JOHN SHAW’S GUIDE TO DIGITAL NATURE PHOTOGRAPHY Copyright © 2015 by John Shaw All rights reserved Published in the United States by Amphoto Books, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House LLC, a Penguin Random House Company, New York www.crownpublishing.com www.amphotobooks.com AMPHOTO BOOKS and the Amphoto Books logo are registered trademarks of Random House, LLC Chapter 6 is based on Chapter 6 in John Shaw’s Nature Photography Field Guide Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Shaw, John, 1944– John Shaw’s guide to digital nature photography / John Shaw pages cm Includes index Nature photography Photography—DigitaI techniques I Title II Title: Guide to digital nature photognaphy TR721.S5155 2014 778.9′3—dc23 2014009916 Trade Paperback ISBN: 978-0-77043-498-4 eBook ISBN: 978-0-7704-3499-1 Design by Margaux Keres Composition by Happenstance Type-O-Rama Captions for preliminary and chapter opener images: This page: Lenticular cloud at sunset over the Alabama Hills, California Nikon D3x, Nikon 24-70mm lens, 1 second, f/11, ISO 100 This page: Narrow-leaved cottonwoods in autumn, Montana Nikon D800E, Nikon 24-70mm lens, 1/30 sec., f/14, ISO 100 This page: Sunset over the Salar de Uyuni salt flats, Bolivia Nikon D800E, Nikon 24-120mm lens, 1/4 sec., f/16, ISO 200 This page: Autumn sugar maple, Michigan Nikon D2x, Nikon 12-24mm lens, 1/10 sec., f/14, ISO 100 This page: Marble Cathedral, Lago General Carrera, Chile Nikon D2x, Nikon 12-24mm lens, 1/30 sec., f/5, ISO 200 This page: Rocks and sandstone layers, Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada Nikon D3x, Nikon 24mm T/S lens, 0.6 sec., f/22, ISO 100 This page: Crepuscular rays frame a tree with vultures, Masai Mara, Kenya Nikon D2x, Nikon 70-200mm lens, 1/640 sec., f/8, ISO 140 This page: Sea star and barnacled rock, Oregon Nikon D2x, Nikon 28-70mm lens, 1/3 sec., f/16, ISO 100 This page: Contorted tree on the shore of Lake Kussharo, Kokkaido, Japan Nikon D3x, Nikon 200-400mm lens, 1/750 sec., f/6.7, ISO 100 v3.1 The act of photography is the capture of optimal data The art of photography is the capture of optimal vision Contents Cover Title Page Copyright Preface What Is There to Photograph? 01 / GEAR Which Camera? Setting Up Your Camera Tripods and Heads Filters Flash 02 / GETTING STARTED Working in Stops Exposure Modes Metering and Metering Patterns Manual Exposure Autoexposure and Exposure Compensation Proper Exposure and Histograms High ISO 03 / LENSES What Lenses Do Focal Lengths Depth of Field Focusing a Lens Zoom Lenses or Fixed-Focal-Length Lenses Teleconverters Tilt/Shift (T/S) Lenses Chromatic Aberration 04 / COMPOSITION Learning to See Photo-Graphically Ahashare.com Lighting Vertical or Horizontal? Framing and Placement Working a Subject 05 / CLOSE-UPS Defining a Close-up Working Distance and Background Coverage Making Lenses Focus Closer Macro Lenses Close-up Flash 06 / THE PHOTOGRAPHER AT WORK My Personal Field Gear Changing My Camera Settings Working in the Field Working in the Digital Darkroom Index L Landscapes depth of field and f-stops and tilt/shift lenses for, 3.1, 3.2 Landscape vs portrait format L bracket LCD brightness of, 1.1, 1.2 histograms and limitations of review images on vertical shots and LensCoat Lenses angle of view of author’s depth of field and extending, 5.1, 5.2 image size and interchangeability of kit maximum aperture of, 3.1, 3.2 normal (standard), 3.1, 3.2, 3.3 protecting, 1.1, 6.1, 6.2 purchasing, 3.1, 3.2 reversing, 5.1, 5.2 speed of, 3.1, 3.2 stacking supplementary tilt/shift, 3.1, 3.2 See also Focal length; Focusing; Macro lenses; Telephoto lenses; Wide-angle lenses; Zoom lenses Lens hoods Lens reversal ring Leveling bases Light changes in, 4.1, 4.2 character of color of direction of, 4.1, 4.2 importance of See also Flash Lightroom See Adobe Lightroom Live View Long exposure noise reduction, 1.1, 1.2, 1.3 Low light autofocus in fast lenses in Luminance noise M Macro lenses advantages of definition of depth of field of focal length of, 5.1, 5.2 for higher magnifications macro zooms vs terminology for Magnification rate definition of extension and fractional higher, 5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 5.4 image size and life size (1X) sensor dimensions and Manual exposure mode advantages of, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3 