Learning photography – Page 5

What is banding in photography?

Transitions

Banding is when the gradual transition from light to dark is not represented in a smooth and gradual way in the image, but rather abrupt changes from one level to another. It often happens in bands, just like you can see a height curve on a map. So that beautiful setting sun is not so beautiful, as the sky above it is shown as bands of red, orange and yellow!

Image with banding. — Left: Exported with a image quality of 10%, right: ditto at 100%. The banding is visible in the image left as lines tilting to the left.

On this homepage you will find a lot of banding going on, and that is because I have to export the images highly compressed to support fast load time.

Black and white image with banding — Banding is not for colors only. Here the same image as before, but zoomed in a bit more ad converted to B&W. Banding is just as visible in the shades of grey as it is in colors.

So banding is very often caused by compression, i.e. that a JPG image is throwing away too much information as it compresses the file to save space. Being a bit of a photo nerd, I often notice banding then I watch a movie on my 48″ LG TV, and I think the banding also here is caused by compression.

Banding is easy to see when a color is transitioning slowly from dark to light, but it is just as noticeable in black and white (see above).

Resolution

Banding is not because the image has too little resolution, but because the information stored to reproduce each pixel is too little. So a fix can be to make sure the images are stored with 16-bits of information per channel rather than 8-bits, i.e. to shoot in RAW or TIFF formats and make sure the information per channel is 16-bits. However, the issue with banding is often not at the source, but when exporting it to JPGs and my best advice here is to go as light as possible with the compression.

Another fix is to introduce a bit of noise when editing the image, so the noise acts as details added to the image and hence softens the transition along the banding. This can be a good strategy if your image is created with too little information per pixel.

You can get into some very technical discussion around banding and why it happens and some photographers are very frustrated to find banding in their prints that is not on screen etc. I am no expert here and do not have all the answers. My ambition here was just to give some insights to what banding is and a few high level fixes should it come your way.

Is JPG a bad format for photography?

RAW!

You will often hear experienced photographers talk about the JPG file format as a bad thing and RAW as the way to go. But I think there is a nuance to this: horses for courses.

It is true that JPGs are more “locked in” in terms of what you can do in post processing. Some have described RAW as the ingredients in a meal, and the JPG as the cooked food, and the comparison is not that bad. The RAW format gives more headroom in recovering details from bright highlights and dark shadows and you can also do much more editing if colors and white balance etc than JPG allows. And the quality of the JPG file is subject to the in camera processing of the image and hence the quality of the software in the camera.

But it comes with a price, and the price is disk space or storage space. RAW files store a lot more information per pixel than a JPG does, and this is why JPG files are so popular on the web where fast load times are a key factor. The resolution of a RAW image and a JPG image is the same, but the amount of information stored per pixel in the RAW format is much more than the JPG. Also, the JPG file will be subject to compression where a lot of information can also be lost.

So to say that RAW is good and JPG is bad is to simplified. Sometimes you just don’t need all the flexibility that a RAW file offers, and if you shoot a lot of images the amount of space saved can be significant. Also, if you plan to use the images as JPGs because they need to be small, shooting in JPG directly saves you the conversion from RAW to JPG in post processing. So you may save both time and storage.

I often shoot JPG when I have a very controlled environment like a studio with flashes in a tethered setup where the image is loaded directly into Lightroom for viewing large scale. Here I can quickly see if the colors and metering is spot on or not and adjust accordingly. Where I need the RAW file flexibility is when more variables are not under my control. Like when shooting in low light or shooting into the sun. Here I prefer the headroom in post processing that RAW files give.

What is a softbox in photography?

Soft light

So a softbox is a device that gives soft light, right? Well, yes and no. A soft box is a light modifier, intended to make the size of the light source bigger. And all things equal, when the light source gets bigger relative to the subject, the light gets softer. And then the softbox also helps making the best use of the light by redirecting the light that would otherwise not have hit the subject.

Softbox example

Softboxes can be used for both steady light and flash light, but in the following I will assume that we are talking flashlight.

A softbox from Godox. The front fabric is all lit up when the flash fires.

Bigger softboxes are often made as a umbrella like construction, where a set of wires defines the shape of the box. And just like an umbrella, the softbox can be folded to take up very little space when not in use. In my case the softbox is square, but many other shapes can be found.

Inside the softbox the sides of the softbox is fitted with reflective material to make the best use of the light. On the front of the softbox a white fabric is mounted and this is all lit up when the flash fires.

