Jim Zuckerman’s
PH OTO I N S I G HTS September 2020
Festival photography Autumn Colors Focus point selection Photo tours Student showcase Ask Jim Subject index
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On the cover: Tundra wolf photographed in Jim’s Babies Wildlife workshop, Montana. On this page: Mountain lion, also captured in the Babies Workshop, Montana.
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4. 8. 18. 24. 26. 27. 28. 30. 36. 41.
Festival photography Autumn colors Focus point selection What’s wrong with this picture? Short and Sweet Ask Jim Photo tours Student showcase Back issues Subject index for Photo Insights
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any of my clients have written to me saying they are so tired of the lockdown, and they can’t wait to be able to travel again and to take pictures. I agree. In the meantime, though, I have a suggestion.
I really enjoy going through my photo library, looking for ways to improve images and to try new composites that had never occurred to me before. I often come up with images in which the components had been there all the time, but they hadn’t been combined until I re-considered the possibilities. One such image is shown on page 35 of this eMagazine. I photographed the solar eclipse in Nashville in 2017, and I captured the image of the Egyptian pyamids and the Milky Way also in 2017. In thinking about the ancient ruins, it occurred to me a solar eclipse would look amazing behind the ancient structures. The ancient Egyptians felt a cosmic and spiritual connection to the pyramids, and it seemed to me the eclipse made that connection come alive in a visual sense. The Milky Way was the final touch. One great shot of our galaxy put behind the appropriate foreground makes an incredible visual statement. I can’t wait to travel again too, but had I been leading a photo tour, I’m sure I wouldn’t have come up with this idea. All of us have tens- or hundreds of thousands of images that are just sitting in their respective folders, waiting to be rediscovered, embellished, and enhanced. Even a simple change in color and contrast can change a shot from looking dull and uninspiring to visually compelling. If you know how to convincingly combine photo elements, the sky is the limit. Nothing is impossible with what you can create. While you are frustrated in being home more than you thought was tolerable, look to your photo library as a creative outlet that will keep you engaged and excited until all of the present nonsense is past us. Jim Zuckerman photos@jimzuckerman.com www.jimzuckerman.com
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FESTIVAL PHOTOGRAPHY and the problem of bad backgrounds
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ne of the major highlights of a photography tour, foreign or domestic, is a festival. Whenever possible, I include them in my itineraries for the tours I lead. Wild costumes, great color, and dancers make amazing photographic material. The problem, though, is too often the backgrounds are distracting and unattractive. An otherwise great picture is ruined by unappealing elements behind the subject. A good example can be seen in the image below. I took this during a Chrismtas parade (I know -- a little strange for Christmas) in Puer-
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to Rico. Obviously, the background ruins the picture. Even though the wild outfit of the subject dominates the composition, the tourists in the background and the markings on the road, plus the distant float, divert our eyes from the subject. It was not possible to blur the background more than I did because I couldn’t have used a longer lens. I took this shot at f/8, and even had I opened the lens one or two f/stops, that wouldn’t have obscured the distracting elements enough to make this work. Compare this photo with the composite on the next page. All the problems have been solved
by adding the blur of color behind the subject. The background image comes from a 1/8th second exposure of colorfully dressed dancers in the same parade. The key to saving problematic festival pictures and turning them into winning shots is to first, recognize the background is not ideal, second, take a photograph (or use an image from your files) that can replace the undesirable background, and third, develop the skills needed in Photoshop to make it happen. Distracting elements Distracting elements come in many forms, but the main things you are looking for are: 1. Other tourists 2. Poles, trees, buildings, etc. that have nothing to do with the festival and that present bold
graphic lines behind the subjects. 3. Bright highlights. These draw attention away from the subject. They could be a bright sky or overexposed areas from mottled sunlight. 4. Signs, advertising placards, traffic, power lines and other city elements. These are always bothersome because they are simply unattractive and ruin the impact of the festival pictures. In the background of the picture on the next page taken during the Jember Fashion Carnaval in Indonesia, the building, it’s bank sign, the street lamp posts, and the white sky are all distracting from an otherwise exciting shot. On page 7, you can see the difference when I replaced the entire background with well defined clouds. Note the diffused lighting on the scene and how the storm clouds would provide this kind of available light on the parade. When you replace backgrounds, the light always has
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to match. Preconceiving background images The types of backgrounds that work behind festival images vary, of course, but I narrow them down to a few types of pictures that always work. They are: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
A dramatic or beautiful sky A blur of color Color texture Scenes of the festival that are sharp Scenes of the festival that are blurred
As you shoot the festival, keep these things in mind. You’ll find that you will take pictures not typically on your creative radar, but these will give you a lot of composite options once you review your pictures from the festival. On the next page, you can see I replaced the
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unattractive background of power lines and ugly buildings with scenes of the Holi Festival in India. The portrait of the young woman shows she had already been splashed with color during the festival, but the original background was pretty bad. Developing skills in Photoshop To replace backgrounds in pictures taken during festivals, the tools most useful in Photoshop are the pen tool, the plugin Topaz Mask AI (for hair and feathers), the quick selection tool, and the lasso tool. In addition to using layers and layer masks, these tools allow you to make precise selections. Without precision, a new background won’t look real. In addition to replacing the background, I like to eliminate road markings as well. In the original shot on the previous page, you can see
By replacing the background in this shot from the Holi Festival in India, I completely transformed the portrait. The picture on the left shows the woman outdoors in a street covered with power lines. In the picture on the right, she appears to be in the midst of the festival iteself.
