Harry Wiltshire Results

Congratulations to the winners of the Harry Wiltshire Competition!

Brian received commended for "Me and my Mum", Janet & Sue received highly commended for "Poor Victorians" and "Bouy, oh Bouy, oh Bouy" respectively, third place went to Peter with "Avebury", second went to Bill with "Just Flowers" and Tim's "Whitsand Sun" winning overall.

Warranty Repair

My Panasonic GX7 recently developed a fault where the rear dial was not operating correctly, with heavy heart I contacted Panasonic to arrange for the camera to be returned... it's now 13 months old but luckily it came with a 2-year warranty, so it was boxed up and sent back but only 6 days later it arrived back with me all fixed, so well done Panasonic for the swift service!

Monochrome Competition Winner

Congratulations to Sue Dale for winning the Monochrome Competition with her fabulous shot "Arches"!

Getting to grips with layers

NB These instructions are for Elements – in full Photoshop the menus will be slightly different

Key Points

Digital photography and Photoshop/Elements go hand in hand.
Layers are not difficult! Start with a simple technique to understand the concept.
At first, don’t expect to remember what to do! refer to these notes. Don’t expect to get it right first time. But you will need to put in a bit of time to practise.
Layers allow you to go beyond basic image editing e.g. make better family photos; create a composite, add a border etc.
Layers are features of Photoshop and Elements and some 3rd party editing software eg OnOne.
Lightroom does not feature Layers: you need to export the image from Lightroom to Elements/Photoshop.
A layer is one part of the image – the final image is a sum of all the layers.
Without layers, if you decide you don’t like a certain edit you will have to go back in the History palette to before that edit to remove it and thus lose all the edits in-between.
Layers are non-destructive to the original image.
Saving the image as a PSD file (Photoshop Document) means you can save all the layers and return to the image in the future to continue editing.

Layer Basics

When you open an image in Photoshop/Elements, by default it is called the “Background” Layer.
Added layers form the “layer stack”.
You can name layers – double click on the existing name (e.g. layer 3)
By default a layer affects all the layers below it.
You can move a layer up and down the stack by doing a left click, hold and drag the layer.
All layers can be seen in the Layers Palette: if you cannot see the palette go to Window menu and click next to Layers or in newer versions click the icon.
The active layer is highlighted. Left click on a layer to make it active. The layer must be active in order to edit it.
There are two types of layer: “adjustment” layers for controlling edits such as contrast, hue/sat etc. – and “pixel” layers e.g. where you add another picture to the image or add a border.
You can add a “layer mask” to control which parts of the layer affects the layer(s) below it. Adjustment layers have a mask attached by default.
The “opacity” of a layer can be changed.
The “blending mode” of a layer can be changed. “Normal” is the default mode – ie has no effect.
A layer can be switched on and off by left clicking on the “eye” icon
When first saving your PSD file always use Save As, not Save and use a meaningful title different to the original image file
E.g. “Sunset.dng” (or a .jpg) saved as “Sunset.psd version_1”
A layer can be deleted by dragging it to the dustbin.
The final image is created by “flattening” all the layers: go to the Layer menu and click Flatten Image (at the bottom of the list). Save the image using Save As and choose where to save and the file format, usually jpg or tiff. Click Save. Note - if you just use Save after flattening then all the layers of the PSD file will be lost.

THINGS YOU CAN DO BY ADDING JUST ONE EXTRA LAYER

(NB: if you use a laptop do not try to use the trackpad - it’s far too blunt an instrument for this sort of work - get a mouse and save your sanity)

1) Make a duplicate layer

It’s a good idea to duplicate the image and edit on that. This protects the original image (i.e. the Background layer) and you can always go back to it. To duplicate a layer, click on the Layer menu and click on Duplicate Layer. The Duplicate Layer window pops up, click OK. The layer is by default called “Background copy” - note that in the History palette the action is called Duplicate Layer.

2) Boost the saturation and contrast

Method 1: make a duplicate layer from the Background layer (as above). Now click on the arrow next to Normal (these are the blending modes) and click on Multiply. Click the duplicate layer on and off using the eye icon to see the before and after effect. Now click again on the arrow and this time choose Overlay to see the effect.

Method 2: make a duplicate layer from the Background layer. Go to the Enhance menu, click on Adjust Color and click on Remove Color. This turns the layer to black and white. Now choose the Multiply blending mode to see the effect.

