Wrapping your mind around the relationship between these three concepts when you’re just starting out is genuinely hard. I had pages of notes taken from Bryan Peterson’s Understanding Exposure, and I was drowning in diagrams and test shots at every ISO/shutter speed/aperture combination I could think of. One day it clicked, and everything else followed. (Check out our friends at Photzy for more free photography cheat sheets.)

The chart below would have saved me a lot of time if it had existed back then. Daniel Peter of Fotoblog Hamburg created this free downloadable cheat sheet for beginner photographers using clear, simple diagrams. It gives you a visual overview of aperture, ISO, and shutter speed without going deep into the theory behind each one. That’s by design. It’s formatted to print on a business-card-sized piece of paper so you can carry it in your pocket while you practice.

If you’d rather learn by watching, check out the SLR Lounge Photography 101 Workshop. We walk you through how to create strong images with basic gear, how to move from auto modes to manual mode, and how to actually use the exposure triangle in the field. Below is a sample from Photography 101.

Watch: understanding exposure with the exposure triangle

Watch the video below to see how Pye explains the exposure triangle. This is pulled directly from the Photography 101 Workshop.

Expanded explanation of the exposure triangle

Shutter speed is expressed as fractions of a second, so 1/50 is a longer exposure than 1/200. That trips a lot of beginners up. When photographers say “higher shutter speed,” they mean faster, not a mathematically larger number. So 1/200 is the higher shutter speed even though 1/50 is the bigger fraction.

Aperture works the same counterintuitive way. It’s also stated in fractions, so the smaller the number, the larger the opening. An f/1.4 aperture is wide open; f/22 is a pinhole. Bigger number, smaller hole.

A useful analogy: picture a bucket with an adjustable hole at the top and a stream of water pouring in. The smaller the hole, the longer it needs to stay open to fill the bucket. The larger the hole, the faster it fills. In this analogy, the hole is your aperture, the time the hole stays open is your shutter speed, the water is light, and a full bucket is a properly exposed image. Not much light available? Open the aperture wide and/or use a longer shutter speed. Lots of light? Close down the aperture and/or use a faster shutter speed.

Simplified: a lot of light means faster shutter speeds and smaller (higher-number) apertures. A little light means slower shutter speeds and larger (lower-number) apertures.

A full stop means you either double or halve the amount of light in the exposure. With shutter speed, this is straightforward: going from 1/100 to 1/50 is one full stop because you’ve doubled the time light hits the sensor. With aperture, the math is slightly more complex because you’re changing the area of a circle, but the practical result is the same. Each full stop on the aperture scale (f/1.4, f/2, f/2.8, f/4, f/5.6, f/8…) either doubles or halves the light entering the lens.

As you double the light coming in via shutter speed, you need to halve it via aperture to maintain the same exposure. They work in opposite directions, and balancing them is the core skill the exposure triangle is teaching you.

What do these settings actually do to your images beyond exposure? Slower shutters introduce motion blur: streaks of light, flowing water, a moving subject going soft. Faster shutters freeze motion. How fast you need to go depends on how fast your subject is moving. For hand-holding without camera shake, a good starting point is the reciprocal rule.

Aperture controls depth of field. At f/1.4 with focus on one person in a group, everyone in front of and behind that person will be blurry. At f/8 or f/11, far more of the scene stays sharp. This is exactly how human eyes work: squinting to see something more clearly is your iris stopping down. There’s a trade-off at very small apertures, though. Stop down too far and diffraction starts softening your image.

ISO is the third variable. The higher the ISO, the less light you need to achieve a correct exposure, which lets you use faster shutter speeds or smaller apertures than you otherwise could. Think of it as artificially pressurizing the water in our bucket analogy to fill it faster. The cost is image noise: higher ISO introduces grain and reduces fine detail. How much noise is acceptable depends on your camera’s sensor. On modern full-frame cameras like the Canon R6 Mark II or Sony A7 IV, ISO 3200 and even 6400 can be clean enough for professional work. On smaller-sensor crop bodies, we tend to cap things lower. The specifics change with every camera generation, so your own testing in your actual shooting conditions matters more than any general rule.

Flowers provide a unique range of colors, tone, texture, and other attributes that make them perfect subjects. In fact, it is in the details of these attributes that we find ourselves inspired. To prove it, we’ve curated a collection of inspirational macro flower photos that we’d like to share with you. For those interested in taking a more hands-on approach, we’ve also put together a list of tips and the gear you’ll need to practice macro flower photography.  Here’s what we’ll cover in this article:

• Macro Flower Photography Gear
• Tips for Optimal Macro Flower Photography
• Macro Flower Picture Inspiration

The Gear You’ll Need for Macro Flower Photography

While you can’t overstate the importance of education when it comes to exploring new territory, there’s also something to be said about the gear you use on your journey, especially when it comes to macro photography. A number of point-and-shoot cameras offer a macro “mode,” which can get the job done, but I’d like to encourage you to explore other modes (such as aperture priority or manual mode) as they’ll give you more creative control along the way. This might require an upgrade in gear, but use what you have available until you’re ready to take the next step.

Camera (DSLR or Mirrorless) for Macro Flower Photos

Most DSLR or newer mirrorless cameras offer more creative control in terms of exposure, stability, file type, and more. Here are a few great, hi-res options from Canon, Nikon, Sony, and Fujifilm.

Macro Lens Choice for Flowers

First, know that you can capture macro-style photos without a macro lens, using distance or other techniques. For example, you might photograph a flower from a close distance with a longer distance between the flower and the background in order to achieve a shallower depth of field; however, a dedicated macro lens or extension tube will simplify the process and offer more creative options. The focal length of macro lenses varies, but the wider the angle, the closer you’ll have to get to the flower. 100mm (or its equivalent if you’re using a crop sensor camera) is a good go-to focal length. Consider some of these lens options that we’ve reviewed at SLR Lounge:

• Canon RF 100mm f/2.8 L Macro IS Lens
• Nikon Z MC 50mm f/2.8 Macro Lens
• Sigma 70mm f2.8 DG Macro ART Lens
• Fuji Fujinon XF 60mm f/2.4 R Macro Lens

Tripod

A tripod is handy but not absolutely necessary. A tripod will give you the ability to capture sharp images at lower shutter speeds. However, if your scene has plenty of light, then you may not need one.