My softbox from Godox is also fitted with a diffuser fabric in the middle so the flash fires straight into the first layer of fabric than then diffuses the light and makes sure the light is distributed evenly within the softbox to make the final light on the front as even as possible. The ideal softbox gives a evenly lit up surface on the front of the softbox – if your softbox does a bad job here, you will see that the light is stronger in the centre than in the corners.

The rear of the softbox typically has a Bowens interface that allows you to mount the softbox directly to most light systems. In my case I used the supplied holder shown above, that connects with the softbox via the 3 pins in the Bowens interface and to the stand via a locking mechanism. In the centre of the ring above, the flash is mounted and of course it needs to be radio controlled (or in optical slave mode).

Why a softbox

As mentioned the softbox is intended to make the lightsource bigger and hence give more soft light. Relative to shooting through an umbrella, the soft box gives much more direction to the light and the light is also more evenly distributed.

What is optical slave mode in flash photography?

Radio constraints

Most pro photographers will tell you that getting the flash off camera will be a much better option that having it on camera, as the options for positioning the flash grows to infinite. But to do so, you either need a cable between the flash and the camera (not recommended – limited reach + cumbersome) or you will need some sort of radio communication between camera and flash.

Many modern flashes like the Godox V860III comes with radio receivers, but you may not have a transmitter to put in the hot shoe of the flash, or you may want to use an older flash as fill light and don’t want to invest in a receiver. What to do?

Optical slave mode

To the rescue comes optical slave mode. Not all flashes have this feature, but many do: in the flash there is a small unit that looks for other flashes firing and when they see one firing, they follow suit. Of course, if you have set it up to do so.

You may ask how this is possible? Well, the time the shutter is open, say 1/100th of a second, is a barn door of time for a flash, so it is plenty of time for one flash to fire, another to see it and fire shortly after, and still stay within the time when the shutter is open. Flashes are unbelievably fast!

The optical slave mode on the Godox flash is found in manual mode. Notice the S2 to the right in the LCD: It will work with a TTL controlled flash and ignore the pre-flash.

Built in flash

If you have a camera with a built in flash like the Nikon D750, you can use the built in flash to trigger the off camera flash. If the camera shoots in TTL mode (the automated flash mode), it will fire a pre-flash to measure the light and immediately after fire the flash for exposing the image. It happens so fast you won’t notice the two flashes, but your slave flash will! Therefore, you need to tell the slave flash to ignore the pre-flash and only fire when the main flash fires.

On my Godox V860III the flash has two slave modes: S1 – will fire every time a flash is seen, S2 – will fire at the second flash and hence ignore the pre-flash. So when I control the built in flash manually, I set the slave flash to S1, and when I shoot TTL, I set the slave flash to S2.

Limitations

Some say that the slave flash needs to have line of sight to the main flash, but I have been able to get the slave flash to fire even without direct line of sight. But you will need to try this out and see what works with your combination of flashes. I will say though that the slave flash will need to see a lot of light in order to be able to react, so direct line of sight is probably the safe way to go.

Another thing to notice is that the strength of the optical slave flash can only be set manually. There is no communication between the camera and the slave flash at all – only a visual signal saying: please fire! This is one of the main limitations of optical slave flashes relative to radio controlled flashes. On that note, if the camera with a built in flash is in TTL mode and the optical slave flash is set to S2, then the camera will not be able to factor in the optical slave when it meters the scene with the pre-flash, so remember to factor in the additional light using flash exposure compensation or set the strength of the optical slave flash low.

Flash in hiding — A flash in optical slave mode is hiding in the bowl!

Several flashes

If you have a trigger on the camera and a radio controlled (off camera) flash, it is still possible to use an additional flash in optical slave mode. It just reacts to the radio controlled flash. This way you can bring the radio controlled and the optical slave flashes closer to each other and hence be more sure the optical slave flash will fire.

What is the Purkinje Shift in photography?

Low light

You may have noticed that your eye works a bit differently at night than at daytime. Due to the way your eye is constructed, the colors red, yellow and orange will appear less bright relative to blue and green colors, when perceived in low light.

This can lead to some frustrations as a photographer, as your camera does not follow this logic and simply register the light as is. So what you remember to have seen at night may not be what you find when you open the image in your post processing software! The solution is to color edit the images to make the red, yellow and orange less intense so the image is better aligned to how you remember the scene.

Low light image. — At night your eyes will be better able to see green and blue relative to red and yellow.

Color composition in photography

Emotions

Colors and emotions go hand in hand like horse and carriage from that famous song by Frank Sinatra. And as such it can be used as a tool for your photography and the emotions you want to induce.