Note on blending modes: each blend mode has a different effect on how the pixels of each layer are mixed together. You can read up on this but it is quite complicated and not really necessary. The main thing is to experiment with blend modes and use different images. The Multiply blend mode (for example) will work differently on different images. It’s up to you to choose which works best for the effect you want. The most useful modes are Darken, Multiply, Screen, Overlay and Soft Light. Some of the modes give quite bizarre results so are rarely used.

3) Change the strength of the effect of the top layer

After experimenting with the blend modes try dropping the opacity of the blending mode (i.e. the top layer that the blending mode has been applied to) to see the effect. Use the opacity slider to alter it.

4) Add a border

A border can really add a “feel” to an image - open the image to which you want to add a border. This will be the Background Layer. Go to the File menu, click Open and navigate to where the border image is. Click Open and the image will open.

Paste the image in (see separate instructions - “Pasting another Image Into the Project”). The border image is obscuring the Background image so go to the Blend modes arrow and choose Screen. This mode causes lighter parts of the top layer image to remain and so block out what is on the layer beneath but darker parts of the top layer image are discarded and therefore whatever is on the layer beneath shows through – therefore the Background image shows through the black area of the border image but not through the white areas of the border image. So the final effect is an image with a roughened edge and white surround.

5) Add a warming filter

Images can sometimes have a cool, blue cast e.g. landscapes taken in the middle of the day. A warm filter can improve it. Open the image which you want to “warm up” - this will be your Background layer. Go to the Layer menu, click on New Adjustment Layer and click on Photo Filter. The New Layer window pops up, just click OK and the Adjustments box opens. By default the Photo Filter is usually a warming one. Click the “X” at the top right - the Adjustments box will close. In the layer stack you will see the Photo Filter at the top. Click the eye icon on and off to see the effect of the filter. (For now ignore the white mask). As before you can alter the opacity to weaken the effect of the filter and you could change the blend mode if you want to.

6) Add a texture

Like borders, a texture can transform an image. As a start, find textures at home - grass, wallpaper, carpet, rust, paint, bricks etc. and take a picture. Then follow the same method as adding a border - experiment with the blend modes and opacity.

After trying out these straight-forward techniques, practise saving the layers of the image as a PSD file (use File, Save As and choose PSD in the Format drop down list), then flatten the layers (Layer menu, Flatten Image) and save as a jpg with the same name as the PSD file (File, Save As and choose jpg in the Format drop down list). You can end up with several PSD versions of one image (or PSD’s of several images) but PSD files have no picture on to differentiate them. By saving a jpg version with the same name as the PSD file you can easily see what each image is.

Then practise re-opening your PSD files and see the layers reappear intact as you left them.

PASTING ANOTHER IMAGE INTO THE PROJECT

Method 1

In Elements, click on File – Open and navigate to where the image is stored, click on the image to select it and then click on the Open button and the image appears in the Edit workspace. Note that this image is still a separate image – if you look at the Layers palette it has replaced the original image.
Click on the Select menu and click on All (or use the shortcut Ctrl+A) - note the “marching ants” around the edge of the image meaning you have selected the whole image.
Click on the Edit menu and choose Copy (or use the shortcut CTRL+C) Note that nothing visual happens but the image is now stored in the computer’s memory.
Because the image is in the memory you can close the actual image down - go to File menu and click Close (or use the shortcut Ctrl+W). The image disappears and you are back to the original image.
Now go to the Edit menu and click Paste (or use the shortcut Ctrl+V) - the pasted- in image reappears on top of the original image but look at the Layers palette and you will see that there are now two layers in the stack.

Method 2

This method needs to use “floating documents” so go to the Edit menu and choose Preferences at the bottom of the options and choose General. Click in the box next to “Allow Floating Documents in Full Edit Mode”. Then click OK to exit Preferences.
As for 1 in Method 1
Click the icon for the Move tool (top of the icon list)
Left click and hold anywhere in the image (not the top bar or it will not move) and drag the icon over the original image. When the icon turns white with a plus sign release the left mouse button. The second image is now in the Layer stack.
Close down the second image by clicking on the X.

