EasyDSLR Digital Photography Course: Advanced

Key elements to good Portraits.

Now it’s time to put the concepts you learned in the Beginner's Course into action!

There are some key concepts to getting Better Portraits:

• Lens Choice – This is where we can apply the knowledge from the Composition Video.
• The next key thing is Lighting – flattering lighting can be achieved a few ways – using Fill Flash, using Flash Diffuser, and using Off Camera Flash and Reflectors.

In this video you will learn:

• Lens Choice and Portraits
• Fill Flash and Diffusers for more flattering lighting
• Introduction to Off Camera Flash
• Clam Shell Lighting
• Window Light – Reflectors vs Flash

Some of the Gear mentioned in this video.

Diffusers

• Gary Fong Lightsphere Universal System Cloud for External Flash Units
• or Gary Fong Puffer Pop Up Flash Diffuser for built in Pop up Flash

Canon

• Canon Speedlite 430EX II Flash
• or High-end Canon Speedlite 580EX II Flash

Nikon

• Nikon SB-600 Speedlight Flash
• or High-end Nikon SB-900 AF Speedlight Flash

Transmitter/Receiver
These are required if your DSLR does not have built in Wireless Flash Triggering System

• CowboyStudio NPT-04, 4 Channel Wireless Hot Shoe Flash Trigger Receiver
• or High-end PocketWizard Plus II Transceiver 801-125 Relay Radio Slave Transmitter Receiver 2-piece

The second Pocket Wizard High-end system has Transceivers - which can act as both Transmitters or Receivers.

Reflectors

• Photoflex 32 inch 5-in-1 Multiflex Reflector – You can get cheaper but I like the quality of Photoflex Discs

I hope you enjoy these Creative Videos.

Key elements to creating artistic Night Photographs.

There are some key elements to getting great Night Photos – the most important being long Shutter Speeds.

In this video you will learn:

• Why Long Shutter Speeds make great Night Photos
• What ISO settings you should use - Hint: Not high!
• Using Small Apertures for large DOF
• Why Manual Exposure is better
• Autofocus can have trouble at night
• Creative use of White Balance in night photos
• How to photograph Fireworks

For Night Photos the most important accessory is a Tripod – because of the long Shutter Speeds. A remote is optional.

My recommendations for accessories are:

• Tripod – I recommend Manfrotto 055XPROB Pro Tripod Legs or Manfrotto 458B Neotec Pro with Manfrotto 322RC2 Joystick Head (the model tripod I used is an older model).  This is a professional quality Tripod and some of you may want not to spend this much initially. The next best option would be a Slik Professional Tripod with A.M.T. Alloy Legs PRO 500DX or slightly smaller Slik Compact Alloy Travel Tripod with 3-Way Pan Head 340DX.
• Remote Timer – GSI Super Quality Multi-Function Timer for Nikon or Satechi TR-B Timer Remote Control Shutter for Nikon or Satechi TR-C Timer for Canon 60D or Satechi TR-A Timer for other Canons (please check to see if your camera is supported) – If you do buy a remote I recommend these because they can be used for Time lapse sequences as well (see Time Lapse video later).

In this video I cover some tips for taking great Nature photographs of:

• Birds,
• flowers,
• landscapes,
• silky rivers and
• stunning sunsets.

I also show you the amazing Black Card Technique.

The key accessories I used in this Video are:

• Tripod – I recommend Manfrotto 055XPROB Pro Tripod Legs or Manfrotto 458B Neotec Pro with Manfrotto 322RC2 Joystick Head (the model tripod I used is an older model).  This is a professional quality Tripod and some of you may want not to spend this much initially. The next best option would be a Slik Professional Tripod with A.M.T. Alloy Legs PRO 500DX or slightly smaller Slik Compact Alloy Travel Tripod with 3-Way Pan Head 340DX.
• Polarizing Filter for daytime shoots – I like the quality of B & W Circular Polarizer (you need to get the size to fit your lens)
• Neutral Density Graduated Filter (this is a 77mm filter – you need to get the correct size for your lens). Some people prefer the rectangular 4×6 filters so you can move the graduation line up and down in the filter holder.  I like the convenience of the compact round filters and in my case most of my lenses have the same diameter.
• Cokin Z-Pro U960 Pro Graduated Neutral Density Filter Kit – (you need to buy the Cokin Adapter ring – sold separately) If you have a bunch of different diameter lenses and like the idea of moving the graduation line then the rectangular filter with holder system makes more sense. That way you can get filter holders for each lens (less expensive) and use the same filter. I would recommend this Cokin Kit and don’t get the cheap ones as they will affect image quality badly.

