Original Article from Riaan Roux Photography
In photography “Bokeh” describes the blurring or hazing effect that is created in the background of your image while retaining focus on a foreground object. Many people try to achieve this effect without success or do so haphazardly. There is a common misconception that you need a long zoom lens to [...]
You’ll be very happy to know that this is a super short tutorial compared to some of our other tutorials….and that can only mean ONE thing! That photographing a Christmas tree (or those beautiful sparkling Christmas lights they put up in the streets) is really easy!
Obviously the idea is to photograph them and make it look great! [...]
Lightroom is a fantastic tool that lets photographers make basic, fast and easy changes to their photographs including a huge array of presets which, with one click of a button, turns your photos into a beautifully edited image.
The first step is to import your image/s into Lightroom. If you are using Lightroom 3 you select: [...]
Bokeh (from the Japanese word, bokase, meaning to blur or smudge) pronounced Bo-Keh is the part of your photograph that is out of focus.
Usually in the background behind your main subject.
The quality, smoothness and even-look of your bokeh can determined the quality of the lens you are using. A cheaper lens will created bokeh that [...]
Chris Hitchcock has made a very valid argument for shooting in RAW. He shares with us how this has helped in a situation where he would otherwise have lost the photo…
This is why I shoot in RAW. The Pocketwizard controlled remote flash failed to fire (because I didn’t seat the trigger on the camera properly), [...]
I love to merge numerous photos because you can create beautiful panoramic landscapes without needing any special lenses. This merging technique can be done with any photos, even cell phone photos, as long as you have Photoshop
Keep in mind that while you can merge as many photos as you like, the more you merge the [...]
When the light begins to fade, and most photographers begin to pop up their flashes or reach for their speedlites, some more adventurous photographers begin to plot their long exposure images.
The absence of light is probably the biggest of many challenges for most forms of photography, but for the long exposure junkie, it is [...]
I know that when you are presented with a beautiful scene the first thing you need to do before clicking away and capturing gorgeous photographs is to get your exposure settings right. Without the right exposure settings your images are going to be over exposed or under exposed or just plain dull, lacking the saturation [...]
After a number of requests it would appear that this is something quite a few people wanted to know how to do properly, so here it is: How to remove colour from your image but keep one colour visible.
This method uses layer masks. Don’t worry - it’s very easy!
The reason we use this method is [...]
SAcamera only lists brands with high reliability, environmental resistance and quality, so the three most important specs to look at are capacity, speed and class and if it’s a compact flash card, then fourthly whether it uses UDMA.
Speed
Speed can either be expressed in a number (eg. 133x) or in transfer rate (20mb/sec). For compact and [...]
Memory Card video cameras are ultimately the future and hard-drive video cameras will disappear from production in the near future. This is because hard-drives have only had one advantage over solid state memory – cheap memory capacity. As of late 2010, a 32GB memory card suitable for full high definition costs about R2200 and capacities [...]
People choose advanced digital cameras because they offer better than compact image quality pictures and a simple one lens solution in a relatively compact body. So the two most important starting criteria are size of zoom and size of camera.
Start with the size of the zoom.
There are generally two classes of zoom.
One is [...]
I decided to try something a little unusual the other day and it came out really well so now I am sharing it with you.
It’s just for fun and takes about 15 minutes to put together on Photoshop and is actually super easy!
So here it is ~Step by Step ~ how to turn a day [...]
Your on-camera flash might not be the most ideal way to light your scene, but sometimes it is all you have so it is a good idea to learn to make the most of it.
A lot of the time the on-camera flash will spit out lighting that is too harsh and too directed; this results [...]
We have been hosting a number of Photography Competition’s and Challenges and we thought it would be a good idea to let you know what it is we look for in a winning photo.
These are not rules - they are just guidelines to help you when you are deciding which photo you want to submit [...]
Scrapbooking is a very popular hobby and a great way to share and store photos. With the modern photographer having all their photos in digital format it seems like a logical step to start scrapbooking in digital format too!
Scrapbooking can also be really messy and expensive - digital scrapbooking means no paper clippings and glue [...]
There are many tutorials aimed at helping a career photographer take great photographs of children.
But how do you approach the challenge if the little ones are your own.
There are now no time constraints and you can take the photos in pretty much any setting as it isn’t just a once off photo-shoot. But how do [...]
