UnderExposed Photography

Today I picked up a fallen leaf from the grass because I had decided to tackle Macro Photography today. Take a look at the Photograph below and post your comments.

What is Macro Photography?

The definition of Macro Photography is ” Extreme Close-Up Photography”. This Genre can be very complicated if you want to make sure that your entire Image is in Focus. Depending on the Angle / Perspective of your shot only one portion of your Photograph will be in sharp focus. Unlike Landscape Photography where you can mitigate this by closing down your aperture. Unfortunately In Macro Photography this adjustment is insufficient. The only way to attain a Tack Sharp Photograph of the entire subject is to take a series of Photographs each with a slightly different Point of Focus. You continue this process until you have a series of Photographs with each area of the Subject in Focus. The Amount of images you need to take depends on multiple factors. One of the Main ones is how close you are to the Subject. The closer you are the more images are needed.

What is Focus Stacking

Focus Stacking is when you Import a batch of Images as outlined above and then import them into your photo editing software. The next step is to Perform a Focus Stacking Operation. Most Apps such as Affinity Photo and Photoshop have. this functionality built in but there are also specialist apps that perform this one task.The Software combines all the batch images and with a sexy Algorithim line up and match all the images into a single image. This only works however if you have taken the batch of photos in sequence from front to back or left to right. There is also a very handy piece of equipment called a Focus Rail which is installed on top of the Tripod and The Camera is mounted on the rail.

Today I experienced one of the most beautiful sunrises (Golden Hour) this Winter. Unfortunately I was working and unable to sneak away to take a few photographs in a more photogenic environment.

What is the Golden Hour?

The definition of the Golden Hour is when the sun is low on the horizon and is dependant also on your surrounding topography. I use an app called PhotoPills to tell me when this period is in the location I am. The App also provides much more info that I haven’t learned to use yet. This photograph was taken on my Sansung SmartPhone and is therefore a little grainy. I tried to capture both the Sun and the Tree but unfortunately the Sun was just to bright to allow me to attain a balanced image. I therefore waited for the Sun to go behind the tree and I captured this sillouhette Photograph.

How to Capture the Best Images

Over the years, I have spoken with many Photographers both face to face and also on forums. They all seem to say the same thing and that is you need to use apps such as PhotoPills to determine the right time and also use weather apps to to determine if you will have cloud cover and if so how much. Obviously if its fully overcast the Golden hour will be meek at least. With a little cloud cover however the Potential for a spectacular golden hour is very high. There is however as always no guarantee and you must be prepared to set yourself up and leave the location of your choice empty handed.

You can, like me just carry on with your day and use the trusty phone camera to capture an image should it occur. I must admit that the qauality of the image is disapointing when taken with a Phone camera but beggars can’t be choosers.

Street Photography is a Genre that both fascinates me and scares me. I don’t have the courage to point the Camera at someone I don’t know as it seems that I am stealing a moment in their lives without their permission. I therefore try to take shots of Peoples Backs. Am I a Coward? Absolutely but I’m still fascinated by the ability to take Photographs that are in fact a snapshot of that persons life.

Street Photography My Way

I always try to Include a key Element in my Street Photography. This can either be a Local Monument or in the case above an historical City Wall Gate Way. I could have waited to capture a person coming towards me but I’m concerned that they make confront me. Apart from my personal dislike of taking someone’s Photograph without their permission there are also the legal aspects. The Law changes from Country to Country and can be quite a minefield.

Definition of Street

The Definition of Street Photography as that of the Landscape Genre is both very broad and covers a multitude of possible sub-genres. My interpretation of this genre is always to either capture silhouettes of the person or from the Back or when they are in deep shadow so as to make their faces unidentifiable. With this I hope that should I be confronted. I can in good faith show them the Photograph and delete it should they insist which I hope they don’t because I would have spent several minutes if not hours drumming up the courage to press the shutter release in the first place. I also like to take Photos of people either jogging or riding bicycles as they are mostly concentrated on the task at hand. So there it is My Take. As always it’s not everyones oppinion.

The Landscape Photography Genre is one that I don’t understand. This Genre has so many facets to it and also technical challenges that are fairly straight forward but for e at least difficult to acheive.

What Constitutes A Good Landscape Photograph?

I’ve read hundreds & hundreds of articles about this genre and I still don’t understand what subject matter makes a great Landscape Photograph. Today I packed my 10 stop ND filter to capture those milky Long Exposure Shots, my Android App that would calculate the Hyperfocal distance for me and took a drive to the local Woodland. Did I use the prestigious & necessary tools I had packed? The quick answer is no. I did however as always struggle to balance depth of field and shutter speed which gave me either Sharp & full object focus but underexposed or slightly blurred & full object focus Photographs. What can I say I am a gluten for punishment and would rather happily snap away and then chastise myself when I look at the photographs when I am back home on the computer for missing another great opportunity.

One Definition of Landscape Photography is. “Landscape photography shows spaces within the world, sometimes vast and unending, but other times microscopic. Landscape photographs typically capture the presence of nature but can also focus on man-made features or disturbances of landscapes. ” Hmm!! so everything Outdoors? Does my Photograph class as a Landscape Photograph? I’ll leave that decision someone one other than myself. What I enjoy doing is soaking up the natural surroundings around me and not walking round with a Finger Formed Frame and a viewfinder glued to my eye. I’m not saying that the Professional Landscape Photographers do this. I believe they too like me walk and enjoy their surroundings but they can visualise potentially good Photographs, and make mental notes, which unfortunately I cannot do.