A couple of days ago I was watching a mother trying to photograph her child with a DSLR camera. Sadly, after a few frustrating minutes she looked to have given up. Noticing what the problem was, I gave her some useful advice that I will also share with you today. The advice was simple, Don’t Get Too Close!

Most DSLR cameras will not focus properly if you are positioned too close to the subject. When a photographer is too close to the subject, often the lens will swing back and forth trying to focus, making it near impossible to take the shot. Even if you could take it, you will see nothing more than a burred photo.

Take these two images below for example. The first shows an image that is very blurred. When I photographed that shot, I was standing too close to the subject for that particular lens to properly focus. So I repositioned myself physically further away from the subject and tried again. As you can see by the second example, this time the lens had ample room to focus.

Result of standing too close to the subject when taking the photograph

Standing further away from subject resulted in a sharper shot

If you haven’t already noticed, every lens has a minimum focusing distance. You can find this information on the user manual that came with the lens when you purchased it. If not, then you can usually find the information online by doing a quick search on Google. It’s handy to know your lens focusing distance.

Another useful tip for similar situations is to look on the side of your DLSR lens for a symbol something similar to: 1.8m – infinity or 6.5m – infinity. The distance isn’t important here as every lens is different. Furthermore, not all DSLR camera lens have the option to change the focusing distance. So if you can’t see it, don’t worry. However if you do see it, try setting the approximate distance you are to your subject and you’ll find your camera focuses much quicker than it normally would.

For example, last time I visited the zoo, I was trying to photograph a close up of a snake. I was shooting with a Canon EF 100-400mm lens, with it zoomed all the way out to 400mm. When looking through the viewfinder after each shot, I noticed they were all burry. The camera was also having trouble focusing and was constantly swimming in and out. It was then I noticed the focusing distance on the side of the lens was set to 6.5m-infinity. So I switched it to 1.8m and presto, the camera could more easily focus!

Photograph your own garden

As macro photographers, one of the main things we’ve missed since moving to the Whitsundays (Australia), is a botanical garden. It’s something we’d simply accepted, as we pointed our DSLR camera toward the beautiful seascapes surrounding us.

Then on a recent trip to Sydney, we visited an art museum and read an article on the famous artist Monet. It seems Monet’s own garden was the starting point for his fame, and in fact, a large majority of his most famous paintings were created from his own backyard! Now why hadn’t we thought of that! Not as artists of course, but as photographers. We couldn’t wait to return home and start our own garden for macro photography.

Do your research before creating your photographic environment

Flowers and insects are two popular subjects for macro photographers, especially in the beginning of their journey. Spend a day taking notice of flowers and insects already seen around your local neighbourhood. For our own garden, we wanted hardy tropical plants that would attract the hundreds of butterflies and dragonflies we see scooting through our backyard each day. It made sense to us that the best way to attract butterflies, was to find plants that the caterpillar lava like to eat.

Tips for creating a photographic garden

1. If you find a bird bath doesn’t attract enough winged subjects to photograph, try throwing in a few pieces of lemon and lime. The butterflies will love it! The riper the fruit the better.

2. Incorporating a water feature of some sort will help attract frogs and other Amphibians. It need not be a large pond, something as simple as a half barrel is sufficient enough.

3. A water feature of only 6 inches in depth can attract dragonflies. We also find leaving an area of long grass or perching sticks somewhere close by is useful for early morning dew shots like the one shown below.

Hopefully over the next couple of months we’ll start to see plenty of insects, frogs and flowers, ready to have their portraits taken

How to photograph Fireworks.

When photographing fireworks, always use a tripod and remote release. If your lens has Autofocus (AF) and Image Stabilisation (IS) / Vibration Reduction (VR), turn them off.

If possible, prefocus before the fireworks start. In other words, focus manually beforehand, take a few test shots and review them in your LCD screen. You won’t have time to do this once the light show has started!

