 Have you ever been somewhere and seen something that captured your imagination and wanted to save the memory forever, maybe framing it for you wall? Creating your own artwork? Whether you are an aspiring pro-photographer or simply want to take better shots here is a breakdown of how I produced this photograph just for you;
I was walking in the Gothic quarter of Barcelona, it's very beautiful in a crumbling sort of way and to be fair there are lots of lovely photo opportunities. I took my small but trusty Canon G15 with me. It's pocket-sized but packs a punch with lots of fancy and useful features, you can shoot in RAW, JPEG or both. I just wanted to capture some moments while on a long weekend break and have a bit of fun, so I set the camera to P, similar to Auto but this allowed me to adjust the exposure up or down a notch (f-stop) to create a bit more atmosphere and to regain a bit of control. The light was gently stroking the building and lighting up the moped in the distance. I like photographs with people in them, but this empty scene spoke to me, it held a story. The light, the solitary moped, the sense of anticipation stopped me in my tracks. I quickly lifted the camera, composed the scene so that the arch framed the picture and took the shot. Then we drifted on to a lovely Tapas bar. As we wandered I quickly shot scenes I liked, often when the light was playing beautiful games across the buildings, or casting dramatic shadows. As we passed one of the tiny roads I spotted this.  In camera shot ©Lynn Keddie Back home, and after downloading the shots, I stopped at this one and decided to convert it to black and white. Here is my process; I used photoshop, but you can use any photo-editing software, you can even approximate it in your smartphone, if it's one of the newer models. STEP 1 Open in Photoshop  ©Lynn Keddie STEP 2 Desaturate by moving the saturation slider to the left (you find this under Image>adjustments>hue/saturation)  ©Lynn Keddie  ©Lynn Keddie STEP 3 This leaves the image looking a bit 'thin' so time to get some atmosphere back. Lets adjust the Levels. CTL L opens up the dialogue box, then: Move the left hand slider along (dark tones) Move the middle slider to the right (mid-tones) So from this... ...to this...  ©Lynn Keddie I'm happy with this, there is just enough light to show some detail in the blacks. STEP 4 Next I want highlight the light areas. I do with with the dodge tool. See below.  ©Lynn Keddie I only use 5% or less in 'highlights' for a delicate touch. Right click on the image to get your brush and wipe it over the areas you want to highlight, a bit like painting. STEP 5 Next, sharpen the image. I don't want to sharpen too much-this can ruin a photo.  ©Lynn Keddie Go to Filter>sharpen>unsharp mask and use similar settings shown below. Play around until you get something that works for you.  ©Lynn Keddie  ©Lynn Keddie PlaceFor updates, more tips and reminders about my blog posts subscribe here. I promise that I will not share your details with any other company, it's just between you and me. Happy shooting!
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 I talk to photographers a lot and I have realised that days and days on shoots give pro's a real hands on advantage in tricks and tips on how to shoot better. So here are some things I have learnt: Tips to:
 'There is always a photo'There is. How often have I gone on location for a shoot and someone has said, 'There's not much to see I'm afraid.' Right? Wrong! I have just returned from The Black Isle, in the North of Scotland to visit my elderly mum. It's November not a month I would choose to spend in Scotland and as anticipated the weather was dreary, cold, windy and wet. A long drive to and from the hospital where mum was being looked after was very grey and did nothing for my spirits. I even Tweeted this photo with the caption... One shade of grey... One shade of grey After 4 days of this with my blog post deadline looming I took my own advice, and on the way to the airport I took some photos. My theme? GREY I didn't have my Canon 5D mark III DSLR, so I used my Smart phone (a Samsung S5) which has an impressive camera. On the flight home, I edited my shots with the phones software and came up with this set of pictures.  'Welcome' Inverness Airport  '...and Hello!'  'Closed' Rosemarkie  'Lightbulb' Moray Firth  'Acres of Sky' Channonry Point Lighthouse  'Behind bars' Avoch harbour  'On the road'  'Backbone'  'Downcycled'  'Iron Maiden'  'Happy Face'  'Tornalena'  'Lace me up'  'Take me home' This set of photos had a little adjustment to brightness and contrast and in some the colour was desaturated but that was it on the editing front. Top tips
It proved to be an enjoyable couple of hours, despite the weather. So, set yourself a challenge and come up with a set of shots based around a theme, and make this your mantra- Look up, Look down, Look all around. ©LynnKeddie  “Nobody sees a flower- really- it is so small it takes time- we haven't time and to see takes time, like to have a friend takes time.” Georgia O'Keeffe Do you want to be a garden photographer? Or do you just want to capture the beauty of nature? If you can say yes to either, then you must master the art of taking fantastic plant portraits. |
 Aperture f5 speed 1/125 s |  Aperture f8 speed 1/50s |
The next shot demonstrates the beauty of the buds of an Abutilon. I used a grey/green background and I photographed this in a glasshouse. This set was published in The Garden.
