Photography Blog

A complete guide to lens distortion in photography

Wed, 04 Mar 2026 13:42:23 Z

The term “distortion” invokes a feeling of something bad in photography, and you could be forgiven for thinking it’s undesired.

However, while in many situations that may be true, in others, it is not. Distortion can also be used for creative effect. It can enhance or add drama to an image or scene.

There are several types, so in this guide to lens distortion in photography, we will look at each one and learn when and how to avoid it or use it creatively.

What does distortion mean in simple terms?

The dictionary definition of distortion is, “The act of twisting or altering something out of its true, natural, or original state.”

Now, you could argue that every image we take in photography does just that. There is course, an element of truth to this.

However, there are several distinctive features of distortion caused by the technical aspects of a lens. And these are what we will look at more specifically in this article.

Wide-angle lens distortion

To fully understand wide-angle distortion, we first need to understand the concept of wide-angle itself. To do this, we also need to know about lens focal length.

What is focal length?

When capturing an image, light passes through the lens and falls upon the focal plane (sensor or film).

In an optical zoom, the distance between the lens and the focal plane is known as the focal length, as illustrated here:

The standard field of view for a digital SLR, mirrorless, or 35mm SLR film camera is 50mm. This is equal to what we see with our eyes. Anything below 50mm = wide angle. Anything above 50mm = telephoto.

Crop sensors

Now, this is based on the concept of a 35mm film. However, many digital cameras don’t have a 35mm sensor.

When they do, it’s called a full-frame sensor (i.e., equal to 35mm film). Other sensors are smaller and commonly known as cropped sensors. These sensors have a crop factor, for example, 1.5x crop factor.

This means that when you set your lens to 50mm, it’s not equal to 50mm but, in fact, equal to 50 x 1.5 - i.e. 75mm.

So, a cropped sensor’s equivalent standard field of view will be 50 / crop factor. So, for our 1.5x, it will be 50 / 1.5 = 33mm.

Here, anything below 33mm is wide-angle, and anything above is telephoto.

The wide-angle distortion effect

In the case of wide angle, the distortion effect is warping or bending the perspective of objects in our scene. Wide angle stretches our field of view beyond what is considered normal and thus stretches objects within the composition.

This warping is more evident around the edges of our frame, on larger objects or ones closer to the camera. It also makes foreground objects larger and distant objects smaller.

Photographing buildings up close and looking upwards with a wide angle is the most commonly seen distortion effect.

The image here was shot at 24mm focal length. The wide angle distorted the vertical lines by bending them inwards towards each other.

The other distorting effect is that the lower half of the building, which is closer to the camera, has been stretched wider and made larger in the frame, whereas the more distant object, the top of the tower, has been shrunk and looks much smaller.

The whole tower looks as though it is tapered inwards, although it is perfectly straight.

If you stand there looking with your eyes, there would be a similar effect, only not as pronounced. So, the wide-angle accentuates the distorted perspective.

How to avoid this

If you wish to avoid or minimise this effect, you must move back and higher to shoot more straight at a higher perspective.

This image was shot close and whilst crouched low from an angle:

This image was shot further back, straight on and whilst standing:

How to use wide-angle distortion creatively

You can use this effect to accentuate features of a subject, add or create drama to a scene or make things look funny. Here are some uses:

1. Adding drama to architectural elements

As seen above, you can shoot from below to accentuate the height of a building or multiple buildings in a city to create a sense of drama.

2. Real estate photography

Real estate photographers use wide angles to ensure the whole room is captured in the photo, but the wide angle also makes rooms appear much bigger.

3. Food photography

Ever seen those photos of that big juicy hamburger, only to find that when you buy one and open the package, it’s a shrivelled piece of meat in a big bun?

Aside from injecting water into the burger to puff it up a bit, they also get right up close with a wide angle to make the meat look much bigger than it is.

4. Dramatic foregrounds and skies in landscapes

You can use the wide angle effect to accentuate interesting foreground objects or scenery in a landscape, such as rocks, rivers or roads. The classic use would be to get down low in the middle of a road to make the start super wide and then have it taper off in the distance to some beautiful mountains.

Wide angles can also emphasise dramatic, stormy skies with interesting cloud formations. They are also great for reflections at sunset, where you can go wide and capture a great flaming sky reflected in a large body of water like a lake.

5. Quirky shots of animals & people

The warping effect of wide angles can be used to create fun, quirky shots, too. Such as these here:

Telephoto lens distortion

A telephoto doesn’t distort the image like a wide angle does. But it does distort your perception.

When you zoom in, you isolate a part of the scene and make it look artificially larger. But the other effect is that it can make objects seem much closer and bigger in relation to each other.

You may have seen those classic images of a rabbit or a stag with a giant moon behind. This is not done using Photoshop but using a 1000mm focal length.

The images below show the difference between using wide angle and telephoto on the same scene. The first was shot standing close to the grass with a 24mm focal length, while the second was shot from across the road using a 105mm focal length.

In the wide angle, the grass looks much bigger and longer, and the church is tiny and far off in the distance.

In the telephoto, the grass is a bit smaller, but more importantly, the church now looks bigger in the picture and closer to the grass.

Other types of distortion

1. Chromatic aberration

Chromatic aberration, or colour fringing, occurs when different wavelengths of light do not converge at the same point.

This creates coloured halos or fringes around high-contrast edges in an image.

It can manifest as both lateral chromatic aberration (at the edges of the frame) and longitudinal chromatic aberration (in front of or behind the focal plane). This is easily corrected in post-processing.

2. Vignetting

Vignetting is darkening in the corners of an image. It can be caused by limitations in the lens design or when using filters or lens hoods that obstruct some of the light entering the lens.

It is most common when using wide-angle lenses. Again, it can easily be fixed in post-processing.

3. Lens diffraction

Lens diffraction is a type of distortion caused by small apertures. It affects image sharpness and detail, and it’s important to understand, especially when choosing aperture settings.

When the aperture is set to a very small size, such as F22, light waves passing through it can be bent when they encounter an obstacle, like a small aperture.

This causes them to spread out or interfere with each other, reducing image sharpness and producing a soft or blurry image.

The effect is worse on cropped sensors. Therefore, if using a full-frame camera, you can typically use a smaller aperture than a cropped sensor without the risk of diffraction.

Every lens is different, but the rule of thumb for avoiding diffraction is to set a maximum aperture of F11 on a crop sensor and F16 on a full-frame.

4. Barrel distortion

This type of distortion causes straight lines to appear curved outward as if they were wrapped around the surface of a barrel. It is most commonly associated with curvilinear wide-angle lenses and can make images look bulging in the centre.

5. Pincushion distortion

Pincushion distortion is the opposite of barrel distortion. It causes straight lines to appear curved inward, creating a pinched or cushion-like effect. This type of distortion is often seen in telephoto lenses.

6. Fisheye distortion

Fisheye lenses produce extreme barrel distortion, resulting in a circular or hemispherical projection of the scene, like looking into a fishbowl. Therefore, this effect is intentional and used for creative or artistic images.

8. High ISO distortion

As you increase the ISO on your camera, you introduce noise into the sensor. Therefore, high ISOs are a type of distortion.

How bad this noise can be depends on the camera you use. Higher-end cameras perform better at high ISOs than cheaper ones. Also, camera manufacturers are making massive improvements in this area.

Noise is more obvious in the darker areas of your scene, too. Noise can be reduced in post-processing, and there is also some great software out there, such as Topaz Denoise, that does an excellent job.

That said, you will lose sharpness and end up with a softer image. So be sure to only use a high ISO whenever there is no other choice.

How to correct lens distortion

As explained earlier, some distortion, although not all, can be corrected in post-processing.

Buildings and objects can often be straightened using Adobe Camera RAW, Photoshop or Lightroom.

However, be sure to leave plenty of room around the edges of your photo, as much of it will be lost in the process.

About the author:

Ian Middleton is a travel and landscape photographer and writer. He is the author of several books, including a practical guide to photography. His photography has been used in numerous publications worldwide and is sold as high-quality wall art online.

Visit his website for more info: https://ianmiddletonphotography.co.uk

Specialist camera insurance through Ripe Photography

Heading out to experiment with distortion photography? You may want to protect your camera and accessories through specialist insurance.

At Ripe, we arrange cover that can be tailored to fit your exact requirements, so you only ever pay for what you need. You can cover up to £60,000 of equipment for theft and accidental damage so that you can continue your shoots with peace of mind.

Get a quick online quote today.

Astrophotography with a telescope: A beginner’s guide

Fri, 25 Jul 2025 15:54:53 Z

If capturing the night sky is high on your photography agenda this year, you’ve come to the right place. Astrophotography can reap some truly incredible results, especially if you have the right know-how.

Here we’ll take a look at how to get started on capturing astrophotography with a telescope, from which settings to use to how to take photographs of stars.

What equipment do you need for telescope astrophotography?

While you can use a very high-quality lens to snap photos of the sky at night, you may also want to experiment with capturing astrophotography with a telescope. This will give you a much clearer, more detailed image – especially if you live in a more urban area where there are higher levels of light pollution.

First things first, you’ll need to purchase a telescope. Which one you choose, and any additional attachments you need, will depend on how you want to use it. Many photographers simply snap photos on their smartphones or DSLR cameras directly through a telescope’s eyepiece.

However, you can also buy special astrophotography telescopes where you can mount your camera via an adapter or T-ring to the eyepiece for a clearer, more precise image. These can be pricier, so they are best for those considering taking up astrophotography as a serious hobby.

You’ll also likely need a tracking mount, which will help keep objects in space in focus as the Earth slowly rotates. Harrison Telescopes sells both.

Understanding the best camera settings for astrophotography

When it comes to astrophotography settings, this will entirely depend on what camera you’re using. If you’re using a standard DSLR camera, you’ll want to make sure you have it set on a wide aperture and set the shutter speed so it’s open for about 20 seconds. You could also set it to a longer shutter speed if you want to capture trails of stars for an arty shot.

Many digital cameras may also have preset programs for night sky photography, although you may prefer to keep it in manual mode so you can easily alter the settings to suit different nighttime conditions. You should also set up the ‘live view’ mode on your camera screen (or a connected laptop) if you have one, as this will make it much simpler to see exactly what you’re capturing.

How to take photographs of stars and planets with a telescope

As mentioned above, there are two ways you can capture astrophotography with a telescope.

Firstly, you could hold up your camera or smartphone to a telescope’s eyepiece and capture images through it. Or, you could mount your camera to a telescope and then use a tracking mount to keep your chosen object – whether that’s a star, planet or another celestial mass – in focus.

Common mistakes beginners make

Achieving fantastic images using astrophotography takes patience and practice. Here are a few common mistakes you’ll want to avoid if you’re brand-new to it and want it to be successful.

1. Don’t go out in cloudy conditions

Astrophotography with a telescope works best when the skies are clear and the light pollution is low. Read our guide on cloudy day photography for tips on shooting in dull weather.

2. Using incorrect settings

It’s important to have a little play around with your camera settings before you start seriously shooting space. Every camera is different, and so many other factors also come into play, including what you’re trying to photograph and your surrounding environment.

3. Not aligning your telescope to the celestial pole

If you’re keen to capture a specific star system or planet, you’ll first need to find it and track it through your telescope. Make sure you align it to the Earth’s axis rotation (otherwise known as polar alignment) first to make it easier to track specific locations.

Tips for better results when learning astrophotography

Use a tripod mount: Astrophotography is all about precision, so make sure your telescope or camera is set up on a tripod mount to keep it as still as possible.
Try a longer shutter speed: As you’ll be shooting in low light levels, you’ll want to experiment with using longer shutter speeds.
Adjust the white balance: To reduce any light pollution showing up on your images, adjust the white balance to either a cooler or warmer tone to see what impact it has.
Play around with the ISO: You’ll typically want a higher ISO setting when shooting in low light, but it’s worth playing around with it to see what different results you get on a lower setting.
Set your camera to record RAW image files: As shooting in the dark records a lot of data, you’ll want to set your camera to capture RAW image files rather than JPGs. This will ensure you’re able to edit and enhance the photos later on a computer or laptop.

Can you do astrophotography with a Dobsonian telescope?

Yes, a Dobsonian telescope is the ideal option if you want to give astrophotography with a telescope a try. They’re well-loved by amateur astronomers for their ease of use. Plus, you can easily connect a camera (whether that’s a smartphone, DSLR or more specialist model) to a Dobsonian telescope’s eyepiece using the right adapter.

Check out our guide on AI in photography for help with post-production.

Specialist photography insurance through Ripe

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AI in photography: Using artificial intelligence to your advantage

Tue, 10 Jun 2025 07:13:51 Z

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is becoming more and more popular. Whether you’re a fan of it or not, there’s no denying it’s being used more regularly in everyday life and will continue to do so.

So, what is AI exactly? In simple terms, it uses computer programmes to carry out tasks that normally require human intelligence. It can help with a variety of tasks, such as data analysis, language processing, and image and video recognition, and is beneficial when it comes to helping with creative tasks such as photography.

AI in photography can be used to create completely new photos from scratch or edit existing photos by carrying out tasks such as auto-enhancing or removing objects. In this guide, we’ll look at how to use AI in photography and the future of AI in photography.

How AI can help with post-production of photography

The history of AI and photography first started with AI photography editing tools. Before AI, editing photos was an arduous task and took significant time. However, using AI tools can now help simplify the process and enhance the editing process.

With editing software such as Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom using AI features it can automatically enhance photos by adjusting sharpness, saturation, colour and exposure, as well as the ability to remove unwanted objects, to name a few. AI in photography will reduce editing time, ensuring the photos are consistent with your style. It can detect and correct imperfections that aren’t visible to the human eye and generate artistic effects to enhance your photos.

AI can also be used to sort and manage photo libraries. It uses facial recognition which enables automatic tagging of individuals in photos, reducing organisation time significantly.

You don’t have to be a professional photographer to take a high-quality photo. With AI integrated into smartphones, you can transform a simple photograph into a high-quality, professional-looking one in a matter of seconds. For instance, Apple uses AI to enhance colour and lighting and to improve night mode.

AI algorithms are used to identify scenes, objects, and human faces, enabling the camera to adjust settings such as exposure, contrast, and saturation to produce the best possible image quality. Have you ever watched those memory movies on your phone? Well, your phone creates these by using AI.

Generative AI

Generative AI can produce a brand new image from a written command. With AI tools like Midjourney and Stable Diffusion, you can create high-quality, professional-looking images by inputting a text command. Crazy, isn’t it? But how does it work? Generative AI models are trained on masses of image data sets so it learns pattens and structures of real images. It will then use its knowledge to generate new images with similar characteristics.

The benefit is that you don’t have to be a professional photographer or even own photography equipment to produce professional looking images or photos. The more detailed the prompt the more detailed the final result, but even a simple prompt can create incredible images. The accessibility to produce fast, professional images and graphics is a game changer, especially for businesses that require a quick turnaround time. Apart from a minimal monthly subscription fee, the ability to create amazing, high quality images comes at a very low cost.

Ethical issues

The rise of AI in photography and art has become controversial. One of the main reasons for this is it can sometimes be hard to differentiate between real photography or art and AI-generated images.

Photography is a great skill—people train for years to be able to do it as a career, whereas AI can produce a photograph in a matter of seconds. It can be argued that AI has the potential to devalue these skills and human creativity, potentially putting jobs at risk.
AI can generate or change images of real people, leading to consent and privacy violations concerns and a lack of transparency, where the lines are blurred as to whether the image is real or AI-generated.

