June, 2016

Visual Wilderness Magazine

Focus on
Fieldwork
Making most of your camera & lenses

Photo by Jay Patell

WhatToExpect
Areyouhavingtroubleselectingtherightgearforyournextphotographyexpedition?
Confusedaboutwhichcamerasettingstouseinaparticularsituation?Thisissueof
VisualWildernessMagazineisallaboutrefiningyourcameraandlenstechniquesto
ensureyougetitrightwhenoutinthefield.Weallknowthatpostprocessingis,
indeed,important.Butitsnotasubstituteforagenerallackofknowledgeonhowto
useyourcameraanditslenses.

Ourteamofcontributingphotographersprovidesanswersandinsightstoguideyouin
thefield.Rangingfromlenses(
WhatlensesshouldIcarryandwhy?
HowdoIgetthe

sharpestphotospossible?

Canyouexplainhowdifferentlensesaffectperspective?
Whataboutwideangleandlongerlensesforlandscapephotography?)
tocamera
settingsandworkflow.June2016issueofVisualWildernessMagazinebringsyouthe
informationyouneedtotakeyourfieldworktothenextlevel.

TableofContent
WhatLensesICarryandWhy
FocalLengthandPerspective
CompositionsTipsforaWideAngleLens
LandscapePhotographywithaLongLens
HowcanIgetsharpfocuseverytime?
MyFavoriteCameraSettingsandWhyIUseThem
4CameraSettingsYoullLove
B/WLongExposureImages
TheBasicsofNightPhotography

Sincerely,
InFocusTeam

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WhatLensesICarryandWhy
byZachSchnepf

Asalandscapephotographer,Iliketoshootawiderangeoffocallengthsinthefield,
fromsuperwideangletotelephoto.BecauseIhikealotwhenshooting,Iliketokeep
mypackaslightaspossible.ThiswasonereasonIstartedshootingwiththeSonyA7r.
Imayalsoinvestinanevenlightersysteminthefuture.Iseealotofworkshop
studentscarrying3040poundsofcameraequipment.Iunderstandthatwhenstarting
outitshardtoanticipatewhatlensesyoullactuallyneed.IdidthesamethingwhenI
wasstartingout.OvertheyearsIvelearnedtostripawayexcessgearandfocuson
thegearIusemostoften.Typically,IlimitthenumberoflensesIcarrytothreeorless.
OvertheyearsIvedevelopedseveralstrategiesforwhichlensesIcarrydependingon
whatsubjectsIthinkIllencounter
andhowmuchhikingisinvolved.
BackpackingandLongHikes
EssentialLensesOnly
Onlongbackpackingtrips,weightis
theenemy.Ihaveanultra
lightweighttent,sleepingbag,and
sleepingpadbutwithfoodandother
essentialsurvivalgear,mypackstill
getsprettyheavy.Icarryavery
minimalphotokitwhenonbackpack
trips.Itakeonecamerabody,my
ultralightweightbackpackingtripod,
andmytwofavoritelenses.Thetwo
lensesItypicallytakearemy
1635mmultrawideangleandmy

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70200mmtelephoto.Thiscombinationcoversawiderangeoffocallengths.
SometimesItakeonlyonelenstosaveevenmoreweight.IfiknowIwontbe
shootinganythingultrawide,Itakemy2470mm.
LighthikingTheHolyTrinityofLenses
Fordayhikes,Istickwithmyessentialthreelensesandstandardtripodandballhead.
Thisisstillaprettylightweightkit.Myholytrinityoflensesconsistsofthe1635mm,
2470mm,and70200mmlenses.Asidefromamacrolensorlongtelephotolens,
thesecoverjustaboutanythingandeverythingImayencounter.Mostmajorcamera
manufacturershavehighqualitylensescoveringthesefocallengthranges.WhenIve
analyzedmyshootinghabits,IdiscoveredthatIusetwolenses80%ofallmyshots.
The1635mmandthe2470aretheworkhorsesofmylensarsenalwhichmakes
sense

LightHikingExample

sinceIprimarilyshootlandscapes.Ilikehavingthe70200withmethoughitgivesme
theoptionofisolatingfarawayscenesandgivesmesomereachforanyclose
encountersImayhavewithwildlife.
SpecialtyShootingwithSomeHikingMacroandLongTelephoto

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IfIthinktheremaybemacroopportunitiesoranimagethatrequiresmorethanthe
70200mmcanreach,Itakeoneofmyspecialtylenses.Ifthereishikinginvolved,I
usuallytradeoutoneofmystandardlensesforaspecialtyone.Thetwospecialty
lensesIusemostoftenarea90mmmacrolensanda400mmtelephotolens.The
PalouseregioninWashingtonisagreatexampleofanareaIliketoshootwithmy
400mm.Ialsorarelyshootultrawideangle,soIleavethatlensbehindandpackthe
2470mm,70200mm,andthe400mmlenses.

GoodexampleofasceneIliketophotographwithalongtelephoto
CarAccessNoLimit
AreaswhereIhaveeasycaraccessarefantastic!IcancarryanyandallthelensesI
mightwantorneed.ThisisaluxuryIgetabout30%ofthetime.Istilltrytobeselective
toavoidleavingexpensivegearunattendedinmycarwhileImoutinthefieldbutifIm
onamultidayphototrip,IusuallytakemyfullkitanddisguiseanygearIleavebehind
inthecar.
Sonexttimeyouareplanningyourtripthinkaboutwhatlensesyouwanttocarryto
makemostofthephotographiclocation.

