Tip of the week

The mountain & cloud symbol stands for Landscape mode. Using this mode your camera will select the smallest aperture to maximise depth-of-field. Your image will be sharp both in the foreground and in the background. As the name suggests, use this mode to take landscape photographs.

More tips next week

Bhupinder Ghatahora

Ghatahora Photography
www.ghatahora.co.uk
info@ghatahora.co.uk
@Ghatahora
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Pembrokeshire, Wales

All the below photographs were taken using my mobile phone, photographs taken near Fishguard, Pembrokeshire, Wales.

The bench

Stumble Head Light House

Coastal walk - Strumble Head, Wales

Bhupinder Ghatahora

Ghatahora Photography
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info@ghatahora.co.uk
@Ghatahora
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Into the woods

Photographs taken using my mobile phone, editing was also done using phone's software

Misty road

Tress, Pamber Forest

The fallen tree, Pamber Forest

Lost, Pamber Forest

Watermarked in Lightroom

Bhupinder Ghatahora

Ghatahora Photography
www.ghatahora.co.uk
info@ghatahora.co.uk
@Ghatahora
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Before & After photos

Below are some photos before and after they were digitally manipulated.

BEFORE

Model:- Pip

Location: Basingstoke

Theme: Punk/Rock

AFTER - VINTAGE/DIGITAL LITH
Model:- Pip
Location: Basingstoke
Theme: Punk/Rock

BEFORE
Model:- Amy
Location: Basingstoke
Theme: Lingerie

AFTER: VINTAGE/DIGITAL LITH
Model:- Amy
Location: Basingstoke
Theme: Lingerie

BEFORE
Model:- Paulina
Location: Leicester
Theme: Lingerie

AFTER: VINTAGE/DIGITAL LITH
Model:- Paulina
Location: Leicester
Theme: Lingerie

In the next week's post read about how to create digital lith.

Bhupinder Ghatahora

Ghatahora Photography
www.ghatahora.co.uk
info@ghatahora.co.uk
@Ghatahora
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Photographs of sea shells

I took these photographs of the shells stuck to the rocks by the sea. I edited these photographs to give them a old, grainy look.

Photograph 1
Before:

After:
I changed the photo in sepia, added the gain and the frame to give it a vintage look

Photograph 2
Before:

After:
Same steps as the above photo
I also decreased the saturation in this photograph

Photograph 3
Before:

After:
Same steps as the above photos

Bhupinder Ghatahora

Ghatahora Photography

www.ghatahora.co.uk

info@ghatahora.co.uk

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How to photograph flowers

It is possible to take good flower photographs with a compact camera also and not just with a SLR.

Compact cameras often do not have interchangeable lenses like SLRs, but the macro and zoom facilities on most compact cameras will allow photographing subjects in close-up as well as distant.

The first step is to know your camera; it is your greatest tool in creating your master piece. It is also advisable to read the camera manual to familiarise yourself with its basic and advanced functions.

I have often been told by novice/beginner photographers that the manuals tend to be complicated with terminology that tends to be alien to them. My advice to them is to start with the basic controls such as ‘Program Mode’, then move to the advanced features as ‘Aperture/Shutter Priority’, bracketing and others that may be unique to their camera.

Every compact camera should enable you to have some control over the aperture, shutter speed, the ISO, exposure compensation (+/-) and finally focusing. Some compact cameras will allow the user to take full control over the focusing using the ‘manual’ mode.

Here are a few tips to keep in mind when photographing flowers.

The main control on a compact camera for close-up photography is the “Macro” button (often with the symbol of a flower). This enables you to focus closer to the subject and also blurs the background, keeping the flower sharp. The camera automatically sets the aperture and the shutter for you, so you don’t have to worry about the exposure, allowing you to just focus and press the shutter release.

Now I will briefly touch on the Aperture Priority (AV) mode. When in this mode, the camera will set the shutter speed to give you the right exposure. This mode is very useful as it allows the user to determine what part of the subject and background to keep in focus and what to blur by choosing the desired aperture. In close-up photography, it if often advisable to blur the background, as it draws the eye on the main subject when viewing the final photograph, therefore having an out of focus background is not considered bad.

When the camera is set to Aperture Priority, if the lowest ‘f’ number is selected, then the area nearest to the focus point will be in focus and the remaining picture will be out of focus. When the highest ‘f’ number is selected, the focus point and the area before and after the point is all in focus. If ‘f’ numbers between the lowest and highest is selected, then through practice and experience you can determine what to keep in focus and what to blur.

As well as the aperture mode, the Shutter mode (TV) is also important. This mode can be used when you are unsure of what aperture to choose and its great for capturing movement in the flowers caused by any wind.