QUICK LIST
1 Decide on the build.
- Roof or Porro: it’s a matter of taste and transport consideration
- Compact, mid-size or full-size
- Rugged and heavy or lightweight and streamlined : Consider whether you’ll be observing for long periods that will be uncomfortable if heavy and whether the activity requires extra protection. Waterproof binoculars are necessary for [...]
Although they look the same, your eyes usually are not. One is a little weaker, one is a little stronger and so the story goes. Even if you don’t have to wear corrective glasses, there are usually small differences. The great thing is that binoculars can adjust for this so that you truly view the [...]
For all you Photoshop Fanatics out there who haven’t really gotten around to learning how to use the program, you are missing out on a world of fun! Photoshop is the photographers Dark Room! How you ‘develop’ your photo in Photoshop defines your style as a photographer. Learn to use it and you will wonder [...]
We have chatted before about how you should take your photograph in colour even if you want it in black and white – and then convert it to black and white afterwards. The reason for this is that the methods you can use to convert your image to black and white are endless and you [...]
This is a great print for your bedroom wall & a fun project to do.
Step one:
pick your photo. Preferably a portrait of some sort. I have chosen a portrait of Oliver, the photograph was taken by Louise Olivier and this is her dog:)
Step two:
Opening the photo in Photoshop I first need to remove the background. [...]
Here is a super easy, very quick and funky photo-effect to try out.
Open one of your photographs in Photoshop > the first step is to desaturate the image (take out all the colour).
Image > Adjustments > Desaturate.
Now you need to open your curves window. Image > Adjustments > Curves.
Make your curves graph look like this:
With [...]
When it comes to landscape and scenery photos the sky can make or break your image and as we all know, there is no way to guarantee a perfect sky even if the weather man says it will be so!
It is very easy to find your scene and say “lets come back another day” when [...]
Here is something fun to try!
You will need three images.
One of a person with an interesting expression. I chose a bald man as it makes the whole thing a lot easier – but you can actually make anyone bald so if you want to use a picture of someone you know it’s also pretty easy. [...]
Taking great photos of your family and friends is a really easy project and you can get a professional look in your own home without spending a fortune on studio equipment (in fact you might not have to spend anything at all!)
Let’s say that your kids are growing up too fast or you grandchildren or [...]
Of course there really is no right and wrong when it comes to your own taste in photography, but it is nice to have a full understanding of the different styles that a change in your exposure setting can create so that when you make your choice of preferred settings you are doing so with [...]
This is a great tutorial to play around with and teaches you a lot about layers. If you are nervous about using layers in Photoshop then this tutorial should get you around that.
You will need four pictures.
1. A photo of a brick wall (any plain brick wall will do)
2. a head shot - go wild [...]
I have a number of friends in an assortment of various bands who often play live in clubs and bars with interesting lighting and smokey effects wafting around and every time I watch them play I stand there thinking that I wish I had brought my camera! So eventually, not able to resist a moment [...]
Something you might not have known was possible! You can taken a black and white photo and colour it using Adobe Photoshop.
It’s fun and super easy and you get to pick all the colours you want.
Open you image in Photoshop.
Create a new layer above your black and white image by selecting Layer > New Layer
A [...]
Your first thought might be WHY?
But to be honest there are a ton of great reasons to be making your own Photoshop brush. I would say the most useful one is as a signature for you photos. Other than that the possibilities are endless.
For now, I will show you how to make a signature for [...]
Photoshop to the rescue!
With summer around the corner we’ll soon be soaking up the sun! Unfortunately for some of us (like me!) our skin doesn’t really know how to go golden brown and we just end up looking like a lobster at a tomato festival glowing various shades of red and pink. Then to top [...]
Drinking too much coffee? Well there is no need to not smile anymore for photos because now you can fix up the yellow coffee stains on your teeth very easily.
First step as always, is to open your image in Photoshop.
Below your layers menu click on the little half white half black circle [...]
Your Photoshop brushes are not only used in the traditional sense of how a paint brush can be used. Your brush also acts as a stamp to add interesting shapes or pattern and textures to your images.
Using a brush is very easy. With your image open in Photoshop select your brush tool from the tools [...]
