are available on subscription, others are outright purchases and there are free/shareware options too. Most of my mono conversions are done through Silver Efex from DxO’s Nik Collection which I use as a plug-in in Adobe Lightroom. I will apply some Lightroom adjustments before taking the file into the plug-in. Usually, it’s some highlight and shadow control, plus tweaks in contrast and clarity.

You have to be careful because significant adjustments can result in halos where shadows and highlights meet. As with most plug-ins, Silver Efex has a wide range of presets and you can create your own. I often start with a preset – I like More Silver – and will try several and when I settle on one will spend time adjusting the sliders to taste. A great DxO feature is the ability to fine-tune images locally with control points that you can place in any area of the image and use as many as required.

There is much more too with the ability to add vignettes and grain, emulate films, burn in edges, tone images and add frames. It’s not perfect but it is a capable mono plug-in that I have used for years.

The latest version of the Nik Collection costs £135 for new members or £69 for Nik Collection 4 & 5 users looking to upgrade. A more detailed breakdown of all the features and creative possibilities with Silver Efex can be found here.

Learn more about how to enhance your black and white images with Silver Efex. 

Don’t forget to print!

Shooting and making black & white images is all very well, and of course, you can appreciate your handiwork on screen, just as you would with your colour images. However, if you really want to marvel at your talent, get your favourite images printed. Canson, Fotospeed, Hahnemuhle and PermaJet are among the many brands offering baryta papers that have the feel and look of a traditional wet darkroom print. It would be a shame to expend all your creative energy into making mono images you’re proud of, and not to show them at their very best. See our guide to the best printers and papers.

If you decided to go all traditional and use an analogue camera read our guide on how to develop your black and white film at home here.

Black & white works really for nature too. Bold sidelighting brought out the texture in the seals’ fur. Nikon D700, 400mm + 1.7x teleconverter, 1/350sec at f/5.6, ISO 400. Photo: Will Cheung

Six subjects that don’t work so well in black and white

Black & white doesn’t work for everything, but it’s always worth trying and has more creative potential than many assume. Here are a few subjects that are perhaps less successful in shades of grey.

Sunrises and sunsets

Every day, nature provides two spectacularly colourful events (unless it’s cloudy!) just aching to be photographed. All those intense shades of yellow, orange and red look wonderful in colour, and rather less interesting in shades of grey. That said, with nice clouds or a bold foreground, black & white sunsets can look good.

A black and white sunrise. Photo: Will Cheung

Twilight

That brief period before sunrise and after sunset when the sky can be a palette of beautiful colours is a must for the camera, but perhaps not in mono. While those gorgeous, vibrant hues or a mackerel sky can look absolutely stunning in colour, they are much less effective in black & white. A bold foreground in silhouette might work, though.

A gradient contrast of clouds. Photo: Will Cheung

Flowers

Colourful blooms photographed in monochrome might seem a wasted opportunity, and often it is, but check out Robert Mapplethorpe’s images of irises and see how it can be done. His fine art images were created in the studio and that’s probably why they work. Pictures taken in the back garden might not have the same resonance.

Flowers work better in colour than in black and white. Photo: Will Cheung

Butterflies

Many nature subjects work in black & white, but butterflies don’t. A painted lady, a swallowtail or a marbled white as in this shot do not look great in shades of grey. They are such beautiful insects that they deserve the full-colour treatment. However, the combination of a clean background, good lighting and a nice pose can succeed.

Black and white is not the best option for an image like this. Photo: Will Cheung

Light trails

A popular and fun technique especially at this time of year. A long exposure using a tripod-mounted camera of a busy road or traffic junction can give awesome results – in colour! Red tail lights, blinking orange turn indicators and the warmth of artificial light, often combine to give magical and very vibrant results.

Black and white night trails don’t have the same impact as they do in colour. Photo: Will Cheung

Autumn colour

There are some subjects that simply cry out for colour and the monochrome route is almost inevitably less captivating. Garden scenes, fireworks and autumn, to name but three. If you want to make the most of vibrant acers this autumn, colour is the way to go, but if you have the raws there’s time to explore the creative options retrospectively.