Deepfakes raise serious concerns. This is where fake AI-generated images of people—potentially showing them in situations they’ve never been in—result in fake news and spreading misinformation.

Copyright and ownership are also a massive cause for concern. As mentioned previously, AI is trained on pre-existing images from the internet, and yes, some of these can be copyrighted photos. This can lead to debates over copyright and intellectual property rights, as the original artist may not have been credited or compensated.

The future of AI in photography

Instead of fighting against AI, the general consensus in the photography world is to use it to your advantage. AI can be incredible for saving professional photographers time when using its cutting-edge technology to enhance and better their portfolios.

There’s no denying that AI’s algorithms will become more sophisticated, and its capabilities will advance. Potential advantages include real-time scene optimisation and auto-styling where AI can be trained to understand a photographer’s portfolio to help continually produce photos in their own specific style, helping to maintain brand consistency.

AI can be used whether you’re a professional photographer or not. So explore, experiment and embrace it. It could take your photography to the next level.

Specialist photography insurance through Ripe

Whether you’re a professional or amateur photographer, you may want to protect your photography equipment with specialist photography insurance.

Through Ripe, you can cover up to £60k of equipment for theft and accidental damage, so you can enjoy your shoots with peace of mind. You can get a free online quote here.

10 UK street photographers you need to know about

Wed, 29 Jan 2025 06:59:09 Z

There’s nothing purer than an expertly crafted street shot which carries a poignant message. To celebrate the ingenuity that goes into capturing the everyday and turning it into something beautiful, we’ve chosen 10 famous UK street photographers you need to know about.

1. Linda Wisdom

As London street photographers go, Linda Wisdom is up there with the best. As a famous street photographer, her credentials speak for themselves – she won the ‘Best Street Life’ category at the 2016 British Life Photography Awards. She was commended again in 2018 when her image was exhibited at the Royal Albert Hall for two months.

Linda also works with Airbnb as a London photography tour host and tutor. In fact, she was the first ever street photographer asked by Airbnb to become an ‘Experience Host’. Her other clients include Panasonic, Jessops, Amateur Photographer and Huffington Post UK. Find out for yourself why she’s so highly thought of.

2. Simon Buckley

In the world of popular street photographers, the name Simon Buckley might ring a bell, especially if you’re from Manchester. Simon’s stunning photograph of Deansgate in the rain went viral a few years ago, and the best part of the story is that he took this on an iPhone 6s. If ever there was an example of the skill involved in street photography, this is it.

Simon has photographed just about every corner of Manchester – as you’ll see – and has a real talent for turning the everyday into something extraordinary.

His ongoing Not Quite Light project epitomises these talents. You can learn more about the venture by clicking the ‘Simon Buckley’ hyperlink above.

3. Nico Goodden

Nico Goodden specialises in a wide range of photography, but street photography allows him to hone in on some of London’s weird and wonderful elements. As he puts it: “Street photography is my visual diary of daily life in London. I observe the city, Londoners and tourists around me and capture what others may dismiss or not even notice.”

Nico’s ability to think outside the box and his passion as an urban photographer has attracted adulation from far and wide. He has more than 90,000 followers on Twitter and Instagram alone and has worked with Adidas, Sony and Heineken. He can take a picture of just about anything and make it compelling, as you’ll see from checking out his Instagram page.

4. John Farnan

Based in Motherwell, Lanarkshire, Scotland, John lives within commutable distance of Glasgow. His affinity with the city is represented through his photographs, which chronicle an array of places and people. John has captured all facets of Glasgow and its surrounding areas, from cobbled streets and bridges to tenement blocks and boarded homes.

As you’ll see from visiting his website, John is a man of many talents and experiences. He has also lived in Bucharest and has an impressive portfolio of pictures from the Romanian capital, while he has also shot in Berlin and Venice. As one of the UK’s top urban photographers, his work encompasses some intriguing spots in many of the world’s most famous cities.

In addition to his street photography endeavours, John specialises in landscape, wedding and portrait photography. You can explore more of his work by visiting his Instagram page.

5. Nick Turpin

There’s something intrinsically raw and spontaneous about Nick Turpin’s photography. As one of our favourite city photographers, his eye for the aesthetic, attention to detail and ability to react in a split second exemplify what great street photography is all about.

Whether it’s two men in suits passing two men in high-vis jackets in perfect symmetry or a man sitting at the top of a double-decker bus who looks like he’s having his portrait done, Nick has captured it.

Nick’s refined photography is the result of more than 30 years of experience in the industry. His work has been exhibited at museums and festivals worldwide and featured on Sky Arts and BBC Radio 4, among others.

Nick has imparted his wealth of knowledge to other street photographers by creating this handy guide to street photography.

6. Steve Coleman

Steve Coleman hails from Kent but has made Liverpool his home, having lived and worked in the city for more than 20 years.
Steve, also a Breakfast Show Producer at BBC Radio Merseyside, specialises in different areas of photography. But, as he puts it, street photography is “the purest of all forms”.

His litter bin shot of Liverpool offers a unique, unorthodox and thought-provoking perspective of not just the city itself, but street photography in general. It can best be explained by a quote from Steve himself: “Photography is photography; an image can be defined by its composition, beauty or style by the viewer; there’s no need to be told what it is”.

7. Ronya Galka

Ronya Galka moved to the UK from Germany and worked in marketing. During this period, she took a photo that would change her life. It Must Be Monday Morning, a (literally) damp reflection of the morning commute in London, was submitted to the Sony World Photography Awards. As a result, Ronya was nominated for Best Photographer.

From here, she became one of the UK’s most popular street photographers. She took up street photography full-time and has been nominated as one of Britain’s top 10 street photographers by the Interactive Design Institute. You can read our urban photography tips interview with Ronya here.

8. John Robinson

A fantastic city photographer, if you want a snapshot of everyday city life in Newcastle, John Robinson’s Instagram will give you that and more.

Come rain or shine – in the most literal sense – John is there with his camera. The Tyne Bridge at sunset; a crowded bus queue in the rain; a puddle reflecting a local landmark; the iconic Knife Angel overlooking Gateshead. All of them become works of art thanks to John’s creative eye and are compelling representations of what it’s like to come from the North East.

As you’ll see from visiting John’s Instagram page above, he has taken street photographs around the world. But Newcastle will always be his home.

9. Callum Cole

When you scroll through Callum Cole’s Instagram, you struggle to comprehend that he’s only in his early 20s and has been part of the UK street photography fabric for years. In the world of street photographers, his photographs demonstrate a maturity beyond his years, showcasing everything from the eerie to the serene.

The above shot of a tram gliding through an empty Manchester city centre during a foggy morning perfectly combines the two. Callum is proud of his Mancunian roots; his pictures tell a thousand stories of the city. But he’s also taken stunning photographs of London, New York and beyond.

If his works to date are anything to go by, Callum has a promising future in photography ahead of him.

10. Emmanuel Cole

Emmanuel Cole is right up there with the best urban photographers in the UK. Born and bred in London, he is passionate about urban landscapes and their inhabitants. He has an innate ability to capture incredible portraits, resulting in thought-provoking photographs focused on ethnicity and identity.

His work has been featured in many publications, including the Guardian. “An extreme dance on top of a bus shelter” is a photo that captures a trio celebrating at Notting Hill Carnival. The raw beauty of this picture demonstrates Emmanuel’s ability to capture everyday urban life.

Specialist photography insurance through Ripe

Suppose you’re an aspiring street photographer inspired by our list of the top street photographers in Britain—you may want to consider protecting your camera and accessories with specialist photography insurance.

Through Ripe, you can cover up to £60k of equipment for theft and accidental damage, so you can head out into the city to snap some shots with peace of mind. Get an instant online quote today.

The 10 best photography gifts

Fri, 03 Jan 2025 14:08:58 Z

Know someone who loves photography? Whether it’s their birthday, an important anniversary on the horizon, or Christmas is just around the corner, you may be searching for some unique present ideas.

From purely practical items to those that will give them some creative inspiration, here’s our round-up of the best photography gifts in the UK to buy this year.

1. A lens cleaning kit

Having dirt or smudges on your camera lenses is always a no-go. Why? Because it can easily turn a great photoshoot into a terrible one if the photos end up looking blurry. That’s where a good lens cleaning kit comes in—the ideal functional gift for any photographer.

You’ll find plenty of options online, but most feature a microfibre cloth, cleaning wipes, a dust brush and an air blower to help eliminate tiny, hard-to-reach dirt particles. We recommend the Zeiss Lens Cleaning Kit, which comes in a handy compact carry case for easy storage.

2. Memory cards

Let’s face it—photographers can never own too many of these! Memory cards are always useful gifts to receive and you’ll have a range of options to pick between. Choose one with a higher speed (ideally 250 MB/s) and a capacity of over 64MB.

Why not pop the new memory card in a sleek memory card holder while you’re at it? These are made from hard or soft plastic and are great for storing memory cards safely before and after photoshoots.

3. An inspiring photography book

As well as looking fabulous on your loved one’s bookshelf or coffee table, a photography book could also be a brilliant source of inspiration for them. Find out what style of photography they tend to practice, whether portraits of people or landscapes and then choose a book to match.

Most bookshops will have a dedicated photography section for you to browse. Or why not do a quick search online for a specific kind of photography book? You could also choose a volume dedicated to composition photography, such as Richard Garvey-Williams’ Mastering Composition, which is full of amazing ideas on how to take beautiful photos that are pleasing to the naked eye.

4. A portable hard drive

One of the most annoying things that can happen on a photoshoot is running out of space on your memory cards. That’s where a portable hard drive can come in handy. They’re typically quite small and lightweight (similar to a portable phone charger), allowing photographers to instantly transfer images from their memory card.

A hard drive is also a must-have for backing up precious images, especially if you’re on a shoot somewhere remote or in bad weather where your camera is at greater risk of damage. You can even buy hard drives that are water-resistant and even shockproof. Plus, many weigh under 50 grams—making them amazing gifts for photographers who like to pack light.

5. A flashlight

Some of the best landscape photography locations are in the UK’s most remote locations—and they’re particularly popular with photographers who like to shoot at night, dawn or sunset. Know someone who fits into this category? A really useful bit of kit to gift them is a good-quality flashlight.

Photographers also often find them handy for creating cool effects and using the light to help navigate in the dark. They can be used to spotlight something (such as an owl in a tree) or to illuminate the sky when snapping photos of stars or the Milky Way.

6. A pair of binoculars

Nature photographers, in particular, will love this gift idea! A high-quality pair of binoculars can be very useful when spotting wildlife to photograph in the great outdoors—whether that’s birds flying across the sky at sunset or larger mammals prowling the desert on a safari.

It’s possible to purchase some pretty lightweight binoculars, too. This includes the Nikon PROSTAFF P7 binoculars, which allow the user to see plenty of detail in varying light conditions.

7. A fun lens mug

Consider a lens mug for a novelty photography gift that can be used every day (and not just on shoots!). They look like real camera lenses from the outside, complete with autofocus switches and even branded detailing to match the recipient’s real camera.

On the inside though, they’re purely for filling up with your loved ones’ favourite brew. Some lens mugs even come with lids, meaning they can double up as a travel mug when going on photoshoots.

8. A compact tripod

Tripods are a vital bit of kit for most photographers—and having a smaller, more portable option can be particularly useful for shoots outdoors. They’re useful for stabilising a camera and preventing blurring from shaky hands. Plus, you can use a tripod to elevate your camera if you have a particular composition in mind.

A compact Gorilla Pod tripod is a great all-rounder for beginners and experienced photographers. They’re typically inexpensive and have an amazing flexible design, allowing photographers to effortlessly adapt their camera’s height and even wrap them around things such as railings, rocks or small trees.

9. A few reflectors

Reflectors are another must-have for shoots. They’re essentially pieces of fabric stretched onto a frame to reflect or redirect light in a specific direction. You can get them in various colours to suit different light scenarios—from white reflectors that create a more natural glow to silver reflectors that add extra brightness.

Buying a selection of reflectors is a thoughtful photography gift idea that will go down well with portrait and landscape photographers.

10. Specialist photography insurance through Ripe

Alongside the above suggestions, you may want to gift the photographer in your life with specialist photography insurance.

At Ripe, you can cover up to £60k of equipment for theft and accidental damage so that your special someone can enjoy their shoots with peace of mind. Find out more about specialist photography insurance, or get a quick online quote today.

Photography for beginners: essential tips to get started

Thu, 24 Oct 2024 11:57:14 Z

Snapping great images—whether that’s scenic landscapes or stunning portraits of loved ones—isn’t rocket science. It’s all about having the right tools (i.e. a camera!), the right know-how, and a little patience to learn a few photography basics.

Here, we discuss how to get started and provide a few handy photography tips for beginners.

How to get started in photography

First things first, you’ll need a camera! You may have already bought or been given one as a gift, or perhaps you’re in the market for a new one.

If the latter is you, do some research beforehand about all the different camera brands or visit a specialist camera shop for some in-person advice.

Camera acquired, let’s move on to your second task—getting to grips with how to use it.

As well as giving the user manual a look over, you’ll find plenty of tutorial videos online about how to change things like the aperture and shutter speed (more on those below). Then, all that’s left to do is take your camera out and start snapping away.

What are the four basics of photography?

While many photography courses can be hugely beneficial, you can also teach yourself some photography basics.

This includes learning about the four basics of photography:

1. Composition

This is one of the most important aspects of photography and refers to the arrangement of visuals you plan to capture. Your composition can be static (e.g., a photo of something still, such as a person posing or a landscape) or dynamic (e.g., a photo of something moving).

To achieve the perfect composition, it’s worth learning about the rule of thirds—a useful guideline for photographers that helps them take more balanced shots that are pleasing to the eye.

The rule simply divides an image into nine equal sections using two vertical and two horizontal lines. Your subject should be placed where the lines intersect.

Snapping photos outdoors? Try lining up the horizon with the top or bottom horizontal line.

2. Aperture

The term ‘aperture’ refers to your camera’s lens and is simply a measurement of how wide the opening is.

Controlling your aperture will allow more or less light to enter your camera and reach its sensor. This can then impact the depth of field (the distance between the farthest away and the closest object) and the light exposure in your images.

You’ll find aperture is measured in something called f-stops. It’s worth figuring out how to change the aperture on your camera before your first shoot, as it can really make or break the quality of an image.

3. Shutter speed

As the name suggests, this refers to how long the shutter on your camera remains open to let light reach its sensor. You can set it to different speeds depending on where you’re photographing and your subject matter.

Adapting your shutter speed allows you to control the light exposure—particularly useful if you’re shooting in an area with very low or very bright light.

It’s also worth considering if you’re capturing movement—a faster shutter speed will freeze whatever is moving in your shot while lowering the shutter speed will create a cool blur effect.

4. ISO

Your camera’s ISO is simply a value that measures how sensitive its sensors are to light. It’s one of your camera’s main light exposure settings, and how high or low you set it will depend on the light conditions of where you’re shooting.

In general, you’ll want your ISO to be higher in low-light conditions and lower if it’s brighter from artificial or natural light. Some cameras will automatically adjust the ISO for you. However, as you get more experienced, you may want to do this manually to create more interesting and creative images.

