"Little World" using a Panorama

At times photos mean the world to us. 

The Little World effect is a Photoshop trick and can be created using any photograph. Although generally a panoramic image generally results in a more dramatic Little World. Lets have a lok how you can create your own Little World using Photoshop.

First, we take a panorama. For making one yourself, let us first understand that the basic concept of a panorama is simple, but making a seamless one can be tricky at times. Here is how I did:

- Camera On Tripod (you can do it handheld too, if you are in bright daylight or if you get nice shutter speed so that there is no camera shake).

- Manual focus, Manual Mode to control aperture, shutter, ISO, focal length and focus point.

- Take series of shots horizontally, making sure that you take next image overlapping 40-50% to the previous image.

- Start Photoshop and open the Mini Bridge.

- Browse the images and select all of them using CTRL (Win) or Command (Mac), right click and select Reveal In Bridge.

- Go to TOOLS> Photoshop> Photomerge

- This way you make sure that your edges align well in Photoshop stitching.

Now on how to turn this pan into a small world or a little world panorama, 



STARTING SIMPLE:
It’s simplest to work with a 360 degree panorama, so let’s start with this panorama shot. 

STEP 1: RESIZE AND ROTATEThe first thing we need to do is prepare the image for the Polar filter. We do this by stretching the height of the image so that the image is a perfect square.
Select Image>Image Size from the menus. Uncheck ‘Constrain Proporties’ and set the “height” to the same value as your “width”. Next, rotate the image 180 degrees. (Image>Rotate Canvas>180)
You should end up with something like the image to the right.

STEP 2: APPLY THE POLAR FILTERNext, we’ll apply the Polar Filter to wrap our image into a sphere.
Choose Filter > Distort > Polar Coordinates from the menus and in the resulting dialog box, select the “Rectangular to Polar” setting.
(If you’re using The Gimp the command is Filters > Distorts > Polar Coords.)
As you can see we’re 90% of the way there!:
Easy cheesy, right? Now for some finishing touches…

STEP 3: ROTATE AND CLEAN UPThe rest is just a little digital darkroom work: Rotate the planet to your liking, adjust the contrast and colors, clean up the sky and the edges where the left and right border of the image came together. (The clone stamp and healing brush may be handy here.)

... and we're done! :)

ZOOOOOOOOOOOM buRST ! ! ! !

Zoom burst is a photographic technique, attainable with zoom lenses with a manual zoom ring. Using the technique involves zooming while the shutter is open with a relatively slow shutter speed, generally below 1/60th of a second.
Although this kind of Zoom Burst involves one more technique as you may have presumed already, that is Light Trails using a long Exposure.


This one was taken at a shutter speed of approx. 30 seconds. I zoomed in at the central part where you see the well lit gate to the mall, clicked the shutter button (opened the shutter, the eye of your camera that is), and after keeping it so for a second or two, zoomed out slowly and steadily, to get a smooth trail… then I kept it zoomed out for the vehicle trails. Notice the red ones are trails from tail-lamps of the bikes going away, ad the white/yellow ones are the headlamps. I used my Canon EOS 60D with EF-S 18-135mm IS for this.

Zoom bursts are more popular with pictures of flowers, or simple facial shots.

Nishant Kapoor. 

Street Photography. Basics and Ethics.

 

 

Gear:

Camera – If you take a DSLR just take one lens but don't take a zoom or one that's too long as this will just make you stand out and generally you'll have to point this type of lens directly at someone which will give the game away. Carrying more than one lens around could make you a potential target for a thief too. If you can, take a smaller camera along as this will make you more discreet.

Wide-angle lens – A wide angle lens will mean you can take a photo of someone without actually having to point the lens in their direction. You cam pretend you're photographing something near by, ensuring your subject is still in frame. You can then keep the whole shot or crop in later when you're back in front of your computer.

Camera bag – you don't always need one but they are handy to carry spare memory cards, lens cloths and other accessories in. It'll also keep your camera safe and free of dirt/dust when you've finished your shooting for the day too. You don't want to carry something too big and if you can, make sure it doesn't scream: 'camera bag'.

 

Tips:

Less is More – don’t take too much equipment and travel light. It’ll make you less obtrusive and you will be able to move around for the best shot quickly

Off the Beaten Track – don’t just go to all the touristy shots – try to get ‘behind the scenes’ and ‘real life’ scenes.

Stolen Moments – anticipate moments between people before they happen.

True Colors – black and white is often where it’s at with street photography but at times colorful situations arise and can really make a shot – be on the look out for these.