Autumn colours need colour. Photo: Will Cheung

Quick black & white photography tips:

1. Choose your subject wisely and try “seeing” in black and white. Setting your camera to monochrome mode will help.
2. Keep an eye on the direction and intensity of light
3. Look out for interesting shapes, contrasts and textures

Photography holidays – try out your black and white skills

Put your black and white photography to the test on our upcoming photography holidays! We have landscape and wildlife trips coming up in 2023 and 2024. See the full programme here.

Ready to take the next step with your black and white photography?

Learn how to put together a successful portfolio or try entering your images to photography competitions.

Further reading

• Complete guide to fine-art black and white photography
• Black and white editing with Snapseed on your smartphone

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The post Complete guide to black and white photography appeared first on Amateur Photographer.

Bird Photography Tips from Rachel Bigsby

Seabirds provide me with a portal into another world. I am mesmerised by their epic voyages, resilience, characterful behaviours, unique beauty and by the staggering fact that they are the only animal capable of surviving on the water, under the water, in the air and on land. They are the true masters of living life to the fullest, and perhaps my fascination is fuelled by a longing to be a part of their world. Photography allows me to connect to these species that I hold so dear to my heart while connecting a global audience to their story through the natural artistry of our seabirds and their homes.

Understand the behaviour

It’s no secret that our great seabird cities can be incredibly overwhelming and as a result, it’s easy to leave without feeling fulfilled with your photographs. So, upon arriving at a seabird colony, take a good moment to stand back, observe and identify the behaviour(s) you wish to photograph – for example, a bird stretching out its wings. Keep focused on that bird and look at what they do in the moments before exhibiting that behaviour. Being able to recognise those simple signs will help you better predict when to hit your shutter and capture your desired shot.

When hitting that shutter, make sure your camera is ready to go. I recommend a minimum shutter speed of 1/2500sec and an f-stop above your widest and select the continuous focus mode.

Image: Rachel Bigsby

Commit your composition

It’s easy to get carried away chasing a seabird with your lens, but a more considered approach will lead to a much more satisfying result. I like to discover my composition first then patiently wait for the seabird to enter my frame. By doing this, I can capture images with my desired elements like bokeh, backlighting or a white background that also include my chosen subject. If I were to track the bird aimlessly, it is unlikely that I would achieve everything that I wanted in one shot. This method can be a little risky, but I personally think that it leads to quality over quantity.

Image: Rachel Bigsby

Follow the ‘check, clean, close’ rule

Predators like rats and stoats can wreak havoc among seabird eggs and chicks if they arrive in a colony. So, it’s vital that if you visit a seabird colony, you prioritise biosecurity (the practice of protecting places from the threats posed by introducing new diseases or types of plants/animals that do not naturally occur there). All seabird colonies have emergency response plans, but the best way to keep precious chicks and eggs safe is to stop predators reaching them. So, if you’re planning a trip to an island, be sure to check your bag for stowaways, clean your boots or shoes with disinfectant and tightly close any food containers (since they can attract unwanted attention).

Image: Rachel Bigsby

Focus with your eyes first

Smaller seabirds, such as auks, have rapid wingbeats. In fact, a puffin beats its wings 400 times per minute. This means that their flight pattern is erratic and incredibly fast, making tracking and focusing (particularly with longer lenses) feel like an impossible task. But there are two solutions.

Firstly, observe the bird. Most seabirds will wheel around their nest/ledge before landing to avoid any lurking predators and this behaviour will give you multiple chances to follow them or to identify where they might land and remain focused on that spot.

Secondly, it can be useful to focus on the bird from a distance and keep them in your frame as they fly closer towards you. This can be an easier technique than expecting your lens to lock onto focus on a close-up, fast-moving subject.

To photograph a bird in flight, it is best to make sure your camera is in a continuous focusing mode such as AF-C or continuous servo. It is also very important to choose the correct focusing area such as Dynamic, 3D, Group or Zone.

Image: Rachel Bigsby

Work with the weather

Conditions at a seabird colony are unpredictable and of course, out of your control. Whether you’re shooting on a remote island or a mainland cliff, you need to be technically prepared for what the weather throws at you and know how to adapt with your camera settings to the conditions you have. This means that you can begin to work with the weather and use it to your creative advantage. On a rainy day, you could slow your shutter down to incorporate the rain drops and add some mood to your image. On a sunny day, try positioning the light behind your subject for a backlit effect.