A note about Lenses and Teleconverters

For good Wildlife Photos you need a Telephoto or good Telephoto zoom lens.

Some people have asked about using a good zoom like the amazing Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II with a Teleconverter (Extender) like the Canon 2X or 1.4X. These are my recommendations.

• If you already have a 70-200mm f/2.8L then adding a 1.4X Teleconverter can be very useful but you will need to close down the aperture a little (F/8 or f/11) to get a sharp image.
• Although I have used it (in this video) the 2X Teleconverter is too soft for critical work.
• Teleconverters work better with Prime Lenses. So your best option is to get a Prime Telephoto like the Canon EF 300mm f/4L IS or Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L USM Super Telephoto Lens and then adding a 1.4X Teleconverter if you need a little more reach.
• If you are feeling very RICH your best options are the Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS USM II Super Telephoto Lens or Canon EF 400mm f/2.8L IS USM Super Telephoto Lens
• And I would also recommend extra Battery and Memory Cards.

Macro Photography - Gear and Techniques

There are different options for taking Macro Photos – In this Video I discuss the gear options and how to take Macro Photos both indoors and outside.

In this video you will learn:

• How Macro Photography can open up a New World of Photos
• What Options there are for taking Macro Photos
• An effective and affordable Macro solution (my favorite)
• Why you need a Tripod for Most Macro Photos
• An essential accessory for making Tripod photos easier
• DOF and Macro shots
• Using Predictable lighting in Indoor Macro shots

This is the list of recommended accessories for Macro Photos:

Macro Tubes
These are my favorite option (they give better quality than the Macro Filters and you don’t have to buy one for each lens diameter as they fit between the lens and camera. They are also a lot more affordable than dedicated Macro Lenses)

• Kenko DG Auto Extension Tube Set for the Canon EOS AF Mount
• Kenko DG Auto Extension Tube Set for the Nikon AF Mount

Macro Filter

• Canon – USA 58mm Close-Up Lens 500D (you need to buy the correct size for your lens)

Canon Macro Lenses

• Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM Lens for Canon SLR Cameras
• Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L IS USM 1-to-1 Macro Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras (Professional Lens)
• Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro USM Digital SLR Lens for EOS Digital SLR Cameras
• Canon MP-E 65mm f/2.8 1-5X Macro Lens for Canon SLR Cameras (Professional Manual Focus Lens)

Nikon Micro (Macro) Lenses

• Nikon 105mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S VR Micro-Nikkor Lens
• Nikon 60mm f/2.8D AF Micro-Nikkor Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras

Tripod

• Manfrotto 055XPROB Pro Tripod Legs or Manfrotto 458B Neotec Pro with Manfrotto 322RC2 Joystick Head (the model tripod I used is an older model)

Macro Slider/Rail (focusing rack)

• Cowboystudio Macro Focusing Rail Set with 4 Way, Fine Control

Macro Light

• ePhoto VL48 48 LED Continuous Macro Ring Light Adapter

This LED light above is very affordable – and it has a nice feature I didn’t mention on the video – it has an option to switch on just the left LEDs, the right LEDs or All the LEDs (so you can get the effect of side lighting to gove your subject more dimension but using predictable lighting).

If you really need a stronger light source then the Macro Flash Ring may be a better option for you like the one for Canon below (but they are more expensive)

• Canon MR-14EX Macro Ring Lite for Canon Digital SLR Cameras

There are third party Macro Ring Flash units for Both Canon and Nikon (and other brands) but a popular option for Nikon users is the Close-up Speedlight system below (not a Ring Flash but also used for Macro – and has the benefit of being wireless so you can use it off the camera)

• Nikon R1 Wireless Close-Up Speedlight System

High Dynamic Range (HDR) imaging explained and demonstrated.

