Overlays in Photoshop (I'm getting nervous here.......)

Ok, so I know I am bad at photoshop.  I have an outdated version I have used for over 7 years.  But I really want to tell you guys how to do an overlay.  I really enjoy these and I think you will too.  So, here goes....

You ask, what is an overlay?

This is an overlay.

You do this by merging two images into one.
Here are the two images I used to make this one photo.

I took the photograph of my girl, the strip of film I downloaded off the internet. There are lots of sites that allow you to download images like the one above for free.  So, I am now going to do my best to explain how you merge these together. Keep in mind that my version of photoshop is old, but doing it in newer programs is basically the same.

1.  Find a photo you want to try it on (to make it easy I will say a photo of family).

2. Open the photo in photoshop.

3. Find an overlay on the internet and open it up. You should now have both images opened up.

4. Go to image-resize and make sure both images are the same size.

5. Select the overlay image by going to select-select all and then go to Edit- copy and copy the image onto the photo of family.

6. Go to the Layers box and use the drop down menu to select overlay.

7. You should see both images on the screen merged together now.

8. At this point I use the eraser tool to erase the middle of the photo. I think it looks better this way.

9. Go to layers- flatten image and you are done.

 Not so hard right? Well, if you have questions let me know and I will do my best to answer them. If I can't help you out at least I can send you somewhere where someone else can help explain. Anyway, here is another photo I have used an overlay on. Hope you enjoy and don't forget to become a follower or bookmark this page. Thanks:)

2nd Lesson on F-stops: Shallow Depth of Field.

A while ago I had a visitor who was wanting to know more about when to use f-stops. I covered what f-stop to use when taking a landscape(f/11-f/22).  Now I am going to show you when you want to use a larger aperture.  The photo below was taken using f/2.8. Some lenses will not have f/2.8. The might only go to f/4. If you have a camera that has f/4 as the largest aperture, substitute f/4 for f/2.8.  Anyway this is my little boy holding grass (not the kind you smoke) ha ha ha. I used f/2.8 because I wanted to throw him out a focus and bring attention to the grass he was holding. So, when you want attention brought to a subject and you want shallow depth of field, use a large aperture like f/2.8 -f-5.6. The resulting style is sometimes referred to as Bokeh.
Just for some basic info, when shooting a portrait of a person, most pro photographers use f/8. Why you ask? Because f/8 gives enough depth of field to cover the head of a person and throw the background out of focus. Hope you liked this tutorial. If you have any questions let me know and I will do my best to answer them. Remember to bookmark this page so you can come back often. Thanks :)

you can click on the photo for a larger version.

My Favorite Time of Day to Shoot in Autumn

So, most of the time when you ask a professional how to get the most of your photos in autumn, you will hear two things:
1. On an overcast day, shoot in the woods.
2. On a sunny day shoot landscapes, or out of the woods.

Well, I am going to say something a little different.
Shoot at night, or right after the sun goes down.

I know, it takes more effort, and you have to drive home in the dark and, well there are a lot of other excuses.
I think that when you shoot at night, there is a whole other world you get to be a part of.  You really should try it.
I think you will be pleasantly surprised.
Oh, and make sure you use a tripod.
Here is one of my shots I took at night.
It was taken at F/11 at 60 seconds

Mystic Forest

I took this photo about 2 years ago.  The fog was pretty thick and it was very pretty. It was taken in Montana, near Missoula. This is one of those shots where I happened to have my camera with me.  I always carry my camera now because you never know if you will miss a good shot. Luckily for me, I had my camera on me that day.

Flashing Yourself! (What?)

Well, here is my first photography lesson for all of you out there.  This lesson will teach you how to get a better protrait with a basic lighting set up.  You can get the equipment to do this for about 100 dollars.  For your info, I get almost all of my equipment from B and H Photo out of New York.  They are great to work with and I recommend checking them out.  Also, check Ebay for great used photo gear. I guess I better explain what a strobe is for those of you who don’t know.  A strobe is simply a flash.  Some cameras have flashes built into the top of them. To take a photo like this you need to have a flash unit that is seperate from the camera body.   For the photo below I use a single strobe (flash unit) on a light stand with a remote trigger unit attached to it.  A remote trigger unit is also know as a slave unit. A remote trigger sets off the flash when light hits it.  When I took this photo I used the small flash that is on the top of my camera to set off  the remote trigger which set off the flash unit and lit me from the side.  The flash unit was about 10 feet from me and the camera was placed on a tripod. I was about 15 feet away from the tripod.  I used a flash meter for this shot, but I have since sold it. I have gotten pretty good at guessing the exposure, but if you have one it will help.  Please feel free to ask questions about this post. I will answer them in a timely manner.  Now it’s time to go out and have some fun.  Thanks for reading! (click on the photos below to see them larger)

10 Tips for Better Photography!

1.Don’t have a tripod?