I cloned out the white lane stripes and all the trash in the street. This makes for a perfect im-
age without imperfections. ยง
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Autumn Colors T
he changing of the trees is just around the corner, and for nature and landscape photographers it’s a great time to be outdoors taking pictures. There’s nothing like dazzling color when looking through the viewfinder. There are some important considerations I wanted to go over that, I feel, will help you capture artistic pictures of autumn colors. Forests are not easy to shoot. They are busy, messy, and often it’s hard to find strong graphic designs in the tangle of branches, leaves, trunks,
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and undergrowth. Sometimes you have to step back, or shoot from a distance, to find a pattern.
That’s what I did with the picture at the bottom of the previous page. Other times you can move in close and look for designs in individual leaves as I did in the shot at the lower right. Here are some guidelines you can follow to find strong compositions when shooting colorful forests. 1. Look for distant shots
easy it was to find a nice pattern. Another way to find striking color patterns is to shoot from a height as I did in the photo above. I took this from Owl’s Head in Vermont, a viewpoint that rises about 1200 feet above the forest canopy below. If you get lucky, in the early morning there can be low lying fog or clouds that add to the beauty of the scene. The patterns of color are sensa-
You can find beautiful patterns of color when shooting a forest from a distance with a long lens. To do this, look for steep hillsides. As the land rises, you will be able to see patterns of color. Given the distance you’ll be shooting from, depth of field won’t be a problem because on a steep slope, the trees will be essentially parallel with the digital sensor. The shot at the bottom of the previous page shows a fairly steep hill and you can see how 9
FROG and REPTILE WORKSHOP Oct. 10 - 11, 2020
in St. Louis, Missouri
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tional from here. It’s an easy walk from the parking area to the top of the 2800 foot mountain.
overlook. Most bridges don’t allow parking.
2. Shoot from bridges
Lakes and ponds also give you the opportunity to shoot a stand of trees from a distance. If the lake is too large, the trees on the opposite side will be too small in the frame. That’s not what you want. Ideally a small lake or pond is perfect for a 200 or 300mm focal length. On windless days, reflections are mirror-like and the resulting images are stunning.
Because forests are dense with vegetation, it can be challenging to find a strong, graphic composition. One of the ways to search for beautiful images is to shoot down a river. The watercourse cuts through the forest and opens it up, allowing (sometimes) a wonderful composition that reveals itself. This is easily accomplished from a bridge. Not all bridge views make great pictures, but many do. Don’t drive over a bridge without looking down the river from both sides. I took the photograph above from a bridge. I parked off the road and walked back to the
3. Photograph across lakes
Get a detailed map, either online or a paper map, and look for small bodies of water. The picture at the bottom of the next page shows a small pond about 100 feet across. This was perfect because the openess allowed for a clean shot of the stand of trees with nothing distracting in the foreground. 11
4. Shoot up A wide angle lens, when pointed skyward and when standing in the middle of a forest, can produce some very dramatic and exciting images. I took the photo at right with a 16mm focal length shooting straight upward. The elongation characteristic of wide angles added to the graphic design, and the color was brilliant and defined the success of the image. 5. Include other elements with the colorful foliage Look for attractive and interesting manmade subjects that work well in an environment of autumn color. The red house on page 8 and the 19th century church shown on the next page are examples. There are so many others: covered bridges, old tractors, junker cars, barns, split-rail fences, old cemeteries, grist mills, weathered and dilapadated farm houses, and decaying stone walls can all be worked into an autumn compo-
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sition. If you are photographing in New England, there are many 18th and 19th century structures that look great with foreground or background autumn foliage. The round barn on page 16 is an example. I shot this in Vermont. 6. Lighting Contrary to what you might think, autumn foliage looks much better in pictures with diffused light as opposed to direct sun. Compare the two images below. The trees on the left were lit by direct sunlight and, although the reds are saturated, there is too much contrast. The shadows are very dark, and the mottled illumination detracts from the graphic design of the image because it creates a pattern of light and dark.
