Digital Nature Photography

234 Pages·2015·64.839 MB·English

by  John Gerlach, Safari, an O'Reilly Media Company.

Digital Nature
Photography
False Kiva is an ancient Puebloan ruin found in Canyonlands National Park. Since the ruins lie underneath a vast rock alcove, the light is much dimmer in the foreground than in
the distant background. Instead of shooting an HDR series of exposures to cover the dynamic range, Barbara used the Shadow/Highlight tool in Photoshop CS6 to subdue the high
contrast. Nikon D4S, Nikon 14–24mm f/2.8 lens at 14mm, ISO 100, f/18, 1/80 sec, Cloudy WB, manual exposure mode and AF-C on the back-button control.
Digital Nature
Photography
The Art and the Science
Second Edition
John and Barbara Gerlach
First published 2007 by Focal Press
This edition published 2015 by Focal Press
70 Blanchard Road, Suite 402, Burlington, MA 01803
and by Focal Press
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
Focal Press is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2015 Taylor & Francis
The right of John and Barbara Gerlach to be identified as authors of this
work has been asserted by them in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of
the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or
utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now
known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in
any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing
from the publishers.
Notices
Knowledge and best practice in this field are constantly changing. As new
research and experience broaden our understanding, changes in research
methods, professional practices, or medical treatment may become
necessary.
Practitioners and researchers must always rely on their own experience and
knowledge in evaluating and using any information, methods, compounds,
or experiments described herein. In using such information or methods they
should be mindful of their own safety and the safety of others, including
parties for whom they have a professional responsibility.
Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks,
and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to
infringe.
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
A catalog record for this book has been requested
ISBN: 978-0-415-74242-9 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-315-81465-0 (ebk)
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Barbara patiently waited for the expected “head shake shot” during a torrential rainstorm. When the rain subsided, the lion cooperated perfectly. Due to the dim light, she had
to use a high ISO and managed the noise with Photoshop CS6. Many photographers are attracted to cameras with sensors that have a huge number of photosites (pixels). We
are not. More photosites crammed into the sensor means they are smaller and noisier! We seek cameras that offer the best noise control when using high ISOs and long expo-
sures. Currently, the cameras for us that meet this need include the Nikon D4S and the Canon 5D Mark III. Nikon D4S, Nikon 200–400mm f/4 lens at 420mm with a Nikon 1.4x
teleconverter, ISO 14400, f/6.7, 1/500 second, Cloudy WB, manual exposure mode with AF-C on the back button.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments xiii
Introduction 1
Our Formula for Successful Images 2
Writing Books 2
Chapter 1 Camera and Accessories 7
Camera System Choices 7
Key Camera Features 9
Sensor Size 11
Camera Batteries and Chargers 12
Memory Options 13
Avoiding Memory Card Problems 13
Protect the Camera 13
Camera Strap, Cable Release, and Attached
Lens Cap 15
Your Camera System 15
Chapter 2 Choosing and Using Lenses 17
Lens Makers 17
Third-party Lenses 17
How Lenses Work 18
Maximum Aperture 18
Fast Lens Advantages 19
Focal Length 19
Image-stabilization 20
Lens Choices 21
We Prefer Zoom Lenses 22
viii Contents
Wide-angle Lenses 23
Standard Lenses 24
Telephoto Lenses 24
Super-telephoto Lenses 24
Tilt/Shift Lenses 24
Macro Lenses 27
Teleconverters 27
Lens Accessories 28
Consider Your Lens Needs Carefully 29
Chapter 3 Mastering Exposure 31
Exposure Guidelines 31
JPEGs 31
RAW 32
Exposure Strategy Summary 32
Exposure Basics 32
Law of Reciprocity 36
Exposure Aids 37
Understanding the Camera’s Exposure Meter 38
Autobracketing 49
You Can’t Meter Everything! 49
Summary 51
Chapter 4 Conquer Extreme Contrast with HDR 53
A Little History on Solving High Contrast 55
A Better Way to Overcome Contrast 55
Single Image HDR 61
Still More Processing 63
Chapter 5 Shoot Sharp Images 65
Start with a Clean Lens 66
Handheld Photography Techniques 66
When You Do Not Need a Tripod 69
Tripods 69
Contents ix
Tripod Head Accessories 73
Sharp Shooting Techniques 74
Focus Accurately 79
Chapter 6 Focus Stack for More Depth of Field and
Sharper Images 89
Tilt/Shift Lenses 90
Focus Stacking to the Rescue 93
Focus Stacking Advantages and Disadvantages 93
Software Choices 93
The Focus Stacking Process 94
Lens Choices 98
Processing the Stack of Images 99
Conclusion 100
Chapter 7 The Magic of Light 103
The Qualities of Light 104
Bottom Line 118
Chapter 8 Close-up and Macro 121
Magnification Definition 121
Ways to Focus Closer 122
Shooting Sharp Images 128
Ideal Close-up Light 130
Summary 136
Chapter 9 The Power of Flash 139
Flash Advantages 139
Flash Basics 140
Getting Started with Flash 142
Selecting Your Off-Camera Flash System 145
Getting in Sync with Flash Sync 148
Multiple Flash 152
Conclusion 154