When shooting close up, motion becomes more exaggerated. Even with image stabilization in the camera and lens, you still risk camera shake, and the last thing you want to do is spend any significant amount of time setting up a shot only to have it come out blurry and destined for the digital trash bin. You can help eliminate (or at least minimize) camera shake by placing your camera on a quality, sturdy tripod.

Lighting

Natural light can work, but a ring light or off-camera flash will come in handy when ambient lighting is less than desirable. You will need to modify the lighting.

Spray Bottle

The unsung hero of macro photography, spray bottles work well for adding a touch of mist to flowers for additional texture.  Combined with angled light, the water droplets created from the spray bottle add texture and interest to a macro flower image.

Tips for Shooting Macro Flower Photography

Focus on Composition

Whether you’re photographing buildings, people, or flowers, you should begin setting up your shot with an emphasis on composition.

For macro flower photography, consider compositional theories like the rule of thirds, depth of field, balance, symmetry, leading lines and other compositional tools to help you create a visually compelling composition.

Ensure You Have a Focal Point

Focus is always important, but it’s especially important in this genre. Use manual or autofocus to pinpoint the exact area of the flower you want to highlight. If the depth of field is too shallow, for example, make adjustments (via stopping down the aperture or by increasing your distance from the flower) until you can see in detail the areas of the flower you want in focus.

Find Unique Angles & Perspectives

Storytelling is key in photography, even when photographing flowers. Capture wide, medium, and tight angles so that you can put together cohesive sequences (perhaps in a blog, social media post, or album). Shoot each of these angles from a different perspective (top-down over the flower, side angle, or underneath the flower, looking up toward the sky) to add visual interest.

Shoot at the Ideal Times

Early morning or late afternoon (perhaps golden hour) sessions work best for getting softer, more pleasant light. Try to avoid the harsh, midday sunshine, if possible; otherwise, look for shade or use a reflector or scrim to diffuse and soften the light falling onto the flower(s). If using natural light, position yourself so that the natural light creates subtle directional light when it falls across the flower. Otherwise, position your flashes (and your camera) in a way that allows you to create directional light.

Use the Right Camera Settings

• Use Depth of Field with Intention – It’s really quite simple. Opt for a shallow depth of field (f/1.2-f/4) if you want to focus on key elements and blur out the rest of the flower’s surface; otherwise, dial your aperture in to f/11 and up to capture a broader range of detail in the image.
• Use a High Shutter Speed – Unless you’re indoors with absolutely no breeze, there’s a good chance the flowers you are photographing are going to blow in the wind and/or move a bit. Along with a tripod, you can dial in your shutter speed to a faster setting (1/200 or faster) to help freeze the action and eliminate camera shake.
• Use a Low ISOs – To maximize image quality, photograph your macro flower photography at low ISOs. Some cameras have better low light performance than others, but in general, try to keep your ISOs at 800 and below.

Mind Your Backdrops

Unlike other genres of photography, macro photography makes it very easy to control the background, especially for those super tight closeup shots. The focus typically falls on the shallower side while backgrounds blur into oblivion.  According to Photography-raw.com, “In a macro image, especially concerning an insect, unless you go for stacking, there will be large unfocused parts.”

Please note, however, that you should still be mindful of any distracting elements in the background and opt for a clean backdrop. You can even use a piece of paper or some other surface of your choosing to create a unique backdrop.

Shoot in RAW

Shoot in RAW (rather than jpeg) to allow for more dynamic edits. For more information about the benefits of shooting in RAW, see our article on RAW vs JPEG.

Macro Flower Photography Inspiration

Without further ado, let’s jump into a collection of inspirational macro flower photography portraits, featuring talented and award-winning artists from around the world.

Conclusion

We hope you enjoyed this collection of inspirational macro flower photography portraits. The list is not exhaustive, of course, but hopefully serves as a starting point to encourage you to further explore this unique genre of photography.

For a complete guide, see our article on How to Photograph the Milky Way. In this article, we’ll list the best lenses for Milky Way photography to consider for your adventures.

Zoom or prime?

Both zoom and prime lenses have a place in your bag when photographing the Milky Way. The more important question is which focal length suits your personal style and which gives you the compositions you’re after. Modern zoom lenses are often just as sharp as primes, but they’re usually limited to f/2.8. Since astrophotography is all about gathering as much light as possible, the faster apertures available in primes — f/1.4, f/1.8, f/2.0 — let you run shorter shutter speeds and lower ISO settings, which improves star sharpness and reduces noise.

DSLR Crop and Full Frame Lenses

Here are our recommendations for both full-frame and crop sensor zooms and primes across all budgets and brands for DSLR Cameras.

Best crop sensor zoom lenses for Milky Way photography

Tokina 11-20mm f/2.8 PRO DX
Tokina 14-20mm f/2.0 PRO DX
Sigma Art 18-35mm f/1.8

Best crop sensor prime lenses for Milky Way photography

Rokinon 10mm f/2.8
Rokinon 16mm f/2.0

Best full-frame zoom lenses for Milky Way photography

Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8G ED
Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8 III L
Tamron 15-30mm f/2.8 Di VC
Sigma 14-24mm f/2.8 Art

Best full-frame prime lenses for Milky Way photography

Sigma Art 14mm f/1.8
Rokinon 14mm f/2.4 SP
Rokinon 20mm f/1.8
Tokina 20mm f/2 (mirrorless only)
Rokinon 24mm f/1.4
Sigma Art 35mm f/1.4

Updated picks for mirrorless shooters

The lens landscape has changed substantially since this article was first published. The shift to mirrorless has produced a new generation of ultra-wide primes that are faster, sharper wide-open, and in some cases purpose-built for astrophotography. If you’re shooting on a modern mirrorless body, these are the options worth knowing about.

Sigma 14mm f/1.4 DG DN Art (Sony E / Leica L)

Honestly, this is the most significant astrophotography lens released in years. The Sigma 14mm f/1.4 DG DN Art is the world’s first 14mm full-frame lens with an f/1.4 aperture, and Sigma clearly built it with nightscape shooters in mind. It ships with a dedicated slot for a rear soft filter, a lip around the front element designed to hold a lens heater, and a manual focus lock switch that lets you dial in infinity focus and physically lock the ring so it can’t shift in your bag on the way to your location. That last feature alone is worth talking about — anyone who’s arrived at a dark site only to find their focus drifted in transit will immediately understand the value.