More photography tips for beginners

Now you’re clued up on the four basics of photography, you might want a few other hints and tips for creating beautiful or inspiring images. Here are a few suggestions:

Try different camera filters

Camera filters are a great way to improve the quality of your photos and make them look more professional. Depending on which one you choose, it could help boost the contrast of your images, reduce or enhance reflections on water, or create a longer exposure.

Make yourself aware of your shutter count

Taking care of your camera is also essential, including knowing your shutter count. This is different from shutter speed. It refers to the number of times your shutter has been used to take a photo—or, in basic terms, how many photos your camera has taken. Similar to knowing your car’s mileage, knowing your camera’s shutter count allows you to guess what life it has left in it or what value it has if you decide to sell it later.

Take all the time you need

Remember: mastering some basic photography skills won’t happen overnight. You’ll need to give yourself time to understand the basics of photography and your individual camera—whether at home or by going out on multiple shoots. You’ll slowly develop your own photography style, too, and hopefully have lots of fun with it!

Specialist photography insurance through Ripe

Once you have the basics of photography under your belt, you may want to protect your camera and accessories with specialist insurance before heading out.

At Ripe, we arrange cover that can be tailored to fit your exact requirements, so you only ever pay for what you need. You can cover up to £60k of equipment for theft and accidental damage so that you can enjoy your shoots with peace of mind.

You can get an online quote here.

5 ideas and tips for spectacular summer photography

Thu, 15 Aug 2024 09:16:45 Z

Summer is a season synonymous with warm sunlight, blue skies and a general sense of joy and relaxation.

But summer brings everything a photographer hates—harsh light, washed-out colours, heat vapour, haze, and great locations flooded with tourists.

Don’t worry, though. There are still some workarounds and unique opportunities that only summer can bring.

Here are five tips to help you make the most of your summer photography when the land is truly green and the skies are blue.

1. Golden hour magic

Idea: Utilise the Golden Hour for soft, warm lighting.

The “Golden Hour” refers to the period shortly after sunrise and just before sunset when the sun is low in the sky, casting a beautiful, warm glow.

This time of day is ideal for capturing the warm, soft light that only happens when the sun is so low in the sky.

The sun is quite low in the sky from autumn to spring for longer periods throughout the day.

In summer, though, it is much shorter but offers a respite from the harsh, hazy light throughout the main part of the day.

Additionally, the popular locations will be devoid of crowds at sunrise.

Tips

1. Plan ahead

Sunrise is very early, and sunset is late in summer, so be sure to check sunrise and sunset times and plan your shoot accordingly.

Consider how long it will take you to travel to the location, walk to the spot you need to be in, and get set up.

Arriving in plenty of time also allows you to scout a location, think about your composition, and anticipate the kind of shot you will get in the conditions you will face.

Then, you will be ready when the magical light comes.

Also, consider traffic jams if you are travelling by day for a sunset. One advantage to a sunrise shoot is that travelling by night will avoid the holiday traffic.

2. Use the haze

The heat and haze can sometimes be your friend. On days when the sky is cloudless, the setting sun can often be very strong and the scene high in contrast.

If there is a haze on the horizon, this will help diffuse the sun’s strength and help increase the dynamic range, bringing back some of the detail in those shadows.

If there’s no haze, look for a composition with strong, clearly defined shapes for the features that will become silhouettes.

3. Use reflectors

While the Golden Hour light is naturally flattering, a reflector can help fill in shadows and add a touch of extra warmth to your subject.

2. Head to the seaside

Idea: Capture the fun and relaxation of a beach setting.

If you can’t beat them, join them. Summer is holiday time and there is no avoiding the crowds during the day.

Beaches are quintessential summer locations that offer numerous opportunities for dynamic and engaging photos. From playful action shots to serene landscapes, the beach provides a versatile backdrop.

Tips

1. Capture the summer lifestyle

Photograph people relaxing at the seaside, playing in the water, surfing, boating, or simply strolling along the beach.

Use a fast shutter speed to freeze the action and splashing water. Also, though, consider slowing the shutter speed down just enough to capture a sense of movement without blurring out your subject completely.

2. Capture watersports

Surfers and bodyboarders are out in force in the summer, along with jet skis, speed boats, and more.

This offers a great opportunity to capture action shots and also practice panning.

Panning is a technique where you use a relatively slow shutter speed, 1/60 sec, for example, and then pan the camera while the shutter is open to add motion blur to the background while keeping your subject relatively sharp.

Related: A guide to coastal photography

3. Flora and fauna focus

Idea: Highlight the beauty of summer greens, flowers and wildlife.

Of course, it’s only in summer when many trees and flowers are in full bloom and wildlife is more active.

This is the best time to shoot summer photography for those who love nature.

You can photograph summer flowers during the golden hour for warm colours or when they go in the shade for more natural-looking colours without harsh shadows.

You can also use heat vapour and haze for a creative effect.

Tips

1. Macro photography

Use a macro lens to get up close and capture the intricate details of flowers. This can reveal a world of beauty that is often overlooked.

2. Natural frames

Use elements like branches, leaves, and petals to frame your subject, adding depth and context to your photos.

3. Patience with wildlife

Patience is key when photographing animals. Spend time observing their habits and movements to capture the perfect moment. Alternatively, take a wildlife photography tour or book a photo hide.

4. Shoot on cloudy days

Idea: Capture the drama and intensity of cloudy days.

Summer photography doesn’t always have to be blue skies. There are days when it is not hot and clear, especially in the UK.

Days are often partly cloudy and can even be stormy. These are great times to head out with your camera.

The clouds diffuse and scatter the light, often spotlighting a scene or landmark. You can also capture the moment when the sun breaks through the clouds.

When the sun is high in the sky, and there are scattered clouds, you often get beautiful white puffy clouds whose texture is defined by the top light. It’s the only time you get true white clouds and deep blue skies.

Tips

1. Head to the coast

If it’s completely overcast or raining, head to the coast and seek out simple coastal scenes for long-exposure, minimalist, or black-and-white shots.

2. Capture mountains

The mountains can be quite dramatic in the summer, and we often see amazing summer storms with moody clouds swirling around mountain peaks. You could also capture some lightning strikes.

3. Head to the countryside

Look for fields of hay, corn, or other farmland scenes against a partly cloudy sky, which make interesting foreground subjects.

4. Portraits

Believe it or not, cloudy and overcast days are the best time to photograph people. The clouds diffuse the light and eliminate shadows, producing a softer, more flattering light for faces.

5. Sun and moon alignments that only happen in summer

Idea: Capture the sun or moon over a specific object or landmark

Only in the summer can the rising or setting sun or full moon align with a landmark, mountain peak, or other object.

In summer, the sun rises and sets more to the north, so it is only during this time that it may align with something from a given angle.

Conversely, the full moon rises at sunset or sets at sunrise in the south (when the moon is full, it is directly opposite the sun). These are opportune moments that occur only during the summer months.

Tip

Use an app to plan

Use a photography app such as Photopills, TPE or Peak Finder to help you determine where and when this might happen.

Specialist photography insurance through Ripe

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Click here to learn more about specialist camera insurance, or hit the button below to get an online quote today.

A complete guide to industrial photography (with expert tips)

Wed, 29 May 2024 13:55:40 Z

Industrial photography is a special genre of commercial photography that captures the spirit, detail and power of the industrial world and encompasses a variety of styles.

It showcases and documents industrial settings, infrastructure, machinery, and procedures.

If a professional photographer can build a portfolio of well-paying clients, it can be a good source of income.

Here’s our complete guide to industrial photography to help you get started.

What is industrial photography?

There are many types of photos that fall under the genre of industrial photography.

Of course, you can take photos of industrial settings in general to emphasise the scale and complexity of industrial sites, including:

factories
machinery
power plants
construction sites

You might imagine scenes of giant smoking chimneys or lots of heavy machinery. However, industrial photography can go well beyond that.

It also encompasses the finer details, such as intricate scenes of machinery, showcasing the technology used (particularly new and innovative tech) and the people and corporate world behind it all.

In addition to the wider views, a photographer can often go in close and capture the smaller details of an employee’s work and the raw power of machinery, such as the spray of sparks from a welder or the grinding of metal against metal.

Industrial photography documents, promotes, and even celebrates the human ingenuity, advancement, development and power behind the industrial world.

Types of industrial photography

There are many different types of industrial photography, so here are some of the main ones to help you decide which to pursue or add to your existing professional photography services.

Factory photography

At the heart of industry is the factory. Factory photography involves not only creating images that showcase the exterior, but also what goes on inside.

The main focus is capturing all the elements involved in manufacturing, from the machinery used to make products to production lines and their operators.

It can showcase the technology used in automation and, particularly these days, how robotics are being used in high-tech, high-volume, and fast-moving production lines.

To succeed in this area, a photographer must be skilled at capturing scale, complexity, and a sense of motion.

Constructional photography

The key is to document the various stages and elements of construction projects from start to finish.

Depending on the scale of the construction, it could involve wider images of the empty site at the start and the build at various stages until completion, which shows the change in the area and surrounding landscape.

It would also involve capturing images of the machinery, workers and their clothing (particularly the use of safety clothing such as steel-toe-capped boots and hard hats), and the materials used in the object’s construction.

It would also involve getting close-up images that illustrate the essential parts of a building’s construction, particularly the important safety and structural features.

Safety photography

In line with the above, this aspect of industrial photography focuses on documenting and illustrating the health and safety procedures applied within factories and construction sites.

This can include images of protective clothing, warning signs, health and safety inspections being carried out, and smaller details such as an area being sealed off to unauthorised personnel.

Training photography

This can be a good avenue to pursue, as pretty much every company needs good-quality images for training materials, whether for internal employee training or training and user manuals for a company’s products or services.

The focus here would be on creating images that clearly illustrate each step-by-step procedure, safety features, and how to operate equipment.

Event photography

Corporate events in the industrial world can range from conferences to trade shows, product launches, or the opening of a new building.

Companies invariably want these events to be photographed for several reasons—to send out to the media for marketing and promotion, newsletters and much more.

Architectural photography

While also a genre of its own, architectural photography falls under the umbrella of industrial photography.

Images here would focus on capturing the design, shape and form of industrial buildings, structures and, in the construction industry, their finished building or objects.

For industry, a photographer could be hired to capture images that showcase the unique or important aspects of a factory or building.

Environmental photography

Environmental photography is an important part of industrial photography today. It focuses on the interaction and impact of modern industry on the natural world and surrounding environment.

Environmental photography may focus on images showcasing the negative side, such as pollution or resource extraction.

On the flip side, it can also show the more positive side of modern industrial efforts, such as renewable energy projects and efforts to mitigate environmental harm.

The latter could be in demand from many companies and corporations that wish to enhance their image and reputation as green and eco-friendly businesses that help the environment or reduce the harmful impact their activities may otherwise be seen as having.

Documentary photography

As the name suggests, this area creates a visual record of a company or corporation’s activities and history over the years.

Photos will illustrate the daily processes and activities of workers and employees who have come and gone over the years, providing a visual record of who is who.

It may also be used to document changes or advancements over the years.

A documentary photographer will often work closely and regularly with a company to capture imagery for promotional materials and reports for CEOs or investors, as well as create a historical archive.

Part of this can also include portraits of employees to convey the human element and expertise behind it all.

Aerial photography

While many years ago, this sort of photography would have involved the high costs of hiring a helicopter or airplane, it is now much more accessible for many photographers.

Now equipped with high-quality video and still photo capabilities which are much more affordable, drone photography has become increasingly popular in recent years.

Aerial photography offers a unique perspective that can highlight the scale and spatial relationships of industrial complexes.

Many companies also employ drone photography for site surveys, which can be a lucrative business for a skilled drone photographer.

Expert tips for capturing industrial photography

1. Understand the industry you plan to photograph

Ideally, if you come from an industrial background yourself, you would be best suited to covering that particular industry you worked in.

Otherwise, be sure to thoroughly research the industry you plan to photograph or document. Learn the processes, protocols, and safety procedures relevant to the setting.

If possible, spend some time with the employees to familiarise yourself with them and also make them feel at ease when the time comes to take photographs. All this will help you create more natural, authentic, and accurate images.

2. Have safety in mind

Industrial environments can be dangerous. Be sure to prioritise safety, both your own and the safety of others around you.

If required, wear the proper protective clothing, adhere to all safety rules and guidelines, and always obtain permits and permission where needed.

Don’t put yourself or others in danger to get the perfect shot.

3. Play with light and shadow

Lighting is crucial in industrial photography, shaping mood, texture, and visual interest.

Try to use natural light as much as possible or artificial light sources where not. Direct light can enhance detail and help focus on a particular object or feature. You can even experiment with hard and soft light photography for different effects.

Use shadows to add depth and drama to your images, highlighting shapes, patterns, and contrasts within industrial landscapes.

Use a softbox to diffuse light where you want to eliminate shadows or soften the details on a product or person.

Medium to long exposures can create dynamic compositions and give a sense of motion or action.

4. Show texture and detail

Industrial environments are rich with textures, patterns, and details waiting to be captured.

Get close to machinery, surfaces, and materials to showcase their tactile qualities and intrinsic beauty.

Use macro photography techniques to reveal the detail of a task, the intricate textures of metal, concrete, and other industrial materials. This helps add intrigue to your photos.

5. Look for unique images

As with all photography, don’t settle for easy and standard viewpoints.

Look for vantage points, angles, and perspectives that offer fresh and compelling views.

Climb up high (if you can do it safely), explore different levels and elevations, and experiment with unconventional camera angles to capture the essence of industrial environments from different perspectives.

6. Experiment with different apertures

Large apertures will narrow the depth of field and help make a subject stand out.

If you want to isolate something from a distracting background, try moving back and zooming in with a longer focal length to narrow your depth of field even more.

Conversely, use a small aperture and small focal length to enhance your depth of field and show the wider environment.

Final thoughts

Every industrial photograph has a story to tell, whether about innovation, productivity, or the human element behind it all.

If you’ve been commissioned for the job, it’s important to listen carefully to the brief and what the client wants from you and try to convey that in your imagery.

If you’re embarking on your own industrial photography project or trying to build a portfolio of stock images, think carefully about how you can tell a compelling story with each image.

For stock photography, be sure to research what kind of images are not only needed, but in high demand.

Look for images of places, processes or features that are hard to find. Stock libraries are flooded with imagery, so the trick is to capture unique photos that no one else has done.

So grab your camera, invest in some safety gear, and venture into the heart of industry to explore, discover, and capture the industrial world with creativity and passion.

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9 essential tips for black and white landscape photography

Wed, 14 Feb 2024 10:41:22 Z

Even with the onset of modern technology bringing us superior colour reproduction and detail in modern digital cameras, the old-school art of black-and-white landscape photography is still as popular as ever, if not more so.

Black and white photos continue to have a very powerful and emotive effect. When done well, they can be even more striking than those super bold colour-saturated images you see splashed over social media.

So, if you still love this old medium, we’ve compiled a list of 9 essential tips for black-and-white landscape photography that includes subjects ideal for this.

1. Contrast is the key element

Unlike shooting in colour, high contrast is the key element to black-and-white landscape photography.

It flies in the face of what we ordinarily look for in traditional colour landscape photographs.

Normally, a high-contrast scene can be lacking in colour and texture. We want a range of tones to help separate elements and provide a broad spectrum of colours, texture and beauty.

Whether bold or subtle, the colour helps us pick out the elements and texture of the scene. Take most landscape photos and convert them to black and white—all that is lost, and the image looks flat.

