richard harrington

All posts tagged richard harrington

When to Use a Remote or Shutter Release

Posted by Richard Harrington on April 3, 2013
Posted in: Technique & Tutorials. Tagged: , , , . 1 comment

remote_release

When making a long exposure, it’s really easy to keep the shutter open for a lengthy time period.  This might be because you want to shoot in lower light or to pull off an exposure which stretches time out a bit.  In either case, the chance of seeing streaking is increased.

Using a cable release (or your self-timer if you don’t have a cable release) will help reduce camera shake. A remote can be wireless or connected via a cable. A remote may have additional features such as an intervalometer for time-lapse shooting or the ability to adjust camera settings. If you’re choosing one for HDR or landscape, a basic model will do.

The goal is to reduce the amount of camera shake. Some of this is caused by touching the camera body. Additionally, if you use an SLR camera, lock up your mirror at speeds between one second and 1/60th of a second to eliminate mirror flap, another common cause of vibration. If you forgot your cable release or remote but don’t want to induce vibration with your finger tripping the shutter, use your camera’s self timer.

 

_______

 
This Post Sponsored by:

lynda.com Learn photography anytime, anywhere, and at your own pace—from bite-sized tutorials to comprehensive courses. Try lynda.com free for 10 days by visiting lynda.com/ Photofocus.

Skip Cohen University Professional photo education for wedding & portrait photographers.

The Topaz Labs Image Enhancement bundle. Open up a world of creative possibilities with a seamless, integrated workflow. You don’t need to be a Photoshop wizard to look like one.

Gigapan.com. The revolutionary GigaPan EPIC robotic camera mount lets you capture and combine thousands of images into one incredible, interactive panorama. Save 10% with the code PHOTOFOCUS.

Drobo - Not only is Drobo 5D fast, but it’s easy-to-use, expandable, flexible, and protected.

Gradient Maps — A Mysterious Feature Gives Beautiful Results

Posted by Richard Harrington on March 12, 2013
Posted in: Screencast. Tagged: , , . 2 comments

Follow Rich on Twitter.

Would you like to get great looking toned images? The gradient map is a little used feature with a lot of power inside Photoshop.
_______

This Post Sponsored by:

lynda.com Learn photography anytime, anywhere, and at your own pace—from bite-sized tutorials to comprehensive courses. Try lynda.com free for 10 days by visiting lynda.com/​Photofocus.

Skip Cohen University Professional photo education for wedding & portrait photographers.

ThingLink offers an interactive, online photo experience like nothing you’ve seen before. Join for free.

Drobo – Not only is Drobo 5D fast, but it’s easy-to-use, expandable, flexible, and protected.

Playing Fair In Business

Posted by Richard Harrington on March 10, 2013
Posted in: Opinion, Tips. Tagged: , , . 4 comments

©iStockphoto

©iStockphoto


Creative professionals are facing a wealth of problems when it comes to pricing. I have found that many are running  a race to the bottom.  Gear keeps getting cheaper, which is a good thing in many ways.  The problem lies in the cost barrier.

Being a professional used to have a certain barrier to entry with gear, computers, and software creating a certain threshold of investment.  These days most of those restrictions are gone. Add to this sudden influx hundreds of schools pumping out graduates and you have a cluttered workplace.

I do not say the above to be protectionist or confrontational.  The fact is that the photo, video, and design industries needs to evolve and will benefit from fresh talent and fresh ideas. Just don’t piss in the pool after you jump in. Take a look around you and see what business practices others are following.  Here are a few that I wish more would follow for the good of all:

  • Price fairly – Different businesses will need to charge differently for their services.  Still, be sure you price services so you can survive for the long term.  Be consistent with your prices and be sure to cover related costs like insurance, and equipment.
  • Don’t do spec work – There is a lot of pressure to do unpaid work.  Taking spec jobs to prove yourself or show interest in a client really only shows desperation.  Look at other professions; they don’t face these same pressures.  If you truly need to expand your portfolio, seek out legitimate nonprofit organizations and make a donation of your time and skill. You can also take on personal projects and expand your portfolio through self-funded projects that are deigned to show you in the best light.
  • Don’t badmouth your competition – Your only true competition is yourself. Speaking ill of your peers will only lower the standards of the industry as a whole.
  • Your problems are your problems – Always pay your subcontractors (even if you haven’t received client payment). Similarly, you should not accept excuses from others above you in the client chain due to delayed payments.  Make sure you responsibly keep payments flowing to those you hire.
  • Act more like a lawyer and less like an artist – I’m not saying shelve your creativity… but remember that you are a trained professional with a code of conduct. You need to remember the important aspects of client management, professional communication, and ethical business practices if you want to succeed  for the long term.

_______

This Post Sponsored by:

lynda.com Learn photography anytime, anywhere, and at your own pace—from bite-sized tutorials to comprehensive courses. Try lynda.com free for 10 days by visiting lynda.com/​Photofocus.

Skip Cohen University Professional photo education for wedding & portrait photographers.

ThingLink offers an interactive, online photo experience like nothing you’ve seen before. Join for free.

Drobo – Not only is Drobo 5D fast, but it’s easy-to-use, expandable, flexible, and protected.

