Tips for Saving Lenses and Cameras

High and continuous humidity can damage electronic components and camera sensors, while mold can grow and develop in optical lenses. Once the fungus grows, the optical quality can be affected and we have to bother cleaning it. If the fungus is stuck to the outer surface, it's still easy, if the growth inside the lens element on the inside we will be very inconvenient. Don't forget, also read tips on storing the lens cap and back cover so that it doesn't easily disappear.

Cameras and lenses have mechanical components that need to move smoothly, did you know inside the lens or the camera is also oiled so that mechanical movement is smooth and not dragging? Now if you place the camera and lens in a very dry area (humidity is too low) then this risks mechanical functions can be dragged and disturbed.

What is the Ideal Humidity Number?

Figures around 40 - 50% RH (relative humidity, relative humidity) are ideal for cameras and lenses according to various articles. The safest rule is to check your lens and camera manual, look for the ideal operating range words, then check the recommended humidity range. Now for long-term storage, divide the number by two.

For example, the ideal operating humidity for the Canon 5D Mark II is 85% or lower. Then the ideal storage is around 35 to 45%.

Some of the Best Storage Methods

Here are some storage methods you can do to maintain the condition of the lens and the camera to remain optimal and excellent.

Buy a Special Dry Cabinet or Dry Box, a dry cabinet is a special cabinet that is designed to store electronic goods like the photo above. You can buy it at a camera shop or a large home appliance store. Depending on the specifications, we can adjust the humidity numbers in the storage space as desired.

Silica Gel and Airtight Box, For an inexpensive alternative you can use an airtight box that is commonly used to store and put some silica gel bags. You can also buy special silica gel with a color indicator to find out the water content in the gel as in the photo below. When the silica gel in the box is saturated with water, you can plug it into electricity to dry it again.

I recommend not buying a camera storage box that has a heating element, the risk of the element getting too hot is quite large. When the heater gets too hot, the sensor inside the camera can be affected by the sap.

Hue & Saturation and Channel Mixers in Black and White Photography

So why do we need so many ways to convert a color image to black and white? Light users of Photoshop and non-photographers are not aware of this, but photographers, especially those who are seriously into black and white, know the one problem photographers faced even before digital technology: that some colors reproduce as almost the same tones (shades of gray) in black and white (B&W).

Take for example an image, which is a picture of a red tomato surrounded by green vegetables. When converted to 88W, both the red and the green colors have the same gray tones, diminishing the distinctiveness of the red tomato.

What photographers did when shooting with Black & White film was to use color filters over the lens, called contrast filters. Through a red filter, the red tomato turned out much lighter than the green vegetables. Through a green filter, the red tomato appeared darker while the green leaves appeared much lighter. The desired effect was easy to remember: a filter lightened its color and darkened its opposite color. Thus, we used a yellow or red filter to darken blue skies, a blue one to lighten them.

In digital photography, we can use Photoshop's 'Hue/Saturation' or 'Channel Mixer' commands to achieve the same result as contrast filters. They allow us to manipulate the colors in our RGB images to give us better control over the tones during conversion to B&W. Photoshop will sample the color and if it is a combination of the basic colors, will list down that color in the drop-down menu.

Hue & Saturation

Step 1: Open the file

Open the file to be converted into B&W. It may help if you do some tonal adjustments before converting the image to B&W.

Step 2: Duplicate the Image

It would also help to simultaneously view a color version of the image as you manipulate the colors in your image during conversion to B&W. To duplicates go to Image > Duplicate.

If necessary, reduce the windows so you can see both documents at the same time.

Step 3: Choose Hue/Saturation

At the bottom of the 'Layers' palette, choose the 'Create new adjustment layer' option and 'Hue/Saturation Adjustment Layer' from the drop-down menu.

Note: Choosing an adjustment layer rather than choosing the adjustment command (under the 'image' menu) gives you more flexibility.

Step 4: Desaturate the Image

In the Hue & Saturation dialog box, desaturate the image by moving the Saturation slider all the way to the left (-100). This removes all the colors in your image, making it monochromatic. I

Step 5: Adjust the Tones

Although the image is now monochromatic, you can still lighten or darken the Individual colors that make up the image, increasing their tonal separation.

Channel Mixer

Step 1: Open the file

Open the file to be converted to B&W. Sometimes it helps if you first adjust the contrast and brightness of the Image before conversion.

Step 2: Duplicate the Image

As In the first technique, it will help when manipulating the colors in your image during conversion if you have a color copy of the image for reference. To duplicate, go to image > Duplicate.

If necessary, reduce the window so you can see both documents at the same time.

Step 3: Choose Channel Mixer

At the bottom of the layers palette, click on the Create new adjustment layer icon and choose Channel Mixer Adjustment Layer.

Step 4: Desaturate the Image

In the Channel Mixers dialog box, click the Monochrome option to turn the color image into grayscale.