When shooting black and white, it’s not the scene’s colour that is important, but rather the contrast provided by the interplay of light, shadow and extremes of colour.

We are looking for a strong contrast between the two to create an impactful dynamic image. Backlit scenes are a good example of this.

2. Look for strong contrasting colours

While colour plays a less crucial role here, it’s not entirely unimportant.

The primary differences to look for are strong contrasting colours that will be discernible as light and dark when converted to black and white.

The obvious will be bright white against black or even very dark blue. Others, such as dark red and light yellow, are also ones to look for.

The contrasting colours of a deep blue sky with scattered and bright, puffy white clouds often convert nicely to black and white. A polarising filter can help here because it helps to cut through the haze, darkens the blue parts and makes the clouds pop.

3. Set your camera to black-and-white mode when shooting, but keep the original in colour

It can be hard to visualise the world in black and white, and the colour you see before you can be distracting, especially when setting out to take monochrome photos.

Therefore, when you intend to capture the scene in black and white, the best way is to set your camera’s colour profile to monochrome.

You will then get a preview of the scene in mono on your rear screen or, if you have mirrorless, your viewfinder. This helps to pick out scenes that look great in mono.

Set your camera to shoot in RAW, or at least RAW + JPEG. For best results, it is always better to capture in RAW and do your own conversion to monochrome during post-processing.

When converting yourself, you can also control how you convert single colours by darkening blues and brightening the whites and other light colours to boost the contrast of your final black-and-white image.

You will also keep the colour version and, in some cases, may get an image that works well in both.

4. Pay even more attention to contrast, shapes, textures and leading lines

These are a no-brainer when it comes to photography, but this is ever more important in black and white.

When the colour is stripped away, elements in your scene can blend into each other even more and be hard to differentiate. Look for strong leading lines or well-defined edges that contrast with the sky, background or surrounding elements.

5. Shadows are your friend

In modern digital photography, the focus is ever more on getting a better dynamic range from your sensor.

However, in black and white, this is often the opposite. Shadows are your friend here, and help to provide separation.

Instead of looking for beautiful, smooth tonal transitions as in colour photography, we want to see more extremes between the scene’s light and dark parts.

Shadows help add shape and texture to the scene, which is ever more obvious when you strip away the colour. This is another reason why it’s often good to set the camera to black-and-white mode—you are no longer distracted by the colour and can focus on the light and dark within your scene.

Shadows can also provide interesting foreground elements or shapes within your photograph, especially when shooting architecture or cityscapes.

6. Shoot on bright sunny days, even at midday

Shock horror—this is the ultimate taboo in landscape photography! However, this applies to colour photography because the colours are washed out, and the light is harsh.

In black and white, we are looking for contrast—at this time of day, the contrast is at its highest.

A polarising filter is extremely useful here. It will cut through the haze and boost contrast in your scene.

Cloudless blue skies are boring in colour, but when you darken them with a polariser and then convert them to black and white, it has a much more dramatic effect.

It’s even more dramatic on days with blue skies and scattered puffy white clouds.

7. Shoot misty backlit scenes

Misty scenes work well in black and white, specifically because they usually lack colour. The mist is bright white and will stand out well.

However, look for scenes where the mist is backlit for maximum impact and drama—this will create more contrast between the mist and the landscape behind it.

The backlighting will enhance the whiteness of the mist, while the landscape and other elements in the scene will be dark silhouettes. This will create a powerful, dynamic image that looks great when converted to black and white.

8. Photograph water

Water is a wonderful subject for black-and-white photography. Water reflects light and often provides a lovely contrast between it and the landscape.

Ordinarily, for colour photography, you must photograph water, especially waterfalls and rapids, on an overcast day. Otherwise, the water is far too bright, and the dynamic range is too great for the camera.

Again, this is not the case for black-and-white photography, and you can shoot waterscapes at any time of the day.

The difference here is you need to look more for a scene where your surroundings contrast more with the water within it. Waterfalls and rapids are particularly great subjects for black-and-white photos.

9. Head out on cloudy, overcast or rainy days

We often think these kinds of days are a washout for landscape photography. The opposite is true, though, for black-and-white landscape photography.

An overcast day can be perfect for black-and-white seascapes and minimalistic images. Head down to the coast and look for a scene with a groyne, a pier, a lone boat, or some well-defined rocks in the foreground.

Look for momentary breaks in the cloud that allow a shaft of light to break through. These moments can add real impact to your image, especially over water.

Also, use an ND filter to get long exposures to create that fine art, minimalistic look.

Like anything, practice is the key to improvement. So get outside, put these 9 essential tips for black and white landscape photography into practice, and see what you can come up with.

About the author:

Visit his website for more info: https://ianmiddletonphotography.co.uk

Specialist photography insurance through Ripe

Black and white landscape photography is one of the most satisfying methods to master. But, it doesn't come without risks to your equipment, which is why you may want to protect your camera and accessories through specialist photography insurance.

Find out more about specialist photography insurance, or get a quick online quote today.

What is shutter count, and why does it matter?

Mon, 04 Dec 2023 16:23:42 Z

'What is shutter count?' is a popular question amongst new photographers. It's a phrase you often hear when browsing cameras or watching online tutorials, but it's easy to miss the definition if you haven't been shown.

Here's our full guide to shutter count, and why it's an important photography term to understand.

Understanding shutter count

The shutter count on a camera relates to the number of times the shutter has been used to take a photo. In a nutshell, it is the number of photos the camera has taken in its lifetime.

How to check the shutter count

In most modern DSLR or mirrorless cameras, the shutter count is recorded by the camera’s internal firmware, and it is also recorded in the EXIF data of each photo taken.

Therefore, the easiest way to check a camera’s shutter count is to look at the EXIF data of the most recent photo.

Alternatively, you can connect the camera via USB to the manufacturer’s software and find it that way.

Why should you know your digital camera’s shutter count?

Why does it matter, then? It matters because the shutter is a mechanical device within your digital camera that can wear out over time, like your car engine.

Knowing the camera’s shutter count is like knowing the mileage on a car you want to buy or sell. It is important to know this if you are planning to buy a used camera or you want to sell your own.

Like a used car, it can help determine the camera’s value and indicate how much it has been used and what life it can have left.

Replacing a camera’s mechanical shutter is significantly cheaper than replacing a car’s engine. Therefore, while a camera shutter may be close to the end of its life, it can still be replaced quite easily.

Although, the cost can be quite high concerning the camera’s value, so you will want to weigh up the repair cost against a newer camera.

Also, like a car, it could be obsolete by the time the shutter reaches its lifespan—unless a trigger-happy sports, action or wildlife photographer has used it.

What is the mechanical shutter?

The film or sensor must be exposed to light when taking a photo, but only when capturing the image.

Therefore, when not in use, it must be covered completely by a black curtain.

When you take a photo, the curtain or curtains open to expose the sensor to light for the time it takes to correctly capture the image. This can be anywhere from 1/8000 sec to 30 seconds and even several minutes and is known as the shutter speed.

In most cases, photos are taken using a fraction of a second. Additionally, cameras can also shoot multiple photos one after another.

High-end cameras can shoot up to 20fps (20 photos in one second, which means the shutter opens and closes 20 times in just one second).

Now, the mechanics of it are very complicated. Numerous moving parts fire off in sequence and, in the case of fast shutter speeds, extremely rapidly.

Imagine the toll this takes on all those tiny moving parts. This is the primary reason your shutter has a limited life and why knowing the shutter count is so important.

What is considered a high shutter count?

All modern cameras come with a life expectancy attached to the mechanical shutter. At the lower end, it’s usually 50,000 to 100,000 clicks. Mid-range is up to 200,000, and high-end cameras are up to 400,000.

Is a high shutter count an indication of a hard life?

While a high shutter count may seem like an indication of a hard life, many other factors can determine the condition of a used camera.

Just like a used car, if it’s a good quality make and model, has been well looked after, regularly cleaned and serviced, it can still be in good working condition.

However, if it’s been driven like a madman (a trigger-happy photographer), the shutter could be in bad condition from being fired rapidly on ultrafast continuous mode.

Conversely, it may have a low shutter count, but the owner could have travelled a lot with it, not kept it in any protective case and generally treated it carelessly.

If the owner has young kids and didn’t keep it out of reach, they could well have messed around with it or knocked it off tables.

What is the difference between a mechanical and an electronic shutter?

The difference between these two is, in fact, quite important.

The mechanical shutter uses many moving parts to open and close the curtain that covers your sensor (or film in older cameras). These are the parts that can wear out over time and eventually break.

On the contrary, the electronic shutter has no moving parts and will not suffer the same fate. It typically has a longer lifespan.

This, of course, applies to more modern mirrorless cameras. A DSLR will not have an electronic shutter.

However, most mirrorless cameras do come with the option of using both. You can choose to shoot with the mechanical shutter alone, electronic first curtain or full electronic shutter. The electronic first curtain setting still uses the mechanical shutter.

Therefore, when determining the shutter life of a mirrorless camera, you need to consider the shutter count of the mechanical one only.

Thankfully, the camera manufacturers record which shutter was used in each photo, thus recording the shutter count of the mechanical and electronic separately.

Naturally, this means that if you buy a used mirrorless camera where the owner tended to shoot either exclusively or mostly using the electronic shutter, this camera will still have a longer life.

This doesn’t mean that if someone has a mirrorless, they will be shooting this way.

There can be a drawback to using the electronic shutter when photographing fast-moving objects or panning—this is rolling shutter distortion.

A photographer will still tend to use the mechanical shutter in this instance to avoid this problem. For this reason, be sure to differentiate between the mechanical and electronic shutter count when considering the purchase of a mirrorless camera.

Is it possible to wind back the clock?

In the old days, when you bought a car from a dodgy car salesman, it could be difficult to know if the mileage was genuine. They had cunning ways of winding back the mileage clock to make it seem like the car had seen less use than it had.

Is it possible to do the same with the shutter count on a camera?

Of course, nothing is impossible—but it would be highly unlikely.

Firstly, as stated, the shutter count is also recorded in the EXIF of the latest photo. Thus, you can insist on seeing the seller’s recent photos taken from the camera.

Additionally, this is all recorded in the camera’s firmware, which is inside the camera’s hardware and not accessible through any of the settings or external software. It would take a very skilled hacker to get in and do this.

Why is it useful to know the camera shutter count?

Essentially, the primary reason is to determine the camera’s value. Whether you are looking to buy or sell, the shutter count can be a determining factor. You can also use this knowledge to bargain down the asking price of an old camera with a high shutter count.

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How to choose the best camera for sports photography

Thu, 02 Nov 2023 14:52:41 Z

Sports photography is one of the most thrilling creative activities, especially since it presents the unique challenge of capturing quality photographs of moving objects. But how do you know where to start with getting the right settings and equipment?

Here’s our guide on how to choose the best camera for sports photography, so whether you’re an amateur or aspiring professional, you can get the right gear for your budget and needs.

What is the best camera for sports photography?

There is no definitive answer to this question. It depends on your budget, skill level and how serious you are about sports photography.

If you’re a hobbyist, you don’t need to spend a fortune on a high-end model. If you won’t sell your work or don’t need super large resolutions, then a super high res sensor is not so important.

On the flip side, though, if you are a serious amateur or budding professional, you will want to spend a little more on a higher-end camera and lens.

Mind you that doesn’t mean you have to break the bank and buy the top, most expensive camera and lenses out there. What you need is a camera with the right specs.

The most important features when it comes to shooting sports and action are:

fast autofocus
good low-light focusing ability
good focus tracking
high ISO ability and frame rate (fps)
good zoom lens

So, rather than give you a list of cameras to choose from, in this article, we provide an overview of the features that you need to consider when deciding which camera to purchase with the intent to capture great sports or action photos. This way, you can make your own informed choice.

What camera features to consider with sports photography

Frame rate (FPS)

The frame rate is the amount of photos the camera will shoot continuously. It’s measured in seconds (FPS) frames per second.

A higher frame burst allows you to fire off multiple shots one after another to capture the action as it happens. A slow frame burst not only captures less of the action, but you could also miss a critical moment between shots.

Therefore, this is one of the most important factors when doing sports photography.

That being said, it depends on the type of sports you are photographing. If it’s high-speed action like motor racing, athletics, basketball, and such, a faster frame rate is desirable.

If you are photographing something a little slower moving, then you can get away with a slower frame rate.

Additionally, you must ask yourself—how critical is it to you? Going back to whether you are a hobbyist or a serious professional, do you need this? A faster frame burst will capture more of the action but also fill up your cards faster, and you’ll spend more time sifting through the photos to find the best moment.

It’s also easy to become a bit trigger-happy when utilising this kind of feature. Rather than just firing off shots like a machine gun in the hope of catching one great photo, often it can pay to take more time to think about your shots and learn the art of watching more carefully and reacting quickly to each moment.

If you are starting out, we suggest a more restrained approach. Practice on sports games and events that are less important so you can feel free to make mistakes and learn from them. This way, you will hone your reactive skills.

Fast autofocus

Accurate focusing is critical and even more important than a fast frame rate. It’s better to have 1 shot in focus than 10 out of focus.

When shooting a fast-moving subject, it can be next to impossible to focus manually with a good degree of speed and accuracy. Therefore, you will be very reliant on your camera’s autofocus.

However, it’s important to note that not only does the camera matter here but also the lenses. You must ensure your lens can react quickly to the camera’s commands.

One tip when it comes to ensuring your autofocus works as quickly as possible is to use the viewfinder and not the live view. It can depend on the camera, of course, but in most cases, focusing through the viewfinder is faster.

Be sure also to select the best focus point. If you are shooting larger objects close up, like cars, then you can use a larger cluster of focus points for more accuracy.

But for smaller objects, a more refined single point of cluster will be better. Use the fact that you can move your focus point around within your frame, too.

Again, it doesn’t mean you have to go out and spend your life’s savings on a top-range camera. If the model you choose isn’t super fast and accurate at tracking, just be more careful and precise when shooting.

Don’t try to track and shoot multiple frames of subjects that are moving faster than the camera can handle, but rather take a more selective approach and shoot one frame at a time, ensuring that you have focused accurately each time. Rely less on the camera’s ability and more on your own.

Focus tracking

Many digital cameras today come with a feature known as continuous autofocus or AI Servo. When this is set, the camera will track the subject you place the focus point on.

Essentially, it will continuously focus as the subject moves, which is ideal for sports photography as you are photographing moving subjects.

Once again, though, the accuracy and speed will depend on the camera. The higher-end ones will naturally be much faster and more accurate.

This can also be tricky, though, because you need to ensure that as the subject moves, the focus point remains on them. If they move away from the focal point, then the camera will focus on something else, most likely what is behind.

Many cameras now come with more advanced tracking features that will also lock on to a subject and track the actual subject as it moves within the frame, which is a huge advantage.

Low light focus ability

One thing to consider is how good the camera is at focusing in low light.

If you plan to photograph fast-moving subjects in poor lighting conditions, you need a camera with this ability. Situations like this could be for indoor sports games like basketball or night games and events.

High ISO performance

When choosing a camera for sports photography, fast shutter speeds are a must. To get this, you should increase your ISO to obtain a fast enough exposure time.

If you are photographing air shows, Formula 1, or horseracing, then shutter speeds of more than 1/1000 sec would be required. Even photographing your child’s football match would require a good shutter speed of at least 1/250 sec.