The move from f/1.8 to f/1.4 gives you roughly two-thirds of a stop more light, which translates to a noticeably brighter Milky Way core and more usable foreground detail before you even touch a slider. It’s large and heavy, but for serious nightscape work, the tradeoffs are easy to justify. Corner star performance at f/1.4 is genuinely impressive, well above what older DSLR-era ultra-wides could manage wide open.

Sony FE 14mm f/1.8 G Master (Sony E-mount)

Sony’s 14mm G Master is the compact alternative to the Sigma above. It’s noticeably smaller and lighter, which matters a lot if you’re hiking to your shooting location or traveling with a stripped-down kit. Optically it’s excellent, with very low distortion even at f/1.8 and strong edge-to-edge sharpness that holds up well on high-resolution sensors. It does show slightly more coma in the extreme corners than the Sigma f/1.4 when shot wide open, so if pinpoint stars across the full frame are a priority, stopping down to f/2.2 helps. For Sony shooters who want a single lens that covers both daytime landscape work and serious astrophotography, this is the one to reach for first.

Nikon Nikkor Z 14-24mm f/2.8 S (Nikon Z-mount)

For Nikon Z-mount shooters, the Nikkor Z 14-24mm f/2.8 S is the zoom to beat. It’s compact for its class, accepts 112mm front filters (which the older Nikon 14-24mm DSLR lens famously could not), and delivers edge-to-edge sharpness that competes with dedicated primes. At f/2.8 you’re giving up light relative to the faster primes above, but the zoom range adds compositional flexibility, and the optical quality is strong enough that you won’t feel like you’re making a meaningful compromise. Nikon Z-mount shooters also have the Nikkor Z 20mm f/1.8 S as a prime option if you want the extra stop without the bulk of a wider 14mm.

Canon RF 15-35mm f/2.8 L IS USM (Canon RF-mount)

Canon RF shooters don’t have the same depth of fast ultra-wide primes as the Sony ecosystem yet, but the RF 15-35mm f/2.8 L IS USM is an outstanding zoom option. It accepts 82mm front filters, includes 5-stop image stabilization (genuinely useful for foreground exposures and handheld video), and is sharp corner to corner. Canon RF users who want a faster prime and are comfortable adapting lenses should also look at the Sigma 14mm f/1.4 DG DN Art, which is available in L-mount and adapts to RF via the appropriate adapter.

Sony FE 12-24mm f/2.8 G Master (Sony E-mount)

If you want the widest possible field of view in a zoom with a constant f/2.8 aperture, the Sony 12-24mm G Master delivers. At 12mm you’re pulling in an enormous slice of sky, which is useful when you want dramatic foreground context without stitching a panorama. The front element is bulbous and takes no front filters, but the optical quality is exceptional — sharp and clean from center to edge even wide open. It’s a heavy investment, and most shooters will be better served by a faster prime. For those who prioritize versatility and field of view above all else, though, nothing in Sony’s lineup touches it.

Choosing your lens and composition

Now that we’ve covered the best lens options for Milky Way photography, let’s look at which focal lengths produce which perspectives on the night sky.

Each focal length has a specific use in astrophotography. Reach for a lens based on the compositional elements you want to incorporate.

This image was shot on a Sigma Art 35mm f/1.4. The foreground is doing a lot of compositional work, but we lose sky coverage as a result. The same scene at 14mm would likely show too much ground. Choosing the right lens depends on how much of the Milky Way core you want in frame — once you’ve settled that, you can decide what foreground elements round out the composition. Focal length is a subjective, creative decision, but most Milky Way photography calls for a wide or ultra-wide lens.

Is the sharpest, most expensive lens right for you?

A quick word on shopping for the “best” lens versus the “right” lens. Photographers often worry about accidentally choosing an inferior option — a valid concern, but one that leads some people to buy a lens that’s heavier and more expensive than they’ll ever need, especially if they rarely use that focal length.

Here’s something that often gets overlooked: virtually all wide-angle lenses released in the last several years perform very well in the central area of the image circle. If that’s all you’re worried about, just pick a focal length and aperture that suits your style and buy the lightest, most affordable option that fits.

If you want a lens that delivers strong sharpness across almost the entire image circle (roughly the yellow zone above) but you’re on a budget or don’t want to carry 2–3 lbs of glass on a backcountry hike, there are still solid options available. It’s only in the extreme corners (shaded red) where the truly fast, exotic lenses show a meaningful advantage over more affordable alternatives.

That said, the newer mirrorless-era lenses have genuinely raised the bar for corner performance at wide open apertures. The Sigma 14mm f/1.4 DG DN Art in particular impressed reviewers with how clean star points look even in the extreme corners wide open — something that was essentially unachievable at this focal length and aperture with older DSLR-era designs. If corner sharpness at maximum aperture is a real priority, the newer options are worth the premium.

So ask yourself: what are your priorities? Aperture, weight, price, portability, corner sharpness. An adventure photographer hiking 15 miles to a remote peak might reach for the Rokinon 14mm f/2.8 or Nikon 20mm f/1.8 — both remain excellent value options. A shooter who drives to their locations and wants maximum image quality might instead reach for the Sigma 14mm f/1.4 DG DN Art despite its size and price. Neither choice is wrong. Make your decision based on your own priorities and preferences, then go make images.

Frequently asked questions

What aperture do I need for Milky Way photography?

For Milky Way photography, f/2.8 is the practical minimum and f/1.4 to f/2.0 is ideal. The wider the aperture, the more light you gather, which lets you use shorter shutter speeds to reduce star trailing and lower ISO settings to reduce noise. A lens at f/1.4 gathers roughly four times as much light as one at f/2.8, which is a significant difference when you’re working with faint starlight. That said, f/2.8 is perfectly usable on a fast full-frame sensor — don’t let aperture alone drive your entire decision.

What focal length is best for photographing the Milky Way?

Most Milky Way photographers work in the 14–24mm range on a full-frame camera. Ultra-wide lenses (14–16mm) let you include more sky and foreground in a single frame and allow longer exposures before star trailing becomes visible. Focal lengths in the 20–24mm range give you a larger, more detailed view of the galactic core but require a bit more care with shutter speed. On a crop sensor camera, multiply these by your camera’s crop factor — a 10–12mm lens on APS-C is roughly equivalent to 14–18mm on full-frame.

