Digital Camera World - UK (2022-02)

http://www.digitalcameraworld.com

Andrew James

Andrew James

The starting image looks

washed out – especially

the reflection area that’s

taking up two thirds of the

image. To rescue it, we’re

going to turn the photo

into a semi-abstract

black-and-white shot.

Working in Camera

Raw (you could also use

Lightroom), we’ll start by

going to the Geometry

Panel and using the Guided

Uprights to fix the slightly

skewed horizontals and

verticals^1. With that

done, we can convert the

image to mono^2 by

clicking the B&W button.

A straight conversion

doesn’t give us the bite we

want, so in the B&W Mixer

we can play around with

the different colour

channels to create the

contrast that will really

make this image work.

The reflection area is

still a bit flat, so in the

Masking Panel we can

select a Linear Gradient,

pulling it up over the whole

area^3 , then boost the

contrast^4 via the Blacks

and Whites sliders.

Image Rescue

This washed-out shot benefits from a

mono conversion and added contrast

Shooting down

Q

I took some shots

pointing directly

at the forest floor.

Although I used a fast

shutter speed, the image

isn’t perfectly sharp.

What did I do wrong?

Travis Moore

A

A fast shutter speed is a good

start, but it won’t ensure your

image is critically sharp on its

own. If you are shooting down

from above while handholding the camera,

that’s not a very stable position, so even if

the AF locks focus, it’s highly likely you’ll

move, and the plane of focus will change.

It’s better to have the camera on a tripod

that allows you to position it directly

1

3

2

4

FEBRUARY 2022 DIGITAL CAMERA^97

A tripod makes all the difference when

it comes to overhead shots.

If your colours look washed

out, try removing them and

emphasising tone instead.

The Neo 2 offers flash settings as

well as continuous light, although

a flashgun is more powerful.

downwards. Now that fast shutter speed

is less important, as neither the camera

nor subject are going to move.

What is essential is getting the subject

sharp, so use an aperture such as f/8, or

even f/11 if you are using a macro lens;

in Live View, zoom in to check the focus

is accurate before you fire the shutter

with the self-timer or a remote release.

Light fantastic

Q

Is LED lighting or a

flash unit better to

light a subject in

low-light conditions?

Mary Noland

A

The answer to this very much

depends on what kind of

subject you are shooting,

and where. Both options

have their place in your kit bag, though.

As a rule, when it comes to lighting a

moving subject – whether that’s a model in

the studio or someone doing some moves

at a skateboard park – a studio flash head

or an on-camera flashgun is going to give

you better coverage and much greater

power, for faster shutter speeds and

greater depth of field, than a typical

LED would. Small LEDs can be used for

portraits, but you’ll find that the coverage

and intensity of light means that shutter

speeds will be on the slow side, unless you

combine them with much higher ISOs.

If you compare a flashgun with a small

LED, the former simply outpowers the

latter. But when fast shutter speeds aren’t

important, the continuous light supplied

by an LED is really helpful, because you see

exactly what you are going to get and can

move the lighting around to suit, seeing

how it’s going to appear on the photo.

Some LED lights, like the circular

Rotolight Neo 2, can give you best of

both worlds, with continuous

lighting and High-Speed

Sync flash up to 1/8,000

sec. If you prefer

continuous lighting

but think you will also

need HSS, it’s worth

checking out.