It’s easy to resent bad weather but arriving prepared with a backup plan as well as practising with your settings means that you can maximise your chances of success, whatever the weather. It’s important to remember that dark and dull weather will drive your ISO higher. Ideally, you should be keeping your ISO as low as possible but as high as needed to get your desired exposure with the shutter speed and aperture you require.

Rachel’s Kit List

Nikon Z 9
As Nikon’s flagship mirrorless camera, the Z 9 is unstoppable and never misses a shot. With 45.7MP, 120fps, pre-release image capture, deep learning AI and an AF system that redefines tenacity, the Z 9 has no misses, no limits, and no boundaries!

Nikon M7 + binoculars
A good pair of binoculars will help you to identify your subject from a distance or to focus in on a behaviour that looks interesting.

Seabird Identification Guide
Just under eight million seabirds from 25 species breed in Britain and Ireland, so it’s important to know how to identify them, where to find them and when to see them.

Rachel Bigsby
Considered to be a leading wildlife photographer amongst her contemporaries, Rachel Bigsby has achieved a wealth of accolades as a finalist in five of the world’s leading wildlife photography competitions at the age of just 26, with her passion for photographing seabirds and natural artistry. See more of her work at www.rachelbigsby.com or on Instagram @rachelbigsby

Bird Photography Tips from Jake Levin

The best thing about photographing in the woods is the variety of birds that you can take advantage of throughout the year. In Canada, we have four distinct seasons, and each one brings different opportunities for photography. You get warblers coming through one month, wetland birds another month, and winter owls in another, all at the same exact location. Furthermore, the fall foliage season and winter snow both allow for some beautiful backgrounds, ranging from a kaleidoscope of colours to simple, minimal white. There are as many creative possibilities in the forest as you can come up with.

Photo: Jake Levin

ILCE-1 · f/7.1 · 1/320s · 840mm · ISO1250

Keep the background soft, distant, and simple

You don’t ever want the viewer to be distracted by what’s behind your subject, so make sure it doesn’t compete for attention. My ideal background is a simple wash of colour, with little to no detail at all. I want whoever is looking at the photograph to see the bird first, and then allow the eye to explore the rest of the composition. The further behind the subject you can place the background, the more it will blur itself out and serve as a pleasing complement to whatever is in front of it.

Don’t worry if every single bit of the bird isn’t razor-sharp

If you have the eyes and head, that’s what counts. I often shoot in overcast conditions, whether in the woods at home or in the Costa Rican jungle, so I’m using large apertures all the way up to f/4 in order to have enough shutter speed (since even with a mirrorless camera, there is a limit to how slow you can go and still keep things sharp). It’s not unusual for depth of field to be measured in millimetres when you’re using long lenses, and even though stopping down won’t increase your depth of field by much, it will create a lot of unwanted detail in the background, where you don’t want it at all.

Photo: Jake Levin

ILCE-1 · f/8 · 1/400s · 600mm · ISO1250

Match the light to the subject and its surroundings

If you’re shooting shorebirds in a river or at the beach, you want gorgeous, golden sunlight. Overcast will turn your water an unimpressive grey and dull down the already subtle colours of species like sandpipers and plovers. On the other hand, overcast works quite well for woodland birds, and strong evening light can be tough to manage when you’re surrounded by trees throwing off long shadows. Birds aren’t models, and there’s no union to call, so it pays to watch the forecast and make note of when the most favourable conditions are expected for the type of shooting you want to do.

Photo: Jake Levin

Make sure the subject isn’t looking away

Many photographers use a general rule stating that the bird’s head should be turned no further away than parallel to the back of the camera. In an even better scenario, he will have turned his head toward you just a little bit for a more engaging pose. It is worth noting, however, that the rest of the bird’s body doesn’t have to follow this rule. In fact, one of my favourite poses is the ‘lookback’ or ‘over-the-shoulder’, where the bird is facing away from me, but has his head turned back around to look over his shoulder at the camera.