Quick Tips

1. Set your camera to manual mode. This gives you full control over the ISO, Shutter Speed and Aperture.

2. Set a low ISO, for example 100. This will ensure no grainy images.

3. Pick a slow shutter speed of between 1 and 4 seconds. The slower the speed, the more you’ll capture in one frame, the longer the light trials.

4. Start with an Aperture of F/8.0. Beginners often presume they need a lower / faster aperture, however the opposite is true. This prevents overexposing the scenery.

Review the photographs after the first few shots. If the colours seem too white, change the Aperture to F/11 (up to F/16), and try again.

If on the other hand they are too dim, change the Aperture to F/5.6 or F/4.

Last tip for photographing fireworks

Try this: Set your SLR camera to bulb mode (check manual). This will allow you to leave the shutter open for as long as you hold down the shutter release (use a remote release).

When the fireworks start, press the shutter release to start the exposure. Hold the button down until the fireworks have burst into full colour, then release it!

What is Bokeh

Bokeh is an adaptation from a Japanese word meaning blur. In photography this term is used to describe the quality of the areas in the picture which are not in focus.

Bokeh usually works best when taking a close up picture of your subject. Experiment with different positions. Photographing slightly into sun rays can result in wonderful Bokeh background patterns as seen in the caterpillar photograph below. Different lenses often result in different Bokeh patterns. ie some are more rounded patterns, while others hexagonal.

What aperture setting to use for macro photography

Just because your dedicated lens can shoot in F2.8 doesn’t mean that’s the best Aperture for macro photography. More often than not, using an Aperture of F2.8 on a dedicated macro lens, will result in only the eye being in focus.

Take this image of a tiny grasshopper for example. It was photographed with the cameras Aperture set at F/11. The higher the F number, the more in focus. Good light or flash is also required when photographing at higher F stop numbers.

Macro Photography Tip: What is the best time for macro photography?

No doubt, the best time for macro photography is early morning while the ground is still wet. It’s much easier to photograph insect macros at the crack of dawn, while they are still covered in dew and unable to fly.

Why you should buy a cable release for your SLR camera

The last tip talked about turning off the image stabilization on your lens when you have an SLR camera sitting on a tripod. If you followed this advice, you should have noticed sharper results.

“Hey, I want even sharper photographs” I hear you say! Instead of pressing the shutter button down yourself, invest in a cable release for your SLR camera.

I can’t count the amount of times I’ve seen photographers with tripods, but no cable release. Doesn’t this defeat the purpose? The reason photographers use tripods, is to reduce camera movement when taking photographs. So why touch the camera at all? Use a cable release instead!

When to turn off IS (image stabilization) and VR (vibration reduction)

Many DSLR camera lenses now come with an option to turn off IS (image stabilization for Canon) or VR (vibration reduction for Nikon). You’ll find this on / off switch on the side of the actual lens. One thing I’ve noticed with friends and family who are just starting out in SLR photography, is that they tend to turn this on and never touch it again. However, there are times when you should turn it off.

For example, I was photographing the Sydney Opera House recently with a Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L IS lens, and for the life of me, I could not get a sharp image. Then it hit me, because I had my camera sitting on a tripod, I turned off the image stabilization and bam I suddenly got sharp photos. When IS / VR is turned on, it causes the camera to look for vibrations, which in turn, can cause vibrations.

So next time you have your camera sitting on a tripod, turn off that IS / VR switch on the side of your lens for sharper results.

Read your digital SLR user manual from your iphone

Before I purchased an IPhone,  I use to carry around manuals in my camera bag for numerous pieces of equipment, including: camera EOS manuals, lens manuals, flash manuals and so forth. Then I discovered a neat little IPhone application called, PDF Expert, which in short is a professional PDF documents reader.

Now whenever I purchase a new piece of equipment, I transfer the PDF user manual into my IPhone documents reader. Saves carrying around extra weight in my camera bag. The IPhone application also has a good search function, so no more looking through the manual book for exactly the information I’m after.  It’s fast, efficient and very user friendly. Click the iTunes button below to download the application.