Can I use autofocus for Milky Way photography?

For most nightscape shooting, manual focus is the standard approach. Stars are small and dim, and most autofocus systems struggle to lock on them reliably in the dark. The typical workflow is to set focus to near-infinity using live view at maximum magnification, confirm that the stars appear as sharp points, and then lock focus in place — either with a physical switch (like the MF-L lock on recent Sigma Art lenses) or by switching the lens to manual focus mode. Some newer mirrorless cameras can lock focus on brighter stars, but it’s not yet reliable enough across the board to depend on for a full shoot.

Does image stabilization help in Milky Way photography?

Not for the sky exposures themselves — you’ll always be on a tripod for those, so stabilization adds nothing and should typically be turned off to avoid introducing micro-blur from the IS mechanism seeking. Where stabilization does help is with foreground exposures on cameras that blend multiple shots, handheld context frames, or video footage of the scene. Lenses like the Canon RF 15-35mm f/2.8 L IS USM with 5-stop stabilization are useful for this secondary work, even if the primary astro frames don’t benefit from it.

Should I buy a zoom or a prime lens for Milky Way photography?

Both work. Primes offer faster maximum apertures — f/1.4 to f/2.0 — which directly improves your light gathering and image quality. Zooms top out at f/2.8 for the fastest options, but they give you compositional flexibility without changing lenses in the dark. If astrophotography is your primary use and budget allows, a fast prime at 14–20mm is the stronger choice. If you want a lens that pulls double duty across landscapes, travel, and the occasional night shoot, a quality f/2.8 zoom is a practical and capable option.

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Winter photographs have that magical feel, don’t they? When snow and frost cover everything, it all looks new and exciting. Even the most mundane, familiar scenes are transformed to give a new perspective, but winter photography brings challenges that other seasons don’t.

1: Winter-Proof Yourself and Your Gear

The first of our winter landscape photography tips is often overlooked by photographers impatient to get out and get shooting, but it’s worth doing some preparation work before you leave home to make sure you have a good, productive shoot without having to cut it short.

• Keep your batteries warm, and take spares – batteries lose power very quickly in low temperatures. Keep them in an inner pocket of your coat so your body heat helps keep them warm.
• Make sure you have a sturdy, yet easy-to-carry tripod with you. It should be simple to set up too, so you don’t have to fumble around and waste precious time.
• Stop your camera lens fogging up – when you go from the cold to a warm, indoor spot to warm up, your lens will fog up straight away from the moisture build-up.  It’s easy to avoid this by putting your camera inside your gear bag with a lens cover on before you go into a warm place, and leave it to warm up before you get it out again.
• Use photography gloves – gloves are essential for winter landscape photography, but most regular gloves are too bulky for working camera buttons and dials. You can buy special photography gloves with thin thermal fabric on the fingertips and the added bonus of extra grip fabric on the palms so your camera won’t slip out of your hands.
• Wear layers of warm clothing, so they can be removed or added as you feel you need to during the day. Outer garments need to be windproof, breathable, and water-repellent, and your boots need to be insulated and breathable too. Don’t forget sunglasses, lip balm, water, and energy-giving snacks.

2: Contrast is Key

Autofocus is our friend in most scenarios, but snow and ice in the winter landscape can throw it off. If you find your camera is hunting for focus in all the white, try to focus on something darker than the snow so your camera has the contrast it needs to focus. For example, if you’re photographing snow on a tree branch or on rocks, focus on any exposed bark or stone.  For easy post production, we’ve created a set of Landscape Photography Presets in collaboration with The Photo Argus.

3: Avoid Gray-Looking Snow Images: Use Exposure Compensation

This winter landscape photography tip is a way to ensure you don’t end up with gray-looking snow! The whiteness of the snow can confuse your camera’s exposure meter, so you have to adjust exposure compensation by around +0.1 to +0.2 to get that gorgeous, pure white snow.

4: Catch the Best Light

Winter sunrises and sunsets can add a whole layer of drama to your landscape photography – especially when they happen just before or after a snowstorm. There’s an added bonus for those of us who struggle to get out of bed in the summer to catch early sunrises – in winter, the sun comes up much, much later! Now you can get a good night’s sleep and shoot magical winter sunrises.

5: Choose the Right Shutter Speed

When the snow is falling, you need to choose what shutter speed you are going to use to achieve the effect you want. Fast shutter speeds will freeze movement, showing snowflakes falling as white dots, and if you use a slow shutter speed the flakes will look like streaks of white on your image.

On a calm day, 1/125th second may be enough to freeze the movement of falling snow, but if it’s very windy and the snow is heavy, then even much higher shutter speeds may not give you the crisp result you want. If you’re not sure, then try bracketing your shots using different exposure settings to discover the one that works for the situation you’re in at that moment.

6: Look for Color

If you live in an area where there is heavy winter snowfall, pretty soon everything is white – and nothing stands out as a focal element. On those monochrome days, look for splashes of color that stand out in the white and grey landscape, like a brightly-painted house.

7: Shoot During Blue Hour

Here’s another one of our winter landscape photography tips, and it’s a great way to add a new dimension to your landscape photography. The window of time before the sun rises or after it sets can bring a soft and magical blue light that is offset perfectly by the warm yellows and oranges of lights in houses or on streets.

8. Don’t Forget the Details

Things can look so much more interesting close up in winter than at other times of the year. Take a closer look at plants, trees, and fallen leaves for some great wintry close-up images.  If you fancy trying your hand at winter macro photography, then check out this article on how to create amazing winter macro images with very little gear.

Look at the textures of leaves and plants covered with frost, or capture a dramatic image of a leaf trapped in ice. Forests aren’t the only places you’ll find good subjects for close-ups – beach photography is often overlooked when it comes to winter.

9: Try Experimenting with Filters

There are a few filters you can use in wintertime, but a great one to try is a circular polarizing filter. You may think of a circular polarizing filter as one to use on summer days to remove sun glare from water, but it can also reduce the glare of the snow too. You can also make your skies really pop with these filters, but be careful not to overdo it, as too much polarizer makes the sky look an unreal shade of blue.

