The Golden Hour

You have probably heard the term “The Golden Hour” before, probably when admiring a spectacular landscape photograph that makes you marvel in the beauty of the light. Why don’t your pictures look like that? Well it is as simple as the time of day the photo was taken.

Perfect Exposure in Difficult Lighting Situations

One of the most frustrating things about learning photography is when you find yourself in situations where you just can’t get your exposure right. I found that there is a really simple trick for getting it right every time. Here is an example of how:

I came across a rocky outcrop while on the moors looking for landscapes to photograph. The is some interesting detail in the sky so I set up and take the first shot. It looks like this. The sky is blown out with no detail. Eeeuuugh.

Your Camera’s Mode Dial – In Beginner Speak

Almost every camera has a modes dial of some description. They come in various shapes and sizes but most of the positions on the dial are common across all cameras and brands. Knowing what each of the steps on the dial does is the first step to being in the correct mode for the type of shot you are going to take. So lets crack on and work our way round the dial: (I have focused on the modes as they are implemented on a DSLR, P&S cameras may differ slightly but in general are the same)

Photoshop Elements Tutorial – Converting to Black and White

One of the best things about shooting digital is that you don’t need to choose black and white or colour when you load the film, or even when you set up your camera and press the shutter. Not only can it all be done on the computer afterwards, you actually get better results that way. You can use it on anything from scenic landscapes to arty portraits and being digital you can always go back to colour if you don’t like it. In this post I will explain how to convert a colour images to black and white using the full editor in Photoshop Elements. Hopefully with a bit of luck you will end up with something that looks a bit like this:

Peak District Landscape, Yorkshire, England

Progressing to the Next Level – Photoshop

In a previous post I outlined the benefits of editing your images so I thought it would be a good idea to outline the thought process behind my choice and some of the trade offs that need to be made. Admittedly it is nowhere near as important a decision as buying a camera but it is still a significant purchase than needs time and thought.

Free bundled software

I started of using the software that came with my camera, Olympus Master. However I quickly became frustrated by certain elements of the program and how it worked. Here are the main things that bugged me about it:

• It’s slow as hell. Doing any adjustments took time and converting a RAW to JPEG took over 60s and killed the rest of the computer while doing it.
• Lack of features, particularly for RAW development
• Ropey looking results (although this is probably user error!)
• Destructive work flow. Any edits made to pics are permanent so seeing the effect of what you have done is difficult.

So I decided to upgrade. I chose Photoshop Elements but why?

Photoshop Elements