Photo: Jake Levin

ILCE-1 · f/7.1 · 1/640s · 441mm · ISO1600

Manual mode is your friend

Even with all the advances in autofocus that have appeared over the past few years, you still have to expose the image properly. Working in manual mode gives you the maximum amount of control over the ISO, shutter speed, and aperture, all of which can come into play when you’re faced with a challenging subject. Unfortunately, as far as camera tech has progressed, the in-camera meter’s best guess at the correct exposure often requires adjusting, and with automatic mode, you’re beholden to whatever exposure the camera thinks it needs. However, in manual mode, you’ll find that you can shoot a far greater range of subjects with a much higher level of control.

Photo: Jake Levin

ILCE-1 · f/7.1 · 1/250s · 840mm · ISO1600

Jake’s Kit List

Long, fast lens
The longest focal length lens with the largest aperture that is reasonable for you to acquire. Several good-quality zoom lenses are now available that can work well if you’re just starting out.

A good, sturdy tripod and a gimbal head
Having a steady platform to shoot from is invaluable. Benro and Really Right Stuff both make excellent tripods. Gimbal heads like the Wimberley give you maximum control over your camera and lens while it’s mounted on the tripod.

Colour calibrator
This will allow you to consistently reproduce colour on your monitor in post-processing. Without calibrating your screen, you’re just guessing that the colour you see is correct. Calibration takes that variable out of the equation, and as an added plus, the calibrator handles almost everything automatically, no IT experience needed.

Jake Levin
Born in Washington, DC, Jake Levin is a Spanish professor and researcher in Montreal, Canada. His work can be seen at birdsbyjake.com and on Instagram: @birdsbyjake

Bird Photography Tips from Jack Zhi

I have been photographing birds for six years. I live in Irvine, California. When I first moved here from the Midwest, my son and I went on our bikes to discover the area. He found a place called San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary. We loved it. Pretty soon this place became my own sanctuary. I found myself taking a walk there all the time. I saw so many beautiful birds and it didn’t take long before I picked up a camera and started to photograph these amazing creatures.

Capture the story and the emotions

Birds are beautiful. It’s okay to capture a fly-by bird or a perched bird when they aren’t doing anything, but it’s much better if you can capture something that tells a story with emotions involved too. This was a shot of two bald eagles working on their nest. You can see the interaction and the eye contact between them. Two birds are usually better than one in this case. I went to this location many times and waited for something like this to happen. So yes, a side note is to be patient.

Photo: Jack Zhi

ILCE-9M2 · f/8 · 1/800s · 1200mm · ISO1250

Look out for unique moments

You’ve probably seen enough take-off shots, birds are simply beautiful when they take off. But keep in mind you want something different, something above and beyond a usual take-off, for example, a bird taking off with a prey in the talons. But even that is not all that unique nowadays. So, in this shot I captured the feather flying. The key is anticipation. Don’t tell yourself you’ve already got too many of these take-off shots and let go of a precious opportunity like this.

Photo of a peregrine falcon, taken in Los Angeles, USA. This was wildlife behaving naturally in the wild. No bating or any human intervention. Photo: Jack Zhi

ILCE-9M2 · f/4 · 1/1600s · 600mm · ISO1000

Think about the background

With a spectacular background, even a simple perched bird can make a beautiful shot. With a terrible background, however, even the most exciting action may not look good at all. That’s the importance of thinking about your background as well as your subject. Always position yourself to get the best possible backdrop. For this shot, I went to this location 30 times and I stayed in the same spot where the background worked for me. I couldn’t control the birds, but I knew I could try my luck. Yes, if I chased the birds, I could have gotten lucky, but I stayed patiently in my spot every visit I made and eventually I got my lucky break!

Photo: Jack Zhi

ILCE-1 · f/4 · 1/1600s · 600mm · ISO3200

Putting it all together

An award-winning photo must stand out in multiple areas – storytelling, uniqueness, spectacular lighting, gorgeous background, top of the world image quality, perfect focus, etc. So, as you go out and have fun shooting, practise each of these tips and try to nail as many in your shots as you can.