Set your camera on a bean bag.

2.Shooting in Rain?

To avoid getting your camera wet use a ziplock plastic bag.

3.Want to shoot close-ups but don’t want to spend the money on a new macro lens?

Buy a reversal ring. They cost anywhere from $10 to $30.

4.Do you have old lenses that do not fit on your new camera?

There are adaptor rings out there now that will make it so you can put almost any lens on any camera. I have one that allows me to but a Hasselblad lens on a Canon digital camera (Don’t know what a Hasselblad is? Google it.).

5.Need a reflector for a photo shoot?

Wear a white t-shirt and use yourself as a reflector. Or  aluminum foil on a peice of cardboard works great. A small one can be used to lighten the shadows of a flower.

6.Speaking of flowers, do you have an ugly background behind the flower?  Take a piece of colored paper and place it on the background, or use an 8x10 print of a photo you have taken to liven it up a bit!

7. Do you worry that you are going to scratch up a nice lens when putting it in a back pack or bag?  Wrap it in a sock.

8.Want to create a soft focus look?

Use an old pair of pantyhose over the lens. White will look diffent than black or nude so have fun experimenting.

9. Need some software to edit photos?

Download Picassa 3 for free and start to experiment.

10. Want to become a better photographer?

Be patient, go out and do it, and keep on learning!  You will never get good if you just wish for it :)

Aperture: What is it?

Every profession has its own lingo. It is the same with photography.  Photographers say things like, “Use a wider aperture,” or, “What f-stop are you using?”  So, What is an f-stop?  It is a term for a measurable expression of how much light is entering a camera lens. Aperture is the same thing as an f-stop.

All cameras have a lens which light passes through to help record the image. However, to get a proper exposure so you do not have underexposure or overexposure, light must come in through the lens in the  amount needed.   That is, the photo should be neither too light nor too dark. The f-stop on a camera helps control the exposure.

The “F” in f-stop stands for focal length.  The focal length divided by the diameter of the pupil , or the amount of light entering the lens is how the f-stop is determined. The numbers f/2 or f/16 are expressions of  f-stops.   The number denotes how wide  the opening in the aperture is.  The aperture  is an opening behind the camera lens. The aperture works like the pupil of the eye. It gets wider when there is not a lot of light and smaller when there is more light. Test this out. Get a flashlight and go to a mirror. First look into the mirror at the black part or pupil of your eye. Notice the size. Now turn on the flashligtht and point it at your eye.  While looking in the mirror you will notice that your pupil gets smaller. This is exactly how an apeture works.  The more light, the smaller the pupil of your eye, the less light the wider the pupil of your eye.  Now here is the weird part. When you apeture is open wider, the f-stop will be a small number like f/5.6 or f/2(if you have a fast lens).  If the apeture is smaller, you will have a number like f/16 or f/22.

Now that we have learned a little about apertures and f/stops we need to know about shutter speeds.  To get the proper exposure we need to have an apeture and a shutter speed that correspond.  For instance, you can use a wide apeture or f/stop (which will have a small number) and fast shutter speed, or a narrow f-stop (larger number) and a slower shutter speed. When these correspond the result is a properly exposed photograph. Shutter speeds are measured in amounts of time. For example, you can have 6th of a second or a longer exposure of 1 second.  1 second will let in more light than 6th of a second. To get the proper exposure you will balance the f-stop and the shutter speed.

Now, when you’re out shooting and you hear another person say, “What f/stop are you using?” you will know what to say.

If you need clarification or more help understanding this let me know. Thanks, Brian.

My Favorite Place for Family Photos!!!!

You are going to think I am crazy and the truth is that I am a little bit. When it comes to photographing my family, the best place I have found is the kitchen table.  What the? Yes, I am serious and I will tell you why.  It’s easy, and the kids can’t run away. LOL. Seriously, I love to get shots of my fam at the kitchen table. There are always fun photos like kids with pudding or spaghetti all over them. Then they get a little older and they look at you so tenderly.  My daughter is at the stage where she looks and me and says “I love you Daddy”. It melts my heart. Anyway, next time you are sitting down for a good meal at the table, break out your camera and have some fun. Thanks for visiting, don’t forget to bookmark this blog and if you have questions or want to know about something, let me know. Frank, don’t worry. I’m getting ready to do a post for you on which f-stop to use in which situation.

Being a Bad Weather Friend!

Tonight I was out in a rain storm having fun.  A few posts ago I told you that bad weather is your friend.  This is what I got from the storm. Hope you enjoy!

Rule the World with the Rule of Thirds

If you want to get good at composition, you need to know about this rule. The rule of thirds is probably the most popular “rule” in art and photography. How does it work you ask?  Well, imagine two lines dividing your photograph horizontally and two vertically.

