Friday 16 December 2016

Tip of the week

Firework photography

7)      Camera Settings Compact Cameras:

Most compact cameras nowadays have pre-set ‘Firework’ mode, set the camera on this mode and the camera will set everything accordingly.



Bhupinder Ghatahora

Friday 9 December 2016

Tip of the week

Firework photography

6)      Camera Settings DSLR:

 I photographed my firework display on fully manual mode with camera on the tripod and these were my camera settings: Aperture f16 (to get maximum depth of field), Shutter speed 30 Sec, ISO set at 200. Use these settings as a guide and change them accordingly to your final result.

If unsure with the Manual Mode on your cameras, use ‘Aperture Mode’ (A) set the aperture at f11 of f16, the camera will set the shutter speed accordingly.

You can also use the ‘Shutter Mode’ (TV or S) set the shutter speed at 20 seconds. Use this as a guide, you may need more or less time – check your result.



Bhupinder Ghatahora

Friday 2 December 2016

Tip of the week

Firework photography

5)      Do not use flash – switch off the flash as this will not capture the firework display



Bhupinder Ghatahora

Monday 28 November 2016

Special Offers

CHRISTMAS PORTRAIT OFFER

Location portraits, book now to have family or individual portraits for only £75 (original price £125)
package includes one 10" x8" professional print and selected images on memory stick.

MUST BOOK BEFORE 10TH DECEMBER 2016 TO GET THE PACKAGE AT THE CHRISTMAS OFFER





Call 07798913218 for availability or email Bhupinder Ghatahora on info@ghatahora.co.uk

Areas covered; Basingstoke and neighbouring towns, Reading and neighbouring towns, Newbury and neighbouring towns.

Bhupinder Ghatahora

Friday 25 November 2016

Tip of the week

Firework photography

4)      Focal Length – when photographing fireworks it’s difficult to see what will be in the frame (camera’s view finder) always shoot on wide angle. By zooming into the fireworks, some of the display will be lost, but do try zooming in as you will be surprised what you have captured.



Bhupinder Ghatahora

Monday 21 November 2016

Christmas Portait Offer

Location Portrait Offer:

CHRISTMAS PORTRAIT OFFER

Location portraits, book now to have family or individual portraits for only £75 (original price £125)
package includes one 10" x8" professional print and selected images on memory stick.


MUST BOOK BEFORE 10TH DECEMBER 2016 TO GET THE PACKAGE AT THE CHRISTMAS OFFER

Call 07798913218 for availability or email Bhupinder Ghatahora on info@ghatahora.co.uk

Areas covered; Basingstoke and neighbouring towns, Reading and neighbouring towns, Newbury and neighbouring towns.

See www.ghatahora.co.uk/contact





Call 07798913218 for availability or email Bhupinder Ghatahora on info@ghatahora.co.uk
Also see website: www.ghatahora.co.uk for samples of my work


Bhupinder Ghatahora
Ghatahora Photography
info@ghatahora.co.uk
www.ghatahora.co.uk
@Ghatahora
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Friday 18 November 2016

Tip of the week

Photograph Fireworks

Taking photographs of fireworks can be really easy, just follow the below steps and have fun taking photographs:

1)      Wear something warm

2)      Get the best spot – always worth asking the organisers where the firework display will be and inform them that you are taking some photographs of fireworks. Generally most organisers are very helpful!!

3)      Use a tripod, as the shutter speed is going to be very slow, tripod will avoid any camera shake.


Bhupinder Ghatahora

Wednesday 16 November 2016

Lowlight photography

Photography during winter is fun, especially when the mornings are filled with mist and the light is golden. There are long shadows during sunset and frost throughout the day, beautifully formed on spider webs, plants and anything that touches the chill. Then there is snow, which creates its own unique atmosphere. But most importantly, the whole ambiance is a wonderland.

Even though it gets cold during these months, don’t let this put you off photography. Wear suitable clothing to keep warm and capture the beauty of nature in your photography.

In this article I will briefly explain how to take great photographs in different lighting conditions using the ISO, aperture, shutter, and manual mode of your camera.


