Choosing the proper aperture setting is a fundamental aspect of all genres of photography, especially when shooting landscapes with both near and far elements in the scene. The f/stop in use has a major impact on depth of field, which is why many outdoor photographers prefer leaving their Mode dial set to Aperture Priority.
Today’s comprehensive tutorial breaks down and explains what aperture is all about and reveals which f/stop settings are best for different situations. You’ll also learn why the sharpness of an image depends upon aperture, and the various effects you can create with different settings.
Instructor Mads Peter Iversen is a Danish pro who regularly shares shooting and editing tutorials with eye-opening secrets to the stunning images in his portfolio. This episode is a behind-the-scenes video where you’ll watch Iversen to his thing, and along the way he discusses everything you need to know about aperture and how it enables you to capture different images of the same scene with a totally different look.
This lesson runs almost 19 minutes and covers a lot of ground, so we suggest taking a few notes for future reference. As you’ll see, Iversen has some great advice for doing things right, as well as several warnings about common mistakes.
Aperture is one of the three components in the familiar Exposure Triangle and that’s where Iversen begins. You’ll see how the f/stop in use interacts with the other two variable (shutter speed and ISO) to arrive and a correct exposure with exactly the look you want. He also discusses the critical concept of depth of field and how aperture factors into the equation.
Proper focus is another key consideration, and in some cases the goal is to have maximum sharpness throughout a landscape scene. Since the smaller the aperture the greater the zone of sharpness you may wonder why it’s a mistake to always shoot at f/22 when light levels permit.
This is Iversen’s answer: “It comes down to an optical phenomenon called diffraction which explains why the more you stop down the aperture the more light is scattered through the smaller and smaller hole.” In essence, this results in softer images with compromised optical quality.
Other topics of interest include the relationship between aperture and vignetting, along with a variety of optical mistakes to avoid. You’ll also learn what to do when f/22 is absolutely necessary, an editing solution known as focus stacking, and the impact of aperture on creative effects like sun stars and others.
Be sure to pay a visit to Iversen’s robust YouTube channel, especially if landscape photography is your thing. And check out the tutorial we featured from another accomplished pro, with a beginners guide to using fill-flash to brighten shadows in outdoor photographs.
Converging vertical lines can spoil all sorts of photos, whether you’re shooting in the city or out in the field. The problem occurs when it’s necessary to point the camera upward to include the top of tall objects in the frame.
This happens in situations in which you’re unable to back up far enough to shoot the subject with the camera flat to the horizon. Similar things occur when your lens isn’t wide enough to point the camera head on. In other words, converging verticals result from the angle of the camera’s sensor relative to the scene you’re photographing.
Today’s instructor, Barry Beckham, specializes in tutorials for beginning Photoshop users. Today’s episode demonstrates how fix to those vexing verticals in barely nine minutes. Here’s how he explains the challenge with his demonstration image: “I was in front of some interesting high-rise buildings, but the width of the beach in front of them wasn’t really enough for me to get far enough back.”
He captured the scene with a wide-angle lens and the result is the extreme convergence in his image. There’s a common way to correct converging lines when they’re less acute but watch what happens when Beckham tries that method with the image at hand. As you’ll see, a significant amount of the photo is lost in both lower corners of the shot.
Beckham jumps into Adobe Camera Raw (ACR) and demonstrates the solution. He chooses the Guided option within the ACR’s Crop panel and defines the edges of the left and right buildings that need to be straightened (those in the middle will fall into place). Then he draws a line across the horizon so that isn’t skewed during the process.
He also wants a bit more space in the frame above the spire of the tallest building, but that creates problem at the top similar to the empty space in the lower corners. Before reaching for the crop tool and employing his amazing fix, Beckham makes a few minor edits to enhance the appearance of his shot.
Now it’s time for Beckham to “bend the rules a bit” to arrive at his magical transformation. He walks you through the simple steps while taking advantage AI. There’ are many more easy Photoshop tips and tricks on Beckham’s instructional YouTube channel, so be sure to take a look.
And be sure to check out the tutorial we posted earlier with a simple post-processing technique for beginners that an accomplished pro says he uses with almost every photograph he edits.