Aperture f/16 speed 1/6s
I wanted the whole picture to be sharp for the first image of Autumn berries, so I used a small aperture. Sold on the library I work with, many times.
But the I wanted to isolate the acorn from its surroundings so I shot this at the opposite extreme with a wide aperture of f2.8. It's an arty shot again sold on my library...many times
But the I wanted to isolate the acorn from its surroundings so I shot this at the opposite extreme with a wide aperture of f2.8. It's an arty shot again sold on my library...many times
 Aperture f20 speed 1s  Aperture f/2.8 speed 1.50s Finally, I photographed this as an art shot, I wanted it to be perfectly crisp. |
Aperture f/14 speed 1/40s
©Lynn Keddie
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Part 1 of The Magic Triangle of Exposure
This is a biggie. I know lots of you out there have a great camera but always shoot in the automatic setting - that's when the camera works out aperture and shutter speed and you just focus and shoot.
This is great for some situations, say when you are shooting at a family event and you don't want to miss the moment, but..
learn how to use these settings independently, and a whole new world of creativity opens up.
This is great for some situations, say when you are shooting at a family event and you don't want to miss the moment, but..
learn how to use these settings independently, and a whole new world of creativity opens up.
Let's start with aperture
Camera Canon Mk II--Lens EF 70-200 mm f/4L USM-- Aperture f/4.0--Shutter speed 1/640 s What is aperture or otherwise known as the F-number? (I remember my dad talking about this and I completely glazed over!)
Put simply it's the amount of light you let through the lens which then hits the sensor to make the picture.
What does changing the aperture do?
It changes how much of your image is in focus and how much is blurred.
The aperture (F-numbers) needs to balance with shutter speed to correctly expose the image when your camera is set to aperture priority the shutter speed is adjusted automatically.
This is how I took the photograph above:
TOP TIP: By setting a low number say f5.6 it opens up the lens and lets more light through (large opening small f-number). To compensate your camera will automatically set a faster shutter speed so that the sensor doesn't get flooded with light and over-expose the shot.
This gives you a...
NARROW DEPTH OF FIELD
That's when the subject is in focus and everything in front and behind are blurred, great for photographing objects or people with distracting backgrounds, like the photo above taken at Highclere garden (aka Downton Abbey) and the flowers below-giving a dreamy effect not possible with a high F-number.
Put simply it's the amount of light you let through the lens which then hits the sensor to make the picture.
What does changing the aperture do?
It changes how much of your image is in focus and how much is blurred.
The aperture (F-numbers) needs to balance with shutter speed to correctly expose the image when your camera is set to aperture priority the shutter speed is adjusted automatically.
This is how I took the photograph above:
- Set your camera to aperture priority,
- Change the F-number (again refer to your manual if you need to)
TOP TIP: By setting a low number say f5.6 it opens up the lens and lets more light through (large opening small f-number). To compensate your camera will automatically set a faster shutter speed so that the sensor doesn't get flooded with light and over-expose the shot.
This gives you a...
NARROW DEPTH OF FIELD
That's when the subject is in focus and everything in front and behind are blurred, great for photographing objects or people with distracting backgrounds, like the photo above taken at Highclere garden (aka Downton Abbey) and the flowers below-giving a dreamy effect not possible with a high F-number.
Camera Canon Mk II--Lens EF 70-200 mm f/4L USM-- Aperture f/4.0--Shutter speed 1/1250 s
Top Tip: lower f-numbers = faster shutter speeds - handy in low-light situations
when you need a fast shutter speed to stop camera shake if you can only hand-hold your camera.
when you need a fast shutter speed to stop camera shake if you can only hand-hold your camera.
Now, suppose you are shooting landscapes, or scenes where you need everything to be
SHARP
You achieve this effect by letting in a pin-prick of light by setting the aperture to say F16
(large f-number small opening) or upwards.
Your camera will adjust the shutter speed to let enough light through that tiny hole to properly expose the shot, so this will be a longer shutter speed.
You control your aperture, and the camera looks after the shutter speed.
Not so tricky after all!
Top Tip: those pesky F-numbers are the magic key to changing your aperture
Top Tip: higher f-numbers = longer shutter speeds and may necessitate a tripod or a higher ISO speed. We'll cover ISO soon, subscribe to my mailing list here so you don't miss out!
The shots below illustrate a wide depth of field.
SHARP
You achieve this effect by letting in a pin-prick of light by setting the aperture to say F16
(large f-number small opening) or upwards.
Your camera will adjust the shutter speed to let enough light through that tiny hole to properly expose the shot, so this will be a longer shutter speed.
You control your aperture, and the camera looks after the shutter speed.