In the Background – what’s going on behind your subject can actually ‘make’ the shot. Billboards, signs, graffiti and other visual elements can really make a statement in a shot.

Dare to Go Diagonal – don’t just hold your camera horizontally – experiment with angles. Street photography is a less formal medium – make the most of it.

Opposites Attract – shots which challenge the ‘norm’ in terms of composition and story/subject matter can be powerful. Look out for ‘surprising’ subject matter and composition.

What a Performance – street performers, parades and other street entertainment can be great subject matter on the street.

Off the Streets – other places where people gather in number can lead to great shots in this genre – zoos, fairs, shows, parks, sporting events etc all can be worth trying.

New Angle – find ways to get up high or down low – these new perspectives on subjects that are familiar can lead to eye catching shots.

Practice makes Perfect – over time and with practice your photography will improve. You’ll not only get better at technique but also spotting the things to focus upon on the street.

Fortune Favors the Brave – sometimes the best thing you can do is to get close to your subject – this can be a little confronting but will produce powerful images

Fun in the Sun – often we try to avoid shooting into the sun and the shadows that direct sunlight can produce – in street photography breaking these ‘rules’ can lead to great shots.

Ready to Pounce – have your camera out and ready to shoot at all times. Things can move quickly on the street so if you’re not ready you’ll miss lots of opportunities.

Revise the Revisit – street photography is not all about spontaneity – if you see a scene with potential don’t be afraid to keep coming back to it until you get the shot.

Frozen Motion – the street is a place of movement – to capture it and still get sharp shots make sure your shutter speed is fast enough. 1/125 or more with an ISO of 400 is what this article recommended as a base. I also think it can be fun to experiment with slower shutter speeds on the street – capture the movement as blur.

Street Wallpaper – blend in with the scene – shoot unobtrusively and unnoticed.

Life Through a Lens – ‘exaggerating perspective will help set your subject in context and provide a more forgiving depth of field’ – use a wide angle lens (or even a fisheye).

Expect the Expected – people can be suspicious of street photographers so shoot in places where people expect to see people doing photography. Smile, be polite and be willing to delete images if people protest.

Location, Location, Location – really this is what it is all about. Choose places where people interact with one another and times when they are present.

High Speed Photography Secrets.

 

How many of us have actually wished we could get those brilliant high speed shot that were just not possible with the existing gear. This is a very simple yet challenging tutorial on how to take brilliant high speed shots with practically no extra gear.

People will tell you go buy yourself an expensive flash or get flash triggers and what not. The thing is you don’t need a very expensive flash. You just need a flash. The reason we need flash for high speed photography is that we can push out camera to a max of 1/4000th of a sec ( 1/8000 for pro). With my cam (Nikon D90) the best I can do is 1/4000 and inside a room, this is too fast. You will for sure end up under-exposing your image.

The magic lies in the flash. A flash fires for less than 1/16000 of a second. This is way faster than any of our cameras can shoot. So get yourself a cheap flash. There are second hand manual flashes available. There are various cheap flashes available in the market as well. The old used once don’t cost more than 1500-2000 INR ( 20$). These flashes done cost much but they get the job done well. You need not buy triggers for now. And since you DSLR will not fire them over slave so get ready to get wet.

Gear you need for a high speed photography.

1. A DSLR Camera
2. A Flash.
3. A subject you want to shoot, may be water splash or anything similar.
4. Tripod.

For the setup you need.

1. Black Chart Paper.
2. A sturdy table.
3. Glass.
4. Lemon ( or what ever you need to splash the water)

MOST IMP : KEEP A CLOTH READY IN CASE YOU END UP GETTING WATER SPLASH ON YOU FLASH OR LENS.

The list if small and to be honest this is all u need. What you really need is imagination.

I am sharing an image of my setup which has 2 DIY reflectors as well. I will be posting a lot of DIY setups that I have made and which are tested.

The background setup is easy. Just stick a black chat paper to the wall and let it fall down on the table end. stick it with a cello tape so that I will stay in its place when water is splashed on it.

If u have a wireless trigger things are very easy for u if u don’t, you can always set your camera on timer and wait for it to shoot. Now what we are doing here is keeping a very slow shutter something like 5-10 seconds. The reason is we are not relying on the speed of the camera we rely on the speed of the flash. And when the room is dark and just one flash fired you don’t have to worry about anything. Nothing else will show up.

Now you must be wondering. If u flash the subject will the background show up? No it wont. Make sure you flash it from one side. Not front, back, bottom or what ever crazy flash angles you might think of.