definition of exposure compensation setting and exposure scale for manual focus vs., 2.1, 2.2, 2.3 selecting, 2.1, 2.2 using, 2.1, 2.2 Manual focus, 2.1, 3.1 Matrix metering, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4 Megapixels Menu choices banks of preferences for My Menu Metering averaging center-weighted correct exposure and, 2.1, 2.2 matrix (evaluative), 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4 spot, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4 Micro lenses See Macro lenses Mirrored images Mirror lock-up feature Monitor brightness, 1.1, 1.2 calibration mRAW Multiple exposures, 1.1, 6.1 My Menu N Neutral-density (ND) filters Noise chrominance at high ISOs, 1.1, 2.1 luminance reduction, 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 2.1 underexposure and O Opening up Overexposure, 2.1, 2.2 P Pan/tilt heads Perspective, 3.1, 5.1 Photoshop See Adobe Photoshop Picture control Pistol grip heads Playback display options Plus lenses Point-and-shoot cameras Polarizers Portrait vs landscape format Prints megapixels for web images vs program mode R RAW files conversion software for, 1.1, 2.1, 2.2 definition of expose to the right method for file extensions for histograms and JPEG vs., 1.1, 1.2, 2.1, 6.1 noise in options for picture control and shooting tonal levels in underexposing white balance and RAW+JPEG, 1.1, 2.1 Really Right Stuff tripods, 1.1, 1.2 Rear-curtain sync Reciprocity Reflectors Remote shutter releases, 1.1, 6.1 Remove Chromatic Aberration Rotate tall Rule of Thirds S Scene modes Scheimpflug principle Shift movement Shooting menu bank Shutter Priority Shutter speeds aperture and, 2.1, 3.1 blur and definition of stops and, 2.1, 2.2 vibration-prone Sidelight Silver Efex Sky overcast, 4.1, 6.1 polarizers and with wide-angle lenses Spot metering, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4 sRAW Stitching, 3.1, 6.1 Stopping down Subject distance to, 1.1, 1.2, 3.1, 5.1 placement of, 4.1, 4.2 size of working Supplementary lenses T Teleconverters Telephoto compression Telephoto lenses angle of view of definition of, 3.1, 3.2 depth of field and fast image size and long short, 3.1, 3.2 tripod collars for, 3.1, 3.2 zoom, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4 Throw-over covers TIFF Tilt/shift (T/S) lenses, 3.1, 3.2 Timer releases Time zone, setting Toplighting Total flash Tripod heads action grip author’s ball brands of gimbal L bracket and pan/tilt pistol grip quick release for Tripods author’s essential features of flowing water and focal length and height of importance of leg sections on leveling bases for low to the ground, 1.1, 1.2 recommended brands of remote shutter releases for in sand or mud snowshoes for, 6.1, 6.2 sturdiness of telephoto lenses and, 3.1, 3.2 wind and U Underexposure, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4 UV filters V Vertical vs horizontal format Vibration reduction, 1.1, 3.1 Video View cameras Viewfinder diopter adjustment, 1.1, 3.1 Virtual horizon W Weather concerns, 6.1, 6.2 Web images equipment for horizontal vs vertical size of, 1.1, 1.2, 2.1 White balance Wide-angle lenses angle of view of, 3.1, 3.2 characteristics of definition of depth of field and image size and sky with using, 3.1, 3.2 zoom Wildlife photography, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3 See also Bird photography Wind, 1.1, 1.2 Working distance Z Zerene Stacker Zoom blur Zoom lenses composition and, 3.1, 4.1, 4.2 definition of diopters with with extension, 5.1, 5.2 filters with fixed-focal-length lenses vs., 3.1, 3.2 handholding, 3.1, 3.2 macro mode for, 5.1, 5.2 medium-range speed of teleconverters and telephoto, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4 wide-angle ... Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Shaw, John, 1944– John Shaw s guide to digital nature photography / John Shaw pages cm Includes index Nature photography Photography—DigitaI techniques... Title II Title: Guide to digital nature photognaphy TR721.S5155 2014 778.9′3—dc23 2014009916 Trade Paperback ISBN: 97 8-0 -7 704 3-4 9 8-4 eBook ISBN: 97 8-0 -7 70 4-3 49 9-1 Design by Margaux Keres... JOHN SHAW S GUIDE TO DIGITAL NATURE PHOTOGRAPHY Copyright © 2015 by John Shaw All rights reserved Published in the United States by Amphoto Books, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random