How to better focus with a macro lens

Anyone who’s purchased a dedicated macro lens, will understand what I’m talking about when I mention ‘the lens swimming’, if set on auto focus. This is especially true when photographing moving bugs and insects. One of the best ways to overcome this is to turn off your lens automatic focus, placing it in manual mode instead. It’s really not as hard as it sounds to focus manually, it just takes a little practice.  Personally I support the DSLR, with my left hand underneath the camera, moving the focus ring with my fingers.

How to get a smooth or faded background in your photos with a telephoto lens

Achieving a smooth background in your photographs isn’t as hard as it first seems for beginners. Firstly, set your camera’s F-stop to a low number, for example, 4.0. Secondly zoom your telephoto lens out. In the example below, I had mine zoomed out to 200mm focal length. Then move as close to your subject as possible, while still allowing you to focus properly and take your shot. The lower the F number, the more zoomed out your lens, and the closer you are to your subject, the nicer the smoothness.

Use a dedicated macro lens for portraits

Macro lenses aren’t just for flowers and insects. A dedicated macro lens can also be your best portrait lens. Take this wedding portrait below for example. It was photographed with a Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro lens. A fast F/2.8 was perfect for indoor lighting.

How to photograph through glass or cages

If you’re at the zoo and are faced with an animal that is caged or behind a glass window, zoom your lens all the way out to its maximum length, stand as close to the glass or cage as possible, then focus through the glass and onto the animal. If your lens doesn’t do this automatically, then turn the focus ring yourself manually to show the camera exactly where you want to focus. Also make sure you’re not standing in front of a crack or scratch in the glass. Otherwise the camera might want to focus on that instead.

How to use your camera settings to get a multi point star filter effect

If you’re a photographer who likes multi point star effects, but don’t want to lay out the cash for a filter, you can get a similar effect by setting your camera’s F-stop from anywhere between f/11 and f/22, depending on the circumstances.

Photograph human experiences to tell the story

Take a step back. Instead of photographing the subject (ie in this case the sunset), photograph the experiences of those enjoying the moment.

Crop tightly for more impact

Crop tightly for more impact. This is especially true when photographing animals. Next time you’re at the zoo, take notice of animal postcards. Most are usually cropped tightly.

Use a person in the photo to show height

A few months back my partner and I visited Yarrangobilly Caves in NSW, Australia. Both being avid photographers, it’s useful to return home and compare photographs. This time, there was a particular shot where my own image miserably failed to show the humongous size of the caves.  On the other hand, my partner’s photograph showed it perfectly, as demonstrated below.

As you can see, by placing a person in the scene helps to really keep the overall image in perspective. Now compare it to my photo below that doesn’t include a person. The actual entry to the cave itself looks quite small.

How to photograph flowers with background blur

A new photographer recently emailed saying he was trying to recreate some of the close up flower shots he had seen throughout SLR Photography Guide. More specifically, he was trying to recreate the background blur seen behind the flowers.

Here was his question:

I recently purchased a Nikon D40X that came with two lens, the 18-55 focal length and another one up to 200mm.  I am trying to recreate some of your shots, for example, the close ups of flowers etc, and trying to get the background as blurred as you have it. But I really think one would need a good macro lens, is this correct?

This is actually a question many new photographers ask. The answer is no, you don’t necessarily need a good macro lens to achieve a nice background blur when photographing flowers. A telephoto zoom lens with a focal length of 200mm or higher will also get the same effect quite easily.

How to use a telephoto zoom lens to photograph flowers with a nice background blur?

To achieve a blurred background with a telephoto zoom lens is easy. The first step is to set your camera’s Aperture to a low number, for example F/5. Now fully extend your lens focal length out to the maximum (200mm or higher depending on your lens). Then move in as close to the subject as your camera will allow, yet still be able to focus. Now take the shot and view it in your LCD screen.

If you find the background still isn’t as blurred as you’d like it to be, try picking a flower where the actual background elements are further away from the subject you are photographing. The further away the background elements are from the flower, the nicer and more effective the background blur.