Since you only have one flash, use a reflector on the other side to get the other part exposed properly. Make sure the angle of the reflector is proper and you don’t end up throwing light on the background.

There is another thing you need to do. That is make a Bounce Card. Use chat paper or card board to make one just the one you see in the image on the right.

This bounce card makes sure that when the flash is pointed towards the Subject there is no light that falls on the chart paper. Giving you very less area of the image exposed. and everything else is just black.

Now the settings that we need for the shot

Mount your camera on the tripod and decide what frame you like. Once that is done, focus on the subject, and set you lens to manual focus mode. Use the following camera settings,

A very slow shutter of something like 5-10 seconds.
A narrow aperture for a deeper depth of field and the whole glass is in focus. f8 or f10.
Since the flash will be enough, use the lowest ISO available.
Keep the camera on remote trigger or timer which every you have.

You can also as a friend of your to click when you drop the lemon in the glass.

That’s it. now that your frame is set, the flash is ready and the glass is filled with water. Get ready to drop  your lemons.

Turn off the lights and drop the lemon, now the timing will play a very important role in the shot. When the camera has started shooting, drop the lemon in the water. Fire the flash right when the water and lemon come into contact. Now run back and see how the image turned up. If you have having trouble timing the shot. Keep trying it might sound a little difficult but you will get the hold of it real soon.

You will end up getting water on your flash and at times on the floor keep the cloth ready to wipe the water straight away.

You will need to post process the image a lil by increasing the blacks and playing with highlights and similar things but there is no rocket science you have to master. I am posting just an example of the image I had shot way back. Back then I had no triggers no wireless shutter release. But with time I learnt how to get things right. Its really easy to do. Have fun clicking..

 

Cheers.

Long Exposure Photography

Long exposure photos, tips, tricks and sharing.

Anyone can take long exposure photos as long as you have 2 things. 

1. You will need a camera that lets you manually set the shutter speed.

2. A tripod or something solid to place your camera on.

When taking a long exposure photo your are allowing more time for the light to collect on the sensor of your camera (or film if you are old school)

Image by Pranay Desai

The best time for a long exposure photo is at night time or in low light.

You can get some amazing effects with a long exposure photo. Waterfalls will become milky, lights will sparkle and traffic will have amazing light tails.

Taking long exposure photos is all about experimenting to find out how long the shutter will need to stay open for the effect you desire.

                                                                                                                            A long exposure can be a relative term because a photo with a shutter speed of a few seconds does not seem all that long. But remember that most cameras usually take a normal photo at about 1/125th of a second.

Set your camera to manual or shutter mode and lower the shutter speed down to something fairly low like 1/4 of a second or slower. On most cameras once you start going into full seconds this will be displayed like this : 1", 4", 6" etc.

You will need to use a tripod or set your camera on something solid to help prevent camera shake. As you will not be able to hand hold a camera at such slow a speed.

If you find your photos are still a bit blurry even on a tripod you might be pumping the camera a bit when you press the shutter. To solve this use the self timer feature and stay clear of the camera while it takes the photo.

I like to keep my ISO below 400 when I do slow exposures but this can be a personal preference.

For SLR users who have a BULB mode that would allow the shutter to be open for as long as the shutter button is pressed.

This might cause a minor camera shake untill and unless you have really really firm hands and very heavy tripod. Its very wise to use a shutter release cable or a wireless trigger so as to minimize camera shake. In some cases there might me a need for exposures as long as 10 Minutes. Star trails for instance. 

I use a Nikon MLL-3 ( really cheap 600rs) for my long exposure photos. To increase the stability of the shot and camera you can also use a shutter delay mode. What a shutter delay mode does is lift the mirror a few seconds before the shutter opens and exposes the camera sensor. This adds to stability and thus the sharpness of the image. 

Long exposure photography is really simple. What matters is what you shoot and how you frame the shot. 

Make sure the shot is stable and a creative exposure will always look good. 

Code Of Ethics For Photography

I found interesting topics about code of ethics for photography. An article I pulled up from this link gives us guidelines of photography code of ethics especially for photographing people. While an article from this source gives us insights of photographing wildlife. And for those interested in photojournalism a guideline from this link may help you. Here is those articles:

1. Photo Ethics: Aim High When You Shoot

Chitrabani, a Christian communication center in Calcutta, India, has developed a set of guidelines for still photography which provide thoughtful insights for all who go around ‘shooting pictures.