10: Embrace the Moodiness

Not all snow scenes and winter landscapes need to be upbeat or tranquil. Maybe you’re shooting in a landscape that is totally bleak and unwelcoming. Don’t avoid it – really embrace the ‘dead of winter’ vibe instead. Using minimalist compositions to highlight one thing that sums up the desolation of the scene will give you dramatic images. Ruins, abandoned buildings, fallen trees, rusting cars, or other suitable subjects work really well for this.

Winter Landscape Photography Tips: Final Thoughts

If you can get out and about during the winter to shoot, then you can find some awesome scenes to photograph. You don’t even have to go further than your own backyard – snow and ice transform the everyday scene into something magical. To sum up, here’s a quick list of our top tips:

• Wear warm clothing, footwear, and take extra care of your camera in the cold weather
• Reduce focus hunting from your camera’s AF by focusing on areas of contrast to the snow
• Use exposure compensation to get that pure white snow scene
• Make the best use of sunrise and sunset for dramatic images
• Adjust your shutter speed to capture the kind of falling snow images you want
• Look for splashes of color to give an area of focal interest to snow scenes
• Try shooting winter landscapes during blue hour for an added dimension
• Don’t overlook the small details in the landscape for some stunning winter abstracts and macros
• Experiment with a circular polarizing filter
• Embrace the moodiness and bleakness of winter landscapes by choosing fitting subjects

We hope our winter landscape photography tips have given you some food for thought, and if you’re looking for some ways to keep those photography jobs coming during the cold weather, then take a look at our guide to booking winter photography jobs all season long.

Follow these natural light portrait tips to use hard light to shape the body with an example from our new Engagement Photography 101 course, which we designed to guide you from communication to capture to create stunning engagement photography using the gear you already have.

Video: Natural Light Portrait Tips | Use Hard Light to Shape the Body

Natural Light Portrait Tip #1: Compose the Image

Because we’re using the sun as a directional light in our natural light portrait, your composition will depend in part on the sun’s location in the sky and how it affects the light falling on your subjects. In this scene, the sun was still a couple hours from setting, so its position allowed me to use the ocean as a backdrop for the light direction I wanted.

I chose a wide angle 24mm lens to include more of the ocean and rocks in the frame, but you can really use whichever focal length that best suits your needs. To minimize the effects of lens distortion associated with capturing portraits on a wide angle lens, it helps to place the subjects toward the center of the frame. The distortion becomes more obvious the closer the distance between the camera and the subjects.

[Related Reading: 5 Things to Look for When Shooting Natural Light Portraits in Urban Locations]

Natural Light Portrait Tip #2: Dial in Ambient Exposure

As I mentioned before, you can use whatever gear you have to capture natural light portraits, but you’ll still need to use your tools you have available to dial in ambient exposure. For this shot, we opted for a wide aperture (f/1.4) and shallow depth of field to create a bit of separation between our subjects and the background, and this required a faster shutter speed (1/8000) and low ISO (100). The goal is to create a dramatic natural light portrait using hard light, so the ambient exposure leans toward the left side of the histogram while still trying to maximize dynamic range.

Natural Light Portrait Tip #3: Position Your Subjects

Positioning your subjects ties into both your composition (step 1) as well as how you’re going to pose your subjects (step 4), and it holds the key for making this shot work. You want to position your subjects in a way that allows you to make the available natural light work for you while also capturing the scene, or at least as much of the backdrop as you want to reveal. In this particular scene, I positioned the female subject in front of the male subject to prevent her from falling into the male’s shadow, which would’ve happened if he stood at her side, between her position and the sun.

Natural Light Portrait Tip #4: Direct Your Subjects into a Pose

How you pose your subjects will determine your level of success for using hard light to shape the body in your portraits. All of your knowledge of foundational posing will come into play here, as well as light patterns. After moving the subjects into position (in a combination open and stacked pose), I asked the female subject to turn her face slightly toward the sun, which created nice Rembrandt lighting on her face. As hand position is also important, I asked her to hold her dress with her left hand and reach back with the other hand to hold the male subject’s hand. I then asked the male subject to step slightly to his right to reduce the overlap between the subjects. Finally, I directed his gaze to create an “x” pattern between the eye direction of the two subjects, and we were ready to capture the image.

[Related Reading: 5 Primary Light Patters and Their Purposes]

Natural Light Portrait Tip #5: Capture the Shot

To make the image more dynamic, I just needed to wait for the right moment with the crashing waves in the background so that I could capture the shot. You can continue to refine the pose and direct for multiple expressions once you’ve gotten the shot you’re after.

Conclusion

I hope you found these natural light portrait tips on using hard light to shape the body helpful. This technique proves that you don’t have to use flash to capture dramatically lit images. If you’re interested in learning more about how to photograph couples, don’t miss our Engagement Photography 101 workshop, which is available for purchase now.

The article will cover the following aspects of lighting photography:

• Gear
• Safety
• Settings
• Location Scouting
• Lighting Photography at Night
• Daytime Lighting Photography
• Composition Tips

1: Things You Need to Photograph Lightning Successfully

There are a few items that will help you capture the best lightning shots. The good news is that as a photographer, you probably already have them.

• DSLR or mirrorless camera – you’ll need to use manual controls for shutter speed, aperture, etc, and it’s best to shoot in RAW format.
• Tripod – while some folk get lucky with hand-holding their cameras for lightning, using a good tripod will make it so much easier because you’ll likely be using long shutter speeds.
• Lenses – any lens will work for capturing lightning, but if you want to capture lightning as part of a big scene then a wide-angle lens is best. Zoom lenses will also give you more flexibility for shooting lighting at different distances.
• Weather-proofing – As lightning often appears as part of a storm, you should expect to get wet! If your camera and lenses aren’t weather-sealed, then you’ll have to protect them from the rain. You should also think about waterproof clothing for yourself – being wet and cold is no fun. Take several lens cloths with you too, so you can safely clean any raindrops off the front of your lens.
• Remote control or cable release – this isn’t essential but does make it much easier to take sharp photos because you’re not physically pressing the shutter and introducing camera shake.
• MIOPS Trigger (Optional Accessory) – FLEX detects lightning strikes and automatically captures the image. This will allow you to focus more on the creative aspects including exposure, composition, etc.