By contrast, the stand of trees on the right were lit by diffused light from an overcast sky. There are no black shadows, so we can see good detail throughout the image. The colors are attractive, and there isn’t a pattern from dappled lighting competing for attention with the color and design of the forest.
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NAMIBIA PHOTO TOUR May 22 - June 1, 2021
Monster dunes Wildlife Walvis Bay cruise Dead trees Milky Way
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ONLINE PHOTOSHOP TRAINING 4 Live Sessions Every Saturday Starting Sept. 5, 2020 by Jim Zuckerman
Jim starts at the beginning, assuming you know nothing about Photoshop. With a screen sharing meeting using GoToMeeting software, Jim describes his workflow, how to set up your desktop for maximum efficiency, how he processes RAW files for visual impact, and then he goes over the most useful tools and commands in Photoshop. He then explains how to use layers, layer masks, and how to make precise selections for compositing images. This opens the door to instruction on replacing the sky, creating silhouettes, and fixing numerous problems in your pictures. Jim also delves into blend modes, manipulating individual colors in your images, his favorite plugins, how to turn photos into paintings, and much more. Each session is two hours plus a 30 minute period for questions and answers. There is also time for critiques where you submit images to Jim and he gives you his professional feedback so the entire class can benefit. Each session will be recorded, and you will receive the video file so you can go over the material at your leisure any time in the future. Click HERE for more information.
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7. Dominant foregrounds One of the techniques I use a lot when shooting landscapes, and this has direct bearing on autumn foliage images, is to use a wide angle lens positioned very close to foreground elements in a composition. When I say ‘close’, I mean between 2 and 6 feet. This makes the foreground disproportionately large compared to the background, and this kind of look is visually compelling and even dramatic. In the cemetery shot at right, notice how the fallen leaves in the immediate foreground are very large compared to the background. This is certainly a function of distance, but it’s also related to the close proximity of the nearby leaves to any wide angle lens. It’s important to use a small lens aperture so everything that’s just inches from the camera to
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infinity is sharp (landscape shots require, virtually without exception, complete depth of field). I always use f/32, and even though this aperture isn’t as sharp as f/8, it provides a lot more depth of field than f/8 does. There is nothing attractive about less-than-sharp foregrounds or backgrounds when photographing landscapes. Consider that masters of the medium like Ansel Adams never had partially sharp landscapes. §
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UPCOMING PHOTO WORKSHOPS Photoshop Online Training In the comfort of your home, learn how to be super creative in Photoshop. Learn how to make precise selections, replace the sky, create believable composites, make painterly images, and so much more. Your photography will never be the same!
Sept. 5, 2020
Winter wildlife workshop Stunning pictures of North American animals including wolves, red foxes, arctic foxes, mountain lion, Canada lynx, and more. The animals will be in their winter coats and very beautiful. This is based in Kalispell, Montana.
January 13 - 20, 2021
Photoshop Workshop The setting is in my home and, in this two day workshop, you’ll learn enough to be truly dangerous in Photoshop! How to replace a sky, how to fix all kinds of photographic problems in your pictures, how to handle blown highlights, how to be incredibly creative . . . and more.
