Digital Camera World - UK (2019-12)

http://www.digitalcameraworld.com DECEMBER 2019 DIGITAL CAMERA^99

This horse portrait has gone wrong because the

camera’s meter has over-exposed its white head

against the darker background of the stable. All is

not lost, though: the photographer shot in raw, so

we can use Camera Raw to fix the problems. In the

Basics Panel, taking Highlights back to -45 and

Whites to -60 brings the blown highlights^1

back within the Histogram’s tonal range.

We need to clone out the straw dangling down

from the top of the image.^2 We remove it using

the Spot Removal Brush, set to Heal: it samples

from the dark area next to it.

We can restore some lost contrast^3 with the

Tone Curve, setting it to medium. Finally, although

the image is largely colourless, there are some

warmer hues in the stable door and the horse’s eye

4 , so we push Vibrance to +25, just to lift these.

Image Rescue

No horsing around to fix this shot...

1

3

2

4

See the light

Q

My local camera

club has launched

a competition called

‘shooting contre jour’. What

does that mean?

Rob Scott

A

It’s a French term that simply

means shooting into the light,

as opposed to photographing

with the light behind your

shoulder. The light source, typically the

sun, doesn’t have to be in the shot, but

it can be, resulting in lens flare that

can add a creative sparkle.

The trick is in controlling the flare

so that it adds to the image rather than

detracts from it. Use a small aperture,

such as f/11, and partially mask the light

source behind something in your frame.

From a distance

Q

I’m thinking of

getting a macro

lens. How important

is the working distance?

Mar Pond

A

It’s crucial, especially if you

want to shoot insects that are

likely to get spooked by the

lens itself. The shorter the

focal length, the closer you need to be.

For example, a 60mm macro lens will have

a working distance at 1:1 of around 0.2

metres, and a 100mm will be about 0.3m.

Sigma has a 180mm macro lens that gives

you a 0.5m working distance, which can

be useful if you want to be able to focus

at 1:1 but keep some distance

from the subject.

In error

Q

My camera keeps

getting an error

code, but works

again after switching on

and off. Why would this be?

Ron Deal

A

Many of us have experienced

an error code that is easily

sorted by switching the camera

on and off. I usually take the

battery out too, just for good measure!

Some error codes are caused by dirty

contacts on the camera’s lens mount, or

perhaps the lens itself. Both can be cleaned

with a blower brush to remove loose dirt

then wiped with a cotton swab dipped in

isopropyl alcohol. If the error code persists,

get the camera looked at professionally.