Digital Camera World - UK (2022-02)

http://www.digitalcameraworld.com FEBRUARY 2022 DIGITAL CAMERA^67

Holding objects close to the

front of the lens can add

unique distortion effects

to your images. Coloured

sweet wrappers or clingfilm

held at the edge of the shot

can look interesting.

A prism can reflect

and refract the image,

depending on the angle

at which it’s held. It’s a

technique that’s often

popular with wedding

photographers.

Light shift You may need to adjust the exposure, as the

brightness can change as the prism is moved around.

Camera skills DIY ‘filters’

Experiment with plastic and glass accessories

Unless you’re working at the

lens’s widest aperture (such

as f/1.8 or f/2.8), you’ll need

to use your camera’s Depth

of Field Preview feature

to ‘stop down’ the lens

to what’s known as the

working aperture: this will

allow you to see what will

be sharp and what won’t be.

It’s also helpful to activate

it while manually focusing.

Button it Don’t confuse the DoF (shown) button and lens

release (you may be able to assign DoF to another button).

Camera skills DoF preview

Check how much of the subject is sharp

Capture frozen

details in nature

Explore close-up photo opportunities in the

great outdoors (when the weather plays ball!)

Even though we’ve looked at ideas for indoor

photography in this issue, seize the opportunity to

shoot close-ups in your garden on a frosty or icy day. Start

early: not only will the frost be at its finest, the air is also

likely to be more still. Trying to photograph long-stemmed

plants in even a mild breeze can be a lesson in frustration!

Use a longer focal length so that you can isolate

interesting subjects and abstract patterns – such as

the cracks and air bubbles in a frozen pond or puddle,

or the feathery swirls in a deep-frosted car window.

If you can, put your camera on a tripod, as this will give

you more freedom when it comes to choosing the perfect

aperture, ISO and shutter speed for the subject. Just

be sure not to nudge the subject with one of the legs!

Pushing the white balance

towards blue adds a cool feel

that suits the frosty subjects.

Use black or coloured foam

board to hide distractions in the

backgrounds of your close-ups.

CAMERA COLLEGE