What to Photograph

What you shoot and how you shoot is determined by why you shoot and whom you shoot for.

Then photographing people do not treat them as if they were things.

Do not take people’s pictures, give images, especially to the imageless.

Never depict people as useless or inadequate. It is their helplessness which has to be Shown.

Do not invade anybody’s privacy except when it is necessary for depicting certain social situations.

Yet, boldly reach into personal life, bearing in mind that the photographs you take are your brothers’ and sisters.

How to Photograph

Never art for art’s sake, just try to make the best possible picture.

There is no need to prettify people and objects; they have their beauty, and a good photograph exudes beauty.

Sensationalism diverts attention from the essential.

Shun extra long lenses. A short lens draws you near your subject.

Try to establish a rapport with the person you photograph.

Social Concern

Let not your photographs drift away from context.

Earn the right to see what you wish to show.

Your social concern is to document life with empathy.

Be true to the image people want to have of themselves, but at the same time do show what you believe is their real image. The dignity of the poor, in particular, demands that their situation be known.

A documentary coverage can never be total. Complete a biased image by another biased image.

Be an iconoclast – a destroyer of established images.

Your Public

Photos should not be used to exploit the persons portrayed.

Refrain from showing a photograph if undesirable manipulation cannot be averted.

Your photos have no place in art shows.

Lending your photographs for “illustrating” articles that have hardly anything to do with the persons photographed is like lending your voice to somebody else’s speech.

Destroy the myth that photographs are duplicates of reality.

Ethical documentary photography is not your sole responsibility. But your photographs encourage certain responses in the viewer.

2. Wildlife photography ethics

First and foremost, view wildlife from a safe distance for both you and them. Respect their spatial needs. If the animal interrupts its behavior (resting, feeding, etc.), then you are too close and must distance yourself.

Never force an action. Be patient! The most beautiful photographs result from natural action.

Never come between a parent and its offspring. I’ve seen tiny bear cubs distressed, treed then separated from their mother by a throng of tourists eager for a closer look. This is unacceptable behavior.

Never crowd, pursue, prevent escape, make deliberate noises to distract, startle or harass wildlife. This is stressful and wastes valuable energy in needless flight. The impact is cumulative. Consider that you may be the 65th person to yell “hey moose” at that animal that day while it’s attempting to tend to its young.

Never feed or leave food (baiting) for wildlife. Habituation due to handouts can result in disease or even death of that animal and injury to you.

Never encroach on nests or dens as certain species will abandon their young.

Never interfere with animals engaged in breeding, nesting, or caring for young.

Learn to recognize wildlife alarm signals and never forget that these animals are NOT tame no matter how docile or cuddly they appear. No one would argue that you should not try to pet a bull yet there have been numerous instances where a tourist attempted to have his/her photo taken next to a bison with disastrous consequences.

Do not damage or remove any plant, life form or natural object. Do pack out trash.

Acquaint yourself with and respect the behaviors and ecosystems of the wildlife you may encounter. By doing so, you will enrich your experience tremendously.

Finally, and most significant, remember that the welfare of the subject and habitat are irrefutably more important than the photograph.

3. Photojournalism Code of Ethics

Photojournalists and those who manage visual news productions are accountable for upholding the following standards in their daily work:

Be accurate and comprehensive in the representation of subjects.

Resist being manipulated by staged photo opportunities.

Be complete and provide context when photographing or recording subjects. Avoid stereotyping individuals and groups. Recognize and work to avoid presenting one’s own biases in the work.

Treat all subjects with respect and dignity. Give special consideration to vulnerable subjects and compassion to victims of crime or tragedy. Intrude on private moments of grief only when the public has an overriding and justifiable need to see.

While photographing subjects do not intentionally contribute to, alter, or seek to alter or influence events.

Editing should maintain the integrity of the photographic images’ content and context. Do not manipulate images or add or alter sound in any way that can mislead viewers or misrepresent subjects.

Do not pay sources or subjects or reward them materially for information or participation.

Do not accept gifts, favors, or compensation from those who might seek to influence coverage.

Do not intentionally sabotage the efforts of other journalists.

Ideally, photojournalists should:

Strive to ensure that the public’s business is conducted in public. Defend the rights of access for all journalists.

Think proactively, as a student of psychology, sociology, politics and art to develop a unique vision and presentation. Work with a voracious appetite for current events and contemporary visual media.

Strive for total and unrestricted access to subjects, recommend alternatives to shallow or rushed opportunities, seek a diversity of viewpoints, and work to show unpopular or unnoticed points of view.