On an overcast or rainy day, light can be poor, and achieving these speeds requires upping the ISO. Most digital cameras come with a good ISO range, but not all offer good quality results at the higher ends of the range.

Increasing the ISO makes your sensor react to light much faster, which means that it requires less time to absorb the light. Consequently, you can use faster shutter speeds. However, this comes at a price—noise.

The increased sensitivity means the sensor picks up more electrical noise, which is the grainy, speckled effect on your image. In the days of film, it was known as film grain.

Lower-end cameras can suffer from noise more than higher-end ones, so be sure to look for the best-performing camera within your budget if you think you will be shooting at high ISOs.

Additionally, you can use software to reduce noise in your image, such as Topaz Denoise or Nik Software.

With any camera you choose, be sure to test it to find out at what ISO noise becomes unacceptable.

Good zoom lens

In most cases, you will not be close to the action, so a good zoom lens is important here to ensure you can take close-ups.

Typically, a 70-200mm is a good range for most sports or athletics games. Or a 100-400mm for air shows, skiing, motor racing etc.

Which camera should you choose?

The particular camera best for sports photography depends very much on you. But now you know which features are important when choosing your camera, so you can check all of these as you browse around.

So, to summarise, here is a shortlist of the important in-camera specifications to check when choosing a camera for sports photography:

Frames per second (fps)—the faster, the better. Many DSLR cameras can shoot at 5-10 frames per second. Higher spec ones up to 20fps. In many cases, mirrorless outperforms DSLR and can shoot at a much higher fps, especially when using the electronic shutter vs. mechanical. Some electronic shutters are capable of speeds around 30fps or more.
Autofocus speed and accuracy—this is something where the DSLR still reigns supreme, although mirrorless technology is coming along in leaps and bounds and catching up fast. The thing to consider here is how much AF speed and accuracy is important to you. The faster the action you photograph, the harder it can be to achieve pin-sharp focusing.
AF points—look also for the number of focus points available. A high number here allows you to focus further away from the centre of your frame. Your focal point is rarely in the centre.
Autofocus tracking—almost all DSLRs and mirrorless cameras come with continuous autofocus. However, many mirrorless cameras now have a great feature called focus tracking, where they can automatically lock onto a subject and track its movement around the frame.
AF working range—if you will be shooting in low-light situations, this is a factor to consider. The AF working range indicates the lowest light at which the AF can successfully lock onto a focal point. This is measured by EV (Exposure Value). EV is a measurement of the light available. High numbers indicate bright scenes, while low and negative ones are darker. The AF working range would be in the minus: -3EV or -5EV. -5EV would indicate much better low light focusing.
Shutter speed—many cameras shoot up to 1/4000 sec, which is ideal for most sports photography. If you need more for superfast stuff, look for models that shoot 1/8000 sec. Some mirrorless cameras are capable of even higher speeds when using the electronic shutter.

Choose your camera wisely

So there you have it, the features to look for when choosing a camera for sports photography.

Remember, it’s not always necessary to go for the highest, most expensive model. Consider what you can or want to spend and what it is you really need.

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9 reflection photography ideas

Tue, 29 Aug 2023 11:18:41 Z

Aside from the obvious use of a mirror-like reflection in your image, reflection photography can also refer to the use of reflected light in your image.

So, in this article, we will look at some different ways you can use reflections in your photography, be it a reflected image or reflected light.

Mirror image reflections

The most common type of reflection photography is the classic mirror image.

To get this, a scene must be reflected in a perfectly still body of water, such as a lake, river or puddle. Or the most obvious being a mirror, glass or even a shiny metal surface.

1. Reflections on lakes

How often have you been drawn to a scene such as a beautiful lake with a mountainous backdrop?

A large part of that beauty is often because that mountainous backdrop is mirrored in the lake, particularly on cool, still mornings.

For a perfect mirror image, the water ideally needs to be clear, calm and still. So you need to get up bright and early or be out on a windless day.

Alternatively, you could use a long exposure to smooth out the water. While this helps to bring out the reflection, the results are not as sharp as the still water effect.

For the classic full mirror image of a mountainous backdrop, centralise the horizon so that the reflected scene is symmetrical.

Use a polarising filter

Ordinarily, a polarising filter cuts out reflections on water and is used when you want to remove the reflection or glare on the surface.

However, a CPL can also be used to enhance the detail of a reflected image by applying the effect liberally.

If you turn it fully on, the reflected image will disappear completely. But turn it in reverse slowly, and you will find the point where the effect has removed enough glare to enhance your reflection.

It doesn’t always have to be mountains, though. Other options are to place certain elements showing a full mirror image reflected in the lake, such as a church or a castle at the lakeside or even on the lake itself. Or seek out smaller, more minimalistic scenes like fence posts on a floodplain.

2. Reflections on rivers

It doesn’t always have to be lakes, though—rivers also make a great subject for a reflected scene, albeit a little smaller.

When photographing a scene with a single reflected element, capturing the whole subject in the water is important.

Many often make the mistake of cutting off part of the reflection. This can sometimes work, depending on the subject being reflected. However, the reflection should be kept intact if your subject is a single, prominent scene feature, like a lone tree or characteristic building.

So, get yourself into a position where you can obtain a perfect mirror image of that feature.

3. Reflections in rock pools

The sea is not a good subject for mirror-like reflections because it constantly moves.

You can use a super long exposure to smooth it out, which will help. However, when shooting coastal scenes, one idea is to look for rock pools and then try to capture an element of the scene reflected in the still water.

This could be some interesting cloud formation or a part of the landscape in the background. If you have an interesting sky with good clouds, you can capture a nice reflection of those clouds in the pool.

Use a wide-angle to accentuate the pool and reflection. At sunset or sunrise, get close and low to capture the colour reflected in the water.

4. Reflections in puddles

Just like rock pools, puddles make a great subject for reflection photography.

The good news is you don’t have to travel far for this—head outside after the rain. It’s better after the rain for perfect reflections because the puddles will be calm and still.

When it’s raining, you will get a splatter of raindrops, which can also be used for creative effect.

Here, you can use puddles for various creative ideas and subjects, such as buildings, people, etc.

Kids are a great subject for this, too. Get them out playing and splashing around for some fun shots.

5. Sunset or sunrise reflections

The golden hour is a magical time to photograph, especially when you get those flaming red or orange skies and clouds.

Well, reflections can be used to double or enhance that. So, head out to the water if you can. Lakes and rivers, or the coast, are the best bet.

When the whole sky is alight with colour, this makes a perfect mirror image.

When the sun is in your frame, be careful if the water is moving, as the reflection will likely be blurred. Over the sea, you can use this to capture a beautiful light trail from the sun as it sinks towards the horizon.

Alternatively, once again, look for rock pools or tidal pools and see if you can get the sun reflected in the still water there.

If you can’t get to the coast or a lake, head into your town or city. If it’s been raining, then puddles or wet streets will reflect the colour of the sky, too.

Also, look for scenes with lots of glass to reflect that colour. Cities or towns with glass buildings are ideal, somewhere near a big building with lots of glass windows.

6. Long exposure on reflections

We mentioned earlier that reflections are better on still water, but that doesn’t mean you should give up when the water isn’t still.

A long exposure on moving water can have the creative effect of stretching, expanding and enhancing a reflection.

It won’t always work, depending on the subject or the direction the water is moving, but when done well, it can have a dramatic effect.

The image here was shot at 1.3 seconds. The water was moving slowly, and so this helped elongate the reflected cloud. The careful use of a polariser has also brought out the reflection's colour, contrast and detail.

7. Focus more on just the reflection

You don’t always need to have the subject of your reflection completely in the photo, or even at all. You can emphasise the reflected part more or just the reflection itself.

8. Abstract reflections

You can also use ripples and moving water for abstract reflection photography.

If it’s a windy day and been raining, head out into the streets and play with exposure times to try and get more creative or impressionistic style reflections using the shapes, colours and shadows around you.

These could be people with colourful raincoats, umbrellas, or the neon lights from surrounding buildings at night. Use the wet ground or puddles for the reflections.

A shorter exposure creates a more speckled or distorted effect, whereas the longer exposures create warped or elongated shapes.

Experiment with unusual ideas. The great thing about digital is that it is easy to delete anything that doesn’t work.

9. Reflected light

Last but not least, the use of reflected light is also a type of reflection photography.

In this case, we are not using a reflected image in our scene but rather the reflective surface to project a stream of light in the form of a nice shape or pattern that streams across our scene.

Alternatively, we can use a reflective surface as another light source for our subject. When shooting on sunny days, you often get problems with shadows, so you can use reflected light to fill in those shadows.

Examples of objects that reflect light are:

snow
large white walls
shiny metal surfaces
windows

If photographing people in the city on a sunny day, try to find a shady place with a big white wall or shiny surface lit by direct sunlight. The wall will also act as a big diffuser and cast a softer light on your subject than the more harsh direct light of the sun.

In winter, use the snow as a light reflector.

Reflective surfaces

So remember, there are many different ways to capture reflection photography and many objects you can use to obtain it. So get outside and start looking around. You’ll be surprised and what is reflected back at you.

About the author:

Visit his website for more info: https://ianmiddletonphotography.co.uk

Specialist camera insurance through Ripe Photography

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At Ripe, the cover is tailored to fit your exact requirements, so you'll only ever pay for what you need.

Learn more about specialist camera insurance, or get a quick online quote today.

The 3 essential camera filters (and how to use them)

Tue, 15 Aug 2023 14:58:50 Z

There are some people out there who think that using camera filters is cheating. But there are numerous occasions when a lens filter can and should be used to improve your photograph and ensure it is captured correctly.

What we see with our eyes is different from what we can capture in camera, and the camera is in some ways far more limited than the human eye but superior in others.

So, in this article, we give you a rundown of the three most useful camera filters and how to use them correctly and creatively.

1. Polarising filter

The polarising filter is often considered to be the king of all filters.

It’s certainly the one we use the most, and rarely off our lens. It’s probably the only filter that cannot be replicated in Photoshop or other photo editing software.

What does a polarising filter do?

OK, so technically, it’s like this. A polariser’s principle function is to control the direction of polarised light, which is light that vibrates in a specific plane. It does this by allowing light waves oscillating in a particular direction to pass through while blocking or reducing light waves oscillating in other directions.

On a not-so-technical note, it blocks unwanted light rays often caused by reflections on non-metallic surfaces such as water, glass or wet leaves. Blocking the reflected light reduces glare and darkens otherwise bright areas.

Benefits of using a polarising camera filter

1. Boost colour and contrast

A polariser can enhance the vibrancy of colours and increase the overall contrast in a scene.

Reducing glare caused by reflections allows a subject’s colour and detail to become more visible, resulting in a more vibrant and captivating photograph.

This is excellent when photographing trees, leaves and vegetation, especially when wet. By reducing the glare, you can darken the colours.

2. Darkening skies

One of the most common uses of a polariser is to darken blue skies. This effect is a great way to add definition to the clouds and make them stand out against the blue sky.

3. Eliminating reflections on water

The polariser is commonly used for controlling or eliminating light reflected on the surface of water, particularly on lakes, rivers or the sea.

You can use it to darken the water's surface when it’s too bright and eliminate reflections.

4. Enhancing reflections on water

Another lesser-known use is to enhance an image or colours reflected in the water. This may seem strange, as we just explained how it can eliminate reflections.

A circular polariser will eliminate a reflected image when turned fully. However, when you turn it back slowly to reduce the intensity of the polarisation, you can reach a point where you have reduced enough glare to make the reflected image much bolder and sharper.

How to use a polariser

There are two types of polarising camera filters—linear and circular. The linear one, you simply put on the lens. The circular polariser can be rotated on the lens to vary the polarisation strength.

The effectiveness of the polariser varies depending on the angle of the light source relative to the camera and the angle of the filter itself.

Consequently, these filters work best when shooting your subject at a 90-degree angle to the sun or other strong light sources.

See the effect of a polariser on skies here.

2. ND (neutral density) filter

A neutral density filter is essentially a darkened piece of glass that reduces the light entering the lens and falling upon the sensor or film.

In a nutshell, it fools the camera into believing the scene is darker than it actually is, making them an essential camera filter for improving your technique.

What is an ND filter used for?

So why would you want to make the scene darker? The primary reason is to force a longer exposure or a wider aperture than would otherwise be possible in bright light without overexposing the image.

Creative long exposures

Landscape photographers use long exposures to achieve creative blur effects, typically on moving clouds or flowing water such as rivers, rapids and waterfalls.

Additionally, a super long exposure can smooth out water so much it appears like ice or mist. All this is easily done when the light is naturally low, like dusk or dawn.

However, during the day, when there is too much light or shooting into the bright sunset or sunrise, achieving a long enough exposure is impossible. That’s where the ND filter comes in.

ND filters come in varying strengths, usually measured in stops. In photography, when light is reduced by one stop, you cut the light by one-half.

Conversely, if you increase by one stop, you are doubling the amount of light. You need to increase your exposure time by one stop when the light is one stop less.

So, if your nominal exposure time is 1/60th sec, and you put a one-stop ND filter on, then you need to increase your exposure time to 1/30th sec.

You can reduce your shutter speed by reducing the light for a longer exposure.

Typically a landscape photographer will use a 3-stop, 6-stop or, for super long exposures, a 10 or 15-stop. A 10-stop ND filter will turn a 1/60th second into a 16-second exposure.

Watch a video using a 10-stop ND filter here.

Using wider apertures

Sometimes you want to use a very wide aperture to reduce your depth of field for portrait or macro photography. Sometimes the light may be too bright to allow you to open your aperture up to its widest point.

This is another instance where an ND filter is useful. Although, in this case, you are more likely to use a 1,2 or 3-stop ND to bring it down enough to widen the aperture but still allow a relatively fast shutter speed if you want to freeze your subject.

Or, in some cases, reduce the shutter speed enough to get a small amount of motion blur for action or sports photography.

3. ND grad filters

An ND grad filter is similar to an ND in that it is darkened to stop down the light.

However, in the case of an ND grad, only one half is darkened, whereas the other is clear.

The idea of an ND grad is to darken down one half of your composition, typically the sky, which can often be much brighter than the foreground.

It comes down to something called dynamic range. Dynamic range is the range of brightness within a scene, from the darkest to the brightest point, which can record detail in both the shadows and highlights.

Anything outside of that range is blank with no detail. Camera film and modern-day sensors have a smaller dynamic range than the human eye.

We can see much more detail in a scene with extremely bright and dark areas, whereas the camera cannot. Some higher-end modern cameras have a wider dynamic range than others but less than the human eye.

Take looking at a scene where the sky is much brighter than the land, for example. While you can see all the detail yourself, when you take a photo, either the sky is overexposed, or the land is underexposed.

This is where we can use an ND grad filter. By positioning the dark part of the filter over the bright sky, we can darken that sky and bring balance back to the scene, making them one of the best camera filters for shooting professional photos.

Essentially we are evening out the brightness and reducing the scene's dynamic range.

Just like the ND filter, ND grads come in varying strengths. However, they don’t go as extreme because we are not trying to get long exposures, just even out the brightness.

Typically the most you will need is a 3-stop. In some extremes, you might need a 4 or 5-stop. You can get filters this strong, but it’s better to have a set of 1, 2 & 3, and then you can stack them if necessary.

Different graduation types

As well as the strength, an ND grad camera filter also comes in different graduation types. The graduation is the transition between the clear part of the filter and the darkened section. Depending on your chosen type, the transition can be hard, medium or soft.