Selecting a slow shutter speed of 1/30 or 1/15 will capture the movement in the leaves on the trees and flowers creating a ‘ghostly’ effect, whilst shutter speed of 1/60 or above will freeze the movement without blur.

I hope this very brief insight into flower photography assists you in your photography. 

Bhupinder Ghatahora

Ghatahora Photography

www.ghatahora.co.uk

info@ghatahora.co.uk

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Understanding your camera modes

Understanding your camera modes

In this article I will briefly explain the common camera modes associated with ‘Point & Shoot’ cameras and DSLRs. You may be aware that compact cameras have various pre-set modes (often known as ‘scenes’) and you may have wondered what these modes are use for.

The three most common modes which are often available on most advanced cameras are, Programme (fully automatic), Manual and Semi-Automatic modes (Shutter and Aperture control). Recent digital compact camera include these modes and several other scene selection modes, which are specifically designed for the subject being photographed, such as fireworks, beach, snow, parties, nightlife, etc.

The function of these modes is to create accurate and correctly exposed images. These modes are useful shortcuts for the novice photographer who may lack the full understanding on how to use Manual and Semi-Automatic modes. When a ‘scene’ mode is selected, the camera adjusts the aperture, shutter speed and ISO to calculate the right exposure. Selecting ‘scene’ mode often limits the user from making adjustments to the flash, white balance, ISO and other criteria as the camera adjusts these according to the subject.

When the correct ‘scene’ mode is selected to fit the subject being photographed, the results are often to acceptable standards, giving a balanced photograph.

Advanced photographers often use the Manual or Semi-Automatic modes because they provide better control on the final image. The photographer would envisage the image he or she would like to be created, and then adjust the camera settings accordingly.

Below is a brief summary of some of the common camera modes and examples of images taken using these modes.

(All the following photographs have been taken using a DSLR, but the same theroy can be applied to any 'Point & Shoot' cameras.)

The flower symbol stands for Close-up or Macro which means taking photographs of subjects really close. Use this mode to photograph close-ups of flowers, jewellery, insects, dew drops, abstract patterns, etc. In this mode the built-in flash may be disabled to prevent an overexposed image, as your camera is really close to the subject.

The person & star symbol stands for Night Portrait or Night Photography. This mode uses a combination of flash and long exposure to pick the ambient (available) light in the background. Use this mode to take pictures of persons in low-light conditions. The use of a tripod is often recommended.

The face symbol stands for Portrait mode. The camera selects the widest aperture setting
to minimise depth-of-field in order to blur the background. Always remember to focus on your subject’s eyes for sharper portraits. In this setting, the flash will automatically activate the ‘red-eye’ reduction setting.

The mountain & cloud symbol stands for Landscape mode. Using this mode your camera will select the smallest aperture to maximise depth-of-field. Your image will be sharp both in the foreground and in the background. As the name suggests, use this mode to take landscape photographs.

The running person symbol stands for Sports mode, which is all about speed. Your camera will automatically choose the fastest shutter speed to capture the fast moving subject. In some cameras, the camera will enable continuous high-speed shooting; which means it will take photographs one after another continually. Use this mode to capture fast moving subjects or any kind of sport.

The 'A' symbol stands for Aperture mode (semi-automatic). In this mode you select your desired aperture and the camera will set the shutter speed to match the aperture settings. For example, if you change your aperture from f5.6 to f11, the camera will adjust the shutter speed automatically keeping the exposure the same. Use this mode to have more control on the depth-of -field.

The 'TV' or 'S' symbol stands for Shutter mode (semi-automatic). In this mode you select the shutter speed, and the camera will set the aperture accordingly. For example, if you change the shutter speed from 1/30 (slow) to 1/250 (fast) of a second, the aperture will change automatically. This will leave the exposure the same as the camera is matching your shutter settings. The shutter mode is used to capture movement or create a blur. I use shutter mode to photograph movement in water, trailing traffic lights or to freeze the action.

The 'M' symbol stands for Manual mode (fully manual). In this mode you have full control of your camera. You decide what aperture and shutter speed to use in order take a correctly exposed image. In this mode you can also override any of the camera settings, i.e. flash, ISO, exposure compensation and white balance. Choose this mode if you are fully confident about how the aperture and shutter work together to produce a correctly exposed image. I use this mode mostly for landscape, close-up portraits, snow and night photography, and even just experimenting with different exposures.

I hope this brief insight into camera mode assists you in taking better photographs.

Bhupinder Ghatahora

Ghatahora Photography

www.ghatahora.co.uk

info@ghatahora.co.uk

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