Morning Photography

Before sunrise, the light reflected from the sky hitting the scene is very soft and diffused, which gives very weak shadows. The colour of the sky will be blue on a clear day and grey on a cloudy day, such lighting conditions can create very atmospheric photographs. This photograph was taken before the sunrise.



Use the Aperture Priority mode; set the aperture at f16 (the camera will automatically adjust the shutter speed).

For Manual mode, set the aperture at f16 and the shutter speed at 15 seconds. Use this shutter speed as a guide only, as your exposure time may vary depending on the available light. You may either have to increase or decrease the shutter speed depending on the image produced.

Cameras which do not have the Aperture Priority or Manual mode will often allow selecting different scene settings, such as ‘dusk/dawn’, ‘nightlight’ or ‘sunset’ modes. Please choose which suits you and your camera best.

Here is a photograph taken using Aperture Mode. The exposure will be long, so use a tripod as this will avoid camera shake. In this photograph the sun has just began to rise and you can see how the colours are different in both images.



If you don't have a SLR, it's still possible to get good photographs, just need to understand your camera and its modes. Read more on 'Understanding your Camera'. 

Example of photograph using ‘Dawn/dusk’ mode on a compact camera


During the morning also try to photograph the morning fog, water droplets on spider webs and frost.  To get maximum depth of field, set your compact camera on 'Landscape Mode' (set f16 on SLR - using Aperture mode ) and for minimum depth of field set the camera on 'Close-up Mode' (set f2.8 of f5.6 on SLR - using Aperture mode). The result of using these settings will be similar.

Morning fog (camera set on 'Fog Mode')


The photographs below are all taken with a compact camera.
Dew drops (camera set on 'Close-up Mode')



Night Photography

During total darkness, there is obviously no natural light available. These are perfect conditions to photograph trailing lights from cars, lit cityscapes, fireworks and light movement. 

If using Shutter mode, set your SLR on a slow shutter speeds such as 1/8th, 1/4th to capture movement. If using Manual mode, set the camera at f16 and use the camera’s exposure indicator to set the value on 0 as this will give you the correct exposure.

An exposure indicator is visible through the viewfinder which looks like:
2||||1||||0||||1||||2+.

On compact cameras choose 'Nightlight', and the camera will adjust the aperture and shutter accordingly.

Photograph of snow at night using Manual Mode:


It's great to experiment and be creative with photography. Try changing the ISO to 1600 or higher to minimise camera shake and to achieve moody, atmospheric photographs. I also convert my images to black/white to add more drama to it.



On compact cameras choose ‘Nightlight’ and the camera will adjust aperture and shutter speed accordingly.
Example of photograph using ‘Nightlight’ on a compact camera:



Bhupinder Ghatahora

Tuesday 15 November 2016

Photography talk

Sunrise Loch Lomond, Scotland

The photograph below was taken early in the morning before sunrise by Loch Lomond, Scotland.
I liked the pastel colours in the scene. The colours in the water and the soft reflection of the boat were two main key points that caught my attention.

I set the camera on Manual mode and used a tripod.

Camera settings:
f-stop: f22
exposure: 4 seconds
ISO: 100


No major editing was done to this image, I slightly enhanced the colours.

Bhupinder Ghatahora

Friday 11 November 2016

Tip of the week

Here are a few tips to keep in mind when taking autumn photographs:

Camera settings:

SLR: For Close-up Nature photography, use an aperture of f4 or f5.6. The use of a tripod is recommended as exposures will be long.

Compact Camera: Set the camera on Landscape Mode. For close-ups use mode. These modes are also available on SLRs.


I took the below photograph using my compact camera. The photograph has been changed to sepia using an editing software. Many compact cameras have an inbuilt facility which allows you to change the tone of your image. (This can be found in the menu settings of your camera). I always take two photographs of the same scene, one in colour and other in b/w or sepia. 



Bhupinder Ghatahora

Thursday 10 November 2016

Relaxing

The photograph below has been taken with a homemade pin hole attachment which was attached to my Cannon SLR (film camera).

Exposure 15 seconds
Camera mounted on the tripod
Film camera used

As it was very difficult to see through the view finder due to not having a lens attached to camera; I covered the camera with black cloth and looked though the view finder to compose the shot. It was time consuming, but it was worth it at the end.

The final photograph was printed in the colour darkroom.