1. A hard grad

The transition is sharp and noticeable on a hard grad, creating a distinct separation between the light and dark portions.

This is ideal for scenes where the change between the land and sky is abrupt, such as the horizon over the sea. There is a clear horizontal line where the sky meets the sea, forming a hard transition from bright to dark.

However, it’s not only for seascapes. A hard grad can be used over landscapes where the distant hills or mountains do not protrude so high into the sky.

These filters are ideal for use wherever the horizon in your scene is clearly defined and the separation between the land and the sky is clear.

2. A medium grad

A medium ND grad has a slightly smoother transition but is still noticeable. The gradual transition provides a gentler blend between the dark and clear portions.

A medium grad is ideal for scenes where the horizon is not perfectly flat but still relatively defined, such as close-up mountainous scenes or city skylines.

3. A soft grad

A soft grad has the smoothest and most gradual transition of all. The transition is almost seamless and provides a soft blending effect that is barely noticeable.

Soft filters are ideal when the horizon line is uneven or when objects like large trees or tall buildings protrude well into the sky within your frame. Soft grads are typically used in woodland or cityscape photography.

Camera filters still have their uses

In the digital age, many are throwing away their filters and opting for other techniques, such as exposure blending (taking three bracketed exposures to compensate for the high dynamic range and blending them in post-processing) rather than using grads.

Instead of an ND to get a long exposure, you can shoot multiple exposures sequentially and blend them in post-processing.

However, all this takes time and more clicks of the shutter. A camera filter will get all this in one shot, and you get the satisfaction of seeing the result on your viewscreen immediately. Plus, it’s a lot less work!

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When to use a telephoto lens (and its effects)

Fri, 31 Mar 2023 11:40:33 Z

You might not know it, but anyone with a camera has, without a doubt, used a telephoto lens at some point—even without realising it.

It's not just the professional cameras with telephoto lenses—the camera on your Smartphone also has one. You may have heard it more commonly called the ‘zoom’.

In a nutshell, a telephoto lens brings everything closer. However, there is far more to it than pure magnification.

We've outlined key tips for when and how to use a telephoto lens, as well as its advantages and the effects it produces.

What is a telephoto lens?

Before we jump into using a telephoto lens, let's consider what one is.

As previously mentioned, you've likely heard the term ‘zoom lens’ rather than ‘telephoto lens’, but what is the difference? Well, there isn’t one.

A zoom lens is simply a telephoto lens that can be adjusted for different magnification strengths. Telephoto refers to anything magnified beyond the standard field of view equal to the human eye.

To fully understand this, first, we need to delve into the realm of focal lengths.

While most compact and bridge cameras will quote you magnifications by a times factor, such as 4 x zoom, Single-lens Reflex (SLR), and modern mirrorless cameras will come with lenses that quote a focal length in millimetres. The focal length is the distance between the main lens glass and the focal plane (i.e. the film or sensor).

What focal length is telephoto?

The focal length that equates to the naked eye will vary according to the film or sensor size relative to the lens size. However, for a 35mm film SLR camera and full-frame digital single-lens reflex camera (DSLR), this focal length is 50mm.

Anything above 50mm is considered to be magnifying the scene and thus becomes a telephoto lens. Conversely, anything below 50mm is considered a wide angle because it stretches the scene to a wider view than the naked eye.

As your focal length gets longer, the field of view narrows, and thus it begins to crop out the wider part of your scene, only allowing part of it to pass through the lens and onto your sensor. So less of the scene falls onto the sensor and is cropped out.

The crop factor

Many DSLRs are not full-frame and have what is known as a crop factor.

A cropped sensor is smaller and therefore doesn't capture the whole scene that passes through the lens. Essentially, the image is then cropped by a factor of, for example, 1.5, depending on the sensor size. It is like cropping some of the image off in your post-processing software. So, for example, on a 1.5 crop sensor, a 50mm focal length becomes 75mm, thus turning your standard field of view into a telephoto one.

It’s all an illusion

It's all, in fact, just an illusion.

The narrow field of view magnifies your subject and brings it closer, but in reality, it just crops out the surrounding parts, so you only see the subject. Effectively, it isolates a subject, making it the only thing you record, so it will appear big in your picture.

You may have also heard the term ‘digital zoom’. This crops the digital image recorded on the sensor, which also crops out the pixels and results in a loss of quality.

However, because an optical zoom or telephoto narrows the field of view, the whole scene within that field is recorded using the full resolution of the sensor and thus results in a higher-quality image.

Telephoto lens effects

Apart from the obvious effect of magnifying a subject, telephoto lenses have many other effects and reasons for using one.

Narrower depth of field

Depth of field is the distance in front of and behind your point of focus. Anything inside this depth of field is sharp, and anything outside is blurry.

The smaller your aperture is, the larger the depth of field (so the background is sharper). The larger your aperture is, the smaller the depth of field (so the background is more blurry).

Aperture is measured in f-stops. F16 is small, and F5.6 is large. However, the physical sizes are not fixed—they depend on the focal length.

The physical size of the hole is calculated by dividing the focal length by the f-stop. For example, f16 at 50mm - 50/16 = 3.12mm. So, the physical size of an f16 aperture at 50mm is 3.12mm.

However, increase that focal length to 100mm, then 100/16 = 6.25mm. A larger hole will result in a shorter depth of field—meaning the background of a photo taken at 100mm focal length will be more blurry than one taken at 50mm.

Bringing background objects closer to the foreground

Another useful telephoto lens effect is compressing the scene to give the illusion of the foreground, making background objects much larger and closer to each other.

By cutting out the wider parts of a scene, everything seems much larger. Moving back and focussing on something from further away rather than up close changes the whole dynamic of the scene.

The opposite is true for a wide angle.

Using a wide-angle lens and focusing on something close to you makes foreground objects much larger and background objects smaller and seemingly further away.

35mm focal length – in front of the long grass

105mm focal length – standing further back

In these two photos, you can see the difference.

The first image was shot at 35mm while standing in front of the tall grass. I moved back across the road for the second image and zoomed in to 105mm.

You can see in the image shot with the telephoto how the church appears much closer to the grass and also larger in the photo overall. In the first, the wide-angle and closer position to the foreground has shrunk the church in the scene, and now it appears much further away.

When to use a telephoto lens

So now we have looked at telephoto lens effects and how it all works, let's look at when to use a telephoto lens.

Portraits of people or animals

The most obvious reason for this is to ensure you're not too close to the subject.

You don't want to spook animals, of course, and for people, it can be quite daunting to have a photographer in their faces. Moving further away makes a person feel less uncomfortable, resulting in a better photo. Naturally, we can then use the telephoto to go in close and frame our subject fully in the image.

When shooting portraits of people or animals, we also want to blur the background in most cases to make the subject stand out. This can be especially useful when busy, distracting elements are behind it.

Blurring that background can be done by opening the aperture to reduce the depth of the field. However, sometimes it is not enough.

Setting the lens to its widest aperture—for example, f4—can be the limit. But what if you want more?

Moving physically closer to blur the background is an option, but as mentioned, this would make our subject more uneasy. Therefore, it is better to move back and use a telephoto. The longer focal length will increase the physical size of our widest aperture and result in blurrier background.

260mm – F7.1 – bushes behind

400mm – F7.1 – grass behind

Wildlife Photography

Super telephoto ranges can photograph wildlife—particularly birds and wildfowl that are easily spooked and must be photographed from within a hide. Additionally, we can use it to photograph more dangerous wild animals, as you certainly don’t want to get close to them.

Photographing Mountains

They say you can’t move a mountain, but a telephoto lens can.

Telephoto lenses are perfect for getting close to mountains, especially mountain peaks. They are ideal for picking out the detail.

In most cases, you would need a good-quality lens to ensure clear and accurate details. If shooting handheld, be sure to have a fast enough shutter speed, especially if using a big, heavy lens.

A tripod is needed in most cases to ensure a nice sharp image. Plus, mountains are often best photographed at sunrise or sunset and with dramatic clouds swirling around, so you might also want to use a long exposure.

Subjects against mountains (sense of scale)

A telephoto lens can be used to emphasise scale.

If you stand in front of something like a church or a castle with a mountain behind, then the church will seem bigger than the mountain. However, if you move further back and zoom in, it all looks different.

Standing back and zooming in lets you see the mountain background much larger against the smaller building.

Photographing the sunrise or sunset

A telephoto lens is great for getting close to the sun as it rises or sets.

Using the super telephoto to zoom, you can get right up to the sun on the horizon as it appears or disappears, especially over the ocean.

It is also great for capturing a sunset over mountain peaks or when it rises behind specific landmarks.

Including some foreground, features is a plus—and that is where the zoom is useful. You can vary our focal length to get one shot right up close, then pull back to include something else in the scene, such as interesting clouds.

Photographing the moon

You might use a telephoto lens to photograph the moon up close. Still, it is also useful for photographing the moon as part of the landscape as it rises or sets, just like the sun or behind landmarks.

Making the best of a bad sunrise

We all love those amazing flaming sunrises when the whole sky lights up. However, it doesn’t always turn out that way. All is not always lost, however. Often there is some colour on the horizon, particularly where the sun has gone down. A telephoto lens can be used here to isolate the colourful part of the scene itself.

What kind of telephoto lens do you need?

There are, of course, many more uses for a telephoto lens. So, when you consider adding one to your kit, consider what you will use it for.

There are many to choose from, but like with any lens, quality is important. Remember that the lens is the first entry point for your image, so having a cheap budget lens on a high-quality camera body will cheapen your camera.

Consider what you will use it for and, of course, what your budget is. A higher quality lens would be necessary for distant landscapes to ensure sharpness where there is a lot of detail. However, for people and portraits, there is less small detail, so that you could get away with a lower budget lens.

Also, consider what you will use the photos for. You don't need high quality if you are a hobbyist or part-time pro. But quality and sharpness are paramount if you are a serious professional and want to sell your images, especially as large prints.

So, get out there and embrace the power of the telephoto lens.

About the author:

Visit his website for more info.

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The essential features of every digital camera

Thu, 17 Nov 2022 10:20:28 Z

Today's digital camera features allow us to perform tasks we could only dream of a few years ago. And they're all within a very neat, ergonomically designed little package.

Unfortunately, that's where the trouble starts because today, even the 'simplest' digital camera comes loaded with so many features, functions and gimmicks that anyone but the most tech-savvy camera geek is likely to be overwhelmed.

Remarkably, most photographers—even professionals—will never touch many of these digital camera features. The majority will only be used once when the camera is brand new and needs to be set up.

A further collection will be used from time to time, in special situations or for unusual subjects or lighting.

There are only a handful of functions that you will use throughout a typical session, which lie at the real heart of the photographic (and sometimes creative) process.

They are almost universal to every digital camera type on the market, including:

compact
bridge
mirrorless
DSLR

All that varies from one camera model to another is how you access and use those features.

Here you'll find everything you need to know about the essential digital camera features and how to use them. You'll just need to figure out how to access them on your particular camera—with the camera's manual's help if necessary.

ISO: the sensor's sensitivity

This much-used acronym stands for the International Organization for Standardization, and in photography, it refers to a measurement of the sensitivity of the camera's sensor to light.

This is measured along an arbitrary scale, usually with a range of about 100-5600 on consumer camera models, up to several thousand more for professional models.

The higher the number, the more sensitive the sensor is and the less light it needs to capture an image. It might seem a good idea to keep the camera set permanently on a high ISO setting, but this is not so. As the ISO setting rises, image quality deteriorates due to increasing graininess, usually called 'noise'.

On the vast majority of cameras today, from smartphone cameras right up to professional-level DSLRs, the camera is set by default at 'Auto ISO', which means that the camera automatically chooses what it considers the best ISO for the lighting conditions.

As a result, the ISO will rise significantly in low light situations, enabling you to keep shooting with the camera hand-held (rather than on a tripod), but with the trade-off that the images will be of much lower quality due to the rising level of high ISO noise.

This auto-ISO is fine if all you want is photographic snaps, but if you want to be able to shoot high-quality creative photography, you must be in control of your photography, not the camera.

It's important to take the camera off auto-ISO and set it to one of the lowest ISO settings available—usually 100.

To maximise both image quality and your options for creative photography, I recommend that the ISO stays fixed at this low number.

It's a good idea to place the camera onto a tripod when light levels drop, only raising the ISO when there is no other way to obtain useful images—such as for sport and wildlife photography. You decide when the ISO needs to be raised, not the camera.

Shutter speed and lens aperture: the shooting programmes

With the ISO set at a fixed point, the amount of light needed to correctly expose the sensor is pretty much fixed regardless of the lighting conditions.

You then need a system that controls the amount of light passing from the outside world through the lens and shutter to the sensor. In bright, sunny conditions, this will greatly restrict the amount of light coming through to stop the sensor from being overwhelmed with too much light, while at night, it will do what it can to gather as much light as possible.

That system is the job of the lens aperture and shutter. The former is the variable hole in the lens that controls the light that can pass through at any given moment.

The shutter is the screen that normally closes the sensor off from the world and opens only for a brief moment whenever the shutter button is pressed. This allows light to pass through the sensor for anything from a fraction of a second to 30 minutes or more.

The lens aperture and shutter must work together to ensure that the right amount of light gets through to the sensor, and controlling this is the job of the shooting programmes. This system typically comes with a choice of such settings as Auto (or P), S (Tv on Canon cameras), A, M and Bulb.

The Auto/P mode is a fully automatic system that chooses what it considers to be the right combination of lens aperture and shutter speed for the situation.

This is fine for simply shooting snaps, but again it puts control of your photography in the camera's hands, not yours. So it's better to use one of the semi-automatic modes, namely A or S/Tv.

The former stands for 'aperture priority'; in this mode, you can choose the lens aperture, and the camera works out the correct shutter speed. Conversely, S or Tv represents 'shutter priority', meaning that you choose the shutter speed, and the camera works out the corresponding correct lens aperture.

Each of these semi-automatic modes has separate uses. Shutter priority is important, for example, if you want to ensure that the camera uses a fast enough shutter speed to freeze fast action. Aperture priority comes into its own when the shutter speed is less important but when the depth of field—the amount of an image that is sharply in focus—is critical.

With the M (manual) option, you can choose both shutter speed and lens aperture. This doesn't mean you can choose whatever you want—you must balance the two to ensure that the sensor receives the right amount of light.

Have the lens aperture too wide open or the shutter speed too slow, for example, and the sensor will receive too much light, resulting in an over-exposed image.

All the above modes usually allow for shutter speeds of up to 30 seconds. What happens if you need a longer exposure? This is where the Bulb mode comes in.

Setting the camera to Bulb allows you to leave the shutter open as long as you like—up to several hours if necessary. This is one of the few functions in this article that is not quite universal to all digital cameras: many compact cameras do not have this function, though most others do.

Understanding and using the histogram

The histogram is a hugely underrated feature that many photographers run away from, frightened by its resemblance to school maths. But it's wonderfully simple to understand and use and is my go-to tool to check with virtually every image whether or not it has been correctly exposed.

Every image you shoot comes with its own histogram or graph, which you can view on your camera's LCD screen within seconds of pressing the shutter. It can also be seen on your computer monitor once the images have been downloaded.

It records the range of tonal gradations across the image, i.e. shades of grey (even if the image doesn't appear to contain any grey as such), NOT colours.