High Dynamic Range Images are created by combining images of different exposure in an attempt to capture the full range of lighting in a scene. In this video I explain what HDRI is and how to create HDR images.

In this video you will learn:

• What HDRI is
• How to take images for HDRI
• Using Exposure Bracketing or Manually taking different exposures
• HDRI Processing using Photomatix Pro
• Types of HDRI processing and display
• When to use HDRI
• Types of scenes that benefit from HDRI with Before and After examples

Recommended accessories and Software for HDRI:

Tripod

• I recommend Manfrotto 055XPROB Pro Tripod Legs or Manfrotto 458B Neotec Pro with Manfrotto 322RC2 Joystick Head (the model tripod I used is an older model).  This is a professional quality Tripod and some of you may want not to spend this much initially. The next best option would be a Slik Professional Tripod with A.M.T. Alloy Legs PRO 500DX or slightly smaller Slik Compact Alloy Travel Tripod with 3-Way Pan Head 340DX.
• A remote timer is optional – I find the Self Timer Method works fine for bracketed images for HDRI

HDRI Software

• Photomatix Pro (currently 4.1) – You can Download a Free Trial for Windows or Mac OS X – I have arranged a Special Coupon for my members – so after trying it out -  if you want to buy, use the Coupon Code “easydslr108″ (without quotes) for 15% Off Discount.
• There is other software like HDRExpress (easy to use but I found Photomatix Pro better) and Picturenaut (free but I had trouble getting a good image with it) and others – but let’s keep it simple – if you want to try out HDRI just download the free Photomatix Trial – you can try out all the features – give it a go

Other HDRI training

If I have succeeded in getting you excited about the possibilities of HDRI – you may want to take it a lot further than my introduction. This course is for beginners and intermediate DSLR users but I did want to introduce different areas of Photography to show you some of the many paths you can take your hobby or career. I am planning a more advanced mini course on HDRI - please email me at ken@easydslr.com and let me know if you would be interested. 

In this introduction to Time Lapse photography I show you the setup for 3 Time Lapse sequences and the important things to consider.

You can download the HD version of the finished Timelapse sequences below.

Download HD 720p finished Time lapses here

In this video you will learn:

• How to set up a Time Lapse sequence
• Important equipment for Time Lapse
• Key Settings for Time Lapse sequences
• Tips for Processing your Time Lapse sequences into Video

Key accessories I used in this Video are:

• Tripod – I recommend Manfrotto 055XPROB Pro Tripod Legs or Manfrotto 458B Neotec Pro with Manfrotto 322RC2 Joystick Head (the model tripod I used is an older model).  This is a professional quality Tripod and some of you may want not to spend this much initially. The next best option would be a Slik Professional Tripod with A.M.T. Alloy Legs PRO 500DX or slightly smaller Slik Compact Alloy Travel Tripod with 3-Way Pan Head 340DX.
• Remote Timer – GSI Super Quality Multi-Function Timer for Nikon or Satechi TR-B Timer Remote Control Shutter for Nikon or Satechi TR-C Timer for Canon 60D or Satechi TR-A Timer for other Canons (please check to see if your camera is supported)
• Polarizing Filter for daytime shoots – I like the quality of B & W Circular Polarizer (you need to get the size to fit your lens)
• And I would also recommend extra Battery and Memory Cards.

For those lucky Nikon owners … some newer model Nikon DSLR cameras have a built in Interval Timer so you don’t need to get a Timer Remote as mentioned above. Just look for Interval Timer Photography in your manual (for example it’s on page 56 for the Nikon D5100)

I hope you enjoyed the Videos in this “Let’s get Creative” Chapter – I have included topics that a lot of people are interested in. Some of the topics may seem a little ‘scary’ to dive into at first. But I attempted to make them easy to understand so you can experiment and try out these creative avenues with your photography.

DSLR image formats explained.

The most common types of Image Formats used in DSLR Cameras are JPEG (JPG) and some form of RAW file format. In this Video I give you an introduction to these Image formats.

You will learn:

• Introduction to Image Editing
• The 2 Main Image Formats
• What Image Resolution is
• JPG Compression and the effect on Image Quality
• Benefits of RAW Files
• Basic Pixel Color Modes
• Comparison of JPG and RAW formats

Basic Image Editing in Photoshop and free editing software.