Not so tricky after all!
Top Tip: those pesky F-numbers are the magic key to changing your aperture
Top Tip: higher f-numbers = longer shutter speeds and may necessitate a tripod or a higher ISO speed. We'll cover ISO soon, subscribe to my mailing list here so you don't miss out!
The shots below illustrate a wide depth of field.
Camera Canon 5D Mk II--Lens EF 24-70 mm f/2.8L USM-- Aperture f/18.0--Shutter speed 1/80 s
Camera Canon EOS 5(film Velvia) --Lens EF 28-135 mm -- Aperture f/18.0--Shutter speed 30 s
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Next time: Creativity by controlling your shutter speed
'Perspective changes everything'
When you decide to take a photograph what do you think? Be honest with yourself, do you look at something and think, that's cool I'll snap that, then later look at it and feel it doesn't look as good.
We need to work on that. When I look at something I want to photograph, something else kicks in. I want to reflect how I feel. I do this (partly,) by using different perspectives. This does several things:
- Helps to tell the story
- Leads your eye through the picture
- Adds drama
We need to work on that. When I look at something I want to photograph, something else kicks in. I want to reflect how I feel. I do this (partly,) by using different perspectives. This does several things:
- Helps to tell the story
- Leads your eye through the picture
- Adds drama
LENS Canon EF70-200mm-F/4L USM EXPOSURE 1/160 s at f/6.3 Canon 5D Mk II Flowers are very photogenic, but to know where to place them in the image is not always easy.
Alliums are one of my favourite flowers, they are architectural. Instead of photographing them from above, I get down to their level.
Here, I used a tripod to keep the camera in exactly the position I wanted. I focused on one flower head and made sure that I found a position where the green stalks filled the bottom of the picture.
I adjusted the depth of field so that the flower head was in focus but all it around was blurred. It did take a few minutes to capture this, but patience is worth it.
This feature appeared in Country Living.
Alliums are one of my favourite flowers, they are architectural. Instead of photographing them from above, I get down to their level.
Here, I used a tripod to keep the camera in exactly the position I wanted. I focused on one flower head and made sure that I found a position where the green stalks filled the bottom of the picture.
I adjusted the depth of field so that the flower head was in focus but all it around was blurred. It did take a few minutes to capture this, but patience is worth it.
This feature appeared in Country Living.
LENS Canon EF28 135mm-F3.5-5.6 IS USM EXPOSURE 1/160 s at f/8.0 Canon 5D Mk II This image is of a guy demonstrating Japanese cloud pruning. I could have shot this so that you could see everything going on. But I wanted to show the students interest and the array of tools, the sense of him working. It doesn't tell the whole story in one go.
LENS Canon EF 50mm f1.4 USM - EXPOSURE 1/1600 s at f3.5 Canon 5D MkII What does this picture convey to you?
Why is the woman there?
What is she thinking?
It leaves the viewer with lots of questions.
Why is the woman there?
What is she thinking?
It leaves the viewer with lots of questions.
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Complimentary colours zing off the page. Complimentary colours are those opposite each other on a colour wheel (See below). Here I deliberately placed the green apple against the red door.
Use colour
Play with focus and crop
If you choose colours opposite each other on the colour wheel they will have the strongest contrast.
Canon EF50mm f/1.4USM
1/320s at f1.8
1/320s at f1.8
In this photo I hint at the story; a family day out collecting apples. The mum is in focus, the children are blurred in the distance. I focused the lens on one of the apples in the basket and set a fast shutter speed, the children where moving quite fast. This is quite a contemporary way shot, it leaves you to imagine how the story plays out.
Canon 100mm f/2.8
1/50s at f2.8
1/50s at f2.8
Use macro
The great thing about cameras today is that lots have a macro function, even smart phones and although I took this shot using a macro lens (macro lenses allow very close-up photography) I could get something like this with my smart phone or compact. However, you will need to steady the camera by using a tripod or placing the camera on a firm surface.
I placed a leaf and an acorn on a tree trunk, got down low and with the help of my tripod and a narrow depth-of-field to blur out the background this is the shot I came back with.
I placed a leaf and an acorn on a tree trunk, got down low and with the help of my tripod and a narrow depth-of-field to blur out the background this is the shot I came back with.
I took the picture below with my smart phone a Sumsung S5, which is a lot less expensive than a macro lens!
Look for patterns and colour
I took this with my smart phone, a Samsung S5. So no fancy camera here, but it is a pretty smart camera.
I was walking round a swimming pool on holiday and saw lots of lovely patterns and colours in the water
so I composed the picture and clicked the shutter.
I was walking round a swimming pool on holiday and saw lots of lovely patterns and colours in the water
so I composed the picture and clicked the shutter.
Look up
I took this on a walk in Autumn. The bark of the tree had a really rich texture, then I looked up.