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ZACKSCHNEPF
Website
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Workshops
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Facebook
Ilovephotographingthelandscape.Iseekoutthesetypeoflocationstoexperiencetruewilderness,
awayfromcrowds,cities,andthestressofeverydaylife.Visitingthesewildareasisaformof
meditationsforme,whereIgettocompletelyrelaxandappreciatetheincrediblebeautyofnature.I
trytoconveytheemotionIfeelandthesenseofwonderIhavewhenIseesuchbeautyinnature.
Thatexpressionthroughmyimages,iswhatphotographyandartingeneralisallaboutforme.

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FocalLengthandPerspective
byUgoCei

Thequestionofwhateffectfocallengthhasonperspectiveisonethatisoften
misunderstoodandisboundtostartaheateddiscussiononeveryonlinephotography
forumwhereitismentioned.
SinceIhavepersonallyparticipatedinsuchadiscussionmorethanonce,Idecided
thatIwouldwriteanarticleabouttheissue,demonstratingmyconclusionsas
scientificallyasIcould:withphotographs.
Weoftenhearthatawideanglelensprovidesaspecificperspective,bymaking
objectsthatareclosetothelensmoreprominentandexaggeratingthedistances
betweenimageplanes,whileatelephototendstocompressperspectiveandmakethe
foregroundappearclosertothebackground.
Strictlyspeaking,noneofthisistruebutifyoudaretosayasmuchonanonlineforum,
thediscussionwillsoondegenerateandfriendshipswillbebroken.Asaconsequence,
Ivestoppedarguingthispointand,nowthatIhavewrittenthisarticle,Iwillsimplystart
pointingpeopletoit,withoutcomment.
WhatdoImean,exactly,bysayingthattheaboveisfalse?Toavoidanyconfusion,I
willstatemythesisinveryclearandunambiguousterms:
Focallengthdoesnotdirectlyinfluenceperspective.
Analternative,butequivalentstatementwouldbe:
Allotherthingsbeingequal,perspectiveisnotinfluencedbychangesinfocal
length.
Atthispoint,youcaneithertrustmeorreadbelowforthedemonstration.

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Stillwithme?Good.Forthepurposeofthisdemonstration,letsfirstdefinewhatwe
meanbyperspective,asIdontthinktherecanbeanyambiguityaboutthedefinitionof
focallength.Whilethewordperspectivehasdifferentmeaningsdependingoncontext,
thereisonethatisofinteresttophotographers:
Fromthe
MerriamWebsterdictionary:

Perspective,noun:4.Theappearancetotheeyeofobjectsinrespecttotheir
relativedistanceandpositions
From
Wikipedia
Perspective,inthecontextofvisionandvisualperception,isthewayinwhich
objectsappeartotheeyebasedontheirspatialattributesortheirdimensions
andthepositionoftheeyerelativetotheobjects.
Fromthesedefinitions,itshouldbeclearthatwhatweareinterestedinevaluatingis
thepossiblechangesintherelativedimensionsandthepositionsoftheobjects
containedwithinthephotographicframeasthefocallengthchanges.

TheDevilsPulpitat33mm

TheDevilsPulpitat55mm

Icouldusegeometryortrigonometrytodemonstratethis,butpeoplecometothissite
toreadaboutphotography,notmathematicalproofs,soletsdemonstratethisusing
images.

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Thefirstimagewastakenatafocallengthof33.2mmlensonacropsensorcamera
(multiplythatlengthby1.5ifyouwanttorelateittoa35mmfullframeequivalent,but
thatisirrelevantforthisdiscussion).
Intakingthesecondimage,Ididntchangemypositionoraperture,onlythefocal
length,goingfrom33.2mmto55mm.
Inordertomakethecomparisoneasier,Icroppedthefirstimagesothatthe
enlargementwouldbeapproximatelythesame:

Croppingthefirstimage

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Asyoucanseeinthescreenshotbelow,showingthecroppedversionofthephoto
takenat33.2mmsidebysidewiththeonetakenat55mm,thetwoimagesarealmost
perfectlyidentical,demonstratingthatperspectivedidntchangewhenzoomingin.

Youcanshowthetwoimagestoanyoneandnobodywillbeabletosaywhichonewas
takenwithwhichfocallength,unlesstheyareabletodiscernthelossofresolution
causedbycropping.
Ithinkthisshouldputtorestanyclaimthatchangesinfocallengthalonehavean
effectonperspective.
Sowhydomostpeople,includingexpertphotographers,oftenmentionthetypical
characteristicsofwideanglelenses,asopposedtotelephotoswithrespectto
perspectiveandexpoundonthedifferentlooksofwideanglesandtelephotos?
Letslookatmythesisagain,withsomeemphasisadded:
Focallengthdoesnot
directly
influenceperspective.

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Thekeywordhereis
directly
.Ifyouremovethisword,mythesisisnolongerprecise
becausetherearewaysthatfocallength
indirectlyi
nfluencesperspective.Butwhat
does
directlyinfluenceperspective?Thatseasy
Perspectiveisinfluencedexclusivelybytherelativepositionsofthesubjectsin
thescenewithrespecttothepositionofthecamera.
Inotherwords,youcanonlychangeperspectivebychangingyourposition,notby
zoominginandout.
Todemonstratethis,Itookanotherseriesofimages,thistimekeepingthefocallength
at24mmandmovingthecameraforward.Herearethoseimages

Ichosethisparticularsubjectbecauseithasbasicallyjusttwoimageplanes:the
faadeofthecastleandtheguardtower.Thetwowereonceconnectedbya
drawbridgethathasnowbeenreplacedbyastonebridge.
AsIapproachthebuilding,youcanclearlyseehowtherelationshipbetweenthe
apparentsizesofthesubjects(thatistheperspective)changes,withthenearestarch

