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Quick Tip for Getting Sharper Closeup Photos

October 24, 2010 by Steve Berardi 9 Comments

Variegated Meadowhawk (female) / Photo by Steve Berardi
Variegated Meadowhawk (female) / Photo by Steve Berardi
In a previous post, I explained a quick way you can get sharper photos by adjusting the “picture style” on your DSLR (if you’re shooting in JPEG). Well, another small way you can make your closeup photos appear sharper is by photographing your subject in front of a contrasting background.

The photo above is a good example. The dragonfly is pretty bright, but the background is much darker. This strong contrast of brightness helps emphasize the edges, making the outline of the dragonfly appear much sharper.

This is actually how most sharpening algorithms work in post-processing software: by increasing the contrast of brightness between edges it makes those edges stand out more and appear sharper. That’s why oversharpened images have those ugly halos. [Read more…] about Quick Tip for Getting Sharper Closeup Photos

Filed Under: Macro, Tips, Wildflowers, Wildlife Tagged With: algorithms, background, closeup, contrast, crisp, dragonflies, dragonfly, halos, insect, Macro, oversharpened, photos, picture style, sharp, sharpening, sharper, subject, tack sharp, Wildlife

How to Photograph Dragonflies (free eBook!)

June 22, 2010 by Steve Berardi 47 Comments

Today I’m happy to announce the release of a free eBook about photographing one of the most unique insects on the planet: dragonflies. The eBook was written by my father, Vic Berardi, who is an outstanding photographer of hawks, dragonflies, and wildflowers.

This 18-page eBook is not meant to be a complete guide on the subject of photographing dragonflies, but it includes many great tips for dealing with the unique challenges of dragonfly photography. You’ll get the most out of the book if you already have a basic understanding of how to use your camera (you’re familiar with the terms aperture, shutter speed, ISO, depth of field, etc). [Read more…] about How to Photograph Dragonflies (free eBook!)

Filed Under: Macro, Tips Tagged With: book, camera, damselfies, dragonflies, dragonfly, ebook, flies, free, guide, insect, Macro, pdf, photography, telephoto

What went wrong with this dragonfly photo?

December 1, 2009 by Steve Berardi 30 Comments

Photo by Steve Berardi
Photo by Steve Berardi
In Bob Dylan’s great song, “Love Minus Zero/No Limit,” he proclaims,

“There’s no success like failure, and failure’s no success at all.”

It’s one of my favorite lines. I don’t always think failure is such a bad thing, because we learn so much more from failure, than we do success.

So, I’d like to try a new type of post here at PhotoNaturalist. I’ll start by sharing a recent photo I took that I don’t think came out very well. Then, I’ll explain why I don’t like it and why it “failed.” [Read more…] about What went wrong with this dragonfly photo?

Filed Under: Tips Tagged With: critique, depth, depth of field, dof, dragonfly, focus, insect, nature photos, out of focus, photo, sharp, sharp focus, Tips, what went wrong

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