No…I’m not going crazy. and no I am not the first one to make the suggestion. While the notion sounds completely ridiculous you will actually find, after playing around with the idea yourself, that there is logic and grace behind the act.
I recently took a trip with my family to the Kirstenbosch Gardens. It was [...]
We found this great article online about landscape photography and thought we should share it!
_____________________________________________________________________________
A landscape is a section or portion of scenery as seen from a single viewpoint. Scenery is the subject of a landscape image. Typically, people and animals are not shown in a landscape, unless they are relatively small in the image [...]
I’m sure that some of you have seen the ‘joke’ videos going around which sarcastically announce how amazing Content-Aware delete is in Photoshop CS5. Needless to say - having had a few giggles at some of the videos I was rather excited to give this oh-so-fantastic feature a try!
Well, let me tell you, I was [...]
Here are an assortment of examples of effects you can apply to any image in Photoshop in a matter of seconds!
Original image:
Various Effects:
So you took a fantastic photo and were very disappointed when you got home to find out that it was a little blurred.
There is hope - IF it isn’t blurred too badly - this might work for you.
This feature in Photoshop also helps to bring out detail or texture in an image. Try it on [...]
________________________________________________________________
This great effect takes about 30 minutes to create and can add such an incredible dimension to your photograph! Definately a fantastic effect to use if you are making someone a birthday card!
Open your image in Photoshop.
Right click your background layer and select “duplicate layer”
Then double click your background layer and when the new layer [...]
If you have a photograph where your white balance is not right and you have an unwanted colour cast on the image then curves are a very quick and easy way to fix this.
Open your image in Photoshop.
At the bottom of your layers menu select the half white half black circle - from the menu [...]
This tutorial assumes a basic knowledge of Photoshop. If you aren’t sure what a healing tool is (for example) then take a look at our previous Photoshop lessons to familiarise yourself with the very basic techniques which we use in this tutorial.
Yup, it’s possible! With patience and care you can turn your photos into images [...]
Try this one with a very simple image the first time you do it, maybe something with a plain single colour background (like the image I have chosen to work with in this example).
Open your image in Photoshop.
Increase your canvas size to double the length that it is now. (Image > Canvas Size - make [...]
Here is a fun and funky effect to try with your photos in Photoshop. You could use it on a friends birthday card or maybe a holiday greeting card!
Open you image in Photoshop.
Right click on your background layer in your layers menu and “duplicate layer”
Then click back onto your background layer - press Ctrl+A (select [...]
Not all of us have access to an off camera flash in order to create some dramatic lighting effects in our images, but luckily for those of us who want to try out special lighting on our photos Photoshop comes to the rescue and we are able to carefully manipulate and place a lighting source [...]
Abstract photography focuses on the photographer being able aware of angles, colours, shapes and textures in the scenes that they are photographing.
These abstract subjects could be in the most obvious places sometimes and other times we have to go hunting for them.
Careful zooming and tactfully angling your camera can render an everyday object completely unrecognizable [...]
You are going to love this one! It’s the perfect Photoshop tool for when the camera caught you at a bad angle and you just couldn’t possible share that photo with anyone…in fact….all of those glamour models in the fashion magazines that line the shelves of our shops – if you think they really have [...]
Sometimes trying to achieve the best exposure in your photography can drive you mental while you fight with the various settings wandering what should be where.
In this article I want to give you a very basic understanding of how you can achieve the correct exposure in your pictures.
There are two key elements that work together in [...]
You must be a member to upload a video to YouTube. Membership is free and really easy. Just click on ‘Sign Up’ at the top of the page and fill in your information on the form that pops up. YouTube will send you a confirmation email when you are done and once you have confirmed [...]
After recording a couple of video clips on the Sony Bloggie I set out to bring them all together in a little home made movie.
My first comment is that Adobe Premier Elements is super easy to use!
You don’t need any previous video editing experience in order to have great fun using all the features in Adobe [...]
The feeling and reaction that viewers feel when they watching your video is evoked not only from the actors and actions but also from the effects you make use of while putting your movie together.
Yes, it’s obvious when you point it out, but had it not been mentioned. You might not have realized that your [...]
Looking at your photographs, can you see your own personal style showing through? Can you stand back and say ‘yes, my photo style is unique’?
A creative photographer has one great way of grabbing a WOW factor from their viewers. It’s a lot easier than you think.
