Yet another video about the invisible black background

Many people believe that to achieve a black background in your photos, you need to buy a black backdrop. That’s one way to do it, but there’s another method that costs nothing. This video will show you how.

 

Luminar Neo for editing portraits

Luminar Neo, a user-friendly photo editing software, enables photographers to effortlessly edit portraits in just a few seconds. In this three-minute video, I showcase the software’s capabilities. 

Flash tutorial for wedding photography

There are many flash tutorials on YouTube, and it's hard to pick one that will cover all possible scenarios. This one is one of the best I have found. 

With flash photography, the most crucial aspect is not to be apprehensive about using your flash and experimenting. There are no absolute right or wrong choices in this field; it all boils down to how you envision your photographs to appear. 

Mastering the Basics

 Some people are just really good at teaching. This is one of the best videos I’ve seen for explaining the basics of shooting in Manual Mode.

 In Spain, there’s an old saying: “You learn how to castrate by castrating.” What it means is that learning photography—like any skill—requires a lot of hands-on practice. You’ll only start to feel truly comfortable with your camera and your results after taking thousands of photos. You definitely won’t see great results after just 10 shots—that’s for sure.

Using panoramas or photo stacking to achieve more details

 When you mention a panorama photo most of us imagine a large landscape picture no thinking that you can use panoramas for other reasons. For example, to achieve a bigger level of details or sharpness or to fit a large object in your picture when you are using a zoom lens instead of a wide angle lens. The below picture is an example of these two techniques using LightRoom Classic to create the panorama.  

If your goal is to achieve the highest level of detail in a panorama, it's important to take multiple shots while adjusting the focus as you change the portion of the image you're capturing. Imagine your final picture divided into smaller quadrants. Focus your camera for each quadrant and capture the shot.

Next, repeat the process, but this time shift your quadrants so they overlap differently from the previous set, focusing on each one again. This technique ensures that the entire panorama remains sharp when stitched together. I find that this works better if you are shooting a landscape in portrait/vertical orientation.

The example below illustrates a panorama created with an insufficient number of quadrants. As a result, some areas are out of focus where they should have been sharp.

Keep in mind that Lightroom may refuse to create a panorama if your photos are not aligned along the vertical or horizontal axis. In such cases, you'll need to use Photoshop's stacking option instead.

Here is a very useful article describing the use of photo stacking for this purpose.

Specially for Beginners

 This is a perfect video for beginners because it covers all the things you need to buy and that are considered essentials. It also tells you what not to buy, something very important because when you start in this hobby you may end buying stuff that you do not need at all. 

Are extenders good?

Yes, if you know how and when to use them. But you better watch this video from Simon d’Entremont, a wildlife photographer who has taken more than 500,000 photos using them!

6 ways to get the best image quality

This video from Duade Paton was shot 3 years ago and still valid today. One thing I love from this photographer is that gives you tips that will not require you to buy super expensive gear. Even more he gave you the required information for you to buy good old lenses that still work well with your Canon camera. 

Model training

 Here is a very interesting and informative video about posing. 

Expose to the right

Exposing to the right is a technique that helps to reduce the amount of noise in your pictures. The following video explains how to expose to the right. 

How to shoot Manual

One thing that I do in this blog is to find easy tutorials about photography so you don’t have to. Today I would recommend you to watch the below video showing how to shoot manual.

Lens Basic

Ok, you bought your camera but what lens do you need? Buying your first lens it’s not an easy task and depends a lot on how are you planning to use your new camera. The next video tries to explain what do you need to know when picking your first lens.

Photography Basics

Yesterday I mentioned a video about the basics of using a flashlight with your camera. Today I would like to present you a video that explains photography basics. In other words, everything that you need to know to control your camera in Manual Mode. 

Flashlight basics

I know that using a speedlight or flashlight in your camera could be intimidating at first but once you watch the following video you may find that it’s not that complicated. 

Beginners mistakes

If you can pass his presentation style and humor here is video that shows mistakes that most of us have made and you may learn to avoid in your next photo shoot. 

Starburst effect, how to achieve it

How to Achieve the Starburst Effect in Your Photos

The starburst effect is a popular photographic technique where points of light, such as the sun or street lamps, appear to radiate beams like a star. To create this effect, follow these tips:

• Use a Small Aperture: The key to a strong starburst is to set your lens to a small aperture, such as f/11, f/16, or f/22. The smaller the aperture (larger f-number), the more pronounced the starburst effect will be, as the light passing through the narrow opening creates diffraction spikes.
• Watch for Diffraction: While a smaller aperture enhances the starburst effect, shooting at f/22 may introduce diffraction, which can reduce overall image sharpness. To find the best balance between a crisp starburst and minimizing diffraction, experiment with apertures like f/16 or even f/11, depending on your lens.
•  Positioning the Light Source: For the best results, position your light source (like the sun or streetlights) partially obscured by an object, such as a tree or building edge. This can intensify the starburst effect while controlling the exposure of the surrounding scene.
• Use a Tripod for Stability: Shooting at smaller apertures often requires slower shutter speeds, especially in low-light situations. A tripod will help prevent camera shake, ensuring your image remains sharp.

By practicing with different aperture settings and compositions, you'll be able to master the starburst effect while maintaining image quality.

Here is an example of the effect from my last weekend photos.

This photo was taken at f/18, 28mm, handheld, using a Tamron 28-300 EF adapted to Canon R6.

A must watch video

 This is an excellent video that shows you the importance of light, specifically backlight, in wildlife photography. You can see beautiful pictures taken using this technique.  

 

I love incorporating backlighting in my photography as much as possible. It adds a sense of drama and depth, elevating the composition far beyond what you'd achieve with frontal lighting. The way backlighting enhances silhouettes and contrasts makes the scene more visually striking, creating mood and atmosphere that wouldn't be as impactful with the light coming from the front.

I still have a long way to go to achieve the same results as shown in the video. While it's motivating, I recognize there's a lot of practice and learning ahead for me to reach that level.

16 is the magic number

To capture a landscape photo like this, 

There are a few key steps to follow:

1. Lens Choice: While zoom lenses can work for landscape photography, a wide-angle lens is generally recommended to capture more of the scene. In the example above, I used the Tamron 28-300mm at its widest setting, 28mm. The smaller the focal length, the wider the view.
2. Camera Settings: Switch your camera mode to either Manual or Aperture Priority. This gives you more control over your settings. Set your aperture to f/16 or higher. f/16 is ideal for achieving sharpness from the foreground all the way to the horizon. Aperture values between f/16 and f/21 will help with this task, while still allowing you to keep your ISO as low as possible to minimize noise.
3. Post-Processing: After shooting, use editing software like Lightroom to slightly enhance the saturation and contrast. This will bring out the colors and give the photo more depth.
   

White Balance

White Balance is one of the most important settings in your camera and the below video explains why in a very comprehensive way. 

I got lucky this weekend

 This weekend, I photographed a Speckled Pigeon— a bird I never expected to see in Florida.

 

Normally, this pigeon is found in Africa, so it seems likely that it either escaped from a private owner or a zoo. It's a beautiful bird, isn't it?