Part 1 of this Video shows you how to edit your photos using a free Online editor at pixlr.com/express

It’s good to know the basics and take the best photos you can but often you may need a few improvements on the computer afterward. Image editing is a huge subject and there are entire courses on Adobe Photoshop (the Image Editing Industry Standard) or other image editing software.

A full treatment of Image editing would be many hours of training. So what I’ll do is just give you some of the ways you can improve your images that relate to the points of The Photo Triangle.

In this video you will learn:

• Improving the Composition of your Photos by Cropping and Rotating
• Ajusting Exposure or Tonal values
• Basic Color Correction of your image
• Quick Red Eye Removal

Part 2 has more Basic Editing in Photoshop.

Recommended Software:
Editing Software

• Online Editing Software: Simple – http://pixlr.com/express/
• Online Editing Software: Photoshop-like - http://pixlr.com/editor/
• Adobe Photoshop CS5 (Windows)
• Adobe Photoshop CS5 [Mac]
• Adobe Lightroom 4

Recommended Editing Courses:
If you like my style of Presentation then you will love Phil Steele’s Online Video Courses.

• Lightroom Made Easy Excellent Course to become an expert in Adobe Lightroom in a day or two.
• Photoshop Basics for Photographers - Add this course to my basics and you will really know your way around Photoshop.

Part 2 - Basic Image Editing in Photoshop and free editing software.

Part 2 of this Video shows you how to edit your photos using free software with your camera and Photoshop.

In this video you will learn:

• Improving the Composition of your Photos by Cropping and Rotating in Photoshop
• Ajusting Exposure or Tonal values in Photoshop
  
• Basic Color Correction of your image
• Quick Red Eye Removal in Photoshop
  
• Image Sharpening (effectively enhancing Focus)
• Image Blur to simulate Depth of Field

Recommended Software:
Editing Software

• Online Editing Software: Simple – http://pixlr.com/express/
• Online Editing Software: Photoshop-like - http://pixlr.com/editor/
• Adobe Photoshop CS5 (Windows)
• Adobe Photoshop CS5 [Mac]
• Adobe Lightroom 4

Recommended Editing Courses:
If you like my style of Presentation then you will love Phil Steele’s Online Video Courses.

• Lightroom Made Easy Excellent Course to become an expert in Adobe Lightroom in a day or two.
• Photoshop Basics for Photographers - Add this course to my basics and you will really know your way around Photoshop.

Ready to Dive Deeper – watch the Advanced Editing Video next!

RAW files, Curves, Color Balance and advanced topics.

We take Image Editing further in this Video. In Part 1 I show you RAW file editing mostly.

In this video you will learn:

• RAW File editing in Camera Raw (Photoshop Plugin)
• Limits of RAW file recovery

Still need the Basics – watch the Basic Editing Video!

Recommended Software:
Editing Software

• Adobe Photoshop CS5 (Windows)
• Adobe Photoshop CS5 [Mac]
• Adobe Lightroom 4

Recommended Editing Courses:
If you like my style of Presentation then you will love Phil Steele’s Online Video Courses.

• Lightroom Made Easy Excellent Course to become an expert in Adobe Lightroom in a day or two.
• Photoshop Basics for Photographers - Add this course to my basics and you will really know your way around Photoshop.

Watch Part 2 for more Advanced Editing using Tools and Tricks in Photoshop.

In Part 2 of Advanced Editing I go deeper into tricks and tools of Photoshop.

In this video you will learn:

• More Advanced Exposure and Color Tools in Photoshop
• How to fix spots with Spot Healing Brush
• The joys of the Clone Stamp Tool
• Advanced Layer Editing using Layer Masks

Still need the Basics – watch the Basic Editing Video!

Recommended Software:
Editing Software

• Adobe Photoshop CS5 (Windows)
• Adobe Photoshop CS5 [Mac]
• Adobe Lightroom 4

Recommended Editing Courses:
If you like my style of Presentation then you will love Phil Steele’s Online Video Courses.