Photo: Jack Zhi

ILCE-9M2 · f/5.6 · 1/3200s · 840mm · ISO1000

Look for light

Shooting in the wild is completely different from shooting in studios. You don’t get to control the lights; all you can do is to take what nature gives you. But believe me, Mother Nature is fair, and it is fantastic. So, pay attention to the light conditions you’re in and always try to take advantage of it. Quite often a few steps one way or another can present you with a change in light. So keep exploring. In this scene I was able to line up my shot with an area in dark shadow to bring out the diving osprey. With some luck, there was a bush in the background reflecting the sun, making it look like smoke coming out of the osprey as he dove into the water.

An osprey diving in for its prey, taken in Orange County, California, USA. This was wildlife behaving naturally in the wild. No bating or any human intervention. Photo: Jack Zhi

ILCE-9M2 · f/4 · 1/3200s · 600mm · ISO1250

Jack’s Kit List

Sony A1
I use a Sony A1 with the Sony 600mm f/4 lens and I also have the Sony 1.4x and 2x Teleconverters for when I need that extra reach. If you don’t want to break the bank the Sony A9 II or a Sony A7R V with the Sony 200-600mm lens is a good combo.

Sony Imaging Edge Mobile app
If you’re a Sony user, the Sony Imaging app is a helpful tool to have. It allows you to transfer images or video to a smartphone or tablet, perform remote shooting, and add location information to images.

Additional but important accessories
To carry my kit, I use a waist bag for easy access. I also carry spare batteries, a remote control and extra memory cards. A good lens blower ball is a must – don’t go cheap on this because you’ll need it for a lifetime

Jack Zhi
Jack is a full-time computer engineer from the USA, and wildlife photography is his passion. He spends his weekends looking for birds and other wildlife in his area and it’s important to him to capture the beauty of nature as it happens. Jack was recently named this year’s overall winner of Bird Photographer of the Year. See more of his work on Instagram @jack.zhi.photo

Related reading:

• How to capture birds in flight and fast-moving animals
• Winging It: Photograph garden birds on a budget

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The post Top Bird Photography Tips by Award-winning Photographers appeared first on Amateur Photographer.

In this feature, we get tips from Brian Lloyd Duckett, a street photography workshop leader and the author of the best-selling 52 Assignments: Street Photography, published by Ammonite Press. Edmond Terakopian meanwhile is a photographer and filmmaker, and former British Press Awards Photographer of the Year. He was Highly Commended in Travel Photographer of the Year 2022.

How to do black and white street photography

Why shoot street photography in black and white?

“Black & white photography is much more than a colour image without the colour,” Edmond Terakopian explains. “Composition, the use of light and even the exposure are different for a good monochrome shot. Most of the time, when I’m looking at a scene, I already know it’s going to be in black & white and take this into account when setting my camera.”

If you are wondering how to learn to see in black & white, maybe check out some of your favourite street photographers and really think about why they decided to shoot a particular scene without colour?

Image credit: Brian Lloyd Duckett

Negative and positive spaces

In the image above by Brian Duckett, the large light areas (negative space) make the woman’s head (positive space) really stand out, and are a crucial component of the composition. “You use negative space to impose a sense of scale, making your subject more or less significant,” he explains. “Seek out viewpoints that isolate your subject by contrasting it with its surroundings.”

Can you do street photography with a phone?

Terakopian’s biggest tip is to always have a camera with you. “Smartphones are fine, but nothing beats a real camera. Sometimes though, a smartphone is the best tool for the job and when I’m shooting with my iPhone, I tend to shoot raw using the Halide app and then process on Lightroom Mobile.”

This is a good reason to upgrade your smartphone to one capable of taking high-quality images which can work in mono: the latest Google Pixels, Samsungs and iPhones are stand-out examples, see the best smartphones for street photography here.

Image credit: Alexandros Nicolopoulos/Unsplash

How ‘real’ do you want to be?

While long exposures and motion blur are popular techniques in street photography – a classic example being the bicycle rider in Hyères by Cartier- Bresson – they may be less appropriate for a more documentary style. “I do use tripods and love my Uniqball, but never on my street photography,” says Terakopian. “For me, this genre of photography has to be more real; more daily life and of the moment.” This is not to say more artistic effects are ‘wrong’ – it entirely depends on your approach. Without a clearly defined process, you will always struggle.