Take something that hundreds of people see every day and [...]
Flattering faces
Profile pictures are popping up all over the Web: Flickr, Facebook, Google, Amazon, you name it. If you want your profile to stand out from the crowd, your pictures should give people a peek at your personality. Here are some tips on how to have fun with your photos.
Share the Inspiration:
“I wanted to create [...]
I have survived with my kit lens through many a fantastic photo opportunity. We have been through a lot together and produced some incredible images, so in no way am I saying skip your kit lens or throw it aside…because my kit lens is great. The real question is, can I carry on with just [...]
Contre~Jour; meaning ‘Against the Light’.
Contre-Jour photography places the light behind the subject, turning the subject into a silhouette.
Silhoette photography is much more about shapes and patterns that it is about recreating a given scene.
Here is how you achieve Contre-Jour photography:
The first obvious step is for you to place your subject in-between yourself and your light [...]
We’ve all seen those adverts where an estate agents manages to make a cardboard box apartment look like the penthouse suite of a five star hotel. The art is in the photography.
Interior photography can be a bit tricky because lighting is an issue and if your outside lighting is very different from your inside lighting [...]
It is so easy to get caught up in the excitement of a photo shoot or the adventure of an outing with friends and family. It’s so easy to get caught up and forget to check your camera settings while you are smiling and snapping away.
The result – you will find – as you check [...]
The Rule of Thirds is to photography what The Golden Ratio is to life.
How you compose and structure your subject and details within your frame will make or break your photograph
______________________________________________
Attending photography school or classes, you would find that one of the first things you are taught is The Rule of Thirds.
The manner in which [...]
To anyone but a food photographer, it might seem really odd to whip out your camera and start snapping away at your dinner before you eat it… but there are many reasons why you would want to take photos of a patiently created dish.
Perhaps you are making a scrap book of all your recipes? Or you [...]
Long exposure happens to be one of my favorite forms of creative photography. Of course I believe that all photography is creative, but long exposure gives you that extra sense of expression. Instead of aiming for the ‘perfect setting’ and the ‘perfect shot’ you are now free to create that shot the same way a [...]
Yip, it’s true! I was really excited when I came across the instructions (you see it really does pay to read your cameras manual) on how to take a series of shots which can be turned into a High Dynamic Range image.
What is a High Dynamic Range image?
In wikipedia words: “techniques that allow a greater [...]
(USING MICROSOFT OFFICE PICTURE MANAGER)
We know that size really does count when you are trying to upload one of your photographs to a website or you are trying to email it to a friend but it is way to big and it’s just sitting in your outbox while your computer tries hard not to crash….and [...]
Naturally, with your enthusiastic photography hobby or professional career, you are envisioning yourself taking high action, well composed, crisp, bright pictures that not only capture the moment but also the atmosphere in the stadium and the incredible feeling that you have at the moment of taking the photograph. You want to be able to look [...]
Your heart beats a little faster and a wave of butterflies hit your stomach every time you look your ticket. The ticket, like a golden invite, says that in a few short weeks, on a very particular day, you are going to find yourself sitting in one of the glorious stadiums, about to experience an [...]
With the FIFA soccer games of 2010 just around the corner, it makes sense to start preparing yourself now. If you plan to be going home with a camera load of glorious pictures after the event, then best take note of these tips that will help you achieve soccer photos that are above the norm!
File [...]
Macro photography is photography that magnifies the smallest of subjects so that they fill your view finder and reveal all of their gorgeous little details to you.
Macro Photography and Close-Up Photography are different, even though they will sometimes achieve the same result. Macro Photography makes use of a Macro Lens (not all lenses are capable [...]
There are, of course, hundreds of ways to add a frame in Photoshop as well as an infinite possibility of different types of frames, but for now I will talk you through one very simple frame and then tell you how to add a title or your name to the frame.
Open your image in Photoshop.
Now [...]
You have learnt in a previous lesson how to adjust your brightness and contrast settings and sometimes you aren’t sure if maybe you are overdoing or underdoing the effect. This is where something like Curves can assist you in achieving a more natural and controlled adjustment.
Open you image in Photoshop and underneath your layers window [...]
