Review Digital Camera World 07-01-2013

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Digital Camera World

9 creative photo ideas to try in July 2013 Jun 30th 2013, 23:01, by jmeyer As part of our ongoing series to help you get more creative with your digital camera, each month we publish some fun, seasonal, creative photo ideas to help inspire your imagination. Along with some amazing images, we've also provided some quick photography tips by both amateur and professional photographers who are experts in these fields. This month our list covers fun projects like time stack (see below), toy props, vignettes, environmental portraits, among many other fun and creative photography projects. On each page you’ll find a stunning image and an explanation from the photographer on how it was made. If you attempt any of these photo ideas, don’t forget to share them on our Facebook wall! Creative photo ideas for July: 01 Shoot the passage of time This month we thought we’d start you off with something completely different. Fine-art photographer Matt Molloy is receiving some intense internet interest with his time stack images, and there's no reason why you can't have a go at this technique yourself. All you need is some interesting clouds, a focal point and a vision for how the final result will look. "To create these time stacks I merge several photos into one image," reveals Matt. "The first thing I do is shoot a timelapse (multiple photos shot from a fixed position), then I combine the images in Photoshop. "When shooting the timelapse, the interval (the time between each photo) can drastically change the look of the final image. A shorter interval will give smoother looking movement, while a longer interval will create spaces between moving objects, which gives a stepped look. “The speed of the moving elements is much the same. Faster moving subjects will have spaces and slower ones will look smoother, depending on your interval. "To merge the photos, I use the Lighten layer-blending mode in Photoshop. This adds only the lighter elements of each successive photo. “Once I've blended the images, I adjust the levels and contrast to bring back the dark tones. I've found that automating the process via Photoshop scripting saves time and a whole lot of effort." Get started today… * Use a tripod and remote release to ensure there's no movement between the frames when shooting the timelapse. * Shoot in Manual, to ensure there's a consistent exposure between pictures. Expose for the highlights (that is, set the exposure so you retain detail in the brightest areas). * Take multiple frames – Matt's stacks feature anywhere from 80 to more than 600 images. * Matt suggests that not all time stacks need to show every frame: "If there's too much going on once you've merged all the photos, it can look rather messy. If that's the case, you should  try using less photos. I generally start with all the photos to get a good idea of what I'm working with, then I take some out if needed and try again." PAGE 1: Creative Photo Ideas for July – 01 Shoot the passage of time PAGE 2: Creative Photo Ideas for July – 02 Shoot seabirds PAGE 3: Creative Photo Ideas for July – 03 Shoot dew covered bugs PAGE 4: Creative Photo Ideas for July – 04 Shoot portraits with backlight PAGE 5: Creative Photo Ideas for July – 05 Shoot toys as travel props PAGE 6: Creative Photo Ideas for July – 06 Shoot environmental portraits PAGE 7: Creative Photo Ideas for July – 07 Add a vignette PAGE 8: Creative Photo Ideas for July – 08 Shoot a photography hotspot PAGE 9: Creative Photo Ideas for July – 09 Shoot pictures with water as the main subject READ MORE 10 common camera mistakes every photographer makes How to use a camera: exposure modes made simple 99 common photography problems (and how to solve them) 15 common photography questions from beginners (and how to solve them) What is 'Creative Commons'? The truth about public domain images Jun 30th 2013, 13:00, by jmeyer The web has made sharing photos easier than ever before, but it has also raised some questions about copyright – chief among them, What is Creative Commons and is this the same as public domain? Photographer and media law consultant Linda Macpherson explains all. NASA Creative Commons image In the technical sense, an image is in the public domain when nobody owns any copyright in it – the right to copy or use it is said to belong to everyone. This means images in the public domain can be used, wholly or in part, by anyone, for any purpose, for free. Images in which the copyright has expired fall automatically into the public domain, as do images excluded from copyright protection. USA copyright law, for example, excludes from copyright protection any work made by an employee of the US Government as part of his duties, so images from NASA and other US government agencies are in the public domain. This is not the case in all countries. Images made by UK government agencies are subject to copyright. If you are certain an image is public domain, you can use it freely as the basis for, or as part of, a new work. An image licensed under a Creative Commons licence is somewhat different from a public domain image. The concept underlying Creative Commons is to allow others to share work so they can redistribute it or use it as an element in a new work. Unlike public domain images, those licensed under Creative Commons are protected by copyright and a Creative Commons Licence is essentially a copyright licence like any other except that, unlike most copyright licences, you don't have to pay to use the image. But the fact that an image is available under a Creative Commons licence doesn't necessarily mean that you can use it in any way you wish in your photomontages. Creative Commons has six different levels of licence and it's vital to check which one applies to the image you want to use. Two of the CC licences do not allow the work to be altered or manipulated in any way; images available under these licences would be of little use for compositing. Two licences do allow an image to be altered or incorporated in a new work, but only if the new work is made available to the public on the same terms. Some licences allow an image to be used for commercial purposes and some don't. And finally, all of the licences require the owner of the original work is credited for their work. Full details of available Creative Commons licences can be found at: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/. Both Google Images and Flickr searches can be limited to images licensed under Creative Commons. READ MORE Photographer’s Rights: the ultimate guide UK Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act 2013: 9 myths debunked for good Famous Photographers: 100 things we wish we knew starting out 11 common lens errors (and how to avoid them) Banish Bad Pictures: 9 quick fixes to common camera complaints

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