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becomingbiggerfasterthanthebackgroundandrevealingmoreoftheslitsthatused
toholdthedrawbridgesliftingarmsandofthewindowbetweenthem.
Youcanalsoseethatthelastimageintheseriesisstartingtoacquiresomeofthe
characteristicswetypicallyattributetotheuseofwideanglelenses:prominenceof
foregroundandverticallinesthatconvergewhentiltingupthecamera.
Ifsomebodyonlylookedatthefirstimage,theywouldnotbeabletotellwhetheritwas
takenwithawideangleorwithatelephoto,notknowingthedistancefromwhichitwas
taken.However,youwouldnotbeabletotakethelastimagewithatelephotoyou
wouldbetooclosetoincludethoseobjectsintheframe(thoughyoucouldfakeitwith
miniatures).
So,whatdopeoplemeanwhentheysaythatfocallengthhasaneffecton
perspective?Toputitsimply,iftheyknowwhattheyaretalkingabout,theymeanthat
agivenfocallengthallowsyoutomovecloserorfartherawayfromyoursubjectand
thatiswhatdeterminesperspective.
Inotherwords,focallengthinfluencesperspectiveindirectlybywayofchangesin
cameraposition.

UGOCEI
Website
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UgoCeiisanITprofessionalthatcaughtthebugofphotographyandnowspendseveryfreeminute
hehastakingphotosanduseseverybusinesstriporvacationasanopportunitytocreatenew
imagesofforeigncitiesandnaturallandscapes.Helovestotravelandshowthebeautyoftheworld
anditsinhabitantstoeverybody.Hebelievesthatthisisreallyanamazingplanetweliveonand
everyplaceandeveryculturepossessesbeautythatdeservestobeshown.

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CompositionsTipsforaWideAngleLens
bySarahMarino

Photo#1:SanddunesinDeathValleyNationalPark.Canon6D,1635mmlens@16mm.

Expansiveviewsofscenicplacesoftencometomindwhenwethinkaboutthephotos
thatcharacterizelandscapephotography.Suchphotosareoftentakenwitha
wideanglelens,acommonbutsometimeschallengingtomastertool.Becausesuch
lensescantakeinsomuchofascene,itcanbeachallengeforphotographerstodistill
suchasceneintoitsmostinterestingandcompellingelementsandthenpullthem
togetherinacohesivecomposition.Below,Iwalkthroughfourpracticaltipsfor
strongercompositionswhenusingawideanglelens(likea1635mmlensonafull

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framecameraora1018mmlensonacropsensorcamera),sharingphotosfroma
recenttriptoDeathValleyNationalParktohelpillustrateeachpoint.

ExperimentwithTripodHeight

Photo#2:AfloodedBadwaterBasininDeathValleyNationalParkatsunrise.Canon6D,1635mm
lens@16mm

Althoughthisseemslikeareallysimplepieceofadvice,tripodheightcanhavea
dramaticimpactontheresultingphotographwhenusingawideanglelens.When
gettinglowtotheground,awideanglelenshelpsexaggeratetheelementsinthe
foreground,makingthemseemmoreprominentthantheywouldtoapersonviewing
thesamesceneateyelevel.Whengettingclosertoaforegroundelement,however,
themidgroundcanloseprominenceandsometimesbecomealmostentirelyobscured.
Photo#2,above,wastakenwithmytripodfullyextended.Ichosethistripodheight
becauseIdidnotwanttolosetherepeatingpatternsinthemiddleofthephotograph.
Photo#6attheendofthispost,ontheotherhand,wastakenverylowtotheground.
Forthatphoto,Iwantedtoexaggeratethemainmudtiletohelpcommunicateitssize.

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Raisingmytripodwouldhavemadetheprimarytilemuchlessprominentanditwould
havelostsomeofitspowerasadominantcompositionalelement.

Inclusion&Exclusion
Thekeyfeatureofawideanglelens,itsabilitytocaptureanexpansiveview,also
bringsaboutthekeychallengeinusingthisphotographictool.Withsuchawideangle
ofview,itisessentialforaphotographertobedeliberateaboutwhattoincludeand
excludefromacomposition.WhenIamworkingonphotographinganexpansive
scene,Ialwaysgothroughadeliberateprocesstoidentifymymainsubjectandthink
abouthowIcanfeatureitinthebestwaypossible,oftendecidingtoexcludecertain
elementsbecausetheyaredistracting,messy,orunappealing.

Photo#3LDarwinFallsinDeathValleyNationalPark.Canon6D,1635mmlens@24mm.

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TaketheexampleaboveofDarwinFallsinDeathValleyNationalPark(
Photo#3)
.
Thissmallwaterfallislocatedattheendofasceniccanyonwithalushriparianarea
growingalongastream.Althoughbeautifultotheeye,Ihadneverbeeninterestedin
photographingthisspotbecauseitoftencomesacrossinphotosasachaotic,messy
scene.WerecentlydecidedtovisitthewaterfallandIwassurprisedthatIlikedthe
areawithsomegreenspringfoliagesoIphotographedthespottohelpadddiversityto
myDeathValleyportfolio.Indecidingonacomposition,Iwantedtofeaturethe
waterfall,thepoolbelow,patchesofgreenery,andtheinterestingrocksthatformthe
canyon.Gettingacleancompositionrequiredalotofrefinementandhoningto
eliminateallkindsofdistractingelements.Goingthroughthisiterativeprocessof
refinementwasessentialincraftingaphotothatfitsmyaestheticpreferencesforclean
andsimplecompositions.

UseCompositionalElementstoCreateVisualPaths

Photo#4:CanyonwallsinDeathValleyNationalPark.Canon6D,1635mmlens@16mm.