These range along the horizontal axis from completely black on the left, through lightening shades of grey in the middle, to completely white on the right of the graph, representing respectively completely dark shadow areas and brilliantly white highlights, both containing no image detail. The graph's height at any point indicates the proportion of pixels with a particular tonal value.

The histogram is important in determining if an image is well-exposed and should be looked at on the camera's LCD screen every time an image is shot. It is the best way of determining whether an image has been well exposed. Simply looking at the image on the LCD screen is not an accurate assessment.

The histogram for a well-exposed image stretches across the horizontal axis, indicating a range of tonal values and hence a good contrast range. Still, without spilling into either the black or white ends—nothing in the image is lost in completely black shadow areas or burned-out white highlights. All possible image detail has been captured.

When an image is under-exposed, the histogram will show a spike at the lefthand, black end of the scale. It is said to be 'clipped' at the shadow end, meaning that some of the image has been lost in black shadows and cannot be rescued.

Conversely, when an image is over-exposed, there will be a spike at the righthand, highlights, and end of the scale. The histogram is clipped in the highlights, with no detail captured in the burned-out whites.

The image histogram is available in just about all cameras. However, in some models—particularly those aimed at the more basic end—it may be buried deep in the menus and may be quite a trial to find and activate.

Some cameras also come with a 'live' histogram, showing the tonal range of the actual scene before shooting. This is useful as it lets you check for correct exposure before pressing the shutter button.

Exposure compensation

It's quite common to generate an image in which the histogram indicates the image is either under-exposed or over-exposed. In the former, the histogram is too far to the left, while in the latter, it's too far to the right.

In either case, the result is that the affected pixels have captured no image data and so will be blank black in an under-exposed image, or blank white in an over-exposed image, no matter what you do to the image in the computer post-photography.

This was caused by the camera's exposure meter being fooled into giving an incorrect exposure reading by either some very dark or very bright area in the scene.

This problem can be overcome using the exposure compensation facility, a tool found in all digital cameras. Almost all camera models have a horizontal scale ranging (usually) from -3 to +3, with the default setting in the middle, at zero.

When set at zero, the camera will shoot the scene using whatever shutter speed and lens aperture combination its exposure meter decides will give the correct exposure.

The plus and minus numbers refer to the number of 'stops' by which the exposure can be over or under-exposed: +1 means that the image will be over-exposed by one stop, i.e. the amount of light entering the camera will be doubled. -2 means that the image will be under-exposed by two stops; i.e. it will reduce the amount of light entering the camera four-fold. You do not have to over or under-expose by whole stops—the scale does allow for fractions of a stop.

If the camera's exposure meter is inaccurate, resulting in an over- or under-exposed image, you can change the setting on the exposure compensation scale. This usually involves turning a dial on the camera body.

Suppose an image is over-exposed, resulting in burned-out highlights. In that case, you need to under-expose the image relative to what the camera's exposure meter says the correct exposure should be.

First, get an exposure reading from the camera's exposure meter and set the exposure compensation scale to a minus figure. This will under-expose the image relative to the camera's exposure meter reading and shift the histogram to the left, reducing the number of pixels burning out.

Conversely, to over-expose an image that is too dark, take an exposure reading and set the exposure compensation scale to a plus figure. This will shift the histogram to the right, reducing the number of black pixels.

Finally, note that the exposure compensation facility is for use if you're shooting in fully or partially automatic exposure modes. If you're shooting fully manual, you set whatever shutter speed and lens aperture you believe to be correct for the scene being photographed without using the exposure compensation facility.

Controlling white balance

For a digital camera to accurately register colours and represent them the same way we see them, it must know what the light source is so it can set a 'white balance'.

This series of settings ensures that white will always look white to us regardless of the 'colour temperature' of the light source. Once the white setting is correct, all other colours will be rendered accurately.

All digital cameras come with a white balance tool that includes a range of white balance settings appropriate for different light sources, enabling it to read the correct colour temperatures. There is also an auto white balance setting, which automatically detects the light source's colour temperature and sets the white balance accordingly. This is generally accurate for outdoor photography but less for indoor shooting.

Generally, we recommend photographers use the auto white balance setting when shooting outdoors. It saves remembering to change every time the sun goes behind a cloud.

So, these are the most universally important digital camera tools. Having a firm grasp of how to use these will see any photographer a long way down the road towards using their camera to its fullest potential.

There are, of course, a few other tools used by many photographers, but some are found only in DSLRs and mirrorless cameras. This is particularly so with focussing points and metering modes.

The former enables you to select different numbers and combinations of focussing squares within the scene to control what part(s) of the scene the lens will focus on. The latter gives options to meter the light across the whole scene, just a central portion, or simply the very centre.

While potentially useful, I keep these set by default on a central cluster of focussing points and 'whole scene' (or evaluative) light metering. I rarely move off these for the simple reason that rather than helping with the photography, fiddling with these often wastes time.

Never be distracted from the essentials of the photographic process, but have fun playing with different digital camera settings!

This blog was written by Nigel Hicks, a hugely experienced Devon-based professional photographer. Nigel works with the USA's prestigious National Geographic Image Collection, among many other bodies, and is a Fellow of the British Institute of Professional Photography.

Nigel Hicks runs regular photography workshops in southwest England. To find out more about these go to www.nigelhicks.com/photography-workshops-courses/.

To find out more about Nigel's work, feel free to take a tour of the website at www.nigelhicks.com.

Specialist camera insurance through Ripe Photography

If you're heading out to master these essential digital camera features, you may also want to protect your camera and accessories through specialist camera insurance.

At Ripe, we arrange bespoke cover that can be tailored to fit your exact requirements, so you only pay for what you need.

Learn more about specialist camera insurance, or get an online quote today.

How to find your lost or stolen camera

Fri, 28 May 2021 10:10:56 Z

Losing a camera or having it stolen is every photographer’s worst nightmare. Luckily, there are plenty of ways to retrieve your equipment. Here’s how you can find your lost or stolen camera.

1. Camera equipment registration services

2. Check online second-hand marketplaces

3. Social media

4. Preventative methods

5. Specialist camera insurance from Ripe Photography

Camera equipment registration services

Some websites enable you to register your camera, so it's much easier to track it down should you misplace it. The power of technology and the kindness of strangers are vital in searching for a lost or stolen camera.

Stolen Camera Finder

Stolen Camera Finder is the world's most popular online camera registration platform, and what's even better is that it's free. The site can locate a stolen or missing camera by searching for photos taken on a particular camera.

Every photo taken on a digital camera contains information like the make and model of the camera and the date and time of the image, known as Exchangeable Image File Format (EXIF) data. This data normally includes your camera's serial number, too.

Stolen Camera Finder will scan their database to match EXIF data to reunite lost or stolen cameras with their owners. There's also a free Google Chrome extension to download, which scans the EXIF data of images on web pages that you visit. This feature expands their database and increases the likelihood of reuniting photographers with their cameras.

The Stolen Camera Finder site also has a map view where users can list cameras that have been lost, stolen or found.

You can include information about the camera, such as the model and manufacturer. This is also a good place to include the circumstances under which the camera was lost, stolen or found and any distinctive qualities about your camera.

Stolen Camera Finder is free to use, but a pro version costs £4.99 a month.

Cameratrace

Cameratrace is a camera registration and recovery service that boasts an enormous database of over 11 million users.

Working in a similar way to Stolen Camera Finder, Cameratrace uses your camera's EXIF data and scans images found on the internet.

If you register your camera on this site, it's much easier to find should it get lost or stolen. The Cameratrace service costs $10 per camera - although it's an American company, the membership is available worldwide.

Cameratrace also offers durable lost and found stickers to put on your camera. This can be a huge help for someone trying to contact you if your lost camera is found. The sticker displays a web address with a unique code so that the finder can contact you directly.

An integrated feature of the Cameratrace membership is the protection of the copyrights of your images. Cameratrace tracks your photos on various popular sharing sites, so you know exactly where your images are being used.

What's more, Cameratrace offers assistance in the recovery of your camera, should it be found, by liaising with the police. You can use Cameratrace to file a police report with local departments. They'll even speak on your behalf if you wish.

Lenstag

Like Stolen Camera Finder and Cameratrace, Lenstag is a camera registration service that also uses EXIF data to digitally track down a lost or stolen camera.

As with Cameratrace, it's a good idea to register your camera with Lenstag. This way, you have a higher chance of locating a lost or stolen camera. Registering to both will mean you can access more data and increase the likelihood of finding your camera.

Lenstag offers a free version where users can register their cameras and lenses and report any lost or stolen gear. You can also protect your images, so your work is only available on sites that you've authorised. Lenstag also offers the option to access new and used valuations of your equipment. A pro version of Lenstag offers more features, and subscriptions help to finance the project.

The main difference between Lenstag and other registration services is that Lenstag is available as a mobile app on iOS and Android.

Report My Loss

Report My Loss is an online alternative to phoning or visiting the police to report your stolen camera.

Using Report My Loss as valid and verifiable proof of loss is recognised by insurers. In addition, the information you provide is reported to the National Mobile Property Register (NMPR), which is accessible by police nationally.

You can make your loss report online with Report My Loss and update the report at any time. You'll then receive a printable certificate of your report for your records. If your camera is found, then the relevant authorities will be able to contact you directly.

Report My Loss is part of a family of possession registration and recovery services, including the NMPR, Immobilise, and CheckMEND.

CheckMEND uses the NMPR to run history checks on second-hand sales of electronic devices, so stolen items like your camera can be identified. History checks are available from 99p.

Immobilise allows you to pre-emptively register any of your possessions with the NMPR and quickly update their status in the event of loss or theft. More than 34 million items are currently registered here. Camera equipment is included in this, but the service extends to practically all material possessions and is free.

Report My Loss costs £5.95 to use. However, there's no charge in some areas of the UK. These areas include Greater Manchester, Devon, Dorset, and Cornwall.

Check online second-hand marketplaces

If your camera has been stolen, it's unlikely that the thief has taken it to capture holiday snaps of their own. People looking to make some quick cash might have listed your camera on online marketplaces to sell.

The most popular online second-hand marketplaces are eBay, Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace and Gumtree. These websites are easy to use and don't require too many personal details for someone to sell a stolen camera.

If you think your camera has been stolen, it's a good idea to set up automatic alerts from all of these sites for when a listing is posted that matches the make and model of your camera. This way, you don't need to keep checking the sites manually.

Some things to look out for on eBay which might indicate a fraudulent listing include:

● If the payment options do not include PayPal.

● Listings have a short duration to close deals quickly.

● If a seller has heavily discounted items - if a deal seems too good to be true, it probably is.

Have a look at eBay's tips for avoiding seller fraud here.

If you have an idea of where your camera might have been stolen, Facebook Marketplace is a great site to check. You can filter the listings by location to narrow down your search.

Thieves will likely need to get rid of stolen items quickly, so check these marketplace sites as soon as possible after your suspected camera theft.

If you suspect you've found your stolen camera on any of these sites, it's best not to confront the seller yourself. Instead, gather up your evidence - it's ideal to know the serial number of your camera, but unique markings will suffice. After that, you should contact the police, who will take the matter from there. With any luck, the police will be able to retrieve your stolen camera from an online second-hand marketplace.

Post on social media

Plenty of people are looking to do the right thing if they find lost items, and social media is a fast and accessible way for lots of users to see your post - and for you to see a post by another user who might have found your camera. It's so easy to share a post to your social media channels, and there have been numerous success stories of social media reuniting lost items with their owners.

If you're a member of any local groups like residents pages on social media, consider making a shareable post about your lost or stolen camera. This can help to spread the word about your camera locally and hopefully increase your chances of being reunited with any equipment.

There's a huge reach across social media channels, and you can spread information rapidly. It's definitely worth taking a few minutes to post about your lost or stolen camera on sites like Facebook and Twitter or even creating an Instagram story for others to share.

Preventative methods

Of course, in an ideal world, you wouldn't need to think about what might happen if your camera is lost or stolen. While it won't help if your camera is already gone, it's worth remembering to take some pre-emptive precautions to avoid losing a camera again.

Some ideas to prevent the loss of your camera/make it easier to retrieve include:

● Register your gear on the websites above as soon as you get it - this way, it should be easier to track down, and you'll have all the information you need ready. You could also check out Immobilise, another property registration service. They provide marking kits and key tags, too.

● Make a distinctive mark on your camera when you purchase it to ensure your camera is identifiable to the police. You could mark your camera by using an indelible marker, a dab of nail polish, or get it engraved.

● Add a 'reward if found' label to your camera with a contact number. Or consider using the lost and found tags available from Cameratrace.

● Keep a photograph of your contact details on your camera at all times. You can lock the image as the first one on the SD card, so people will see it immediately if they flick through your snaps.

● Keep a GPS tracker in your camera bag.

● Put a proximity alarm on your equipment. This alarm will notify you if you leave something behind or if it's stolen from you.

Specialist camera insurance through Ripe

It's important to remember that these methods can't guarantee your camera won't be lost or stolen or even that you'll retrieve it.

However, you can protect your camera against theft, loss and damage with specialist camera insurance through Ripe.

Policies are fully customisable and start from just £2.77 a month. Get a quote online today.

A Complete Guide To The Different Types of Camera Lenses

Mon, 21 Dec 2020 18:24:59 Z

To a beginner, learning about camera lenses might seem like a minefield. You can find yourself confused by jargon, complicated measurements, and seemingly deep discussions about the nature of light.

This article aims to dispel some of those mysteries. We’ll tell you everything you need to know about the different types of camera lenses, what each lens is used for, and what all those numbers mean.

1. Camera lens basics
a. Zoom lenses
b. Prime lenses
2. Camera lens features
a. Focal length
b. Aperture
c. Lens fit
d. Depth of field
e. Crop factor
f. Image stabilisation
3. Common types of camera lenses
a. Standard
b. Wide-angle
c. Fisheye
d. Telephoto
e. Macro
4. Specialist lenses
a. Tilt-shift
b. Soft-focus

1. Camera lens basics

In a nutshell, camera lenses are broken down into two categories: zoom and prime lenses.

Zoom lenses

These lenses have adjustable focal lengths, which allow you to shoot your subject at different distances.

They’re the most versatile type of lens, as you can comfortably shoot close to mid-range distances. This attribute comes in handy for street, wildlife, and wedding photography.

Because of their flexibility, portability, and value for money, zoom lenses are considered more common and beginner-friendly than prime lenses.

Prime lenses

These lenses have a fixed focal length. This means you can’t zoom in or out when taking a photograph.

After reading about zoom lenses, you might be wondering why anybody would opt for a prime lens. Well, the main advantage of prime lenses is that they’re purpose-built for a specific focal length. This feature means the lens’ technology is designed to get the most out of that length.

Prime lenses also tend to produce higher quality images than zoom lenses, but only if you use them appropriately. For example, in portrait or landscape photography. What’s more, they have greater availability of large apertures, meaning they're better equipped to maximise the amount of available light and shoot at quicker shutter speeds.

Finally, they tend to be cheaper than zoom lenses, given their simpler technology.

2. Camera lens features

Before we delve deeper into the different types of camera lenses, it’s useful to have some knowledge of how camera lenses work, their basic features, and how they produces different images.

Focal length

Focal length is the distance between the camera’s sensor and the optical centre of a camera lens, and is measured in millimetres.

As such, it represents how close or far away your subject will appear in your photograph. With zoom lenses, focal length is represented as a range, as in 35 to 85mm. With prime lenses, there is only one focal length measurement, as in 50mm.