I took this with my Canon 5d mark II with an EF 50mm f 1.4 USM lens. 1/30th s at f 5.6
I took this with my Canon 5d mark II with an EF 50mm f 1.4 USM lens. 1/30th s at f 5.6
Use reflections
I photographed this when I was at the Norfolk broads in the UK. Lots of water means lots of reflections.
I shot this image as a reflection, then flipped it in photoshop. I used my Canon 5d mk II - with my Canon 85 mm f/1.8 USM set at 1/800 s at f/16.
You could get the same effect with any camera including your smart phone.
I shot this image as a reflection, then flipped it in photoshop. I used my Canon 5d mk II - with my Canon 85 mm f/1.8 USM set at 1/800 s at f/16.
You could get the same effect with any camera including your smart phone.
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A year ago, Paul Debois and I collaborated on a project I have talked about on this blog called Wildlings. Paul photographed me painting 'Wild Thing' one of a series of my paintings then made this timelapse video: some people have loved it, some laughed at the comic timing! If it makes you smile, job done!
I painted this earlier this year. I used a photograph by Paul Debois (who I was working with at the time) to paint. I'm not altogether comfortable painting urban scenes, but I like a challenge so I set to...
Step 1
Prep your canvas. I used cotton drill, a heavy weight cotton primed with gesso or acrylic primer. I decided not to stretch the canvas, but to pin the cotton onto a plywood wall, and use the rough texture as part of the painting. Finally, roughly paint a dilute mix of yellow ochre and white spirit over the canvas to knock back the white primer. Leave to dry-this doesn't take long.
Prep your canvas. I used cotton drill, a heavy weight cotton primed with gesso or acrylic primer. I decided not to stretch the canvas, but to pin the cotton onto a plywood wall, and use the rough texture as part of the painting. Finally, roughly paint a dilute mix of yellow ochre and white spirit over the canvas to knock back the white primer. Leave to dry-this doesn't take long.
Now I have called this blog easy steps and this painting looks very complicated, but by taking it slowly
and layering it over a few days the final image is revealed.
and layering it over a few days the final image is revealed.
Step 2
Roughly paint in the main shapes to give the correct balance to the painting. Then paint in the base colour of the two sets of bricks. The 'white bricks' were mixed with:
Titanium White
Blue Black
Cerulean Blue
Vandyke Brown or Burnt sienna
Experiement with different quantities of each to add texture
The red bricks were painted with:
Burnt Sienna
Yellow Ochre
Vandyke Brown
Again, xperiement with different quantities
I didn't worry about each individual brick I just put down rough colour.
Roughly paint in the main shapes to give the correct balance to the painting. Then paint in the base colour of the two sets of bricks. The 'white bricks' were mixed with:
Titanium White
Blue Black
Cerulean Blue
Vandyke Brown or Burnt sienna
Experiement with different quantities of each to add texture
The red bricks were painted with:
Burnt Sienna
Yellow Ochre
Vandyke Brown
Again, xperiement with different quantities
I didn't worry about each individual brick I just put down rough colour.
 Step 3 I out-lined the red brick shapes by scraping paint off the canvas using a palette knife. Before working on the white bricks I left the canvas to dry. (The first coat of paint must be thinner than the next otherwise the paint will crack.) Once dry, use a flat hog brush to paint the bricks. I used a slightly lighter colour than the base. Put in the finishing touches. Add in some detail in the pipe work on the wall and the beginnings of the outline of the frame for the poster.  |
 Step 4 Start working in more detail-the brush strokes I made were very rough to only just give an impression of the final painting. I over-painted the mortar of the red bricks with a lighter mix of the original paint. I worked on the white bricks with lighter and darker hues to give the illusion of light falling on the bricks. |
 Step 5 Work in more loose colour to approximate the base colours in the poster on the left. Roughly mark in some light and shade for the faces in the poster. |  |
Step 6
Why is this called 'Teaching the world to sing?' Because there is a Coca Cola can in the image.
Just a few brush strokes. Cadmium red and a little grey made with Blue Black, Titanium White and
Permanent Rose.
Why is this called 'Teaching the world to sing?' Because there is a Coca Cola can in the image.
Just a few brush strokes. Cadmium red and a little grey made with Blue Black, Titanium White and
Permanent Rose.
Step 7
Put in the finishing touches. The final details to the poster, the Wildling growing in the wall.
Put in the finishing touches. The final details to the poster, the Wildling growing in the wall.
The writing on the plaque. more texture to the bricks and a small part of the pavement.
And don't forget to sign it.
And don't forget to sign it.
Because I liked the rough feel of the canvas I decided to frame these by pinning them onto matt black painted board and mounting them in a black frame.
Teaching the world to sing - oil on canvas - Lynn Keddie - 2014
Lynn Keddie
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