Inoneofmyprevious
VisualWildernessarticles
,Idiscussidentifyingabstractqualities
innaturalsubjectsandhowtousetheseabstractqualitiesascompositionalelements.
Theseconceptscanbeveryhelpfulincreatingavisualpathsthroughawideangle
composition.Inthecaseofthefirstphotointhispost,theridgeofsandandits

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neighboringshadowprovidelinestoleadtheviewerseyethroughouttheframe.In
Photo#4
above,theridgesandfoldsinthecanyonwallallconverge,helpingcreatea
visualpathtothecenterofthephotograph.Learningtoidentifytheseabstractqualities,
likeleadinglines,radiatingpatterns,andrepetition,canhelpaphotographerusesuch
elementstocreatevisualpathswhencraftingacomposition.

ThinkaboutElementsontheEdgeofYourFrame
Oneofmybasicfieldpracticesisalways
checkingtheedgesofmyframetomake
surethatdistractingelementsarenot
creepingin,readytopullawayattention
fromthemoreimportantaspectsofa
composition.Thiscanbeespecially
importantwhenphotographinglowtothe
ground.Becauseforegroundelements
areexaggeratedwhenusingawideangle
lensclosetoasubject,distracting
elementsontheedgeoftheframecan
alsobeexaggeratedandpullattention
awayfromthemoreimportantelements

Photo#5:MudcracksinDeathValleyNational
Park.Canon6D,1635mmlens@16mm.

ofascene.

Elementsneartheedgesofaframecanalsobeusedtocomplementormirrorother
partsofacomposition,enhancingtheoverallimpactofthephoto.Takethephotoof
themudcracksabove(
Photo#5)
.Thepatternsinthecracksaremirroredonthe
edgesoftheframe,asortofrepetitionthatcanhelpcreateacohesivecomposition.
Thephotobelow(
Photo#6)
offersanotherexample,comparingtwocompositionsof
DesertGoldflowers.Thecompositionontherightleavesalotmoreroomaroundthe
flowerswhereasthecompositionontheleftistighter,withoneflowerintersectingthe

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edgeoftheframe.IfIcouldtakethephotoontheleftagain,Iwouldhavebeenmuch
morecarefultoleavemorebreathingroomandwouldhavetriedtochangethe
compositiontoeitherfullyincludeorexcludethedistractingflowerontheedgeofthe
frame.

Photo#6:Comparisonoftwowildflowerphotocompositions.

NextTimeYoureintheField
Nexttimeyouareoutinthefieldwithyourwideanglelens,spendsometime
experimentingwiththesetipstohelpyourefineyourcompositions.Varyyourtripod
heightandthinkabouttheimpactthechangeshaveonyourcomposition.Activelywork
toincludethemostcompellingelementsofasceneandseektoexcludedistractions
andlessinterestingfeatures.Workonusingtheabstractelementsofyoursceneto
createvisualpaths.Andtakethetimetothinkabouthowtheelementsontheedgeof
yourframestrengthenordistractfromyourscene.

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SARAHMARINO
Website
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SarahMarinoisalandscapeandnaturephotographerfromColorado.Shestrivestocapture
photographsthatconveytheelegance,beauty,andtheaweinspiringqualitiesofthelandscapesshe
exploresduringhertravels.Inadditiontograndlandscapes,Sarahsportfolioalsoincludesadiverse
rangeofsmallersubjectsincludingplants,trees,andabstractnaturalsubjects.Inadditiontoselling
printsandlicensingphotographsforcommercialuse,Sarah,withhusbandandfellowphotographer
RonCoscorrosa,istheauthorofthreewellreceivedebooksonlandscapephotography.These
ebooksincludeForeverLight:TheLandscapePhotographersGuidetoIceland,DesertParadise:The
LandscapePhotographersGuidetoDeathValleyNationalPark,andBeyondtheGrandLandscape:
AGuidetoPhotographingNaturesSmallerScenes.

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LandscapePhotographywithaLongLens
byJayPatel

Whenwethinkaboutlandscapephotography,wenaturallythinkaboutwideangle
lensesorperhapsamacrolens.Longlensesaretypicallyusedforwildlife
photographyoratleastthatsthegeneralimpression.Andrightfullyso.Most
photographersseldompulloutalonglenswhentryingtocapturealandscapephoto.
Beforewegetintodetailsonhowtogoaboutcapturingphotoswithyourlonglens,I
shouldqualifythatIamtalkingaboutalensof70mmandabove.Overtheyears,weve
foundthatalonglenscanworkbeautifullytocapturesomestunninglandscapeshots.
Herearefewtipstohelpyoucaptureimpactfulphotosusingthatlonglens.

DistantPointofInterest

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Therearetimeswhenthepointofinterestissofarawaythatawideanglelensmay
renderitverysmallinthefinalimage.Ilovetouselonglensinthesesituationtofillthe
framewiththepointofinterest.Iusedalonglenstocapturethephoto(above)of
YellowstoneFalls.Myobjectiveherewastocapturethefantasticpatternsinthe
backlitmistthatIcouldseefromArtistPoint.OnemayarguethatIcouldhave
capturedasimilarshotwithawideanglelensbymovingclosertothefalls.However,
thebacklitmistconditionswereshortlivedbecausetheydependedonthepositionof
thesunandtheclouds.Therewasnoguaranteethatthoseconditionswouldexistby
thetimeImademywayclosertothefallsandIwasabletocapturethisstunningshot
withmylonglens.

CapturingSunrisesandSunsets

Oneoftheadvantagesofcapturingsunriseimageswithalonglensisthat,because
thedynamicrangeisoftenverynarrow,thesunlitareadoesnotneedblending.You
onlyhavetoworryaboutdynamicrangewhenyouhaveaforegroundobjectinthe
photo.ToovercometheproblemofcomplicatedHDR(highdynamicrange),
photographersoftenuseastrongform(suchasatree,giraffe,orperson)when

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photographingsunrisesorsunsetswithalonglens.Inthephotoabove,Varinauseda
longlenstocapturethisgorgeoussunriseinEvergladesNationalPark.