In this example, when we converted the Image into grayscale the red orchid lost its prominence.

Step 5: Adjust the Tones.

Although the image is now monochrome, you can still lighten or darken the individual colors that make up the Image, increasing their tonal separation. Unlike in Hue/Saturation above, in Channel Mixer, you are presented only with Red, Green, and Blue sliders. Moving the Red slider to the right (increasing the percentage) tightens anything that has a red component in the Image (remember the rule of thumb of contrast filters). It will also lighten the overall image, as you are effectively increasing the intensity of light! To avoid overexposure, you have to keep the total of the three sliders within 100%.

Black and White Digital Photography Tips

People enjoy making black and white digital photos because of their aesthetics and old-fashioned feel. There are two ways to make black and white photos - either shoot your imagery in black and white with your digital camera or use picture-editing software to convert a digital color photo into a black and white photo.

Here are digital photography tips for shooting black and white directly with a digital camera, if it comes with appropriate filters. You may find the setting labeled as "monochrome mode."

• Your camera may offer different file formats to store your images. Many file formats process the image and alter colors, saturation, sharpness, etc. If you have 'raw' format available use it - unlike JPEG format, raw does not process the image. So you get the original image as is. You can control whatever post-processing you desire.
• You can control the light sensitivity in a digital camera. The light sensitivity setting are given in ISO numbers such as ISO 100, ISO 200, etc. A high ISO number implies greater sensitivity to light. This is a good setting to capture digital photos in dim light. But high light sensitivity also results in more noise in the image. You must choose the ISO setting optimally for the imagery you want to photograph - neither too high nor too low.
• You must set the shutter speed of your camera optimally. You need a high shutter speed to shoot moving objects like cars or trains.
• The aperture settings on your digital camera determine the depth of focus you need. You can have one object in very sharp focus and allow everything in the backdrop to fade by controlling this.
• While optical zoom will work well with good lenses, avoid using digital zoom as it cause loss of details and poor resolution in the captured photo.
• Set your digital camera to shoot in maximum resolution to get subtleties and details if you have enough memory available.
• If you are just getting started on using your digital camera, stick to the auto mode where the camera automatically adjusts the shutter speed, aperture and ISO settings depending on the scenery.
• If you need to use a flash to improve lighting, position yourself so that you do not get light from it reflecting back into the camera due to shiny surfaces in the scenery.

If you do not have a sophisticated camera which can be fine tuned for black and white photography, simply take color photos and convert them to black and white using software like Adobe Photoshop. The software will simply strip out the color information (expressed in red, blue and green components) and leave only luminosity information in the image. You may find the following photography tips useful to get you started.

1. Capture the color image in raw format.
2. You can use the Image >> Adjustments >> Black and White setting to convert to convert your color photo to black and white.
3. You can alter the contrast, sharpness and brightness of the picture by playing with the Image >> Adjustments menu which allows you to alter the red, green and color components of the underlying image.

Practice makes perfect. So try different settings on the digital camera and learn what works best.

Digital Photography - Tips for Better Photographs

As digital cameras become more popular and allow people to take more photographs than ever before, we are constantly looking for a few simple tricks to make our photographs a little more interesting and to differentiate them from the hundreds of other similar photos out there. Whether you are taking them to sell, or just taking holiday snaps or pictures of family there are a few techniques we can all use to make our photographs a little less mundane and a little more wall worthy.

Changing the level can often help you create a more interesting photograph. If the subject is low to the ground then you can try getting low and taking the picture from their level. Particularly if you are shooting animals then this can be a great way to change it up and make those photographs or your family pet a little more interesting. If you're subject is a little taller then try making the photograph more interesting by standing on a chair or ladder to get a little higher. This can make a photograph of a group of people a little more interesting.

The background also has a lot to do with what you see in a photo. Try and photograph something against a plain background instead of a complicated one. You can also try and get close to the subject so the focus softens the background. This technique draws more attention to the subject of the photograph and takes it away from the background - a great technique if your subject is interesting but is being over-powered by a loud or complex background.

You can also try moving the subject away from the center of the photograph. This makes the eye move away from the center of the photograph as well and makes it a more interesting photograph. If you move the subject about a third of the way left, right, up or down then you can sometimes create a stunning visual with the use of only an average subject. This is a technique called the rule of thirds and you can read more about it all over the web.

If you're looking for a few more tips you can check out our Guide to Digital Photography which has some extra tips on taking great shots as well as some ideas about where and what you can shoot to create some of your original artwork to spice up your living space.

5 Insightful Tips Only an “Old” Professional Photographer Would Know

You could search online for tips and advice on photography. But you'll probably see the same "helpful" hints from site to site. Here are a few of mine. Some I learned but only after YEARS in the business. So hopefully I'm saving you valuable time in trial and error. These are helpful photography tips I don't hear many others talk about, but maybe they should.