Think of a midsummer morning where the sun is just rising, filling the room you are in with warm light and long shadows. What colors do you think of? Probably yellow, orange and red. If I had asked you to think of a frosty windless winters morning, what colors would then spring to mind? Probably more cool blue or white. Filmmakers are exceptionally good at using colors to underline or emphasize a mood using colors – I often notice the color coding they use (and the music of course) to create a certain mood. In dystopian movies like Blade Runner the blue and brown colors are often dominating to underline the unsettling look into the future.

Beech leaves in the woods. — The warm and golden colors of the beech leaves are a stark contrast against the dark background made up of the trees in the wood. The effect is achieved using a flash and the effect of light falloff.

Orange leaf. — Blue and orange are complementary colors and gives a pleasing contrast.

Colors not only induce emotions, but can also be used to create patterns and connect objects that would otherwise seem without relation.

Green bokeh. — Green is often associated with nature and harmony which is probably why this image signals a calm atmosphere more than anything.

A black cat. — Sometimes less is more. The cat here is by nature black and white, and the colors of the eyes hence makes a big contrast.

Desaturated but natural colors. — The colors here are desaturated and underline the tranquil scene. The stronger the colors, the stronger the effect. Desaturated colors calm the mind.

Leaves on a wet table. — Here the color of the leaves help bring them together despite the more structural elements in the composition pull in the opposite direction.

Winter landscape. — White and blue are often associated with calmness and clarity. Also sterile and purity, which is why these colors are often used in bathrooms!

Winter silhouettes. — By altering the color temperature to a colder tone, the freezing cold winter day is emphasized.

Next step

One way to study the effect of colors using your own reaction as guide, is simply to make both a color and black and white version of an image and see how the different versions work for you. You can also try to alter the colors in post processing and play with saturation, hue and brightness.

The point with this post is not that there is a right and a wrong when it comes to colors. If you learn how to use the colors to achieve a certain effect, then your images will have a much bigger impact. And of all the tools in the photographers toolbox (composition, exposure, etc), color is the strongest of them all.

Filling the frame in photography

Use it all!

I often find that some of the most simple or fundamental techniques in photography are also the ones with the biggest impact. So when it comes to filling the frame, there really is not that much more to tell than: fill the frame with your subject.

A glass of wine. Filling the frame. — A glass of wine. But where is it? A restaurant? At home? That for the viewer to figure out.

Filling the frame does not necessarily entail a macro shot, although you often will go very close to the subject to fill the frame. But the point with filling the frame is that the “stage” for the subject is lost and only the subject is left. So a lot of storytelling and the relationship between subject and surroundings is gone when you fill the frame.

A leaf. Filling the frame. — The background here is so much out of focus that there is almost no information about how this leaf “sits” in its environment.

You can fill the frame when shooting, but if your camera has sufficient resolution, it is certainly also an option to crop the image in post processing and get the same effect.

Two leaves. — The stark color contrast underlines the different stages of life these two leaves are at.

In the example above, I chose to frame the image with a lot of context information. I could have gone much closer to the withered leave in the center and gotten a very different expression, focusing more on the withered vs living leaf relative to the rainy day scene surrounding them.

There is no right or wrong here – just different expressions. So it comes down to what story it is you want to tell and the expression you want to come across. Filling the frame is just one of many options for you to compose your image.

Try micro variations in your photography

Innovator!

Some time back I made a video where I talked about micro variations in photography and recommended to try to take a lot of images of the same scene and subject, but with small changes to angle and framing. I have found that small variations sometimes is the difference between a really good picture and a “naaah” picture. Something as simple as turning the camera 90 degrees can also be the difference between great and average.

And I was very happy with this little “discovery” and thought that I for once had invented something new and fresh! Until I visited a museum and saw the work of the Danish painter Vilhelm Lundstrøm.

Same but different!

Apparently Vilhelm Lundstrøm also worked with variations over the same theme, and in the example below he has painted the same stilleben two times – one with more pale colors and viewed a bit further away than the other version that has more bang for the buck color wise but also has moved a bit closer to the subject.

It is probably subject to taste and personal preference which of the two paintings you like the best, but the point is that even small variations depicting the same subject can lead to vastly different results. So when you are out and about shooting, take some time to shoot several versions of the same scene using micro variations – I am sure that when you get back to the computer and open up the images for processing, you will be positively surprised how some images work and others don’t, even when they at first glance seem very similar.

Golden leaf. — It took several shots of this scene to get the result I was after.

Video link

Mind the background in your pictures

Leading role

If you have ever talked to a flower or macro photographer about their best tip for getting a good shot, you will often hear them talk about finding a good background for the subject rather than worrying about the subject so much. Don’t get me wrong, the subject is of course also important, but often the balance tilts to the favour of the subject at the expense of the background.