Aperture

The aperture of a camera lens is the opening that light travels through when a photograph is taken. The aperture can widen or narrow to restrict or allow more light through, which changes the exposure of the image. This also changes the depth of field in the image - a tighter aperture will create a deeper depth of field, and a wider one more narrow. We talk more on depth of field below.

Aperture size is measured in f-stops, which typically describe how open or closed the aperture is. These begin low and gradually increase as the aperture narrows. F-stops begin at f/1.4 and increase at irregular intervals, usually to f/22. Some DSLRs even go to f/32, while large format cameras can go to f/64, and rarer lenses still f/96 and f/177.

Generally, the more light that’s available in the environment you’re shooting, the faster you can set the shutter speed, and the more detailed the photograph will be. A larger aperture means more light hits the sensor at once, which enables faster shutter speeds.

Therefore, it’s easy to understand why lenses boasting larger aperture sizes are more expensive than those offering smaller.

There are some side effects of a wide aperture, though. You get a shallow depth of field (we’ll touch on depth of field below), meaning only your subject will be in focus. Backgrounds and foregrounds will be out of focus.

A narrow aperture is typically used in low light situations, to concentrate what little available light there is through the lens and onto the camera’s sensor. This nearly always means you need to set a slow shutter speed, so the camera’s sensor has a chance to collect the light and produce an image.

Again, this has side effects – you will achieve a deeper depth of field, which means the background, foreground, and your subject will all be in focus. It depends on the details you want to emphasise in your shot.

Lens fit

When you’re eyeing up any new lens, you should check that the mechanism required to fit the lens to your camera is compatible with your camera.

Lenses tend to come with one of three fittings: bayonet, screw-on, or friction lock. This means that no matter the lens, it will be secure when fitted to the camera body.

If the lens and camera manufacturer is the same, it’s likely the fitting will be too. This often isn’t the case between camera manufacturers, but you can get lucky. If a manufacturer only makes lenses and not cameras, they typically build versions of the lenses with each fitting.

Depth of field

Depth of field is, literally, the depth of your field of view. It describes the degree to which objects around your subject are in or out of focus. Typically, this is altered by adjusting your aperture setting, but different lenses come with their own depth of field range too.

Lenses have different specialities when it comes to depth of field. For instance, macro lenses give you incredible clarity at close range while blurring much of everything else around your subject. This is known as a shallow depth of field.

By contrast, a 35mm, 50mm, or 80mm lens typically gives you a deeper depth of field. This means more of the image is sharp and clear when used with an aperture setting of f/16 or lower.

When looking for a camera lens, you need to assess what kind of photographs you want to take against the lens’ likely depth of field range.

Crop factor

Back when all photography was analogue rather than digital, there were no electronic sensors on cameras. You captured an image directly to film through your chosen lens.

Given the popularity of 35mm film, it became a reference format. So, if you shot with a 50mm lens, the crop would be the same each time, providing it was shot to 35mm film. This allowed focal length calculations to be made pretty easily.

In the digital age, we use electronic sensors to capture an image. However, these sensors are smaller than 35mm. That means that to retain 35mm (also known as ‘full frame’) as a reference point, something called crop factor has come into play. This is the scale of your sensor compared to 35mm.

The reason this is significant is that crop factor makes the field of view narrower than if you were shooting full frame. In other words, the field of view appears more zoomed in than if you were shooting at full frame. This has a knock-on effect on the true output of a camera lens, so you need to allow for crop factor when calculating the focal length of a lens.

To learn how to calculate crop factor, check out this article.

Image stabilisation

Depending on the type of photograph you intend to take, a lens’ in-built image stabilisation might be a key selling point.

So, why is image stabilisation important? Well, you’ll use a slower shutter speed when shooting in low light, meaning the sensor will be exposed to light for longer. But when you shoot at slower shutter speeds, it’s nearly impossible to keep a steady enough hand to produce an image of decent quality. Even undetectable movements will cause the image to blur, so some lenses come with built-in optical image stabilisation to counteract this problem.

This function means you can shoot in lower light, and at slower shutter speeds freehand, without needing a tripod. Typically, this translates to having 2 to 4 extra f-stops before the image will begin to blur.

To find out more about the different forms of image stabilisation, check out the video above.

3. The most common types of camera lenses

Now you’re familiar with the ins and outs of what camera lenses do, let’s look at the most common types of camera lenses and the types of photography they’re most suitable for.

Standard

Standard lenses can be prime or zoom lenses. They sit somewhere in the mid-range for focal length – usually between 35mm and 85mm. This makes them a great choice for street, portrait, and travel or landscape photography.

They often come with DSLR cameras, as they’re less specialist than many other lenses, so have the broadest application.

Supposedly, standard lenses have a similar field of view to the human eye. Pretty impressive if you ask us.

Wide-angle

Wide-angle lenses have a short focal length – typically around 14mm to 35mm. This allows you to capture a broader field of view, hence the term “wide-angle”.

Typically, any lens that has a focal length below 35mm but above 23mm is considered a wide-angle lens.

Because you can capture large scenes or objects in one photograph without having to stitch single images together in Photoshop, wide-angle lenses are popular in architectural, panoramic, and landscape photography. In general, wide-angle lenses give you around 65-degrees of a diagonal field of view.

Wide-angle lenses aren’t often used for capturing objects up close, as they specialise in capturing large depths of field.

If you’re planning on using a wide-angle lens, you should also bear in mind that the shorter its focal length, the more distorted the edges of the photograph will be. Therefore, it’s best to use wide-angle lenses sparingly and for the appropriate images.

Fisheye/ultrawide

Fisheye – or ultrawide – lenses continue below the 14mm threshold that typically marks the range of a wide-angle lens.

A fisheye lens is considered to be pretty much any lens that sits within the range of 4mm to 14mm focal length.

It’s similar to the wide-angle lens in many ways. The big difference between them is that when you’re shooting with a fisheye lens, the viewing angle is extended further still, granting as much as 180-degrees at the lowest focal length. Once again, this ‘bending’ of the image creates distortion around the edges of the photograph. The result is more severe, given the wider angle.

Fisheye lenses are ideal for creating experimental and surrealist photographs though, as they produce such a strange, convex image. They’re also used frequently to film skate videos, as they can contain the skater in the entire frame while focusing on the skateboard’s intricate movements.

Telephoto

The telephoto lens is broken down into three categories: short telephoto, medium telephoto, and super telephoto.

Each of these lenses provides a magnified effect. This effect is the result of a telephoto lens’ long focal length, which enables you to focus on subjects at a moderate to far distance.

In essence, a telephoto lens is the opposite of a wide-angle lens. The field of view narrows, but the distance at which you’re able to focus and photograph your subject increases dramatically.

The focal length of a short telephoto lens is typically 85mm to 135mm. As such, it’s suitable for all kinds of photography, provided you’re shooting at a distance. Ironically, the effect achieved in the resulting photograph is often more intimate than if it were shot with a lens of shorter focal length, or closer to your subject.

Medium telephoto lenses usually have a focal length of 135mm to 300mm. Therefore, they’re best suited to photographing sports or wildlife, or any kind of photography in which you aren’t able to get too near your subject.

A super telephoto lens usually has a focal length of over 300mm, which makes it great for photographing sports involving distance, like golf. It’s also perfect for nature, wildlife, and astronomy photography.

As you can imagine, telephoto lenses are expensive and bulky. If you’re a beginner, you might want to avoid purchasing them unless you know how and when to use them.

Macro

Unlike the other types of camera lenses mentioned in this article, macro lenses aren’t defined by their focal length. Instead, they’re defined by their internal construction.

The focal length of a macro lens can range from 35mm to 200mm and isn’t a true reflection of their intended use. It’s also worth noting that macro lenses are always prime lenses, not zoom.

Owing to their unique internal structure, macro lenses are often used to capture subjects at very close range. Therefore, macro lenses tend to be used to photograph insects, flowers, and still life objects in acute detail. They produce images that are at a 1:1 scale or larger, meaning the image is the same size on the sensor as it is in reality.

4. Specialist lenses

There are two types of specialist lenses that often don’t make it into a photographer’s camera bag.

But they’re worth knowing about, as you might want to hire one for a specific shoot at some point. Plus, you never know where photography trends will head next.

Tilt-shift

Tilt-shift lenses were first used by architectural photographers. The reason they were used for this purpose was so that the lines of a building could be shot straight, rather than from the perspective of the camera.

For example, if you’re taking a picture of a building from the ground in front of it, the perspective of the camera will be looking up from below, meaning the building will appear to lean backwards in the frame. With tilt-shift, the lens can be moved up and down and side to side to counteract this effect. It can similarly be used to capture panoramic landscapes.

A modern trend that relies on tilt-shift lenses (or Photoshop jobs emulating the effect) is “toy town” photography. This is where a photograph is taken of a real cityscape, and an effect is produced that makes it look unreal, like a model city in miniature. Essentially, the lens mimics the effect of a macro lens, except you’re photographing something vast, rather than something small. It creates some truly surreal results.

Soft focus

While there are some dedicated soft-focus lenses, like the Canon EF 135mm f/2.8 with Softfocus and Pentax SMC 28mm f2.8 FA Soft Lens, these days soft focus is considered more of an effect. It arose in the early days of photography, when spherical and chromatic aberration were side-effects of the lens technology of the time.

Though technically a flaw in the technology, this effect produced a dream-like softening of edges and blemishes in the frame and became quite desirable. In the ‘40s and ‘50s, it was used extensively in melodrama, with directors even smearing petroleum jelly on their regular lenses to achieve the same effect.

In more recent times, soft-focus lenses or the soft-focus effect was used extensively in film and glamour photography of the ‘70s, ‘80s, and ‘90s. Its presence is still felt in face smoothing effects on smartphone cameras to this day.

With what few modern soft-focus lenses there are, it’s usually possible to turn the effect on and off.

Specialist camera insurance through Ripe Photography

If you’re planning on treating yourself to a new lens this Christmas, you may want to make sure it's protected.

Specialist photography insurance through Ripe covers cameras and accessories against theft and accidental damage. The policy can be tailored to fit your exact requirements, so you only pay for what you need. What’s more, thanks to the Ripe Guarantee, we promise to give you the best cover on the market for the best price.

Get a quick quote online today.

A message to our policyholders

Thu, 19 Mar 2020 13:31:59 Z

It’s clear that these are unprecedented times. With the current situation changing day by day, it’s hard to predict what will happen in the coming weeks. However, we are doing all we can to stay one step ahead of the situation and keep our policyholders updated.

Contacting us

We are taking steps so that our Customer Service team will be as unaffected as possible. All of our staff can work from home to continue to provide the best possible service to our policyholders.

However, given the nature of this situation, we are experiencing higher call volumes and may take a little longer to respond to your query.

Your policy documents

If you have any questions regarding your insurance and what you’re covered for, please log in to your online account, from here you’ll be able to access all your insurance documentation and this will explain the conditions of your policy in more detail.

If you are having severe financial difficulty as a result of COVID-19, we have a number of options that may be available to you including payment deferrals. Please contact us and we can discuss the possible options with you.

You can call our UK-based customer service team on 0344 274 3721 (existing customers), 0800 997 8002 (new customers) or email us at photography@ripeinsurance.co.uk (Monday – Friday, 9am – 5:30pm).

‘I Want To Create Memories For People’

Thu, 14 Mar 2019 12:23:26 Z

Capturing life-changing moments is something very few people are lucky enough to do on a regular basis. However, wedding photographer Laura Barker has made a living out of this, turning a dream into a reality through hard work and perseverance. We sat down with Laura to talk about her wedding photography career so far and find out what advice she’d give to others in the industry.

Why did you get into wedding photography in the first place?

It was an accident! A friend of a friend asked me to photograph their wedding, and from working on this wedding I then got asked by the bride’s bridesmaid and the bride’s brother to do their weddings. When an acquaintance in New Zealand asked me to do their wedding, I felt it was time to go into wedding photography full-time.
I first got into photography in 2010 when I bought a DSLR for my travels around the world. I enjoyed photographing people the most when in Peru and Bolivia and my passion continued from there.

Did you have any formal training such as a college course?

I don’t have any formal training. However, I did make sure I did a few workshops at the start to gain confidence in my abilities.

What was it like being a photographer in the early days? Were there any obstacles you faced?

As with most things, the biggest obstacle is confidence. Once you’ve gained a little confidence and start to believe in yourself and your level of skill, everything begins to fall into place.

For me, I still need that level of reassurance as I have imposter syndrome. Being self-taught has also given me moments of doubt, but I’m always working to improve on my weaknesses so I can develop and train myself to be better.

What costs did you have to factor in to becoming a full-time photographer?

I moved home to live with my dad to help with the money side of the business when I went full-time. It can be quite difficult without savings to leap into full-time photography. Therefore, I started part time, alongside my full-time job, and used holiday time to shoot weddings when things became quite full on.

Living in London also limited how much spare cash I had. I moved home two years ago, and have had support from my family who, in tough times of need, have really helped me. I was fortunate (in a way) that some family left me a small amount of money, which covered the initial camera and equipment I needed, plus the ‘must-haves’ like specialist photography insurance.

Insurance is a minefield when you’re new to the business. Therefore, having a super simple explanation as to what you’re buying and not buying is so important, as it’s only when you claim that you discover what you’re not covered for!

For example, you’re insured for your car being broken into on the job and the equipment being stolen – however, you may not be covered if you were doing a freestyle photoshoot and left the camera in the car whilst grabbing dinner on the way home.

How did you begin to market yourself & what techniques/channels did you use?

Most weddings, no matter how experienced you are, come from referrals. Word of mouth will always be the best way to get weddings.
My first job (the friend’s friend) came about because she had liked my images on Facebook from a fashion shoot I did. Since then, I have received most of my business from either Instagram or through a referral. I am finding more people are using Instagram to find photographers, as its super easy to search hashtag terms for venues and themes.

What advice would you give to other photographers who are learning the tricks of the trade?

When first starting out in the wedding business, the important thing to remember is, you’re not going to make lots of money!
It’s becoming quite a saturated industry and you have to become a photographer because you love it, otherwise you’ll not enjoy a fruitful career. People who are just starting out and haven’t shot a wedding yet will need to be prepared for a few years of super hard work at a low income.

In the beginning, things like second shooting, being an assistant and doing unpaid work are essential. However, after year one, you can choose whether to jump in head first with competitive low prices for portfolio building, or you can set a value which you think reflects your skillset and experience.

It’s not set in stone that you need a huge portfolio to prove yourself. I gave it two years, and even now I work as a second shooter at weddings to plug gaps.

What are some of the most memorable projects you’ve worked on?

I love working in new (not visited before) venues, and last year I loved shooting Trinity Buoy Wharf. It has the rustic brick and wooden aspects, however it’s a warehouse in London. So, it offers both types of weddings I love.

What’s the best thing about being a photographer?

Creating something beautiful. Beauty for me is, moments in time that I capture in a way that is different, emotional and makes me stop. Creating one of these images fills me with respect for what I do. When asked ‘what you would take if your house is burning’, I’d always say ‘my photos’ because they’re very special memories. My grandma looks through her wedding album 70 years later (She’s 90 in April) because she misses my grandad, but also her best friends who passed in 2017. I want to create these memories for people.

Check out Laura’s website for more examples of her work and to read more about her journey to becoming a wedding photographer.