That’s really all the equipment you need to shoot lightning. However, if you are seriously into lightning photography then you may want to buy some specialized gear, like a lightning camera trigger. This takes a lot of guesswork out of shooting, because this trigger sends a signal to your camera the instant a lightning bolt begins, and it automatically takes photos of it.

2: Think Safety First

Lightning is beautiful, but don’t forget how deadly it can be. If you can, it’s best to be inside a building or car so that you are protected from being struck. It’s really not wise to photograph lightning in an open space, especially if there are trees, water, or tall structures nearby. Don’t be fooled by how far away the lightning looks – if you can see it, it’s close enough to strike you.

3: Understand the Right Camera Settings

When you get to your chosen location, set your camera up on the tripod and set your lens to manual focus. Focus to the distant horizon (infinity), and check it’s sharp by taking a test shot and checking it. Manual focus is best for shooting lightning because if it’s too dark the AF system can have trouble focusing.

The settings below are just a rough guide, but you can use them as a starting point and adjust as necessary..

Use Manual Exposure Mode

Set your camera to manual mode (usually ‘M’) on your mode dial. Auto modes tend to give the wrong exposure when it comes to lighting photography.

ISO for Lightning

Set the ISO to the lowest value your camera has. You should only raise your ISO to capture very faint, distant lightning strikes as part of a much darker, starry nightscape image.

Shutter Speed for Lightning

Setting the shutter speed for a longer time gives a better chance of getting the lightning. Try and set it for between 5 and 30 seconds to start with. This will brighten up the ambient exposure, of course, but as long as you capture lightning during the exposure, your shutter speed will not actually affect the brightness of a single strike, just like how a strobe flash works!

If you’re looking for a dramatic, dark foreground shot, or if lightning is striking so frequently that your exposures are getting blown out, then you might want to try a shorter shutter speed of around 1-3 seconds, and just capture back-to-back exposures!

Aperture for Lightning

A medium aperture of f/4 or /5.6 is a good starting point, if there’s nothing in the foreground of your composition. You may find your images look overexposed at this setting, so try at f/8 instead, or adjust your shutter speed to be faster, if you’re trying to catch faint lightning strikes that might “disappear” as you stop down your aperture.

If there’s a foreground subject in your composition, then you may want to use a small aperture (bigger f/stop) to get more depth-of-field. If you find yourself needing to use f/11 or f/16 to achieve good depth of field in your scene, you might have to raise your ISO a little bit in order to catch those faint lightning strikes.

4: Finding Great Locations

This may be easier for those who live where there are lots of storms! However, it’s not just about capturing lightning bolts in any old scene – the trick is to find an interesting foreground.

This means you may well have to plan ahead. It’s dangerous and pointless to wait until you’re in a storm to find good backdrops for your lightning photographs. Think of some places local to you that you could get to quickly when a storm is brewing, and preferably, shoot safely during the storm. Lightning shots look best when there’s a lot of sky, but also some details in the foreground, such as buildings or hills.

TIP: Here’s how you can tell how far away lightning is from your current location: count the seconds between the flash of light and the boom of the thunder Every five seconds equals one mile. So, if you count ten seconds, you are a lot safer, but if you count just one or two seconds, you could be in extreme danger!

We recommend finding somewhere indoors, for maximum safety if you know a storm is going to pass right over you. If you’re outdoors and a storm is heading towards you, you need to leave the area, of course!

5: How to Photograph Lightning at Night

Shooting lighting at night gives you some really dramatic images,  but there’s no one-size-fits-all solution to the settings you should use. There’s a lot of variables to consider that may make a difference to the settings you use. Once you have set up your camera and manually focused to infinity, ask yourself these questions:

• Is the lighting fairly close? If it’s not a long way away and is striking several times, then it’s best to close down your aperture (higher f/stop) and keep your ISO low. This will help to prevent overexposure.
• Is there a lot of ambient light in the scene? If you are shooting lightning over a cityscape, for instance, you will need a faster shutter speed and a low ISO.
• How fast are the storm clouds moving? If the storm is moving fast and there is a lot of flashing lightning, try using a faster shutter speed to avoid ghosting in the clouds. This is where the same shape is caught in your image as it moves while your camera is taking the photo. This means slower shutter speeds will show more ghosting because the shutter is open for longer while the clouds are moving across the sky.
• Too many strikes in quick succession will also just blow out your long exposures, of course!

Take some test shots with lightning in the exposure, and check to see that you’re happy with the focus and settings you’ve chosen. If not, adjust the focus, shutter speed, or ISO accordingly.

6: How to Photograph Lightning During the Day

• While shooting lightning during the day can be a challenge, there are a few tricks you can try to get great shots. Set your camera up and manually focus to infinity. Take a test shot to make sure the foreground has enough detail. You may need to go down to f/16 or even more. Set the ISO to the lowest setting, and choose a slow shutter speed.
• You may find it easier to shoot lightning during the day if you use a lightning trigger. This little device will attach to your camera and set the shutter off when a flash of light is caught by the sensor. There’s a big choice of lightning triggers on the market, from budget to professional ones.
• If you don’t have a lightning trigger then another option for photographing lightning during the day is to set your aperture to f/22 or more. Use the lowest ISO, and set your shutter speed as slow as you can. All you have to do then is shoot continuously. Hopefully, you will capture some good lightning strikes, although, with such a dark aperture and ISO, you may not see faint strikes that just aren’t very bright. (Remember, lightning behaves just like the pop of a strobe flash, in terms of setting your exposure; aperture and ISO will make lightning brighter or darker, but shutter speed will not!)
• Take plenty of spare memory cards if you go the route of “spray and pray”, as your card will fill up quickly with all the images. If your camera has it, use a compressed RAW mode so that your camera’s buffer stays ample, too.

7: Composition Tips for Photographing Lightning

Shooting successful lightning photos requires a slightly different composition than you may be used to. For instance, you need to cover more sky than your foreground or background. This might not look right at first, but once the lightning strikes it will become the main focal point of the image.

Because lightning appears in different places, you never know where it’s going to show up in your photo. This is why it pays to use a wider-angle lens than usual so that you can crop to a good composition later if you need to.

Alternately, if you’re feeling really ambitious, and if you have an old beginner SLR lying around, consider setting up two cameras and finding two different compositions of two different parts of the sky!