I don’t know why this focus on the background apparently is more important to macro and flower photographers, but I think it has to do with the nature of the subject – it is often very simple (= elegant, minimalistic, focused) and hence any distractions from the subject hits extra hard in this line of photography.

I think the rest of us (i.e. non flower / macro photographers) can learn from the focus they have on getting the background right. Often, when I review my images in Lightroom, the difference between a good shot and a bad one is determined by the background. As Joel Sartore says in his book Photo Basics: If there is something in your frame that is not working for you, then it is actually working against you!

I’ll leave you some examples below where I think the background works as it should.

Photography composition and the background to the subject. — A large aperture and some distance to the background helps bringing the right parts of the image out of focus.

Video links

Horizontal vs vertical photography

Simple or not?

Many years ago when I took my drivers license, my first thought after reading all the driving school theory was: this is not so complicated! I got this! And then I got wiser!

When you read this blog you may well think: Ok king obvious, haven’t you got something more interesting or challenging for us to read? But please remember that it is the appliance of the theory that makes photography so challenging (and fun!) whereas the theory itself may (sometime) seem so straightforward that it is pointless. But photography is often about making choices, not solving problems. So please read the following in that light: it is about making choices, not solving problems.

Portrait and landscape

Horizontal and vertical is amongst photographers often referred to as landscape and portrait. If the image is wider than tall, then it is landscape (horizontal), if it is taller than wide, then portrait (vertical). The sensor in a digital camera is not square, but typically 3:2 or 4:3, so when shooting with the camera horizontally, you will get a landscape image, turning it 90 degrees you’ll get a portrait mode image.

Choosing

In theory, the “right” way to choose between portrait and landscape is to consider the composition and how the subject and scene works together with the oriententation. So wide subjects like a coastline would suggest landscape mode, whereas a tall subject like a tree or a skyscraper or a Giacometti statue would suggest portrait mode. And then of course you can go against convention (or what most would do) and thereby create some tension. There is no right or wrong here, only choices that work with you or against you relative to what you want to achieve.

When out and about with my DSLR or ML camera, I shoot in landscape mode 99% of the time. I think most do, probably because the way our eyes sit in our head makes us see the world in landscape orientation. But recently with my new Ricoh GR3x camera, I’ve found that I more often shoot in portrait mode. Maybe because the camera is so small and handy, that turning it falls more natural now. So a mix of convenience and coincidence can also be a factor in the orientation of the image.

Many images and video are shown on wide screens (TV and computer ) that typically are in a 16:9 format, and here obviously landscape images make a better fit to the format than portrait does. But if you read this blog on a smartphone, it is likely that the format is taller than wide. And in that case, portrait works better than landscape, unless you tilt your smartphone to become a wide screen. If you study people and how they use their smartphone, it is seldom the phone is tilted unless they play a computer game. So there is the use case to consider: in what format is the final image intended to be used? And that can drive your choice of orientation.

Portrait mode — I was struggling to capture this scene. The landscape mode versions of the image somehow did not work. Turning the camera 90 degrees gave me the result I wanted.

The square alternative

Square image (1:1) — The quare alternative created in post.

Post processing enables you to change the format into whatever you’d like and 1:1 is certainly also an option, especially if you post to Instagram, where 1:1 is the only format! And if you have made the shot sufficiently wide and with plenty of resolution, a portrait image can be changed into a landscape and vice versa. So post processing certainly gives a lot more options when the image is framed with this in mind.

Instagram posting with a landscape image — To overcome the Instagram limitation of 1:1, I often post my images with a white frame that allows a landscape image in the square format.

Summary

It is my hope that you after reading this will give portrait mode a try more often than previously! And some “aha!” or “eureka!” experiences to accompany! There are plenty of blogs (including this one) that will tell you what the “correct” composition theory is relative to the image format, but if you ignore that for now and just go with your intuition and use portrait as you see fit, then I think you will find it rewarding. And if you also can muster the energy to think about the use case (is the image to be viewed on a smartphone or printed big for an exhibition) before you hit the shutter, well, then my day is made!

Transitions

Resolution

Related reading

RAW!

Related reading

Soft light

Softbox example

Why a softbox

Related reading

Radio constraints

Optical slave mode

Built in flash

Limitations

Several flashes

Related reading

Low light

Related reading

Emotions

Next step

Related reading

Use it all!

Related reading

Innovator!

Same but different!

Related reading

Video link

Leading role

Related reading

Video links

Simple or not?

Portrait and landscape

Choosing

The square alternative

Summary

Related reading