Photography News

 

If you've ever taken photographs with the sun in front of you, you're likely to have experience flare, which probably spoilt your photograph. However, there are several things you can do to remove it or if you're feeling creative, you can use it in your shots to add a little romanticism, mystery and warmth to your work.

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1. What Is Flare?

Flare is caused by direct light entering the lens, which then bounces around the glass elements causing a reduction in the photograph's contrast. Sometimes this will just make the picture look washed out and lacking vibrant colours, but often you would also see a series of coloured shapes across the photo. The shape is an image of the lens' aperture or diaphragm and will often be hexagonal. This is joined with streaks of coloured light crossing the picture. Modern lenses have multicoated lens elements and are designed to reduce flare but even with the most expensive products, it can still occur.
 

2. How Can I Stop It?

The easy way to prevent flare is to shoot with your back to the sun - a method that was always suggested in camera manuals before multicoated optics. The trouble with this suggestion is that there are many occasions when you cannot control where the sun is in relation to your subject. It's easy, for example, to ask a person to turn direction or change the angle that you shoot a flower from, but try shooting a castle on a hilltop or boat out at sea and you're usually stuck with no other choice than to face the sun.

Fortunately, there are things that can be done. First, make sure the sun is at least out of the frame. If this is not possible to adjust the position so that a nearby building or tree shields the sun from the camera position. Alternatively, shield the lens from the sun using your hand or a piece of card. Take care to avoid this creeping into the frame. Better still, use a lens hood.

 

3. What If I Want To Use Flare In My Shot?

 

It's easier to get flare with less expensive lenses and be prepared to work lower to the ground, laying down if it's needed to get the sun in the right position. Remember, you're trying to get the camera to do something it's designed not to do so work in manual and trust your own judgement as your camera will keep telling you your shot is blown out. Position yourself so you're shooting into the sun, just before it starts setting and remember to adjust your exposure so your subject doesn't come out as a silhouette. Don't be afraid to use overexposed backgrounds as this will add to the effect and switch to manual focus if your lens keeps searching for a focus point, which it might do as the background will be the lightest part of your shot so it probably won't want to focus on your subject. If you want to shoot some indoor portraits this technique works just as well with your subject positioned against a window or patio doors.

 

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Affinity CEO Ash Hewson and Canva Head of Europe Duncan Clark

Company reinforces its focus on the enterprise in a step to build an all-in-one platform for every type of designer.

Canva, the world’s only all-in-one visual communication platform, announced the acquisition of Affinity, the award-winning creative software suite for professional photo editing, illustration, graphic design and page layout.

The acquisition significantly bolsters Canva’s vision to build the world’s most comprehensive suite of visual communication tools. While the last decade has seen rapid growth for Canva amongst the 99% of knowledge workers without design training, the integration of Affinity’s professional design software now unlocks the full spectrum of designers at every level and stage of the design journey.

As visual communication becomes the status quo in teams and organizations around the world, the acquisition also accelerates Canva’s enterprise ambitions, unlocking a future where professional designers can craft designs and templates with Affinity to scale across organizations with Canva.

“Visual communication is now ubiquitous in the workplace and investing in strategies that enhance our B2B offerings is core to the future of our business," said Canva co-founder and COO, Cliff Obrecht. “From sales and marketing, to brand and creative teams, the need to create effective and engaging visual content is on the rise. The Affinity team comes with an incredible caliber of talent and technology and we're delighted to welcome them to Canva as we enter our next phase together.”

 

Empowering professional designers

Affinity stemmed from a vision to empower designers to produce high quality content in an effective and affordable way. In 10 years, the Affinity suite of creative products has become beloved and renowned for delivering powerful experiences for professional designers. This includes offering extremely fast and highly responsive tools which deliver on all the photo and vector editing tasks required by professionals.

Today, more than 3 million users around the world trust Affinity to create everything from complex multi-layered graphics to detailed technical diagrams, art and illustration, logos, mockups, documents, magazines and much more.