Quick Tips for Shooting Panoramic Photos Right

Posted by Richard Harrington on November 13, 2012
Posted in: Tips. Tagged: , , , , , .
A Ballhead from Really Right Stuff

Post by Richard Harrington

Here are five quick tips to get you up and running as a panoramic photographer: 

  1. For best results use a tripod. All the pros know that it’s better to use a tripod as a stable platform.  This lets you slightly move the camera to create overlap. Because the camera is steady, you’ll get sharper focus and quicker stitching.
  2. For even better results, get a tripod head that rotates and has degree markers. There are even specialized tripod heads that you can purchase that make leveling and rotation much more precise. Look for a head that has degree markers so you can precisely turn the camera.
  3. Set the camera into a portrait aspect ratio. You may want to pick up an L-plate to make it easier to rotate your camera.
  4. Switch the camera out of auto mode and lock the exposure.  This will help minimize the amount of changes as the camera pans. The last thing you want is the exposure to vary across the panoramic image.
  5. Make sure there is at least a 15% overlap between each shot.    Depending upon the type of lens you use, you will use between 2 and 24 exposures.  More exposures mean less distortion and cleaner panoramic photos.

While there are other things you could consider, these five are important enough that you should look at them first. Happy panoramic shooting.

_______
This Post Sponsored by:
Viewbug – Fun Photo Contests
EPSON® Signature Worthy®. High-quality fine art papers. Learn more at PROIMAGING.EPSON.COM
Kelby Training – Use code KTSBA12 to save $20
Ice Society – Save $115 Promo Code: Bourne

How To Pick The Best Layout Method Using Photoshop’s Photo Merge Command

Posted by scottbourne on September 8, 2012
Posted in: Tips. Tagged: , .

Post by Richard Harrington – Follow Rich on Twitter

The Auto and the Perspective method offer dramatically different Photomerge results. We stick with Auto for the first attempt.

The Photomerge command offers six different layout options when creating a panoramic photo. Each method interprets the panoramic photos differently.  We often try to run multiple methods to see which produces the best results. A good place to start is Auto, which attempts to align the images but will bend them as needed.

  • Auto: With this method, Photoshop first analyzes your source images.  It then applies either the Perspective, Cylindrical, and Spherical layout option.  Photoshop attempts to choose which method to use that will produce a better Photomerge.
  • Perspective: This method creates a composition by designating one of the source images as the center of the panoramic image.  Photoshop generally picks the middle image, then transforms the other images around it.  Photoshop will stretch and skew images as needed to overlap the layers and blend them together.
  • Cylindrical: The cylindrical layout option works best for creating very wide panoramic images. The source images are overlapped in a way that looks like an unfolded cylinder.
  • Spherical: The spherical option is best suited for 360-degree panoramas.  The images are mapped to the inside of a sphere and can create a seamless image for use in specialty applications like multimedia or animation.
  • Collage: This method only changes rotation or scale in order to overlap the content.
  • Reposition: This method only changes the alignment of images, but does not transform (stretch or skew) any of the source layers.

_______
This Post Sponsored by:
Viewbug - Fun Photo Contests
Kelby Training – Use code KTSBA12 to save $20
BorrowLenses.com – Renting Canon, Nikon, Olympus & Sony, bodies, lenses, etc.
SmugMug – Professional Photo Sharing
Digital SLR Store - Cameras, lenses, accessories and everything else.

Photofocus Podcast June 25 Edition with Eddie Tapp

Posted by Richard Harrington on June 25, 2012
Posted in: Audio Podcast. Tagged: , , , , .

NOTE NOTE NOTE NOTE NOTE: The Photofocus Podcast Feed HAS CHANGED!

Here is the new feed: feed://feeds.feedburner.com/photofocuspodcast

PLEASE BE PATIENT – OUR SERVERS SEE LARGE LOADS ON PUBLISHING DAYS. THE DOWNLOADS MAY GO SLOWLY BUT THEY WILL FINISH.

Host Rich Harrington interviews Eddie Tapp about his photography and digital imaging career:

  • Why Eddie switched to digital in 1993
  • What excites him in 2012 about digital photography
  • How he mixes styles and looks for inspiration
  • The role of post-processing
  • Favorite photogs digital artists
  • Advice for people starting out
  • Advice on going pro
  • Eddie’s favorite places to shoot

A gifted photographer and artist, Eddie Tapp has become a tireless educator for professional photographers and a prominent figure in the world of digital imaging. His digital imaging seminars have been hosted around the world, and he’s a regular consultant to businesses large and small. Today, he’s recognized as one of the top experts on digital photography and Photoshop in the world. With a reputation as an authority on workflow, color management, calibration and Photoshop, he is associated with Adobe Systems along with some of the world’s most prominent photographic manufacturers and distributors.

Download episode here…

Sorry we’re no longer providing show notes.

Hosted by Rich Harrington & Scott Bourne

_______

This Post Sponsored by:
Viewbug - Fun Photo Contests
Kelby Training - Use code KTSBA12 to save $20
BorrowLenses.com - Renting Canon, Nikon, Olympus & Sony, bodies, lenses, etc.
SmugMug - Professional Photo Sharing
Digital SLR Store - Cameras, lenses, accessories and everything else.