Bhupinder Ghatahora

Monday 7 November 2016

Offer of the month

Book your registry wedding now for only £550.

My photography package covers 4 to 5 hours of the wedding at your chosen Registry office. (Reading, Newbury, Basingstoke)



Photographs of the couple on location, the first dance and cake cutting. Selected photographs of the wedding provided to you on a memory stick which are printable to size 9"x6".

Call Bhupinder for a free consultation on 07798913218 or email info@ghatahora.co.uk





Bhupinder Ghatahora

Friday 28 October 2016

Tip of the week

Today's tip:

Use backlighting:

Position the sun behind a tree trunk or branches to capture the vibrant colours of the leaves, long shadows and silhouettes.



Bhupinder Ghatahora

Friday 21 October 2016

Tip of the week

Today's tip is on:

Move closer to concentrate on detail:

Instead of just photographing wider landscapes, create a much stronger composition by moving closer to the subject. Focus all the attention on a single subject, such as dew drops on leaves, spider webs, leaves, berries, long shadows, etc..

Grass
Bhupinder Ghatahora

Thursday 20 October 2016

Capture the Autumn Colours

Autumn is one of my favourite seasons for photography as it’s filled with cool nights, misty mornings, golden lighting, dew drops on spider webs, reflections of autumn colours in the water, long shadows and fallen leaves which all create a great atmosphere. But most importantly, the striking colours in the environment.

The main advantage of living around trees, parks and woodland areas, is that you don’t have to travel far to capture the autumn colours. Most of the woodland locations are easily accessed by public footpaths. Local parks provide plenty of opportunities for close-up nature photography.

The colours at the beginning of autumn can be disappointing, it is advisable to wait till they are rich and vibrant, which is usually at the end of October till end of November. However, keep an eye on your surroundings and keep your gear and equipment ready to capture the best lighting.

Here are a few tips to keep in mind when taking autumn photographs:

Camera settings:

SLR: To photograph Landscapes, set the camera on Aperture Mode at f11 or f16, the camera will adjust the shutter speed accordingly. For Close-up Nature photography, use an aperture of f4 or f5.6. The use of a tripod is recommended as exposures will be long.

Compact Camera: Set the camera on Landscape Mode. For close-ups use mode. These modes are also available on SLRs.

I took the below photograph using my compact camera. The photograph has been changed to sepia using an editing software. Many compact cameras have an inbuilt facility which allows you to change the tone of your image. (This can be found in the menu settings of your camera). I always take two photographs of the same scene, one in colour and other in b/w or sepia. 



Framing:

Trees make dominant focal points and create the finest displays, use ‘rule of third’ to frame the scene.



Catch the light:

The warm light at early morning or evening is perfect to capture some stunning autumn photographs, so get up early to photograph the ‘Golden Light’.

The Golden bench
Bridge on River Thames

Move closer to concentrate on detail:

Instead of just photographing wider landscapes, create a much stronger composition by moving closer to the subject. Focus all the attention on a single subject, such as dew drops on leaves, spider webs, leaves, berries, long shadows, etc.

Rain drop on leave

Dried leave

Grass




Visit the local park or the woodlands:

Take photographs at a local park or the woodlands.





Photograph wildlife:

Photograph horses in a field or wildlife in your garden. Feed the birds - putting food and water out will encourage birds in your garden so you don’t have to travel far to photograph the wildlife.



Use backlighting:

Position the sun behind a tree trunk or branches to capture the vibrant colours of the leaves, long shadows and silhouettes



Photograph the autumn mist:

Man in the mist

To capture mist, it is necessary to get up at dawn before sunrise or wait till it is just about to set. Rivers, lakes and open fields are the most likely locations to have mist. Exposures can be tricky, set the exposure at +1 stop to prevent the mist or fog being recorded as dull murky grey.


Here is a small list of locations where you can take autumn photographs:
Local Parks,
Woodland walks near you.



New Forest - for both autumn colours and wildlife

Kew Gardens – autumn colours

Wakehurst Place – autumn colours

Westonbrit Arboretum (Tetbury, Gloucester, GL8 8QS) – autumn colours

Richmond Park (not far from Kew Gardens) – autumn colours and wildlife (herds of deer) 

Bhupinder Ghatahora