Designed for the latest hardware and packed with features to simplify real-life professional workflows, Affinity’s all-inclusive photo editing, graphic design and desktop publishing products serve as a powerful, cost effective and subscription-free solution for photographers and designers requiring versatility and precision.

Their core products - Affinity Designer, Affinity Photo and Affinity Publisher - have been lauded for their lightning-fast performance and seamless cross-platform compatibility across macOS, Windows and iPadOS. To date, Affinity has won a number of industry awards, including an Apple Design Award, Apple App of the Year for Mac and iPad and the Microsoft Application Developer of the Year.

 

Affinity Team Photo

 

Canva growth surge continues

Now entering its second decade, Canva has pioneered the model for simple and effective design and is now used by more than 175 million people across 190 countries and in more than 100 languages. As visual communication becomes an imperative for every kind of industry and organization, the last few years has seen Canva make significant strides in this arena, bolstered by the introduction of Canva’s Visual Suite in September 2022.

Since then, the company has added more than 90 million new users, experiencing nine years’ worth of growth in just 18 months. The acquisition of Affinity will increase Canva’s offering of design tools by expanding into the professional design market.

Canva will continue to invest in the Affinity suite to ensure it not only meets the needs of professional designers, but also enhances their experiences and empowers them to do their best work. Together, Canva and Affinity will be a powerhouse combination built to supercharge the goals of every type of designer.

“Since the inception of Affinity, our mission has been to empower creatives with tools that unleash their full potential, fostering a community where innovation and artistry flourish," said Ashley Hewson, CEO of Affinity. “We've worked tirelessly to challenge the status quo, delivering professional-grade creative software that is both accessible and affordable. Canva’s commitment to empowering everyone to create aligns perfectly with those values. We couldn't be more excited about becoming part of the Canva family and can't wait to see what we will achieve together.”

 

Europe Based Acquisitions Continue To Fuel Canva’s Product Strategy

Acquisitions from Europe’s startup ecosystem have elevated Canva’s technology and continue to play an important role in expanding the company’s physical presence in the region. Over the years, Canva has found high caliber talent and compatible technology in Europe with a number of acquisitions that have become key to the company’s product strategy. Affinity marks Canva’s latest Europe-based acquisition, joining Flourish (2022), Kaleido (2021), Smartmockups (2021), Pexels (2019) and Pixabay (2019). Canva opened their first European HQ in 2023, based in London.

 

Please visit the Affinity website for more details.

For the latest news and updates, you can visit our news section.

As the above image shows, with lenses designed for macro photography attached to a more advanced camera, you can capture great outdoor flower shots. However, just because you're a compact user doesn't mean you shouldn't shoot outdoor flower shots. In fact, with these few tips, you'll soon be on your way to capturing an excellent example of flower photography. 

  1. White Balance

Compact cameras come with various white balance presets that tell the camera what type of light source you are taking your photographs under. Some settings vary from camera-to-camera but there are four you'll see on all models which are: Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Tungsten and Fluorescent. When working outdoors, try the Daylight setting (usually a sun symbol) when working on bright days and the Cloudy setting for overcast days. 

  2. Use Macro Mode

If you want to make one flower your subject rather than focusing on a group, switch to macro mode. The Macro mode, which has a flower head icon, can be found either on the mode dial if your camera has one, or, in your camera's menu system. Some compacts focus within millimetres of your subject while others have a minimum focusing distance of a few centimetres. However, results can still be excellent. 

 

 

3. AF Mode

If you struggle to get the camera to focus on the point you want then switch your focus mode. Various modes are available and different modes suit different purposes. Spot can be useful when you have one specific flower to focus on as this mode is fixed more towards the centre of the screen. You can position your camera so the target marker is over your the subject you want to focus on then all you have to do is half-press the shutter button to focus then take your shot. 

 

4. Try Using Exposure Compensation

Dark backgrounds are great for shooting lighter coloured flowers against as it'll allow them to 'pop' from the frame. However, a large dark background which only has a small area of highlight in can fool your camera into thinking the scene is darker than it actually is and as a result, it can end up looking overexposed. Switching to spot metering can help with this but you may also need to have a play with exposure compensation to produce a more balanced exposure.