November 7-8, 2020
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Focus Point Selection
reat photographs are a function of several factors. These include artistry, skill, serendipity, luck, preconception, and . . . intelligent choices when it comes to camera settings. One of those very important settings is focus points. A typical focus point array is shown at right. There are basically three choices: 1. All the focus points 2. A center cluster of points, typically 9 to 15 in number 3. One individual point, either centered or offcenter
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I know there are variations to the focus point selection process, such as ‘expansion points’, but I find these are essentially worthless. Let me explain my rationale in using each of the
Expand your photographic artistry with
eBooks
Click on any ebook to see inside
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eBooks continued Click on any ebook to see inside
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W i n t e r W i l d l i f e Workshop January 13 - 20, 2020
Based in Kalispell, Montana
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three main choices. All the focus points I use this choice for one senario only -- when I am photographing birds in flight against the sky as in the photo on page 18. It can be challenging just to keep the birds in the center of the frame, especially with a long lens. If the bird or birds go off-center, the focus points at the periphery of the array will lock onto the subject. Even if they catch a portion of a wing, the bird will snap into focus much faster than a person can do manually. If the bird is flying in front of a forest or landscape, this choice won’t work because some of the focus points can lock onto the background instead of the subject. A center cluster of points
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I use a center cluster of nine focus points for 98% of my shooting. Most subjects are in the center of the frame -- or at least, the most important part of the subject is there -- so I can be assured of sharp focus. If a subject is off-center, like the rearing horse below, instead of moving the center cluster away from the center to coincide where the subject is (which would take too long and I might miss the shot), I aim the center of the viewfinder, and thus the cluster of 9 or 15 focus points, at the horse, and focus. I then lock that focus setting in place either with the focus lock button or back button focus, recompose, and shoot the scene as I wish. A single focus point For spot focus situations where you have one subject, a single focus point works very well as long as the subject doesn’t have depth. It’s
possible the one focus point provides an erroneous determination of focus. A case in point is the Icelandic horse at right. I was, in fact, using a single focus point, and the autofocus locked onto the hair in the mane. The horse’s head was turned to me, and that meant it’s eyes and nose were about 18 to 24 inches closer to me than the mane. I was shooting with a 70-200m telephoto at f/2.8, thus the depth of field was quite shallow. If you can enlarge this image on your computer or tablet, you’ll be able to see the eyes are not sharp. Instead of locking onto the eyes, the single focus point locked onto the mane. This is why I no longer use a single focus point. It’s too easy to focus on the wrong element in a composition. If all the elments are on a single plane, or close to it, like the ballet dancer below, then the single focus point can work. There are many things to think about when seriously taking pictures, and that includes the ne-
cessity of choosing many settings. By leaving the focus point distribution alone, you have one less thing to deal with in fast changing scenarios. For static subjects like landscapes and architecture, you have all the time in the world to consider each setting. But for wildlife, birds, children, and so many other subjects you must be instantly ready. Changing the focus point array takes time; most of you will benefit from a small central cluster. §
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What’s wrong with this picture?
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nder most circumstances, I would be happy with this picture. But when compared to the image on the next page, this one falls short. There are a few reasons for this.
First, the Canada lynx kitten is looking down. Because of the angle of the head, there is a shadow covering the top third of each eye caused from the protruding brow. Second, the expression on the kitten seems dull when compared to the picture on the next page. His face isn’t alert, engaged, or locked on something of great interest. The lighting was diffused daylight, and that was ideal.
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The photo above shows the lynx kitten fully alert, and his attention is riveted on something. In addition, the head is looking out -- i.e. straight ahead -- instead of downward, thus the eyes are fully illuminated. I would have preferred to include both paws completely, as I did in the shot on the previous page, but the cat leaned to our right and I moved the camera to follow that movement. Still I much prefer the expression and the alertness I captured in this photo. In both pictures, the background is perfectly out of focus. None of the vegetation is defined, which means all the attention stays on the kitten’s face. My settings were 1/1000, f/6.3, and 2000 ISO, and I took this with a 100-400mm Canon zoom at one of my wildlife workshops in Montana. § 25
SHORT AND SWEET 1.
When shooting in deep shade, colors tend to go bluish especially if you use daylight white balance. If you try to adjust the WB to cloudy or even AWB, you might come closer to the correct color. For precision, I leave my WB on daylight for all outdoor photography. I fine tune the white balance in ACR or Lightroom.
2. You can never go wrong with a black background behind any subject. It is a dramatic look that forces attention nowhere else but the subject. Even with models that have black hair, you can add just a touch of light on the hair to give it enough texture and definition to separate the subject from the background.
3.
4. When shooting dynamic interiors, wide angle lens-
Don’t handhold macro shots and expect to have sufficient depth of field. Use a tripod -- not even a monopod. For macro work, you need small apertures like f/22 or f/32 to get back the depth of field you had lost in magnifying small subjects. Macro photography is most compelling with complete DOF.
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es are best -- and the wider, the better. I shot the Old State Capital in Baton Rouge, Louisiana with a 14mm lens. Thanks to the ‘distortion’ from such a wide lens, the curves of the dramatic staircase are exaggerated and made visually compelling. §
ASK JIM
Every month, Jim will answer a question from his online students, from people who participate in his tours and workshops, or from subscribers to this magazine. If you have a question you’d like Jim to answer, please drop him a note at photos@jimzuckerman.com.