Don’t worry so much about street photography clichés

Terakopian is a firm believer in there are no clichés, so don’t get hung up on this. “Who knows, your clichéd shot of x, y or z, may become the defining image. My advice is not to stop making pictures that have been done before. That’s not to say copy, but if you like Cartier-Bresson’s work and you feel it, then shoot like that. Keep shooting, sharpening your eye, mind, soul and camera skills. Your own style will eventually and organically come through.” In other words don’t be inhibited by anxiety.

Great black and white street portraits

“Street photography is not just about shooting candid shots when nobody is looking,” notes Brian Duckett, who recommends setting yourself a street portrait project. “Try to shoot to a specific theme, such as people with a certain look, people in a specific location, people with dogs, motorbikes, doing a specific job… the possibilities are endless.”

Image credit: Brian Lloyd Duckett

Find out how to get started with portrait photography here.

Don’t make these street photography mistakes

“I think my first mistakes, which apply to street photography generally, were twofold,” Terakopian observes. “One was the nervousness of causing offence to others and the other was always rushing around and hunting for an image, often unsuccessfully, as opposed to finding the scene and the light, then waiting for the elements to come to me.” So, as with many other genres, patience is crucial in black & white street photography. Finding a location is one thing, but you often also have to wait for the right subject to come along, and the right light.

Don’t let rain get in the way of your street photography

One of Terakopian’s most successful and popular monochrome images ‘Love Your Job’ (below) was taken in heavy rain. “I was rushing to the car park after the Society of Wedding and Portrait Photographers show and saw the light from an advertising board, which was backlighting the rain. I found some shelter and waited for my picture. The adverts were on a loop and just as an advert reading “Love Your Job” came on, a businessman walked into frame, on this dull and dreary day.” While murky, drab weather might not feel very inspiring, it can suit your subject and intent perfectly.

Image credit: Edmond Terakopian

Capturing shadows in street photography

“To develop your ‘shadow skills’, head out in bright weather,” says Brian Duckett. “Look for uncluttered areas (e.g. modern business areas) and plan ahead. Pre-visualise the images and think about the intensity and direction of light, and the best vantage point. Work out your options for exposure and shoot a wide variety of subjects as you practise getting the composition just right. Try shooting in manual mode and exposing for the highlights. This will intensify the shadows…”

Black and white street photography composition

“I’ve found that, with experience, composition becomes more of an instinct, but my workflow for years was to look at the entire frame, not just where my subject is,” Terakopian explains. “Check the corners as well as the middle. Make use of shapes and lines going into corners or the sides of the frame. Compose a frame within your frame, which then awaits your protagonist to walk into.”

Credit: Edmond Terakopian

Small is beautiful

As with all kinds of street photography, smaller cameras tend to work best. “But for me it’s because they’re lighter and therefore not as physically taxing,” says Terakopian. “An entire day of walking around with a heavy camera or a camera bag full of kit isn’t conducive to street photography. I think the way one moves and behaves can either draw attention or make us blend into a scene. So it’s nothing to do with the camera, unless of course we go to the extremes of carrying two or three DSLRs with huge zooms and a super telephoto!”. See our top picks of the best cameras for street photography here.

Shoot in raw

“Shooting a black & white JPEG is fine, but the raw file will give you much more highlight and shadow detail, which will result in a better end result,” Terakopian adds. “So, I always shoot raw, process in Lightroom and then finish the monochrome treatment in my two favourite plug-ins; Exposure Software’s Exposure X5 or DxO Nik Collection’s Silver Efex Pro. Each has their strengths, so I make my decisions depending on what my vision is for that particular image.” See our Silver Efex Pro guide here.

Credit: Edmond Terakopian

Mix prime and zoom lenses

“I generally prefer prime lenses in the range of 35mm to 50mm, although will happily shoot with a zoom,” counsels Terakopian. “For my Micro Four Thirds Lumix bodies, I love the Leica DG 15mm Summilux, which gives a 30mm field of view, as well as the Lumix 25mm f/1.7. For zooms, I like the Leica DG 12-60mm f/2.8-4.0 or the Leica DG 10-25mm Vario Summilux f/1.7. On my Panasonic Lumix S1 and S1R, the Lumix S Pro 50mm f/1.4 is king. It renders so beautifully, is fast to focus and I’ve found the face and eye detection works wonders – a good tip for street shooters looking to upgrade.”