 

 

5. Think About Distance

By Zooming in closer to your subject, it'll fill the foreground of the frame and chances are the background will be thrown nicely out of focus so it's blurred. This is because the depth of field becomes shallower. Ensuring there's distance between your subject and background will also make it easier for your camera to throw the background out of focus. By doing so, the background won't be a distraction and all attention will fall on your flower rather than what's around or behind it. 

 

6. Learn To Use The Histogram

LCD screens can be used to preview images on but when it's sunny it can be hard to judge if the exposure is correct and this is where the histogram comes in useful.

Basically, you don't want the graph to be touching the left or right border and you want it to peak more in the middle and get lower towards either end. There are times when this won't apply but generally, it works. 

 

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Image Credit: Sigma

 

Capture portraits with beautiful depth-of-field effects, moody low-light landscapes and expressive travel shots with the new SIGMA 50mm F1.2 DG DN | Art for L-Mount and Sony E-mount mirrorless systems. The bright F1.2 aperture, reliable auto focus and lightweight construction make it a versatile photographic tool to use in any situation. Designed with 13 rounded diaphragm blades and optics that effectively reduce aberrations, the SIGMA 50mm F1.2 DG DN | Art produces ultra sharp images with outstanding bokeh. Its weight of 745g*, compact size and internal focus system with dual HLA motors allow for rapid and reliable focus for both still and video. Perfect for use on lightweight gimbal setups.

 

*L-Mount specification

  Key features   Bright F1.2 aperture with outstanding optical quality

The SIGMA 50mm F1.2 DG DN | Art features a bright F1.2 aperture with a 13 rounded diaphragm blades that produces beautiful bokeh effects. Utilising the latest optical design techniques, the lens produces sharp images across the whole frame with exceptional contrast and colour. Focus breathing is also heavilysuppressed allowing videographers to capture creative shots with ease.

Impressive optical quality through the entire focusing range

By correcting spherical aberration, sagittal coma flare, axial chromatic aberration, and other aberrations such as double-line bokeh, the lens produces a natural bokeh with a smooth blur and without colour bleeding from the focal plane. The lens also implements a floating focus system that improves its short-range performance. This ensures a high-level of optical quality throughout the entire focusing range.

SIGMA’s first ever 13 diaphragm blade lens

New to the SIGMA 50mm F1.2 DG DN | Art is the implementation of a 13 rounded diaphragm blade design. When shooting subjects at F1.2, the aperture maintains its circular shape. Photographers can effortlessly create portraits and still life shots with impressive background separation and pleasingly round bokeh balls.

Designed to minimise focus breathing, flare and ghosting

The lens has been optimised through its optical construction and focus group arrangements to significantly suppress focus breathing. Focus shift is also minimised, creating a natural focus shift look when recording video. Flare and ghosting are also effectively reduced, even when shooting in heavily backlit environments such as street and event photography.

Image Credit: Sigma

  Lightweight design suitable for a wide range of applications

Designed to be used anytime, anywhere, the SIGMA 50mm F1.2 DG DN | Art has been constructed using new design techniques and technology to produce an incredibly lightweight and portable lens. Perfect for photographers who require lightweight kit without compromising on quality.

Dual HLA motor

Effortlessly and reliably focus on your subject thanks to the newly revised focusing system. The lens features a floating focusing system that uses dual HLA (High-response Linear Actuator) motors. The use of these motors reduces the lens’s size without compromising performance. Focusing is fast, quiet and accurate, perfect for every situation.

Unique lens and mechanical design

By utilising state-of-the-art production technology at SIGMA’s manufacturing base in Aizu, Japan, each glass element has been reduced in size whilst retaining elements with a high refractive index. Four aspherical glass elements and a floating focus system are also implemented to further reduce the lens’s overall size and effectively reduce aberrations. These reductions make the SIGMA 50mm F1.2 DG DN | Art the lightest lens in its class, with a weight of 745g*. It is 30% lighter than the SIGMA 35mm F1.2 DG DN | Art which shares the same aperture.