Differences between the two methods – Method 1 will exactly match the images together whereas in Method 2 you match by eye. In Method 2 you can hold down the Shift key while you use the Move tool which is supposed to exactly match the images but it does not always work.

Once you get used to using the shortcuts (Ctrl+A, Ctrl+C, Ctrl+W, Ctrl+V) it is very quick to add an image.

Using the Move tool in Method 2 is a quick way of adding and positioning a selection.

MAKING YOUR OWN BORDERS

Competition images, whether for club or external competitions, must be all your own work. So while using borders from say, photo magazines, is OK for practising with, it is not OK to use them for images entered into competition.

Making your own borders is easy.

Click on File menu, choose New, then Blank File. In the New window you can name the border, make it the pixel size you want, keep Resolution at 300, RGB Color and specify the Background Colour you want i.e. white or black. (To check what is currently the Background Colour – look for the two boxes underneath the tool list, one is white, the other black. The top box is the Foreground Colour, the underneath box is the Background Colour. Click on the arrow by the boxes to swap them round if necessary). To start with choose black. Click OK and the new document opens in the editor. It will be a solid black rectangle. NB if the new document appears as portrait format and you are adding it to a landscape format image then go to the Image menu, choose Rotate then 90˚ Left or 90˚ Right.
Click on the Brush tool icon and click on the small right hand arrow by the image of the brush wavy line. This gives you access to all the different brushes. Choose one with a ragged design.
Make sure the Foreground Colour box is set to white – this means the brush will paint white.
Paint along the edges – experiment with brush size (use the square bracket keys to alter brush size) and with opacity. When finished Save As a jpeg.
To use your border follow either method in “Pasting Another Image Into the Project” – choose Screen as the Blend mode.

Note: a white border with black inner results in a white border on the final image when used with the Screen blend mode.

a black border with white inner results in a black border when used with the Multiply blend mode.

You can use one border and swap (ie invert) the black and white so you do not have to make two borders to get each effect -

To invert a border – have it open in the edit workspace – click on the Layer menu, choose New Adjustment Layer, then choose Invert, click OK and the colours will be swapped. Resave with a new name.

New Website

Welcome to the shiny new LCC website!

I hope you like the new design which we feel is cleaner and simpler to navigate than the old website, please feel free to leave any feedback and let us know if you have any ideas for things you'd like to see on the site in the future!

Mirrorless - is less more?

Not too long ago the budding photographer had a simple choice; start with a compact camera and accept that image quality would suffer or go for a DSLR to gain improved image quality but with that knowledge that you would have to carry a heavier kit.

Meanwhile, Panasonic and Olympus had been struggling in the DSLR marketplace with their “Four Thirds” mount DSLR cameras when in late in 2008 they announced a new breed of camera called Micro Four Thirds. A variation on the Four Thirds DSLR cameras with one key difference; no optical viewfinder. This allowed them to remove both the mirror mechanism and the viewfinder, replacing the optical viewfinder with an electronic viewfinder.

The removal of the mirror mechanism meant that camera body can be smaller, while moving the lens closer to the sensor also means that the lenses can be shrunk in size too. While initially the lens selection and performance were limited, technology does nothing but move at a rapid pace and soon users who wanted to take quality photos no longer needed to carry bulky equipment.

This new concept was not lost on other smaller manufacturers... soon Sony, Fuji and Samsung had mirrorless options in their own line-ups but notably the giants of DSLRs, Canon and Nikon, remained absent. Eventually Nikon introduced their “1” system which was cleverly pitched as to not go against their own DSLR offerings and last into the fray were Canon with a very limited selection, which almost felt like a “well if we have to” offering.

As with all things in life, each system has its pros and cons but by far the most fully rounded and complete system is the original Micro Four Thirds range which currently has 44 bodies and 105 native lens options, covering everything from beginner friendly options, tiny cameras for people who want to travel extremely light, video-centric cameras which can shoot high-quality 4K footage to pro-grade bodies and lenses which are dust and weather sealed for use in the harshest conditions.

Now comes to the downsides and there’s still 2 areas where DSLR still rule the roost; firstly continuous auto-focus speed and subject tracking. The years of research that have gone into DSLR auto-focus system still means that anyone wanting to capture fast moving subjects is still better catered for with a DSLR.

Secondly, battery life; because mirrorless cameras require the screen to be running continuously batteries will not last anywhere near as long as with a DSLR, generally around 300-350 is about the maximum you can eke out of one battery.