Q: Jim . . .I took this picture in Kansas City, and I like the composition. But this doesn’t strike me as an
outstanding image, and I wanted to know your thoughts on how it can be improved. What else could I have done to make this more exciting? Sandra Akins, St. Louis, Missouri
A: You handled the contrast of a midday sun well in post-processing this image. The shadows have been
lightened and the highlights toned down. That was correct. I also think the composition is fine. The only thing I can suggest for improving this is to shoot it again at twilight. Assuming the fountain is illuminated, the cobalt blue sky will mix with the artificial lights and the color combination will give this scene the visual impact you want. Cities, monuments, and architecture always photograph better at twilight.
© Robert Middleton 2020
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Partial list of Photography Tours 2020 - 2021
WINTER WILDLIFE Jan. 2021
NAMIBIA May/June 2021
ETHIOPIA Mar. 2021
MOROCCO Jun. 2021
HOLLAND/BELGIUM April 2021
LAVENDER FIELDS (France) June/July 2021
ICELAND July 2021
INDONESIA July/August 2021
NORWAY/DENMARK Sept. 2021
PERU NATURE Sept/Oct. 2021
POLAR BEARS Nov.. 2021
WHITE HORSES Apr. 2022
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For a complete list of all the photo tours/workshops Jim conducts, go to his website: www.jimzuckerman.com.
Frog & Reptile Workshop October 10 - 11, 2020
At least 40 species of tiny, exotic poison dart frogs, reptiles, and more. This is a macro workshop.
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Student Showcase Each month, Jim features one student who took beautiful and inspiring images on one or more of his photography tours or workshops. It’s really fascinating how photographers see and compose such different images even though we may go to the same places. Everyone gets great photographs on Jim’s trips.
Bobbie Hefner, Grass Valley, California Mongolia photo tour, China photo tour, India photo tour,
Bats and Birds workshop, Photoshop workshop, Online Photoshop Training, Costa Rica photo tour
© 2020 Bobbie Hefner
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Student Showcase, continued
Š 2020 Bobbie Hefner
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Student Showcase, continued
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Student Showcase, continued
Š 2020 Bobbie Hefner
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POLAR BEARS from Ground Level! November 6 - 12, 2021
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PHOTOSHOP WORKSHOP in my home
Sat. & Sun., Nov. 7-8, 2020
Photoshop is a photographer’s best friend, and the creative possibilities are absolutely endless. In a personal and ‘homey’ environment (I have a very cool classroom setup in my home), I start at the beginning -- assuming you know nothing -- but I quickly get into layers, cutting and pasting, plug-ins, using ‘grunge’ textures, replacing backgrounds, using layer masks, blend modes, adding a moon, and a lot more. I promise to fill your head with so many great techniques that you won’t believe what you’ll be able to do. I go over each technique several times to make sure you understand and can remember it. Photoshop instructors approach teaching this program from different points of view. My approach is to be as expansive in my thinking as possible in creating unique, artistic, and compelling images. In addition to showing you how to use the various tools, pulldown menus, layers, and so on, I spend a lot of time giving you