PhotographingtheMoon
Whenshotwithawideanglelens,the
moonoftenappearstobeverysmall.If
youwantthemoontobeasignificantpart
oftheimage,youshouldusealonglens
tocapturebothforegroundandmoon.If
youhavetroublebalancingtheexposure
betweentheforegroundobjectandthe
moon,youcanusePhotoshopforpostprocessing.HereisanimagefromDeath
Valleywhereboththemoonandtheforegroundwerecapturedwithalonglensusinga
singleexposure.

PhotographingInsects,DetailsandAbstracts

FocalLength:155mm

Youdontalwaysneedamacrolenstocapturedetailedshots.Ifyoursubjectmatteris
bigenough,alonglensmayallowtocaptureit.Afastfocusinglonglensalsohasan

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advantageifthesubjectrequiresquickfocus.HereisashottakeninDeathValley
whereIusedtheCanon70200F4Ltocapturethefantasticdetailsinthedryingmud.
Nexttimeyouareoutandabouttryingtocapturethatgreatlandscapephoto,consider
pullingoutthatunderutilizedlonglenscollectingdustinyourcamerabag.

JAYPATEL
Website
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IcouldstartofflikethisSeedsofJayPatelsappreciationforbeautifulplaceswereplantedearlyin
hischildhood.butitwouldgetboringreallyfast.IwilljustsumitupandsaythatIamaLandscape
andWildernessPhotographerwholovestocapturedramaticlight.Myphotographshavebeen
publishedinvariousmagazines,calendarsandadvertisingmaterialsthroughouttheworld..

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HowcanIgetsharpfocuseverytime?
byVarinaPatel

IvenoticedthatwhenIlookatsomeofmyphotos,theyseemtobeinfocusbut
whenIzoomintotakeacloserlook,theyarent.WhatcanIdo?

Focusisanissuethatlotsofphotographersstrugglewith,andtherearevarious
reasonswhyyoumighthaveproblemsgettingsharpfocusinyourphotos.Hereare
sometipsforsolvingtheproblem.
Alwaysuseatripod.
Youdontneedanythingfancyjustsomethingthatwill
keepyourcameraniceandsteadywhenyouareshooting.
Tryusingaremotereleasesoyoudonthavetotouchyourcameraas
youreleasetheshutter.
Ifyoudonthaveatimedrelease,mostdigital
camerahavea2seconddelaythatwillwaittwosecondsafteryoupushthe
shutterreleaseinordertominimizecamerashake.Youjustpresstheshutter
andthentakeyourhandaway.2secondslater,thecamerawilltakethe
picture.IfyouareusingaDSLR,youcanselectthemirrorlockupsettingas

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well.Whenyoureleasetheshutter,themirrorinsidethecamerawillpopup,
thenthecamerawillpausefor2seconds,andthenitwilltakethephoto.
Trysettingyourautofocusandthenswitchingtomanual.
Theideaisto
getyourfocusjustright,andthenswitchoutofautomode.Lotsofcamerawill
automaticallyadjustfocuswhenyoudepresstheshutterbuttonpartway.
Manyphotographerssetthefocusontheirsubjectandthenshifttheir
compositionbeforereleasingtheshutter.Thatsagoodwaytofocuson
somethingthatisntinthemiddleoftheframebutifyoudontwantto
accidentallychangeyourfocus,youneedtomakesureyouturnoffthe
autofocusoptionafterfocusing.
Checkyouraperture.
Thewideryouraperture,thenarroweryourdepthof
fieldwillbe.Ithepointwhereyoufocusedissharp,butthingsthatarefurther
awayorcloserarent,thenyouneedanarroweraperture.Youcanalsoback
upalittleandseeifyoucangetabetterfocus.
Yourcameracantfocusinthedarksoifyouaretryingtofocusduring
sunset,youmighthaveproblems.
Tryusingaflashlighttolightsomething
inyourscenesoyoucanfocusonit.
Thenturntheflashlightoffbeforeyou
taketheshot.
Nowallyouhavetodoisgetoutthereandpractisesomeofthesetips.Goodluck.

VARINAPATEL
Website
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Thereisnothingmoreremarkabletomethanthepowerofnature.Itisbothcataclysmicandsubtle.
Slowandcontinuouserosionbywaterandwindcancreatelandscapeseverybitasastonishingas
thoseshapedbycatastrophiceventsandminusculedetailscanbeasbreathtakingasgrandvistas
thatstretchfromonehorizontotheother.Natureisincrediblydiverse.Burningdesertsandsand
mossyriverbanksBrilliantsunbeamsandfadingalpenglowSilentsnowfallandragingsummer
stormsEachoffersauniqueopportunity.Iamirresistiblydrawntothechallengeoffindingmynext
photograph,andmasteringtheskillsrequiredtocaptureiteffectively.

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MyFavoriteCameraSettingsandWhyIUse
Them
byChipPhillips

Everyphotographerhastheirownpersonalstyleandwayofshootingthatisuniqueto
them.InthisarticleIwanttosharesomeofmyfavoritecamerasettingsandthe
reasonswhyIusethem.