One thing is certain, it’s an interesting time to be a photographer and looking to the future it would certainly appear that mirrorless is going to offer you more.

Another Nifty Fifty! - Yvonne Toms

Well following in Shaun's footsteps I have purchased the "nifty fifty" except I am a Nikon lady so I've got the AF-S Nikkor 50mm f/1.8G, It only arrived this lunch time so I haven't had much chance but of course I had a little play, I'm impressed so far and cannot wait to get out there and try something a little more challenging! I think this lens is going to be a Cracker!!!

Photography & The Internet - Part One

Back in the pre internet days, pretty much the only sources of information regarding photography was in printed form, be it magazines,books and manuals which while still relevant now have now been superseded by the wealth of information available online and at your fingertips, but where to start?

So what I thought I'd do was start a short series of blogs highlighting websites and YouTube channels I frequent, starting with:

http://www.digitalrev.com/

From Wikipedia:

DigitalRev TV is a popular YouTube channel created by its producer Richard Yu and co-producer/presenter Kai Man Wong. DigitalRev TV routinely publish videos with photography related how-to guides and reviews.[1] The channel has over 180 million upload views from over 500 videos as of July 12, 2014, date the channel hit 1 million subscribers, making it the most subscribed to photography channel on YouTube.

Originally, the channel started off in 2007 with a format that simply involved a lone reviewer's hands showing the viewers the perks of each photography product. In each video, there would be an un-boxing of the product and run down of some of the features, as to promote products currently on sale on their mother site, DigitalRev.

The format changed in December 2009 when Kai W - real name Kai Man Wong - became the lead presenter at DigitalRev TV. Kai was a presenter for a previous YouTube channel before being hired, bringing with him a new style of presenting and a change of features. Lok C was brought in as the cameraman of the show. Alamby Leung was the project coordinator and occasionally appeared on the show.

The channel has gained a great deal of popularity for moving beyond the 'straighter' and 'clinical' camera reviews found elsewhere on YouTube by incorporating elements of comedy in a similar style to the BBC television show Top Gear. Kai often comments on camera's 'tilty flippy screens' which is a homage to Jeremy Clarkson referring to the stupid 'flappy paddles' for changing gear that many modern sports cars have and the DigitalRev team have carried out road trips, completing challenges set by the 'bloody producer' in the same manner that the Top Gear presenters do.

The episodes sometimes have bizarre off-the-cuff moments and play off certain unpredictable elements, such as when Kai gets shocked by the camera he is dismantling[4] or doing a review in Typhoon winds.[5] Given its light hearted tone and international audience some YouTube viewers have been confused and invariably there are comments about common features like Kai (intentionally) using the wrong camera strap or even no camera strap, dropping things or generally destroying camera equipment (which are mostly likely broken, returned or mock-up products).

Basically the channel is like Top Gear of Cameras, full of gear reviews, tips, guides, specials and crazy ideas to spark your creativity - If you subscribe to only one YouTube channel let it be this one.

And now for a few examples:

My New Camera Lens - Shaun Watters

Hi there! I've been stuck with a Canon kit lens (18-55mm) and a cheap telephoto lens (28-200mm) that I bought second hand off someone for very little to go with my ageing (but still awesome) Canon 40D. Now if you read any sort of camera magazines or blogs you`ll eventually come across people talking about prime lenses and why you should be using them - Better quality, make you better photographers etc etc

Now I`ve been meaning to buy one for over a year now but other (apparently) more important things to spend my money keep cropping up and my new lens kept being put off and off.....

Until last week when i thought its gotta be done, so i plonked down my cash and FINALLY bought myself this lil beaut

The Canon 50mm 1.8 or as its known the Nifty Fifty - Not only is its Canons cheapest prime lens (Get it well under £100 if you shop around) but generally called THE bargain for any Canon owner.

Awesome for portraits due to its low F number and shallow depth of field (meaning you can get the nice blurred backgrounds found on all nice portrait pictures, not to mention great for exercise since no zoom means more walking!

Unfortunately the weather's been miserable since I've got it so I've not had much chance to use it, but had a half hour break in the weather this morning so it got a quick run out, pictures are not gonna be masterpieces but it has given me a chance to give it a go!