creative ideas that will inspire you to produce amazing images with the pictures you’ve already taken. I live in the Nashville, Tennessee area, and if you fly into the airport (airport code BNA) I will pick you up. If you drive, I’ll give you my address and you can find my home on Mapquest or with a GPS. For the $450 fee, I include one dinner in my home (prepared by my wife who is an amazing cook and hostess) and two lunches, plus shuttling you back and forth from my home to your nearby hotel. Contact me if you would like to participate in the workshop and I will tell you how to sign up (photos@jimzuckerman.com). All you need is a laptop and a lot of your pictures. If you don’t have a laptop, I have two Mac Book Pro laptops I can loan out for the duration of the workshop. §
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PH OTO I N S I G HTS January 2015
• Topaz Glow • A different approach to composition • Photographing puppies • Kaleidoscopic images • Online photo course • Student showcase • Photo tours
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PH OTO I N S I G HTS June 2015
• Realistic HDR • Selective focus • Simulating bokeh • Sepia & Dark Contrast • Online photo courses • Student showcase • Photo tours 1
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Subject index for past Photo Insight issues 1/3 focus law Jul. ‘15 3D sphere Mar. ‘16 90 degree finder Mar. ‘13 Abstracts in soap Feb. ‘15 Abstracts, Shooting Mar ‘19 Aerial photography Jun. ‘13 African safari May ‘16 Airplane windows Mar. ‘16 Alien landscapes Jan. ‘13 Anatomy of 8 photographs Jan. ‘16 Angled perspectives Jan. ‘19 Aperture vs. shutter speed May ‘14 Aperture priority Sept. ‘14 Aurora Borealis Apr. ‘17 Auto white balance Dec. ‘13 Autofocus, when it fails Apr. ‘15 Autofocus failure Aug. ‘15 Autofocus failure Jan. ‘17 Autofocus challenges Apr. ‘18 Auto ISO Nov ‘17 Autumn Foliage Sep. ‘18 Autumn Color Sep. ‘20 Back button focus Oct. ‘18 Backgrounds, wild Nov. ‘12 Backgrounds, busy Apr. ‘13 Backlighting Apr. ‘16 Birds in flight Aug. ‘13 Birds in flight Jan. ‘14 Birefringence May ‘18 Birds in flight Mar. ‘16 Bird Photography Jun ‘19 Black velvet Mar. ‘14 Black and white conversions Mar. ‘17 Black and white solarization Sep. ‘17 Black and white with color Jan. ‘20 Blown highlights Feb. ‘18 Blur, field Nov. ‘18 Blur technique Oct. ‘17 Bokeh Jun. ‘15 Butterfly photography Jul. ‘14 Camera setting priorities Jun. ‘17 Capturing lightning Jun. ‘13 Catchlights Jul. ‘16 Cheap flash stand Apr. ‘13 Children photography Jun. ‘14 Chromatic aberration May ‘13 Chrome Dec. ‘18 Cityscapes Aug. ‘14 Cityscapes May ‘16 Clone tool, fixing an issue Sep. ‘17 Clone tool technique Jul. ‘20 Composites and Light Dec. ‘17 Compositing images Apr. ‘19 Composition, different approach Jan. ‘15 Content-aware, New Aug. ‘20 Contrast vs. exposure Jul. ‘15 Creating a star field Jan. ‘14 Creating a Sketch Dec. ‘17 Creative blurs Jan. ‘14
Dark backgrounds Dawn photography Dawn photography Dead center Dealing with smog Decay photography Define Pattern Depth of field Depth of field confusion Depth of field and distance Depth of field, shallow Double takes Drop shadows Dust, Minimizing
Nov. ‘19 Jan. ‘17 Feb. ‘17 Jan. ‘13 Oct. ‘16 Sep. ‘15 Sep. ‘18 Aug. ‘16 Jan. ‘20 Dec. ‘18 Apr. ‘20 Apr. ‘20 Apr. ‘19 Aug. ‘19
eBook, how to make Embedded in Ice Energy saving bulbs Exposing for the sun Exposure, the sun Exposure technique Exposure, snow Exposure triangle Exposure, to the right Exposure compensation Extension tubes
Jan. ‘13 Oct. 17 Sep. ‘14 Sep. ‘16 Jul. ‘13 Sep. ‘13 Jan. ‘14 Nov. ‘14 Apr. ‘15 Sep. ‘16 Dec. ‘13