Photoshop Lesson 8 | Toning an Image
Whether you are starting with a colour image or a black and white image you can change the tone of your image really easily. You can change a photo from black and white to black and sepia (or pink or green or blue etc) you can even go a [...]
1) You need your subject to be relaxed. This means that you need to be relaxed. If you are confident and calm – then your subject will pick up on that and mimic your emotions.
2) Get Closer to your subject. The photo is all about them after all – don’t be shy if they fill the whole [...]
So you have taken a stunning photograph in scenery you are not likely to catch again, but when you get home see the photo on your computer screen – disappointment sets in as you realize that it is overexposed. Can you save it? Actually yes. If the damage is not too great you can make [...]
I am sure that we all know the basic plus of shooting in RAW and the JPEG files respectively, but is that all there is to it?
Just incase you aren’t familiar with the terms: RAW and JPEG are two different file types and therefore most DSLR cameras come with the option of either shooting and [...]
It is a well known concept that even if your aim is to have your photograph in black and white, you should capture it in colour and then convert it to black and white using a photo editing program. The reason for this? Well it’s actually really simple!
When you take a photo in colour, you [...]
In this Photoshop tutorial I’m going to show you how to make an interesting creative effect of creating transparent clothes on woman body.
In the beginning I would like to find some picture for background where we will create our cool transparent dress effect in futuristic style. I think this one picture will be good. Open [...]
Today we are going to run through the tools in Photoshop. You’d be surprised how quickly you focus only on the ones you know and never give a second glance to the ones you don’t understand and in doing so you end up missing out on some fantastic features and options to assist you in [...]
So we have all heard of them and perhaps seen them, but what do they do and how can they help your photography?
Apart from the obvious creative side to using colour filters, they are really helpful in overcoming certain natural problems with lighting. There have been many arguments between al’natural photographers and what one might [...]
Most beginners assume that you need video on your camera in order to capture lightening…that you would record and then select the frame with the best shot. While this would work, it is certainly not the most effective way.
So here is how it’s done:
What will you need?
Your SLR camera, a tripod, a remote control (not [...]
It is rather important to understand layers when working with Photoshop as they give you the freedom to do extensive editing without any change to your original image.
Let’s get right into it. Open your image in Photoshop. With the workspace set to default view your layers are in the bottom right corner of your screen. [...]
If you want to spice up some bland photos or add some intense colours to one or even tone down some of the colours…then you need to spend some time playing with your hue and saturation.
First of all, let me define what each of them does.
Hue:
Adjusting the hue of your image is going to select [...]
In this lesson you are going to learn how to increase and decrease both the contrast and the brightness of your image. This feature can be used to create some interesting moods in your shots.
Step one, as always, is to open your image in Photoshop.
With your workspace set to default view (window / workspace / [...]
So you have taken the most beautiful photograph of the beach and the setting is perfect! …except for that random person wandering into your frame at the most inappropriate moment! What to do!
It’s not as hard as you might think to rectify the problem. You just have to wave a magic photoshop wand on that [...]
Your camera is a very delicate and intricate piece of equipment as well as a long term investement. All investments need to be protected and look after in order for them to last to their full potential. If you don’t look after your camera, not only will you experience disappointment when it is damaged, but [...]
Long exposure shots are creative ways of capturing moving subjects or scenery and creating on-purpose-blur while keeping various aspects of the image in perfect focus. I’m sure you’ve seen those creative images of a city scene taken from above at night and the car lights are converted into long streaks of colour along an otherwise [...]
You have to wonder, how is it that no one had actually thought of putting a projector into a camera before? And how amazing it must have been when tippex first hit the shelves (then it was called Mistake Out and Liquid Paper).
Today, the idea of tippex, sliced bread and wheels are all obvious and [...]
1. Create a ‘Shot List’
Get the couple to think ahead about the shots that they’d like you to capture on the day and compile a list so that you can check them off. This is particularly helpful in the family shots. There’s nothing worse than getting the photos back and realizing you didn’t photograph the [...]
Next week I will be chatting about long exposure and how you can achieve some creative and fantastic photographs.
To get you in the mood, visit this link of long exposuse shots.
Are you looking for a creative way to photograph your child in their school play and have them stand out?
Or maybe you want to take a photograph of a subject in a confusing background without the background distracting from the focal point of your image?
You need to become more acquainted with your aperture settings.
We have [...]