ManualModewithoutAutoExposureBracketing
Mycameraisalmostalwaysonmanualmode.Iknowmanyphotographerswho
choosetoshootwithapertureprioritywhichisverysimilarbut,forme,manualmode
providesthemostcontrol.Ioftenshootmultipleexposureswithvaryingexposuretimes
tocapturethefulldynamicrangeinthescene,andIusuallydothisveryquickly.Istart

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withacentermeteredexposure,viewtheimageontheLCD,andtakeanyadditional
exposuresneededtocapturethefullrangeofhighlightsandshadowswithintheimage.
Idothisbysimplyclickingthedialbackwardorforward(countingtheclicksasIdo
threeclicksforonestoponmycamera),takingtheshot,viewingtheLCD,andthen
movingontothenextcomposition.Sometimesthefulldynamicrangecanbecaptured
inoneshotwhileothertimesitmighttaketwo,three,ormoretimes.Icandoallofthis
veryfastwhichallowsmetofocusmoreoncompositionandthechangingconditions
withinthescene.
AutoexposurebracketingdoesntworkwellformebecauseIusuallyendupwithtoo
manyshotsonmycardthatIdontneed.Goinginandfiddlingaroundwiththesettings
takestoomuchtime,inmyopinion.

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HighlightClippingWarning
IalmostalwayshaveHighlightClippingWarningenabledonmycamera.Withthis
camerasettingenabled,ImabletoseeontheLCDwhetherhighlightsareclipped.I
canthenproceedwithanyadditionalexposuresneededtocapturethedetailinthose
clippedhighlights.Forshadows,eventhoughthereisntaShadowClippingWarning
availableonmycamera,Ialmostalwayscheckthehistogram.
F/16andF/22
ThisisaverycommoncamerasettingformeandonethatIuseformanyofmywide
angleimages.Ivedonesomeprettyextensivetestingatthisaperturewithmostofmy
wideanglelensesanditseemstobeaverygoodtradeoffformaximumsharpness
whilestillmaintainingmaximumdepthoffield.Ifthesceneischangingveryquicklyand
Iaminahurrytocapturethebestlight,Isimplyfocusabout1/3ofthewayinand
shootwithmyaperturesettoF/16.Aslongasmyclosestforegroundelementis
fartherawaythanabout1or1.5feet,Icangetgreatsharpnessanddepthoffield
throughouttheentireimage.AnycloserandIusuallyneedtodosomesortoffocus
stacking.IoftenchooseF/22whenIamshootingintothesunandwantthemost
dramaticsunstar.
ISO100
ISO100ismygotoISO.Ifnothingismovingaroundinthescene,suchaswildflowers
orwater,IalwaysshootwiththelowestISOformaximumdetailandminimalnoise.If
thingsaremovingaroundandIneedafastershutterspeedtofreezethemotion,I
crankuptheISOand/ordosometypeoffocalblend.
MirrorLockup/2secondtimer
IalmostalwaysuseMirrorLockupinconjunctionwiththetwosecondtimer.Thishas
simplybecomeahabit.IhavemycamerasetsothatwhenIpresstheshutter,the
mirrorflipsup,theresatwoseconddelaytoallowthevibrationstosubside,andthen
theshotisfiredoffautomatically.Thismethodtakestheplaceofhavingtouseacable
releaseallthetimeandsimplifiestheprocessabit.Onceagain,ifthereisanything
movingwithinthesceneandIneedtotimetheshotforanexactmoment,thismethod

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doesntworkverywell.Forsituationslikethis,Iconnectacablerelease.Istillalmost
alwaysusetheMirrorLockup,justtobesafe.
RAW
ShootinginRAWgivesmethemostdetailanddynamicrangewhichisessentialduring
theeditingprocess.IfindthatAutoWhiteBalancedoesagoodjobofgivingmeagreat
startingpointforthewhitebalancewithintheimagesIshoot.Ialmostalwaysfinetune
thisinprocessing.

CHIPPHILLIPS
Website
|
Facebook
|
500px
Spokane,WashingtonbasedphotographerChipPhillipsbeganhisrelationshipwithphotographyin
2006whenhisfathergavehimhisoldPentaxSpotmaticfilmSLRcamera.Chipwasimmediately
hooked,andsoonmadethetransitiontodigital.Givenhislifelongloveoftheoutdoors,henaturally
madetheprogressiontofocusingonlandscapephotography.Aprofessionallytrainedclassical
musician,ChipperformsasPrincipalClarinetwiththeSpokaneSymphonyOrchestra,andis
ProfessorofClarinetatGonzagaUniversity.Chipsimageshavebeenpublishedinvariousbooks
andmagazines,includingOutdoorPhotographer,NationalGeographic,PopularPhotographyand
Imaging,DigitalPhotography,DigitalPhoto,andDigitalCameraMagazine.In2009,Chipwonfirst
andsecondplaceinthelandscapescategoryofDigitalCameramagazinesPhotographeroftheYear
contest.ChipisproudtobeafoundingmemberofPhotoCascadia,agroupconsistingofsomeofthe
toplandscapephotographersinthePacificNorthwest.

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4CameraSettingsYoullLove
byAnneMcKinnell

Whenyourejustgettingstartedinphotography,itseasytomakethemistakeofusing
thesamesettingsallthetime.Onceyoulearntodosomethingwell,youtendtostickto
it.
Butoneofthebestthingsaboutphotographyisthatthereisalwaysmoretolearn,so
hereare4camerasettings,whichyoumightnotknowabout,thatwillimproveyour
photography.