 

*L-Mount specification. As an AF 50mm F1.2 interchangeable lens for full-frame mirrorless cameras.(As of March 2024 by SIGMA)

 

A variety of shooting assist functions

The lens is equipped with an AFL button which can be assigned to a range of functions via the camera menu on supported cameras. L-Mount users can customise the button further using the UD-11 USB Dock. Effortlessly control the depth-of-field using the built-in aperture control ring and make your images stand out from the crowd. The aperture ring lock switch prevents the ring from accidental knocks. Use the aperture click switch to turn the click of the aperture ring on or off. Ideal for when shooting video and quiet scenes.

Dust and splash resistant structure

In addition to a dust and splash resistant structure, the front element of the lens features a water and oil repellent coating, allowing photographers to shoot without concern even in harsh outdoor environments.

 

*The structure is designed to be dust and splash resistant, but not waterproof. Be careful not to bring the lens in contact with a large amount of water. Water inside the lens may cause major damage and even render the lens unrepairable.

 

Including a petal-type hood with lock

A dedicated petal-shaped hood is supplied. A locking mechanism is provided for secure attachment.

Image Credit: Sigma

  Feature summary  

• Lens construction: 17 elements in 12 groups (4 aspherical elements)

• Inner focus system

• Compatible with high-speed autofocus

• HLA (High-response Linear Actuator)

• Compatible with Lens Aberration Correction

 

*Function available on supported cameras only. Available corrections or auto correction functionality may vary depending on the camera model.

*On cameras where lens aberration correction is controlled with‘ON’ or ‘OFF’ in the camera menu, please set all aberration correction functions to ‘ON‘(AUTO).

 

• Supports DMF and AF+MF

• Compatible with AF assist (for Sony E-mount only)

• Super Multi-Layer Coating

• Water and Oil Repellent Coating (front element)

• Aperture ring

• Aperture ring click switch

• Aperture ring lock switch

• AFL button

 

*Function available on supported cameras only. Available functions may vary depending on the camera used.

 

• Focus Mode switch

• Support for switching between linear and non-linear focus ring settings (for L-Mount only)

   

*Function available on supported cameras only.

 

• Dust and Splash Resistant Structure

• Petal-type hood with lock LH782-03

• Compatible with SIGMA USB DOCK UD-11 (sold separately / for L-Mount only)

• Designed to minimize flare and ghosting

• Every single lens undergoes SIGMA’s proprietary MTF measuring system

• 13-blade rounded diaphragm

• High-precision, durable brass bayonet mount

• Mount Conversion Service available

• “Made in Aizu, Japan“ craftsmanship

 

Image Credit: Sigma

  Key specifications (The figures below are for L-Mount)  

Lens construction: 17 elements in 12groups (4 aspherical elements)

Number of diaphragm blades: 13 (rounded diaphragm)

Minimum aperture: F16

Minimum focusing distance: 40cm

Maximum magnification ratio: 1:6.2

Filter size: 72mm

Dimensions (max diameter x length): 81.0mm x 108.8mm

Weight: 745g

 

The SIGMA 50mm F1.2 DG DN | Art lens’s on-sale date is on 18 April 2024 with a UK SRP of £1,299.

For more information, please visit the SIGMA website.

Today, we thought we'd take a look at some photography tutorials members can have a go at while enjoying the outdoors, plus with these particular tutorials, you probably won't have to venture far from home with your camera to capture some top shots.

As we're taking a walk in the woods, trees are an obvious subject but don't forget to look for small details such as leaves and then later in the year, fungi and berries can make interesting photos. If you're not too noisy, you might spot wildlife with a wide variety of birds making woodland areas their homes along with squirrels and, of course, you might see a friendly dog out for a walk with its owner, too. 