• Lightroom Made Easy Excellent Course to become an expert in Adobe Lightroom in a day or two.
• Photoshop Basics for Photographers - Add this course to my basics and you will really know your way around Photoshop.

 BONUS VIDEO: A quick Review of Photoshop Actions by Florabella

One of the tools that really helps give you a Professional edge to your Photos is Actions for Photoshop (or Photoshop Elements). You can certainly achieve the same results buy becoming a Photoshop Ninja but Actions can give you a quick start to amazing images.

In this video you will learn:

• Introduction to Florabella Collection
• What Photoshop Actions can do
• Loading Photoshop Actions
• Setting Button Mode for Photoshop Actions
• How to Apply some Florabella Actions

Recommended Actions:

• Classic Workflow + Hazy Skies
• LUXE
  

The Classic Workflow has Classic Film which will be one of your most used action (I find I start with that one first to see if it’s a good starting point then add tones and other effects on top). You may prefer LUXE II, but I found I liked the LUXE original collection better.

Click here to visit Florabella Collection

Other Recommended Software:
Editing Software

• Adobe Photoshop CS5 (Windows)
• Adobe Photoshop CS5 [Mac]
• Adobe Lightroom 4

Recommended Editing Courses:
If you like my style of Presentation then you will love Phil Steele’s Online Video Courses.

• Lightroom Made Easy Excellent Course to become an expert in Adobe Lightroom in a day or two.
• Photoshop Basics for Photographers - Add this course to my basics and you will really know your way around Photoshop.

Benefits and shortcomings of DSLR Video and introduction to the DSLR Revolution.

Many of the newer DSLR cameras have HD Video capabilities. Although this is a Digital Photography Course I want to give you an introduction to Video using DSLR cameras.

DSLR cameras are Revolutionizing the independent film industry due to their low cost and amazing quality video.

In this video you will learn:

• Main Benefits of DSLR Cameras for HD Video
• A few Shortcomings of DSLR Video and how they are ovecome
• A brief introduction to the HD DSLR Revolution

One of the factors that give DSLR cameras an amazing film look is the really Narrow (Shallow) Depth of Field you can create. The shallow DOF comes from a combination of Wide (large) Aperture Lenses and Large Sensor size. High-end HD Video cameras with their smaller sensor and smaller lens apertures cannot create the same shallow DOF.

Basics of how to do DSLR Video.

In Part 1 of this Video I go through some Basic Settings and Techniques of doing HD Video with your DSLR Camera. This will be an introduction as it would require an entire course to go though the topic in detail.

In this video you will learn:

• Introduction to DSLR Video and how the The Photo Triangle applies
• Important Settings for good Video
• Tips for taking great Video

You can download the Steps for Setting your DSLR for HD Video from the next Lecture then follow on to Part 2 where I go into useful accessories.

Checklist or Cheat Sheet of DSLR Settings and Steps for getting great HD Video with your Camera.

Basics of how to do DSLR Video.

In Part 2 I go through some useful gear for getting great HD Video with your DSLR Camera. Some are these Accessories are relatively inexpensive allowing you to get 'Hollywood' footage without a 'Hollywood' budget.

In this video you will learn:

• Inexpensive Accessories that raise the level of your Video
• How a Cheap Prime lens can give you awesome indoor footage
• How to get “Film-like” Depth of Field in Bright Daylight
• The One item that gives a Cinematic look to your Video

The key accessories I recommend for Video are:

• Shotgun Microphone: Low-end Azden SMX-10 Stereo Condenser Microphone (note: this one was used in the above video – it does have some hiss sometimes but when doing video in an environment with background noise it will isolate vocals of your subject better than internal Mic of your DSLR). Mid-Range Rode VideoMic with Fuzzy Windjammer Kit (This Microphone is nearly double the price of the Azden but is far Superior especially used with the Windjammer outdoors).
• Lavalier (Lapel) Microphone: Sony UWPV1 Lavalier Microphone Best Quality for Vocals – not Cheap – but the Quality Speaks for itself (excuse the pun :) I use similar Lavalier Microphones in my Course Videos).
• Prime Lenses: Low-end Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Lens or Nikon 50mm f/1.8D AF Nikkor Lens. Mid-Range Canon EF 50mm f1.4 USM Lens or Nikon 50mm f/1.4G SIC SW Prime Nikkor Lens for excellent Indoor Shots with a Wider View I would recommend the Canon EF 24mm f/1.4 L USM II Wide Angle Lens (equivalent to around 38mm on Crop Sensor cameras) or Nikon 24mm f/1.4G ED AF-S RF SWM Prime Wide-Angle Nikkor Lens but these are REALLY expensive so if you don’t want to ‘break the bank’ go with the Canon EF 28mm f/1.8 USM Wide Angle Lens (equivalent to around 45mm on Crop Sensor cameras) or Nikon 24mm f/2.8D AF Nikkor Lens (this one doesn’t let in as much light as the Canon but is reasonably priced).
• Good quality Wide Zoom like a  Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM Ultra Wide Angle Zoom Lens (not cheap – but this lens ‘lives’ on my Canon 60D – the Slider footage in the Video above was taken with this amazing lens) or Nikon 17-35mm f/2.8D ED-IF AF-S Zoom Nikkor Lens (equivalent range and quality to the Canon lens) – you can get reasonable Video with a kit zoom lens but if you want to buy one high quality all round zoom lens for a Crop Sensor Camera then I would recommend these Wide Zooms.
• Tripod – I recommend Manfrotto 055XPROB Pro Tripod Legs or Manfrotto 458B Neotec Pro
• Fluid Head – Manfrotto 701HDV Pro Fluid Video Mini Head or if you don’t have Tripod legs yet you can get this Kit – Manfrotto 701HDV, 547BK Tripod Kit with 701HDV Video Head, 547B Tripod and MBAG100,01 Tripod Bag (Black).
• Neutral Density Filter – B+W 65-073102 77mm Neutral Density 0.9-8x Filter #103 Excellent Quality ND filter by Schneider Optics (avoid cheap ND Filters) – this one cuts down the light by 3 EV Stops letting you use larger Apertures for Narrow DOF but still letting in enough light to focus and compose you shots nicely (this is also useful for Photos when you want a Narrow DOF in bright daylight). (Note: you need to get the size to fit your lens).
• Polarizing Filter for daytime shoots – I like the quality of B & W Circular Polarizer (you need to get the size to fit your lens).
• DSLR Camera LCD Viewfinder – VF Prime DSLR Camera LCD Viewfinder for 3″ LCD (Excellent Quality and great alternative to the expensive Zacuto Viewfinders) This is essential for getting good Video in Bright Daylight conditions.
• Camera Shoulder Support or Brace – CowboyStudio Shoulder Support Pad for Video Camcorder (great for Run-and-Gun Filming).
• Camera Slider – This is the One Accessory that will really give your Video a Cinematic Look – you can pay $1000 and upwards for decent Sliders but the Sliders from Konova are excellent Quality at a fraction of the price (I DON”T recommend cheap sliders based on Dry-lin system – those don’t have ball bearings and do not glide well). Konova Sliders come at different Lengths: KONOVA K Slider 3080 NA-8 (840mm or 33 inches – This one is the Perfect Travel size and it’s the one shown in the Video above), KONOVA K Slider 3100 NA-10 (1040mm or 41 inches) or KONOVA K Slider 3120 NA-12 (1240mm or 49 inches – this one is a little long for traveling).

The Accessories above are affordable and you can spend a lot more money if you want to get into High-end DSLR Video Production.

I have given you a taste of how great HD Video with DSLR Cameras is.  If you want to take things further I recommend the Book by Kurt Lancaster – DSLR Cinema: Crafting the Film Look with Large Sensor Video Cameras (there is a Kindle Version as well). Kurt goes into Depth about DSLR Video including High-end Gear and Video Editing. On that note – if you do want to get into serious Video you will need Non-linear Editing Software.

Recommended Editing Software

• Adobe Premiere Pro CS5 (My favorite for Editing – PC or Mac Versions Available - CS6 out now!)
• Final Cut Studio (Mac only)

That concludes your EasyDSLR Advanced Course!

I hope you found the Lessons inspiring. You should have come out of this Course taking Better Photos and maybe a little bit of awesome HD Video.

Thank you and All the Best with your Photos.

Cheers,

Ken Schultz

Photographer and Instructor