LowerAntelopeCanyon,Arizona,byAnneMcKinnell

1.ImageQuality:Raw+Jpg
MostbeginningphotographersstartoffshootinginJpgformatsincethatisthedefault
settingonmostcameras.Jpgisacompressedimageformat,meaningthatyour

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cameradiscardssomedatatomakethefilesizesmaller.Theresultingimagecanbe
viewedbyanyoneonanydevice.
Ontheotherhand,RAWformatiscompletelyuncompressedresultinginalargefile
size.Aswell,youllneedAdobeCameraRaw,Lightroom,Photoshop,oranother
compatibleimageeditingprogramtoviewit.However,RAWismuchmoreversatile
withsomesignificantbenefitsand,asyougrowasaphotographer,youllundoubtedly
endupswitchingtothatformateventually.
Thegoodnewsisthatmostcamerasgiveyouthebestofbothworlds.Underimage
qualityinyourcamerasmenu,youcanchooseRAW+Jpgandeachofyourphotos
willbesavedinbothformats.SoyoucankeepdoingwhatyouredoingnowwithJpg
filesandyoudonthavetolearnhowtoprocesstheRAWformatrightaway.Butlater,
whenyourimageeditingskillshaveimproved,youllbegladyoucangobackand
reprocessyourfavouriteimagesusingtheRAWversion.
Ireceivedthisadviceinmyearlydaysindigitalphotographyanditcouldnthavebeen
moretrue!OnceIlearnedhowtoprocessinRAW,Iwentbackandreprocessedsome
ofmyfavouritephotosfromAntelopeCanyon,Arizona,andIwassogladIhadthe
RAWfilestoworkwith.

EgretrunningonSaltonSea,CaliforniabyAnneMcKinnell

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2.ContinuousAutoFocus
Ifyouarephotographingmovingsubjects,changeyourfocusmodetocontinuousauto
focus,oftenabbreviatedtoAFCorAIServo.Youwillnolongerhavetopressthe
shutterbuttonhalfwaydownrepeatedlyasyoursubjectmovesalong,riskingmissing
theshotaltogetherwhileyourcamerarefocuses.Youonlyhavetopresstheshutter
halfwaydownonceandyourcamerawillcontinuallyrefocusonthesubjectithas
lockedontountilthephotoistaken.Thisisespeciallyrecommendedwhen
photographingwildlife.

3.SpotMetering
Yourcameraiscapableofmeasuring,ormetering,lightinanumberofways.Usually
beginningphotographersuseevaluativeoraveragemeteringwhichtakesintoaccount
thehighlightsandshadowsintheentireframe.Butthisisntalwaysthebestmethod
dependingonyoursubject.Sometimesyoumightwanttomakesureyouhaveagood
exposureonthemainsubject,andlettherestoftheframefallwhereitmay.Orvice
versa.

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Forexample,sayitissunsetandyouhaveasubjectthatyouwanttosilhouette
againstacolourfulsky.Youwouldntwantyourcameratotakeintoaccountthedark
shadowsonyoursubjectandtrytogetenoughlighttorenderdetailinthatarea.Ifyou
didthatthelongerexposurewouldcauseyourskytobetoobrightandyouwouldnt
getthesilhouetteyoudesire.Inthisscenario,itisbettertoexposefortheskyandlet
thesubjectgocompletelyblackcreatingasilhouette.Todothis,usespotmeteringso
youcanmeterononepartoftheframeonly(i.e.thesky)andlettherestfallwhereit
may.

4.TwoSecondTimer
Didyouknowthatyoucancauseblurinyourimagesimplybypressingtheshutter
button?Sometimesweunintentionallymoveourcamerasalittlebitwhenwepressthe
shutterbuttoncausingcamerashakeblur.Whenyourcameraisonatripod,tryusing
yourtwosecondtimer.Thatgivesjustenoughtimeforcamerashakeblurtodissipate
beforetheimageismade.Thisisespeciallyhelpfulforlongexposurephotography
whencamerashakeblurcanbecomemoreobvious.
Remember,keepexperimentingwithallyourcamerasettingstofindoutwhattheycan
doforyoutocontinuallyimproveyourphotography.

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ANNEMCKINNELL
Website
|
Facebook
|
Google+
|
Twitter
AnneMcKinnellisaphotographer,writerandnomad.ShelivesinanRVandtravelsaroundNorth
Americaphotographingbeautifulplacesandwritingabouttravel,photography,andhowchanging
yourlifeisnotasscaryasitseems.Youcanreadaboutheradventureson
herblog
andbesureto
checkouther
freephotographyeBooks
.

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B/WLongExposureImages
byAthenaCarey

Canon5Dmk3|EF1740L|F22,8seconds,ISO100

Mygoalfortheseimageswastocapturethecalmandserenityofearlymorningby
LakeGeneva.Forme,thisisaplacethatresetsthechaosinmylife.Iwalkawayfrom
herefeelingbalancedandreadytofacetheworld.
Herearesometipsoncapturingimageswithlongexposure:
Equipment:
Ineededawideanglelensinordertoachievethese
compositionsaswellasasturdytripodforthelongshutterspeeds.
Filters:
IusedNDfiltersforthesephotosinordertolengthentheexposure
timeenoughtosmoothoutthemovementofthewater.
LongExposureNoise:
Irarelyhavenoiseproblemsthatcannotbefixedlater
inpostprocessing,soIdonotleavethecameraslongexposurenoise
reductionturnedon.IusePhotoshopandNIKsoftwaretofixthenoise
problems.
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 Wind:
Windcanbeaproblemforlongexposurephotography.Onverywindy
days,Iusemylargesttripod.Itrytokeepitlowand,ifneeded,I
attachmy
bag
tothetripodforaddedstability.
Exposure:
Typically,IalwaysshootatF11.Iactuallyjokeaboutneedinga
Tshirtthatsays
F11.
Itsdefinitelymypreferredaperture.Onoccasions,ifthe
situationwarrants,Imaystopdownmore.Forexample,Iwouldshootwitha
smallerapertureforstarburstsorifIamphotographingwithouttherightND
filtertogetthecorrectexposurelength.
TimeofDay:
Ineededtobeoutbythelakeveryearlyinthemorningto
capturebothoftheseimages.Earlymorningisthebesttimetoavoidhaving
peopleinyourimages,asmostsanepeoplearestilltuckedupintheirwarm
beds.
Clothing:
Weatherinthemorningcanbeverycold.Awarmjacketanda
thermosofcoffeearealsoadvised.