Final Thoughts

Patience is a virtue when it comes to photographing lightning!  It’s unpredictable, and you’ll find that you take many, many shots without getting anything good. You may also find that your just have to LEAVE an area, for your own safety, especially if a storm is approaching, and not moving away from your position.

[REMEMBER: For every five seconds between the lightning flash and the thunder’s boom, that is only ONE mile between you and the strike. That’s only ~5,000 feet away! Now might be a good time to also remind you that a lightning strike is around 300 million volts and 30,000 Amps. For reference, just a fraction of one Amp, or just 50-100 Volts, can be lethal, depending on the combination of the two. Feeling a little more cautious now? Good.]

Eventually, everything will come together just right and you’ll feel a huge sense of satisfaction at having safely captured the perfect lightning shot!

Hopefully, our tips have given you a bit more understanding of how to photograph lightning. We also hope they inspire you to get out there and have a go. Have fun, and don’t forget to stay safe while shooting!

Action Photography Video Demo

In this article/video, we’ll start by showing you what to avoid for capturing an action photography shot, and then we’ll go through the artistic process of finding better picture angles to get to our final image. We cover these concepts and more for all cameras, including smartphones, in our Creative Photography 101 Course.

6 Steps to Better Action Photography

Avoid the “Walk Up” Shot

Before we get into the steps for capturing an exciting action photography shot, let’s talk about walk up shots and how to avoid them. To illustrate, we began this session by capturing a walk up shot of our model Derek doing a backflip on the beach. The shot is framed well enough, but the background is distracting and the picture angle is average at best. Unfortunately, this is the picture angle that most people would use when walking up with their smartphones or cameras to capture the action.

Use a Wide Angle Lens for Action Photography

First, lens choice. As a general rule, you want a lens that is as sharp and fast as possible. Depending on what you are shooting, you are likely going to want something that can get close to the action. If you are shooting a sport like baseball, hockey, soccer, football, or anything else with a large playing surface, your best bet is to purchase or rent a fast zoom lens such as a 70-200mm f2.8 or something similar. If you have good lighting, there are quite a few options for longer telephoto lenses that won’t break the bank but that will still provide great images.

For non sports action photography, start building your action photography shot by using a wide angle lens, such as a 15-35mm lens at 15mm, which will allow you to move in closer and actually get into the action. 

Basically remember:

• Large playing surface = Use a zoom lens to get close to the action.
• Smaller playing surface = Move around!

Action Photography Composition

Rather than relying on a perfect background, we can look for creative picture angles that use available objects in our favor. For this shot, I chose to lie on the ground and shoot toward the sky, incorporating the palm trees that the model used to launch into a backflip. The trees (along with the sand that I’ll introduce later) serve as a thematic element for the beach, but they also help frame the subject, leaving plenty of negative space in the blue sky to highlight the backflip and make the model’s outfit pop against the background.

Pro Tip: Snap a reference shot. Ask your subject (or an assistant) to step in while framing your shot so that you don’t have to repeat the action because you didn’t frame it properly.

Whenever your subjects are moving in a direction, a basic rule of photography is to leave room in the direction the subject is moving. This rule is important because the viewer’s eyes are naturally drawn from the subject to whatever the subject is looking at or facing. If the subject is facing the edge of the frame, it leaves the viewer wondering where the subject is looking. Furthermore, if the subject is moving toward the end of the frame, it leaves the viewer wondering where the subject is going, leading the attention off of the image. Lastly, if the subject is moving toward the edge of the frame, the subject can seem confined and enclosed. As always, showing is more effective than explaining, so as you view these images, imagine how they would look if the subjects were cropped at the other end of the frame.

Shot at the 2009 University of Utah vs. San Diego State Football Game in San Diego, CA on a Canon 40D with a 70-200mm f/2.8L Zoom Lens at 1/250 f/2.8 ISO 400

Shot at the Summit House in Fullerton, CA on a Canon 40D with a 70-200mm f/2.8L Zoom Lens at 1/400 f/2.8 ISO 200

Dial In Your Exposure Settings

Before you cue the action, make sure to dial in your exposure settings. If you aim to freeze the action, prioritize your shutter speed and then adjust your ISO and aperture until you get a balanced exposure. Ideally, you want to maximize your dynamic range to maintain as much of the highlights and shadows as possible. You can enable the highlight alert and use the histogram to help ensure that you’re not blowing out any highlights on your subject’s skin. I like to use live view for this step.

Pro Tip: Set your camera to burst mode (or some similar high-speed setting) so that you can shoot through the action as it unfolds and choose the best frame for your final image.

Lock Your Focus

You don’t want your camera to hunt for focus during your action photography, so lock in your focus ahead of time. For this shot, I set the focus on the model’s head while he stood by for the reference shot and then enabled the focus lock feature on my camera. You can also switch the lens to manual focus.

Cue the Action and Add Variations

All that’s left at this point is to cue the action and capture the shot. After looking at my initial capture, I liked the results, but I wanted to see how it’d look if I added another visual element. I decided to throw sand over the subject during the flip, which you can see in the final images below.

Pro Tip: I would recommend exercising caution when photographing at the beach, especially when playing with sand. Cameras and sand don’t mix well!

Final Images

Before

After

Settings for the Final Image: 15-35mm at 15mm, 1/2000, f/4, ISO 100 | Edited with Visual Flow Presets > Mood Pack > Hard Light

What Kind of Motion Should You Show?

There are two approaches to photographing motion. You can freeze the motion in progress or you can capture it in a manner that shows the motion. If you choose that option, there are two ways to do it. You can either allow motion blur into the photograph, or you can pan along with your subject and blur the background to indicate motion.

Motion Blur for Action Photography

To introduce motion blur to a photo, simply lower the shutter speed enough that the sensor picks up a bit of your subject’s movement. You can simply take the photo as you follow your subject with your camera and with a slower shutter speed they will leave “trails” as they progress through their motion. Or, if you know where your subject is going to end up (like a runner at the finish line or a baseball player at home plate, etc.) you can pre-focus on where they will end up and snap the picture as they move into the frame. This will also capture the motion while helping provide a sense of action to the shot. Another fun way to be creative with this is to use a slower shutter speed that shows motion blur while turning your flash on in rear curtain sync mode. This will fire your flash at the end of the exposure capturing both the motion trails and a relatively sharp capture of your subject.