They look like this:

Important elements go where the lines intesect or on the lines.

Above are examples of the Rule of  Thirds at work.  Notice the placement of the moose?  The moose is placed where the lines intersect. This is the Rule of Thirds. You place your subject on one of the intersecting lines (click on the photos and you can see an enlarged version of them). Using the rule of thirds in this photo makes it more visually stimulating.

Notice in the photo of lake. Look where I placed the sky in this photo.  This is the Rule of Thirds at work again. This rule works great for landscapes.

Now that you understand how it works, go out and try it.  After you have it down good, go out and break the rule. The Rule of Thirds is just a rule.  If  we followed the rule all the time it could cause some problems, so learn to use it when it is needed.  If you have any quesions let  me know and I will do my best to answer them.  Now go out and start shooting.

Getting Up Early, Staying up Late and Being a Bad Weather Friend!

Here is the question: when is the best time to shoot?  This is easy for me: morning, evening or when there is a rainstorm or blizzard.  Seriously, I love bad weather.  These photos below were taken in bad weather (snowstorms, thunderstorms, or soon after).  I think the biggest reason that so many photos look boring or bland is because of the time of day that they were taken. Here is a challenge for you. Take a photo at noon, and then go back to the same spot about 30 minutes before the sun goes down and take some more photos. Look at what you have taken and decide for yourself. Good luck and have fun:)

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How to Photograph a Real Estate Agent and Get Paid for it!!!!

How many times do we see an ad in a real estate magazine that looks like this:

Probably a lot!  Well, here is an idea on how to make a few extra bucks.  Go through the Real Estate guides in your town and mark the agents who need a better shot.  Call them and sell the idea that their photo is kind of like a first impression. Let them know that for so and so $ you can produce a better image for them.  This might help them get more business.  This is what you want their new photograph to look like:

Much better!

Now, for those of you who are thinking that you can’t do this, I have news for you. It’s easy!

Here is a basic diagram on how do to this.

What you want to do is:

1.  Find a location where the background is shady but you have a little light to bounce off the reflector.

2.  Have an assistant hold the reflector.

3. Have the subject turn his body slightly toward the reflector, tilt his head a little toward the reflector, and smile.

4. snap away! I always take about 5 shots of each pose. This makes sure you don’t have blinking eyes and also helps the subject relax.

Here is the cool thing. This doesn’t have to be a realtor. this could be a senior or your child, or other family member.  I really could be anyone who wants a portrait.  I suggest that you go and practice a few times before you go out and get paid for it, but seriously, this is easy!  So, grab a guy (or girl) and get out and at least try it!

Remember, have fun and if you have a question, let me know.

P.S. If you don’t have a reflector, get a piece of cardboard and tape some aluminum foil on it or use a white sheet or T-shirt.

Family Photos Without Freakin' out the Kids (Tips on Photographing Children)

This was taken off my old blog. Hope you enjoy!

Almost everyone wants better photos of their families.  So here are a few tips on how to get those shots that only professionals get (not really, anyone can get them!).

1. When you want someone on the other side of the camera to smile, smile!!!!!!  Right now your thinking I am crazy right?  Well, I might be a little but it takes a lot of practice to get to serious crazy.  What I mean is the photographer (you) need to smile at your subject if you want them to smile.

2. The best thing you can do when trying to get you kids to pose for you is to not pose them. Let them do what they usually do.  And don’t get impatient and yell or threaten them. Think about it. Would you be happy if your mom said, "Stop crying or I’m gonna give you something to cry about!" With kids you have to be really patient.  I know. It’s hard not to yell at your kids when it’s so much fun. (kidding again )

3. This is a great way to get kids' attention.  Do you have a cell phone? When you want a kid to look at the camera, make your cell phone ring!  They always look at it. Make sure it is by the camera when it rings.

4. With digital you can take multiple shots without charging up a huge bill for film and printing. So shoot away. Take a lot of shots. This way when you get a blink or bad expression, you will at least get a lot of  them. Ha Ha. What I meant to say was that you have a better chance of getting a good shot when you take a whole bunch of shots.  You might hit the lottery and get an awsome one.

Now that I have given you some advice, here are a few shots of my fam.

This is the most important thing to remember when shooting family and kids. Have fun. Because if you are not having fun, no one is!

Let me know if you need any clarification on this and thanks for visiting my blog.  Hey, if you like the blog, please bookmark it so you can return often :)

What's Depth of Field? Let's Not Be Shallow.

In photography, depth of field is the portion of a photo that appears sharp. Lenses can only focus on one object at a time, but you can control what is in focus in your photograph by using your aperture (see lesson on aperture if you don’t know what I am talking about).

When photographing a landscape you would usually want a lot of the picture in focus. You would use f/16 or f/22 for a landscape. If you use f/22 you are going to have a lot of the photo that will be sharp. In photo terms, you will have a deep DOF.