Festival photography Sep. ‘20 Fill flash Sep. ‘13 Filter forge Feb. ‘13 Fireworks Jul. ‘13 Fireworks, Compositing Jun ‘20 Fisheye lenses May ‘13 Fisheye lenses Feb. ‘15 Flash backlighting May ‘15 Flash, balancing exposure Oct. ‘15 Flash, balancing off-camera Dec. ‘18 Flat art Sep. ‘16 Flexify 2 Mar. ‘20 Flood fixes problems Nov. ‘19 Flowers May ‘15 Flowers in harsh light Jul. ‘16 Focus points Mar. ‘15 Focus points Sep. ‘20 Focus stacking Mar. ‘17 Focus stacking Aug. ‘19 Focusing in the dark Oct. ‘16 Foreign models Jun. ‘13 Fractals, generating Sep. ‘13 Fractals Jul. ‘19 Framing May ‘17 Freezing ultra action May ‘17 From Terrible to Beautiful Aug. ‘19 Fun with paint Oct. ‘16 Fundamental ingredients Apr. ‘13 Fundamentals That Make Great Photos Jan. ‘19 Graphic Design Garish imagery Great subjects Great ceilings & HDR Panos Green screen Grunge technique
Jul. ‘20 Dec. ‘15 Apr. ‘15 Jul. ‘19 Mar. ‘13 Feb. ‘13
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Subject index for past Photo Insight issues HDR, one photo Apr. ‘13 HDR at twilight May ‘13 HDR, realistic Jun. ‘15 HDR, hand held Dec. ‘16 HDR, hand held Nov ‘17 HDR, hand held Jul. ‘18 HDR panoramas Jun. ‘16 High wind Apr. ‘17 Highlights Apr. ‘14 Highlights, overexposed Feb. ‘15 Histograms, Why I Don’t Use Jun ‘19 Histogram problems Apr. ‘20 Hotels with a view Mar. ‘20 Humidity Oct. ‘13 Hummingbird photography Apr. ‘13 Hyperfocal distance Jul. ‘13 Image resizing Aug. ‘18 Implying motion Sept.‘14 Impossible DOF Feb. ‘16 Impossible DOF Jan. ‘17 Indestructible camera bag Dec. ‘14 Infrared photography Jul. ‘14 Interiors Oct. ‘15 iPad: Loading photos Aug.‘17 Jungle photography
Dec. ‘14
Kaleidoscopic images Jan. ‘15 Kaleidoscopis images Aug. ‘20 Keystoning, correcting Aug. ‘15 L Bracket Feb. ‘18 Landscape photography Dec. ‘12 Landscape photography Apr. ‘14 Landscape photography Nov. ‘16 Light fall-off Feb. ‘14 Lighting a face Oct. ‘13 Lightning photography May ‘20 Liquify Feb. ‘18 Liquify Distortions Sept/Oct. ‘19 Long lens portraits Oct. ‘18 Long Lenses for Flowers Jul. ‘20 Low light photography May ‘15 Luminar 4 Jan. ‘20 Macro flash Nov. ‘12 Macro flash Sep. ‘14 Macro flash Aug. ‘15 Macro trick May ‘19 Mannequin heads Apr. ‘16 Metering modes Nov. ‘16 Meter, How They Work Jul. ‘18 Meters, when they fail Dec. ‘16 Metering situations, Impossible Jul. ‘19 Middle gray Nov. ‘15 Mirrors Jan. ‘19 Model shoot Jan. ‘17 Moon glow Oct. ‘16 Mosaics Jun. ‘17 Mundane to Ideal Nov. ‘19 Museum photography Mar. ‘13
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Negative space Neon edges on black Neutral Density filters Night photography Night Safaris Night to Twilight Noise reduction
Jan. ‘16 Aug. ‘14 Jun. ‘18 Feb. ‘14 Jun. ‘18 Dec. ‘17 Feb. ‘17
Oil and water Optical infinity Organization of photos
May ‘20 Jun. ‘16 Mar. ‘18
Out of focus foregrounds
Jan. ‘20
Paint abstracts May ‘13 Painting with light Sep. ‘15 Panning motion Dec. ‘16 Pano-Mirrors with a twist Jan. ‘18 Parades Sep. ‘13 Parallelism Nov. ‘19 Photography to Art Dec. ‘17 Photography solutions Jan. ‘18 Photoshop, content Aware Nov. ‘12 Photoshop, sketch technique Apr. ‘13 Photoshop, replace background Apr. ‘13 Photoshop, actions palette Dec. ‘13 Photoshop, layer masks Feb. ‘13 Photoshop, the clone tool May ‘13 Photoshop, soft foliage Oct. ‘13 Photoshop, mixer brush tool Sept. ‘14 Photoshop, b & w with color Jun. ‘14 Photoshop, drop shadows Jul. ‘14 Photoshop, creating texture Feb. ‘14 Photoshop, face mirrors Feb. ‘14 Photoshop, liquify Mar. ‘14 Photoshop, face mirrors Aug. ‘14 Photoshop, digital spotlight Sep. ‘14 Photoshop, enlarge eyes Nov. ‘14 Photoshop, darken the periphery Dec. ‘14 Photoshop, mirror