Freezing Motion in Action Photography

This might actually be one of the simplest pieces of the puzzle! Freezing motion is all about getting your shutter speed high enough that the camera doesn’t show the movement. Depending on what you are shooting, you might have to get shutter speeds up into the thousandths of a second! Of course, when doing this, you have to be in an area that has excellent, bright lighting. Obviously, the shutter isn’t open very long in these cases so, the more available light in this case, the better.

Conclusion

As photographers, we really have no excuse for capturing uninteresting photos. Most everyone has access to quality cameras these days, even using their smartphones. Where people tend to come up short is technique. As you can see here, putting in a little creative effort can go a long way to build a worthwhile action photography shot.

If you’d like to dive deeper into your photography education and exercise your creativity side, our latest course, Creative Photography 101, provides frameworks for training your creativity so that you can stop settling for boring photos.

What is The Reciprocal Rule?

One of the most basic rules of photography is the reciprocal rule. The basics of this rule states that if you’re hand holding your camera, your shutter speed should not be slower than the reciprocal of your effective focal length (but not lower than 1/50th of a second) in order to avoid “camera shake,” i.e. the blur that results from any slight movement of the camera during the capture of the image.  It’s important to note that these are very general guidelines, and actual results will vary depending on the lens, your camera, the stillness of your objects, and the steadiness of your hand.  Furthermore, “camera shake” is not to be confused with motion blur, i.e. the blur from moving objects within the image.  Freezing a moving object is an entirely different subject.

Reciprocal Rule Photography Video

To get started with understanding the reciprocal rule in photography, we recommend you watch this video from our Photography 101 Workshop.

Reciprocal Rule Photography Example

The Reciprocal Rule essentially states that the shutter speed needs to be at least the inverse of your focal length. Although it sounds a lot more complicated, it’s actually really simple.

For example, if you’re shooting with a 50mm lens, then your shutter speed should be at 1/50. If you’re shooting with a 100mm lens, then your shutter speed should be at least 1/100.

The reason being, the longer your lens, the more exaggerated your movement becomes. Therefore, you need to shoot at faster shutter speeds in order to minimize movement so that the image doesn’t have any camera shake.

The Pole Analogy in Understanding the Reciprocal Rule

So, why does my minimum shutter speed increase as I zoom in and decrease as I zoom out? Well, imagine your lens were two relatively light metal poles, the lengths of which would represent your focal length.

One of the metal poles is only 1′ long, while the other is 20′ long. Now imagine trying to hold the pole out on one side with both hands, while trying to keep the other side of the pole steady. You would probably find it is relatively easy to keep the 1′ pole steady, while the 20′ pole would be shaking violently on the side opposite your hands as any movement from your hands is amplified as it travels to the end of the pole. Speaking in terms of lenses, by zooming in, you are effectively increasing the length of your “pole.” Any movement made at the base of the pole (lens) is amplified as you travel out to the end of the pole (zoomed focal length). Thus, the longer the zoom, the higher your minimum shutter speed.

Exceptions to the Reciprocal Rule

The reciprocal rule is a rule and not a law. Why? Because this rule doesn’t always work, particularly when you start slowing down your shutters beyond 1/50th of a second. For example, the reciprocal rule would state that you could use a shutter speed of 1/20th of a second if you are zoomed at 20mm on your lens. However, when you drop below 1/50th of a second, regardless of what lens you use, it will be difficult to avoid camera shake. If you have an extremely steady hand and/or image stabilization on your lens, you may be able to get down to 1/30th of a second with no problems. However, just keep in mind that this rule becomes less effective when shooting slow shutters (below 1/50th of a second).

Additional Terms For More Clarity

Reciprocal – The reciprocal of a number is the multiplicative inverse of the number or, in other words, one divided by the number.  For example, the reciprocal of 100 is 1/100.

Focal length – The Focal Length is simple to understand on a practical level, but deeper understanding requires knowledge rooted in physics and mathematics.  For practical purposes though we won’t go too deep. Focal length can be thought of as the distance from the center of a lens or the surface of a mirror to the point at which light passing through the lens or reflected from the mirror is focused.  These are expressed in terms of millimeters, so, for example, on a lens such as the 24-70mm f/2.8L USM, 24mm is as zoomed out or wide as the lens goes, while 70mm is zoomed in fully. 

If you’re fully zoomed out on this lens, the reciprocal rule states that your shutter speed (if this speed actually existed) could be as low as 1/24th of a second (keep in mind our shutter speed rule above); and if you were fully zoomed in, you would need a shutter of at least around 1/70th of a second.  For practical purposes, rounding up is always safer; and in general, keeping it at the safe shutter for the fully zoomed in focal length is preferable, as there are already enough things to worry about; and it’s not always practical to change shutter speed for every change in focal length.

Full Frame vs. Crop Frame – An important note is that these rules apply directly to cameras with a full-frame sensor, such as the Canon EOS 5D Mark II (and higher models and their Nikon/other brand equivalents).  For cameras with a crop-frame sensor, such as the Canon 40D, 50D, 30D, 20D, or Rebel (and their Nikon/other brand equivalents), the focal length is multiplied by a 1.6 crop factor.  So, for example, the same 24-70mm f/2.8L USM mentioned earlier would actually have focal lengths closer to 38.4-112mm.  So when using these crop-frame-sensor cameras, you would theoretically need to bring your shutter speeds closer to these higher focal lengths.

Image Stabilization/Vibration Reduction (IS & VR) – Another important note is that with IS (Canon) or VR (Nikon), you should be able to safely reduce the shutter speed one additional full stop. With newer technology, the new lenses claim two and even three stops, but in general, and from our experience, it’s safer to keep it at around one.  For shutter speeds this would mean cutting the denominator by about half.  So, for example, if you’re fully zoomed in at 200mm on a full-frame camera on a 70-200mm f/2.8L Zoom Lens, your 1/200 safe shutter becomes 1/100 because of the image stabilization.

Conclusion

The most important take away is that if you’re looking for crisp, non-blurry images, the higher/faster the shutter speed, the better.  In lower light, you can safely go down to your focal length’s reciprocal (on a full frame camera) and even one to two stops lower with image stabilization if your subjects are not moving or not moving quickly.  We hope this helps, and as always, any feedback or comments are welcomed.