If you are photographing a person (portrait) you are usually going to want a shallow DOF so the background will be out of focus. Most portraits are taken at F/8. The reason for using F/8 is that at this fstop (aperture) an average person’s head will be in focus and the background will not be in focus. Not having the background in focus will draw attention to the subject. Now if your subject has a huge head (we used to call my little brother pumpkin head cause his noggin was big; we don’t call him that anymore cause he is about 6 inches taller than me and he would kick my @#%$), use a smaller f/stop like f/11 or f/16. Really, I’m just kidding, f/8 should be a standard for most portraits.

There are three things that determine DOF.

1.Subject distance (how far away the subject is from the camera). The closer a subject is to the camera the shallower the DOF is.

2.The lens focal length. If you are using a 500 mm lens there will be less DOF.

3.The lens f/stop(aperture). You should know what this is from the lesson on f/stops. Basically, the wider your f/stop is, f/4 or f/5.6, the shallower the DOF will be. That is why if you are shooting a landscape you want to use f/22 or f/16, because you will have a lot of DOF.

Shallow depth of field -taken at f2/8

Medium DOF. Taken at f/8

Deep Depth of Field f/22

You can see the diffences in how much of the photograph is in focus. With the headshot of the little girl, only her eye and a few strands of hair are in focus. The middle photo of the hitchhiker was taken at f/8. This makes the subject in focus and while the background is out of focus. In the lake above the whole thing is in focus. This photo was taken at f/22. Imagine if I had really shallow DOF on the lake. The trees in back would be out of focus or maybe the front of the photo would not be in focus. That would not make for an interesting picture.

I hope I have been clear. If you need help or do not understand, post a comment and I can help you more. Anyway, thanks for visiting my blog. Bookmark me and visit often, and if you need anything -specific lessons or tips- let me know.

Oh, and if my pumpkin head brother reads this I want him to know that I hold him in the highest regards. You are a wonderful person, Chris.

First Lesson on How to use Depth of Field

This post is for Frank.

Here is what he wrote:

"Mr Johnson, good stuff here. I found myself taking some notes to take with me the next time I go out to shoot. You make some excellent points and you made me realize some things that I was doing wrong. Filling the frame lesson was actually an “a ha” moment for me.

I learned about your site from “notshootingonauto”. I have just moved from auto mode to aperture priority. Still trying to figure out what fstops to use for what situation but I see you

have outlined some good guidelines.

Pls don’t stop your training, it is helping me bigtime."

Well, here is the answer to help you out. I will be breaking it into a few posts so that it is easier to follow.

I will first tackle the fstop you would use to photograph landscapes. So, you ask, which fstop should I use when photographing a landscape?

I would use f/22 or f/16 in a landscape. In a landscape I usually want everything in the photograph in focus. Using a small aperture will help to acomplish this. If you have questions on depth of field or what depth of field is, please read the post above. I have included a photo (below) that I took for an example of when you should use f/22 or f/16. Also keep in mind that with a small aperture, you will have to use a longer shutter speed. You might need to put your camera on a tripod if your shutter speed is too low. Thanks for visiting my blog and if you have any questions let me know. thanks:)

Fill'er Up Man!!!!

My goal here is to help others become better photographers. What I do is offer free lessons (and you can request a topic) on photography. For the first lesson on this blog I have chosen to talk about filling the frame. I have another blog, http://buffaloz.wordpress.com/ that I do the same thing on. Sometimes the lessons will overlap and I will post the lesson on both blogs. Her is my first lesson on Blogger. I took this photo about 2 years ago and it fits for the lesson so here it goes, my first photo lesson on Blogger. It is really not the best example but I know that you guys who read this stuff are smart and will understand what I am pointing out.

Filling the frame is the name of the game (LOL). Lets first discuss the photo below.

As you can see, I did not fill the frame in this photo. A lot of photographers will take a photo of a person and will leave a lot of room at the top and will put the head of the person in the middle of the photo. That is bad. Next time, for a more pleasing result put the head of the person near the top of the frame. Don’t believe me? I dare you. Just try it. Anyway, as you can see there is a lot of dead space at the top of the photo above. Now look at the photograph below.

In this photograph I have filled the frame. This is more pleasing to the eye and also draws the eye to the subject. Also, notice how the background is very bright in the first photo? Not good. Usually in a photograph the eye will go to the brightest spot in a photo. I don’t want the eye to look at the background, I want the viewer to look at the mushrooms. So, if you want a good assignment for the next week or so, work on filling the frame. It is best to do it while you are taking the picture. You might need to move in closer to the subject or zoom in, but do it and you will see the difference. I promise. If you do forget to do it while you are taking the shot, then fix it afterwards by cropping the photo. Let me know if you have any questions and good luck :)