NEVER Buy New

Don't fall prey to the "I NEED the latest in technology" school of thought. Some of the greatest photos were taken with simple film cameras. Just earlier today, I bought an old version of Adobe Lightroom for post processing photos. It originally retailed for $300. I got mine for $18! Sure it's Version 1, but I usually don't need those advance tools featured in the later, pricier versions. Nothing wrong with manipulating photos but I mainly cover events. So I shoot "as is". I've learned to keep things simple. That's Tip 1½. This keeps costs down. All my gear is used. Since I shoot "as is" I don't need the latest in gadgetry. The iMac I'm composing this article on, $1200 new but I bought mine recently for $400 at a local Goodwill!

Make a Lists

How organized you are is in direct proportion to how successful you'll become. Make lists: from a daily "to do" list to a list of shots you plan to do on your shoot to a list of what you need to do to prepare for each shoot like cleaning your equipment, replacing batteries, formatting memory cards, etc. And perform those tasks the same way every time. That's Tip 2 ½. It's like an athlete training for the performance. It'll become routine and eventually you won't need to refer to a list. This is invaluable, especially on important, STRESSFUL shoots. It's one less thing to worry about.

Think Like an Art Director

Magazines don't show up somewhere with a crew and start shooting. They're carefully planned out. Put some thought into your photo making. At least have a list of shots you'd like to do. I always have some game plan, theme or concept. I'll research online for photos that inspire me. I then gather them onto a page or two and bring the print outs on shoots. They're nice to reference to, especially when working with newer models.

Carry a Camera Phone

At least, carry a note pad. You never know when that next great idea will come to you. I've taken pictures of mall mannequins, billboards and items on store shelves because they gave me an idea for a photo.

Be Stealthy

As an event photographer, I like to "blend in" with the crowd. I wear black but anything dark and solid will do...no patterns, stripes, etc. If it's not a wedding where I need 2 cameras, I prefer using a backpack. It's one less thing that calls attention to you. Because of my "stealthiness", I've shot in locations other have been booted from. I think it's because I try NOT to look like a professional photographer. But being nice and cordial to security helps too!

Fisheye Lens Effect - Photography Tutorial

I'm not a big believer in expensive camera brand names, although I have been a consistent Nikon user for over two decades. If I can do a good job and get the results that I want with any brand of equipment; I'm happy. Not to mention that when I bring expensive gear to exotic locations, I'd be worrying more about my equipment than my assignment.

Recently, I took my newly purchased third party 4.5mm f/2.8 circular fisheye lens for a ride through four countries. I started on Corregidor Island in the Philippines, a few hours' boat ride from Manila. I have been to Corregidor several times, but I never had any success photographing the big cannons that were used in World War II. (The Americans installed these big expensive weapons; however, it is said that they never fired a single shot.) With the fisheye lens, even standing right next to the gun I was able to "shoot the cannon." Finally, I could fit an entire cannon in a single frame without any difficulty.

That was the very first image I recorded with this lens. Though it was exciting and fun, I realized that the lens did not come without problems.

First, you cannot use a tripod the normal way with the fisheye lens. When the lens axis is parallel to the ground, the Iegs of the tripod will be included in the image. This can only be avoided if you shoot upwards.

Second, I realized that most camera meters are not optimized for such a wide view, so you may find it difficult, as I did, to balance extreme contrasts in the scene such as bright sky and shaded ground. It worked well enough in none-too-contrasty scenes such as indoors or in shaded areas. But whether shooting indoors or outdoors you will have better control over your exposure if your camera is set for spot metering. After my return trip overseas, having learned to handle metering with the fisheye, I managed a fantastic shot of the outdoor wedding of Jory and Kat in Club Paradise in Palawan-a perfect capture of puffy clouds, backlit white sand, and billowing white streamers.

Third, since the lens does not take filters over the front element, but rather in a slot behind the rear element, one of my biggest problems was keeping the lens free of dust and fingerprints. This is another reason that the lens is more difficult to use outdoors, besides the metering problem.

On Using A Fisheye Lens

Be careful you don't include your tripod legs or your own feet in the frame. With a field of view, nearly 180 degrees wide, it's apt to include more than you bargained for.

You will have better control and fewer surprises if you set your camera for spot metering. Camera meters are not optimally equipped to handle a 180-degree view.

You will be able to take pictures with better contrast range and saturation in shaded areas, indoors, or after sunset.

Look out for dust and fingerprints, since the protruding half-dome front element precludes using filters of any kind, even for protection.

The lens sees the world in a different way from the rectangular or square formats we are used to seeing. Maximize, but don't overdo it.

Curved or circular subjects will not exhibit barrel distortion as much as linear objects.

The lens creates three-dimensional depth more dramatically than any other wideangle lens.

When looking through a fisheye lens, it's easy to forget that you may be just inches or a foot from your subject.