Review Digital Camera World 07-04-2013

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Digital Camera World

DIY Photography Hacks: make a DIY tilt-shift lens from an ordinary optic Jul 3rd 2013, 23:01, by jmeyer If you’ve ever wanted shallow depth of field effects but were put off by the price of tilt-shift lenses, our technique editor Chris Rutter explains in our latest DIY Photography Hacks post how he converted an old lens at a fraction of the price. I had been wanting to use the shallow depth of field effects from using a tilt/shift lens for some video I was shooting. But with tilt-shift lenses costing around £1000 I really couldn’t justify buying one. So I decided to make my own DIY version of a tilt-shift lens, at a fraction of the price. In fact it didn’t cost me anything, as I had all of the components already.   What Chris used for his DIY tilt-shift lens Mamiya 645 45mm lens An old aluminium straight flash bracket 3 pieces of aluminium L-section An aluminium lens mounting plate Canon EF body cap Plastic ‘bellows’ – I used one from an old tripod head, but many people use the gaitor from a car steering rack How Chris constructed his DIY tilt-shift lens I started off with a Mamiya 45mm lens. This was originally for an old 645 medium format camera that has long been consigned to the cupboard of old film cameras I no longer use. I chose this medium format lens because it offered a large image circle to allow me to use plenty of tilt/shift movement without the image darkening towards the edges. The Mamiya 645 also has a flange focal distance of over 60mm (compared to the 44mm of a Canon EF mount), so I could mount the lens far enough away from the camera to allow movement. The DIY lens is mounted on a lens plate from an old field camera, with the plastic ‘bellows’ attached to the back of the lens. On the other side I attached an old Canon EF body cap with the centre cut out so I can mount it to the camera. The whole assembly is fitted onto a bracket made from some L-section aluminium, with large tightening screws to allow for the tilting movement. This is finally attached to an old straight flash bracket, to allow back and forward movement to give some focusing control. And the results… The video below shows the amazing effects Chris was able to capture using his DIY tilt-shift lens while out photographing Snowdon. Check out more of Chris’s amazing work! READ MORE DIY Photography Hacks: make a light tent from three-ring binders to diffuse sunlight DIY Photography Hacks: why a blank CD case makes the perfect rain guard for your lens 10 common exposure problems every photographer faces (and how to fix them) 10 reasons your photos aren’t sharp (and how to fix them) Creative pictures of flowers: how to shoot and edit flower photos for extra impact Jul 3rd 2013, 23:01, by jmeyer Every photographer has taken pictures of flowers at one point or another. Flower photos are enduringly popular subject matter because their colours, shapes and textures add so much impact to your photo compositions. But a few simple tweaks to the way you set up and compose your pictures of flowers, as well as the way you edit your flower photos in the digital darkroom, can dramatically increase their visual appeal. Here’s how it’s done. Image and words by Claire Gillo Composing pictures of flowers from the ground up Taking pictures of flowers isn't all about close-up macro shots and shooting from above. In this tutorial we'll show you how to take a different approach to taking pictures of flowers by shooting them from low down with a wide-angle lens for an unusual and engaging 'bug's-eye view'. In the spring and summer, public gardens, and perhaps your own garden, will be in bloom with a variety of flowers. Alternatively, you can buy some cut flowers, as we did. We set up a selection of blooms, including tulips and hyacinths, and placed our camera in the middle of the bunch, facing upwards, to create the impression of the flowers towering above. We used a flashgun to boost the colours of our flowers, but if you don't have one you can use your DSLR's pop-up flash. At the editing stage we added a blue sky to our flower photo, which we copied from a landscape shot and added in as a new layer. We also added a lens flare effect, to create the feel of a hazy summer's day. PAGE 1: Composing pictures of flowers from the ground up PAGE 2: How to set up your pictures of flowers – steps 1-3 PAGE 3: How to set up your pictures of flowers – steps 4-6 PAGE 4: How to edit your pictures of flowers – adjusting colour and composition PAGE 5: How to edit your pictures of flowers – adding the new backdrop READ MORE 10 common camera mistakes every photographer makes How to use a camera: exposure modes made simple Garden photography tips: how to take professional pictures of plants 25 flower photography tips for beginners How to replace a sky: Photoshop effects to make your landscapes more attractive Jul 3rd 2013, 10:00, by jmeyer If the skies in your landscape photography are looking a little flat, try this simple technique to replace a sky using Photoshop effects like Layer Masks and Blend Modes. Sometimes a beautiful landscape can be let down by a dull sky, at other times a wonderful sky shows up when there's nothing interesting in the foreground. It's rare that the two come together, which is why landscape photographers will often visit the same location time after time. If you don't have that luxury, there is another option: while there's no substitute for getting it right in camera, you can use Photoshop to replace a dull sky. To combine the images you need to cut out the original sky. But often a successful cut out is only half the battle. No matter how seamless the joins, making it look right can be a challenge. To help the elements gel, you need to tweak tones and add a touch of uniform noise, then dodge and burn on a separate layer – which is an invaluable skill for working on any type of landscape, be it traditional or composite. Step by step how to replace a sky in Photoshop Elements 01 Drag the sky Open your main image and your picture of the new sky in Photoshop Elements. Go to the sky image, then grab the Move tool from the Tools Panel. Click on the image and drag up to the tab of your main image, then down into the image to copy the sky over. Position it over the top half of the scene.   02 Select the land Go to the Layers Panel. Double-click the background layer. Hit OK. Drag it above the top layer. Grab the Quick Selection tool from the Tools Panel and paint over the land to select it. Go to Select>Refine Edge. Set Feather 0.5, Shift Edge -60 (Contract/Expand in Elements 10).   03 Lasso the tree Click the Add Layer Mask icon in the Layers Panel. Hold Shift and click the mask thumbnail in the Layers Panel to disable it, then draw a rough selection around the tree with the Lasso tool. Highlight the layer's image thumbnail. Hit Cmd/Ctrl+J to copy the area to a new layer.   04 Blend the layers Shift-click the Layer Mask thumbnail to activate it, then highlight the top layer. Click the Blend Mode dropdown in the Layers Panel and choose Darken. Grab the Brush tool, highlight the Layer Mask thumbnail, and zoom in and paint with white to reveal the lighter areas on the tree.   05 Tweak the tones Highlight the top layer, then click the Create Adjustment Layer icon. Pick Hue/Saturation. Drag Saturation to -11. Choose Yellows from the 'Master' dropdown and set Saturation -19. Next add a Photo Filter Adjustment Layer, and choose Warming Filter (85), Density 35%.   06 Add image grain Alt-click the Create New Layer icon. In the New Layer options, set Mode: Overlay. Check the Fill with… box. Go to Filter>Noise>Add Noise, set Amount 2 and check Monochromatic. Hit OK. Make another layer in the same way, then grab the Brush tool and dodge and burn as needed. READ MORE 34 Photoshop effects every photographer must try once 14 photo editing tips and tricks every landscape photographer must know 13 ways famous landscape photographers make money from photography 10 quick landscape photography tips

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