See the best lenses for street photography here.

Strong and dominant

A lot of great black & white street photography incorporates punchy, high-contrast images made up of bright whites and intense blacks. “The strong light and dark tones, combined with a strong diagonal and the dominant block of unpainted wall, make this shot a winner,” says Brian Duckett.

Credit: Brian Lloyd Duckett

Keep learning from the masters

“My first lesson in monochrome was to get piles and piles of books on photographers whose work I loved,” says Terakopian. “Everything from photojournalists like Sebastião Salgado to fashion photographers like Richard Avedon. I’ve never been one for still-life shots of flowers, but Mapplethorpe’s work was also hugely educational. Black & white is primarily about shape and light. My advice is to just keep looking. The harder and more intensely you look, the more you see. Then it’s a question of timing and capturing the moment and juxtaposition.”

Image credit: Edmond Terakopian

Don’t try to ‘hide’ in black & white

Whether you are shooting in colour or black & white, it’s all about finding great light; light that complements your subject and creative intent. While masters like Trent Parke can get away with using very hard sunlight and very strong shadow, make sure your skills are good enough to ride this particular tiger. The same goes with trying to conceal softness in black & white, or lack of shadow detail due to clumsy exposure: an experienced viewer will soon see through your cynical ploy.

Do some ghost hunting

For Brian Duckett, slow shutter speeds and motion blur can help create some impressive street shots. It also gets you into the habit of finding suitable backgrounds for your subjects to ‘blur’ against, and this kind of background hunting comes in useful for street photography generally. Image and lens stabilisation is now so good with modern cameras that you no longer need to use a tripod, sometimes even with shutter speeds as slow as a second.

Image credit: Brian Lloyd Duckett

You’re so square

Some images just cry out for a 1:1 black & white format, so be mindful of this when you are out shooting so you can compose accordingly and avoid heavy-handed cropping later. “In this shot of climbers, the pattern of the netting helped make the decision to crop to a square,” says Duckett. Michael Kenna is another master of the square format with black & white, so check out his work too.

Image credit: Brian Lloyd Duckett

Popular locations are fine too

As an example, Terakopian cites his popular shot of a little boy running into reflected lines of light at the Tate Modern. “It’s one of these clichéd locations, but as I mentioned before, this should never stop us exploring and making our own images. I was very fortunate that this image picked up several awards and nominations. I made the shot on a Lumix G9 with a Leica DG 50-200mm f/2.8-4.0 lens.”

A child runs around whilst bathed in rays of sunlight in the turbine hall. Tate Modern, during a heat wave bank holiday. Bankside, London, UK. May 06, 2018. Photo: Edmond Terakopian

C’mon bring (a bit of) the noise

While you should not try to use mono to hide poor exposure or focusing, Terakopian has no issue with a little bit of noise. “The cameras I choose work beautifully at up to the ISO 10,000 mark, producing accurate colours, which are essential for making a full tonal range in black & white. My black & white conversions generally have some grain added, which can cover any distracting noise.”

Street photography at night

“Night shots need to look dark, but your camera’s light meter can easily overcompensate, leaving you with images that are too light,” says Duckett. “So use exposure to dial things down.” Another good tip is to wear darker clothes so you blend into the shadows better, and don’t attract the subject’s attention. But don’t look shifty or suspicious or you could also attract the wrong kind of attention.

Credit: Brian Lloyd Duckett

Learn how to be street smart when out doing photography here.

52 Assignments Street Photography

52 Assignments: Street Photography (Ammonite Press, £12.99) is full of more great street shooting tips from Brian Duckett and is available from all good booksellers.

Featured image: Edmond Terakopian

New to street photography? Check out our guide to Street Photography.

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

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

Read more:

• Street photography and the law
• How to set up your camera for street photography
• Best Camera For Street Photography
• Best lens for street photography in 2023
• APOY Street

Enter your photographs to the Amateur Photographer of the Year 2023 competition. Keep an eye out for Round Nine: Action (Opens 19 September, closes 16 October) Round Ten, Low Light (Opens 17 October, closes 13 November).

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The post Black and white street photography: Tips and techniques from the experts appeared first on Amateur Photographer.