 

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1. Photographing Trees 

 

It's an obvious one we know but as you'll be surrounded by them, it makes sense to pick up some tips on how you can photograph trees a little differently.

Here are three of ePHOTOzine's top tutorials on this subject: 

• Ten Top Ways To Photograph Trees
• Tree And Leaf Photography
• Photographing Long Lines Of Trees

 

2. Drag Landscapes

 

Why not give your woodland shots an abstract twist and shoot a drag landscape? This can be done in-camera or if you prefer, shoot your 'normal' image and then apply the drag effect in Photoshop. 

 

 

3. Capture Sunbeams Through Trees

 

Capturing sunbeams bursting through a treeline will add an extra level of interest and an almost magical/fairytale feel to your woodland shots. However, for the shot to work, you need a few elements to come together at the right time and you can find out what these are in this tutorial: How To Shoot Sunbeams Through Trees

 

4. Have A Go At Macro Photography 

 

From fungi to insects or close-up shots of bark, wooded areas are full of macro photography opportunities. Have a look at these macro photography tutorials for inspiration:

• Dew Drops On Spider Webs
• How To Photograph Lichen
• Photographing Fungi
• Photographing Bees And Other Insects

 

5. Photograph Wildlife

 

If you're patient and don't mind sitting still for a while a spot of bird or even squirrel photography could be something you want to try. Just don't forget your long lens and wrap up warm if heading out early as mornings can still have a bite to them at this time of year. For more tips, have a read of these tutorials:

• 10 Quick Tips On Photographing Garden Birds
• Photographing Red Squirrels

 

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Gear Suggestions 

• Standard zoom (35mm-80mm range is fine) – wide enough to get the whole boat in but long enough to focus in on the detail.
• Longer lens (80-200mm) - shoot small detail on boats further away. 
• Polarising filter – reduce reflections on the water and in paintwork and deepen blue sky.
• Tripod - extra support when working on uneven surfaces such as wet sand.

 

Pick A Sunny Day

If you want to capture the postcard shot of colourful boats lined up, reflecting in the water while a bright blue sky frames them from behind you'll have to head out on a sunny day when there's not much of a breeze in the air so the water's still. Make sure you use a polarising filter to saturate the colours and enhance the sky.

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The Tide Is Out

If you get to the harbour and find the tide is out don't think you need to head for fish and chips while the water trickles back in. Instead, photograph the boats which are now stuck in the mud and take advantage of the mooring ropes which are now fully visible, using them as lead-in lines for your photograph. A small aperture is needed to ensure everything from the front of the rope to the distant boat(s) or other objects are sharp.

 

 

Don't Clutter Your Scene

Harbours are bursting with photographic potential but don't make your scene too busy. If you can, single out one boat and place it near the foreground of your shot as this will give the photo more impact and will certainly be better than a shot of several boats that are fighting for your eye's attention.

Further Inland

Away from the coast, you'll still find plenty of boats on canals, rivers and in reservoirs waiting to be photographed. Canals create leading lines that will help with composition while the winding curves of a river will guide the viewer through the image to a boat making its way through the bends. If there's a bridge find a position where you can use it to frame a boat passing under it, just watch your exposure as the light under the bridge will be lower than the outside and it's easy to end up with a shot that's underexposed if the camera's meter reads from the brighter part of the scene. Switch to spot metering where possible, taking a meter reading from the sidewall of the bridge and use that as the starting point.

 

Activities On And Around The Boat

Barges found on canals are often very colourful and feature flower pots and other accessories that are worth a quick snap. Just remember to use a wide aperture to blur the background. Round the harbour, you can crop in on sails, boat hulls, lifebuoys and fishing nets.

 

  Action

For those who like things to be a little more fast-paced head for a water-sports centre where water-skiing, jet-skiing and other adrenalin-pumping activities take place. A camera which has fast autofocus will help you capture action shots where your subject is pin-sharp. A little blur in the background can enhance the sense of movement/speed in your shots, however. 
 

You've read the technique now share your related photos for the chance to win prizes: Daily Forum Competition