If you are only going to have one filter in your camera bag - make it a polarized one.
The Polorized filter is like the lucky packet of filters as it has so many positive effects on your images.
What does it do?
Ups the contrast: a picture of a blue sky with white clouds will have more [...]
Picture this: you are standing on a beach with you camera slung around your neck and a golden-red sunset is playing out before your eyes. You want to make sure that you are capturing the moment in absolute perfection so you are playing with the aperture and shutter speed settings to try and ensure the [...]
The Camera Dial, it doesn’t need to look as daunting as it does! Below is a brief, detailed explination on what each of those little pictures mean. This will help any beginner photographer gain more understanding and allow them to become more adventurous, stepping away from Automatic Mode!
Program Mode (1)
Both the aperture and the shutter [...]
Do you want to learn to take the most breathe taking images on your wildlife safari holiday? Here are 6 excellent tips to get you headed in the right direction.
Tip # 1
Put yourself into the world of the animal you are photographing. The best way to do this is to be eye level with your [...]
Getting good pictures of children is often easier said than done. We offer techniques and camera settings to help you take better photos of those precious little ones.
Two of the most important things to remember: be patient and take plenty of shots.
One of the secrets of success for professionals who photograph children is that they [...]
In this article we’ll be covering beginners tips on using your telescope including planning, researching, preserving your night vision, finding your object and clearing optics. With these simple tips, you’ll be on your way to enjoying and improving your telescoping experience.
Planning
Set your telescope up on nights that have no to low wind or use a [...]
Your choice in telescope depends on 4 factors: what you’d like to be able to see; what level of knowledge you have of the stars; whether you plan to take it on trips and how much you want to spend.
Your Knowledge of the Stars – Computerised or non-computerised telescopes
You are a beginner and really only [...]
A special thanks to Sean Billings for contributing this post. Sean is a Personal Photographic Trainer.
A bit about Sean:
I have been in the photographic industry for 9 years.
I studied Professional Photography in Cape Town in 2000 before a stint as a freelance photographer, shooting functions and fine art.
I spent 2 years as a professional photographer [...]
Going on a safari anywhere in Africa is a unique and memorable experience. Few of us ever get to go more than once. Even fewer get to see all of the ‘Big 5′ in a single trip. Imagine going on a safari (and paying a substantial sum of money to do so) and not having [...]
Taking Better Holiday Videos
Camcorders are getting smaller, mostly as a result of the trend toward solid state memory recording systems that use SD cards to store footage rather than tape, dvd or hard drive. As they become ever more pocket-fitting and as broadband bandwidth increases, posting videos onto social media sites like Facebook is likely [...]
Good landscape photography requires time, patience, a good eye for spotting contrast and framing, and sometimes a fair dose of luck. If you’re dedicated to it as a hobby or profession, you could well plan your entire day around finding the right vantage point and waiting for the perfect time of day or pattern in the sky to get a priceless shot. If you’re a photography enthusiast in general and travelling to a country or area reknown for its natural beauty, you might not have the time or inclination to do this, but you can still pull off some great shots on the go by good application of equipment and technique. All the pictures accompanying this article were shot on location in Namibia in the context of travelling with minimal time at each stop.
Many articles on sports photography will emphasize the importance of high end gear as a necessity of sports photography and to some extent that’s true. Sports photography, like wedding and event photography, has proportionally more reliance on the quality of the equipment you have than on your vision, technical knowledge and inventiveness.
When you’re a photographic student or a serious enthusiast you have to take a more long term view to choosing a photographic system. You may replace the camera body itself while still in your student days or even early on in your career, but your lenses and some of your accessories are assets that could well last a life-time. Unlike the casual hobbyist, you have professional aspirations or needs and you’ll want to keep as many options open, as well as the capability to pursue the depths of a professional specialisation with all the bells and whistles at hand.
Welcome to SAcamera’s Blog. We’ve decided to structure it as a resource for our customers to learn more about photography and the hardware and software available on the market. We update the blog regularly with Events, News, Reviews, Pro Hints and Tips, Tech Talk and your photographs.
SAcamera was established over 5 years ago by photo/video enthusiasts passionate about providing fellow hobbyists, amateurs and professionals with the most efficient and cost-effective way of buying photo/video equipment.
© 2009-2010 All Rights Reserved