Canon5Dmk3|EF1740L|F11,240seconds,ISO100

MytypicalworkflowconsistsofshootingallimageinRAWmode.Ithenuses
PhotoshopandNIKsoftwaretoconvertherimagestoblackandwhite.

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ATHENACAREY
Website
|
Workshops
|
Facebook
|
Google+
|
Twitter
AthenaCareyisamultiawardwinningfinearttravelphotographerspecializinginlongexposureand
blackandwhitephotography.Sheiswidelyrecognizedforherabilitytocapturetheemotional
essenceofplaceandtimewithinherimages.Asidefromtravel,anotherofAthenasgreatjoysis
teachingothersthetechnicalaspectsofphotography,howtofindtheirownartisticvisionandthento
harnessthetwotogethertoexpressthemselvesthroughtheirphotography.Tothisend,sheteaches
photocoursesonlineandlocally,andoffersworkshopsglobally.Athenasworkispublishedinvarious
books,magazinesandwebsitesandhasbeenprintedandhungaroundtheworldinprivatehomes
andbusinesses.Travelingextensivelyinsearchofnewexperiences,shehaslivedonfourcontinents,
andcurrentlyresidesinSouthAfrica.Herkeenappreciationforthenaturalbeautyofourplanetdrives
herexcitementabouteachnewdestination.

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TheBasicsofNightPhotography
byGrantCollier

Nightphotographyhasbecomeverypopularinrecentyears,asdigitalcamerashave
continuedtoimprove.Photographerscannowcapturestunningimagesofthenightsky
withrelativelyinexpensiveequipment.Itdoes,however,requirealotofexpertiseto
capturetheseimages,astherulesofphotographyareoftenturnedontheirhead.

EQUIPMENT
Whenshootingatnight,ithelpstohaveanewerdigitalcamerathatisratedwellfor
lowlightISOperformance.Itsalsopreferabletousealenswithaverywideaperture
thatcanletinalotoflight.

PLANNINGYOURSHOTS
Ifyoutakethetimetoplanwhenitwillbebesttophotographataparticularlocationat
night,youwillalmostalwaysgetresultsthataresuperiortoanunplannedshoot.One
ofmyfavoritesoftwareprogramsforplanningnightshotsiscalledStellarium.Itshows

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exactlyhowthenightskywillappearfromanylocationaroundtheworldatanydate
andtimeyouchoose.Thisprogramcanbedownloadedforfreeat
http://www.stellarium.org/
.Itcanalsobepurchasedasan
iTunes
or
Android
app.
StellariumisespeciallyusefulforprevisualizingtheMilkyWay.TheMilkyWayisone
ofthemostdramaticobjectstophotographinthesky,anditslocationchanges
constantlythroughoutthenightandthroughouttheyear.BycheckingStellariumtosee
wheretheMilkyWaywillbeinthesky,youcanplanforittobeoveraspecificobject,
likearockformationoramountain.

CAMERASETTINGS
Whenshootingatnight,youllusuallywanttousethewidestapertureonyourlens,
suchasf2.8.Youcancalculateyourexposuretimeusingtheruleof500.Simplytake
500dividedbythefocallengthofyourlenstogetthenumberofsecondstoexposethe
shot.Forexample,ifyoushootwitha20mmlens,take500/20=25seconds.I
recommendusingthehighestnativeISOonyourcamerathatdoesntcauseany
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highlightstobeblownout(anativeISOisonerepresentedonlybynumbers,notby
anyletters,suchasH1orH2).

FOCUSING
Focusingcanbeachallengeatnight.Theeasiestwaytogetanightshotinfocusisto
setyourcameraupduringthedayandgetyourfocusrightbeforeitevergetsdark.
However,ifyoucantdothisoryouneedtochangeyourfocusduringthecourseofthe
night,therearemanywaystodothis,includingautofocusingonthemoonor
autofocusingonaflashlightthatyouplaceatasetdistance.Idiscussthese
techniquesandothersinmuchmoredetailinmybook.Regardlessofhowyoufocus,
itisveryimportanttoalwayszoominallthewayontheimageonyourLCDscreen
afteryoutaketheshottoensurethateverythingisinsharpfocus.

Whiletakingphotosatnightcanbechallenging,themostimportantthingistoshootas
muchaspossibleandconstantlyexperimentwithnewtechniques.Withalittle
practice,capturingagreatshotinthedarkwillbemorethanjustashotinthedark!

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GRANTCOLLIER
Website
|
Workshop
|
Facebook
|
Google+
|
Twitter
GrantCollierhasbeenworkingasaprofessionalphotographerfor20yearsandhasbeenshooting
photosatnightfor12years.Heistheauthorof11booksandhasjustreleasedanewbookcalled
ColliersGuidetoNightPhotography
intheGreatOutdoors.Hehasalsoproducedanewinstructional
videocalled
ColliersGuidetoPostProcessingNightPhotos
.

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WehopeyouhaveenjoyedthiseMagazinefrom
VisualWilderness
.

Wedelivereducationalresourcesfromsomeofthebestandbrightestlandscape
photographersrighttoyourinbox.Lookforlatestinlandscapephotographyarticles,
photostipsandfreeeBooksfromourcontributingphotographers.

Thankyousomuchforyourbusinessandsupport.Wewishyouthebestofluckwith
yourphotography!

Sincerely,
InFocusTeam

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