Avoid political, civic and business involvements or other employment that compromise or give the appearance of compromising one’s own journalistic independence.

Strive to be unobtrusive and humble in dealing with subjects.

Respect the integrity of the photographic moment.

Strive by example and influence to maintain the spirit and high standards expressed in this code. When confronted with situations in which the proper action is not clear, seek the counsel of those who exhibit the highest standards of the profession. Photojournalists should continuously study their craft and the ethics that guide it.

Converging Lines For Better Framing.

When framing a landscape shot one of the types of environmental features that many photographers look for and like to incorporate in their shots is converging lines.

Perhaps the classic example (and one that’s probably been overdone) of converging lines are railway tracks.

Position yourself in the middle of two tracks (after taking a look at what might be coming from behind) and you’ll see the two tracks on either side of you appear to get closer and closer together as they go into the distance.

Take this shot and the natural reaction for those looking at the scene will be for them to follow the lines off into the distance. In a sense the two lines act like a funnel which directs the gaze of those entering them in a certain direction.

The same effect can be achieved with roads or pathways, converging fence lines, a set of stairs, power lines or virtually any other lines that run parallel into the distance or that actually converge at some point.

What Can Make a Line?Almost anything can create a line within a photograph. There are three main categories of lines that can be used in leading lines. These are: natural, man-made, and suggested.

Natural

Natural leading lines are things such as rivers, tree tops, edges of flower patches, geese flying in formation, or even an alligator’s tail. Anything that creates a continuing line within your frame can be used as a leading line.

ManMade

Manmade leading lines are lines that do not naturally occur in nature. Manmade lines can be things such as roads, power lines, rooftops, fences, rows of windows or doors, support structures for bridges, or the bridges themselves. As with natural lines, the composition of the line isn’t important as long as it creates a solid pathway for the eye to follow.

Suggested

This is where leading lines gets a touch tricky, and perhaps a little controversial. Not everyone calls a suggested leading line part of the leading line composition rule. Because it falls into lines, I prefer to consider it part of leading lines rather than a wholly separate tool. A suggested leading line is a broken line or an absent line that is strongly suggested by the positioning of items within the frame. These suggested leading lines are most frequently due to line of vision. This is when a subject in the frame is looking directly at a specific point with nothing between the two to visually separate them. For example, a person holding an apple and looking at the worm crawling out of the apple with the background strongly blurred between the face and the apple/worm. In addition to the lack of separating objects between two points in a suggested leading line, it works best when the distance between the points is the shortest comfortable route for the eye to take. This means that while the distance might be longer for the eye to wander around the frame a bit, if another composition tool is present that suggests a different visual path (say the rule of thirds), the eye will follow the other progression of sight instead of the suggested leading line. In other words, if in our hypothetical subject looking at the apple/worm photo there was a large bee on a rule of thirds intersection point above the main subject’s head, the eye of your viewer would be drawn away from the suggested leading line to that blasted bee so that the visual path might be subject-bee-apple/worm instead of subject-apple/worm. Use caution when attempting a suggested leading line as the composition has to be just right for it to work strongly. However, if everything comes together properly it is a powerful option for a leading line.

Do the Lines Have to be Straight?No, lines do not have to be straight. In fact, some of the most interesting lines are curved or even looped. As long as there is a definite path for the viewer’s eyes to follow, the line can take any path you wish. For example, a twisted road leading up a mountain still works as a leading line although it takes the eye through a twisted path within the photo.

Using Sets of Lines TogetherOne of the most obvious and often used lines is a railroad. The rails themselves are strong lines that are usually in strong contrast with the surroundings. However, the gravel beside the tracks creates lines and the tree tops (or power poles) following the tracks create even more lines. Because these lines all work together and run in the same direction, the strength of the railroad line is greatly increased by the support of the secondary lines around it.

You can also use converging lines together. A flock of geese in a V formation is actually two lines coming together at the point of the V. In this case you have two lines joining and the eye follows those two lines like an arrow pointing to the intersection of the line.

Conflicting Lines just like some lines can be used to strengthen each other, others can fight each other and confuse the composition. Crosshatch wire on fences is a good example of this confusion. There are so many crosses of the wire that it stops the eye from moving anywhere in the photo. Roads intersected by multiple power lines and trees growing out of people’s heads are good examples as well. Any time lines break another line they run the risk of creating confusion. If you use crossing lines you must be very careful to have something of interest at the intersection or the lines will conflict with the rest of the composition