images Dec. ‘14 Photoshop, beam of light Apr. ‘15 Photoshop, polar coordinates Mar. ‘15 Photoshop, chrome May ‘15 Photoshop, actions palette Nov. ‘15 Photoshop, cut and paste Nov. ‘15 Photoshop, geometrics Oct. ‘15 Photoshop, plugins Oct. ‘15 Photoshop, multiple selections Apr. ‘16 Photoshop, sharpening Apr. ‘16 Photoshop, Flood plugin Apr. ‘16 Photoshop, Desaturation Aug. ‘16 Photoshop, making a composite Aug. ‘16 Photoshop new tool May ‘20 Photoshop, place one element behind Aug. ‘18 Photoshop, the pen tool Feb. ‘16 Photoshop, canvas size Jan. ‘16 Photoshop, using the earth Jun. ‘16 Photoshop, define patterns May ‘16 Photoshop, paste into Nov. ‘16 Photoshop, b & w with color Feb. ‘17 Photoshop, open a closed door Apr. ‘17
Subject index for past Photo Insight issues Photoshop, palettes May ‘17 Photoshop, My favorite plugins Jan. ‘20 Portrait options Jan. ‘19 Portrait techniques Nov. ‘15 Portraits Mar. ‘13 Portraits, mixed lighting Aug. ‘14 Portrait Professional Nov. ‘19 Portraits, Lens choice Sept/Oct. ‘19 Portraits, side lighting Sep. ‘17 Portraits, window light Mar. ‘15 Portraits, outdoors May ‘17 Post-processing checklist Dec. ‘13 Post-processing: Contrast Aug. ’17 Predictive Focus Sep. ‘18 Problem/solution Apr. ‘17 Problem with cruises Jan. ‘18 Protecting highlights Dec. ‘12 Puppies Jan. ‘15 Puppy photography Feb. ’18 Reflections Feb. ‘13 Restoring old photos Jun ‘20 Safari May ‘13 Safari strategies Jul. ‘15 Seeing as the lens does Nov. ‘14 Selective filtering Mar. ‘18 Selective focus Jun. ‘15 Self-critiques Jul. ‘13 Self-critiques Oct. ‘13 Sensor cleaning Jun. ‘18 Sepia and dark contrast Jun. ‘15 Shade May ‘14 Shady side Jun. ‘18 Shadows, Paying Attention to Mar. ‘18 Sharpness problems Mar. ‘14 Shooting through wire mesh Sept. ‘14 Shooting into the light Jun ‘20 Silhouettes Jun. ‘13 Silhouettes, Exposing for Sept/Oct. ‘19 Silvered landscapes Mar. ‘20 Sketch, How to Make Jun ‘19 Snow exposure Nov ‘17 Snow exposure Nov. ‘19 Soft light Jan. ‘13 Smart phone photography May ‘19 Stained glass Mar. ‘17 Star photography Jul. ‘16 Star photography and noise Jan. ‘18 Stock photography Sep. ‘14 Sunrise & sunset Jan. ‘19 Tamron 150-600mm Ten reasons photos are not sharp Texture, Adding Topaz AI Gigapixel Topaz glow Topaz glow Topaz Impression
Topaz Remask 5 Oct. ‘17 Topaz Simplify 4 Dec. ‘12 Topaz simplify 4 Jun. ‘14 Topaz Studio Apr. ‘18 Translucency & backlighting Nov. ‘18 Travel photography Feb. ‘13 Travel portraits Mar. ‘14 Travel tips Apr. ‘14 Travel photographer’s guide Jun. ‘17 Twilight photography in the rain Apr. ‘19 Tripods Mar. ‘18 Two subject sharp rule May ‘14 Two subject focus rule Jan. ‘20 Ultra distortion
May ‘18
Warm fingers in winter Nov. ‘15 Water drop collisions May ‘18 What NOT to do in photography Apr. ‘18 White vignette Aug. ‘15 White balance Feb. ‘15 White balance, custom Mar. ‘16 Wide angle conundrum May ‘19 Wide angle lenses Mar. ‘13 Wide angle portraits Nov. ‘14 Wide angle lenses Jun. ‘17 Wide angle keystoning Nov ‘17 Wildlife photos with wide angles Mar. ‘15 Window light Dec. ‘15 Window light portraits Aug. ‘18 Window frames Feb. ‘16 Winter photography Dec. ‘12 Winter bones May ‘13 Winter photography Dec. ‘15 Winter photography Nov. ‘18 Wire Mesh, Shooting Through Jul. ‘18 Workflow May ‘13
Apr. ‘14 Jan. ‘19 Mar ‘19 Mar ‘19 Jan. ‘15 Sep. ‘17 Sep. ‘15
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Saw-whet owl, babies wildlife workshop, Montana
PHOTO INSIGHTS® published by Jim Zuckerman, all rights reserved © Jim Zuckerman 2020 email: photos@jimzuckerman.com
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